Fascino Scents Turns 7 Today! :)

"Fascino was born on March 24, 2008 at the very heart of Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental.  It started out as a mere experimentation in our kitchen.  With a very small capital, I developed four scents and sold my first batch of products to friends and relatives. 

Unexpectedly, people came to love the fascinating scents and recommended the products to other friends. 

Then the Fascino fever began which encouraged me to develop other scents.  Now, Fascino Scents are available in fifteen (15) fascinating variants and still counting!"

- An Excerpt from How Fascino Started (My Fascino)

And it has been whole 7 years of Fascinofying!  Praise God for another year of fruitfulness and productivity!  :) Speaking of productivity, Fascino already has more than 15 fascinating scents to date.  Aside from these 15 Fascino Originals as listed here, we had concocted 5 collections (Cravings, Aromatherapy, Christmas Goodies, Blossoms, and Fifty Shades) to add up to our customized fragrances. We also went adventurous with Fascino Versions!  These are imitations of expensive designer scents which are actually requested by some customers.  You may refer here for a list of your favorite designer scents which you can also purchase for refill at 90 cents per mL only!  And our latest family members in the Versions are:

For our another productive year, Fascino Scents had catered debut souvenirs in cooperation with Mr. Federico Araniego, Ozamiz City's top event host and planner!

Paula's Photo Courtesy of Sir Fede and Ammy's Debut Planning Here

And it was also our first time to cater promotional items for a company.  Thank you Ong's Fine Jewelries for trusting Fascino Scents! :)

So to live on partnerships with people, institutions, and the general public, Fascino Scents continues to support beauty pageants namely, Miss Brgy. Lam-An, Miss Brgy. Bongbong, and Miss Medina College!

With Miss Medina 2014, French Kate Hammermüller

With a heart filled with gratitude to give back to the society, Fascino had launched its community project last November 2014, the Singko Mo, E-Regalo Mo.  Recipients of the said project are the kids of Happy Church Brgy. Bongbong.  Through the Fascinofiers' generosity, plenty of kids had a happier Christmas last December 2014 and we're hoping to carry on this project until there are kids who deserve to enjoy a very merry and meaningful Christmas!

Click here for more photos.

Indeed, Fascino won't come this far without you, our Fascinofiers.  Even until now, I still feel kilig everytime I see a Fascino bottle in somebody else's bag or get to smell the unique scents of Fascino worn by somebody else!  Keep on spreading the fascinating scents of Fascino, everyone! :)

Since today is Fascino Scents' 7th birthday, we feel so generous to give back to our valued customers.  We're giving away not just one but TEN Fascino bottles for free!  Just follow the steps below:

1. Click the Tweet and Share buttons below this post.

2. Click LIKE on Fascino by Maria Rosalia's Facebook fanpage HERE.

3. Post a short message about your favorite Fascino scent on YOUR Facebook Wall along with a link to this blog post.  Don't forget to tag @Fascino by Maria Rosalia and make your post option public to qualify for the contest.

4.  Simply copy the URL above this blog post and paste it along with your status update.  Click POST and VOILA!

Get creative with your post and you will get a bottle of Fascino scent of your choice for free!  Send your entries before March 31, 2015!  Good luck! :)

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Summer Ready Skin

Shield, protect, defend - this is a must-do first before soaking yourself under the brilliant summer sunshine!  I'm really not into the outdoors but I would definitely miss one-half of my half-life by just staying in.  Like, hello!  The world is so big out there waiting to be explored and enjoyed. There's no way lying in under a roof!  

As a person not gifted with fair skin, it's really my big hesitation to go out.  Of course, I don't want to turn browner or blacker even.  As what my mom always said when I was still a kid, "You're already violet!" after spending a day swimming in the beach.  I don't want to return to that awkward moment anymore.  Gladly, there are products that can be of big help.  Unilever Philippines just recently launched their summer ready skin campaign.

Photo by Unilever Philippines

Such products include Vaseline, Block & White, Dove, Pond's, and Eskinol.  Start with cleansing, moisturizing, then protecting.  Just see back of label for directions for use.  It's just very easy.  So wherever you go for summer vacation, never forget to include these summer ready skin products in your travel bags.  Block the harmful rays of the sun and enjoy a carefree summer without the fuss!

