Cavinti Falls

One of the places that I have heard when I was growing up was Pagsanjan Falls. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Cavinti Falls is actually Pagsanjan Falls and that last weekend, I was given the chance to experience first hand the beauty of Cavinti Falls.

However, as with anything worth getting to, we had to exert effort to actually experience the beauty of Cavinti Falls. We started with a trek to get to the place. It took a bit of effort because I was never much for working out and this required trekking, overcoming 589 steps on a metal ladder that goes 85degrees, a lot of balancing and ensuring we don't slip on the moss growing all over, plus rappelling on tiny circular things.

The stairs were one of the hardest because it was almost at a 90degree and its very scary to go down to since one misstep can actually lead you to your death. To be honest, I initially thought that there was no place that was worth all the hardship and effort we were giving into seeing this falls.

As you can see, it wasn't easy getting into Cavinti Falls and it took a lot of strength, courage, determination, and screams of fear to get to the falls. When you do get to the falls, it is simply amazing. My jaw dropped and all I could say was that it was just gorgeous.

It was unbelievable for a city girl like me to witness such beauty. I'm used to seeing skyscrapers, not magnificent waterfalls. It was just breathtaking.

photo by Azrael Colladilla

The water was icy cold. We had the opportunity to get inside the falls and it was just plain memorable. I've never been inside a cave, let a lone one under a waterfall. It was exhilarating. However because I am clumsy, I slipped and hurt my wrist which led to another adventure for myself and my friend, Dems.

my hurt wrist

 Normally when people trek towards Cavinti Falls, they need to trek back. Since I hurt myself, there was simply no way that I could lift myself up and so we had to take the boat. In a way, it was a lucky break (pun intended) because I got to see the other side of Cavinti and I just marveled at the beauty of the place.

Virgin bodies of water surrounded us and I had to stop myself from screaming when the boat tilted a bit due to the rapids because it was just that kind of place. It was so serene that you don't want to disrupt the quiet.

Cavinti Falls is definitely one of those places that are hidden in plain sight. Its located in Laguna and can be reached by land transportation yet many people are not aware that it even exists. Personally, I didn't know where it was or that it was actually right under my nose since I live in the South.

To know more and if you're interested in having a tour:

Herald C. Bebis

www.facebook.com/heraldbebis

09055174371

#CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour

www.facebook.com/cavintiecoadventuretour

www.cavintilaguna.com

Cavinti Water Sports Olympics 2015

www.facebook.com/www.facebook.com/cavintiwatersportsolympics

Municipality of Cavinti

www.cavinti.gov.ph

Caliraya Lake Mountain Resort

http://mountainlakeadventure.com/

Mayor Milbert Oliveros

www.facebook.com/pages/Mayor-Milbert-L-Oliveros/308985439266529

Camarin Resort

http://www.napocor.gov.ph/NPCResorts/camarin.php

Lago Fishing Village

https://www.facebook.com/pages/LAGO-Fishing-Village/239858609498045

Digital Filipino

http://digitalfilipino.com/

Pelikula Padayon

http://pelikula-padayon.blogspot.com/

The #CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour is a Tourism Advocacy Campaign to help generate online buzz for the upcoming Cavinti Water Sports Olympics: 1^st International Competition happening on February 8-14, 2015.

The #CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour is organized by Herald C. Bebis for the Municipality of Cavinti headed by Hon. Mayor Milbert Oliveros. The event is fully supported by the Municipal Tourism Office, DigitalFilipino, Pelikula Padayon, Caliraya Lake Mountain Resort, Camarin Resort and Lago Fishing Village

on call

I recently talked to a guy who admitted that he had about 2-3 girls on his phone who were on call. When I asked what that meant, he said that these are girls he calls after 10pm for one reason and one reason only.

I was appalled.

He seemed like such a nice guy. Apparently, even nice guy can be major douchebags. When I told another guy friend of mine about this and asked him if he actually had the same roster of girls on his phone, he actually browsed through his phone book and started counting. After a minute or two, he then cheekily and without rancor admitted he had about 5.

FIVE!

It's insane. I can't believe that some of my guy friends who I thought were nice guys were apparently not so nice. How is it that they have a list of women who were at their beck and call? It's crazy.

Naturally, the next thing I asked was how do they determine which woman becomes a booty call and which one goes to the "I can date her and make her my girlfriend" list. My friend said that the ones who go on the booty call list are the girls who always messages first and eventhough he doesn't reply and just seenzones them, they still message him every single day.

