13 Again

I feel like I'm 13 again. I'm quite excited to watch the Backstreet Boys tonight at the Araneta Coliseum. When I was 13 I really went crazy over these guys. Buying their tapes (yes tapes in casette and VHS) and would freak out every time I see them on MTV and would also record their videos especially the new releases.

I'm quite excited because I missed their last concert because of work. They may be one man down but I think that they could still give a good show tonight.

To all BSB fans out there..see you later and Let's Get Down!

Going MJ

My workstation is in a really bad spot so I ended up having to dance in front of the whole night shift. 

I had fun with the girls during practice. Our perfectionist manager Mangga kept pushing us harder. I think our outfit was cute too. We were more like sexy girl versions of Michael Jackson...we lacked the hat though but we had gloves...promise!

I think we danced well though. It just wasn't our night. Piah did her best in singing rock with you in front of the entire IBS.

I don't think I'll even dare to do this again unless I have a talent fee...hahaha. The good thing though was meeting new people and meeting new friends. Turns out I can still dance after all these years of being too sporty.

V day weekend

So I guess it's the first time ever I went out. Ever since I would just stay in our condo, order pizza and watch dvds until I'm asleep.

I'm quite lucky I found someone who I can enjoy so many things with. Somehow we are total opposites but in a way we don't clash but more like complement each other. I guess I'm lucky to fall for a friend and the risk he took to make a move is all worth it.  

So what exactly did we do last week? He picked me up from my condo first and we had lunch together at My Mother's Garden in Pasay. 

We had to go to Glorietta after since I need to have my glasses fixed and so we decided to hear mass already after roaming around for like an hour or 2.

Of course I made him drink wine and have tapas after. I just felt t was a good way to end the night.

I was quite touched he gave me flowers before we went home and also bought Royce Nama chocolates for my sisters. The first time a guy even considered by biatchy younger sisters. Choking gave him a hug when she saw the chocolates and Titit even wrote on his wall on facebook to thank him (I was surprised).

We went apartment hunting the next day with Johann and Kenneth. Glad to have my +2 with us the next day. We had lunch at Orchard Road in Megamall after. At dinner we visited his tita's place and had dinner and of course I can now cuddle Chow the chow chow and pet BF the Shi Tzu that's no longer a Shi Tzu.

So on the last night of our first month together. I'm just thankful to have Marlon with me. I said I would never be cheesy but you're making me cheesy. You have no idea... So here's to more that we can share over time. You make me happy.

Orchard Road

Since Johann and Marlon were apartment hunting in Mandaluyong one sunday, Johann insisted that we try out Orchard Road in Megamall. The restaurant tries to depict the hawkers that we find in Singapore. I was only able to try one during my last visit. 

I liked how they did with the interiors in the restaurant. I liked the details on the walls and ceiling. Their system in ordering though is they give you a piece of paper with their menu items and you just indicate how much you're ordering then pay for it at the counter. The bad thing about this is that if you are not familiar with food often found in Singapore, then good luck guessing. Like for one thing, I didn't know they have a Rose flavored drink (which I cannot remember the name now) that is similar to the Rose Lassi that I can order from Taj.

Since Orchard Road serves Singaporean food, the best test is of course to try the Hainanese Chicken Rice (155 PHP). I think the chicken was good. It wasn't slimy. The chicken was tender as well. They lack one sauce the red chili sauce. The chili they gave was the one that accompanied the siomai we ordered. They should add more sauce though. I'm a big fan of ginger sauce and I had to ask for extra and emphasized to give me loads of it. I didn't like the rice though. I found it too starchy. They should change the type of rice they use because it did not seem to get the flavor from the chicken broth it was cooked in.

Our other order was pork siomai (60PHP). I was disappointed with this one since I can't even taste the pork in it and I find it pricey for 20 PHP per dumpling.

The service is ok but can still be improved. I find Orchard Road promising but they have to tweak it up a bit.

