Survivor Mindoro: Day 2

After the boat ride to safety, we went back to Argine's house for a survivor brunch spread-- perfectly fried fish, guinataang isda, and minatamis & grilled na saging saba! We spent some time drying out our soaked wares and freshening up before taking a trip back to the port of Calapan! We crossed the 250m bridge again and crossing it in daylight is freakier than doing it at night! It was quite a challenge to stay off the squeaky and chipped planks. I tried daring people to do a ala Temple Run dash but they weren't too keen on trying. Haha.

Amazing how this tricycle was able to cross the bridge!

The gang's final group photo

Another trike ride took us back to Calapan Port.

Disneyland or Donnyland?

Sun burnt but happy!

We said goodbye to our host at the port and rushed to buy tickets for the Supercat trip!

Argine and his dad

Stopped by the souvenir shop for some take-home treats

My TURISTA post

All the shipping lines have signs that tell you what time their next trip is

It was my first time to ride a fast craft and was amazed at how its interiors resemble an airplane. We had assigned seats for the trip. There was even a safety briefing before the trip and the snacks where wheeled along the aisles for passengers.

Hello Supercat!

Folding trays

And look! No matter how much we try to correct the spelling of our names, they still end up messing it up:

Who in the world are Mr. LAWSANG and Ms. CUCLEO?

After an hour on sea and 2 hours on land, Mr. P and I were back to the metro! Our bodies hurt like hell and we're burnt to a crisp, but it was all worth it! Ha! My summer has just begun. Can't wait for the next trip!

Survivor Mindoro: Day 1

Mr. P and I went to Calapan, Oriental Mindoro for a weekend getaway with his office friends. We left Manila at around 11:00 P.M. and boarded a Bus at the JAM Liner terminal in Buendia. The 2.5 hr bus ride was smooth because we all slept through the whole trip! Next thing we knew we were already at the Batangas sea port. We didn't get to take much photos during our transfer from the port transfers because we were all really tired. I was cringing the whole ride because our roro ship wasn't as clean as I hoped it would be!

I'm very iffy when it comes to riding boats because I absolutely hate having to sit on sticky seats and discover randomly stuffed garbage in-between my seat. It seemed as if all of my pet peeves were there in that boat ride! There were even shirtless kuyas sprawled on the roro seats, snoring! Thankfully I survived the 3 hour trip distracting myself by listening to Mr. P and his friends. In no time we got to the port of Calapan and were greeted by our friend Argine's dad and we were transported to their home which was a 30 minute trike ride away from the port. 

The wild adventure began when we crossed the 250 meter wooden foot bridge going to their house! Amazing how people manage to cross there without the aid of any light source! After steaming cups of sotanghon soup, a bit of old school tasks-- grating fresh coconut and pumping water via poso, and a power nap, a quick bangka ride ferried us to one of the most breath-taking beaches I've been to:

The island is actually a protected marine sanctuary. The only inhabitants on the island that day were a few caretakers and our group! We pitched our tents and set up zones for our bonfire and grilling station. The scorching heat was the perfect excuse to spend hours wading in the cool and clear waters! Mr. P and I had a fun time playing with bamboo posts that we found onshore-- pretending that they were banana boats. He also taught me how to skip stones on the water. Because of my poor hand-eye coordination, I ended up hitting their assistant manager with one of the smaller stones I was playing with. Oops! Haha. 

Most number of skips: 5

Stepping on itsy bitsy teeny weeny corals

A camping trip would not be as fun without food! Our friend's family prepared fresh tilapia for us to grill as well as guinataang kalabasa, monggo, hotdogs (they were so sweet, they bought tuna hot dogs for me & Mr. P), and sumptuous liempo!

Nothing beats liempo at the beach!

Mr. P took charge of making the fire and cooking-- after all, he is the MASTER CHEF of all-time! Taking a break from grilling under the sun, our companion Pete shared with us a coconut he found buried under the sand!

Fresh Coconut Meat.

After more swimming and chomping on chips, we started building the camp fire. Enzo, our youngest beach buddy, was so excited to make s'mores so he took charge of gathering additional wood and dried leaves. It was his firs camping trip and I was so amused at how brave and game he was to all of the day's challenges!

Enzo the Explorer!

Nightfall came and we enjoyed dinner, s'mores, and chitchat over the fire.

L-R: Mel, Argine, Enzo, Boss Tong, Bing, and Argine's girlfriend

Mr. P can now show off his Balik Alindog body! Haha.

