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Prom Essentials: The Things You Need to Bring on Prom Night

Prom nights are either one of two things; loved or hated. Nonetheless, everyone seems to be looking forward to it; especially now that February is fast approaching. If you are an average teenage girl, your mind is probably occupied with finding the perfect dress and planning ways to make your night perfect. It’s a universal fact, whether you’re excited about prom or not, the preparations that go with it is not something you would normally leave until the last minute.

While you’re busy scouting for that perfect dress and planning every major detail in your prom, you might overlook the little things such as the little essentials you need to have on the night itself. In order to help you prepare, here is a list of the things you need to take with you come prom night.

Toiletries

Well, you don’t really need to empty your bathroom shelves and take everything with you! All you need is a few small things to help you get through the night all fresh and clean. First, you need to pack some sugar free gum or breath mints, and a small bottle of perfume or cologne. You’ve made sure to book the right hairdresser and makeup artist so you’d be looking your best on prom night; this is why you have to make sure you smell the good, too.

Aside from requiring you to dress your best, prom nights also require you to sweat a bit. So you might need to take a small travel-sized deodorant with you, just in case. Stain wipes may also come in handy during the night. Make sure a small packet is present in your purse.

Make Up

Assuming that your make up was professionally done, you don’t really need to carry a whole set with you. Just make sure to bring the necessary tools for touch-ups. You’ll need a small compact mirror, a few cotton balls or swabs (to get rid of eye make up smudges), oil blotting film or paper, as well as a lipgloss or a lipstick.

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Trends evolve. That’s a fact, one that style conscious consumers have to live with. Luckily, these trend changes are not as fickle as economic changes. The evolution of yearly fashion trends tends to follow a certain cycle. Thus, keeping up with the latest trends for one whole year need not be stressful. After all, dressing up is a subtle form of art and should not be taken too seriously nor too frivolously; otherwise, it gets boring and pointless.

As a general rule of thumb, it’s easier to catch up with the latest trends when you’ve already got the basics covered. Once you’ve established your wardrobe with the basic staples, you can easily go about updating your closet with the trendiest pieces year after year. Just make sure you go for what trend suits you instead of grabbing everything that catches your eye; unless you want to end up looking like an incoherent blob of fashion donts. In other words, a fashion victim.

Starting off, the easiest way to jumpstart your wardrobe for 2011 is to update it with pieces in this year’s color palette. Kick off the year with the following rich and vibrant colors that’s sure to earn you head turns everywhere.

Honeysuckle Pink

This bright shade of pink, which comes off with a little reddish hue, was chosen by Pantone as 2011’s color of the year (fashionwise). Being so, the color was highly dominant in the Spring collections of DKNY, Jil Sander, Valentino and others.

Yellow

This year’s yellow ranges from buttery, pale, and warm tones, to a slight hint of chartreuse as evident in the runways of Proenza Schouler and Jason Wu.

Orange

This is best for anyone who wants to go a few shades darker than mustard. A handful of Spring 2011 collections have gone for a specific shade of orange, persimmon.

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Cagayan de Oro City is known for offering a unique kind of dining experience for both Kagay-anons and travelers. Whether eating out in fancy restaurants or the casual bistro, the city has it all. However, it is famous for having open air or alfresco dining, with grilled meats and poultry as the most commonly served cuisine.

Some of the alfresco local food chains available in Cagayan de Oro are Inilog Grill, JRJ Deep Fried Chicken, Butcher’s Best Barbeque, Mang Inasal, Steve’s BBQ, Barkadahan Grill, Cucina de Oro â€" Ati-atihan Manok.

Inilog Grill used to have a fully air conditioned branch in Velez Street. Its main branch located at Tiano Street is, however, an open dining venue. Inilog, which has posted catchy phrases on its walls, offers daily servings of its grilled meats and seafood specialties. There’s also music entertainment, as well as unlimited rice servings.

JRJ Deep Fried Chicken has several outlets in Cagayan de Oro. Its main branch is located near Gaston Park and the former Maternity Hospital. This branch serves diners 24/7. Students are mostly those seen dining at JRJ because of its affordable food servings. It only serves deep fried chicken and puso (rice wrapped in coconut palm leaves), mostly eaten without the use of dining utensils. Their Pabayo Street branch, however, serves chicken barbeque and lechon manok.

Butcher’s Best Barbeque is famous because of its extensive choices of barbeque and other grilled foods. One of its specialties is the sisig (available in small and large servings), which are small cuts of cooked and sizzling pig’s head. Customers also love their original and hot & spicy pork barbeques covered with their own bbq sauce. Regular diners also love their Kimmy Ribs. Due to the popularity of its foods, Butcher’s has a larger branch at the corner of Arch. Hayes and Corrales Streets. Butcher’s Best’s main branch is located at Hayes corner Pabayo Streets.

