Leap! Leap! Hooray!

Hanggang ganito na lang ba tayo? Update tuwing end of the month? What happened to updating at least once a week? I miss that. But as we all know, real life got in the way. But come to think of it, kung wala si Real Life, wala naman ako maisusulat dito. So, vamos a empezar!

Let us do away with the bad news first. I gained weight. Frakkit. Well, I sort of already knew I would judging from all the eating out and mocha frap for dessert. This is a dilemma because I know I should stop overindulging, however, food makes me happy... like cheese ♥

Now, the good stuff that happened the remainder of the Looooove Month:

♥ Reunited with Lola Y. Life updates over eat-all-you-can buffet, over churros dessert after the buffet, over Lola Y's quest for comfortable, office-proper ballet flats. It really feels good to know that no matter the time spent apart without talking and no matter how far the distance, everything still remains the same. Albeit I do miss having them near- yung tipong I can invite them out whenever I feel like watching a movie.

♥ So okay, I'm a sorta-closet Sarah Geronimo fan. I don't deny it but I don't broadcast it also. I actually saw her concert in Araneta last December hihihi ☺ And some time this month, I also went to see her album launch. AD had tickets and I'm really a fan and I wanted to bring PA to the launch so she can see Sarah up close, so we went.

PA had her CD signed by Sarah and that's another item off her bucket list, thanks to moi (and AD). Sana lang talaga magpakabait na siya.

♥ I witnessed a proposal. This was my first time ever to witness one. Hindi ko lang sila kilala but still, I got to witness it. I'm already part of their history, nyahaha! AC has tickets for The Madrigal Singers concert in CCP and at the end of the performance, one of the members proposed marriage to another member of the group. Ang sweet ☺

I know, I know... we weren't supposed to take pictures inside the theater but this moment
has to be documented

Dinner by the bay after. I took this picture of the bay:

breathtaking.
as in bawal huminga.
but kidding aside, this view is very pretty imho

♥ My Kendall 2.0 case and tempered glass protector finally arrived! It was AD's Christmas gift for me. We wanted to try the LBC facility wherein you order online then have the items shipped to the LBC facility in California then they'll ship it to your Philippine address. Neat, huh? It's a little pricey lang cos you have to pay for shipping twice. But before we bought online, we scoured every tiangge and gadget store. AD found one in a store in UP Town Center but costs around P2,000.00. Eh for that price, I already have a case (in my favorite color, no less, meaning I don't have to settle for what's available), a tempered glass screen protector plus shipping!

♥ Meeting Cardinal Rosales

♥ Lunch with IC friends before J goes to NZ. It was a fun, fun day out with friends. Unfortunately we weren't complete at that time. It would've been more fun if every one were in attendance.

♥ So AC is addicted to OTWOL. As in. Closet pa siya pero OMG, everything she does during her free time has something to do with the series or James and Nadine. So anyway, we went to the Coke event last Saturday, thinking that the OTWOL stars will be there since they're Coke's newest endorsers.

view from the (medyo) top

While AC was waiting for her latest kinababaliwan, I was excited for Up Dharma Down and Spongecola ☺ I took videos but I don't know if I can upload them on YouTube. Each video is at least 400mb.

Some time after Up Dharma Down's set and before Spongecola, we had dinner. We tried Black Canyon Coffee and to be honest, I was a little excited because it's Thai cuisine ☺ We had Pad Thai and New Orleans Chicken Wings and Chicken sandwich. AC had coffee and I had Thai Iced Tea with milk.

Umm... it was okay. I liked the Pad Thai but the chicken was very ordinary. I also liked my Thai Iced Tea.

Sooo I can't get it the videos on YouTube. It's late and I'm getting hungry again. I should end this and go to sleep now. Have a happy month of March, everyone!

P.S. James and Nadine weren't in the show,

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.

2016 Reading Challenge: Golden

As you can see I'm on a roll. Hahaha. Nako two years in a row na akong hindi naka-meet ng Goodreads goal ko and I did much worse this 2015 than 2014. Not good. So now that I have more free time, I should read as much as I can. I am determined to read 50 books this year. So without further ado, this year's second book, Golden by Jessi Kirby.

I liked it but not liked it liked it, if you know what I mean. You know my issue with these YA heroines, they always think they've got it figured out and blame the adults why everything is messed up (well, most probably it's the adults fault that these kids are messed up) but really, when you're 17, 18 or 20, you have a very limited point-of-view. And no, love is not the answer to everything.

