It's not every day you immediately hit it off with someone but it was "love at first sight" when we first met in 2012. Though we haven't known each other for that long, I know I've found a friend for life. From our late night antics to our chill stay-at-home weekends, it's never a dull moment with this one. Apart from my mother, she's the one that taught me proper domestic etiquette. I shall not serve chips in the bag and dip in the jar it came in for fear that Mama Ranza will disapprove. She is a smart, focused, compassionate, and brilliant woman. Need some styling and DIY tips? Visit Ranza's blog at www.thebaystyles.com and check her out on Facebook and Instagram.
What brings you to life?
I come alive when I create--I am an Event Marketer by profession which means conceiving new ideas, breaking them down into intricate plans, and executing them with impeccable precision are all part of the job (that I love). I've also recently taken the plunge and started a Lifestyle Blog <thebaystyles.com>, that features unique lifestyle content. The blog provides a platform for me to aid, engage, and inspire others by sharing quick tips, DIYs, recipes, and stories that help shape one's personal Lifestyle Design.This gives me an opportunity to get my hands dirty and take on exciting projects during my free time.
What do you love most about it?
I'd like to believe that I'm a balanced left-right brain kinda gal, but when I do tap into my creative side, I'm taken to a place where I'm able to tune out the rest of the world and focus on one singular task. I guess you could call it my "outlet". But what I really love most about what I do is the sense of fulfillment I get after the job is done. You know, that moment when you step back, take a second to admire what you've created from scratch, and can't help but give yourself a fist bump or do a little victory dance.
Canapes for a friend's birthday
Tea time bites
Doodling!
How long have you been in events and styling and how did you get into it?
Since I can remember! I've always been drawn to the arts and, thanks to my parents, I took up every class you could imagine (no sitting in front of the TV for this kiddo). My mom has always been a very strong influence on me--I grew up watching her design (and re-design) our home, cook meals without taking a peek at a recipe book, and even pick up an old piece of driftwood and manage to transform it into the most striking table centrepiece. That said, I've continued to hone my skills in the arts and dabble in new things now and then.
Making portobello and haloumi burgers
A garden in a jar
Experimenting with new art techniques
What advice would you give someone starting out in the same field?
I've had people tell me that they can't do what I do but I've proven them wrong. I've instilled the art of organisation to the messiest of the lot, taught folks that used to burn toast how to cook a meal that would be served at any top restaurant, and given a lesson or two in home decor (you know who you are). Everyone has a creative side! So, sit and listen to your inner Martha Stewart and just do it! At the end of the day it boils down to this--you've got to LOVE IT because there's no faking it when it comes to Events Marketing (or even Lifestyle Blogging).
Putting organisational skills to work
Fondue night at home
How do you keep your passion alive?
My passion is everything I do, big or small, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So there's no real risk of it "dying" but there are times when I need to shake things up a little by trying out new techniques, keeping myself updated on the latest trends, and even sign up for an odd class or two. This keeps it interesting, fresh, and fun. Everyone still has room to pick up a new skill or two, right?
Batik painting class in Bali
At this specific point in time, where would you want to be and with whom?
That's a tough question. If I could be in two or more places at once I would, especially since my family and most of my closest friends are spread across the globe. But right now, at this very specific moment, I'm happy where I am. (Ask me again tomorrow, I may change my mind when I wake up).
As we relaxed on the lounge chairs and admired the beautiful crystal clear waters and fine white sand before our very eyes, Ross turned to me and said:"aren't we lucky to come from two of the most beautiful places on Earth?"
This is paradise!
The beautiful beach right on our doorstep
Ross had just arrived from a 3-month stint in the freezing temperatures of Argentinian Patagonia and was in need of R&R and fun in the sun. We'd been planning a trip to Palawan during the Philippines' summer months (March to May), but we didn't get the chance to since he'd been working all that time. Fortunately, we received good news that he'd be coming home at the end of August and we'd have enough time to steal a few days away for a well-deserved holiday. We'd done our research and shortlisted a few places but Ross' heart was set on Club Paradise when we came across it online. I had no objections as I'd visited the island resort once--though some 17 years ago--and have fond memories of the place, especially since it was the first time I'd taken a shot at scuba diving. I also remembered my friend Cheryl Tiu's (whom I also just recently featured in my Passion Q&A series) blog post on her visit and only had good things to say about the place. So as soon as Ross confirmed his return to Manila, we booked our holiday to Palawan.