Why I love Tapella

Ever since my cousin Bibay introduced me to Tapella, I keep thinking that I'd rather have quiet wine nights than spend it in noisy bars with only a bottle of beer.

The reason I love Tapella, is because of the cheap red wine that I like: Volteo Tempranillo (320 PHP per bottle).  I find the price reasonable and the wine is really good too.

I also order their croquettes every time. I usually get the Cocido Meat Croquette (95 PHP) . Marlon insisted that we try the Mushroom Croquettes (95 PHP) and it was really good too. The croquettes have a nice blend of cheese in them and they just melt in you mouth. So far the best I have tasted.

I never had the chance to try the other items in the menu but the paella looks promising as well.


The term Tapella is derived from two Spanish Favorites, Tapas and Paella. Be sure to try it out one of these days. The ambiance is quiet and intimate and perfect for a date or a night out with friends.


Tapella is located at the Ground floor of Greenbelt 5.

My Mother's Garden

I've never had a romantic date before. So when Marlon asked me for a date I didn't mind and said yes. He made me choose where I wanted but since there are so many restaurants that I found on food blogs, I made him choose and he chose My Mother's Garden in Pasay City.

This is the home of National Artist for Architecture Pablo Anotnio Sr. and his daughter Malu Veloso opened their home to everyone and teamed up with her daughter, Letlet Veloso.

It was quite easy to find the house thanks to the directions from: http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2008/04/mymothersgarden.html where I found the blog about this place as well.

We were greeted politely from the gate and were lead to the place where we will have our late lunch. Since there were only 2 of us, the meal we had cost 1000 PHP per person but it was all worth it. We were greeted by soft music as we entered the house and the waiter immediately prepared for our meal.

We were first served soda with fruits (watermelon, melon and pineapple). Mrs. Veloso suggested this drink when I made the reservation and she said that this is really refreshing. It was indeed.

We then had mixed greens with 2 choices of dressing. The greens were really fresh and crunchy to the bite and the both dressings didn't taste as if it was instant mayo dressing. I was guessing it was actually yoghurt based and seasoned lightly with garlic.

The then served us two kinds of pasta (linguine and angel hair) with three kinds of sauces. The first sauce was marinara sauce. I found this a little bit sweet but Marlon really loved it. The second one was pesto and this is one of my favorites. I liked it since it didn't taste too strong and the proportion of the garlic was just right.  The last one was the black olives which basically consist of a lot of finely chopped black olives. I enjoyed mixing the pesto and black olives together and preferred them with the angel hair pasta.

We were then served Roast leg of lamb which was what we were looking forward to. It was really tender and tasty and also cooked medium rare.

I was quite happy Mrs. Veloso added two pieces of mustard chicken which is their specialty just so we can try it.

We were also served grilled shrimps and clams.

For vegetables, we had Melanzane or more popularly known as Eggplant Parmigiana.The eggplant was really tender and the cheese did not overpower the veggies. 

The meal also came with two kinds of rice (white and organic red) but we were too full to even touch it.

Lastly we had a platter of pastries. I liked the brownies and the citrus mango pastry. Everything just looks so good and it didn't disappoint. 

We were served coffee afterwards. Marlon really loved how strong their coffee was.


We were greeted by Mrs. Veloso after our meal and handed my a gift from her daughter which was part of their Valentines weekend promo.


I highly recommend this place. The ambiance was peaceful and romantic and you cannot imagine that amidst the busy streets of Pasay lies this lovely place.

How to get there: Coming from the North take EDSA southbound. Just before Taft Ave, you may find Zamora st. (where you can find Kabayan Hotel) and turn there. For commuters, you may take the MRT and go down at Taft station. Then you may find a tricycle at Zamora st.


My Mother's Garden can be found at 2650 Zamora st. Pasay City.