Mind blown.

I could do nothing but gasp at how appalling the whole thing was. I'm just glad that I have never fallen into the booty call category and that every guy who has ever attempted to place me in this list has come to realized that I do not belong there.

How about you? Are you currently on call with someone or do you also have anyone on call? If you do, here's a few commandments to follow.

Rekados Cafe and Restaurante

Hidden but visible from the highway going to Tagaytay via Cavite is a restaurante that needs to be whispered in the ear of everyone. It is a hidden gem that is just waiting to be discovered. It is a place that you want to share with everyone but at the same time kept a secret because it is the kind of place you would like to go to just to unwind and relax, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

This is an unedited photo of the place. This was taken at 415pm and as you can see, it is simply stunning. Now imagine this place serving Spanish food with a Filipino twist? Sounds heavenly? Trust me when I say it was.

Before the food though, this is what you can expect to see upon entering the place.

Now, its time to check out the food.

This is the linguine al pesto. I loved that it was cooked al dente and that the taste was a play between the pesto and the shrimp and mussels as well as the tomato sauce. I initially thought it was a weird combination but ended up liking it. One serving is good for one person. Php195

The grilled salmon was very tasty. I liked that though there was a lot of light garlic cream, it didn't overpower the taste of the fillet salmon. I've been eating a lot of salmon lately and I can honestly say that this is very good salmon. Php285

I love the R here! Don't you just love the R? I know I did. The Cream of Spinach soup was made of fresh spinach combined with hearty cream. It was very subtle and gave hints of what was to come. Php115

Now the paella was definitely the star of the entire meal. Costing only Php475, the Paella Valenciana of Rekados is definitely a steal. It had an abundance of meat, shrimp, egg, chorizo, and even clams. It looked a bit more orangey than your usual paella but it just made the taste a lot better. I literally had to stop myself from eating more of this since I am working on losing weight.

The Callos Solo is definitely going to be a crowd pleaser for people who love tomato  sauce. The stewed ox tripe was very soft and easy to chew. The chicpeas and chorizo added more flavor to the viand and the combination of everything was just right for me. Php285

To cap the meal, we had the churroz which was perfect. Yes, I said perfect because it was just right. The combination of the chocolate and the bread hits the tummy the right way especially paired with the cold breeze of the place.

We definitely enjoyed our meal. Even better, there's a pasalubong place right beside it owned by Rekados as well and a milk station where you can buy carabao milk. Of course I got some for B.

The carabao milk was very healthy. I'm sure B would love it. The toasted pastillas is a major sin for people wanting to lose weight. I've had two pieces already and I just need to stop or else I will finishe the entire thing in one go. Eeeekkk!

My Mom is not a fan of egg pie but she loved this. She actually finished one whole piece which is amazing because she can never finish a slice. It was THAT good.

The next time you go up to Tagaytay, make sure you drop by Rekados along the way. It's open 8am to 10pm daily and is definitely worth a visit or even more. It is located along the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road in Silang, Cavite. Its about 1.2km away from Caltex, located on the left side.

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Vikings at SM Jazz

I know that I have previously stated that Vikings is number one on my list of buffet and the newly opened branch at SM Jazz just solidifies their hold on that title on my list.

The colorful chandelier that greeted us as soon as we came in was very comforting. It wasn't intimidating even though it was pretty big. In fact, it felt welcoming and cozy. 

The place is big but it does no feel overwhelming. How the place was designed, it felt cozy and intimate which is something you rarely find in a buffet place. I really love this vibe that SM Jazz Vikings has.

Now, on to the food. For me, these are the best sellers.

As you can see, I am a lover of seafood, salmon, nuts, and shabu shabu. I am so thankful that Vikings has such a wide array of food to choose from it can actually accommodate all my whims. I also like that their servings are huge and the seafood are all fresh which is very important since I do not fancy food poisoning.

I also love that their birthday song greetings are so different. It's not the generic song that they would perform for every table. It's always something different and something entertaining.

Its a great place to spend time with family, friends, celebrations, and even a date. It's casual and fun and always entertaining and filling.

For reservations, 0917-827-1888, 0919-999-7888 or send a private message via their facebook page.

do you wanna drink?

