Johnoy Danao, Ebe Dancel and Bullet Dumas on IISA Concert at the KIA Theater

They are no strangers to the Philippine music scene but have yet to really gain thread in mainstream. Hard to admit, such talented performers like them don’t really get enough spotlight in the business. That’s going to change because they’ve pretty much made headway in their previous concerts and I think they don’t mind if it would take time, they are taking the next step. They are showcasing their musical talent with surprise guests and Manila String Machine in a concert called IISA slated on June 9 at the KIA Theater. This is good news.

IISA means being one, as Ebe puts it, “It’s a team up, it’s what we’ve become, we weren’t really friends at first but now even our family members know each other. We were supposed to do it this March, but we had problems putting this up. We now have a following, so we are doing this as a treat to 3D fans. We know each others quirks, we don’t even fight, 3 different personalities but we are like a family. It’s a whole army with us, so our rehearsals would require a lot of time to do that. We also have friends we would like to invite in the concert.

Bullet Dumas adds “Manila String Machine will be with us, so it’s going to be different. When we started we had low expectations, so every time we had an opportunity, small gigs, the singapore one, we make it memorable for everyone. When you watch us, we won’t waste your time, now it’s a bigger venue, bigger things to do in that show. Decisions are also easy in our group because we are three, we know each other personally.”

Johnoy Danao says “We thought about it at first, we have our group now, the concept is about being on stage, even if we are a lot of musicians, it’s only going to be one music. In terms of records, we did random things, our vibe is just like a gathering of friends, if one sings one thing, we do it even if he can only sing the chorus. If they go to our show, they’ll hear something different, it’s like an anniversary, like a treat for people and we have bands, a full orchestra to make you happy.”

On June 9, please come to KIA Theater and purchase tickets on Ticketnet 911555. If you have inquiries you may go to the 3D or our personal pages. It’s their third time to be together and trust me, it’ll be good for people who love REAL unadulterated Filipino music.

KUMAGCOW

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Unbelievable Meal Deals at HIGHGROUNDS Cafe Scout Rallos

Meat Platter with Different Sauces, more good deals at Highgrounds Cafe

I have been here quite a lot but have never seen them serve actual food aside from the pastries. Interestingly enough, it has always been difficult for people to have a decent coffee shop in the Tomas Morato area these days and I’ve never written about this place because I want it for myself - sometimes or often. People flock the Starbucks branches nearby but I’d rather go here (this HUGE one) or other small coffee shops because they have some special perks that your popular one doesn’t even come close with.

This place is primarily the BEST internet gaming hub in the country. Two floors are dedicated and house the latest Predator machines and gamers from across the world (oh yes they did), play here because it’s that good. Now it’s very important for them to have the accorded nutrition so they do have the right amount of eye hand coordination needed to beat other teams. They just introduced new group meals on the menu and I’m ecstatic for you to see how this makes this place even better.

The meat platter we ordered had all the steak lovers drooling. The lovely steak, the huge rib, the quarter chicken and tatsy Hungarian sausage. It was good and of course, it was gone in a few minutes.

Their other meal package had these pizzas on them. I figured we could go back there a few days ago and ordered it. You can choose two pizza flavors, this one had the crust made with squid ink hence the color. Included in it are 5 drinks (you can choose the iced tea flavor), the southern fried chicken (which I’ll show later), a full plate of pasta (I chose Pesto), the two stretched pizzas, plus 5 Korean Ice Cream varieties. Honestly it’s a steal if you can feed 5 people with it.

Fried Chicken, super crunchy!

I like my fried chicken like this, doused in flour, breaded nicely that’s why it comes out extremely crunchy. It’s also got chips on the side so you’ve got more things to talk about while having snacks. They have dirty rice so for people who believe RICE IS LIFE, then you may order that as well.

Salmon with Mushrooms in Ponzu Sauce

For something a little more fancy, they’ve got Salmon on top of mashed potatoes, mushroom pieces, lima beans, ponzu sauce and micro greens. It may look intimidating and a lot, but it’s worth it. Especially if you have female friends, this would be counted as their more healthy option. They prolly had this seared and oven baked before they put everything together. Quite good.

Crispy Pata

For those who crave it, yes they have Crispy Pata. Their dipping sauce is more on the sweet side but you may ask for condiments as you please. I asked for Tabasco and it was easy for them to whip it out because they’ve got good wings too.

For the piece de resistance, they’ve got the hits in their cafe for our dessert. The first of which is Red Velvet Crinkles (my personal favorite), then the cold Brazo De Mercedes, plus the Pistachio Sansrival. Game over. Now if you’re in the Tomas Morato area and looking for wifi connection, Highgrounds Cafe can accomodate you and lease 2 hours of ultra fast wifi connection for every 150 peso purchase. They can also have you use the wifi for a fee; very cheap actually if you’re uploading Youtube videos or downloading stuff, this would be the perfect place for you.

Highgrounds Cafe is located at 67 Scout Rallos Street in between Tomas Morato and Scout Torillo streets in Quezon City. They’ve got real good coffee too. Meal packages for 5 starts around Php 1999 and the other costs Php 2999, but trust me it's a FEAST, worth every penny.

KUMAGCOW

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James Reid and Nadine Lustre for Never Not Love You

Never Not Love You

This is not a review but more of an observation and what to expect in the new JaDine movie Never Not Love You.