The campfire that saved us!

 The campfire session ended after we stuffed ourselves silly with s'mores! It was a good idea to by the Kraft Jetpuffed mallows because they melt easier and were the good kind of gooey when roasted and squished in-between chocolate grahams!

We thought we were in for a restful night-- until a crazy combination of strong winds and mad rain woke us up at around 2:00 A.M.! The other slept outside the tents and were scrambling to get inside. One of us even stumbled and fell, causing him scratches from corals and rocks all over. We crammed ourselves with our things in the tent, straining to stay dry and trying to sleep in awkward positions. The rain stopped occasionally but got worse each time it poured. We really felt like the tent was going to get swept away by the winds and we struggled to keep water from seeping into our things. It was like a scene cut out of Survivor! Come sunrise, we were still trying to keep ourselves safe inside the tent. We feared that it wouldn't stop and we wouldn't get back to Manila that day. Thankfully, the skies were kind enough and by 8:00 A.M., everything was at a standstill. 

The day after the "storm"

Sleepless Survivor

Thankfully despite the harsh weather, we survived! Before waiting for the boat to take us back to safety, I took the time to check out funky finds on the shore!

I love collecting small pieces of pretty red corals!

Everyday smiles

The island adventure was 100x more exciting because of that battle with Momma Nature!

TBC.

Daydreaming

Opol, Misamis Oriental. (2008)

Only hours away before my much-needed beach escape to Mindoro with Mr. P and his office friends! I'm suffering another allergic rhinitis attack (due to the epic all-nighter we pulled off editing a video). Thanks to my frien's' cold rub tub, my trusty shawl, and daydreaming of the beach, I'm staying afloat today.

It's been ages since my last beach trip and I'm itching to feel the sand in-between my toes and pretend that I actually enjoy ingesting seawater when swimming with the crashing waves. 

Tranquility, here I come!

Friday the 13th happened on a Tuesday

I knew I should have listened to Mr. P when he was coaxing me & S to sleep over the night before. 

At 6:30 A.M. on March 13, 2012 I woke up with a jolt of panic. Someone was banging furiously on our door. I jumped out of bed, shook the hell out of S to wake her up, went outside, and was immediately disoriented. Mr. P was calling out my name. Our bags strewn all over the floor. My front window wide open. 

The world stopped. 

I snapped out of that split-second trance and hurriedly opened the door-- to discover Mr. P and our other neighbors. He received a call earlier that our 3rd floor neighbors discovered our window wide-open and saw that our things were in disarray. 

The thing is, they know that we never open our windows. 

According to the neighbors, when they sensed that our house was broken into, they were calling out to check inside "Tao po! Tao po!" but there was no response from us. They called Mr. P's house right away and he rushed to our apartment.

They took away everything that they could sell. 

They took away all the gadgets that they could find- even those that were tucked under our pillows and in-between our cushions. 

They were THAT close to us.

How we were not able to feel or hear them break in is still a mystery to us. I'm a light sleeper and I easily wake up to the faintest of sounds or the softest of nudges. If Mr. P didn't bang on our door like it was going to fall apart, we would not have woken up.

Our entire house was in shambles. Closets were opened, shelves were messed up, and our shoe rack (positioned strategically under our window where they used it for entry/exit) was destroyed.

They took away what has been our lifeline to family and friends all over the world. They took away the fruits of hard work-- the precious tools we used to augment our income and help improve our work/studies.

They might have taken away everything that we've worked hard for-- but thankfully, they did not take away our lives.

Mr. P's dad followed shortly after knowing that we were still alive and intact. He called up the barangay office to report the incident. What followed after that was a welcome comic relief. 

Tito Ric: "Hello? Sa Baranagay po ba ito? May nangyari po kasing nakawan dito sa (address)...." (Hello is this the barangay? Something happened here at....)

Barangay: "Ah Ser umaambon kasi, walang bubong yung patrol sidecar. Maya-maya nalang po" (Sir, it's drizzling. Our patrol sidecar doesn't have a roof so that'll have to wait later)

Out of irritation, Mr.P's dad dropped the call. But called right back when Mr. P insisted that the barangay police might not come because he dropped the call. 

In a few minutes (supposing the rain stopped momentarily) a barangay inspector sporting a highlighter yellow Mandaluyong polo shirt arrived. He hardly looked like a sensible inspector--wearing a baseball cap, maong baggy shorts, and daddy slippers. Heck, he was even smoking a small stub of cigarette. 

