How To Be A Perfect Single Mother

I honestly don’t know! 

I am not a perfect single mom, I actually think I sometimes suck as a mom! I suck as a mom whenever I can’t be there for my son just because I have to work. I suck when my son wants to get my attention because I am too busy working 17 hours straight. I do sometimes suck as a mom, and it feels awful.

Kobe at 3 months
ootd: Pambahay clothes lol 

I know a lot of single moms who say that we shouldn't blame ourselves for every misgiving we make to our children because we can’t do everything. That no matter how often we put on our super mom suits, we just can’t be superheroes because even the best fall down sometimes. But for me, who else is there to blame? We were the one who chose who to father our children. It was supposed to be our responsibility to carefully choose a man who is responsible enough to raise a child, OUR child. And since we were unable to do that, then I believe that we have no right to cut ourselves some slack on giving our child the best and we definitely cannot blame it on the fact that their father turned out to be an ass. Besides, if you fall down then you are not the best. And I want to be the best for my son.

Kobe at 5 months on my 27th birthday 
my ootd blacksheep 
kobe's ootd gingersnaps 

These sentiments were awaken when I was not able to do my son’s project last week. He’s in K1 and their teacher required them to bring 5 cut out images of things that start with letter A on Monday, bring an object that starts with letter B on Tuesday and bring 5 cut out images that start with letter B on Wednesday. Simple projects right? But I was not able help my son make them.

I was too busy with work and with my starting business that I completely forgot to check his notebook for his daily assignments.  Though I was able to submit the projects on time, I still was not able to teach my son what images to cut for things that start with letter A and B because I was such in a hurry to submit it by 1PM so I did it myself, and why I hastily brought a bible on the last minute to their classroom for an object that starts with letter B.

The Bible that I brought for Kobe's project. 

Not only that, I had to find out on Thursday that Kobe was bitten by his classmate on his left arm the day before, that he was brought to the clinic for a tetanus injection and that it left a big mark on his left arm and I did not even notice that night because I-was-too-busy!

I cried for a good 15 minutes feeling sorry for my son for having a failure mom. I just couldn’t believe I oversaw those things. I felt like I was the worst mother on earth and asked myself why can’t I be the perfect mom that my son deserves to have? So I made a promise. I vowed that I should not let these things happen again. 

Here are 5 of the things that I am doing in my quest to be the perfect single mother for Kobe. I have been doing the last two already, top three were just developed recently.

Use Google calendar. I think we all take a mental note on something very important and think that we will remember it later. Well unless you are Bryan Mills, then do not make that mistake! Use a calendar tool that will consistently remind you on something imperative. I did that to remind me to check Kobe’s physical well-being and assignments daily. The tool has helped me a lot to be efficient not only to be a mother but also to be a good employee/business woman. My favorite calendar tool is Google calendar because I have an android phone. 

Not only will it snooze 15 minutes before the assigned time

It will also email you and snooze again every 15 minutes if you haven’t done the task yet. 

You can download it for free in Playstore. If you are an iPhone user, you can follow this instruction. I am pretty sure there are other calendar tools that you can download. For me, Google calendar works best.


Organize daily schedule. I use Google calendar of course. I have been doing this for a while now but only for work. But I found out just last week that it is also very important to set an extra time for my son. Being a mom with a home based job, this is a huge advantage for me because I can now set a time to be with my son at least 15-30 minutes in the morning without hurting my schedule.  I don’t know with moms who have corporate jobs but I am pretty sure setting a time to call the child/children or the nanny to check on them for 5 mins wouldn’t hurt either right? I set schedules for as little as “Ask yaya if Kobe took his vitamins” or “Check Kobe’s teeth if brushed, check ears and nails if cleaned and cut”.  I swear, it really works!  I now have the time to not only check on my son’s physical but as well as emotional well being. Organizing my time allowed me to set 6PM-7PM for a study time with him. Because of my busy schedule the past months, it has been very hard to find the time to put him to sleep but ever since I put a “son time” on my daily schedule, I am able to do that now too and it feels great!