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The year 2010 came and went, and along with it, the delights of numerous films with excellent storylines, actors and other gizmos that make each and every fan claim that their favorites deserve a Golden Globe or an Oscar nomination.

Have no fear, though, as there are more movies to feast your eyes on this year. Here are the upcoming foreign movies that you should watch out for in 2011:

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Losing weight and keeping it off is easier when you have a fitness program and instructor guiding you throughout your weight loss journey. If you want to shed weight, tone your muscles or simply want to maintain an active lifestyle, there’s this gym in CDO called Fit n’ Danz that’s worth checking out.

Fit n’ Danz is situated along J.R. Borja Street beside Persimmon and right in front of Lamar Inn. It offers a wide range of fitness and exercise programs. The gym also has an array of workout equipment perfect for different fitness goals. There are exercise equipment for cardiovascular training such as treadmills and bikes. There are also those for physical resistance training, such as free weights and other weight equipment.



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Cagayan de Oro is the home of a host of companies and educational institutions. Here, it’s not surprising to find transient laborers, itinerant workers and students originally from different provinces. For this reason, entrepreneurs have built an entire industry around rental accommodation. Rooms for rent, boarding houses, dormitories and bedspaces can be found in just about every corner of the city.

Boarding houses and room rentals are inexpensive choices compared to hotels, pension houses and apartments. They’re also a smart option if you want to live alone or have to send funds to the folks back home.

If you’re looking for a rental property in Cagayan de Oro, there are things that may hamper your search, one of which is the city itself. Of course, it’s hard to search in an unfamiliar territory. Where would you go if you didn’t have a destination?

There are many things to consider when hunting for a place to stay. Keep this guide in mind and you won’t have to exhaustingly scour Cagayan de Oro like how Frodo traveled barefoot all the way from the Shire to Mordor.

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Living here in the Philippines, a lot of us may have wondered what it would be like to have all four seasons. You’ll have to admit however, that although everyone in this tropical country would like to see and touch real snow, more people are enthralled with the fresh beauty of autumn.

There is one place here in CDO where you can get the closest experience of autumn-in-a-park amidst the unpredictable weather: the Vicente de Lara Park (Capitol Park) in the Capitol Grounds.

Before and Now

Since the beginning of 2010, major developments have been done on the park. Its pathways used to be simple dirt paths lined with short metal fences that could be quite muddy on rainy days. In March 2010, the centerpiece of the park, a giant monument of The Heritage of Misamis Oriental (by Ed Castrillo), was inaugurated. It also signified the start of the landscaping and developments in the entire park.

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With the increasing demand for the Internet as a means of communication for both business and personal matters, there are now several places in Cagayan de Oro that one can go to get access to the Web. There are establishments that offer such service for free or with charge, depending on whether they are in a public or private location. Usually, Internet access is for free, provided that you, the customer, order food and drinks or avail of their offers.

Within the Divisoria district, one can get Internet access at Bo’s Coffee Club. The coffee shop is located along Velez Street, right across Sentro 1850 restaurant, between Tilt Bar and Inilog Restaurant. Although the Internet is free, there is a charge of Php20 per hour for those who want to use the outlet to charge their laptops.

Brewberry Café and Restaurant, formerly known as Blueberry Café, is famous for being one of the eating places with the best Adobo, according to the “Search for the Ultimate Pinoy Dish” by Soo Pinoy. Situated along Velez and Chavez Streets, Brewberry, apart from offering budget buffets, also offers free Internet access. Unlike Bo’s, the café does not allow laptop users to use their outlets. When one plans to dine, bring their wireless Internet-ready devices and plan to stay there for more than an hour, it is recommended that he has his device fully charged.

In the Limketkai area, there are several WiFi spots there, particularly those bistros in the Rosario Arcade area. Candy’s, Big Flat Bread or BFB, Bourbon St. Bistro, Sunburst, Bo’s Coffee Club, Yellow Cab, Bigby’s Café, Coffeeworks, and other restaurants and cafes within in the Arcade are the ones that offer free Internet access. Generally, one has to ask for the password from the person in charge to access their connection.