There's a saying in Tagalog that goes, "pag may alak, may balak." It roughly translates into, "when there's liquor involved, there's a plan being hatched." It doesn't sound as effective as it does in Tagalog but the gist of it is that when a guy invites you out to drink, most likely, he wants to get you to bed and will imbibe you with drinks to get you to loosen up.

After all, that is what alcohol does right? It makes you forget all your inhibitions and lets you do things you normally wouldn't because you know you shouldn't.

photo not mine

What happens then when someone asks you out for the first time but they wanna drink? Do you say yes? Do you just outright say no? Here's what I think of guys who do this and why girls should be wary of the "do you wanna drink first date."

1. Its the first time that you will be going out and you're supposed to be getting to know each other. Do you really think that getting to know someone under the influence of alcohol is the best way to go about it? I don't think so.

2. No decent guy or any guy raised well would invite a woman out to drink unless he just wants to get laid that night. We all know where drinks normally lead to. Remember, never sleep on the first date unless you actually hit it off in the way that a grand meteor hits the Earth and shatters it into a million pieces. If you do sleep with the guy on the first date, be ready to never hear from him again unless its a booty call. You're worth more than a booty call.

So to the men out there ... if you are just out to get laid, then go ahead and keep asking women to go drinking on a first date. The ones who say yes are most likely that kind of girl anyway and you deserve each other along with all the STD's of the world. To the women, if you are not that kind of guy and a guy asks you, you already know the answer to this.

Be smart. You are not a canteen open to anyone who wants to dine. :)

photoshoot with Jules Maliuanag

I recently had a photo shoot with Jules Maliuanag. He's one of my favorite photographers because he just knows how to capture me in the best light possible. I love how he can make me look seductive but not sleazy.

For those interested in booking him or having him take your photos, go to his facebook page.

eating right ...

One of the things that 2014 brought to my attention was my health or lack of health I suppose. I got very sick at the end of the year which has led me to do some drastic changes on my food intake. Now trust me when I say that this is very hard on me because I do food reviews and I have never really been picky with the food that I ate. If it was good, regardless if it was healthy or not, I would eat it.

This year, that has to change. Thankfully, I was able to start December of 2014 and so I didn't find it so hard to be a bit more picky in eating during the holiday season. So, to my readers who are possibly struggling as well when eating out especially at buffets, I hope these tips help you even a little.

1. Go for green. Choose veggies over everything else. Order that salad. Get the asparagus, cabbage, lettuce, and other green leafy things you see and consume it by the dozen. If you are not a fan of veggies, learn to love it and live it. It will be your saving grace. Besides, the side effect of consuming a  lot of greens would be a glowing skin and of course, natural detox.

2. Salmon is love. I am not really a fish person but salmon has been my saving grace. I order it whenever I see it on the menu and make sure that its cooked either steamed or grilled. I also blot out the oil just to be sure. When there's cream on top, I normally scrape it off.

3. Oatmeal. High in fiber, low in cholesterol.

4. Honey. Instead of sugar, use honey. It's way healthier and it still taste sweet.

5. Tea. When I feel full after a meal or when I eat bad food, I compensate by having tea. It helps digest the food and it also aids in detox.

6. Water. It's the best drink and there is no calories involved. What more can you ask for? Drink at least 8 glasses a day; minimum.

I'm no expert and these are just things that I do to help me in my quest to lose unwanted weight and become more fit. Join me in my journey to a fitter me this 2015.

2015 Goals

This 2015 ... here are my goals for myself.

1. Read at least 12 books. I need to get back to this because 2014 saw a huge decline in my reading. I think I read only 6 books which was kind of sad especially for a reader like myself. I used to devour books on an almost daily basis. This year, I need to set aside time to read more books.

2. Watch 52 movies. This means I should be able to watch at least one movie a week. I think this is feasible since I can always download them or watch on the big screen.

3. Get fit and lose unwanted weight. This one has been something that I wanted to do since 2005 and now, I finally got the real desire to do so. I've been learning to eat salmon and salads more, cut down on sweets and unhealthy food. I feel that this year, I will finally be able to really achieve this.

4. Dance and sing more.

5. Create videos to be posted on YouTube. :) This is something that I have been wanting to do for some time and I'm going to do it this year. After all, what do I have to lose?

6. Go out of town and visit a place I have never been to here in the Philippines.

7. Buy a DSLR and pursue my photography.

There. It seems 2015 will be about pursuing my passions. Cheers. :)