Used the Google calendar widget as my homescreen just to make sure I am not missing anything. 

Write a letter to teacher. Last night, I saw my son’s exam results and I got a bit sad. He scored poorly on defining the parts of an ant. Out of 5, he only got 1 and it’s the head which is nice because a 4 year old kid should recognize an ant’s head, right? But I was surprised though that they had a quiz on something that was not in the pointers and subject discussions as stated on my son’s assignment notebook. So I wrote a letter to my son’s teacher

This would alert the teacher that I am keeping an eye on my child. Teachers usually favor children whose parents are well aware on their child’s activities. I got a text right after Kobe’s teacher received the letter.

Top priority. Who says you can’t have a life if you are a single mother? Who says you need to be “losyang” looking? Who says you can’t have a love life anymore? Well, a lot of people say that, especially the narrow minded ones. “Unsa mana siya uy laag-laag unya ang anak gibiyaan”, or “Jusko, perting pulaha ug lipstick nag two piece two piece pa jud, anakan naman unta!”, or worse “Haaay Ginoo, nag uyab uyab pa, maypag gi focus na lang niya iyahang time sa iyahang anak. Igata uy!” and other stupid things people say. Tell you what? F*CK THEM ALL! (excuse my French!)

For me, It’s only wrong when

• You go out and you leave your child to someone who can't take care of them.
• You have more time to party or with your friends than with your child.
• You can buy a Mac Rubi Woo lipstick but not your child’s vitamins or milk or NEEDS.   (Good Lord!)
• You spend a lot of money and time with your boyfriend (??) but you can’t even send your child to a decent school.
• Everything else that doesn't put your child as your top priority.

      The key is: MAKE YOUR CHILD YOUR TOP PRIORITY!

As what I have said earlier, I have no right to cut myself some slack because I am now a mother and it’s a lifetime job, but it doesn't mean I can’t have a life or look good or be happy again either. But I always make sure that in everything I do, my son is always on top of my list. I was still able to travel to a lot of places but I make sure that I leave my son to the best person who can be his 2nd mom. He has a nanny that’s been with us for almost 4 years now and treats him like a son too.  

Ate Bebz and Kobe. Grabbed from Bebz's FB account. 
Kobe's white shirt GAP
Bebz stripes shirt DCLA

I still go out but I make sure that he has everything that he needs and everything is taken cared of before I go out to see my friends or buy something expensive for me. I have an amazing boyfriend who understands that my son is my FIRST priority and that he comes second. It’s not easy to find someone who can understand that, I am one of the lucky few. The key to this is to not do the same mistake twice. Your ex (your child’s father) should be a perfect example on who to NOT date. LOL. I remember last June, my boyfriend set a dinner with his family on Father’s day and he already told them that I will be joining. His parents are amazing people and the last thing that I wanna do is disappoint them. His parent’s house is an hour away from the city so it means that I would have to spend the night there. That same week, we just moved to our new house and the house is not gated yet. The thought of leaving my son with the two nannies overnight in a house without a gate terrified me a lot so I decided to cancel the father's day plan even if I already promised my boyfriend that I will be cooking dinner for his parents. Should he have done that to me, I would have bitched about it but he didn’t even budge. He told me that he already figured it out when he saw the ungated house and that I should watch my son first. That’s the kind of boyfriend all single mothers should have.     

Put down phones and gadgets. Face it, we can't serve two Gods. As what I have said, we can't be super moms all the time. So whenever I set a time for my son, may it be the 15-30 mins in the morning or an hour for study time in the evening, I always make sure to make it a quality time. I take advantage of the little time that the two of us are spending. I used to have my phone with me whenever we have our mommy and son moments, and I couldn't help but read an important email or answer my boss's sudden skype call on what supposed to be was a time intended for my son. As long as there is no important meeting set on the same time, then I should be safe missing that call.

Before, Kobe would always annoy me whenever I work and it used to upset me. But ever since I made him realize that there is a time for me and a time for him, he would now leave me alone whenever I am facing my computer. There are times when in the middle of my work time, he would ask if we can go to bed together and hug each other. He would eventually let go of me after 5 mins and say "Okay mommy, you can go back to work now" which is really sweet! 