For reservations call:
831-8407 and look for Malu or Letlet Veloso

Milky Way

We were supposed to go to Som's but was unlucky to see they were closed the day before their grand opening (still at the same place, Algier st. Makati). We ended up going back and forth in Rockwell looking for a place to eat. I wanted to have a hotdog or a sandwich by Johann and Choking stopped at Milky Way and had their eyes fixed on the dinuguan and the salmon sinigang.

Which is what we ordered. We had the Salmon Sinigang (180 PHP)  per Choking's request. The soup was not as "maasim" as I expected it but you can really taste the fish essence in the soup. The salmon was firm but has a really soft texture once eaten.

We also had the Dinuguan (90 PHP) since Johann was craving for it. It was ok for us but thinks that they can add a little bit more vinegar to make it more flavorful. The serving was just right.

I insisted that we get the Pork Spareribs (180 PHP) as well. This I really loved and is one reason for me to go back to Milky Way. The pork was really tender and the sauce had this nice barbecue flavor in it.

Instead of rice, I got the Bacon Potato Salad (90 PHP). I liked this also since it doesn't have much of the stuff that I don't eat in potato salad. It was seasoned just right as well.

When in Rockwell, this is one place I would consider going back to.

Valentines Day (Movie)

I was hesitant at first to watch this movie since I was like the Antichrist of Valentines day (the day) since high school. Surprisingly this is a feel good movie and not quite cheesy as I expected. Whether you're single or not, I would still recommend it.

Watch out for Taylor Swift's dance routine.

The Xcelerator at it's finest

Before leaving Davao City, we headed to Outland to try the longest and fastest zip line in Asia. When we got there, the crew is still in the Pacqiuao vs Cotto high but still entertained us even if they still really wanted to hear the updates in the live telecast.

It costs 300 PHP for the zipline in whatever position you wanted: sitting, superman, inverse or tandem. I went for the superman since it seems excited and I just wanted to do something adventurous. They suited me and Sans for the superman and Shai and Tom opted for the sitting position. My college friend Mil just stayed since she will take some of our pictures. 

At first I thought it would just be a really short hike up the hill. We first crossed a small stream using a raft and a rope to get us to the other side. As we were crossing, the best thing happened...it rained. The hike up the hill became really difficult since it was slippery and I tried to make sure that I can keep up. It felt rewarding to get to the top though because of the difficulty of the hike that time. Thanks to Arjay Bernabe and his friends, we had a picture at the top while waiting for the rain to subside a bit to go on the zipline.

They made me go first since my friends thought I'm the toughest...or so they thought. When I got on and started zipping, the feeling of the wind in my face was just amazing and I admired the view as well since I saw I crossed the stream also. It was all worth it. I saw they were getting ready with their camera at the bottom so what else do I do? Project!

If only we didn't have a flight to catch I would have wanted another go and it's for a cheaper price.

Check out the Xcelerator at Outland Adventure when in Davao City: http://www.outlandadventure.org/main_frame_xcelerator.html

Oh you can also purchase your pictures. If you get 3 pictures printed out, they can save your 5 pictures in a flash drive.

Going Brazillian

I never thought I could do it but I did. I thought it will be just painful like have your soul ripped out as well. OK that's really exaggerated to describe a waxing experience. Since I'm getting ready for a beach trip soon and wanted to be able to wear a decent swimsuit this time, plus the fact that I get annoyed with what's sticking in my pad...well, I went for it and dared to go Brazilian. 

A lot of girls I know have been raving about Lay Bare. Since the use cold honey wax instead of the hot wax or strips, its not as painful. Although that still depends on the one's tolerance for pain.

I went to their Libis branch and was greeted and entertained right away by the receptionist. They asked me if I wanted to go to the restroom first and since it's my first time, I thought it really helped to ease the pain a bit. I was quite surprised it was not as painful as expected but I had to request my waxer that I needed to breathe at times.

