Ang Dabawenyo

At the threshold of summer… and it’s raining. I hear from my friends in Manila that it’s getting really hot over there, but here in Davao it’s been raining too much. Not that I’d rather it was hot here. But, the rain’s dampening my spirits. I’ve never really liked the rain — it’s always caused my mood to drop.

And two things happen when it rains here, two things that just gets to me. One: Some streets in Davao become waterways after only an hour’s downpour. I’m talking about “major” thoroughfares here: J.P. Laurel Ave. in front of Victoria Plaza (I’m there a lot); the roads surrounding our family compound; F. Torres St., which is the city’s restaurant row…. ••• Read on »

My very good and long-time friend, Jojie Alcantara, has come up with a great plan for bloggers to do a tour within Davao City. A perfect way to start the summer!

Jojie says she’ll be able to accommodate 10 bloggers per tour. To give everyone a chance, we’ll ask you to sign up for one tour only. This is a good chance for Dabawenyo bloggers to meet up and get together and do something out of the ordinary. Sign up now before the slots are filled up! ••• Read on »

A new business paper is now circulating all over Davao City — The Edge Davao. It’s the first of its kind here: a newspaper that’s dedicated to business, investment and economy-centric news. And I’m part of it! I have been invited to handle the one-page “ICT hub” section, which is now the new home of my IT talks! column.

My section also has feature articles, and quick facts about the IT industry of Davao City and the region.

Aside from the ICT hub section, the paper’s other sections are: The Economy, Entrepreneurs, Vantage Points, SciTech, Competitive Edge, AgriTrend, Community Sense, and Games. The last one isn’t about video games — it’s more for sports, particularly golf and other sports that are popular among businessmen. ••• Read on »

Typically called “zip line”, the Sky Rider is one helluva ride! In Mindanao, there are three of these things: here in Davao at the Eden Nature Park, the one in Cagayan de Oro City, and the longest in the country, at Kapatagan. I’m gonna try all of them as soon as I can!

Here’s a video of me when I tried the Sky Rider. It’s at Eden Fields, right across the road from Eden Nature Park. This was during the Davao Food Appreciation Tour. Thanks to Andrew for taking this video! ••• Read on »

If you’re living in the US or any developed country, the use of credit cards is as indispensable as using the telephone. Credit cards have become a sought-after convenience. Unfortunately, not everyone is capable of managing his or her finances, and so run the risk of mounting credit card debt. In fact, credit card debt is now a serious problem in many countries, including Japan and South Korea. ••• Read on »

The culminating dinner of the Davao Food Appreciation Tour, on 16 March 2008, was at Bryan’s Grill & Café. At this al fresco poolside restaurant, my good friend Bryan Bajado served the bloggers samplers of his fine cuisine.

For appetizer, we had three samplers: grilled pepper-crusted sashimi (my absolute fave here!), shrimp in white wine and pesto, and a refreshing preparation of sausage and corn. And then there were two kinds of salads: shrimp cocktail and Caesar’s. The inspired presentation of the dishes wowed our group, and the variety of flavors impressed us even more. It was truly a fitting concluding event to DavaoFAT. ••• Read on »

Yesterday — the 3rd and final day of DavaoFAT — found the adventurous bloggers at Eden Nature Park for buffet lunch and some well-deserved fun. There were 14 of us, including Aileen (Google Country Consultant) and Jay of TitikPilipino.com, as well as Avel and Mars of General Santos City.

Eden Nature Park is Davao’s pride. A mountain resort only 45 minutes away from downtown, it’s not merely a breath-taking tourist spot, but an ecological sanctuary and a cultural bedrock as well. The family behind Eden Nature Park has clearly endeavored to preserve a piece of nature as faithfully as possible, thereby providing both Dabawenyos and visitors to the city a healthy and refreshing respite from city life. ••• Read on »

The second day of the Davao Food Appreciation Tour was a whirlwind romance between bloggers and food. From breakfast to dinner and beyond, the group was all in a mindset of palate-pleasing activities. From Taps for breakfast to The Marco Polo for dinner, we not only sampled but heartily partook of Davao’s gastronomic offerings.

After a fine-dining spread and much conversation at the Polo Bistro, some of us proceeded to my family’s ancestral home for…… Can you guess? …… Yes! more food!! This time, it was from Sugar Munch, whose owners gave us several boxes of mini-cakes and a few rolls of silvana (hint: it’s like sans rival). We took our time enjoying the various cakes, and played poker while we were at it. ••• Read on »

I’m blogging live from Kasagingán Kapehan, on Torres St., Davao City. We are here for the 2nd day of the Davao Food Appreciation Tour. I’m with Aileen, Jay (the “sweetie”), Andrew, Ria, MiGs™, Angel, Mikko, Gerwin. ••• Read on »

Yesterday was a successful first day for the Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DavaoFAT). The bloggers had been planning this for sometime now — although, it’s really no surprise anymore that it’s turning out well. The Davao bloggers group (instigated by The Usual Suspects) have been continuously active for more than a year now.

Davao FAT is Andrew’s brainchild, which he came up with late last year. His plan to hold this tour during Araw ng Dabaw gave me the idea to do the Davao food trips. So this is like a culminating event for the bloggers’ 3-month food tripping in Davao. (But nobody’s stopping us from going on with the food trips even after DavaoFAT.) ••• Read on »