Again, I am not a perfect single mom, but following these 5 steps made me feel like I have accomplished something as a mother because I can see it on how my son behaves. He is a happy, disciplined and sweet child.

my ootd: earrings F21, black sleeveless Bench,
white blazer Attitude, blue satchel + denim shorts + white shoes ukay-ukay
Kobe's ootd: Spiderman shirt and short pants SM Department store
shoes Gibi

I think all our children really need is for us to be there for them. To recognize them and to remind them every single day that they are the most important person in our lives by being there for them not just physically but mentally and emotionally.

Daddy's day with Kobe: Doughnut Making at Krispy Kreme
my ootd: black dress Soul, Knitted blazer Divisoria
Kobe's ootd: Gray shirt GAP, pants Grizzly

Attend school meetings, never miss their first day of school, attend daddy's day for them because after all, you are a daddy too! Make sure to have them prepared for the next school day, do NOT miss anything that is happening in their lives because if you do, you will never know why they suddenly became silent and aloof. You will never know why they changed and what happened just because you missed that single life changing moment. 

I want to be a good mom. I don't want to be a single mom who will ask myself someday, "Where did I go wrong?"

I am not a perfect single mom, but I want to be a perfect single mom to the eyes of my son. This is going to be a lifelong challenge but I don't care. With prayers and with deed, I know I will be okay. 

My 99 Peso Bag Organizer

I've always had an OCD problem ever since I can remember. I don't like having it because it usually stresses me out from the littlest things. Everything has to go my way. From cleaning the house, to storing my meds, storing food, to organizing my son's daily schedule, everything needs to be immaculate in my eyes and mind. So when I noticed my bags just sitting on top of my make up table, almost decaying because of my lack of care (got too busy earning money), I was completely horrified. I had to do something!

It's not easy having the need to organize everything, and it doesn't come cheap too! Most of these organizing stuff are expensive. You have to be really creative to be able to afford these organizing kits, stands and closets especially if you are on a tight budget. I'm glad I have that talent.

Checked at a local Home Decor Store and is priced at Php 2,800

It was actually pure luck when I found my 99 peso bag organizer. I was originally looking for wood hangers to organize my belts and necklaces when I saw them and I thought, "I could use this for my bags too!". And it didn't fail me!

One hanger can hold up to 20 sling bags!
Wooder Hanger -SM Lanang Home Supplies Department

I use it as a  necklace organizer too!

You can also use it to organize your belts. It can hold up to 20 necklaces, 10 belts, 6 big bags and 20 sling bags. I just recently held a garage sale and my things are almost sold out so I can't take a picture of the wooden hanger holding that much since I only have a few of my things left. I have yet to fill it again! Haha!  

I bought 4 of these wooden hangers and they only cost me Php 396.00. Way cheaper than Php 2,800 plus they look posh so it's a steal!

Always remember to Stay Classy, be a Streetsmart Fashionista!

I'm Fatty and I Know It

Having gained 40 kilos from a high risk pregnancy and was extremely fat for three years because of the steroids, I swore to God never to return to the body that I had 7 years ago.

Left pic is from May of last year, Right pic is from May of 2008 

me with friends last September 21 in Prive Luxury Club celebrating my 30th birthday 

So when I first noticed the body changes first week of December 2013 (roughly 6 months ago), I got really worried. I was juicing that time and was having a no rice diet, imagine the horror when my favorite shorts won't fit me anymore considering that it still fit me the week before. I was so confused! I started running every morning, did the 10 minute ab routine, and even started to write down daily food intake just to keep track if I am over eating or not but I was still gaining weight. It was horrible!

New Years Eve celebration at the White House
My weight gain is beginning to show on my face!
OOTD
Cardigan P150  Divisoria
Dress P110 Divisoria

People took notice of my weight gain, and I didn't like it. I started to hate myself. I went through some rough moments when I had to fight the urge to eat and just drink the juices I make everyday. I got bitter. I would complain on how rude people are whenever they tell me that I got really fat. But the truth is, I was more angry at myself because I just couldn't lose weight.

