McDonald's Kiddie Crew Grand Graduation

Here's what made our baby-no-more Ella Venice's summer busy - being a kiddie crew at McDo!  For 5 days, she learned how to greet customers, assist in drive-thru, get order, and make burgers at a certain McDonald's branch in Cagayan de Oro City.  She was filled with excitement as she told me her story because she also got to meet new friends, learn a new song and new dance moves.  For apart from the daily routine at the store, the kids also underwent other workshops and training for personality development.  With that, being a McDo kiddie crew can make your child grow in a healthy environment for holistic progress.  After 5 days, they'll get out as different individuals who can stand on their own as they are being exposed to the real world.  So a grand graduation day is what they deserve!  On May 18, 2016, all kiddie crew from all branches of McDo in CDO gathered at The Atrium of Limketkai Center for a fun-filled day!  And I was so happy to have witnessed it together with Tatay Don2x and Nanay Karen!

The grand graduation started with a registration for all kids.  Then a program followed hosted by Ronald McDonald and company with Ms. Jacky Lou Blanco as the surprise guest.  Alonzo Muhlach also graced the event by chatting live with the kids through Skype and showcasing his talents.  Afterwards, the kids danced and took their oath as a McDo kiddie crew.  And for finale, they sang the McDo kiddie crew theme song, Make It Happen which gave me goosebumps.  Here's a snippet of the last part of the program:

But the fun doesn't end here!  There were also booths like face painting, glam me up, and dance revo.  Ella together with cousins Amber and Jan2x visited and enjoyed the booths.  I also enjoyed following them around and wished I was also a kid.  But secretly wishing I was a mom too.  Haha!  The event was one big party with plenty of burgers, games, and prizes!  And to be purposeful in my end, Karen and I also discussed on how to expand Fascino as a total party business.  Needs a whole lot of work though.  But who knows!

Thank you so much Don2x and Karen for bringing me with you!  Thanks for sharing with me another milestone of your unica hija, Ella.  Really makes a proud tita here!  Congratulations to our baby langga!  Yes, you've indeed grown up already but stay sweet as you are! :)

  
Being a McDonald's kiddie crew is truly a great experience for your child to remember as he/she grows up.  Make their summer worthwhile!  Sign him/her up next year at the nearest McDo branch in your place!  For more information, click here.

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Feature Friday: Wow Panaon!

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

Panaon, Misamis Occidental is a budding municipality located north of Ozamiz which is only three quarters of an hour ride through private transpo.  However if in public, an additional of 15-20 minutes won't break your neck 'coz there's never traffic jam here in our laidback province.  With that, I'd like to be called as a probinsyana (dreaming of Coco as my probinsyano).  Hehe.....  Anyway highway, enough about him and just allow me to start raving to you a place that surprises me this summer!  

Sideway, I never thought that my first write-up on Panaon's Punta Meriam would be such a hit!  Even after a year and a half, it's still on my popular posts list and I do get a lot of queries every now and then about it.  Some of my readers also asked other resorts they could visit in the area so I thought that I must do a follow-up post on it.

To start with, we checked into La Playa Azul (formerly Regalado's).  It just changed management so renovations are still on going.  Honestly, we found the place unwelcoming to guests because the staff was not accommodating.  Sorry to tell you this but I have to since I don't want to mislead people by "all praises" on this blog.  However, we understood and considered since the owner is not from the municipality and is residing in Cebu.  And when the cat is out, the rats always play, right?  So that's understandable.  But aside from the poor staff administration, the resort doesn't serve food too.  There's no resto so you better bring your own food.  The restrooms are also far from the cottages which is rather inconvenient.  Though the garden is still under reconstruction, the pools are not well-kept.  Hopefully the next time I'm gonna visit the place, renovations are done, personnel is already trained and prepared, and amenities and facilities are complete for the convenience of the guests.  Because with all honesty, we were not happy for the price we paid during our visit ('coz every move = price to pay).

      

In spite of that, we still enjoyed our day 'coz we went on a banana boat ride and island hopping!  Banana boat was P85 per pax and the pump boat ride to an island was P800 round trip.  But we waited for an hour for the captains of the ship to arrive.  The manang still had to call for them 'coz there's nobody on standby.  You can't also make bookings ahead of time as we inquired.  Tsk tsk.....  Actually, I got a little impatient 'coz I was only doing the outing on my 9 AM - 5 PM MWF class break.  Gladly, Rio was a speedy driver so she sent me back to school on time!

