Baguio Trip

Baguio Trip!

Oct 22 @ 2am : departed from Nikki’s house to go to Baguio

We passed by North Luzon Expressway which seemed like a never-ending road with white stripes, I even got bored watching the road for just a few minutes. Hands down to Nikki’s Mom and Dad who drove us there hehehe :)

7:05 am : arrived in Baguio!

It was chilly! Nikki’s brother was wearing shorts and his teeth started to chatter hehehe. We had breakfast at Pancake house (I love Pancake house!) and I had Bacon and Pancake Medley with Orange Juice and Hot Chocolate! The Bacon and Pancake Medley had 2 pancakes with cream and syrup, a sunny-side up fried egg ang 4 strips of bacon. I left a strip of bacon and about 2 bites of pancake on purpose as my ‘diet’ for that morning, hahaha! Afterwards, Nikki and I were dropped off at Session Road to shop for clothes and thus…

My First Ukay-Ukay Adventure

I thought that the clothes would all be piled up high as a mountain in a box and then we’d go ‘ukay-ukay’-ing for the ones we like. Apparently, ukay-ukay looks just like a tiangge stall in Greenhills, only that the clothes are all second-hand with no stock for different sizes and colors. All the clothes are lined up in mulitple racks on hangers and you just need the patience to sift through each one :) There’s an entire building with about 3 floors of bargain clothes all up for grabs.

I think I didn’t do bad for my first try. I bought 2 jackets, and 1 sleeveless blouse all for P190 total! :) Cool! And they don’t even look like they’re only 50 or 70 pesos worth, that’s really a bargain!

Our Wooden Home

Afer lunch at Don Henrico’s in Session Road, Nikki and I finally got to the place that we were staying in: RidgeWood! The place looked so country-ish and not of the Philippines. It felt like a very big, ultra-furnished log cabin of a very rich family! hahaha! Here are pictures to prove it!



We got the room with a loft since there were 6 of us there. The lower floor had 2 separate twin beds with cable tv and the upper floor had one twin bed and one single bed. They also provided toothbrushes, soaps and towels just like any other hotel. The best thing I liked about the place is their lobby which had a very cozy and homey feel. I especially liked that there were little arrangements of fresh flowers on each table :) There were also 2 fireplaces but they weren’t lit during our stay, too bad. Oh, there’s also a desktop computer equipped with Windows XP OS with internet connection at a P50/hour rate in the lobby just in case one feels like browsing the world wide web. This was very apt for Nikki since she had to do some ‘homework’ when we were there.

me @ the fireplace

the sala with a smaller (hidden) fireplace


farther view of the place

Shopping and Boating

One of our main activities in Baguio was shopping. We shopped for 2nd hand clothes at the Session Road ukay ukay, we shopped for cheap jeans in the Tiangge, we shopped for woven clothes and food pasalubong at Mines View Park, we shopped for Good Shepherd foodstuff again at Mountain Maid Training Center and finally, we also shopped for more food stuff at the local wet market. Ah, the wet market was where Nikki bought a P50 Strawberry Wine that tasted of juice with just a hint of alcohol. Guess what, I got tipsy after 3 or 4 glasses hahahah!

Aside from shopping, Nikki, Mel and I also walked from Session Road to Burnham Park to ride the boat in the lake. At first, we were supposed to row the boat but we just went around in cirlces in one place hahah, so we got a manong to row for us for an additional 15 pesos ( I liked the boat ride very much coz the breeze was cool and I was surrounded with water, never mind that it was green and kinda swampy looking, hehehe. Water has a relaxing effect on me and I even broke out into song while enjoying the 30 minute ride. What did I sing?




Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.


The Mall

Since it was my first time to really go around Baguio even after 10 years of visit (I’m stuck in Teachers Camp every Holy Week since 1995), I requested Nikki and Mel that we go to SM Baguio. My brother who went told me that the place looked more like Greenbelt than an SM, so I got curious. My verdict? I say it’s a cross and falls somewhere in between. There’s no need for airconditioning in the mall since the cool mountain breeze is able to provide that for the whole 4 floors. The floors are all open and that’s where the good restos are all situated. You can eat with the glorious view of pine trees in front of you, very cool :)

Oct 23 @ 1:30pm : departed from Baguio to go back to Manila

Our last stop in Baguio before heading to Manila was the Pink Sisters Convent since Mel wanted to buy cookies made from hosts sold in the Gift Shop. Unfortunately, the shop was still closed so Mel and Nikki just dropped some prayer requests for the sisters. The trip home took about 6 hours including a stopover in KFC for dinner.

It was really a wonderful experience and I’m hoping to go to Baguio again with my officemates the next time around :) In terms of spending, I had 100 pesos left out of 2K in my wallet. I would say not bad since technically, I still had an additional 175 from the strawberry jam and pili nut requests of my friends. So that’s 275 left from all that shopping! Cool! :)

The Verdict on the Ultimate Chocolate Buffet

The Verdict on the Ultimate Chocolate Buffet

I came home from Makati Shangri-La’s Chocolate Buffet all woozy and sleepy! This was because I took too much Baileys mixed with melted Dark Chocolate hehehehe. So it took me 2 days to finally think straight and write this review. Read on!

Ambiance

The Lobby Lounge of Makati Shang was on the far end of the entrance of the hotel and had the signature Shangrila plush seats with a man on the piano providing the background music. The lights were high and bright and gave a somewhat chirpy atmosphere to the area.