It was March 8 when I first noticed that my legs are swelling.

Got this from my IG post, I even made fun of this.

I first thought that it was because of my strenuous exercises. But when my legs swelled again on March 25 and with an intolerable pain this time, I knew I had to have myself checked.

Swollen legs on March 25 from my IG post

When my doctor told me about the rare disease that I have, I got very upset and depressed. I just won a health battle last year and I couldn't believe that I am going to have to face another health problem again. It was awful. I thought, so that explains the weight gain, that explains the extreme exhaustion even if I'm not doing anything, so that explains the swelling.. and so on.

It was really hard to be okay with it. There were so many things that I had to sacrifice.

My last gig with my band. I was bloating this time!
OOTD
Dress Divisoria P110
Necklace F21 P400
Belt SM Accessories P529

I had to stop singing, I had to stop exercising, and I had to accept that I can't do anything about my FAT body. I had to stop hurting myself and accept people's criticism and looks of surprise especially when they saw me months earlier.

Rapid Weight Gain - this pic was taken one week apart.
I was wearing the same shorts and sleeveless but I can't close the short's zipper anymore the week after (orange shirt).
OOTD
White Sleeveless F21 P150
Shorts Ukay-ukay P75
Orange Shirt Bench P545 

It was not easy at first, it was awfully and bloody hard. I had to endure seeing posts of my fb friends with their hot bodies last summer, but at the same time, I was relieved. I was relieved that there was a reason why I gained weight and it was not because I didn't take care of myself.

Now, I don't get upset anymore when people would call me fat or comment on my weight gain rudely. I eventually got the hang of it. So how did I do it? I researched a lot. I followed health blogs. I followed blogs and instagram accounts of people who talk about their struggles on gaining weight. I took notes on things they did to regain their confidence.

Here Are 5 of the Major Things I did to Rebuild Myself. 

1. I accepted the fact that I am sick. And I cannot do something about my weight gain.

2. I accepted the fact that I am now FAT. Because I did gain weight and that's the truth. 

3. I let go of my dresses (and shoes).  Looking at my smaller size clothes used to depress me because non of them would fit me anymore. So I sold them. (and earned 5k+ from it!). Now, I wouldn't have to see and try them on which would only depress me more. I bought myself nice clothes with bigger sizes from my garage sale earnings and it made me feel better!

4. I stopped caring about what other people think. This is a cliche, but maybe it became a cliche because this works big time for a lot of people! When I stopped caring about what other people would think of me and started focusing on my well being, I became more comfortable with my fat self. 

with my son and my new hair style
OOTD
Necklace Bits&Accessories P180
Long blouse Ukay P50
Katrina Bag P500

And it's really not your problem if they find your physical appearance unpleasant, it is theirs.

5. I followed all of my doctors advice. Well this is self explanatory. I want to get well, FAST!

6. I accepted and recognized the love and care of the people who were truly there for me. When we are angry at ourselves, we tend to pin this on people who really care for us. And that's one of the mistakes that I did. My family have been very supportive but my boyfriend played a major role in my battle against depression and weight gain. I was so afraid that my weight gain would somehow lessen his love for me that I became defensive. I even blamed my weight gain on him! But he knew that it was my depression talking and not me, so he didn't leave me. He supported me instead of being angry at me. And support means, researching on food that I can eat and not eat. Planning  for my daily exercise that would not exhaust me and jumping on things that would stress me out. It's a wonderful feeling when someone still loves and adore you like a beauty queen even if you look like someone who spent a month in McDonalds.

I am not saying that it's okay to be FAT because it isn't. It's utterly unhealthy and I think this is a popular opinion. The above mentioned only apply to those people who are suffering the same disease as mine or suffering an illness that would make them bloat and gain weight like crazy. Hope this will help you guys!

Leaving you with a really nice quote to live by. TGIF!