On the other hand, we also checked into Dela Paz Beach Resort.  It's a public one and it's just like Rama Beach in Clarin, another municipality in Misamis Occidental which is adjacent to Ozamiz.  The only entrance fee here is P10 for whatever car you're bringing including all passengers inside.  If by foot, you're not gonna pay for anything.  It's open to all so the beach is crowded.  The place is not really clean as expected but there are lots of water activities that are already in waiting.  There are more banana boats and pump boats with the additional kayaks and jetski.  However, they said that the jetski was privately owned and who knows you could talk to the owner to have a ride.  Haha!  Additionally, they also have this ride wherein you cling on to a big salbabida on your stomach and face down then you'll get tugged by a fast-moving motorized banca.  The ride was hilarious and would surely give you adrenaline rush.  My cousin Matoy even stopped the manong for she couldn't move forward clinging on to dear life anymore.  This ride was P100 per pax for an hour and oh, by the way, the pump boat ride to the island was only P20 per head here roundtrip so I guess La Playa also charged us more than the ride actually cost.  I feel like they snipped a big chunk of the P800 we paid.  Poor banca owners....

Now here are quick vids on what to expect of the water activities!  

With prices affordable at Dela Paz, our little cousin and nephew did the island hopping twice-thrice during our outing last Sunday for JP's birthday.  Everybody really enjoyed swimming with the fun water activities that are plenty in the place.  So there's no need to go to Boracay for white sand (though the island here is not as white) and watersports 'coz we already have 'em here in our nearby town, Panaon.  I just hope that one day, they're gonna also add parasailing.

So this is my local summer adventure!  I never thought I could experience summer this year for our school's second semester also covered April and May.  I am just glad that Panaon gave summer to me so hail to the municipal government officials for making the place a tourist destination!  Let's explore Misamis Occidental further, friends!  #tosomfeatures   

P.S.  Follow @exploremisocc on IG here! :)

I Heart Panaon!
(c) Rio

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For questions, invites, and collaborations, direct message me on Facebook.  For updates on my whereabouts and whatabouts, follow me on Twitter and Instagram! :)

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#tosomeats in Thailand

Oh, how I love street food!  As far as my memory is concerned, I've been enjoying fishballs even before fishball carts started to roam around Ozamiz in the 80's.  Well, I just had them in Lipa though Mommy Becky always restricted us to eat street food for we might get Hepatitis out from it.  But together with my sister and cousins, we always sneaked our way to Bahayang Pilipino's assortment of fishballs, balut, scramble (the milkshake), halo-halo, etcetera, etcetera!  And when kwek-kwek came in the early 2000's, Harley and I were the first avid fans of manong kwek-kwek in Lipa Medix Medical Center.  That was the time when Gpa got always confined though.  Anyway, may my love for street food sprang from Lipa City, Batangas, it's always with me and grows even stronger as I take it away with me wherever I go!

Apart from Vietnam, Thailand is also known for its thousands of varieties of street food.  I was so glad that we happened to pass by a rather "clean" sort-of-bazaar-makeshift market beside MBK Shopping Center where we had our exotic fried insects and hot steamboat.  Aside from the photos below, also click here for my vlog on it.  And aside from having the country's famous Pad Thai at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, we also had some street food in the literal streets of Bangkok.  Here, sanitary don't care!  I would always care less when it comes to food!!!

Now here they go!  Pardon me for not knowing all the names of these foods but just allow me to make you hungry by flooding your eyes with these photos.  It also added to my happiness that the vendors in Bangkok are not rude and fraudulent as in Hanoi so I took photos as I pleased.  Fresh fruits are also abundant everywhere in the streets but not all kinds are available especially the ones that we had in 5-star Baiyoke Sky Hotel.  Happy salivating (or yuckying for some), everyone!

Though we had unlimited street fooding, we also had real meals in Thailand.  We just didn't have much 'coz brekky was covered at our hotel.  Here are some of the carbodydrate-based dishes we like/love/dislike (according to taste preference).

Our First Meal in Thailand

Looks can really be deceiving.  We can never judge a book by its cover.  I underestimated this small carenderia right beside our hotel.  The noodle soup tasted really good, a comfort food after our long travel from Manila.  The pork toppings was like humba but it is more tender yet crispy.  These are the only two dishes the carenderia offers and each only costs 50 Baht (P93.50).  The serving is quite ample that can be shared by two so more value for your money.  It's like being transported to Vietnam where we felt like millionaires spending our peso.  Hehe..... 

