Bencab is one of my favorite places in Baguio. Every time I tour friends and family in Baguio, I always make sure to stop by Bencab Museum. They all love it! My cousin actually took a 360 photo of the place – stunning view!

While I’ve been here 3 or 4 times, I was always on a rush! I was either keeping a schedule or we just don’t have enough time to explore. I’m not really an artsy person but I do appreciate all the art that’s found here. What I’m after is the ambience and the contrast of a modern artistic world vs. nature. Take a look outside the building and you will find a beautiful garden, fenced by a group of hills. This is the view I’m after. And if I were to go back, I’d love to just sit by the garden, drink coffee and eat some pastries while reading a book.

Check out my 360 photos of the garden of BenCab Museum:

*Click here if the image doesn’t load.

*Click here if the image doesn’t load.

Post-surfing selfie 😘 @millymin #emilyvisits #emilysurfs #millyminvisits #flairtravels #batteriesnotincluded

A photo posted by Hannah Villasis (@flaircandy) on Aug 5, 2015 at 9:34pm PDT

There were so many things we wanted to do like Cliff Dive at Ariel’s point, zip line, surf, and of course take lots of photos. But the weather was not friendly. When we were there a week back, typhoon Hanna (yep!) was wrecking havoc to our vacation.

We had a few sunshiny moments and we took advantage of this by surfing, ziplining and taking bikini photos of each other. No boat dared to sail to Ariel’s point though, so that was a bummer. Even if there’s a storm in Boracay, it’s always summer in the Philippines. Our 3-day vacation was not ruined (not as much teehee) and we still had a great time.

We stayed at the Lazy Dog bed and breakfast hotel near the Bulabog beach (which is only 10 minutes walk to D-mall and a few cartwheels to the Bulabog beach. Will tell you guys more about the Lazy Dog hotel in the next few blog posts but it was quite a cozy place to stay! For now, check out the Lazy Dog at Agoda.com.

I have also noticed something… I need new bikini! I’ve been traveling quite a lot and you will see me wearing the same set. I have quite a lot in my closet, but my selection can’t keep up with the frequency of my vacation days.

Which of these do you think would best suit me?

 
On to the next destination! <3

Thank you @flypal for being my constant travel partner this year! #flypal #flairtravels

A photo posted by Hannah Villasis (@flaircandy) on Aug 6, 2015 at 8:10pm PDT

This day I really worked hard, so I can play hard at night 😉

Makeup of the day testing Collection cosmetics

Big Fake Ultimate false lash effect mascara

Pink Shock lipstic

Also used MAC foundation, Clinique eyebrow powder, eyeliner and subtle eye shadow

and my favorite liquid blush Bene tint from Benefit ^_^

as for my hair… I just embraced the natural wave with the “no brushing of hair” look

at 7th High DJ Scotto and Nicole Chen of 1 World Festival Singapore

great mix from Nicole, can’t wait for more EDM love in Singapore for the 1 World Festival <3

Here are the many reasons why you should be there to party with us!!!

after 7th High, we moved to URBN just to end the night

Cheers to love, life and hapiness! 🙂

We ended the night eating at IHOP… didn’t take pictures coz I was tipsy dipsy *oops*

‘Til next Friday 😉

When you’re staying in Taal Vista Hotel, don’t waste that moment and experience a beautiful sunrise – especially when you have that balcony view.  And then, eat their scrumptious breakfast buffet, and enjoy the view some more 🙂  Or not… because sleeping in their comfortable beds is just quite something on its own 🙂

Book Taal Vista Hotel online via Agoda.com

We woke up early to greet a beautiful morning!  Great weather in Tagaytay.  Lucky!

Huge hallway of the different Ballrooms

Their Grand Ballroom can accommodate up to 1,000 guests

The lovely pool by the mountain wing side.

This great weather made me able to take this clear photo of the lake.

The structure on the left is a conference / events area by day and a club at night!

This place is perfect if you want an outdoor setting for a party and don’t want to be bothered by any probable rain.

Weekend market!

Game room!

No excuse not to get fit while on vacation.

Kids can have their fun too!

Herbs for sale that are part of the weekend market!

The wide open space for everyone to enjoy!

Majestic. Beautiful.

Couple pic.  Dressed quite comfortably because we were headed to the beach after this!