Of Love And Betrayal

For more than a year, I have been staying away from toxic people in my life and I became a happier person since then. 7 months ago, someone knocked on my door at 3am and said he needed my help. Because he's a family, I welcomed him in my house with open arms. I gave him food to eat, water to drink, clothed him and gave him his wants like cigarettes and booze when he asks for it in an attempt to save him from his misery. As a single mother, the financial burden is a big added deal but I wanted him to trust me like a parent, and confide to me like a sister.

I know it's lame but I can't help it, I have to post a crying pic to go with the sad topic.
I was caught crying on a wedding because of  the groom's speech.
Not connected with the topic at at all, just for thumbnail and all the drama. Duh

As a 25 year old grown up man, I never asked him to look for a job.  I figured that he'd be wise enough to know that he needed to get a job in order to finance his needs and wants. As a child, I have always hated it when people have to tell me what to do. There's a thin line between teaching and "pangunahan" ka. I hate the latter. So I thought he would hate it if I do that, so I didn't. A month went by, two, three and came his 7th month living under my roof, he still didn't look for a job. There were times when I asked him to do my job for me which he obligingly did, though I always end up finishing it for him. And I paid him. I paid him well.

You see, I have this reputation of being emotionally abused by people that I love. It may be a friend, a relative or a boyfriend. My bestfriend once told me that I am not good in socializing with people that I don't like. I don't kiss asses. If I don't like you, then I wouldn't go through lengths of moving a single nerve to even give you a smile or a nod. But when I like a person or love a person, I go to the extremes of showing you my love and care. As a child, I thought that's a good trait. But growing up, I am not sure anymore. This trait has led me to making bad decisions, and this, is one of the worst.

It wasn't until I became aware that I lost a huge amount of money two weeks ago, and it wasn't until I found out that he pawned my cellphone (just this morning) that I realized that I am making a huge mistake. Helping him was a bad idea and my idea of "help" and "therapy" was not good for him. 

I became really angry three hours ago, who wouldn't? I felt betrayed, abused and tricked. I said things that were so hurtful that it hurts to even hear those words coming from me. When he opened his mouth, I thought he would say sorry, (because that's what you do when you hurt people right?) But instead, he said "Mulakaw na lang ko uy, pabug-at raman ko dri!" (I'll move out of this house then! I'm a burden for you anyway!")

And all hell broke lose. 

I watched him wash his clothes. I watched him cry. I heard him when he said 'Goodbye and Thank you". And I watched him go out of the door. Crying. 

I love my brother. I love him. God knows that. And I wish I never said the words that I said to him. Albeit everything that he did, my heart is bleeding right now. 

I feel guilty and I know I will never sleep tonight without thinking if he's already sleeping in a comfortable bed or if he already ate dinner. 

But he has to help himself. So I need to carry this burden so that I can truly help him. I need to teach him resilience, something that our parents never did because of their undying love for us. 

If he's ready to change, I will still welcome him with open arms. 

I miss you Noy. :'(

My 2 Thousand Peso Surigao Summer Getaway (w/ Unlimited Seafood!)

I have always wanted to go to Surigao when I first heard about how Enchanting this much talked about Enchanted River is, so when my friend mentioned about it on our Dahican Summerfrolic 2014 getaway, I immediately asked ze boyfie if we can go and of course as what good boyfriends always do, he said YES! 

The trip was going to be 2 weeks after our Dahican getaway so I was hesitant about our (Siege and I) wallet situations, but when my friend said it's only 2k pesos per head, I was like "Really?!" and the friend was like "Lagi! (Yessss!!!) and I was like "with breakfast, lunch, entrance fees, van and gasoline and all that??!!" and the Surigao trip had us when she answered "Yup".

To be honest, I had some hesitations. Aside from my health situation which would make my body bloat like a balloon when stressed and tired (was so sick that week), I was also having some apprehensions because of how cheap the tour is going to be. I know, I'm THE Streetsmart Fashionista and I'm supposed to blog about cheap finds and travels but this tour is unbelievably cheap. But as what I always do, when in doubt, I trust my first instinct and so, I went.  

The meet-up time was 12mm and because I have crazy friends, we met up in a bar in Lanang.

