GV GV Lang

Hola! It's me, trying to update this blog as often as I can ☺ Done with the first week of July and I have to say it was pretty eventful and I was productive. I'm so proud of myself, nyahaha!

Last Saturday was our cousin's church wedding and we all had to don red outfits. Well, buti na lang Mommy bought me a red dress to wear (because I refuse to shell out moolah to buy something I wouldn't wear often- I'd rather buy that blouse in Uniqlo I've been eyeing and waiting to go on sale!), or else I would've worn the fuchsia dress we have. Everyone was game so everyone wore red (except the male members of the entourage who wore barongs) and I would've stood out like a sore thumb. Pero may naka-black pala. I guess she was not informed. Hehe.

Crystal shopping last Sunday with AC.

Bought a Himalayan salt lamp for the nail spa
+ an Amazonite bracelet

Now I have lotsa crystals ❤️ I have rose quartz I bought from a stall in Galle (doubting its effectiveness, actually), tiger eye, fire agate and jade bracelets, Amazonite and Aventurine stones- all from AC. Bought myself an Amazonite bracelet. Pikit-mata kong inabot ang bayad ko. Haha. And guess what? I just got myself an Ultimate Protection Bracelet and Citrine bracelets. Gaaahd this is so addicting. Last na 'to for the year, okay?

Also got to try three new restaurants just this month ☺

Reunion dinner with A and with M who's back from London. We ate at Wholesome Table in Estancia Mall. Yummy food. Gaaahd, that cheese! Although I have to say it wasn't really filling. I had to eat pa pansit when I got home.

The second new eats haven I've tried was The Brgr Project with AC after we went crystal shopping. These were what we ordered:

No photo of the buffalo wings. Yummeh food ☺ AC found it expensive- our bill was almost 700. But we ordered a lot so I guess sakto lang. Plus, I remember paying almost the same amount in Sweet Ecstasy for fewer items. Also, I got a little overwhelmed when ordering our burger. Andaming choices at palabok. We settled for the classic cheeseburger.

Eats haven #3 was also located along Maginhawa street- Caution Hot! AC and I noticed the long line outside the shop when we went crystal shopping a few days before. It was AD who suggested we eat lunch (at 3pm!!!) there. And... ahlavet! Eh wala naman ata akong hindi nagustuhan haha

AC and I split a bowl of beef asam laksa. We also had pork dumplings and Oolong Milk Tea. It was bliss, I tell you ☺ I actually preferred AD's order of pork classic broth but the laksa was scrumptious as well. I'll definitely be back.

Had an Alabang trip with V last Friday to deliver a rush order. It was fun at first, but then I had this debilitating headache. I was asleep almost the entire time on our way home. Nagising na lang ako malapit na sa bahay, we were along Floodway actually when V said in a surprised manner, 'Ay nahulog!' We saw a man who got up from the pavement with blood running down the sides of his mouth. Akala ko naka-motor eh wala ako nakitang motor. The man fell from a moving jeep. I doubt he's drunk cos I guess an intoxicated person can't get up that fast from the floor. I just wish he's in good condition, walang broken bones whatsoever.

I made another delivery yesterday ☺ I scheduled the said delivery in Glorietta because my IC friends and I were supposed to have brunch in Benny's. Eh na-postpone. So I just went supplies shopping. Eh di productive ☺Which reminds me to remind J if I should ship her order tomorrow.

I feel so blessed and I'm ever so grateful! Kung payat lang sana ako, perfect life na! Haha :P Anyhoo, here's my latest...

GRATITUDE LIST:

• Crystals Alongside prayers, I am also harnessing the power of the crystals to make the odds more favorable. Happy to have found a trustworthy supplier of effective crystals. 
• Holidays Cos I got to spend time with my sisters and my nephews, albeit short- quality naman. Quezon Memorial Circle with C and the 2 boys came here last Monday. 
• Eats Haven New discoveries to make my bilbil happier 
• Orders It really is fulfilling when people I don't know tell me they love my products ☺ One customer told me my soy candles are at par with the ones she bought in Rockwell and another customer said she looooves my peppermint alcosprays. 
• Being accepted in that bazaar Well, every year I pray I get in (I'm around 95% sure they'll accept me, but of course there's still this nagging feeling na, 'what if hindi?' 
• And joining four bazaars this year ☺ Mejo mahal cos I have to pay in advance the space rental. I just pray that I can recover these costs and I hope and pray even with a lot of competition sa tabi-tabi, I still get to sell a lot of my stuff. Sana ako pa rin ang favorite nila.