He paced the apartment (cigarette in hand) and took out his "inspector's notebook"-- crumpled looking recycled paper stapled together. I even had to lend him a pen for writing.

The routine recap of details was given and he nodded, pretending to write on that makeshift notebook the highlights of the crime. I just pointed out the areas where our gadgets were and who was in what position and when during the incident. 

Everyone was silent for a few seconds, until Brgy. Inspector spoke 

"Nakakataka lang na alam niya kung saan naka lagay yung gamit niyo. Hindi kaya inside job ito? Diba may kasama kayo sa bahay?" (What bothers me is that he knows where your things are. This could be an inside job. You have a housemate, right?")

I wanted to throw my fridge at him. My housemate left the house at 1:00 A.M. the night before. I made sure to lock all the windows and doors when she left. Her laptop and camera was stolen from our house as well.

Exasperated, I volunteered to give my insights, 

"Eh kuya, kung inside job po ito hindi na niya kelangan dumaan po sa bintana. May susi naman po siya. Tsaka, naisip ko lang din po na siguro wala sila nakita sa labas na cellphone kaya pinasok na rin po nila yung kwarto" (If this was an inside job, she didn't have to pass through the window. She has a key. And I was just thinking that since the thief wasn't able to see any phones outside, he had to check the rooms for it)

I really wanted to strangle him with the nearest charger beside me. He paced the house one more time and gave more hypotheses. He was telling this long tale about the Kagawad experiencing the same thing, gadgets stolen in the middle of the night. Eventually they caught the culprit-- kids from another barangay far from ours. He also said that they might have let us inhale fumes to put us to sleep. 

It took him more than 15 minutes to come up with that hypothesis. It took me 5.

The "investigation" ended with us giving our names and enumerating (in full detail) what we lost and how much we lost in cash. That uneventful encounter with Brgy. Inspector didn't even land us an official report. He didn't even endorse us to the city police because he said that they'd just give our compliant back to the barangay. We were only advised na "makipagtulungan" in the event that we chance upon our gadgets being sold to us. 

LIKE THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

These days, what is stolen cannot be retrieved. The black market is so lucrative and the exchange of stolen goods happens faster than this sentence has been typed.

It was a waste of time.

We spent the whole day informing our relatives of what happened, seeking comfort from the shared sympathies that we received online. I was switching from whining to being angry to wallowing in despair to laughing and back to whining. 

The past days, I've been throwing curses at a fictional batang hamog--a stereotypical lanky and dirty looking teenage rugby boy who is desperately looking for a quick buck. I throw curses at him because I want to associate a face to this awful crime. I want to do a confrontation scene ala Tagalog movie:

"Walang hiya ka! Pobre! Wala kang karapatan magnakaw sa kapwa mo mahirap! *slap* Dukha! Maralita! Sana mabulunan ng konsensya ang mga pinakain mo ng pancit ng dahil sa mga gadgets namin! *slap* Eto, eto ang chargers na hindi mo kinuha. Bobo! *slap* Gagu hindi pwede gumana ang selpon/laptop/camera/ipod kung walang charge! *slap* Isaksak mo to sa baga mong may TUBERCULOSIS! Oo hindi ka hinihika, meron kang TB-- sakit ng mga mahihirap!!! *kick* Ang pagiging mahirap ay hindi estado ng buhay kundi estado ng pagiisip! Ikaw ang tunay na pobre dahil hindi ka marnunong magisip kung ano ng anong tama sa mali!!!!  *slap* 

I always get a kick out of that imaginary scene. It makes me smile. Knowing that despite the nightmare in Hulo, I can still laugh about it.

We still haven't returned to our apartment because admittedly, we still walk the streets in fear of that fateful incident. What hurts about being ransacked isn't so much about the gadgets lost or the sentimental value associated to the things-- it's the fact that you were exposed to such vulnerability; that the situation could have been graver or that there was even a slight brush with death.

Stay safe everyone.

When in pain, write. Housemate M and I posted these on our wall after the event.

The "momentous" occasion merits another Instax on our wall.

