I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. ~ W.E. Henley

Thirty Thank Yous I need to Say

30 Thank you's


I’m a blogger with a list of thank yous to publish.  A long overdue litany of thirty fortunate things, events and people I have come across in real and digital life.  Let me start with a few sentiments.

Thank you no.1 is for the Man in the sky where all good things must come from.  Through Him all has been redeemed.  We all owe Him a life lead fruitfully.  Everything I had, have and will hold are graces I work hard to deserve.  Thanks Big Guy!

No. 2 is for the love of family.  My heart may wander in search for something uncertain but the bond of kin can never be substituted.  When everyone else will not understand, my family stands by me to be like a rock that is ready to break my thick head.

No. 3 is for my great friends.  Those I grew up with, who despite any distance, still connects with me and let me in their lives no matter how different from mine.

No. 4 is for the long intimate conversations with my best friends.  I'd rather have a few long and winding talks with you than thousands worth of small shoptalk with those who do not care for me at all.

No. 5 is for the heart breakers.  The run down line "you made me stronger by breaking my heart." is in order.  I smile better now, thank you!

No. 6 goes to the banking industry.  I never thought I'd go back to working in a formal setting but the stars have aligned for me and being where I am now, polishes me to be a better person.

No. 7 is my thank you to whoever put together A Thousand and One Nights.  The story of Alibaba and the Forty Thieves had awoken my curiosity for words and reading.  Writing came naturally after my love for books.

No. 8 is a shout out to booze.  I write better under the influence of rhum and anything over 40 proof.

No. 9 is for the colors red, green and orange.  Without these three I can never express my loud side.  Just because I enjoy books does not mean I cant get on somebody's nerves. 

No. 10 is for the real feminists.  Thank you keeping women empowered as we ought to feel.  We bring forth mankind onto the face of the earth.  Respect shouldnt have to be our battle cry.

No. 11 is for my lucky charms.  You keep my dark compulsion at bay.  Your powers aren’t real but I imagine too many things.

Thank you to lipstick, eyebrow pencils, contact lenses and BB creams.  These babies keep me looking the way I am outside our iron fence.  Without them I'd look very, very different.  My vanity is my armor against the harsh reality that appearance is a currency.

No. 16 is for the books I have yet to read.  Although my TBR list could be a mile long, I am happy I have them to read when then internet is down.  One wall in my room is commissioned as my bookshelf.  Sometimes when I hoard books and add them to my wall, I feel guilty.  At the rate I am going, I may never be able to finish reading every book in my room.  Thrifting for second hand books is an addiction I have no intention of curing.

No. 17 is for the internet.  My horizon stretch as far as the internet could reach.  I am truly the master of my fate because of you.  Life would've been so different and so so difficult.  Now, I cannot imagine life without Facebook or Instagram.  It may appear shallow for some, but truly the internet has uplifted so many lives no politician ever could.  If I really want to, I can learn any language, any profession or any deadly skill just by investing my time and effort on the internet.  At this day and age, ignorance is an active choice we make. Information sows in us empathy and understanding. 

No. 18 is for the very healthy blogging syndicates on Facebook!  You keep Cebu is a Beauty alive!  I never thought there are that many bloggers willing to labor day in and day out just to help others get better.

I'd like to thank the amazing leads of Cebu Blogging Community - Mary Narvasa, Bjornson Bernales, Chanel Imperial, Jeph Flores, Jhanis Vicente, Gay Dumaguing and our prime mover Ruben Licera Jr.  There was a time when I was really set on retiring this blog until you guys inspired me to rekindle the passion to write online again.

No. 26 is for the nature loving entrepreneurs.  Thank you for working hard on your businesses to bring your patrons healthy and safe products.  Since I switched to natural goodness, my disposition and outlook changed for the better. 

No. 27 is a powerful number and I this space of gratitude goes to the only person who can boss me around but never does.  You may or may not be reading this but I thank you for not being bossy.  Your warmth infects me so much it is always a  happy day at work.