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Adventure?? In essence, it’s not just “a few” that wishes to experience things which can be well thought-out as an adventurous one. Years earlier, there were just common choices that every individual or a group of them wants to engage with. Those are things that suites their interests that in one way or another can give them self fulfillment in engaging with this adventurous activity.
And talking about adventurous things, it’s up to us every individual to discover what those things are that interests us and we can tell to ourselves that” I am proud I have gone or experienced such a thing like this.”
And here at CDO rest assured, the city can offer you and your family an exciting outdoor activity. What ‘s in Cagayan de Oro City that all of the people living here are proud of?”CDOKAY JUD! It’s the famous, impressive and striking Cagayan de Oro River. Try mo! Experience the magnificence of the river at its one of a kind” Whitewater Rafting”; this challenging recreational activity utilizing a raft to navigate a river is what Kagays one of its many unique spots. This great outdoor activity in the city is embodied with trained guides who had traversed the river for not less than 90% of what 100 times is.

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The city of Cagayan de Oro is one of the most progressive cities nationwide. Dubbed as the “Gateway to Northern Mindanao,” CDO has a vibrant tourism industry, as well as one of the best transportation facilities in the country. For these reasons, the city of Cagayan de Oro has become one of the top tourist destinations in the region. The following is a list of some of the city’s most popular attractions.

Kayaking

Cagayan de Oro is slowly becoming a haven for exhilarating water sports. Anyone looking forward to experiencing a fun river adventure should visit the city. Aside from its popular whitewater rafting, another type of wild water sport is currently catching lots of attention from both local and foreign water sports enthusiasts.

The city’s whitewater rafting outfitters are now starting to offer whitewater kayaking. This type of water sport requires the person to paddle through the water while he stays in a kayak.

This particular type of whitewater river activity can be done in various ranges from simple, gentle moving water to the extreme and demanding whitewater. Although whitewater kayaking might sound like a similar experience to whitewater rafting, it provides a different kind of rush.

The feeling of excitement is more intense in whitewater kayaking as compared to whitewater rafting since the person has to paddle through the rapids on his own. Whitewater kayaking also allows the person to stay in certain rapids for as long as he/she wants to. Aside from this, the person can also paddle upstream if he/she wants to (that is if the current is slow enough to maneuver).

Macahambus Adventure Park

The Macahambus Adventure Park is one of the most exciting places to visit in Cagayan de Oro. The place is perfect for thrill seekers, as well as for those who want to try something new around the city. Anyone interested in trying out new and fun things like rappelling is highly advised to visit the Macahambus Adventure Park.

This place is definitely far from boring as it allows visitors to experience the rush of adrenaline amidst a tranquil and serene natural environment. They can get that rush from choosing any of the three heart-pumping activities the adventure park offers. In addition to rappelling, they can also try the zipline and the skybridge. They can choose one or they can go all out and try all three.

The Skybridge is built some 492 feet above the ground. It is braced on sturdy White Lawaan trees, ensuring safety while the person walks his/her way towards the other end of the bridge. The park’s Zipline allows anyone to glide along a 392 ft long rope that is cleverly placed high above the water amidst a line of trees.

The park has been operating for around three years now. It was formally inaugurated on the 28th of December 2004. The inauguration was celebrated through a simple ceremony organized by the Department of Tourism. Since then, the Macahambus Adventure Park has been happily providing sheer thrill to many adventurous individuals.

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A number of speculations have been made about the planned construction of the Ayala Mall here in the city. Some are true, while some are just rumors. One thing is certain though, according to the former city mayor himself, Constantino Jaraula, the completion of the mall will help a lot in turning the city into one of the major shopping destinations in the entire island of Mindanao.

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Living in Cagayan de Oro in the 1950s, 60s and 70s was quite different. Back then, everything was so simple.

The streets were free of pollution coming from smoke belching vehicles, and traffic was at the most minimum level. A lot of Kagay-anons flocked to Divisoria during their free time, as there were no malls and big department stores at that time yet.

There were no high rise buildings and hotels. Most were family owned structures and a number were residences. Over the years, as the city progressed, some of these buildings remained in their original state, while others were demolished. Nevertheless, they have remained well-remembered, especially by true blue Kagay-anons.

Allow us to be a little nostalgic as we share with you some photos of the most popular establishments of early Cagayan de Oro.

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Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, like all the other Ateneos in the Philippines, prides itself in producing “men and women for others”. When it was established in 1933 as Ateneo de Cagayan, it already stressed the importance of exposing its students to different sectors and the community. Today, XU continues to be of service to others as its students now have more venues and programs that expose them to the community.

One of these venues is the Xavier Center for Culture and the Arts (XCCA), which is headed by Hobart P. Savior.

