DRMC Hospital Week 2016 Opens Today

The Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) is celebrating the Hospital Week 2016 with a theme, “Hospital: Kaagapay para sa Malusog na Isip at Katawan tungo sa Pagbabago”. Today is the opening day that started with a convocation, followed by a mass and a motorcade.

Food stalls were also opened serving different kinds of food and drinks. Chits were given to all employees and will be used to buy their food or drinks of their choice. It is so festive and everyone is happy roaming around watching the stalls and the bahay-kubo which is also part of the contest.

All contests will be participated by 4 divisions – Medical, Nursing, Admin and Ancillary.

For Day 2, there will be activities by Public Health Department and Medical Division Services and continuation of sports event.

For Day 3, there will be a Quiz Bowl, a press conference called Kapihan sa DRMC and bloodletting.

For Day 4, there will be again activities by Public Health Department and Medical Division Services and continuation of sports event.

The last day is the culmination day where the Search for Mr. and Ms. DRMC 2016 is one of the highlights. There will also be a Larong Pinoy, dance contest participated by the 4 divisions and awarding of winners.

All winners will represent DRMC in the upcoming CVD Sportsfest 2016, an interhospital event where different hospitals from Davao del Norte, whether private or government, will compete in various events.

It is going to be a fun week-long activity for all of us.

Bouldering and More in Activo Fitness

Activo Fitness is the most sophisticated gym in Tagum City. They have the latest gym equipment to suit your needs. Aside from sweating out through treadmills and lifting weights, they also offer TRX workout, zumba, zumba step and yoga classes.

Although they have been into the business for quiet a while, they never run out of exciting features to offer to gym enthusiasts.

This Saturday, May 28, will be the launching of the Fitness Boulder Wall, the first in the city. Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that is performed without the use of ropes or harnesses. While it can be done without any equipment whatsoever, most climbers use climbing shoes to help secure footholds, chalk to keep their hands dry, and bouldering mats to prevent injuries from falls (From Google).

It will be a big day because there will be a bouldering challenge with different categories to choose from. If you do not have any idea about bouldering but want to try, explore and experience fun and adventure, you can join in the NOVICE Category.
Kids can also join the competition in the JUNIORS Category. Who knows, kids might discover their potential in boulder climbing. There is also an OPEN Category where the experienced and bouldering fanatics can join.

Climbing may look simple, but if you experience it there, you can really say that it’s not. It is so hard to carry your whole body and rely on the strength that comes from your arms and legs.

Difficult it is, but the prizes of the challenge awaits the one that can endure the pain and surpass the challenges.

So if you want to have some adventure, try climbing the boulder wall. It is not just fun and exciting, but a great exercise for those who want to skip the gym equipment.

Be part of a one of a kind adventure. Head on to Activo Fitness and register now.

On Healthy Diet: Calorie Counted Meals

I have been into many weight loss attempts like having protein shake as a meal substitute or doing back-to-back yoga and zumba exercises with a little running when there is ample time. Although there is really some pounds off my weight, but I feel like I need a healthy yet effective weight loss regimen to suit my busy schedule. I am quiet busy with so many things that I do not have time to do exercise.

Then a friend told me to try the calorie counted meals by I am Sexy Chef. They offer lunch and dinner delivered at your doorstep from Mondays to Fridays. Lunch and dinner has a total of 700-750 calories.

I was hesitant at first. The food is not as tasty as what I usually eat. The sight of tofu makes me want to quit. But when I finished a week of these low calorie meals, I felt great and I continued. I am now on my 2nd month of eating these healthy meals. I now enjoy vegetables, oats, gluten-free pasta, quinoa grains, brown rice, wheat bread and…tofu!

Since I want to lose weight because I am getting old, my daily activities don’t require much movement and I just want to be healthy, having these calorie counted meals made me more disciplined in terms of food choices. I stopped eating pork since November of 2015 and today, I avoid sweets, too starchy food, coffee, cola and fast foods. Although my other reason for avoiding these food is that I cannot afford to buy them anymore, because I am spending 1,300 pesos a week for these lunch and dinner.

Of course, there was a tremendous change in almost 2 months. I lost 4 kilos. It may seem small, but people really noticed the change in me. I am happy with the results because I am losing weight yet eating healthy.

Try these calorie counted meals and see if it work for you. Check out I am Sexy Chef  on Facebook for their photos, testimonies and contacts.

For Help and Health: The Million Volunteer Run 3

I have joined another fun run/run for a cause today. Actually, this should be done last December 13, 2015 but was postponed to February 6, 2016. I have never joined the Million Volunteer Run 1 and 2 before because I was not informed or maybe I was just not interested at that time.

