Panagdait Festival: A showcase of talents

LICEO de Cagayan University’s Hospitality Management and Tourism Department (HMTD) successfully held the colorful and flavorful “Panagdait Festival” last February 6 at the school’s civic center.

Now on its 4th year, “Panagdait Festival” is the most anticipated event that showcases the college’s own version of Kumbira, an annual prestigious culinary showdown organized by the Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association (Cohara). It has become a venue where guests, sponsors, instructors and students not only show off their expertise in culinary arts but also their love for Kagay-anon and Filipino cultures through dances, their passion for teaching and learning, appreciation for labor, respect for one’s work and compassion for people through genuine services.

Julia Montes look-alike wins ‘Macho Gay’ title

A CONSTRUCTION worker got the biggest surprise of his life when he was crowned “Macho Gay 2013” during the final night held last Feb. 7 at the town plaza of Barangay Iponan.

Jun Adonis Patriana, 31, looked like actress Julia Montes on stage. He bested all other candidates in the contest, one of the highlights of Barangay Iponan’s week-long “Kalumpangan Festival” in honor of the village’s patron saint, San Guillermo, whose feast falls on Feb. 10.

Food makes the better lover...

... It gets sweeter with every encounter, loves you unconditionally through thick (read: fat) and thin, and it never disappoints you, ever, not unless it isn’t prepared right. In which case, the chef will always give you a replacement and/or not let you pay for the whole meal.

This Valentine’s week seems to prove my point why food is the best company (aside from good friends) in singledom (by choice), at least from my point of view.

Masbad: Passwords: Keep it secure

LAST year, an editor of a popular technology magazine was hacked. Another person through social engineering techniques retrieved his password. In just about an hour, he practically “lost” his digital life all because the hacker wanted to get his current Twitter username. It’s an interesting story of how one tech savvy person was still hacked. But we won’t be talking about how he was hacked and how all the other factors contributed to him getting hacked.

This week though I’ll talk about a few things that you can do and tools to help you secure your passwords.

My best Valentine gift

MY VALENTINE’S Day ended with a bang. I still received flowers from my knight in shining armor. Peach roses, that is. And the day would not be complete without sumptuous food.

But before it made way to our tummies, I and my husband had to wait for an hour when we ordered it. Yup, you heard that right. But since we think that they are the most-sought-after restaurant during that day, all that we can do was grumble, mumble and consult the counter thrice. Blame it to their Chinese recipe. Now what?

Boracay: A perfect island getaway

BORACAY has come a long way from a somewhat sleepy island in the 1980s with nipa huts and little infrastructure to a first class resort destination, and is voted one of the best beaches in the world. This place is the perfect island getaway that offers warm blue waters, powder-fine white sand, and a palm-fringed four-kilometer beach front.

Boracay has all the ingredients of a fun-in-the-sun resort destination with diverse choices of delectable food, pulsating nightlife and a wide variety of sports and activities.

Fashion fun under the sun

JUST because the summer heat is unbearable doesn't mean we have to surrender style. Now that the hottest season of the year is just a few weeks away, Davao City's top fashion bloggers show us how to be effortlessly fashionable under the heat of the sun.

Getting Ready is the Key

Beyond durian and orchids

ON MARCH 6-9, Davao City will host the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions/events conference (MICECON), according to Tourism Promotions Board (TPB).

"MICECON will bring together delegates from the Philippines and foreign MICE industry comprising meeting/event planners, destination management companies, incentive tour operators, hotels and resorts, airlines, convention and exhibition centers, local tourism offices, and association executives, among many others," said TPB Chief Operating Officer Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III.

Brewing your own coffee

THE popularity of coffee has in recent years given rise to a lifestyle where people congregate, talk, write, read, surf the net, and play games in coffee shops while enjoying a great brew. There is nothing, after all, like sipping the perfect cup of coffee individually or in the company of friends and family.

The good news is that, you can have the coffee culture experience right in your own home, with cool coffeemakers from SM Homeworld. These are not only sleekly designed and compact, but make it easy for you to be your own barista at home.