     

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Where To This Summer

Planning a trip to Singapore?  Check this out for SG top picks! 

Experience another culture.  Visit Malaysia, truly Asia!  See story here.

Bring out the child in you.  Enjoy a carefree summer in Hong Kong!  For full coverage of Hong Kong theme parks, click here.

In for cheap gambling bets?  Head on to Macau!  Tips on making your Macau experience more sulit here.

However, it is still more fun in the Philippines! 

Eat, pray, and love in Albay!  Click here for everything Albay.

Go island and resort hopping in Visayas!  Scattered islands of the Visayan region here.

Explore the untouched Mindanao!  Never fear, the best of Mindanao is here!

Discover Ozamiz and take part of our very own city's campaign!  Click here to know all about Ozamiz.

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Just so Me! :)

Photo from Web

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Utan Bicol: Our Family's Very Own Recipe

Type utan bicol in your search bar and you'll never find anything about it.  Literally, utan is a Cebuano word which means vegetable and Bicol is a region at the southernmost tip of Luzon which comprises of the provinces Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, and Masbate.  You might get confused here.  A dish's name originating from two places that are miles apart, Bicol and Cebu and the dish found its way to Ozamiz.  Now, that's the whole Philippines involved - Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.  And to add more to your confusion, it was our grandma, Pacencia Lim Naluz-De La Torre, a Kapangpangan, who brought the dish here in Ozamiz.  Pampanga by the way is a province in Central Luzon also miles apart from Bicol.  Gah!  That's a total tour of the whole country!  And the mystery of the dish still remains a mystery 'coz I never got to talk with my Lola for she died when I was still 3 or 4 years old.

Gladly, 3 people from our family came to know how to cook the dish.  Auntie Lourding, Kuya Jun2x, and Kuya Monching are the best cook in our family who mastered the art of cooking utan bicol.  We always have the dish during birthdays, reunions, outings, or even no occasion at all.  In fact, my sister April brought some to Singapore and her housemates just got crazy over it!

Well, the dish is just so simple.  It is mainly made of string beans (sitaw), a little pork fat, rich in coconut milk (gata), a bit appetizer for the shrimp paste (bagoong), and super spicy for the added chili (sili).  Here are the ingredients:

However, cooking the dish takes courage.  I've been cooking since I was 12 years old and never did I attempt to try experimenting on this family recipe.  I could never be that good compared with my aunt and cousins.  It will always be better to just make lambing to them and request them to cook.  Hehehe.....  But yesterday, I saw plenty of string beans at the tabuan at OSROX Park so I instantly said to mama that I'll cook utan bicol!  So I did!  And here's what I did:

1.  Cook pork fat with a pinch of salt and pepper in low heat to release its oil.

2.  When browned, sauté garlic and onion with it.

3.  Add in string beans and coconut milk.  Simmer until string beans get tender.

4.  Mix in shrimp paste and chili.  Cook in low heat until string beans get mushy.

That's just it.  Super simple steps, simple ingredients, a very simple homegrown family recipe.  Now I claim that this is ours, a heritage of the De La Torre family that is passed on from our lola to her children and to her grandchildren.  Hope this recipe will live on for generations!  I am proud of this pamana!

And that's my finished product!  They say it tastes as it is na raw but there's still something lacking.  Mama says that by tomorrow, this will surely be a hit!  For this dish is also like wine, habang tumatagal, lalong sumasarap.  But you have to put it inside the fridge for dishes with coconut milk easily spoil.  For a first-timer, I'm proud I finally got the guts to do this spicy, appetizing, and scrumptious family recipe!  Beware if you'll try this native Filipino dish for you're gonna be asking for more rice once you started digging into it!  

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Feature Friday: Milky Mitch School of Dance

Feature Friday highlights businesses, people, fashion, and basically anything under the sun!

When my sissy, April messaged me to help support her friend, Milky of her dance studio, I excitedly said, "Sure!  Why not?"  For I am such a big supporter and fan of Ozamiznon talents so here's a post for Milky Mitch School of Dance.

Image from Milky

Ms. Milky Mitch Maglasang-Ibrahim is hailed from the affluent Maglasang clan who owns the renowned maritime school in Ozamiz, Misamis Institute of Technology and Our Lady of Triumph Institute of Technology.  She has been working in the latter as a bartending, food safety, and food service instructor for she finished a hospitality course at Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts.