The XCCA is XU’s venue or platform for its culture and arts programs. Its main purpose is to serve as some sort of a bridge for social outreach and formation programs, its students and the whole XU community. It conceptualizes and implements different programs that cross different sectors. XCCA’s programs include:

    * Museo de Oro (art exhibits, research and training, Ethnographic and Archeological exhibit and archive, summer arts workshops, outreach and education and new media arts)
    * Music Program
    * Artistic Excellence and Production, including performing arts and visual arts
    * Culture and Development
    * Cultural Education
    * Culture and Arts: Research, Documentation and Publication; Support Service Program

XCCA’s cultural season begins in June and ends in May of the following year. Last year, from June to December, the XCCA came up with a number of interesting activities like arts exhibits by local artists, film festivals, a playwriting workshop, a photography exhibit and Cinemagis 4 among others. For the rest of the 2010-2011 cultural season, XCCA’s schedule is as follows:

January 26 to 29:

Cinemagis: 3rd Northern Mindanao Digital Short Film Festival

February:

Panaghugpong 3 (A Xavier Arts Festival featuring Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero’s Ulirang Tahanan,

a Cagayan Song Festival,  Kulturock 3 and Xavier Spanish Dance Festival)

March 27:

1st Cagayan de Oro Mono Drama Festival (in celebration of World Theater Day)

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The first day of the Chinese New Year for 2011 will exactly fall on the 3rd of February. It will be a dramatic and elaborate 15 days of celebration wherein the feeling of merriment will be felt by all celebrators. In this wondrous event, many Chinese communities all over the world exert a magnified feeling of unity to perform their centuries old tradition in a span of 15 days. Chinese nationals even take a long vacation leave from work just to spend this event with their dear families. The Chinese are known for their close knit family relationships.

The simple customs that have been passed on from older to younger generations are still observed and respected. Although some modern changes have been incorporated in this significant Lunar New Year, they still stick to the customs and traditions of their elders. The many customary traditions of the Chinese are the following:

The family cleans the entire household to get rid of any ill-gotten bad luck and to welcome the fortune-bringing Lunar New Year.

They spend a big amount of cash to buy new clothing, food, gifts for their families and decorations.

On the eve the Chinese New Year, all family members must be complete to feast on a deliciously prepared menu of chicken, pig, duck and other delicacies.

Children receive red envelopes with money inside, which they in turn repay with wishes for the elders’ good healthy and happy New Year.

They complete the celebration with a display of fireworks to bid goodbye to the old and welcome the New Year. All windows and doors must be opened to allow the old year to pass through and usher in the new one.

Before the New Year, debts incurred during the previous year must be paid. Furthermore, you are not allowed to lend money or borrow money, as this, they believe will be a start of the habit for the whole year.

The number four and foul words must not be mentioned, or else you will become unlucky.

Families must not discuss things of the past during the eve of the New Year to celebrate all new beginnings.

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Xavier University’s Fr. Jose Ramon “Jett” Villarin recently laid down the time capsule at the grounds of XU to initiate the groundbreaking ceremony for the planned Magis Student Complex. Aside from Fr. Jett, other officials and student leaders of the university also witnessed the event along with the education supervisor of ChEd (Commission on Higer Education), John A Banaynal; Cagayan de Oro City’s vice mayor, Caesar Ian Acenas, as well as Councilor Alden Bacal. The ceremony was held last September 8, 2010.

The main highlight of the ceremony was the laying down of the time capsule, along with a petition written by Malcolm Flores, an Ateneo student and member of the Atenista Ako Movement.

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What Do You Need to Visit the Philippines?

For foreigners who wish to visit the Republic of the Philippines, the processes involved are not really as complicated as those of other countries’. Almost all the time, only a passport is required and one is ready to go as long as he or she doesn’t forget his or her plane ticket and cash for the expenses.

However, in certain conditions that make it necessary to extend a traveler’s stay after the 21 days given to foreign visitors expires, then application for a visa, particularly a temporary visitor’s visa, is the best course of action.

Visa, according to the definition provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), is an endorsement made on a travel document by a consular officer at a Philippine Embassy or Consulate abroad denoting that the visa application has been properly examined and that the bearer is permitted to proceed to the Philippines and request permission from the Philippine Immigration authorities at the ports of entries to enter the country. The visa, however, is not a guarantee that the holder will be automatically admitted into the country, because the admission of foreign nationals into the Philippines is a function of the immigration authorities at the port of entry.

There are corresponding standard procedures and requirements needed when applying for one.

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It seems that the Philippines is caught up in everything Korean. Sometime in the early 2000s, Korean TV shows started to take up huge TV airplay. And recently, K-pop has invaded our airwaves. Almost all big cities in the country, including Cagayan de Oro City, are speckled with Korean restaurants, grocery stores, and now…hair salons.