Slippers and Somethings

Here's something that I discovered from an old Multiply blog post:

Yesterday I was at Trinoma with Ron and Harry. It was another one of the trio’s adventures in Manila—getting lost, finding something, and going home with a bag-full of new stories to tell. This time it was the quest for the perfect pair of Havaianas for Harry. As we entered All Flip-Flops Store, a crowd was already squirming its way in front of rows and rows of Brazilian slippers displayed around the store. It was a Saturday afternoon at Trinoma, one of the busiest shopping days of the week. Everyone seemed to be in a buying frenzy, grabbing the next best thing they could get their hands on, in fear of size and stock shortage. I looked down on the floor and saw that almost everyone was already wearing a pair of the coveted Havaianas--even I was wearing them too.

My battered and aged white Havaianas felt a bit insecure being amongst a hipper and younger crowd. But it clung to my feet, reassuring me, as I paced the room in search for something interesting. As Harry worriedly scoured the racks for the perfect blue pair, I found myself admiring a pair of slim chocolate brown slippers. I was in the middle of trying them on, when I heard someone from behind say, “Ayan. Ganyan mangyayari sa mga tsinelas nyo kung puti bibilhin niyo, ‘wag kayo bumili ng puti”. Upon hearing that, I froze then I felt a sudden rush of irritation come over me. What’s wrong with having a pair of worn-out slippers? How big of a deal is it when white ages and becomes off-white? Somehow my slippers felt embarrassed and out of place in a sea of fresh rubber and overtly vain consumers.

The boom of paying a hefty some for a pair of rubber slippers has gone way overboard. Ever since the start of my love affair with Havaianas and up until now, many would still say, “Sus, Havaianas.. Spartan nalang!” This is of course, an economically sound advice. What was once a unique find has turned into something that can be found in every other person’s closet. I loved my Havaianas not because it was something that made me look cool, but because during the time that I discovered it, I got hooked on how comfortable it was. Havaianas came into my life in 2004, in my first year of college.

My first pair was a gift from my best friend Monic during one of the breaks from school. I was overjoyed when she handed me the box and I swear I was jumping up and down when I opened it. They were there—my very own Havaianas! Although I loved Havaianas and how comfortable they are, I was still apprehensive about spending much on rubber slippers. But because Mon knew I loved them to pieces, she gave me a pair! I took extremely good care of them, cleaning them every after use. I was crazy in love with them! First of all, it was a gift from a dear friend and second of all, they were Havaianas.

Everything changed when an uneventful day came that a friend borrowed them and used them after soccer—soaking my WHITE slippers in mud. I was in an outrage and I frantically brushed the mud marks off. After an hour of brushing, screaming, and feeling all the worst things in the world—I faced the fact that they would never be clean again. I hated myself for allowing her to borrow my slippers and kept on cursing until I ran out of cuss words to say. All was lost; the precious pair was mud-stained.

Pair after pair, the obsession waned, and Havaianas became an ordinary part of my life. Much of the craziness was just a waste of time and good days, and I realized that though they’re dirty and worn-out, they’re still there to be worn and to make one feel comfortable.

These days, what makes the Havaianas fad disappointing is that people have made it a social status. People think that just because they have Havaianas, it makes them cool, it makes them better off than other people. I personally feel that it’s all wrong. They’re just slippers—ordinary slippers that happen to come from Brazil. Yes, they’re comfortable and durable, but it still isn’t worth all the stress and fuss. Others spend more than their means just to grab a pair. Come to think of it, a pair of Havaianas can provide slippers for five or more children who walk the streets barefoot. I have nothing against those who continue to patronize Havaianas, but the excess of something is never good. I am no hypocrite; I might still grab a pair if those I have eventually wear out. But I will choose to stick with my battered and aged white pair because it has stood the test of time. It still feels comfortable after every wear. I don’t care it it’s worn out, and that man who vehemently reacted about it being that way can buy a million pairs and still not feel the way I feel. He would never know the feeling of slipping into the pair and feeling a different kind of comfort—because whenever I wear them, I always feel Monic with me.

______________

Today is Monic's 25th birthday. We will never forget 2006, when just two days before her birthday, she was taken away from us by an unfortunate event. She will always be loved and missed dearly.

Butterflies

It was 2006. Some of my high school friends and I were at Sunrise Homes in Katipunan, crowding over a desktop computer-- "stalking" Friendster updates from CDO. We clicked Monic's profile, checking what her plans were for her birthday on Tuesday. It was March 12, 2006. Two days before her birthday.

After an hour of online nonsense and chips, I received a call from my best friend Hannah. "Boo, something happened to Mon and Tito Bong. They were rushed to the ER. Nanay called me up. I'll call you back for details". 

