The team CDO guide to Barkada Weddings: The Series #KimAndLara

This post is long overdue but still.... Congratulations to the newly weds and happy two months of married life! 

Reyes - Cabilla nuptials

For the first post of this series we are featuring the lovely couple of Kim Reyes and Lara Cabilla

Everyone has that moment where he/she has to make a decision when it is time to move on to a new chapter of his/her life.

But your barkada won't let you do it alone, not be part of it....or at least not witness it.

Here are team CDO's guide on how you attend weddings of your friends


1. Be early (at least for the photoshoot and videoshoot)

The saying "it's better to be late than ugly" doesn't apply here. 

The consequences are as follows:

• Minimal part of the video shoot or none at all
• Few "profile picture - worthy" shots
• You have to ask the photographer or a friend with camera for good shots since their focus will be on the couple and the event
• wish for the tsamba stolen shot 
• you'll miss the fun of doing it

Barkada tips: "be pogi and the photographer will give you a shot. Hehe"
- Ian Janier

2) Never forget your sunglasses and don't overdress

Sunglasses for photo shoot purposes and add that cool factor but you're not the one who's getting married let the groom/bride be the center of attention

Bad Example

Much better

Barkada tips: It's best to allot a whole day for special events like this to truly cherish every moment of it


3) Add creativity or a unique and funny concept to your attire  

You can always have the tux, the bow ties, the suits and the barongs but try to add something different or try different concepts, we are no experts but it's always refreshing to the mind and eyes if you do something different

barkada tips: try unusual combinations or something that you don't wear very often

The Scarface look

The supreme leader/baby you're a firework look

4) Prepare for an intermission number in the reception

Aside from family members (mostly the talented ones) the barkada is not and will never be an exemption for intermission numbers usually with the couple

- we are actually experts on this, been doing it since highschool :)

barkada tips: Funny steps, Interpretative dance and old school music is a perfect mix 

Dancing with the bride and groom

AidsExotic Dancers

5) Have an afterparty

The level of craziness your barkada can demonstrate in the reception is limited due to presence of the important guests

If you intend to be loud, be crazy, party, look stupid or do what young people do one last time before your friend take full responsibility of a married life, an after party will be essential.

barkada tips: These events are great ways to reunite with friends, especially those you haven't seen for a long time so maximize your time with them, you'll never know the next time you'll see them.

To Kim and Lara: we wish you all the best, good health and more blessings!

Now, who's next? :)

The Groomsmen

- AidsExotic, 2015

Photos by: 

http://stefnaomiphotography.com/

Ian Janier

Steven Dy

Anawangin 2015: Team BxA (NO SOCIAL MEDIA ZONE)

First cast BxA

Anawangin, Zambales

This was a very special trip because this is where the team and its ideas were born.

We, 6 college buddies from Far Eastern University reunited and just decided to have a quick getaway and we found ourselves in the beautiful Anawangin cove in Zambales.

barkada tips: It's very convenient to have a friend who lives in the place or nearby and know it by heart. Instant accommodation and tour! LOL

That friend will take care of almost everything, the coordination from the tour operator, the rates, inclusions even the haggling(tawaran), etc.

4 Freeloaders

Two of our friends live in Bataan so we decided to go there first, rest a bit, have lunch and prepare the needs of our trip.

There are plenty of buses servicing the Manila-Bataan route, we took Bataan transit, it will only take you 2 hours.

barkada tips: be mindful of the seasonality to avoid inconvenience, in our case it was February so we can just walk in and take a bus, during peak seasons it's advisable to reserve a seat.

Missing one

barkada tips: The one who brings the DSLR will have to sacrifice his/her spot in almost all of the photos, bring go-pro or selfie stick for complete group photos and videos (we are saving for go-pro and drone, lol)

You already might have an idea who brought the DSLR

From our Bataan HQ we took an almost 2 hour drive going to Pandaquit, San Antonio, Zambales with stop-overs to Clark so we can buy our favorite drinks from duty free.

Royal duty free

barkada tips: bring your own food and drinks, as well as utensils, paper plates, paper cups, and necessary kitchenware when going to Anawangin because you will only sleep in tents and the only source of heat and light is fire, you will do all the cooking, there are no restaurants in the cove.

Upon arriving at Pandaquit, we met with the tour operator and paid for 600 each with the inclusions of: (boat ride, Island hopping, 3 tents, ice, 2 gallons of mineral water, and firewood)

Wavy boat ride

It was a 30 minute boat ride from the town proper to the cove, the waves are quite big, it was like a ride in an amusement park and the one in the front is gonna get wet.

barkada tips: keep an eye to your barkadas with motion sickness and if possible put all your gadgets inside a ziplock.

Just one of the islands you can stop by

Beautiful rock formations perfect for photo ops

and another one

It was really majestic and a place perfect for relaxation and getting a tan

Upon arriving at the cove we started setting up and prepared for late lunch around 4:00 pm

barkada tips: get a kubo(nipa hut cottage) it will only cost you 200 pesos, for your foods and kitchenware and the best area to set up is in the front, near the shore because that's where the kubos is.

Late lunch as in super late

You and your barkada have the freedom to choose whatever activities you might wanna do, there's a volleyball net near the shore, or you can do frisbee or beach football or just swim in the beach, what we did was start drinking while taking dips in the water(yes you can drink near the shore).

