AdHoc - Unveil Reality by UPJMA

My very good friend and sister in crime Ab, needed photographers to help her cover the biggest college party by UP JMA. Her company Hakuna Matata Productions is one of the media sponsors of the event and I was lucky to be invited too because I haven't attended a college party yet so I really had fun!

AdHoc is not your typical college party. They do it yearly for a purpose. All proceeds of the event go to Kids Integrated Development Through Schooling (K.I.D.S.) and UP JMA Scholarship Fund. Everything starts from zero until they find corporate sponsors, media partners, help from organizations and individuals. According to AdHoc, the party that they organized last semester had a record breaking number of 4,500 attendees making the party such a successful event. The party boasts of unlimited beers, cocktails, photo booths, face painting booths and dance music that will literally make your hips move and your head spin.

We arrived at the World Trade Center just in time to check out the venue, had dinner after and then  a pile of students, yuppies and partyphiles started lining up. We were at team of 4 and we basically covered just about everything. Here are my shots:

It was fun and tiring at the same time. It was my first time to cover an event as big as this. Honestly I felt like dancing and there were times where I can't help to move my hips to the beat! Till next year Adhoc! :)

Tree Tops Bar and Restaurant

A rainy and gloomy day greeted us on our 4th day in Cebu. Since we're leaving early for our island hopping, we had breakfast at Tree Tops located at the roof deck of Apple Tree Suites. Literally, this is what you can truly call al fresco dining because of its open air location and very wide space.

 

Apple Tree Suites

Situated just behind Fuente Cirlce, Apple Tree Suites is one of the cheap yet most comfortable places to stay while in Cebu. For budget travelers like us, a Standard Room for P998 a night is a steal. Our air conditioned room has a restroom with hot and cold shower, Cable Tv and a big and comfy queen sized bed where you can sleep and relax.

The guard immediately approached us when our cab stopped in front of their building. He assisted us with our things and welcomed us with a smile. The front desk officer, Caryl recognized me already as I was texting her while on our way from Bantayan that we'll be arriving before our check-in time. After filling out some forms, we proceeded to our rooms.

Casa Verde - Ayala Center Cebu

If you have a huge appetite and you are the one who's not satisfied with the average servings of expensive restaurants, then Casa Verde is for you. Why? Because their portions are BIG!

Proof:

Cebu - Day 3

We arrived at the ferry terminal around quarter to 6 in the morning. We decided to take the earliest trip so we can save ourselves from the big waves that appears in the afternoon. We bought bread and fruits to eat for our 4-hour trip to Cebu City. Leaving early has its perks. We have the whole upper deck of the boat to ourselves, was able to talk to the boat's captain and its crew members and we can cam whore all we want. See below:

beautiful morning

Cou Cou Lodge Bar and Restaurant

After her Boracay trip, Janet - my friend from Canada who's here in the Philippines for a 3 month - long holiday proceeded to Bantayan Island where we agreed to meet. She's been on the island for already two weeks when we arrived thus knowing a lot of people in that small town. She stayed in Cou Cou Lodge which also has a bar and restaurant. The owners Dennis and Riezel Geairain were very kind enough to give her a discounted price for her room since she will stay for more than a week. We practically ate  here all the time  during our stay because of their good service and variety of food. 

On the morning of our second day, we had breakfast here before going island hopping. The restaurant is centrally located in the town so it is very hard to miss. You can choose from their Continental, American, Filipino and Farmer breakfast sets. They also serve omelets, soups, pizzas, seafood, chicken and pork dishes. Their spacious restaurant has a pool table and they offer free WiFi. The washroom/comfort room just beside the dining area was spotless and very clean which is a plus to the overall ambiance of the restaurant.

Cebu - Day 2

Our second day in Bantayan started early as we are hoping to see the sunrise but the sky was too cloudy for us to see the sun. We took a long leisurely walk along the shore heading east to see nearby surroundings and found a lot of people already up and getting ready to start their day.

Cebu - Day 1

To celebrate our 3rd anniversary, I booked a flight to Cebu last April 2010 and thanks to Jepay who I was talking to that night, I got 2 round trip tickets for just P2,100. Oh the joy of seat sales. :)

I planned the itinerary right after to know how much money we're gonna need to save every month. Thanks to my sissies in GirlTalk, I already had an overview of what to do, what to see and where to go but I was torn between going to Bantayan Island and Moalboal. I preferred the latter because I wanted to see Kawasan Falls as well but learned that Moalboal caters to divers more and not beach bums like me. I researched about Bantayan Island and found mostly raves and beautiful pictures of the island. I was also convinced since two of my good friends already went there and the sunset snapshots of their trip mostly justified it. So with high expectations, I included Bantayan Island on the trip.

Going to the airport on that chilly Sunday morning was a breeze as our cab made its way along the traffic - free C5 road. A lot of thoughts were running through my head like seeing Janet again, the long trip from Cebu to Bantayan and the feeling of the fine sand on my toes.

sunny morning