Hearing the word #JaDine alone would prolly make you think that it’s going to be all about milennial love, or run of the mill tweetums love story, but no. They met by circumstances, Gio and Joanne eventually went into names, then courtship, you really would feel they really liked each other.

They were struggling, Joanne an 8-5 employee, the other an artist. They are trying to find their “thing”, telling a story about their dreams, Joanne wants a dream job (very specific), while Gio just wants to be happy. It felt like they were trying to work on their lives from different sides of the spectrum. They matured, so this wouldn’t be appropriate for teenagers from the conversation alone, plus there are lots of kissing scenes left and right. Their work made them go places, that’s where London comes in. The trials of the long distance relationship wasn’t gonna be easy, that’s where it probably started going downhill. Who’s happiness were they going to find? Who’s going to be a priority? How much are you going to sacrifice for the one you love? Do you stay miserable while the other one lives a good life? What lengths would you go to just so you could keep them happy? Then ask themselves later on if they still love each other, after time has changed them, will that still hold true?

If you would want to know how they answer these questions, then it’s time to watch Never Not Love You. It’s shows on theatres nationwide. This is one heck of a matured JaDine movie you wouldn’t expect from them, albeit experimental you’ll love how it was put on screen. Yes you’ll see good looking James and Nadine, but you’ll also see Gio and Joanne go through life’s struggles, and the beauty of adulting. Ask theatre owners to show it because it’s one JaDine project you shouldn’t pass. This is their transition, you’ll love how they’ll play husband and wife. 

It’s a promise to hold if it still applies, to Never Not Love You.

KUMAGCOW

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The Biggest Waterpark in Asia: Kamia Bay Resort Palawan

Nothing beats a watermark than a fat face that's already in a photo hahahaha!

A vacation in Palawan probably would mean El Nido, Coron, or that Underground River adventure that most tourists actually go to. A little known fact is, there are actually superb places you can go to just a little outside of Puerto Princesa City. A few only know about it but hopefully, that’s about to change. Really, there’s MORE things in Palawan that people should know about.

This is our second day here, woke up early to travel about 30-45 minutes away from Puerto Princesa City proper. The reason being, KAMIA Bay Resort in Palawan. It’s located at Baranagay Luzviminda along Binunsalian Bay. It’s a rarely new property being developed as an adventure sanctuary housing the BIGGEST Aquapark structure in Asia complete with a 30 and 40 foot slide in a stretch of 3,800 square meters of a floating island that sits a few kilometers away from Honda Bay.

One side of Kamia Bay Resort where the whole thing stretches.

Now imagine the possibilities, the various things you could do here with your friends and family. You could go on this vast course traversing through a multitude of floating islands, air filled trees, big and small tubes, jumping points, a trampoline, and slides like small mountains on sea. Tumble and leap off of platforms with ease and without worries as they’ve got expert lifeguards on stand by at every part of the floating ark.

Aside from the nice course, they’ve also got a moderately designed bike course which would take you in and around the property. They also have pavillions and small huts so whether you’re a company or just a small family, you can take refuge in it during lunch or dinner, or house your belongings during day trips in fact. They also have Eco tours which you can take for your land lovin friends if the floating island would be too much. But here's a glimpse on how fun this whole trip was courtesy of the Aloha Palawan Facebook page!

 

The thing is, it’s also quite affordable. You can do Aquaplay for Php 788 which includes an hour of the Aquapark, an Ecotour and buffet lunch or go for the Php 1,488 for Unlimited time in it. They also have options for roundtrip transfers if you want it to be more convenient. We highly suggest you do what we did and start the adventures very early. You will be briefed for your own safety and if you prefer a little grip, they have specialized water shoes for rent so it’ll be easier for you to run around in your bikinis.

Take a nice dip, or simply lounge at their lovely villa huts.

Heck I won’t be selfish to share with you how fun it was. I also got to taste the cuisine prepared for us by the Chef who manages all the food establishments in their other properties. Check out my adventures at Kamia Bay Resort!

It was pretty hard to leave that place after the fun I had with new friends. I got to know more of them and how a family built this resort. It looks promising that they can host guests during day time and perhaps soon, they’ll have some villas for people to stay in. They also currently have a haven for artists which they house in a secluded part of their resort which they deem would be a way to “pay back” the community and the country with “culture”.

For dinner, we freshened up at the hotel first then dressed up a bit. We went to Princesa Garden Resort and Spa which was near the Puerto Princesa International Airport. We walked a bit inside and off to the shore for their Asian themed restaurant called GOLDEN ELEPHANT which was on stilts. It was very romantic, I felt bad that I was single and had to see all the couples who were there. The food was also exquisite as you may have seen on the video, you just want to stay there the whole night. Albeit friendly to families, I would recommend this mostly for pairs who would want some quiet time. It felt right, I want to go back there and bring someone to propose haha!

Anyway, it was all part of a super happy day for me to just experience what Puerto Princesa City and it’s nearby towns had in store for travelers - and those who just want to have a nice relaxing vacation. I loved every bit of it.

If you want to go to Kamia Bay Resort, simply search for them at Facebook and message them. They can make arrangements for large groups and family. Same goes for Princesa Garden Resort and Spa which has rooms and spa services too. It’s easy because everything should be hassle free, make sure you make your own vacation stress free!