With the Taal Vista and SM team 🙂

The history wall.  Learned so much about Tagaytay and the history of Taal Vista Hotel.

We went around and I just notice the tiniest pretty details!

Finally, we arrive at the private garden of Taal Vista Hotel

Chef Edwin explains the different crops they plant on this land.

Most of these herbs are being used in Taal Vista’s Kitchen.

Organic… Only natural fertilizers, that’s why growing it is a bit slower.

But, organic is good!  No harmful chemicals 😉

Cherry tomatoes!!! They look delicious!  I want to grill some and eat wth cielo kebab or something 😛

Final group pic with Taal Vista Hotel team.

Also read:

Taal Vista Hotel – Flair Weekend Getaways (Day 1)

Taal Vista Hotel Gallery by FlairCandy

Book at Taal Vista Hotel now!

Taal Vista Hotel Map and Directions

from SM Megamall to Taal Vista Hotel

View Larger Map

Kilometer 60, Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway Tagaytay City 4120, Philippines

Book Taal Vista Hotel online via Agoda.com

Landline: +63 46 413 1225

Mobile: +63 (917) 809-1254

Taal Vista Hotel Website: www.taalvistahotel.com

Taal Vista Hotel Twitter: @taalvistahotel

Taal Vista Hotel Facebook: facebook.com/taalvistahotel

Check out my blog post about Taal Vista Hotel.

The developers only hired the best engineers to build and operate the Sky Eye.  It is overlooking the Taal Volcano and the Taal Lake.  During the day, you get to enjoy a nice view of the lake.  At night time, you get to see city lights and a romantic view of Tagaytay.

Apart from this, they also have horseback riding by the Riding Loop area at P250 for 30 mins.  They are still building restaurant venues and other facilities.  There’s ample parking in front of the park, but if you’re staying at Taal Vista Hotel, it’s just a 5-minute walk!

Entrance and other Fees at Sky Fun at Sky Ranch Tagaytay:

• Entrance   P100
• Sky Eye              P150
• Super Viking     P100
• Mini Viking        P50
• Wonder Flight   P50
• Carousel            P50
• Express Train    P50
• Red Baron         P50
• Nessi Coaster   P50
• Horeseback Riding P250 for 30 mins

You can also rent Gazebos!

Sky Ranch Tagaytay

 

Sky Eye

Cotton candy colors by sunset time

Mandatory selfies

Painting colors on the Tagaytay landscape

Group photo!

Mandatory solo pic!

Carousel

Sky Viking

eeek! 207 ft high!

The fog dillutes the hue

Inside the Sky Eye

Also read:

Sky Ranch Tagaytay

Sky Fun Facebook: facebook.com/skyfunpark

Operating hours: 3:00pm to 10:00pm

Sky Eye, Sky Fun, Sky Ranch Location:

Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City (Beside Taal Vista Hotel)

Book Taal Vista Hotel online via Agoda.com

Taal Vista Hotel is a landmark by itself.  It has been around since 1939 with a very rich story behind it.  The owner would usually go to a specific spot in this once-then an empty lot and it would allow him to think, be calm and be inspired.  It came to a point where he bought the land area and built this hotel with one of the most breathtaking view of the Taal Volcano and the Taal Lake.

There are many other places that will give you a nice view of the Taal Lake in Tagaytay, but Taal Vista’s is quite vast and spacious.  You will have plenty of space to take selfies, group shots, etc!  It is frequently a site for shoots, pre-nups, garden weddings and other events.

It’s a romantic place for couples, great place for families, and fully-equipped facilities for conventions.

Lunch Buffet upon our arrival at Taal Vista Hotel

Guava Gelato

This was one of the highlights of our lunch!  They also serve siniguelas ice cream which was also surprisingly good!  Match the gelato with baklang saba banana crisp and you’re good to go!

Guests were invited to participate in dancing the tinikling!

When you have lunch at Taal Vista, you will be treated with a cultural show by the Bughaw Dance Group.

Group shot after eating!  We all got happy bellies!

Cozy room with the lake view! My home away from home!

Book Taal Vista Hotel online via Agoda.com

5 star facilities and service.

