Kandaya weekend

Kandaya resort is a new luxury destination located in Daan Bantayan, north of Cebu. It's about a 3-hr drive from the city (depending on traffic) and is a perfect spot for a weekend getaway to enjoy a spectacular view of the beach.

The property is very exclusive and you need to have a confirmed reservation before you can go in. At the lobby, we were greeted by their staff with scented wet towels and a refreshing glass of buko juice.

After checking in, we were led to our room. I love how spacious the room is (and mind you, this is just the deluxe room). The room also has a Nespresso machine, perfect for those who need a caffeine fix before soaking up the sun :)

 

Even the bathroom is quite big and they use Malin + Goetz for their toiletries which i super love (yes, i'm in love with everything associated with New York LOL!) 

The far end of the room also opens up directly to the resort's spa. 

But what sets this resort apart is the stunning landscape of the pool against the backdrop of the white sand beach which is super Instagram worthy!

Dedon furnitures are also strategically placed in the beach and pool side area. This gives you the perfect excuse to chill and just kill time :) 

Their Kusina restaurant also did not disappoint and surprisingly not too pricey. The standout for me was the pork porchetta, similar to a lechon belly, only fancier :) 

Overall, i had a grand time and would definitely recommend this resort. It's definitely worth coming back to :) 

happy carbs

planning to cheat (on your diet of course) this weekend? here's my Top 4 favorite places in Cebu to get your happy carbs fix :)

 

1.Pho Xao from Phat Pho - this Vietnamese fried noodles is loaded with prawns and vegetables (bean sprouts, crispy fried shallots, carrots and spring onions) and you can ask them to serve it mild or super spicy (i prefer the latter). I usually pair this with sticks of beef satay and Vietnamese rolls, and yes, no rice needed!

2. Cacio E Pepe from Tavolata - their version is a personal favorite. This dish is a tricky order because it's either a hit or a miss partly because of how simple it is to make. Tavolata's version achieves the right balance of cream and pepper and the handmade pasta seals the deal. It's creamy but not overpowering and the fettucini is perfect to the bite.

3. Hazelnut Pancakes from Tinderbox - if you're craving for something sweet then head over to Tinderbox and order this masterpiece. Stack of pancakes with hazelnut spread and sliced bananas, whip cream and sprinkle of powdered sugar. I think I just gained a few pounds trying to describe the entire plate.

4. Lasagna from The Corner Bakery - probably the best lasagna in this side of the world! I have been trying to hack the bechamel recipe for months but to no success. Their lasagna has a "melt in your mouth" goodness and the flavor is perfectly balanced. Plus the fact that I live few cartwheels away from the bakery is the icing on the cake! :)

 

sneaker happy

i am currently participating in a "dressdown for a cause" initiative in the office for more than a week now which i think is a perfect excuse to temporarily retire my blazers/suits and dress shoes for the next 2 months :) 

have been obsessing on sneakers lately and became an instant New Balance fan after getting my first pair 2 weeks ago. i like how the color pops and matches perfectly with the trendy jogger pants or a skinny pair of jeans (like this OOTD from last Friday)

below are my top 3 choices of kicks this summer:

Jeremy Scott x Adidas Golden Wings 3.0  (already ordered and will be shipped from Germany) - this latest Jeremy Scott creation is definitely stunning and a sure headturner but will set you back at $250. You can order online as it's only available in selected Adidas stores.

New Balance 1500M - this one's directly made from the UK (currently looking for online sellers) and has the leather treatment. It's perfect with a dark pair of denim (see photo from Pinterest below)

Tip: Sneak Peek in Ayala Center Cebu offers easy payment terms.You can get a new pair of New Balance or any other brand and have it on installment (even up to 6 months!). 

Pharell Williams x Adidas Originals Superstar Supercolor - relased more than a month ago and available in 50 colors (yes 50!), options are unlimited. My personal choice is this pink pair which sets you back at $100.

what's your summer/spring shoe style obsession? sound off the comment section :) 

rebirth

i stopped blogging for almost 2 years because i got too busy with work but now i feel like it's the right time to go back to what i love doing the most - writing :)

this time, i will blog more about my upcoming travels, OOTDs, earcandies, literary finds, food hack, restaurant reviews and a whole lot of foodporn :) 

join me as i complete one bucket list item at a time :)

Follow me on:

Instagram: thehungryboy

Twitter: iamkilcher

king of pain

i haven't posted anything in this blog but i just like to remind myself of how much physical pain i'm going through right now and to remind me about how strong i am handling it...it will all get better in time and i'm looking forward to be back in top shape.