The view was amazing, perfect for just chilling out and catching up with your friends, sharing stories.

barkada tips: by all means, practice courtesy to preserve the beauty of the area, there are trash cans around and the folks at the nearby sari sari store are happy to assist.

If you need more liquor they sell Emperador light.

Stunning sunset view

The highlight of the night was the bonfire 

barkada tips: Never bring out your smartphone! Unless you're gonna play music or taking a picture but never attempt to log in to any social media accounts during the night of bonfire because you're not going to need it,

talk and laugh with your friends, share stories funny, sad, scary, anything.

This is a no social media zone, this is a pure interaction zone and you will like it

and if you're sober and drinking, there are no network signals in the area so there's no chance you're gonna make that drunk call to your ex, just tell your friends about it, be open. It's the whole essence of trips like this.

Day 2 was all swimming and roaming around the beach

barkada tips: it's best to stay for only one night since you can have the full Anawangin experience in 2 days, or you'll get bored unless you just want to relax in the beach for a couple of days more, please do so.

The boat will pick you up depending on what time is your agreement and will bring you back to Pandaquit unless you wanted to make a few stops and dive into the deeper parts of the area.

This is the group's first trip together and one of the best, we are now planning to do more trips and share it to people and we want to hear your stories too!

Enjoy your Anawangin barkada experience!

- Team BxA, 2015

SINULOG '15: Eat. Sleep. Pre tet tet. Team CDO reprezent

Sinulog Team CDO 2015

IT WAS MY FIRST TIME and I can't believe I waited for so long to experience one of the country's grand festivals.

So this year I've decided to reunite with my Highschool Kagay-anon friends(great people!) and go out there to see if the stories are really true.

AND THEY DIDN'T DISAPPOINT.

barkada tips: Couple of months before the festival, book a flight and hotel as early as possible to get low rates before the properties charge for Sinulog rates, which is more expensive.

Plane ticket was never a problem(personal privilege) and a good friend recommended a cheap accommodation in JL Suites which was good enough for me since, I only needed a place to sleep and take a shower.

Junquera St, Cebu City, Cebu

barkada tips: If you're planning to get wasted during the festival, I suggest that you find an accommodation nearby Fuente Osmena so you won't have a hard time getting back to bed while vomiting along the way. 

- No-brainer. 

Lifedance 2015

barkada tips: There will be lots of rave parties starting Friday night and you gotta prepare whatever party essentials you might wanna bring and it's okay to wear shirt,top tanks,shorts but not slippers, or people will step on your feet and you're not gonna like it. 

- I met the guys at their hotel wearing my party outfit for Lifedance(Which is one of the biggest and my favorite so far) and they told me to go home and change. 

Elektromundo

Couple of celebrities was spotted in this event and you need to pay for an entrance fee.

Paintensity

This one is free and a bit messier, both are sponsored by certain companies.

Team CDO, drinks are on us!

barkada tips: Buy your drinks at any convenience store and drink before going in! You know when you drink gatorade before and during a basketball game or any sports you play? Same principle.

Pre-party session

If there's a space park your car and start your session, though it's not advisable to get too drunk because you'll be needing energy for the next 5-6 hours or more of non-stop party and music.

We can even start our own party here

These events are held as far as Sugbu grounds at the south road properties(which is pretty far from Fuente Osmena) so it's gonna be a tough morning going home,(tougher when you're wasted) the demand for public transportation and taxis are very high that you really have to be creative just to get that ride going back to the city (try to test your charm to hitch a ride from trucks).

Sinulog class of 2015

Grand street parade

Pit Senyor!!

Float

Sto. Nino float

Sunday is the grand street parade main event and it's really BIG.

The festival celebration starts in the morning for as long as 9-12 hours and the main highlight of the event is the street parade.

barkada tips: Wear your most worn-out shirt or buy a cheap sinulog shirt because it's gonna get dirty out there, also, wear a heavy-duty shoes(no flip-flops for your feet's sake) and expect people to put face-paint in you, throw paint powders, beer-showers, just smile, say "Pit senyor" and enjoy the festival.

But it's still important to be aware of your surroundings because it's really crowded out there.

Network signals will be jammed so expect to have a hard time contacting anybody, or not at all.

Take care of your gadgets, we know you will bring your go pros and DSLRs

There is party everywhere, sinulog invasion for example, just buy your entrance tickets ahead of time to avoid inconvenience because once they're sold out you have to find another party but don't worry there's lots along mango square and baseline which is for free.

Stay together as much as possible, guys, keep an eye on your girl barkada members and medyo sakitin friends.

Cars and motorbikes will be having a hard time to pass by and expect at the end of the festival that there will be lots and lots of people outside and it's gonna give you a hard time getting to your hotel, I mean really hard.

Plan ahead and find other ways on getting to your hotel.

The aftermath

Overall, what we had was an amazing experience and definitely one of the best barkada trips we highly recommend, there will be lots of fun stories to tell and we are definitely coming back.

Here are some videos,

But let's not forget the real reason for the festival, the acceptance of Christianity and devotion to Sto. Nino

you can join the traditional prusisyons every morning and other religious activities.

VIVA STO. NINO

- David Fresnosa, 2015