Club Paradise Palawan
Club Paradise is located on Dimakya Island, Coron in Northern Palawan in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It features a 700-metre beach as well as a beautiful and colourful house reef where you can see and swim with over 500 marine life species. If diving and snorkeling aren't your thing, there are other activities that are just as exciting like kayaking (choose the see-through kayak!), paraw sailing, hiking, and island hopping. How can you say no to any of that?!
Booking
We booked a 4-night/5-day stay in a Beachfront Cottage via Booking.com (best price option at around Php31,000 / USD660 / GBP435 for 2 adults and includes daily breakfast). Airport transfers had to be booked directly with the hotel which I did via email with no problem (roundtrip Php1,830 / USD39 / GBP25 per person). For F&B, we spent a total of about Php30,000 / USD640 / GBP417 throughout our entire stay.
Our beachfront cottage
Not so bad a view to wake up to and have at your doorstep
Getting to paradise
We took the afternoon Philippine Airlines 55-minute flight from Manila to Busuanga (Coron) (Php22,000 / USD470 / GBP306 for 2 adult round trip tickets) and were greeted by JC of Club Paradise upon arrival at Francisco B. Reyes Airport. JC took us to the resort's private van where he explained that we would be going on a 20-minute drive to the jetty and then another 40 minutes by boat to the island. The drive was really bumpy as most of the road is unpaved and with deep trenches, but this wasn't a problem for us since the scenery was beautiful and interesting. Plus, you're on a beautiful island amid greenery and fresh air; don't expect some 6-lane paved motorway!
Philippine Airlines Bombardier Q400
Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Busuanga Island, Coron, Palawan
We were given "his" and "hers" Club Paradise bracelets
When we reached the jetty, we transferred to a small boat since the tide was low and sailed through the mangroves. Once we got to deeper waters, we moved onto a bigger boat where we were offered tuna & cheese sandwiches, a bottle of water, and a beach towel to keep from the splashes of the waves. It was a nice and relaxing ride with incredible views of the surrounding islands and mountains. We finally reached the island and were welcomed by the beauty of the pristine beach, charming smiles of the Club Paradise staff, and the amazingly friendly general manager Joegil Escobar who personally greeted us upon arrival. Checking in was stress-free as Bea from Reception gave us a tour of the resort on the way to our cottage. When we got to our cottage, Bles aka Ms. Happiness and Eunice were waiting for us to give us our complimentary foot massages. Talk about a start to a great holiday! After enjoying the massages, we finally entered our room where we immediately felt like home. I'll let the following photos do the talking here.
The mangroves we passed on the way to the island
All aboard!
View of the ocean, mountains & islands from the boat
We made it! :-)
A singing welcoming committee!
California King Bed
Initialised pillows and cute towel babies!
Sweet treats!
Complimentary foot massages upon arrival
We'll get there - one island at a time!
Overjoyed!
Beautiful sunsets
This view leaves me speechless
I just can't get enough!
It's all in the detail
Throughout our entire stay, the staff kept on surprising us and never missed a beat. On top of the extremely warm welcome, we had glasses of wine and a platter of cheese waiting for us in our room after dinner. There was also one night when we got a handwritten note from Joegil wishing us a good night. Every day there was a treat waiting for us in our room--a basket of mangoes, rice cakes, banana fritters--it was always a pleasant surprise! And on the day we were leaving, we got another handwritten note from the housekeeping staff thanking us for our stay and wishing us a safe journey home. Right from the beginning, the entire Club Paradise team made us feel so comfortable and at home. So much so that it was strange that we had to leave and go back to reality.