The view from our balcony

The beautiful view inside our room.  We had fruits and flowers for positive energy ^_^

in the afternoon, we went for a nice R&R time at Asmara Spa

Asmara Spa at Taal Vista Hotel is open from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm on weekdays (Sunday to Thursday) and 10:00am to 12:00mn on weekends.

Massage and other services range from P1,000 to P3,000.

Asmara Spa list of services and prices here.

A few minutes of walking, (or driving if you lazy!), is the new Sky Ranch

more details on a separate blog post!

The fog dillutes and distributes the color to the sky! 😛

Our dinner was just a great surprise!

I was admiring this romantic dinner set-up, thinking it was prepared for someone who was trying to propose… but, this was our dining table 😛

The weather was perfect!  It fogged a bit at some point, but the weather and the wind was just right!

Group photo: Matt, Me, Ro, Rica and Jo

Our dinner

Appetizer/Salad:  Marinated Smoked Salmon with Mango Tomato Salsa and Crisp Salad

Soup:  Fire Roasted Pumpkin Cuppuccino with Cinnamon Cream Broth

Main Course:  Duo of US Beef and Prawns with Potato Risotto and Grilled Vegetables

Dessert:  Warm Chocolate Erruption with Gelato Ice Cream

Do you want to experience this quite fancy dinner?

You can actually do!  Just call Taal Vista Hotel (contact details below) and request for this.  For whatever purpose it may be: to propose to your SO (special someone), to impress a business client, to celebrate with family etc… Taal Vista will help you!

Matt and me, with Chef Edwin V. Santos

Chef Edwin is my favorite chef to date, it is really obvious that he loves preparing food, even grows it in the private garden of Taal Vista Hotel!  He spent time talking with us and overall, he is just a really happy person <3 his energy is contagious – maybe also why the food he prepares is more delicous!

Clubbing in Tagaytay

and… we dressed up a little at night to Party at the Ridge!

It’s the place to be every Saturday night when you’re in Tagaytay as they invite club DJs, in partnership with Republiq.

I have been looking for something like this in Tagaytay for years and I’m happy to know there’s a bar/club place you and your friends can go to in Tagaytay!

That concluded our day 🙂  Coming up next, Day 2 at Taal Vista Hotel, tour of the hotel grounds and surprisingly more activities you and your loved ones would enjoy ify ou stay over.

Taal Vista Hotel Gallery by FlairCandy

Book at Taal Vista Hotel now!

Also read:

Taal Vista Hotel – Flair Weekend Getaways (Day 2)

Sky Ranch Tagaytay: Sky Eye and Sky Fun Amusement Park

Taal Vista Hotel Map and Directions

from SM Megamall to Taal Vista Hotel

View Larger Map

Kilometer 60, Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway Tagaytay City 4120, Philippines

Book Taal Vista Hotel online via Agoda.com

Landline: +63 46 413 1225

Mobile: +63 (917) 809-1254

Taal Vista Hotel Website: www.taalvistahotel.com

Taal Vista Hotel Twitter: @taalvistahotel

Taal Vista Hotel Facebook: facebook.com/taalvistahotel

I’m sure you all went to the beach, the mountains, spend it with family and what not. But, I also know that a few of you, needed to work on the Holidays? Isn’t that right? I am no exception! I had a few paperworks and write-ups over the Holy Week.

But, Saturday came and I’m finally free!  So, I wanted to drive some place to surf.  According to magicseaweed.com, West Side isn’t happenin’ and East Side of the Philippines got some decent swell.  I couldn’t drive to Baler or Bagasbas coz I heard it will take quite some time… and I lack sleep because I’ve been doing a marathon for Breaking Bad.

Anyway, my next option was Real, Quezon.  A new acquaintance who I met through one of our surf trips in Liwa, told me that he goes frequently to Real.  He said it takes 2 hours. — 2 hours what??!?! I drove for 3-4 hours!  The trip was longer than I expected, it was full of zigzags.  I had to drive at night on our way back home – dark, no street lights.  But I found it quite relaxing, I drove windows down, with music on full blast!

Stoked with my banana board.

