Cebu - Kotex Youniversity w/ Carelle Mangaliag

I took this trip last January 29-31, 2010. For those who missed reading Part I, please click the link below:

My Stay @ Cebu Waterfront Hotel

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Looking back on this trip makes me feel so much more blessed. Just when I expected to do some grueling assistant work, I was actually given a day off on my first day. Like I shared on the first part of this travelogue, I just spent my afternoon eating, bonding with my new acquaintances from DECS and Kotex and basically just lazing around the hotel. And so on my first night there, I decided to come see my sister who currently lives in Cebu. They were kind enough to pick me up from the lobby of Waterfront Hotel and from there headed to a laid back food place that sells very affordable seafood. It was pig out time once again! And can I just say that Cebu really has the finest tasting dishes I know. Whether they be hotel-made or straight out of a grillery, they just never cease to satiate my starving soul… err, tummy. ^_^

After our fantastic meal, Abba and Chris decided to hang out in one of the bars and have some drinks. I obliged. After all, I did want to enjoy my night there in case I won’t have time the next day to spend with them.

We checked out Mango Avenue and Cabanas. For some reason, we noticed that Cebuanos (particlularly in that area) were staying outside the bars and restaurants rather than inside. These establishments, including one convenience store, even had monobloc chairs and tables set up to accommodate their guests.  And when we checked out one of the bars and went inside, there were no people but us and the waitresses. How weird was that?! Everyone was hanging outside instead!

Oh well, at least there were more room for us to drink and be merry. Hrhrhr! Eventually, we, too, went outside since that was where all the action was. My sister urged me to drink Red Horse with Extra Joss so I can stay with them much longer and not fall asleep. Take note, I haven’t really slept since Thursday that week and it was already Saturday dawn. To further jolt me from slumber, I went to the convenience store I was telling you about and asked if they have this cigarette called Black Bat. Peter discovered it the other weekend when we wentbar hopping with Carelle and RR at The Fort. Well, not only did I find the Vanilla Mint flavor I was looking for, but they also have Rose and Special Flavors! Oh wow! Not that I’m addicted to smoking, but there were few occasions when I’d smoked a stick or two just for effect. I know it’s bad. But then again, we need to take some calculated risks in life sometimes. Hahaha! Bonding with my sister Abba and her gf Chris is always a fun and enlightening experience. This is one of the reasons why I never tire of visiting Cebu. I not only get to travel, I get to be with my sister too. Awww. 

Finally,  by 3 am, I was back at the hotel. I took a bath then slept right away. I needed to be awake by 6am for some buffet breakfast with Carelle’s troupe then we’re off to conduct the Kotex You-niversity workshop among Cebu’s high school teachers.

I felt so blessed for seeing Carelle Mangaliag in action. She is our country’s foremost practitioner of  Nuerolinguistic Programming / NLP and soon to be Asia’s too.  Her company, Train Station (formerly known as Motivating Minds), helps all kinds of people (from basureros to big time politicians)overcome their biggest challenges in life and come out victorious, successful and amazing! To see Carelle’s complete portfolio, please check this link.  In this particular workshop, Carelle taught high school teachers how to improve their communication skills with their students and be able to bring the message that Kotex is bringing to the youth today which is: “KNOW MORE in order to BE MORE” with Kotex You-niversity! Consequently, the teachers were also given lifelong lessons on how to improve their relationship with their spouses, their children, their colleagues and all kinds of people they deal with everyday. Overall, it was such an awesome activity.

I’m just so proud to know Carelle and witness one of her numerous skills and talents. I actually learned a lot that day — I now know how to spot when a person is lying; I can now tell if a person is  the visual, auditory or kinesthetic kind;  I can even make someone (other than my hubby) fall in love with me! All these things and more, one can learn through NLP! How fun is that! We finished the entire workshop at around 5 pm. I was so tired and sleepy but nevertheless, it was an experience of a lifetime for me.

 

We went back to the hotel and  freshened up a bit before heading back to one of Waterfront’s scrumptious dinner buffets. Carelle and RR went off somewhere nice for some drinks after dinner. I was so sleepy that I decided to head back to my room and rest. We were scheduled to go home the next day, Sunday, and I wanted to have enough energy left, to share my remaining weekend with my hubby, who couldn’t wait to be with me. ^_^    


***For a complete list, here's an awesome guide on Cebu: Where to Go and What to Do