My heart sank. Monic was one of our dearest high school kabarkadas. She has been my next door neighbor for more than 5 years. We went to school together. Talked on the phone almost everyday even after high school. She was one of the happiest people I knew. Her smile was infectious and her love for life and the little wonders of the world always made a huge impact on everyone she met. She was generous and thoughtful. We both shared the love for arts, crafts, and knick-knacks. She always knew what to tell you in times of trouble or loneliness. She always had time for other people. 

A couple of months prior to that day, my dad sold Tito Bong one of our company motorcycles. I was thinking that it must've been a motorcycle-related accident. My heart was beating uncontrollably. I had to know what was going on.

Nerves set in and I was pacing the room back and forth, waiting for Hannah to call back. "I hope she didn't break any bones. It would be a shame for her to be injured on her birthday". I tried to calm myself down--- until I received another call. No one was speaking on the other end. I could just hear sobs. "Hello? boo?" I called out to Hannah, blood rushing from my cheeks. "Boo, wala na. Wala na siya. (Boo she's gone. She's gone)". Hysteria. Panic. Hyperventilation. I couldn't understand the other things that she was saying. Hannah passed on the phone to someone else, I could only make out sobs and wailing. They were all at the hospital. Instinctively, I called my mom right away and the only thing I mustered to say in that moment of shock and confusion was "Si Mon, si Mon. Wala na siya. Wala na siya. Na-aksidente daw sila ni Tito Bong. Call Hannah. Call Hannah". And then I lost it.

I didn't know what else to do/think/say/feel. I just cried uncontrollably. I couldn't understand what was going on. I didn't even bother to know what happened. My heart was ripped out of my chest. My world just crumbled. It was the first time that I ever lost a friend-- one of my best friends. We grew up together. We've been partners in everything! We spent days daydreaming about college-- about conquering New York as a group, projecting ourselves living the life of the "Sex & The City" girls-- being fabulous, and being successful together. It was only days ago that the girls told me that they were preparing a surprise birthday for her since she wasn't able to have a big 18th birthday party. It was her mom and dad's surprise for her, having worked in the States for so long. It was only hours when I talked to her about her recently concluded big event at school. It was too much. It was too soon.

Mon and her family were victims of a fatal robbery. They owned a newly-opened lottery outlet near her maternal grandparents' house in Lapasan. The gunman went for her father who was outside their shop, shooting his neck. Mon ran after hear dad when she heard the gunshot and the gunman did not spare her. He shot her while she was pleading for mercy. The bullet shot straight to her heart. Seconds after the shooting, the gunman went inside the lottery outlet, robbed them clean and even attempted to shoot her mom and brother who were inside. When the gun didn't fire, he ran away.

Even to this day, one cannot imagine how a kind and down-to-earth family can be a victim of such a hateful crime. It is still hard to fathom how a happy family was destroyed just because of someone else's greed. Of all the people in the world, why them? Why Mon? 

Two years after the tragedy, her dad passed away-- saving him from his struggle of being paralyzed from the neck down and having various complications.

It was tough dealing with the loss of a friend. It was a living nightmare for all of us. There were years when we spent nights crying together during the sem break, grieving together. Our world became smaller and smaller. The streets became scarier. Life became scarier. We spent years feeling like a part of us was missing.

Six years later, the emptiness we felt has been filled with wonderful new memories and new additions to our barkada. There are days when I still dream about her, when I remember that sweet smile of hers. Today I remember the pain but celebrate the wonderful years that I was able to spend with her.

Like the butterflies that she loved the most, we've set her free to soar and spread her wings to a better place. 

I love you Mon. Always and forever.

Panglao, Bohol (2004)

Eleven.Eleven.

I live for random questions! Because I'm really dilly-dallying from writing my script (due Tomorrow AM!). So I'm taking time out of this busy day to fulfill a promise to my friend Barbie. :)

- Post these rules

- Post 11 random things about yourself

- Answer the questions that the tagger set for you in their post

- Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer

11-Eleven.

1. My real name "Czarinna" is an unusual spelling of its origin- Czarina (n.) - Empress of Russia. I asked my mum why she opted to add an "n", but nonchalantly she just replied "because i want you to be different".

2. I'm not a fan of Bavarian cream filling. I have no idea how it started but I discovered that I cannot stomach it when I was in high school and reaffirmed it when I was in college. Threw up at an ADMU college party once because my crazy friends force-fed me a Bavarian donut. Not cool.