as they say, what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger

countdown

my US tour dates are now final...and the countdown begins for New York! i can't wait to go back! can it be October already? LOL!

fly

it's middle of July already and i'll be super busy in the next 2 weeks preparing for a quarter business review, finalizing my flight to the US and taking my mother dear around Cebu by end of the month

crazy days..time flies fast when you're having fun indeed (yes even when you're at work)

training

i'm nursing a sore throat this weekend and i hope it wouldn't get worse soni can get back to top shape by Monday...i have taken on a trainer role for the past 4 days training newly promoted team managers - tiring but well worth it..i just hope that they were able to pick useful insights on how they can become better with their mew role :)

...anyway, lunch was superb earlier and my dessert was to die for that i didn't really mind the sore throat at all..try to look away if you don't want to see somethig sinfully good :)

ECU

i was scheduled for an executive check-up today and i was anticipating that it's going to be one of those horrible days but surprisingly it turned out quite better than what i expected

...good thing i opted for MyHealth instead of Chong Hua (where i had countless bad experiences)...the staff was really nice and process was very effecient and comfortable...i wouldn't have any second thoughts the next time i'm up for another ECU

...the only better way to end the ECU is to have a Greek feast for lunch from my favorite Cyma...happy tummy, happy me :)

Instagram Anonymous

i am officially an addict - an Instagram addict that is...this app is eating 70% of my iphone's life but i'm not complaining..it amazes me how beautiful the world is captured though lenses and appreciate the beauty of everything random in life :)

if you have one installed in your Iphone or Android, please follow me: @iamkilcher :)

new toy

i bought an iPhone4s yesterday for the love of Instagram...my iPod touch is not doing justice capturing the beautiful things i see daily...and i hope this one gets me back to blogging as well..i know i've been dead in the blogsphere for quite a while :)

...cheers to Instagram flooding and more impromptu blog posts! :)

on a break

i'm on blog hiatus again and i know i made a promise to myself to blog more often but i just cant...the past 2 weeks were hell workwise and i need time to recover and take my mind off things

...i'll have another US trip coming in a couple of months and that's something to look forward to but for now, i'll go back to breeding dragons...and yes, i finally got to breed the coveted emerald dragon..yes! LOL!

a date with myself :)

...i can no longer remember the last time i had a date with myself so i decided to take some few days off from work and initially planned on going somewhere north like Dumaguete (i'm bad with directions so i'm not sure if it's north LOL)...the planned didn't push through and i ended spending my time within Cebu...i decided to go back to Shangri-la (after spending Easter Sunday with friends there) with just a book, a camera and some sunscreen :)

..i started off with a late lunch at Tea of Spring..i shy away from the tempting Tides lunch buffet coz i wanted something new and light...ordered some stir-fried udon in black pepper, freshly steamed shrimp dumplings (which is the best i've tasted by the way) and a serving of jasmine tea...it's a dimsum feast i don't mind doing more often :)



...after lunch, i went to my favorite Shangri-la spot (the big rock right in the beach front) and started reading the remaining chapters of "A Clash of Kings" while playing my beachfront playlist in my ipod (it's a combination of All Saints, Dario G, Moby, Madonna and few Hed Kandi remixes)..the only break i had was when i took a solo shot of myself to capture the moment :)



...around 3 PM, i decided to move to different spot to finish reading my book while stealing glances at beautiful strangers by the poolside - and i have the perfect thirst quencher to beat the heat while doing that :)



...i no longer waited for sunset as i needed to meet up with some friends for dessert...meet up with them in Dolce (which is a new happy place for me) and had servings of their famous butter cake paired with some Italian coffee



...after dessert, i decided to skip dinner - i needed a long shower more than anything else and went straight to sleep..it felt really good doing something spontaneous and rewarding at the same time and can't wait for the next one :)

lust beyond words

..i have taken my skin care a notch higher and took a short break from using everything Kiehl's (i only have the facial scrub and shaving cream left, because they were too amazing to give up)...3 weeks ago, i started using the Clarins Men product line starting with the moisturizer and the foaming cleanser...a bit pricey compared to Kiehl's but it works wonders and i've seen some amazing results :)



...the moisturizer is noncomedogenic which means it doesn't clog your pores, it's also light and non-greasy and easily absorbed by the skin..i was so happy with the result that i decided to get a toner from Clarins as well..funny thing was my Clarins attendant gave me some ab-firming lotions as freebies..either she was being sweet or it's her subtle way of saying i'm fat..i'll remind myself to always wear my Spanx when out LOL!