Eating on a Mat Right on the Street

This was the most memorable eating experience we had in Thailand!  This is my favorite even!  This made my Thailand tour if I may add.  Hehe.....  We really enjoyed selecting the ingredients and cooking by ourselves this steamboat soup.  It's like Japan's shabu-shabu that costs an arm and a leg in any Japanese restaurant but this one is very affordable as it is being served by the streets.  This complete meal only costed us 195 Baht (P364.65) for 5 pax!  Cheap as it is but it is beyond compare with the expensive ones.  The broth is really tasty with spices I couldn't really figure out.  I'm not much of a foodie but I can guarantee you that this is a must-eat in Bangkok.  This make-shift eating place was located right beside MBK so if you're lucky enough, you may catch them there.  Do cross your fingers though.  Hehe.....
   

Satisfying Lunch

From MBK to City Complex Pratunam, we had lunch in this mall's foodcourt.  Again, I didn't note for the names of these dishes 'coz they're unreadable.  I just pointed out to the pictures on the menu when I ordered.  Gladly, each combo tasted right to all our taste buds so nothing was left on the plate!

A Rather Expensive Meal

I think it must be the aircon that made Zaab Ver expensive.  For quite small servings, a 675 Baht (P1,262.25) total cost is not worthwhile for me.  But if you want to really amp up the spice of your life, do try their spicy squid.  Promise, it made my tongue and whole mouth on fire!  I was about to cry because the dish was super hot and spicy that even I, who have a higher tolerance for spicy food couldn't deal with it.  It was indeed, punishment to the taste buds! 
       
So from the streets to hole-in-the-wall  restos to decent air-conditioned ones, you can truly get a fair share of authentic Thai food experience (with lotsa lemongrass) around Bangkok.  If I enjoyed me and my JCI bestie's Vietnam food adventure last year, I enjoyed much more in Thailand for I shared another great fooding experience with my family!  Though some of them are a bit picky and not adventurous enough, they were also game to do the feat with me!  Wishing for more family bonding OOTC's in the future! #tosomtravels #tosomeats

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Literally Street Fooding

Here's a sneak peek of our Thailand food adventure!  Tune in for more of #tosomeats in my next post only here on The Other Side of Mae! #tosomtravels

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Bangkok Shopping

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Bangkok Shopping

When I was still in the RTW business, I often heard my suppliers say, "That's the last price.  This is of good quality 'coz this comes from Bangkok.",  "New arrivals from Bangkok!", "That's already very cheap from Bangkok.", etc.  So I got really curious why they always mentioned Bangkok, Bangkok, Bangkok when in fact, all the world is already made in China.

Then my curiosity got satisfied when we went to Thailand last March for a tour.  Bangkok indeed is one big shopping district with prices very cheap especially in the clothing line.  If you're into fashion, then Pratunam is more than perfect for you!  Clothes, accessories, shoes, beauty products, gadgets, etc. both for men and women are flooding in the area.  It's the busiest part of Bangkok where malls and hotels are situated including Baiyoke Sky Hotel, Thailand's tallest building which we also visited.  Check out our Baiyoke experience here.

Around the district are The Platinum Fashion Mall, Palladium World Shopping Mall, Pantip Plaza IT Mall, City Complex Pratunam, and Pratunam Market.  Honestly, I'm not into much shopping and my company always got tired feet the whole trip so we only checked into three.  First was City Complex Pratunam where starting from the third floor to the top floor are all textile shops.  The mall served as our headquarters where we left Papa to sit and had our shopping bags watched by him every after purchase.  The mall was not too crowded so it was perfect for him for his snoozes.  Second was The Platinum, the women's haven where Korean fashion is at the pedestal.  Girls are clamoring over K-fashion 'coz it's hip, chic, and trendy.  Lastly, we tried to conquer Pratunam Market, Thailand's largest clothing market.  It's one big Divisoria, very hot, chaotic, and super crowded.  But the prices here are very very low, half the price from the air-conditioned The Platinum.

The Platinum vs. Pratunam Market

Aside from the malls, there are also plenty of stalls lining up the sidewalks just like Colon-Carbon district in Cebu.  In these stores, you can haggle lower than 50% of the original price.  And what captured us most was this little make-shift store of personalized stuffs where you can have your name engraved on your bag, wallet, passport holder, etc.  The salesgirl here speaks fluent English, very accommodating, and friendly compared with the other salesgirls, salesboys, and salesgays who are rude.  It's just in their system.  The others just don't care if you buy from them or not because they do have sales anyway so they don't have to treat their customers right.  But as a fellow salesgirl (for I do keep my store too), I love the kid here in this stall because she's so sincere in doing her job.