It’s a 6’10” but it’s not really your typical short board.  It’s short, but you can ride it like a long board and pick-up waves at will.    It works for both big and small riders.  It’s manoeverable and easy to paddle

Map from SM Megamall to The Park, Real, Quezon

View My Saved Places in a larger map

zoom in and zoom out 😉

Location:

The Pacific Recreation Park or The PaRK, Real Quezon

Km 115, Bgy Tignoan, Real, Quezon

Real Quezon Surf Spot review

• Waves – decent and clean, consistent (for a msw forecast of 2-4 ft.)
• Crowd – for Holy Week season – not crowded at all (line-up at least, but there were a lot of other people swimming, camping
• Facilities – Could be improved, outdoor showers weren’t working, too few toilets
• Activities – Surfing, river rafting, camping and other beach sports
• The drive – smooth roads from Ortigas Ave ext., 2-laned, but really dangerous because of a lot of zigzags and curves so you have to be careful.  I was averaging 40 kmph to  60 kmph on the curves and was only running at 80 kmph because of tricycles, and it was pretty dark at night
• Travel time: 3 – 4 hours
• Restaurants and dining areas: this I didn’t have any chance to explore.  They have a store that might prepare pancit canton and other stuff for you but as for real restaurant, haven’t chanced seeing any in this area.  So I guess it’s best to say, bring baon if you need to.  I didn’t need any because I went on an afternoon trip
• Accommodations: I did a day trip so I never got to experience this.  They do offer overnight stays at affordable rates.

The Pacific Recreation Park or The PaRK, Real Quezon

Entrance Fees

• Adults – P35 (day), P50 (overnight)
• Kids – P20 (day), P35 (overnight)

Open Cottages

• Medium for 10 pax – P400 (day), P600 (overnight)
• Large 20 pax – P700 (day), P900 (overnight)

Tents

• Tent Pitching (personal tent) – P50
• Tent Rental (2-3 pax) – P300

Guesthouse

• Rooms [3] (2 to 3 pax) – P1,000
• Sala 2nd Floor (10 pax) – P1,500
• Porch w/sink and toilet – P1,500
• Whole house – P5,000

Facilities

• Open Area for Recreation Activities
• Basketball, Woodball, Lawn Bowling, Speedminton
• Bonfire & Cooking Areas

Contact: 

Teody Villaflor

Mobile: +63.920.924.6102

Email: pacificrecreationkamp@gmail.com

River rafting

Water resistant, beach speakers I brought with me for review 😉

Only two of us in the line-up, the rest are swimmers

My bum says “Hello World!”

Rest

Sunset at Real

My name is Hannah Villasis, and I am addicted to surfing.  Check all of my surfing blog posts here.

picture by Philippe Villareal and Cheryl of LittleRunningTeacher.com

There was a time when I would surf every week for 3 months.  All my savings went to surf trips.  It was a whole lot of fun… I WAS BROKE haha!  I do sound like a legit addict.  I got busy though and I had to forego surfing to earn real bucks travel and stuff.

The sea has been calling me lately.  I do think that I’m a mermaid or a gypsy in my past life.  I just love to travel and I love the ocean especially.

You know what, I just realized that I don’t have to spend so much on surfing anymore.  I can just drive 3 hours to Zambales, stay at a cheap hostel that fits my budget and worry about nothing else – just fun, surf, swim oh and a whole lot of art and friends!

Oh thank heavens for The Circle Hostel.

It’s not your ordinary accommodation.  Here, you don’t get a fancy room with A/C, TV, fridge and all the fancy things a regular hotel room offers.  Nope none of that.  But let me tell you something, it was an experience that surely brought out the best in me.

 It’s not your usual hotel accommodation, but it definitely has its charm!  It is ranked high on TripAdvisor as well!

Typical budget for overnight (including gas or bus fare, accom, food, etc) – P1,000!

This was my bunk bed. It was surprisingly comfortable!

I often sleep alone at my solo apartment – it was quite lovely to share this huge cabana with friends and new acquaintances!

If you’re iffy about your belongings, they have a locker for you 🙂

An alternative to the luxury you get from a regular hotel accommodation is nature, art, fresh air and new friends.  On our stay at the Circle Hostel, I didn’t even get to use my gadgets!  Poor iPad – I never touched it at all.  It’s a shame how we have so much to enjoy in this world – and they’re free.