It was already 1am when we left Davao City. The RTours Mindanao Travel Escapades who hosted our Surigao tour used a D4D which is my favorite van. Aside from a quick coffee break stop that we made somewhere in Compostella, we had a very comfortable travel. Next thing I know, we were stopping for breakfast at 5:30am. 

Because I was not feeling well and my legs were already starting to swell, I wasn't able take any pictures from that really nice karinderya (food kiosk) that we had breakfast in. I was more focused on how painful my legs were than remembering that I needed to blog about the trip. What I can say is that the place was nice and clean and they served really yummy Filipino food that it reminded me of my lola's (grandma) weekend specials. They served different types of food like dried fish, bulalo, pinakbet, shrimps, giniling and menudo. They also served us instant coffee. We literally have to tell them to stop serving us food before we explode. I was not kidding about exploding though because my bloating quickly escalated from feet to my upper body... Ugh! 

Next stop was Tinuy-an Falls. Alright I may get a lot of boos from here and there about this observation but I'm sorry, I have to say this, I was really disappointed with the place. Having seen a lot of great pictures of Tinuy-an Falls from blogs that I read that showed it's bluish-green colored water that made me wanting to go to the place since God knows when, I was really disappointed. The water color was not even close to the pictures that I saw. And the water was dirty. 

unedited picture of Tinuy-an Falls

I don't know, it may have rained the night before or whatever the reason is.. All I can remember was there were times when I didn't want my feet to touch the water especially when I saw bubbles which to my knowledge are a group of bacteria in the muddy part of the falls. BUT, this didn't stop me though from getting on that floating bamboo and go to the middle of the falls even on my three-fourth shirt and enjoy the water falling on my back! 

Travel buddies and the water bubbles that I was talking about! 

On our way to the water falls on the floating bamboo

Us enjoying the water falling on our bodies. It was like a hard massage!

We also went to the 2nd level of Tinuy-an Falls. It was challenging and exciting at the same time. Challenging because I was suffering from a swollen body, exciting because the view on the 2nd level is magnificent! 

2nd Level of Tinuy-an falls

What amazed me in my Tinuy-an Falls experience was that rainbow. Can you see that rainbow in the picture where we were soaking wet? That is literally within my reach. It was like a childhood dream fulfilled. Didn't find any pot of gold at the end of the rainbow though because the water is like 30 feet deep. It might be there but then again, it might not be there. I guess I will never know.

My travel buddies with the Tinuy-an Falls

Next stop was Enchanted River. And man, it is REALLY enchanting! I don't even know how to explain it. You have to visit the place in order for you to see what I mean! The water is so blue and clean plus you get to have the chance to swim with hundreds of fishes! Here's some great pictures. 

Super bloated and swelling me with Nicey and the enchanting Enchanted River. This is an unedited pic. Can you see how blue the water is? Magnificent!

Boyfie and I underwater. I love this pic of us!

The hundreds of fishes under the Enchanted River. And oh, can you see the cave? 

Siege holding The Streetsmart Fashionista hehehe!

My friend Albert swimming with the fishes.

My friend Kim as she swam to the deeps of the river

We stayed for a good 2 hours swimming in the Enchanted River. We never wanted to get off but we got really hungry from swimming so we had to go.

Next stop was le lunch. And it's probably the best lunch I've ever had in my entire life! We had lunch in a neat little resto made of bamboos, it's not lavish looking but it's clean. And man, did we enjoy our unlimited shrimps, crabs and fish!

of course we used our hands! ;)

man vs. food
I think we all know who won. 

The food was great! We could barely finish all the crabs that were served. I particularly loved the sweet and sour fish fillet that I wasn't able to enjoy the shrimps and crabs as much as the group did.


Next and last stop was the Britania Islands. My bestfriend Ken have been telling me for 3 years now that I needed to go to Britania Islands and that's one of the many reasons why I wanted to go to the place. I did not regret following my bestfriend's advice!

The 4 islets of Britania Islands

The boat we were in

It takes at least 5-10 minute boat ride to get to the first island that we got on which is the farthest among 4 of the islands. I saw a lot of foreigners swimming in the area and it looked like they liked the waters.