3. I really want to get inked before age 30. I'm sure some of my loved ones frown on this but I believe that this is a decision that one decides for him/herself. I'm thinking of having a peacock "doodled" on my right wrist or something really nerdy on my left inner arm. Heck, I have 5 years to decide.

4. I'm obsessed with sweets. Those who know me really well are already well-acquainted with the fact that I can survive a horrible meal any given day--for as long as I make up for it with sweets. Been off rice for almost 2 months now but I haven't been able to abstain from pastries!

5. I love stars (and starfishes)! Ever since I was in high school, I've grown a fondness for star-shaped anythings. My growing collection includes pillows, ball pens, band-aids, crepe paper, wallets, candle-holders, self-inking stamps, etc!

6. I had this "board shorts" phase in college. I used to want to be a surfer girl (despite not being able to swim) and thus projected this by decorating my room with hibiscus flowers and hoarding beach wear. During my wrestling P.E. class finals, my girlies showed their for me by showing up in board shorts! 

7. I keep a journal. I've been writing on a journal since I was grade 4. I used to have one of those hard bound lock-and-key types when I was a kid-- and eventually got used to writing in the more economical choice-- spring notebooks. Facts: I only write with black ink on Green Apple notebooks! :)

8. I love kangkong-- to pieces! It's my favorite green leafy vegetable. Fried, sauteed, with pineapples, with bagoong-- if it's there, I'll gobble it all up!

9. I'm a huge fan of Children's literature. My bookshelf is 80% children's lit and 20% adult lit. There are deeper lessons learned from reading lit for kids. I believe that we have much to learn from these than its intended audience. My signed collection of Adarna books got water-warped by Sendong (huhuhu) but I'm trying my best to revive that collection.

10. I can type fast even without looking at the keyboard. Super random fact but it's a super valuable skill! Thanks to Typing Tutor in my early grade school years, I can consider myself as a master typist/encoder! Ha!

11. My attention span is so short, it took me the whole day to answer these questions! 

Answered questions of the tagger: 

1. What is your ultimate pick-me-upper? 

- Milk Tea!

2. Are you living your dream career? If not, what is it? 

- Yes and No! Yes because I've been dreaming of working in the food and events biz.. and NO because, well let's just say it isn't exactly the place to be. Haha.

3. Fill in the blank: When I grow up, I want to be __________________. - The ultimate domestic diva/social entrepreneur/glam-o-mama! 

4. If I were to bake you a cake, what kind would it be? - A red-velvet rosette cake! My dream cake! :D

5. What is your birthday wish for this year? - That my family and I can finally have a family vacation together!

6. What is your favorite song of all time? - Hawaii 5-O

7. How do you handle stress? - By eating sweets!

8. If you were to have a superpower for a day, what would it be? - Teleportation. Oh the joys of being able to mobilize myself to places I've dreamed of!

9. If you were given a chance to move to a different country, where would you go? 

- Italy so I can eat Naples pizza all day long!

10. What is your dream vacation? 

- A European food trip!

11. What is your favorite milk tea/coffee drink?

- Passion Fruit Yakult (milk tea) and an espresso frap

  

Eleven Questions:

1. What is something that YOU CANNOT eat?

2. If someone could buy you a toy right now, what would that be?

3. If you were tasked to cook for me, what would you whip up and why?

4. What's your biggest fashion faux pas?

5. Do you name your gadgets? If so, what are/is your gadget/s name/s?

6. Do you consider yourself a stalker?

7. What's your favorite movie of all time?

8. Do you collect anything? If so, what would that/those be?

9. What's your dream summer getaway?

10. If you could switch lives with someone for a day, whose life would that be?

11. Why do you think I tagged you?

Okay this was a good boredom buster at work. Haha. So, Yen, Astrid, Carmelle, Ate Rac, and Faye.. what's your story? haha.

FFFF: Fun Foodie Finds of February

My relationship with this blog has been on the rocks the past weeks-- It has been moping around, giving me snide remarks from time to time because of the lack of attention from me. I feel bad, because most days it has been trying so hard to say "hey I'm still here!" yet I always respond with "I'll get back to you later". "You don't find time, you make it", it said, drawing my attention to updates from my favorite blogs. So here I am, in a full effort to appease it. Haha.