So Parker is up for a full scholarship which will pay for her four-year Stanford schooling. She just needs to write her speech for the scholarship dinner where the panel will decide to whom they will award it. But during one of her extra-curricular activities, she encounters the journal of one of the students that has been missing and presumed to be dead. The students were supposed to answer the question, What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? She finds out things which I think sort of inspired her to go all carpe diem and let go of the scholarship she worked hard almost all her life. At that moment, gusto ko siyang kalbuhin, krompalin at hindi pa ako ang nanay niya sa lagay na yan. Can you just imagine how her mother felt at that time? So maybe she realized she doesn't really want to be a doctor but can't she, like, use that scholarship on a different course? So I liked the book except for that little shocker.

In fairness to her, it wasn't because of a boy.

Speaking of the boy, I liked that little diversion. Bitin but I guess their story wasn't the main angle in all this. Although all the time I was thinking that even if get together towards the end of the book, they'll be off doing their own thing when the new school year starts and they'll be apart. For me, sayang lang those six years that they could've been together because apparently, the feeling is mutual.

So yeah I liked it but, again, I'm not very crazy with Parker's decision.

2016 Reading Challenge: The Gray Wolf Throne

I'm back! It's been almost three months since wrote anything on this blog. I was that busy, believe it or not. And I am not complaining. Busy means business, haha. I still have projects this January which is a great way to start the year but of course it wasn't as crazy as the holiday season that had just passed. Which finally leads me to my good news- I finally have a new Kindle! Huzzah ☺ My sister gifted me a new one, a Kindle Fire I named Kendall 2.0. I would have preferred the non-tablet type mainly because of its looooong battery life. Kendall 2.0 now lasts 2 days if I read non-stop. The trade-off is that I can read in the dark. Ang Kindle parang life lang, hindi puedeng walang trade-offs. Ha.

And one of the first things I did when production wasn't as crazy anymore, I started reading again. First book for the new year was Book 3 of The Seven Realms series- The Gray Wolf Throne.

I am in love with this series. Too bad there is only one book left in it. I love how all the characters are not annoying, of course except for the antagonists who were really supposed to be hated. Even Cat Tyburn turned out okay.

This book is just the perfect blend of everything. And look, it even has a cute love story in it which is my cup of tea hihihi ☺ It's actually taking Han and Raisa forever to get together but now that is Raisa is Queen of the Fells, it has gotten more complicated. Since the Breaking, the queen cannot marry a wizard, if I remember it correctly, and Han is a wizard. If Raisa can't marry Micah for that reason, she also can't marry Han. But I believe that there will some kind of revolution in Book 4 which will involve Alger Waterlow that will change the rules of the game.

Actually, Book 3 left us with a lot of hanging issues which could be source of Book 4's conflicts. First is the killings of the wizards which I feel could be linked to Lord Bayar (but I could be wrong cos why would he kill his own kind?) and second, the scorned Gerard Montaigne of Tamron who will do anything to achieve his goal.

See, I am not really good at this summarizing my thoughts. Wala naman talaga kayong nakuha dito. I really have to spiffy up my "book report" writing abilities. Anyhoo, excited to find out what happens in Book 4 and if Raisa and Han lives happily ever after but I have this urge to put off reading the book because I don't want it to end just yet. Sa tamang panahon... Haha.

Holler.

I have a confession to make- I slept at 4 am watching the AlDub concert on YouTube. No denying the pair has chemistry but I still am baffled as to the HUGE popularity of their loveteam. I tried watching the Kalyeserye chuva online cos I really want to get what all the fuss pero parang hindi ko talaga siya ma-gets. My cousin who watches this religiously said that you'd have to watch it from the start to 'get it.' After watching the concert last, I think I just might. Haha!

***

Remember my friend who died last June? Her father also died just last week. Very sad news and I'm affected because I also knew him and he's my father's friend, too. This friend of mine, we were not very close but we were neighbors and she's my client too so we still get to talk to each other once in a while. Her death was so sudden and that's when you suddenly feel that life is really short. Ako, feeling ko hindi ko kaya when my parents will leave us and it is not a matter of if but when. I love life but I don't think I can handle such heartache and so I would always prefer to leave this world before any of my parents do. But now I'm changing my mind. I don't want to be selfish. I don't want to subject my parents to such heartache. After what happened to Mang Raul, I don't think I'd want my parents to undergo such sorrow.

Ang lungkot. I feel sad, most especially for the wife. Two losses in a year, plus she has to stay strong for the grandchild. I will include them in my prayers. There's a reason for everything. I hope this family find their silver lining.