So life is good right now, maybe except for the nail spa who's not doing too good these days. May dark forces at work daw, but I hope the salt lamp will do it's work. It's supposed to be anti-evil, for protection and can cleanse the energy of a space. Also, someone advised I should light incense sticks in every corner. Gagawin ko yan. Hindi ako susuko. 

Cheers to the first ten days on July! Hoping for a more productive and for more lucrative days ahead of us ☺ 

I'm Back, Beeches!

I really miss doing this. I miss blogging about the daily grind, how uneventful my life is (it still is, by the way) but you know, life. And work. I guess it's actually a good thing that I don't have too much time to blog, haha. Although I wish I'd be quick in translating my thoughts into words.

First up, new restaurants I've tried ☺ Yes, my passion haha. Shet I'm so baboy. Anyway...

Tex-Mex

My first purchase from Tex-Mex- chicken quesadilla. I wasn't really expecting much but put two of my favorites together, cheese and cilantro, then I guess true love was bound to happen. I tried the beef one but they didn't put as much cilantro so I'm sticking to chicken next time I order. I was also able to try their chicken but when it comes to Mexican-style roast chicken, my heart belongs to Pollo Loco.

Paper Moon

Perdón the picture because as of late, it seems I do not have the patience to edit my pictures except when they were uploaded via Instagram. So AC and cousin and I tried Papermoon. I know I usually keep my expectations low but if people are lining up to buy something that costs that much for a slice, then it really must be good. I tell you, it's not. We tried the Original Mille Crepe at 225 per slice. 225! PER SLICE! Magma-mango Bravo na lang ako. But I guess I have to try their other flavors but based on their supposed bestseller, waley.

B&T Mexican Kitchen

Again, Mexican fudamchi. Delicious and reasonably-priced and portions are big enough to satisfy two, very hungry gluttons. I was expecting more cheese in the quesadilla though.

Casa Italia

Happiness is... two kinds of ice cream! If I remember correctly, I had After Eight (mint) and Swiss Mountain Chocolate. Because they say that ice cream is best eaten on a cone, I paid an additional P30 for the waffle cone. Good ice cream but man, I was not digging the cone :(

Seol hwa and Ho Bing

Gaaaahd. Bing su is my current addiction. Ang mahal lang but man oh man, I waaaant! The mango cheesecake bing su is love but sometimes their mango is a bit sour. Of course hindi maiiwasan na minsan may maasim na mango but I hope I'll always get the bowl with the sweet mangoes. I'm super in love with the mango flavored ones that I'm scared to try the other flavors for fear of being disappointed (and with that price per bowl, I want to be sure that I'll be able to satisfy the craving).

Halo-halo from Taal, Batangas

I hate halo-halo because I hate beans (blech!) but halo-halo, I looooove ♥ At first I was not too crazy about trying this halo-halo because of the aforementioned but since it was part of the itinerary and it was already paid for, what the heck. I was delighted and suprised ☺ I am actually craving for another one but alas, to get a glass would mean traveling all the way to Taal which is 2.5 to 3 hours away. And 500 pesos in gasoline and 700 in toll fees.

Which leads me to my Taal Escapade with friends ☺

What supposed to be a Pinatubo adventure turned into a Taal escapade and it was actually a nice experience. I totally had zero expectations for this trip plus organizing this trip had been very stressful for me (all that drama!) but thankfully, everything went well and what I was expecting to happen, didn't happen. It did but two days after and not on my watch so medyo okay lang haha.

After almost four hours on the road (na walang hingahan dahil hiniram ko lang ang bagong kotse nila V na wala pang plaka dahil hindi na daw kaya ng gulong ni Honda at ang magdri-drive ay ang pinsan kong self-confessed na nagzo-zone out while driving and it must have been a while since he has last driven), we were already in... Taal, Batangas (Philippines!!)

A little introduction upon arrival. We were toured around the host/guide's ancestral house

And lunch was served shortly ☺ LUNCH! I already forgot what we had because that was a more than a month ago and I really have bad memory and the only picture of the food that were served was this

Haha! Nahiya ako ng unti at gutom na talaga ako :P Lunch was delicious ☺ I don't remember what the dishes were called but my favorite was the pork one na parang adobo but I think that wasn't the adobo dish.

After lunch, we were off to the Villavicencio ancestral house.