The past weeks have been crazy-- it's that time of the year when I whirl and twirl non-stop around our office (for our open house activity on Saturday). Meetings left and right, mountains of artworks for production, and a million and one things to be done ASAP. On top of that, I just had to conquer some "real world" feats that required my undivided and mature attention.

Despite the tumultuous month, I have still been able to rely on my fool-proof source of sanity: good food. So let me share with you some of my best foodie finds in February (since March has just begun):

Army Navy couldn't have said it better: "Walk in hungry, come out happy"

Mr. P, Jem, and I got takeout from the BGC branch and we were all smiles. We shared an order of the Double Burger-- a big ass double-pattie beef burger that topped all of the burgers I ate that month. Didn't have time to snap a photo because we were famished and too engrossed with it. But I did manage to take a few minutes to admire these tangy fries and onion rings. 

The ultimate grilled cheese sandwich from the Treston cafeteria!

As a reward for sharing my "quiz master" skills with the Computer Studies kids, they sent me THE BEST snack I've ever had at school-- a melts-in-your-mouth sinfully cheesy grilled cheese sandwich. Seems unappealing at first but believe me, there's more than mozzarella in that sandwich! One of these babies can make you say goodbye to your diet. Snaps to Chef Sam for a slice of heaven. 

My Pescetarian Dinner at Cafe Mediterranean

February also marked the start of the 40-day Lenten abstinence from pork/beef/chicken for me and Mr. P. It's our 15th day of our new diet and it has been quite an exciting adventure picking out food that we can actually eat. Sister S and I were able to coax our uncle into treating us for dinner at Greenbelt 1 and I was thrilled that they agreed to order pescetarian dishes! Hooray for having a supportive family! Falafel and Hummus are order staples for me (S exclaimed that falafel is a great meat sub) so I tried something new-- Tapenade, which is a simple mixture of olives, capers, and olive oil. Much to my delight (being an olive lover) I had the serving all to myself. haha. We also ordered fish kebab pizza and smoked salmon pasta. It was indeed a fun way to stay off meat!

 Cafe Ti-Amo When gelato looks like cake, it's harder to resist!

That same night with my sister and uncle, we tried out a new dessert place. Cafe Ti-Amos gelatos are beautifully crafted like cakes-- making them more delectable looking! Much to our surprise, the regular gelato servings (Php 90 each) had two scoops of your desired flavor. We got the blueberry cheesecake, pistaccio, and tiramisu. This contributed much to the night's food coma. haha. Their gelatos taste really nice. The right amount of sweetness and creaminess! I'm definitely going back.

The Snickers Ice Cream Bar

Your Php 65.00 is well spent when you get inside a Rustan's store and grab yourself a Snickers Ice Cream Bar! My friends were originally raving about the Twix version (oh I love Twix so much) and how I should try it but the downside was that someone has been hoarding the Twix ice cream bars in Katipunan. Funny story, the culprit (who turns out to be one of our friends) came clean and admitted his crime! So when I found myself in Katipunan one weekend, I had to dash to the frozen foods section and try my luck. Unfortunately, the only stock left was the Snickers bar but that did not disappoint me at all. Everything you love about the chocolate bar has been incorporated into the ice cream bar-- the light chocolate coating, chewy caramel, and crunchy peanuts! But the best part is that it's in cold cold ice cream form! 

No matter how many restaurants I go to or how many funky foodie finds I stumble upon, my taste buds always find themselves craving for home-cooked goodness-- especially Master Chef P's cooking! Since our change of diet, menu-planning has become more exciting. We're constantly thinking of ways to make our meals more enjoyable despite the big shift. This March I'm looking forward to more culinary masterpieces from my personal chef! 'Til the next fun foodie find post! :)

Mr. P's Dory Nuggets

Weekend Wedding

No, Mr. P and I didn't get hitched over the weekend! But our friends Liz & Brooks did! Remember the pretty invite we received a few months ago? The gang set out to Clearwater House in Tagaytay for a beautiful and sunny garden wedding. The invitation got me all excited months back since Liz has been telling me how personalized their wedding really is. I loved the little details they lovingly incorporated!

 As I was also in the mood to do a little DIY for the party prep, I also fashioned my own lace belt to go with my LBLD (little black lace dress) which I will be expounding in another post. But first-- a sneak peak of that lovely afternoon! 

Congratulations once again to the newlyweds! Wishing you more love, laughter, and happiness in the years to come! 

____________

Photo Credits: Taken from my Samsung Galaxy Y, some grabbed from Elma Domingo & Photospree Booth. :)