***

Joining two bazaars this year- high five to me! I'm excited but at the same time SO scared about it- scared that I won't recover and ROI on my investment, scared that I won't be able to meet the demand. I'm just praying that I'll be able to sell everything and more! Natatakot ako cos my pouches aren't here yet :( Packaging is a big factor and my philosophy this year: meron lang only if they ask. Kami rin kasi nangagarag. Kaya in my pictures I didn't include the pouches. But I hope and pray I still get to sell plenty this year :) This is for New York 2016 (totoo na talaga 'to, hehe).

***

Two of my friends have been abroad this month and that means... pasalubong!

stash from Europe

stash from Thailand

Huzzah! I can't wait to try the loofah soap and also can't wait to make my own loofah soap :)

I also bought craft supplies from Deovir. Waaah! I will post my harbat next time together with my projects. I spent almost 700 worth of craft supplies in a heartbeat, without thinking... eh I couldn't get myself to buy a pair of flats from Payless. Priorities. Ha.

So there pader. And that's what's up with me lately. Not much, I know but that's how I roll. Pizzout.

Wanted: Good TV Series To 'Ship Anew

I used to loooooove fall cos it meant my favorite TV series are coming back with a new season. Ah, those were the days. But most of the series I loved so dearly were already canceled or have already concluded. Boo. I don't think I'll be watching Scandal's last season- boring na. And also Bones has become, um, I don't know, it's just that aside from the crime-solving aspect of the show I've had it with the characters' lives's stories. They're now all happy and have settled down- where's the drama? The kilig? Wala na eh. 

Ergo, Scream Queens. Just finished watching episode 5 and I'm still undecided whether or not to watch episode 6. A little contrived if you ask me. If ever I decide to continue watching, it's because it sort of reminds me of the whole Gossip Girl dynamics.

The Queen Bee

and her minions

but Chanel Oberlin isn't Blair Waldorf. Blair's minions want to be like her but they don't want to overthrow her. Chanel's minions want to be her as in get rid of her and take her place. But you get what I mean by the Gossip Girl dynamics thing. 

And this guy reminds me of Dan Humphrey...

during his curly, feeling-bad-ass days which is not a good thing. Man, why no eye candy? 

I think I'm just going to re-watch Gossip Girl, Smallville and Dawson's Creek this production season. 

2015 Reading Challenge: The Elite

It's been a while since I last posted a book (non) review. I've been busy with "production" and my handy dandy Kendall is not salvageable anymore so even in my downtime, I can't do any reading done. Well, sometimes I use my phone when I'm on the train but it's just not the same. Plus, the ereader app drains my phone's juice quickly. So anyway, for this I'm thankful for audiobooks :) I finished two audiobooks the past week HUZZAH! Now I'm only 13 books behind my goal.

I liked Kiera Cass's first book of The Selection series, The Selection and I thought well, I would definitely love the second book as well cos, love triangles. Haha. So I had my hopes up which I should have known better not to do.

The gist is from 35 "contestants," the number has been whittled down to six. Originally, America was only in it for the money and she also successfully formed an alliance with Prince Maxon being his "insider." Of course at that first meeting medyo gets ko na type ni Prince Maxon si America. She'd feed him information regarding the girls which made her sort of spend a lot of time with him which sort of made her eventually fall for the prince. America's now a member of The Elite.

To make things exciting, Aspen, America's boyfriend before the entered The Selection entered the army and is now stationed in the castle (castle nga ba?) and *surprise! surprise!* sometimes, outside America's room. How convenient.

So here's why I sort of didn't like The Elite as much as the first book. Everyone's so indecisive. America went into this thing all reluctant and just after a few months, she begins to fall for Maxon. Well that happens when you're cooped up inside a space without much interaction from anyone else- think PBB. When she's with Maxon, she feels she wants to spend the rest of her life with him; but, when she's with Aspen, she feels the exact same way with him. Anubeh.

The same goes with Aspen. He broke off with America so she'd enter The Selection, knowing fully well that means if ever America's wins the thing, they can never be together. So now here he is a member of the king's army, within the king's walls, near America, he decides to pursue her. Tapos ngayon magseselos- selos siya?

And Prince Maxon. Isa pang pabebe. Haha. I mean, if he likes America, why not choose her? He knows she also sort of likes her and while the poor prince doesn't know his rival is just around the corner (parang Christmas lang), he gets the upper hand in this situation. Why not decide, once and for all, to choose America so they can live happily ever after? It's so easy for Aspen to fade into the background once he chooses America. America only remembers Aspen when she's with him. Eh kung bakuran na ni Maxon, wala na yun.

So I'm frustrated. Lahat sila urong-sulong. Nevertheless, I still will read The One. Tingnan nga natin ano ba talagang pinaglalaban nila.