Pamimintana was the favorite past time back in the days

What I love about old houses are the big windows. I love how people were so open and transparent before- I mean, you could literally see from your window what your neighbors were up to. Kung chismosa ka nga, marami kang masasagap. Haha! At feeling ko hindi pa masyado uso ang lamok dati.

We also went to the miraculous well of St Lucia

We also visited the home of Marcella Agoncillo, the maker of the Philippine flag.

and this picture was taken outside her house

It was under construction so we weren't able to go inside the house. It's okay. I am happy with how my pictures of the flag turned out. And oh I have a little trivia- Marcella Agoncillo had six daughters and none of them got married nor had children.

And speaking of old maids, I didn't know that many ladies remained single back then. Also, I didn't know that infertility was already a problem way, way back. Akala ko ngayon lang problema yan na people start families later in life. Apparently, people were already dealing with the problem even before.

Aaaaand... this is the Estacio house. This was where we had the best halo-halo I've ever had. Another trivia: this was where Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Romualdez slept (in separate rooms, mind you), when the ex-dictator was still wooing the first lady.

Beautiful house. I wonder how do they maintain
wood flooring that shiny?

And last in our itinerary was the Taal Basilica

View of the sunset from the Taal Basilica

Taal Basilica under a full moon
now wouldn't this view be so much nicer without those pesky power lines?

It's almost 3 am and I'm super sleepy already and I'm afraid if I don't post this today, I might not be able to post if ever, eh I want to share my pictures. Sayang. I could've posted and blogged about it when it was still fresh in my memory. Eh wala na. Memory gap. Tulad ng order na for delivery na dapat bukas at hindi ko pa nagagawa. Sorry at sabaw na talaga ako.

In a nutshell, the Taal tour was a nice experience. I enjoyed it and I reckon other history (chismis) buffs would, too. Now we have discovered another activity for our balikbayans to do cos seriously, Tagaytay's so last season. Nyahahaha.

Ilabas Niyo Ako Dito!!!

Speed bagal mode as always. RAWR. 

I'm supposed to email Christmas product emailer by tomorrow and guess what... I'm not yet done. It is essential that I wake up early tomorrow so I could start production early and get a lot of things done. That emailer has to be disseminated by October 15 (deadliest deadline, kumbaga). 

You see, I, too, am a social being. I need social interaction. So I am very easy to coax out of my bubble by friends and family when it comes to lakwatsa, well, maybe except if its crunch time. So when Jo texted that she's in Manila, I replied right away- that I'm free Friday ☺ Isasabay ko na ang "shopping" sa pleasure.

Lunch at this new ramen place in Lucky Chinatown, Ramen Kuroda.

Kuro Chashumen  aka Kyusyu Tonkotsu Garlic Flavor

gyoza

We were lucky to have stumbled upon the place just in time before most of the people swarmed into the newly-opened ramen place. Both of us ordered the Kuro Chashumen which is exactly the same as the Kuro Ramen except it has four (or five, I can't remember) slices of tonkotsu versus Kuro Ramen's one, measly piece of pork slice. With only a 50-peso difference, siempre we opted na for the one with more sahog. And of course, gyoza.

Ze verdict: umm, it was okay. I found the broth too rich to the point na nakakasuya na. Maybe what Jo and I could have done was order a bowl of ramen, gyoza and a rice meal with ulam. Even with gyoza in between spoonful (and chopstikicks) of ramen (and COKE!), hindi nawala yung umay. It was okay but there are other choices, I'd pick the other ramen places I've tried. 

And today (SUNDAY!), I asked mommy and AD to take me out, for the sake of my sanity ☺ I want to go somewhere that's not Megamall, Glorietta or Divisoria. We went to UP Town Center.

Original plan was lunch at Silantro but we were Number 15 in line which could mean lunch at 3pm, so we had to look for another. We ended up in Backyard Kitchen + Brew. Food was center-served, to share. I had no idea what AD ordered but here are some pictures

perdón the crappy image quality

I didn't like the chicken dishes we ordered. I liked the pork belly bbq dish and the salad with tinapa flakes achuchuchu. I should've ordered burger instead. Laging nasa huli ang pagsisisi. LOL.

Coffee after lunch, supposedly in our favorite coffee place but deviated a little from our usual and had coffee in St Marc's and AD ordered churros from La Lola. I feel like I've betrayed Sancho's, my original churrería place, by saying that La Lola has better churros than them. Sorry, Sancho! 