  
However, you have to be very careful while you do your shopping in Pratunam district because just like here in the Philippines, snatchers, thieves, pickpockets, and the like are also rampant in the area.  We experienced that for ourselves!

My Sissy's Bag Bladed by a Thief Inside Pratunam Market

In addition, if you want to buy genuine jewelry and don't want to squeeze into the crowd of Pratunam, you can visit Gems Gallery.  This is always included in the city tour where tourists are being entertained with a short AVP of how gems are mined in Thailand and how jewelries are manufactured.  We even saw their actual workshop with their goldsmith and craftsmen busily working on their respective masterpieces.  Free drinks are also offered with aircon on full blast for the tourists to be comfy in picking their precious Thai souvenir.   Our tour here was the same as our Royal Thai Handicraft Center tour in Damnoen Saduak.  But cameras are restricted here so we only have these photos:

   
Lastly, I was very curious about Patpong Night Market so I also led the troop there.  Funny thing was, goods are not for sale in the area.  What's for sale is flesh with heaps of boobies, loads of butts, and torrents of bootycalls.  Truly red light district at its maximum tolerance.  Tsk tsk tsk.  Oh, what a sight to pity.  Sin is everywhere.  As we passed by the long streets, I prayed to God for deliverance of the place.

   
And this is all about Bangkok shopping.  My curiosity satisfied and gratified.  At long last, I've seen why Bangkok is known as the shoppers' happy place to myself!  Watch out for my next post on Thailand's street food only here on The Other Side of Mae! #tosomtravels

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For questions, invites, and collaborations, direct message me on Facebook.  For updates on my whereabouts and whatabouts, follow me on Twitter and Instagram! :)

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Baiyoke Sky Hotel

Seeing the panoramic view of a city makes us know the city even more.  So when we went to Bangkok, we checked into the city's highest point to see its entirety on top!  Unlike Hong Kong's The Peak, Bangkok's uppermost place is directly accessible by just using a series of elevators despite Victoria's very challenging inclined tram ride.  Heights, heights, heights!  I still have cold feet over heights!  But I also wanted to have a bird's-eye view of Bangkok so the challenge was still accepted!  

As we reached the 74th floor of Baiyoke Sky Hotel, we saw the same things as what we saw in  Ocean Park's Old Hong Kong attraction.  The experience was not new to us but still, it was special for Auntie Lourding 'coz it was her first time to go abroad.  So we had our fun pictorial in the floor's display of Thai stuff!

Then off we went higher up to the 86th floor of the hotel!  Papa appreciated it so much because he's always fond of land area, acres of land, and so on and so forth.  Bangkok's skyline is just like Makati's here in the Philippines and not too impressive unlike Singapore's and Hong Kong's.

After our sight-seeing, we binged into eating Thailand's tropical fruits in the Fruit Buffet of the hotel.  Though the Philippines is also in the tropics, there are still other varieties of tropical fruits that don't grow here in our country and are abundant in Thailand.  

        

Aside from fresh fruits, there are also frozen fruits, steamed fruits, preserved fruits, and candied fruits.  This tour was indeed a sugar-loaded one!

What I loved most in their wide array of selection are the guava mini cakes.  They're so fluffy, not too sweet, melts in your mouth, and oh so heavenly!  I also enjoyed a great helping of durian because this exotic fruit is so expensive here in the Philippines.  Auntie Lourding also had ample servings of her favorite dragon fruit 'coz it's also expensive here, more than the durian is.  Mama munched on plenty of cashew nuts and disliked the grapes that were sour.  Papa was amazed by the lemongrass juice and my sister Laling had developed a liking for pomegranate juice which was not too good for me.  And our common denominator were the dried mangoes because the slices were really big and they're not too sweet.  It is evident that the mangoes were manufactured naturally, having its own sweetness and not just through artificial sweeteners.  With this, a visit to Baiyoke's Fruit Buffet is highly recommended!

At 350 Baht (P654.50) per pax, our Baiyoke Sky Hotel visit was so worth it because it is also listed as the fifth world's tallest hotel!  I'm not yet done with my Thailand posts.  Watch out for more here on The Other Side of Mae! #tosomtravels #tosomeats

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