But by the time I knew about Million Volunteer Run 3, I immediately registered, paid and got excited. Of course, this is not just a fun activity but a humanitarian one.

The Million Volunteer Run is a humanitarian run organized by the Philippine Red Cross and the proceeds of the Million Volunteer Run 3 will capacitate communities to be more prepared and resilient against the intensified and much frequent buffet of disasters that hit our country, and to raise funds to purchase lifesaving vehicles and equipment. For me, joining this kind of activity is good because I can help in their fundraising even if it is just a small amount, and running is good for the body. It is for help and health. It is like hitting two birds with one stone! The run was simultaneous on all Red Cross Chapters all over the country.

I was in the 5K Female Category and I was so surprised and amazed that I finished 5th place, because my pace was so slow. Although it was a good news for me, too bad they only gave medals up to the 4th place.

Joining the MVR3 is such an accomplishment for me. I am looking forward for the MVR4 and other activities of the Philippine Red Cross.

A New Level Of Whitening

Whitening products in all forms are available in the market today – it could be lotion, cream, soap, spray, juice, tablet, capsule, powder, gel and many others! The choice of the user depends on the convenience it can give. While most of us know about the high demand of these products today, many are looking for those that give them the fastest result, if not instant.

The most promising whitening agent is the glutathione. Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant made from glycine, glutamic acid and cysteine. While glutathione is prepared like any cosmetic or vitamin product – in a safe, sterile laboratory setting – it is made of all-natural amino acids that occur in nature and are beneficial to our bodies.

Glutathione is commonly taken in pill form, and glutathione pills are hugely successful in Japan, particularly for women that just want to have lighter skin than they were born with without the side effects that some topical treatments have.

Here in Tagum City, Love and Cherish Beauty Solutions offers services that will make you look fairer and more beautiful. Aside from the whitening cosmetics, tablets and capsules sold in their store, they also offer the fastest way to get fairer – gluta push and gluta drip.

Gluta push is glutathione taken via intravenous injection. You will get to choose from a variety of brands available. Of course, choices depend on the clients budget, available time for injection and convenience. Usually, injections are given 2-4 times a week, depending on the brand. But rest assured that all the products are bought from a reliable and authentic supplier.

Gluta drip is the newest and faster way compared to gluta push, if you have the patience. Gluta drip is glutathione taken through intravenous infusion, meaning through a dextrose!  The treatment last for an hour or less, so you will be staying in the store that long. The price is more expensive than gluta push but you can do it once or twice a month only.

No worries because the owners, Lovely and Cherish, are both registered nurses, have practiced in different wards in the hospitals before, and had their IV Therapy licenses. They also orient the clients before they proceed to the treatment.

So far, all the clients were satisfied with the results and more and more are enticed to try these treatments. The best of all is, clients are not afraid of needles anymore because Lovely and Cherish are experts that make everything painless.

For more information, you can visit them at Stall Number 72, Trade Center, Tagum City. Love and Cherish Beauty Solutions is also the authorized distributor of BN Whitening products here in Tagum City. You can visit their Facebook page, BN Whitening Shoppe Tagum for more updates and promos.

Coffee, Massage and More at Balai

I am sure that Balai Coffee and Spa is already popular to the people of Tagum, but not all have experienced their services.

First, Balai Coffee and Spa is a homey coffee shop that serves hot and cold coffees and teas, juices and shakes paired with sandwiches, pastas or cakes. They also serve lunch and dinner with their variety of sumptuous meals.

Second, they also have massage services. You can choose from Swedish to Shiatsu to Stone Massage in an ordinary room or couple room. Either way, you will be relaxed and de-stressed when massaged. They also had sauna.

Third, they have this service called Ear Candling or, according to Google, is a thermal-auricular therapy, an alternative medicine practice claimed to improve general health and well-being by lighting one end of a hollow candle and placing the other end in the ear canal. Although if you read scientific literature about ear candling, most of it says it is ineffective and dangerous.

Therapeutic or not, effective or not, with scientific proof or not, I tried it for the sake of trying. I just want to try it to know how it feels and I felt good. Good because I was brave enough to have a lighted candle stuck in my ear canal. The experience was worth it.

Balai Coffee and Spa is really a good place to to meet and stay connected with friends, have some relaxation, or just eat good food.

A Taste of Italy in Tagum

If you are are craving for an Italian pizza and pasta, there is no need for you to travel kilometers away from Tagum City because there is already an authentic pizza house – from their music, interior, food and drinks. Even the owner, Franco, is an Italian himself!