If you’re a Korean fangirl (or boy) or simply want a snazzy, different look, then what you’re looking for is Tony & Jackey, a nationally famous Korean hair salon. This haircut joint opened shop in Cagayan de Oro last year. You can find them at the second level of SM CDO.

I'm gonna have my hair done here.^_^ Read more..

Cagayan de oro has planted yogurt shops and they're all exciting! yey!!! Healthy foods ftw!

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The Christmas season is the universal excuse for maximum celebrations. After all, what other reason for celebrating can beat the ultimate triumph of the spirit and well, mankind? Given the fact that Christmas has been mainly a religious celebration for centuries, the emergence of various types of tradition is inevitable.
A large percentage of the world’s population celebrates Christmas (this holiday knows no geographical boundaries). As a result, countless traditions have surfaced out of each country, major community and ethnical groups. Although the main essence of Christmas remains intact all over the globe, it is celebrated in different ways according to the world’s varying cultures and subcultures. Some traditions are similar to each other, while some are completely different. Take for example our humongous parols and intricately done Christmas ornaments, â€" they are completely normal to us. In fact, we have grown so used to these parols that Filipino Christmas doesn’t seem complete without the sight of them. However, people from other countries may find this rather unusual and amusing.

To give you a wider picture of what Christmas is like in various parts of the world, here’s a list of some of the different Christmas traditions followed in certain places.

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This little city, as I’ve noticed, is a haven of all sorts of foodies. The Kagay-anons are blessed with an indiscriminating palate, as well as an appetite for trying everything new around the city. This is probably one of the things that crossed Reedo Mark Timosan’s mind when he decided to start his own food business around the city.

One of the newest pizza chain franchises in the city, More Bites Pizza, is his brainchild. Although Timosan’s pizza place was opened only a few months ago, it has earned quite a lot of attention online. And because of all the buzz it has generated, Reedo Timosan plans to make his More Bites Pizza outlet along the corner of Tiano and Del Pilar Streets as the pizza chain’s main base.

Reedo Timosan’s first More Bites Pizza establishment was opened in 2009 in Tagbilaran, Bohol. In addition to his Bohol and CDO outlets, his More Bites Pizza business has also reached nearby cities and provinces, including Pagadian, Davao, Iligan, Sindangan and Dipolog.

Read more: http://www.cdokay.com/food-dining/more-bites-pizza-in-cdo/

The Christmas season is the universal excuse for maximum celebrations. After all, what other reason for celebrating can beat the ultimate triumph of the spirit and well, mankind? Given the fact that Christmas has been mainly a religious celebration for centuries, the emergence of various types of tradition is inevitable.


http://www.cdokay.com/kagay-anons-voice/different-christmas-traditions/

Things are going smoothly so far, according to Figaro’s main branch store manager, Maria Elena Pagdanganan when asked for an update on their new branch. The place is actually all set and ready for business, all that’s left for the Figaro staff to do is to transfer all the necessary equipment and furniture into the space and they’ll be ready to serve customers.


http://www.cdokay.com/news-developments/an-update-on-the-upcoming-figaro-gateway-branch/

Cagayan de Oro is the home of a host of companies and educational institutions. Here, it’s not surprising to find transient laborers, itinerant workers and students originally from different provinces. For this reason, entrepreneurs have built an entire industry around rental accommodation.


http://www.cdokay.com/real-estate/finding-the-finest-room-for-rent-in-cagayan-de-oro/

Honeybaked Café and Restaurant is one of the newest places to hangout in Cagayan de Oro. The new Honeybaked Café, which is located at Jacutin Building in Velez Street, is actually their third branch. The first Honeybaked branch, which still exists today, is located right along Calamansi Drive in Carmen.

http://www.cdokay.com/food-dining/honeybaked-cafe-restaurant-velez/

Cagayan de Oro has officially become a premiere shopping destination in Mindanao! The very first Marks & Spencer in the island is now open for shopping lovers and wine connoisseurs. The entire store is filled with high-end clothing, scents, wines and food from the UK.



http://www.cdokay.com/shopping/marks-spencer-lkk-finally-opens/

For months, I’ve heard people talk about the bread and pastries of one of the city’s freshest food joints; Missy Bon Bon. Most of what I’ve heard about the place was positive, from the location down to the menu. So, armed with my work and leisure what-have-yous, I decided to go to LimKetKai Mall and spend my Sunday afternoon at Missy Bon Bon.

http://www.cdokay.com/food-dining/hanging-out-and-tasting-the-gelato-at-missy-bon-bon/