– The smile of a stranger

– The laughter of friends

– The air that we breath

– The sea that gives us a good ride

– Creativity through art and painting

– Good food

– and awareness of our body through Yoga and meditation

It’s also amazing how you can create a game out of throwing a plastic disk – Ultimate Frisbee time!  My glutes were activated so badly, they were swollen the next day – good work out! I should do this more often!

I brought my hoop to take a few videos of me hooping by the beach – just for vanity’s sake really.

I can share with you my experience about this place all I want but bottom line is, you need to experience it for yourself 🙂  Spread and share the love!

First-time surfer Cheryl got some good rides! woohoo!

The Circle Hostel Contact Details

Email: thecirclehostel@gmail.com, lu@thecirclehostel.com, zambales@thecirclehostel.com

Website: www.thecirclehostel.com

Twitter: @thecirclehostel

Cel: zambales 09178611929, la union 09178326253

Facebook: facebook.com/thecirclehostel

The Circle Hostel Directions and Location: https://www.facebook.com/thecirclehostel/notes

The Circle Hostel, Zambales Accommodations

Bunk bed: P350 / night includes bananas and toast for breakfast

Hammock: P250 / night includes bananas and toast for breakfast

The Circle Hostel, La Union Accommodations

Bunk bed: P400

Hammock: P300

Mommy Phoebe’s Place, Sitio Liwliwa, San Felipe, Zambales

Contact no.: 09173200700 and 09185458007

Surfboard rentals: P200 per hour

Surf instructor: P200 per hour

His name is Garfield and he lives to the song of Bruno Mars

translated to lolcat language:

“Ohai! Todayzzzz I dun feel like doin anyyything”

“Me juz wanna layzzz in my bedzzzz!!!”

The girls are ready to surf!

\

Vanity shots by the artful rock cubes!

Okay fine! It looks better without my face in the photo!

POSERS!  There weren’t any big waves on our first day, except for some little bumps by the river mouth good enough for the beginners.

Thank you Nivea and Watsons for this awesome SPF spray! It’s water proof and when you’re super in a rush to get on that surf just spray away!

Easy application – especially when you need to retouch some sun protection!

Once again, thank you to Watsons PH for this Water and Sweat (coz I’m a sweaty one) resistand SPF 50 sun block!

This is best applied 20 minutes before basking in the sun.

Oh and thank you Celeteque for the awesome after-sun gel!

Everyone in the team loved using this after getting a little burn from the sun

Eli loves it so much he wants to drink it for sustenance! Crazy guy Eli >.<

Chow time!!! Our meals – homecooked with love by Mommy Phoebe’s

Here’s the facade of her humble canteen

This was where we had our meals because we were a big group!

Team WhenInManila!

Thank you foor the good food!  We felt so at home 🙂

My favorite!  I couldn’t get enough of this!

I forgot to ask where they got the garlic longanisa – it was yummy!

Sunset by Liwa beach, Zambales

Thank you Sanuk for these cute designed play cards!

We had a fantastic night playing card games and random games

Thank you Raf of The Circle Hostel for hosting our games and drinks!

Here’s another cute kitty from Mommy Phoebe’s place.

Everyone was doing their own thing in the beach – surfing, skim boarding, swimming, chillin’, frisbee, sunset photography etc…

It was quite a relaxing sight!

‘Til the next surf trip!

Backpacker surfing, backpacker accommodations, Zambales, Liwliwa, Liwa, San Felipe, The Circle Hostel, Circle Hostel, Budget accommodations, hostel in zambales,

Coming back to Manila, I experienced the worst traffic situation ever. It’s already the holiday season and I’m expecting it to get worse.

I’ve been ranting on Twitter and Facebook saying I couldn’t take this traffic anymore. I go to work and it just hurts my eyes and I get constant headaches. It is very uncomfortable. We need a better solution. I came up with ideas about passing a bill to the Senate (if ever I get elected as a congresswoman which is unlikely) called “Work from home Fridays.” But then again, the traffic would just be diverted to Thursday. or “Tax break” from companies who implement “work-from-home” policies.

I think it is unhealthy both for our body and in our time, to spend 2-4 hours of our life in a day with traffic.

It’s just not the way to live.

But then again, I know our government and MMDA has been thinking of a lot of solutions already and though they might have though of my ideas, I know there’s a butterfly effect on a lot of things.  Tax breaks would affect other companies, even the mamang drivers would be deprived of their livelihood, and so on and so forth.