Ze super bloated me and ze boyfie. This is an unfiltered pic taken from my phone
 and yes, the view is that awesome!

Of course we had to have a jumpshot!
My body got so sore that Siege has to help me jump. LOL. 

here with the lovers on the 2nd island that we went to

My favorite island among the four.

All in all, the Surigao day tour was a blast and the money burned was so worth it! I remembered when we dined at Boiling Crabs Davao. Siege and I was so annoyed to shed off 2k on seafood that was not worth it (in our own opinion). There was nothing unique about the style of cooking and we only ate like half kilo of crabs and 1/4 kilo of shrimps. At the end of the trip we were like, "Wow, all those places and unlimited seafoods for only 2k, NO REGRETS."

What really amazed me was the experienced tour guide that we had, Arthur Yap of The RTours Mindanao Travel Escapades. If you are not the type to document every move that you make in your travels then no problem at all, he has a DSLR camera that he uses to capture everything for you. He even has an underwater cam that was really nice because we got to have pictures taken underwater. The van also has leather seats that was so convenient for us. We didn't have to change to dry clothes because it was okay to just get in the van all wet transferring to places. We also got back home on time. We arrived in Davao City around 12mm too!

Contact Rtours if you want to book your tour now. You must have a minimum of 12 people to avail this package.

7 tips for the tour:

1. Bring only one swimming wear. There's no need to change. Best to use a rash guard swim wear
2. Bring at least 1 liter of distilled water.
3. Bring antihistamines if you are allergic to seafoods or even if you are not, just bring. You might save a life.
4. Bring alcohol, vicks and efficascent oil. These essence helped me so much!
5. Bring a big cellophane for your wet clothes
6. If you are suffering from any kind of illness, DO NOT forget your meds. I'm glad I didn't.
7. Bring at least 500 pesos for extra money.

Enjoy! Don't forget to Stay classy!  Have fun! Be a Streetsmart Fashionista! 

My First Time To Love At First Sight

It was that Good Friday of 2013 (last year) when I first saw him. It was unexpected actually. We weren't supposed to meet. Me and my friends had plans but I have heard so much about him and I have this urgent need to see him that day so I asked my brother if he could drive me to his place. My brother was hesitant to go because he was tired but because he loves his elder sister dearly and I think he pitied me and my pathetic love life that time, so he agreed. (He bribed me into buying him a pack of cigarette though, totally worth it!).

The 45 minute ride from our vacation house in Banaybanay, Davao Oriental was probably one of the longest rides in my life. I just couldn't wait. I was so excited to see him because I heard he was so handsome that you can't help but dip into his hotness..

And they were right.. ladies and gentlemen, my first time to love at first sight and his name is Dahican Beach.

He's sooooo handsome right?? 

I have always been a beach bum. Bohol beaches, Cebu beaches, Boracay Beaches, Samal beaches but nothing beats Dahican Beach for me!

Me with my beloved Dahican

See the color of that ocean? That is the actual color of Dahican beach! It's sooooo BLUE! It is soooo enticing that I believe I stared at my beloved Dahican for a good 30 minutes before saying goodbye. I would have loved to dip in but as what I've said, my friends and I have other plans so we had to leave immediately.

It was August 25, 2013 when I came back to see my beloved. I was so sick that time that I had to stop working by July. I got very depressed, bored and impatient. I need to be healed emotionally and I knew the only thing that could make me happy was to go to the beach, and it has to be Dahican beach! So I dragged along my favorite travel buddies with me!

My friends and I took a quick stop to take a pic of this famous spot in Davao Oriental. You will see this place as you enter the first town in Davao Oriental which is named Banaybanay. And this town is where I spent the first 12 years of my life. ;)

My beautiful friends having fun while taking a pic in our vacation house. 

The famous Sleeping Dinosaur Island which you can see along the way to Mati City 

Aside from being the most beautiful beach I've ever been into, Dahican is my favorite beach because you get to enjoy nature's best without having to spend much. Which is the motto of The Streetsmart Fashionista!

