Posts

Showing posts from July, 2013

A nice little strip in Cebu called Paseo Saturnino (now Paseo Uno)

Image
Despite being far from almost everything else in Cebu, staying at The Henry also has its pluses. Of course there's the unconventional design and the generous space of their rooms but then there's also this small commercial strip called Paseo Saturnino where the hotel is located. (Update May 2014: Based on the sign at the gate, it has since been renamed to Paseo Uno .) Located along Maria Luisa Road in Banilad, this rather unassuming cluster of restaurants, bars, and shops in Banilad is also home to a skin care clinic and a spa. Based on my limited observation, it's the sort of place that attracts the wheeled type of crowd. A section of Paseo Saturnino, which is frequented by people with cars. While Paseo Saturnino Uno may not be a must-visit attraction for tourists, it's simply a nice place where you can drop by if you happen to be somewhere nearby or if you're staying in one of the spacious rooms at The Henry . And so I got to check out a few establishm

A taste of Smokin' Hot BarBQ

Image
A few weeks ago we were treated to a taste of The Bistro Group's newest restaurant, Smokin' Hot BarBQ at Greenbelt 3. Along with the free lunch we played the part of diners as we were shot for an advertorial that was to be published in The Philippine Star. We were also given GCs as token for coming. I've already been seeing this resto every time I'm headed for the movies but never got to try it until that occasion. I don't know why but maybe it was out of bitterness since it was where my favorite Fish & Co. (also of The Bistro Group) used to stand. Haha! Our lunch spread. Contrary to my perception, it's not all barbecue here but Filipino comfort fare that's meant for sharing. It's meant to also be a place where people can have drinks, hence the "Bar" in Smokin' Hot BarBQ. Here's what we were served:

[Throwback Thursday 07.25.2013] A messed up Wolverine

Image
Okay, so that didn't look much like claws, did they? Besides, how weird would Wolverine be if his claws were as messed up like this?

Youphoric Labs launches new API at Smart DevNet's 1st anniversary

Image
Last Friday, July 19, Youphoric Labs and Shoephoric.com founder Ann Jacobe presented their new SMS API before an audience of developers and friends at Smart DevNet 's 1st Anniversary. The event, dubbed #DevNetOne, was held at Craft Bar and Grill at The Fort. Wearing ripped jeans and some really cool kicks, Jacobe took to the stage and explained how with their new service anyone can practically create his own SMS-based promo, poll, or any service using any of the templates available at Youphoric Labs's website. The lovely Ann Jacobe takes to the stage to present their new API. To the uninitiated, API means application programming interface, which basically specifies how some software components like software packages, web services, modules and whatnot should interact with each other.

#SMDaywithAMB: An evening with the Ambassador

Image
Last week on July 16, some thirty or so netizens gathered at Commune in Makati City for some coffee and pastries in an intimate social media meetup with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas. Organized by the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy in Manila in partnership with Tweetup Manila, the event was sort of an extension of the recently held Social Media Weekend. I just had to have a souvenir shot with the Ambassador. Who knows, I just might attach it to my U.S. visa application! Haha! Traffic and then later, a heavy downpour, did nothing to deter people from coming. People simply interacted with one another and I myself met a couple of new friends.

The Goose Station: Take two

Image
Thanks to yet another fantastic deal at Deal Grocer ( yes, I'm that cheap ), My Bibe and I found ourselves again at one of our fave restaurants, The Goose Station . The menu, which was specifically for Deal Grocer voucher holders, was different this time around. It was still a ten-course degustation feast of some really meticulously prepared food, though. Foie gras cone It started with a familiar delight we also had the last time, foie gras cones! It's made of foie gras mousse, port jelly, fig jam, and hazelnut. Really creamy and good! Foie gras cone.

[Throwback Thursday 07.18.2013] The professional

Image
I am so petrified right now because I need to pass the examination that comes with this COBIT 5 Foundation Certification Course I'm attending. Exams scare the living crap out of me, which is probably why I have never taken steps towards becoming a CIA or a CISA. There's this fear of failure, alright, but these exams cost a lot, too! Moreover, it's also quite expensive maintaining these professional licenses. But then eons ago I took--and thankfully passed--the CPA Board Examinations.

REVIEW | The Henry: Not your usual hotel

Image
I recently posted about this unique hotel in Cebu that we called home for three nights last month. Definitely an unconventional concept for a hotel, The Henry (formerly The House of Cebu ), is already a destination all unto itself. But all this design statement aside, just how good (or bad) is a stay at The Henry? At the end of the day, it is a hotel after all. Allow me break it all down for you. Architecture and ambiance As I've mentioned in an earlier post, The Henry sports an industrial, post-modern design aesthetic, sort of like a polished, unpolished look. I say that because even when the beams, lighting fixtures and all are exposed, and the walls and floors are nothing but plain concrete, they all have a glossy sheen to them. Even the accent wall of scrap iron at the lobby was perfectly varnished. The hotel lobby. See what I mean by polished, unpolished?

HOTEL | The spacious rooms at The Henry

Image
In a previous post I've shared some photos of this unique hotel in Cebu called The Henry . So far I've shown the lobby, restaurant, and basically the hotel's general design aesthetic. Now I'm showing you the rooms. A section of one of the "XX-Large" rooms at The Henry. With 38 rooms, The Henry prides itself in having no two rooms that are the same, so every room sports its own unique design. Fantastic, right? Also, another characteristic of its rooms is its generous space. All of the rooms here are big and the hotel has played with the idea of size to name its accommodation options. So instead of the customary standard, superior, deluxe and suite, we have Big , Large , X-Large , and XX-Large . Cool, huh?

[Throwback Thursday 07.11.2013] Before there was Instagram

Image
As Instagram roared its way into the social media seen, we've seen a barrage of food porn and "selfies." But before all this, we were pretty much happy with our old phones's arcane versions of filters and frames, though we may not have played with them as often since, of course, they just stayed in our phones for want of a proper venue for sharing. Today My Bibe and I are celebrating our 8th year together, so this Throwback Thursday post is an ode to those days of us taking our own photos together--our selfies of old, if you may--when they just stayed in our mobile phones for our own private viewing pleasure. The time has come to upload them. Caramoan on April 11, 2006 It was already such fun then playing with all those silly graphics.

HOTEL | The Henry: Like no other indeed

Image
Lured by its promise of being a hotel "like no other," we tried The Henry during our recent trip to Cebu. It's a 38-room boutique hotel in Banilad with an industrial, post-modern design aesthetic peppered with some vintage pop art references. Or at least that's what I think it is. My Bibe and I both loved the place. I sure took a lot of photos and despite several rounds of "shortlisting" them, I still couldn't fit my selection into just one post. So before I post my actual review of The Henry , let me show you around the hotel first.

[Throwback Thursday 07.04.2013] Simpsonized!

Image