But dancing is just in her blood especially ballet.  I can still remember her when she was still a little girl having ballet classes with my aunt and another Ozamiznon talent who had traveled the world dancing, Ms. Lena Bala-Smith.  (They were classmates with our youngest sister, June Ann then)  And after her baby ballet, she pursued professional ballet at Ballet Manila which is owned by Philippine's prima ballerina, Ms. Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.

If only I pursued ballet just like Milky, I could've danced pretty well now.  But I was always tired doing plié, plié, plié, the only word I could remember my aunt always instructed us so I hadn't kept up.  What I got are only these photos when I was still 2-3 years old in my leotard, tights, tutu, and ballet shoes.  I wonder if I could still enroll in a ballet class now.  Hehe.....  For no one of us followed the footsteps of our aunts, Auntie Lena, Auntie Nannette, and Auntie Mila (owner of the then famous ballet school in Ozamiz, Milaven's)

So if you have little boys and girls who want to learn ballet, jazz, Hawaiian, or Tahitian, visit Milky Mitch School of Dance at 3T Tire Supply Building, Don Anselmo Bernad Ave., Ozamiz City or directly call/text Ms. Milky at 09106626078 / 09089916724.  You may also pm her on FB here.  Summer class starts April 6, 2015! :)

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How to Find the Right Swimsuit for Your Body Shape

Booking for promo tickets, searching for backpacker hotel rooms, planning for itineraries - all these are keeping me busy these days since school year is about to end!  Yipey!!!  (singsong) Mae's gonna go out there, Mae's gonna go out there..... (singsong) And next phase, preparing for outfitssssss!!!!!

(singsong) I'm just a small-town girl, living in a simple world but once I go out there, I'd go glam up for the world! (singsong) Hehehe.... When you look good in what you're wearing, you'll feel great in striking poses for the camera so you can have pretty pictures.  But before you go shopping for outfits especially swimsuits, you have to know your body shape first so you'll know what type of suit fits you best.  Here's a guide on how to know your body shape:

Image by Hunterdon Happening

And here are swimsuit suggestions for you to check on:

Image by Buzzle

Thicker straps with X-back for large chest support, halter neck to lengthen torso, and high-waist bottom to make legs appear longer.

  

Image by Buzzle

Thin straps or strapless bandeau to flatter small chest, tiny bottom to complement wide hips.

Image by Buzzle

The perfect 36-24-36!  How I wish I have this body shape.  Any type of suit can do best with this.  The sexiest body shape can don any swimsuit for the taking.

Image by Buzzle

And I'm afraid I got this body shape.  Hehehe...... But I won't fret!  There are still designs that can create a curve for me.  Just like this cut-out on the sides - does wonders!

So to all girls out there who have hesitations in wearing swimsuits, come out from your shell now and think out of the box.  'Coz there's always remedy for every malady.  Hehehe....  Hope this post comes in handy to you, girls! :)

Real Girls, Real Issues, Real Deals

Have a happy planning for summer, everyone! :)

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Circa 99 Reunited After 15 Years

Might be a long overdue post but I still wanna share this to brag about my former classmate/batchmate's amazing videography talent!  Here's his vlog on his journey from US to the Phils for This Is It ICC La Salle Alumni Homecoming last December 27, 2014.  Check this out!

Circa99 Reunited (15 Years After) from will abella on Vimeo.

Glad to see how this guy loves our batch so much.  See you next alumni homecoming, Willy!  More vids of Will Abella on Vimeo here! :)

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Barkadahan Grill

If you are in for cowboy-eating that's swak to the budget in Cagayan de Oro City, then Barkadahan Grill is definitely for you!  From the word itself barkada, it means a gang or group of friends.  So if you are treating a big pack, better head to this place for more eats and less expense.

The place is spacious and orders come immediately which is a commendation for people who are already hungry and want to devour food right then and there.  They have grilled chicken, pork, and fish as well as other Filipino dishes like crispy pata, pancit canton, fresh lumpia, etc.  It's just like any other restaurant situated in a mall (it's in Ayala Centrio, by the way) but you'll enjoy their unli rice and homey ambiance. 