Letran Pizza Italiana is situated literally at the back of the Rotary Gym. As you enter the place, the aroma of freshly-baked pizza will welcome you. The place is not air conditioned but it is well ventilated and spacious. The decors and furniture are simple yet classy, and the background music is alluring even if nobody understands, except the owner of course.

We ordered three kinds of pizza (Quattro Formaggi, Tonnara and Frutti Di Mare) but to our surprise, it was knead and made infront of us. It was really made fresh! The pizzas were delicious and we want to try all of them. So there is another plan of going back to this place soon to try other varieties and their pasta.

In their menu, pizza, pasta and garden salads are available, with Italian names, but below it are lists of ingredients so that you will know if it contains pork (for non-pork eaters) or other ingredients that might trigger allergic reactions. The price is amazingly cheaper.

Franco is always around to supervise the store operations, ask customers about their experience and the food, and sometimes take pictures with them.

Letran Pizza Italiana is open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 3:30PM to 10PM.

A Coffee On The Go

Coffee lovers are so happy about this new place in Tagum City, at the 2nd Floor of Gaisano Mall to be exact. They are selling frappes of different flavors and sizes!

Gourmet Frappé is a concept made by Jake Barabad, a friend and a schoolmate in high school, also the owner of Tea Zone in the 3rd Floor of Gaisano Mall.

It cannot be denied that coffee is a favorite drink whether hot or cold. The aroma itself is already an energy booster, and drinking up to three cups a day is okay. After all, aside from satisfying your craving, coffee also has health benefits like prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, lowers the risk of diabetis, liver disease and many others.

With a very affordable price compared to frappes in cafes, Gourmet Frappé’s frappes to go is surely convenient especially when you go strolling around the mall or watching a movie in the cinema with friends or family.

Try it and discover your favorite flavor now.

A Garden Called Dreanca

It is not a surprise that establishments like cafes and restaurants will sprout in Tagum City because of its promising modernization and industrialization. Students and workers residing from neighboring municipalities are regular contributors of foot traffic in the city.

Again, another cafe/restaurant has opened to cater the healthy appetite side of Tagumeños, but this time, it is on the other side of the city.

Garden Dreanca is a cafe/restaurant/hang out place for those who want to escape the rush and the stress. It has ornamental plants around that you can rest your eyes to and relax. They also have this indoor waterfalls that its sound make you feel calm.

The food is basically the same with the other restaurants since they also have chicken, pork, beef, salad, soup, sandwich, pasta and value meals. They also serve fruit shakes and juices, coffee and beer.

Outside is a wide area where they have huts if you want to stay outside, especially for those who want to smoke. They have a mini stage for the singers and instruments during nights with live band.

The place can also be reserved for occasions and they offer several packages depending on the number of guests. Although they have corkage for lechon, but you can bring cake and it is free of charge.

There is ample parking space but if you have no ride, commuting is hard especially at night since there are only a few tricycles that roam around Curvada-Magdum area.

This Valentines Day, they will be offering a dinner buffet for 349 pesos for couples only, with complimentary wine, rose and red velvet cupcake.

So if you want to just dine, unwind or hold celebrations, then Garden Dreanca is a new place to consider. They are located at the National Highway, Curvada (going to Magdum, before Merville), Tagum City. You can contact them at 0930-8238-088.

Barbershop Culture

Men really need this often – a haircut! Mostly, they visit the barbershop every two weeks, more often than women visit the salon. Students and working men maintain a clean haircut as it is required in school or in the workplace.

Like women, men also like a barbershop with good ambiance. Well, if you are looking for one, there is a barbershop with nice interior and fully-airconditioned with a haircut price of 50 pesos. Only 50 pesos for yours or theirs (in case you don’t know what specific haircut that suits you) style of haircut. Yes, they give advice for a suitable hairstyle for you. But then they are more of an “old school” hairstyle.

This barbershop is called Barbershop Culture, located at Door 3, GECP Building, Arellano Street, Tagum City. It is the road going to University of Mindanao, the big two-storey building on the left.

It is just a small space, has four comfortable barber chairs but all the barbers are experts in whatever style you want. The place has a minimalist design that gives you a homey and relaxing feeling. The place is really neat and clean.

Aside from haircut and shave services, they also promote the use of pomades, since gels can make hair dry. Pomades are sold in different fragrances. My husband bought this sweet-smelling Cherry Bomb pomade.

With a tagline Cuts x Shaves x Pomades x Lifestyle, Barbershop Culture is a hit when it comes to students and working men with a tight budget.

Visit it now and make a shift. Make Barbershop Culture part of your lifestyle.