..i have also taken my perfume selection to a more upscale level by choosing CREED...it's way too pricey for a bottle of perfume but it's well worth it (one bottle is equivalent to the price of 3 Diesel/Issey Miyake)..i lean towards fresh, fruity scents so Royal Water is just perfect for me...this will be my scent for summer/spring 2012 :)



...i just needed one more thing before i get back to my usual spending budget, and that is to get this Oxford blazer from Zara..it was love at first sight and lust beyond words LOL!!! my friend from NYC is buying me one and i should be sporting this one off the rack come May..i can't wait!!



...and ow, before i finish this post, who's going to Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball in Manila? i know it will be awesome and it will be absolute love if i can join the party :)

#aphotoadayapril

...another thing i wanted to achieve this April is to complete a photo post in Instagram for complete 30 days..so far, i have already posted 3 pictures and it has generated positive responses from friends/followers...i am excited to get to Day #4, 13, 24, 27 and 30
:)



...here's what i have so far for the past 3 days :)

Day 1 - #photoadayapril #yourreflection - something vintage from Dos Palmas in Palawan :)




Day 2 - #photoadayapril #colour - yummy treats from the infamous Cafe Lalo in NYC :) this is the one of the locations for the movie You Got Mail and their desserts are to die for :) if you happen to visit NYC, this cafe should be on your list :)



Day 3 - #photoadayapril #mail - i have been with the AOL account for the past 6 years and had the opportunity to visit AOL's headquarters in Virginia last year..cheers to 6 more years LOL!!!



..i never thought doing something as trivial as this can be so much fun :)

on running and playlists

there's a lot of things i'm excited about April and kicking things off will be season 2 of Game of Thrones on HBO and i'm painfully counting the days to fly by to get to April..i have also been running, yes, it sounds unbelievable but i do though not the hardcore type..it's more of a leisure thing and it's the perfect excuse to create a playlist to listen to while running...here's my Top 10

1. Blood for Poppies by Garbage - yes, the goddess is back and hotter than ever!! Shirley Manson is divine and perfection in every inch!



2. Feel so Close by Clavin Harris
3. Shake it Out by Florence and the Machine
4. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People
5. Room for Happiness by Kaskade feat. Skylar Grey
6. Gangster Tripping by Fatboy Slim - it's a must to insert a classic piece and this one's way too good to be not on a running playlist
7. Wild Ones by Flo Rida and Sia
8. Collide by Leona Lewis and Avicii
9. Blue Jeans (RAC Remix) by Lana Del Rey - a current obsession
10. Walk by The Foo Fighters

..i got these babies on auto-repeat and follow it with the perfect cool down tracks which serve as a perfect finish to the entire run :)

1. Breathe Me by Sia
2. Poison and Wine by The Civil Wars - their Barton Hollow album is one of my current obsessions



3. Tomorrow Will be Kinder by The Secret Sisters
4. Lego House by Ed Sheeran
5. Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron and Wine

...what's in your running playlist?

the art of Draw Something

...when was the last time you got addicted to something? i have been sacrificing a couple of my bedtime hours for the last 4 days just to play everyone's new favorite game, the very popular app called Draw Something...the game's concept is very simple yet it's very addictive...if you haven't installed this in your Apple device yet, then you're missing on a lot of fun LOL!



...i don't have the talent when it comes to drawing (i'd like to think i'm the worst in the world) but it amazes me how my friends can still managed to guess my drawings no matter how abstract/obscure they looked LOL...take this one as an example - when i was starting to draw this, i was trying to draw an anchor and submitted it to a friend..she ended up very frustrated trying her hardest to guess what the drawing was and ended up posting the picture in her Facebook timeline for help LOL!!!



..i know it looked like more of a capital J than an anchor hahaha but that's the beauty of the game...it doesn't need a lot of skill or talent for that matter...all you need is a free imagination and some common sense :)

new found love

...i have spent the last few days finishing George R.R. Martin's A Clash of Kings and immensely enjoyed it..i can't wait for the new season to start this coming April 1 on HBO...my initial plan was just to wait for the tv series to start but i just can't help thinking about what came next after Daenerys gave birth to the 3 dragons..the book was so well written that i can't barely find time to stop reading it :)



...the only other thing that's keeping me busy these days aside from work is Champ..i found a new love for dogs and i'm starting to feel really comfortable around them...last Sunday, i took Champ out for a photoshoot but it didn't work out that well..Champ is the worst dog model in the world LOL! i can't manage to get a clear shot of his face...not a single one :(



...summer has officially started and the heat outside is just CRAZY...i'm still planning for a vacation mid-April but for now, i'm fine with a pint of Cherry Garcia to beat the heat :)