I am happy and privileged to be part of Davao Food Appreciation Tour 2013 , now on its 6th year. More commonly called as DFAT, it has become a much anticipated yearly activity that aims to gather bloggers mostly coming from Davao City to be part of the 'three day event full of food, fun, and friendship'.

It was held last June 14-16 and was participated by 25 awesome bloggers. We had a food blast visiting 13 food establishments and 2 resorts, and without these kind and accommodating sponsors, this special event wouldn't have been possible. And to the organizers, thumbs up to you guys!!! It was really memorable ( and yes, very very gastronomic!)

my skin's outdoor companion in its new packaging

I first got to know Human Heart Nature (or more commonly referred to as Human Nature) through an online forum about three years ago. I was immediately attracted by its wide array products, natural and organic at a very affordable price. I looked it up and Googled the nearest distributor in my area. I have then registered to be a dealer mainly because I wanted to have discounts for my personal purchases , you know how wais (smart) moms are.

Among its line of make-up, baby care and skin care products, my favorite is the Citronella Bug Spray (now called Bug Shield Mosquito Repellent) . It is the one item that I always keep in handy wherever I go. See, I have a feeling that my skin is the type that mosquitos go for. Sounds like a compliment eh? But it's not. Ever since I was a kid, I can remember everytime that I am outside the house playing or simply hanging out with friends, I always noticed that I am the only one being bitten by these pesky insects.  Does this mean that my blood is sweeter than theirs? They are sucker for my blood, literally.

Receiving compliments from kids are much sweeter, truer. (photo credits to : appreciationadvantage.com)

The classic Cecil's Egg Pie

It's a given that I am a sucker for egg pies. I also have the same addiction to its cousins: egg tarts, leche flan, meringues and Brazo de Mercedes. I know that these heavenly creations are the possible causes of Diabetes, which is present in our bloodline, but i just go weak whenever I get to lay my eyes on them. Good thing I have a strong urge not to frequently stop by Lachi's or Sugar Munch - two of my favorite dessert stores located in the same street, Marfori, the one I pass by regularly going to and from my residence in Ma-a. Or should I acknowledge the blessing that God makes it easier for me to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings? Hmmm, yay!

The heat of the summer has made the ice cream, smoothie and milk tea businesses more thriving these days.

Recently I was brought to a whole new world of my favorite comfort food and was able to sample Davao's first and only maker of artisan ice cream, Sweet Spot. It is called artisan because it is made by skilled crafts persons who produce the ice cream in smaller batches, as needed.

The exciting trivia about Sweet Spot is, it's the first ice cream shop to use crocodile eggs for their ice cream to replace the traditional cream. This makes the consistency more creamier and tastful. As of now they serve two flavors made with crocodile eggs: the Dragonfruit Crocodile Ice Cream and the Buko Pandan Crocodile Ice Cream. You may also enjoy the classic and fruity flavors such as:  Mango Mazing, Vanilla, Coffee Rush, Strawberry, Cookies & Cream, Cheezee Cheese, Ube Purple and Buko Pandan.

Tethering and charging up at its best

See, I am travelling with hubby this week to his monthly out of town trip in Cagayan de Oro City (CDO). He works as a sales head for Mindanao for a construction supplier company. Going to CDO is a 6-hour travel by car from Davao City where we live. I am not actually part of this trip but I bugged him to tag me along so we can have bonding time together at least before the 'horrors' of the opening of classes in June present itself. Sorry for the pun but, I really need an extra time for myself and hubby; and extend the leisure time because when classes start, I'd have less sleeping hours and all that jazz --->  no-help-at-home, I-work-online-I'm-gonna-be-crazy-soon litany.

internet signal from Iphone to Macbook, size doesn't matter after all! (ignore the Naruto bookmark, lol, my son's!)

And since I need to bring work with me too, I brought my entourage of laptop, cable connectors, chargers and Iphone. And I just have my phone's USB connector for charging with the laptop as well to at least reduce weight on my belongings.

Giving your skin the care it deserves

Like any typical girl, I am always open to try beauty products which promise to give my skin a radiant glow. But I am also wary of those that advertise an instant whiter skin or at least those which promise a fair skin after just a few uses. I've seen negative effects of these so-called "magic' creams, etc such as reddening and severe peeling off of the skin.

Worse, others would leave a trace of dark spots on the cheeks of the user after being exposed under the sun. It's pretty scary when users apply these type of products without proper knowledge on the correct application. Sometimes we tend to skip using sunscreen/or sunblock for skin protection. Other times, we also use the products not really suited for our skin types ; or we use one product that doesn't match the other skin product we also use, hence, the irritation.

Lately, organic and natural skin care products have started to come out in the market. And at this time too, people are beginning to be aware (and educated) that parabens and hydroquinone usually present in shampoos, soaps, skin lighteners and other cleansing products are dangerous chemicals that might cause cancer. This makes the job of nature and skin-friendly beauty companies easier as they go out of their way formulating beauty products sans these harmful chemicals.

Best seller and must try: Cocoa With Rock Salt and Cheese

The current milk tea craze in town has transformed some of my friends into milk tea addicts, jumping from one milk tea joint to another as they sprout one by one all over Davao city. It will make them even happier as Happy Lemon now has 3 stores in the city.

Happy Lemon, a unique tea cafe which originally started in Hongkong, has over 200 outlets in 30 cities worldwide. They are known for their refreshing and creative ways of serving milk tea, and blending the best flavors of coffee, tea leaves, cocoa and lemon. And the best thing of all, their beverages contain no preservatives, just pure in taste and awesome milk tea goodness.

Their first branch in Davao (13th in the Philippines) is in The Peak at the Gaisano Mall, and was inaugurated last February. It was graced by its owners, led by PBA basketball star, Chris Tiu and his partners (who were by the way, his schoolmates in Xavier University and Ateneo)

Last April, they opened two more branches at SM Lanang Premier and SM City Annex so people from south and north will now have easy access to their stores. This makes a total of 19 stores in the country and still counting!