From Davao City to Mati City (which is where Dahican beach is), you just have to spend Php 1500-2,000 on gasoline (diesel) if you have a car. Dahican Beach strip doesn't require any entrance fee. You can practically go there even if you only have gasoline money and some home cooked food which is what we did. If you don't want to dip in and just want to enjoy the sight, you can build a tent or set your hammock on trees in the area.

Our tent, a plastic container with rice that we cooked at home, some booze and a soy sauce hahaha!

Friends and I enjoying our lunch, snacks and some tequila in the middle of the shore. 

Happiness! :) 

There are actually resorts in Dahican Strip if you are more into cottages and rest houses for an overnight stay. There's Kanakbai, Botona and Dahican Surf Resort. I've never been into one of these resorts though I passed by them and they looked like good resorts. Just check out the links for their rates and amenities.

Dahican is becoming one of the country's Top Beach Destinations that event organizers have held parties here and of course, I didn't miss it for the world!

Last October 25, 2013, Mustard Seed Events of Davao City organized the Sembreak 2013 Beach Party.

Sorry for the duckface, I tend to do that when drunk. Lol. Here with my best pals Deng and Ken.

with Mae and Pearl, beautiful ladies ;)

The beach party was actually held in Sibala Beach Resort which is roughly 5 minutes away from the Dahican Beach Strip. I wouldn't say that the event was organized well. I would be lying if I say it wasn't fun either. The party was fun, mostly because Deuce Manila and my favorite Dj Rod Rodriguez from Magic 89.1 Davao were there and that I was finally able to party under a pouring rain. What I didn't like about the experience was the location. The beach in Sibala Resort is almost impossible to enjoy because of the rocky beach bed so you have to get on a trike or a motorcycle for 20 pesos so that you can finally enjoy Dahican's beach without fatal wounds on your feet or legs. There were also times that the party music got cut off because of a short circuit or something. Which was awkward... But I still enjoyed it! Because it was the first out of town party trip that my anti-social boyfie went to. And that made it extra special. :)

The geek and the social butterfly. Perfect combination. ;)

The second beach party that was held in Dahican was the most talked about Summerfrolic 2014 which was held last April 4-5. The party started on April 4 but because all of my travel buddies including me have jobs til the 4th, we opted to attend on the last day of the party instead. The location was great because it's on the actual Dahican Strip which was really nice!

What I particularly loved about the event was the many activities that it held. We got there at 2PM and it was not that hard to set out our tent and hammocks.

Beach Volleyball

Friends enjoying the beach and watching the beach volleyball 

While I slept on my favorite boyfie-made-hammock tired from my graveyard shift and a swollen feet. LOL

There were a lot of available food kiosks too! We immediately divulged on food of course, being the food lover that we are before heading to join our favorite activity on that event which is the color dash!

Party music started around 6PM but we were still too tired to party, besides there were still a few people in the party area so we decided to drink our favorite tequila on the shore.

As what I've mentioned, I was sooo tired from my graveyard shift that I actually just fell asleep the whole night and never joined the party.

Evidence. HAHAHAHA!

My friends were able to enjoy it though and they said that it was really fun! I even had fun just listening to them! I heard stories about boys and their fascinations with my friends and some relationship turned sour but was immediately fixed the next morning. Hahahaha! The only thing that I didn't like about the Summerfolic 2014 event was the lack of communication from staff to staff. One staff told us that we have to buy color dust because it's not free so we bought Php 200 worth of color dust. Turned out we have one free color dust each! We completely wasted our 200 bucks and have to force ourselves to finish it all and throw it to people who don't know what a color dash party means (One person got annoyed when I threw a color dust at him and gave me the "I-kill-you" look, so I threw more color dust at him. My pleasure!). Other than that, the whole experience was better than the Sembreak '13 event.

The FrolicFox Stage with the Dj's and Dancers. Nice stage! 

I think I will never ever get tired of loving Dahican Beach. I just hope that the local government will preserve it's natural beauty. It's definitely one of the places in the Philippines that I am most proud of. Dahican made me love him at first sight.