Personalised note from the GM Joegil Escobar
Wine & cheese waiting for us in our room after dinner
Sweet note from housekeeping
One with nature
Apart from the amazing underwater wonders, the island is also home to a colony of fruit bats and monitor lizards. During the day you can see the bats hanging on the trees, and at dusk a wonderful display of flight as they wake from their slumber and take off to feed on fruits and small insects. The monitor lizards also roam freely so you may just be at breakfast and have one of these big guys stroll by you. Another pretty awesome thing that happened was when we were walking on the beach a small wave crashed onshore and a stingray washed up within a few inches from my feet! Isn't it so great that you can get so close to nature??
The resident colony of fruit bats taking flight at dusk
One of the island's monitor lizards taking a leisurely stroll
I'm calling her Stella the sting ray
But probably the best interaction with animals was when we went swimming in the ocean. The resort's dive team offers anything from intro to wreck dives and you're able to get your PADI Open Water license in just 3 days. I already have my Open Water license but it's been years since my last dive so I need a refresher course. Ross still has yet to get his license and though he could have gotten it during our stay, we opted to just have a nice and relaxing few days with no agenda just doing what we wanted, when we wanted. However, we didn't not want to experience the beautiful sea world so we went snorkelling instead!
Ross and Vincent our snorkelling guide
We borrowed snorkelling gear (which is complimentary for guests by the way!) from the aquatics centre and asked if we could be "toured" around the house reef. Vincent from the aquatics centre was more than happy to come with us. So we geared up and took the plunge and it was amazing! We swam with sea turtles, sting rays, different schools of fish, batfish, a 3-foot giant clam, and the best part of all was seeing a black tip shark (4-5 feet in length)--not once, not twice, but a few times every time we went in the water. On a separate occasion when it was just Ross and Vincent who went out, they also saw an octopus and a lion fish. The corals were also so beautiful as they swayed in the current. It's an incredible whole new world down there and has definitely convinced Ross to take up a new hobby and for me to get down and get that refresher course out of the way!
Take me back!
We truly enjoyed our stay at Club Paradise and would definitely go back again. If you're the type of person who enjoys being away from the hustle of the city or someone who simply needs to recharge, this is the place for you. First and foremost, the people are what makes this resort so worth it. Plus, all that sea life and adventure makes it all the more appealing!
My love and I thoroughly enjoying the sea, sand & sun!
Special thank yous to the following people for being so awesome and making us feel like long-time friends:
General Manager Joegil Escobar
The dive team--Brenda, Rachel, Ayn, Randy & Gabi
Vincent from the aquatics centre
Bles and the service staff
Dandie and the other bartenders (by the way Dandie is a great poi (fire) dancer!)
And to the rest of the Club Paradise team (apologies for not being able to remember everyone's names!), please know that we appreciated everything!!
Here's the next feature of my Passion Q&A series from my blog post titled What brings you to life?
CHERYL TIU
International Journalist & Multi Media Personality
We've known each other half our lives and I'm still in awe of this woman. A jet-setter, foodie, and writer... I envy her life of travel and great food! She's made a name for herself and in every deserving right. Despite her accomplishments from such a young age, she has commendably stayed so humble, kind, and kept her feet on the ground. Check out where Cheryl is heading off to next and which restaurants to hit up on www.cheryltiu.com, Instagram, and Facebook.
What brings you to life?
Right now my website <cheryltiu.com>. I've been juggling several positions for years now and have recently taken on an "at large" position at the publishing house I work for to allow me the time to focus on other projects, the closest one to my heart being my blog/website. It's a space where I chronicle the fun things I do and discover--in between my deadlines! But I didn't want it to be just that; I also wanted it to be a platform to serve a bigger purpose. So last month, I put up an events platform under it called Cross Cultures by Cheryl Tiu. It was founded on the premise that food is one of the most accessible ways of exchanging cultures. Through the sharing of culinary experiences and talents between chefs and cooks, between countries and continents, I hope to dispel misconceptions and remove boundaries, and contribute in building a more global community.