The price was reasonable as well and I highly recommend Lay bare for all your waxing needs. You may visit their site for more information: http://www.lay-bare.com/laybare-ui/ 

De Bonte Koe European Restarant

On with the Davao series, after we had a really tiring day and decided to take a nap, Tom woke me up to say that his Tito Bong and Tita Bebot will be taking us out for dinner.

They took us to De Bonte Koe european restaurant. I can't remember exactly where it was except that it's in a compound where one can also have Mexican food  and Margaritas. 

At first I though we were going to have Margaritas which seems perfect since I still felt full. Although I found it interesting that we entered a small restaurant with European stuff all over the walls and most of them were cows!

Henny, the Dutch owner greeted us once we were seated at our table. Tito Bong said the house wine is excellent and we got a bottle of the no name house wine. The wine bottle was so cute also. It has cows printed all over it.

We though we were only going to have tapas but we also ordered the large Paella Negra. It was just too good to resist even if you are already full. The squid ink just made everything tastier. This is really worth the wait.

While we were waiting for the paella, we had the cheese platter to go along with the wine. The blue cheese was too good to pass up. We ordered a second platter as well.

Now what did I learn from this dinner? Turns out I am assertive (hahaha). Tito Bong apparently is very good at guessing your birth order depending on your attitude. So there it was...an obvious first born. Also, turns out fish from the Netherlands can be packed and shipped to the Philippines..interesting. Although I have started to love the "cultured European lifestyle" that I joke around with my friends whenever I have a glass of wine. Thank you Tito Bong and Tita Bebot Vega for this dinner.

 

Eden Nature Park and Resort

During our Davao Trip last November, I insisted to my friends that we go to Eden Nature Park in the foothills of Mount Apo. My mom never stopped raving about their salad when they visited. I was able to ask my mom's friend, Tito Lito to let his driver drive us to Eden Park since we might have a hard time if we hire a taxi.

When we got there, we were still a bit early for the buffet lunch so we joined the tour first to get us all pumped up and really hungry for the lunch buffet. The tour costs 75 PHP each. They showed us the different cottages and villas they have, the different venues, the garden where they plant the veggies and herbs they serve hydrophonics style. I suddenly remembered one of the geeky projects of our high school science class when I saw the hydrophonics facilities they have. They allowed us to sample some of the herbs as well and we were just tempted to take it back to Manila so Tom can make pasta for us. 

I really loved it when they told us that the view from Lola's Garden is of Davao City which proved I was wrong for my first guess that it was Gen. Santos City and Saranggani Bay at the back (toinks!) 

We arrived for lunch just in time. We were really hungry and looking forward to it considering how big our appetites are. The buffet lunch costs 450 PHP per person and it also includes 1 free drink.

They served Mandarin Chicken, Penne with Pomodoro sauce, Pork ribs, Salmon Provencal, Fried Rice and Mushrooms. Each dish tastes so good that I could barely describe each of them. My favorites were the mushrooms and the chicken.

What is Eden Park without their salad? They have a whole section dedicated to the fresh choices of vegetables and dressings just for it. I got the mixed greens and several juicy tomatoes with Asian dressing (highly recommended by my mom). There were chunks of suha as well which Davao is famous for. The vegetables were really fresh and crisp and you know you can't go wrong with these since they are organic as well.

We had fresh fruits for dessert but one can have the pastries and balck sambo that they prepared.

I also loved the fact as well that there was a white peacock in the dining area. It was just beautiful. Too bad it did not open it's tail.

After lunch, we just enjoyed ourselves in the Indiana Jones, a mini version of the zip line which you can enjoy around Davao. Eden also have this attraction. 

We also felt like we were kids again just going at it at the playground. Tom and Sans finally got my camera so I have decent pictures (haha).

There were other attractions we could have enjoyed as well if only we had enough time to do so. The whole time I was there, I had this crazy though of wanting to have my pre-nup shoot there...dream on! I know right!!!