Moving out of Manila

My second solution is to move out of Manila. I thought of going back to Bacolod. BUT HEY!!! I CAN’T! I need access to a huge airport hub to take me to many places I want to and I want to go to cool events here in Manila too!

Next best bet is to go a bit farther not close enough that I could still drive an hour away to Manila.

Sizzlin’ Manila

Literally. It’s so hot here! I keep on wanting to go to Tagaytay just to get a cool breeze. I love natural cold breeze btw and not the one that comes out of an air conditioning unit – it makes my nose suffer from rhinitis.

Thank you Skyway and awesome highways!

I don’t mind paying extra just to avoid traffic.

Living in Batangas Perhaps?

Why not? It’s near the beach, that I love 🙂 Near The Farm, Mount Malarayat, Puerto Galera and many diving sites. I heard there’s also a surf spot in the area.

Lipa City comes in mind where it is among the most progressive cities in Batangas.

• Lipa is only an hour away from Makati
• Accessible via SLEX and Star Tollway
• 24-hour bus transport system available from EDSA Cubao and Buendia

Bel-Air Residences

Oh yeah, I’m an adult, and soon I’m going to buy my own house. I am considering this area as one of the places I’ll stay. Apart from the amenities I listed down above, Bel-Air residences has more to offer:
– Walking distance to SM, Lipa
– At the center of Business and Social Activity
– Beside Fiesta Mall and across a school
– Weather is generally COOL (BIG PLUS!!!) because this area is elevated at 1025 ft above sea level (known to be the third highest place in the Philippines)

On top of that,
– I can save on travel cost.

• I can find work or open a business in the area
• Amenities available like basketball courts (the big boys need this), a jogging path for me, a playground for kids (in the future), barbecue area, multiple parks, a pool where I can do my card, a lanai, gazebo and Club House.

• Near schools such as Stoneyhurst International School, Nazareth School, Mc Kinley International School, Kolehiyo ng Lungsod ng Liba and De Lasalle, Lipa.
• It is also close to established hospitals like Lipa Medix medical Center and metro Lipa Medical Center
• Walking distance from major malls: SM Lipa, Fiesta Mall, Robinsons mall, Big
  and more

Choices of House Units

Your choices of house units range from townhouses to two-storey units with floor areas as big as 55 to 165 sq. meters, all designed under the concept of “Modern Zen” architecture. Clubhouse and Entrance Gates are designed and conceptualized by renowned architect, Arch. Ed Ledesma.

Townhouses

2-Storey Houses

House and lot with a garden area for my bunnies to hop into 🙂

Celebrity Homes

Lipa is also a fast becoming choice of celebrities as in the case of Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzales, Boy Abunda and Vilma Santos.

Bel-Air Residences in Lipa is developed by Convergence Realty and Development Corporation.

Bel-Air Residences Brings You To Bohol and Boracay!

 Bel-Air Residences Lipa, Batangas and Nuffnang invite you to join “At Home in the Philippines” contest and win a chance to a vacation in Bohol or Boracay! The contest is open to all member bloggers of the Nuffnang Network with at least one (1) valid ad unit. Contest period is from November 16 to December 16, 2012.

Check out this link for more details:
http://blog.nuffnang.com.ph/2012/11/16/bel-air-residences-at-home-in-the-philippines-blogger-contest/

Contact Bel-Air Residences at 0922-8733060; marketing@condev.com.ph; (043)7574210; www.belairresidenceslipa.com

*This is a sponsored post for Bel-Air Residences

CONCLUSION: Great function at reasonable price!

AEE Magicam Underwater and Sports Camera

I got a chance to review the new AEE Magicam underwater and sports camera.  It’s less known to the public than GoPro here in Manila, but after using it, I conclude that it’s a pretty good contender.

Pricing is not yet set here in the Philippines since it is new but it will soon be available in Pixel Pro.  It should cost lesser than the GoPro and unlike GoPro which doesn’t include the LCD attachment in the initial purchase, this AEE does.  It also comes with more accessories included in the box such as the remote control, lcd monitor and extra battery pack.  For GoPro, you would have to buy these separately.