Our first dinner event is happening this September 18, 2015. I visited Ethiopia for the first time last June and fell in love with the country and its people. Unfortunately though, a lot of people still think that it's a poor country and plagued by famine. On the contrary, it has one of the fastest growing economies today, and not only is there food, but the cuisine is so delicious--I refused to and did not eat anything other than injera (made from an organic, gluten-free super grain endemic to Ethiopia called 'teff') and wot (sauces and stews that can range from chickpeas, beef, chicken, lamb, etc.) every single day I was there!--and not at all available here in the Philippines! So for one night only, we are collaborating with Eat Ethio, an Ethiopian food movement that provides a modern insight into the food, coffee, designs, music, and culture of Ethiopia--to create a special, memorable experience for Filipinos.
These children in Lalibela, Ethiopia won my heart! Here we are in front of the tukul, or a traditional stone hut made from stone and mud protected by UNESCO, outside the rock-hewn churches
What do you love most about it?
I feel honoured that I am able to go out and share what I enjoy to readers. I like that I also get to travel, eat, and meet a lot of different people, and that no day is ever the same. It's a job where I get to learn so much by experience, and hopefully engage my readers in the same way.
Such an honour to have been asked by the legendary Andoni Aduriz of Mugaritz, 6th best restaurant in the world, to sign the Wallpaper City Guide for Manila book for him at Madrid Fusion in Spain
With the legendary Thomas Keller at the World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards at the Guildhall in London along with Asia's 50 Best chairwomen for Southeast Asia Evelyn Chen and Susan Jung
At the first Dom Perignon event in the Philippines held at the National Museum with Ingrid Go, Emil Yap, and Jin Perez
How long have you been in the business and how did you get into it?
I've been in the magazine publishing industry since 2006 as an editor, and later on a publisher, and started writing for a national newspaper when I was still in high school in 2001. I would do all my homework during recess and lunch breaks, and after school, I would go to the newspaper office or what they assigned me to cover or work on my articles.
Being interviewed by CNN Philippines at our Lifestyle Asia Home & Away 3 Book Launch at Crystal Lounge, Crown Towers, City of Dreams
After college, One Mega Group asked me if I was interested in working there. I started out as assistant editor for (the now defunct) Girlfriend magazine, and then simultaneously became editor in chief of (the now defunct) Winx Magazine. Then our president and CEO transferred me to Lifestyle Asia where I did time as assistant editor then associate editor then managing editor then deputy editor and publisher--and now, editor at large. There are no shortcuts, you really have to start from the bottom and work your way up otherwise you won't completely learn and understand how things are done. Nobody wants to be that figurehead on top that has an impressive title but doesn't really know what he/she is doing.
Signing our Wallpaper City Guide Manila books for Senator Sonny Angara with my collaborator Kissa Castaneda-McDermott
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the same field?
What you really need in the field of journalism/publishing/media is experience. People often think that editors and writers are just always in front of a computer and they're always writing but that's not accurate. It is only half the job. The truth is that we are out all the time--we have to, otherwise what are we going to write about? As early as now my advice is to... go out of your comfort zone. Eat. Meet people. Travel. Live. Being a journalist/writer doesn't pay much--no one I know is in it for the money--but it's one of the most fulfilling jobs for me personally, as you are enriched with experiences.
Faced my fears and took the co-pilot seat on a tiny 12-seater bush plane in Botswana
In Luang Prabang for Thai Airways' new direct flight to the city from Bangkok
How do you keep your passion alive?
I like exploring and trying different things. I love traveling and that always fuels me. I travel a lot for work but I never see it as work because the experiences are always so priceless and enriching. I also like being around and engaging with inspiring, positive people. Stay away from the negatrons; they will just bring you down.
Safari in Tanzania with wildebeests behind Christine Dayrit and I
At this specific point in time, where would you want to be and with whom?
I used to always live in the past and the future, and one of my resolutions is to live in the present. So I am happy and grateful for where I am today, and am trusting the timing of my life.
On the Northern Belle Orient Express Train from Edinburgh to London for Diageo World Class