Best churros in the metro, so far. Although Casino Español's chocolate is richer and thicker. 

So ayan, paano pa ako papayat niyan? 

So my dear blog, I bid you adieu while I try to go to bed early. Early daw. Okay, fine. Baboo!

I Need A Vacation From My Vacation Pt.1

Hello there! It's been a while. I missed you, dear blog.

When AB arrived, I again assumed the role of her tail and followed her everywhere she went. I am not complaining, it's just that her schedule was exhausting. Walang pahinga! Day 1 we all went to Nuvali for a little staycation with the family.

First up upon arrival, we had lunch at Mama Lou's.

fried mozzarella sticks. pizza margherita. spaghetti con tuyo filleto.

Delicioso. But muy caro, as well. As the designated treasurer, I watched every peso get spent. Ang bilis bilis ng pera but I guess we work hard so we can enjoy the good things in life. That is what I need to come in to terms with- enjoying the fruits of my labor. Anyway, back to our family vacation.

home for the night

We stayed at Seda Hotel in Nuvali. I didn't bring any bathing suits because there's no way I am wearing a swimsuit in this state my body is in which is fat and usually swimming pools are strict with their "dress code." So pampang beauty ang drama ko.

perdon ze fugly feet with chipped polish

While the nephews enjoyed swimming, I enjoyed lounging around and when I got bored just watching them swim, I went up to our room and slept. Ang boring ko, no?

The next day, we took the kids to fish-feeding, still in Nuvali.

On our way home, we paid Auntie Madre a visit. Of course hindi kumpleto ang homecoming ni AB kung hindi magbibigay-pugay sa elders. I think we got lost on our way there- one of the few times na binigo kami ni Waze. Home at 8pm and we were all craving sleep on our own beds.

The next day, sabak na uli sa Meet & Greet ni AB. Lunch with our cousin at Balboa in Shangri-la.

now you see it...

now you don't *burp*

I wouldn't have tried Balboa on my own because I am not adventurous when it comes to trying out new restaurants and knowing that it's a little pricey, I wouldn't try it without any guarantee it'll be worth my moolah. Thanks to my cousin who suggested this place because their pizza was scrumptious ☺ Even their salad was yummy- anything with goat cheese, I looooove ♥

For dessert, we walked over to Megamall. Coffee and choco-cro at St. Marc Cafe.

Didn't like the texture of the croissant against the chocolate. I don't understand the fuss over it but to each his own, I guess. We ate again at this café with mommy and the other sisters and I ordered Egg Salsa that time and I loved it ☺ Now I have another favorite. Hooray to LDLs! Not.

After dessert with the cousin, we headed back to Shang for AB's Meet & Greet with her college friends. So it goes without saying, eating time again. Dinner was in Corazon and since I already posted about Corazon before, no more pictures and further che che boreche.

The next day I after a visit to the dentist (which left me disappointed because I had two cavities which had to filled in. But in fernez sa akin, five years after my legit visit to the dentist, I only had two cavities and my gums didn't bleed when I had my dental prophylaxis), accompanied AB to SM Aura for another Meet & Greet. Since it was a Friday, sweldo night, almost all restaurants were packed. We settled for Magnum Manila, which honestly, I didn't even know served real food apart from ice cream.  This was what they ordered-

I totally had no expectations so I was delighted and surprised when their food tasted yummeh! So yuuuuh, this is why I'm fat. Coffee afterwards at CBTL and after hitting jackpot the last time when I ordered Morrocan Mint Latte and they actually had it in stock, this time this particular branch didn't have it yet. I actually found it surprising that the whole time AB was here, we didn't go to Starbucks, not even once.

One of the reasons AB came home was Mommy's 70th birthday. We organized a small salu-salo for this milestone. We are very, very lucky that both our parents have reached this age and both are healthy ☺

Buti na lang they were very busy with entertaining her guests and with ballroom dancing, she forgot all about her "program." She wanted us to sing and dance and all that showing-off-of -talent stuff. I really hate standing before an audience, lalo na speaking and performing in front of an audience.

Food was yummy ☺ We also had lechon from Elar's- best lechon ever! I regret I did not make pamasaw as much as I wanted to but I guess that's a blessing in disguise na din since I do have fatty liver and I shouldn't be eating lechon actually. The party ended a little over 9pm. We have to go home and pack for our Palawan trip the next day.

I Need A Vacation From My Vacation to be continued...