So if ever you visit CDO and suddenly become one hungry Juan on a tight budget, crash into Barkadahan Grill and you'll surely have a comfort meal to ease you down!  

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Kagay Whitewater Rafting

When in Mindanao, never fail to experience our adventure pride which is whitewater rafting!  Whitewater rafting is a leisure sport which uses a raft to navigate a river with too many rapids.  The more rapids you'll pass by and get through, the more fun you'll have.  And there's no other legit company who could give you the best ride of a lifetime than Kagay!  

Kagay is Cagayan de Oro's premiere whitewater rafting outfitter.  It has been in the biz for over six years now and still continues to give the safest adventure and most valuable customer satisfaction.  They always see to it that their staff and guides are well-trained and well-equipped in every voyage.  So before hitting the rapids, they give orientation to the troops for they do not do voyages with 2-3 rafts only.  As they say, the more the merrier so as to have plenty of eyes to watch for each other too.    

Then off we hit the rapids!  The secret in safeguarding your raft in order for it not to topple upside down is proper coordination within your troop's members. 

Everybody must listen to the guide very well and must follow his instructions properly.  The paddling must be done in perfect unison to the left, to the right, back, front, and in right number of counts as the guide commands.  Proper positioning was also directed for a more adventurous ride!

Aside from rafting, you may also enjoy swimming in the cold still waters that we didn't hesitate but just jumped into it.  The water was so clean when we were there because of the fair weather.  

Additionally, the Cagayan de Oro river is deep and wide with nature preserved at its best.  You'll not only enjoy rafting and swimming but you'll also enjoy its surrounding breathtaking sights.

Our tour lasted for half a day which was the beginner's course and we were famished by early afternoon upon finishing it.  So if you're planning to go for rafting, bring some snacks in a water-proof plastic bag to go along the journey.  But I guess you cannot think to eat with too much adrenaline rushing in your veins already.  Hehehe.....

By the end of the cruise, a swimming pool awaits if you want to do more swimming.  But us, we ended up with more eating.

Extreme sports such as rafting is not dangerous at all if we observe proper precautions by listening carefully and following our guide's commands religiously.  If you want to have an experience of a lifetime, visit Kagay's official website here for they also offer other adventure packages in Cagayan de Oro City!

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Dahilayan Forest Park

Adjacent to Dahilayan Adventure Park is a more-fun-to-be-there-not-traumatic-to-the-guts "playground" - the Dahilayan Forest Park.  After our crazy death-defying zipline experience at the former park, we checked-in to the latter for a light happy-goody atmosphere.  In this vast piece of land, we find an array of life-size and surreal American Indians and animals that the place somehow becomes a mini zoo for the kids to see the actual animals they only see on TV or in books.

An Actual Dog at the Center

Actual Koi in the Lower Left

As a kid-friendly rendezvous, the Dahilayan Forest Park has a well-facilitated and safe playground that kids would surely don't wanna go home 'coz they'll never get enough of it.  They have plenty of recreational equipment to choose from like the slide, seesaw, swing, overhead ladder, monkey bars, etc.  So let your children enjoy the wide outdoor in this kids' awesome haven!

Adults can also enjoy the forest park's light activities compared with serious ones in the adventure park as ATV, luge, bungee net, treetop adventure, and zorbit.  But still, precaution must  be observed before doing the said outdoor activities for everybody's safety.

  

Since the whole park is dedicated to the whole family, they also have a bigger picnic area surrounded by pine trees.  Cooling shade, calming scent, picturesque scenario all rolled into one great place, what more can you ask for?  That is just so fantastic!  I felt that I was in the movie Twilight when we were there picture-taking.

And aside from bringing your own food, you can also have a taste of their own home-cooked meals at their cafe.  We didn't have the chance to eat there for we were still full with the lunch we had at Pine Grove.  But when I checked the menu, their prices are quiet affordable.

As an overall experience, we never had any dull moment at Dahilayan Forest Park!  So tag along your whole barkada or family to enjoy a day in Bukidnon this summer.  You may also have an overnight stay at this ultimate playground so better click here for more information and reservation.

Watch out for my post tomorrow for another summer adventure only here on The Other Side of Mae!  #tosomtravels

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