Flowers of the North

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - Northern Blooms have defined the celebrations for the month of February here.

Benguet flower farmers are bound to make a profit this month with Valentine’s Day rush to buy blooms as well as the upcoming Baguio Flower Festival demanding a myriad of cut flowers from the province.

The most romantic place in the world

SIPPING coffee in small cafe by a quiet alley in Marais in Paris, France, sitting on a bench by the busy path of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, strolling under the heavenly Cherry Blossom trees in Kyoto, Japan, wading on the shallow waters of a deserted beach in a South Pacific island, shaking your bodies to the Salsa beat at the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, riding the elephants through the forest of Chiang Mai, Thailand, or the Ferris wheel magically stopping at its highest point facing the setting sun in some theme park...

... you stare at each other's eyes, lips curled in smiles, time stands still...

My Foodie Valentine

A YEARLY event and celebration, the 14th of February has become synonymous with love, flowers, cards, teddy bears, balloons, chocolates, candies, strawberries, cherries and food, especially baked goodies. But one thing in common is the color red, and being “heart-shaped!

Much has been written about the history of St. Valentines, hence Valentine’s Day. But it wasn’t until the 19th century that this occasion became hugely popular, particularly the valentine card. Remember Hallmark Greetings? And the rest, as everyone would say, is history.

Is Valentine’s Day celebration comes with age?

TODAY is Valentine’s Day but here I am staring at the computer and thinking if I have something essential to write.

Well, for a start, my husband and I planned to go out with the kids but as to where and what time, the answer is still vague. As of this writing, I am still busy finalizing the list of the staff who will be on probation as recommended by our regional director while my husband is probably cramming for their general inspection.

St. Valentine’s Day (Heart-shape cakes)

TOMORROW is St. Valentine’s Day and the whole world celebrates love and romance. Did you know that the greetings on St. Valentine’s Day surpass the greetings send on Christmas day? Well it does, because love and romance know no cultural or religious boundaries. That fact brings us to the origins of the St. Valentine’s Day the undisputed day of love, romance affection, and care and of sweethearts and lovers.

What is love?

IN HONOR of Valentine’s Day, Sari-Sari rests from its Pro-Life campaign to focus on the question: What Is Love?

According to my late father, Nimrod Suarez, “Love is sex.”

Changes around us

DEVELOPMENTS in technology require a multitude of changes. These may call for new machinery, a new production method or a new job skill.

I feel I am fortunate and I hope you feel the same way that our dynamic environment here in Cagayan de Oro requires more change. Although not to be mistaken as a techie, some of us are already heavy internet users.

Calm as the Pacifico

AS THE Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan started his voyage en route Moluccas (Maluku Islands) in Indonesia or what is known in the history as Spice Islands, he came across an ocean, the largest in the world, and that he gave it a name Pacifico.

It was named then Pacifico as the voyager and his crews happened to traverse the vast ocean with a very fine and tranquil weather in the absence of fearful howling winds in quest of the most-coveted island of spices, but completely oblivious to what possible danger it can give.

Welcoming the Year of the Water Snake

SHOPPERS felt like they were in China with the Chinatown concept of reds, variety shows, dragon and lion dances and everything Chinese inside SM City on Sunday during the celebration of the Chinese New year.

Mall goers were definitely enlivened and enthralled of the mall’s complete transformation into a Chinatown, through the efforts of Ms. Jena Morales, SM Mall’s Senior Visual Display Manager for Visayas and Mindanao.

Kingsbridge (Part Two)

WHAT changed? Simply put, the purpose of the game changed for me. Before the attacks came, I was content with the quests and the tasks. Some were difficult to do; others required waiting and waiting especially when your energy ran out. But after raiding other villages, I found out that you could get what you wanted without waiting or working. You merely had to have force.

PEAK: Fostering a culture of family-approach review excellence

If you want to have what you have never had, then you must do what you have never done” - Aileene B. Ajeas, R.N. (10th Placer December 2012 NLE; Cum Laude, Father Saturnino Urios University)

WHAT does it take to top the Nurse Licensure Exam (NLE)? Does diligent studying alone guarantees to make one conquer the feat? How does culture help in the process of positive thinking?