No. 28 is for my adorable nephew, Nunki.  You are the star we look at with love and joy.  We steer our lives with you at the center.  We hurry home to be your playmate and provide the answers to your inquisitive blurbs.

No. 29 is for the year 2015.  I am amazed at how much I feel like a different person than last year.  The trials were so real, better than cheap prime time TV.  The defeats and wins were beyond what my old self could have endured.  2015 has marked me for life, for the better.


No. 30 is a solid thank you to Romeo. There is no compulsion here, I was not coaxed nor cajoled into putting together this list of thirty things or unthings I am thankful for.  However, I did get a nudge from ZupRome! and so it is unto him I drop my last thank you!

The big 30 years old is coming soon and Im happy and thankful!

Inner Circle Live at The Monastery

inner circle cebu poster

There was a time when reggae music was all over Cebu City. Even until now, rasta vibrations are still present downtown.  If you listen good enough, not a day passes by without coming across the familiar stirrings of Buffalo Soldier.  Arguably, Cebuanos are by nature laid back island dwellers and it doesnt come as a surprise that we easily adopted as our own the vibes that came all the way from Kingston, Jamaica. Although Bob Marley may be the poster boy for reggae, Inner Circle is without a doubt a Cebuano favorite that is on anyone's reggae playlist.

I, for one, have never stepped out of a beach party or town disco without bouncing crazy to Sweat (A Lala Long) and Bad Boys.  A true blooded Sugbuanon like me cannot resist to dancing to authentic reggae music as played by reggae royalty, Inner Circle, themselves!  Cebu will be on an early festive mood come November 6!  The last reggae event happened in the same place with Big Mountain.  Im loving The Monastery with their consistent commitment to feel-good vibes!

The Monastery brings us the bad boys of reggae, Inner Circle live in Cebu for their One Love Reggae Revolution Tour.  The event is presented by DMC Philippines in cooperation with Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino and The Monastery.

Ticket prices: VIP - Php2,500.00 | General Admission - Php1,500.00 available at any SM Tickets outlets, The Monastery, La Vie Parisienne, La Maison Rose (The Pink House Restaurant), Alliance Francais de Cebu.

This event is also brought to you by: La Vie Parisienne | La Maison Rose (The Pink House Restaurant) | Alliance Francais de Cebu | Hyundai Cebu | The Freeman | Sunstar Daily.

For inquiries you may call: (032) 232 1311 | 09178226416 | 09328763416.

My Ordinary Perfect Day: Morning

While I sit on my chair and make my keyboard sing, I think about what would be my concept of a perfect day.  Do I put in only the activities and things that make me happy or do I factor in the necessary circumstances that makes a normal life.  It's more realistic to thing about an ordinary perfect day.  It is a day that can happen, although most of it will be wishful thinking.  Nonetheless, in the hope of having this day to my self and experience it in a foreseen time, I will imagine my ordinary perfect day.

ordinary perfect morning

Morning

  • Wake up before sunrise.  It is what most productive and successful people do.  They start their day beating the rays of the sun.  Waking up before the sun does means you are a go-getter, a person with a mission to get the day started.  
  • Exercise.  Yoga is a divine habit to start.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to really set a moment in my day to breathe out the aches that I do not have any use for.
  • A full breakfast of milk, bacon and eggs, rice, bananas and hot chocolate.  Coffee is optional.  In my ordinary perfect day, I am not a slave to coffee.
  • I'm reading a newspaper that is not biased.  I will not be critical of the facts I am supposed to be reading.  Then the flowers and plants will be eager listeners of my opinions on politics and economics.
  • Gracefully and without any hint of panic, I will step into the shower and have time to pay attention to my hair.  My happy tunes will echo through the lush greenery behind the fence.  Other people will welcome hearing it.
  • My eyebrows will be in its most cooperative state.  They will agree to my version of symmetry and the mirror too will reflect me in perfect radiance.
  • The clothes I will wear to work for the whole week have already been perfectly lined up.  No more shouting searching for something with collars.  My shoes will not have aged a day.  It will be as if I had a team of tiny shoe makers doing midnight work while I slept the night before just like a fairytale.
  • The trodden path to where I commute will be pleasant.  No arguing neighbors, no unkempt dog and no black cat crossing my way.  Luck is on my side on my ordinary perfect day.
  • Commute to work will be hassle free.  I get to sit properly and I wont be next to someone who coughs in open space.  I arrive a the office smoothly and my hair still looks well combed.  My laptop will tell me I have no adverse emails and then I can now move on to the tasks I had scheduled to do for the morning.