Mounting and Installation on a Surfboard

I installed everything myself! You need to buy an extra accessory for surf board mount.  GoPro uses suction tube, whereas AEE uses 3M adhesive.  Mind you, this adhesive is pretty strong.  It’s pretty safe especially if it’s new.  It comes with two parts so that in case one gets detached, you still have another one clinging to your camera.  Be sure to have that safety thread hold on 🙂

Installation was very easy.  Just make sure the board’s surface is dry, wax-free, dirt free.  Clean it well first before sticking the 3M mount.

Comes in 2 pieces, in case one part gets ripped. Unlike the suction where although secure, when it’s gone – it’s gone.

*thank you so much to Kristel for the photos above 🙂

AEE Magciam sports camera put to test (Surfing Video)

AEE Magicam SD21 Specs

• With LCD glass screen: real-time display various status
• External TFT display screen， real-time display video content or play recorded content
• With IP68 standard waterproof case, and the waterproof depth is 60 meters, two kinds of housing design
• Support setting, replay, delete ect. operations with connecting to 1.5″ TFT display screen
• With built-in dismountable high-capacity lithium battery, it can be re-charged
• HD video recording/photo snapping function with various models
• Self-time function with front indicator and timing recording
• Laser indicator function make record and snapshot easlier. 
• 1/3 inch CMOS sensor 8.0 Mega Pixels
• Recording MOV videos, to be directly played by PC or uploaded onto video websites
• Auto exposure, auto white balance, easy to operate;
• F/3.0 aperture, and support nightshot
• 10x Digital zoom
• 170°extra-large wide-angle lens
• Auto recording when acceleration occurring (function as the black box of the car) *optional
• Auto stand-by for power saving
• Supporting fast forward and fast rewind, and skipping of contents in the next segment (when connecting with TFT screen player)
• Supporting time setting (RTC function) and time superposition function;
• Supporting USB2.0;
• Built-in microphone, forming high-quality stereo voice recording effect
• HDMI output, AV-OUT function
• Support TF card (max. 64G)
• Build-in buzzer for sound indicator
• Photo 180 degree reversal function
• Low battery alert
• Memory capacity alert
• Wireless remoter (record, stop, photo snap, laser indicator)
• Various sport accessories, truly realizing the video recording of sports;
• Good seismic resistance;
• Support system: Windows 98SE/2000/Me/XP/Vista/Mac OS

Parameter List

• Pixel: 8.0M CMOS SENSOR(3200*2400)
• View Angle:170°
• Snap mode:3M(2048*1536)/5M(2560*1920)/8M(3200*2400) 
• Record mode:1080P 720P WVGA QVGA
• Frame rate:1080P/30fps 720P/30fps WVGA/60fps QVGA/30fps
• Record format: MOV(H.264 video compression)
• Snap format:JPEG
• Memory medium: Micro SD/MMC(Max 64GB SDHC)
• Store Consumption:(2GB SD card)  Snapshot3M(1900pcs) 5M(1160pcs) 8M(770pcs); Record:720P/60min, WVGA/135min
•  Display: LCD screen
• laser power:1MW
• digital zoom : 4x
• AV OUT :support NTSC/PAL VGA and HDMI 
• USB Jack:  USB2.0
• Microphone: Support Built in 2 Microphones
• Power consumption :500mA@3.7V(MAX) 
• Lithium battery :1000mAh
• Record time: 2.5h/ battery
• Operation system:  Windows XP SP2/Vista or Above/Mac OS. CPU:Pentium4  1.5GHZ above, RAM:1GB above 
• RTC function :support
• Store temperature : -20℃–60℃
• Operation temperature :  -10℃—50℃
• Operation humidity :  15~85%RH 

AEE Magicam vs GoPro Hero

I have also tried GoPro Hero  and by comparison,

• AEE seems sharper than GoPro.  Some experts say, it’s GoPro’s case design that ruins its sharpness and color.
• GoPro is wider than AEE. Some experts say, too wide – too distorted and they’d rather have AEE.

for video testing side-by-side between the two cameras, check this out:

As for AEE Magicam, it gives sports and film enthusiasts an an option with great function, quality at a very reasonable price 🙂 

AEE Magicam will soon be sold at Pixel Pro branches in Manila.

Follow them on Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/pixelproinc

Comparison Chart between AEE and GoPro Cameras

*click to enlarge chart