ALS grabs Kalumpangan Festival ‘best booth’ award

THE Alternative Learning Center of Barangay Iponan in Cagayan de Oro was hailed as the grand champion in the recently-held booth contest, one of the highlights of the week-long activities of “Kalumpangan Festival” in honor of the village’s patron saint, Sr. San Guillermo, whose feast is celebrated today, February 10.

During the award’s night held last Thursday, the residents who dressed up the ALS booth received a trophy, cash prize, roundtrip ticket for two to Manila and one live cow.

2013: Year of the Snake

IT IS time to welcome the Chinese New Year with positive vibes and feel for a better year ahead.

So many things have been said on the radio, printed in papers, websites and social networking sites and shown on TV. And being of Chinese descent, it is just but natural to follow some “guidelines,” traditions and beliefs handed down by my family and associates.

Prey and Not Pray

IN this digital age that we all live in, we are continually faced with the challenge of keeping up with our gadgets. We have our laptops where most of our schoolwork are stored. For the corporate types, you probably have in your laptops your spreadsheets, password protected legal documents, digital journals, digital music collection and all that photos you take of yourself when the boss is not looking.

Cave tourism: The next adventure attraction in Northern Samar

LAS NAVAS, Northern Samar—If you feel like being a caver just for a day, kit yourself out with a lighted helmet, a jumpsuit and boots, and prepare to descend into the entrails of Northern Samar tourist caves.

Open Spaces 2013 – The 3rd Baguio Music Festival

TO OTHERS, February in Baguio means float and street dancing parades, but to some musicians and music lovers, it is also time for the annual Baguio Music Festival.

Launched in 2011 with the support of the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. and chaired by Councilor Richard Cariño, “Open Spaces 2013 – The 3rd Baguio Music Festival” promises to be an exciting showcase of musical talents. And as in the previous festivals, this year’s four-day event will take audiences on a diverse musical journey highlighting the richness of the local music scene in various venues at Camp John Hay.

Popper boy helps beggar

A BOY who is usually seen in the city’s public areas continues to amaze passersby with his robotic dance moves and costume.

He is usually seen in Malcolm Square, Session Road, Burnham Park and Melvin Jones along the sidewalks dancing as passersby drop coins in his elongated hat. However, the boy will freeze like a statue when the time for the coins ends.

Steak Wizard of Oz

WHILE other international franchises “test the waters” first in Manila when choosing where to open in the Philippines, Hog’s Breath Cafe, an Australia-based company, boldly took the other route and set up its first restaurant in Davao.

“Davao is a place where cultures of different origins meet. It is a place where everybody is welcome. And that is why we opened here in Davao, a place where our “Hogster” is welcome and everyone would be proud that Hog’s Breath Cafe’s “Hogster” first stepped foot in Davao,” says Sly Camba, general manager of Hog’s Breath Cafe Davao.

Mercato: An architectural highlight

DUBAI has so many shopping malls but there is one that appeals to me.

Mercato Shopping Mall is a shopping centre in Jumeirah - around 45 minutes by Metro train from my second home in Muhaisnah 3.

Kung Hei Fat Choi: Feng Shui 101

DO YOU believe in Feng Shui? When you hear that word, you immediately think of Chinese zodiac, horoscopes, and amulets. But the truth is Feng Shui, which literally means wind-water, is an ancient art that relies on the arrangement of things to achieve harmony and balance in order to improve one’s life. This Chinese system from 6, 000 years ago uses different theories such as the Yin Yang theory, Five Elements, Flying Stars and many more.

With the Chinese New Year just a few days away, everyone is surely excited to get their fortunes told in hopes of hearing that they will be lucky this year. So what is the forecast for the year 2013?

Dinagyang 2013 now trending

ILOILO City’s Dinagyang Festival 2013 climaxed on a high note showcasing the city’s premier celebration and Ilonggos cultural excellence, the city mayor said.