What is your ordinary perfect day?  Do you think mine is doable?  







Food Trip at Sugbo Mercado

Cebu is a Beauty may not be a food blog but the lady behind it is a foodie who can't say no to dessert or the goodness of grease.  Food trip at Sugbo Mercado is this Cebuana foodie's Neverland.


While the poster above may say it all about my favorite weekend market, it cannot possibly tell you how much of a foodgasmic experience it is.  You simply have to be actually be there and let your nose and your watering mouth lead you from one booth to the other.  

food trip at sugbo mercado

When Sugbo Mercado opened last week, I had the strong urge to sample EVERYTHING.  I stopped myself long before my wallet can oppose me.  I have the power of the purse but if the purse loses it's intrinsic powers then, I will exercise my right to summon a foodie friend.  But seriously, you don't have to fear for your wallet. A food trip at Sugbo Mercado can accommodate any kind of budget.  Take this as an example:  I had a huge filling burger with fries from 21 Dubs for just P100, a cold San Miguel Apple Flavored Beer for P45 and for dessert a really delectable treat from Charlie's Chocolate Farm at less than P100.  I could have had food coma if not for the company of Sweet and interesting new people with us on the table.

21 Dubs Burger


IT Park is on the opposite side of where I live but I am willing to labor through Cebu's traffic situation to experience it again.  Like I said on Facebook, if your are not going for the food then go there for the host.  Mr Pornografeed will charm you to eat everything he says to be good.


Check out Sugbo Mercado's Facebook page and Instagram for more of the visual stimuli.  While I rally my favorite alies for another round of food trip. #iBlogforCebu iBlogforCBC

30 Musings Before 30


This is going to be the quickest blog post in the history of my blog. Well, all for the love of blogging, I will be injecting life into this dusty blog for 30 days.  In the process of wringing my brain for clogged thoughts, I warn any reader who may, for whatever reason, come across this digital lair, that I will be publishing my musings. As to what that means, I will leave it up to you.

A kinda big deal personal milestone is coming up before the year ends.  My adult ventures (doesnt seem right) have been out in the open in this blog since 2006 may be and I think a revamp is in order.  I have changed my domain, gave the site new colors and now I am planning to streamline my thoughts.  Now Cebu is a Beauty will have enough of the gibber-jabber.  For 30 days, I will take a shot at the narratives and redundancies. This will count as one of many rebirths.

While I am planning to DIY all the work I have to do for my blog, I am letting go of the mindless, creative or emotional clutter in my thoughts.  My Cebu Blogging Community support group have suggested a 30-Day Blogging Challenge as remedy to my ailing digital space. I took on the challenge because my writing has been reduced lately to plain corporate communications. Though I do write more often now because of work, I feel a bit of disconnect with the old natural music of my uninhibited self tapping at the keyboard. I miss the raw and spontaneous familiarity of my own mind. I have to talk out loud here. Let me just brushup with my individuality.


So here goes my 30 Musings Before 30.  The succeeding posts may or may not be the real me. Iam not my thoughts.

#iBlogforCBC #CBCLevelUp and #CBC30DayChallenge