When my friend Stella and I got there, the receptionist was busy talking to some other guests so we went to the cashier area where we spotted another waitress. She then called the other girl who led us to our reserved seat. Since it’s a lounge, the feel of the area wasn’t stuffy and bordering more on the casual chic.

Out waitress gave us a liquor menu but later on led us to the Chocolate Buffet upon finding out that we were there for their chocolate treats. The entire buffet was placed on five small tables with alternate heights fronting the lounge so it’s the first thing you’d see once you get near the area.


Selections

Of course I do not know what all the chocolate creations are called, but I will try my best in describing them, hehehe. On the right table were the spiral chocolate lollipops made of white and milk chocolate, chocolate biscuit-bread looking things with fruits and cream in the middle, chocolate bread—which was too ‘siksik’ for me. One distinct tart I didn’t like was the one mixed with spice. Stella and I couldn’t pinpoint if it was cinnamon or allspice or nutmeg but it had this funny a-little-too-minty sensation in your tongue that left a light bubble gum taste that I didn’t like.

Anyway, on the lower table was the best chocolate panna cotta that I have tasted! I love the mixture of cream, milk choco and dark chocolate that gives this light texture but strong flavor and there’s also caramel sauce at the bottom so you have the option to mix it or not depending on your taste. This was the best treat for me in the entire buffet J

Moving on, in the middle table was the drinking station with 5 variations of huge chocolate pellets: milk choco, white choco, semi-sweet, dark sweet and dark chocolate to be mixed with any of the following choices: milk, bailey’s tia maria’s, macadamia nut essence, and some other drinks that I didn’t know of. In a bout of excitement, I chose the concoction of dark chocolate with Bailey’s. The waitress mixed and melted them in the mini-saucepan at the buffet table and delivered the glass (around 8oz) with a stainless holder to our table.

There were also strawberries dipped in milk and white chocolate along with pralines with different flavors inside them all lined up in a 6 tier rack. Beside them were the green-colored mint gelatins with dark chocolate shards stuck all around to be poured with orange sauce; chocolate bread sticks and hot chocolate scones with your choice of whipped cream, and fruit sauce (blueberry, mango, strawberry) were also among the selections.

On the leftmost table were dimsum looking things that had chocolate inside—they were okay but didn’t really tickle my fancy so I just took a bite off from each of them for a taste. And also by this time, I was woozy from drinking the Bailey’s with dark chocolate, hehehe. I was actually still able to think some and decided to stop drinking the Baileys and ordered a different chocolate drink mixture similar to my friend, Stella’s. It was a mixture of half dark and half semisweet choco pellets melted with the macadamia nut essence. Mine came out stronger than Stella’s possibly because they didn’t use any measuring tools but just mixed all the ingredients together by feel.

Regretfully, Stella and I weren’t able to taste the chocolate cakes in the buffet that came from Circles. This is partially due to my wooziness--I could barely keep my eyes open and also because the buffet was about to end since it was already nearing 9pm. By this time, the regular singers at the Lobby Lounge have also arrived and started crooning out some ballads but Stella and I were still able to keep our conversation going.


Overall

I’d give Makati Shangri-la’s Ultimate Chocolate Buffet a 3 out 5 stars. What I liked best about Shang’s offerings were the panna cotta, strawberries dipped in chocolate, and the fact that you can make your own chocolate drink. The buffet was worth the money (PhP603 in all: 550 for the buffet, 100 service charge and 7 pesos additional fee for liquor, heheheh) especially if you prepare well for the chocolate indulgence.


Tips from Moi
1) Take liquor at the end of the buffet, not in the middle of it!
2) Get to the buffet early, it starts at 6pm and ends at 9pm, so you’ll have ample time to savor, digest and chit chat!
3) You should be a certified chocoholic! That means knowing that you should have enough stomach space to accommodate all the chocolate goodies and have the appetite to savor every single treat in the buffet!


Comparision

Hmmm, I’ve been to the Manila Penn’s Chocolate buffet last Nov 2004 and I’d say that I liked their offerings and ambiance better than Shang’s. Manila Penn’s lobby was more intimate with low lights and a violin quartet playing on the background. The buffet also had crepes with the chef whipping them up in front of you and of course, my favorite, the chocolate soup that was a mixture of white and dark chocolate. :)


Till the next hotel’s chocolate buffet!!!


P.S.. Circles Restaurant in Makati Shang and Crown Plaza Hotel in Galleria has a chocolate fountain where you can coat your food with chocolate from the flowing fountain! Cool!

Here, Fishy Fishy Fishy....

Here, Fishy Fishy Fishy....

I got all excited by the Fish and Co. review in today’s PhilStar. Fish and Co. didn’t really appeal to me at first coz I envisioned dry and bland food. What would you think of fish? But all this changed when I saw the pictures in the article written by Philip Cu-Unjieng.

The resto offers Baked Mussels with Garlic and Lemon Butter! Mussels is Tahong right? I love Baked Tahong! The best one I’ve tasted so far is in Krocodile Grill in Greenbelt 3. I want to try out Fish and Co.’s and compare! Hehehe. Aside from that, the author described the Prawn Trellis very well—which made my mouth water even more. The Prawn Trellis are supposedly deep fried prawns wrapped in vermicelli (sotanghon?) served with a spicy mango vinaigrette. (actually, it’s the mango vinaigrette that I want, hehe) Ooh and there’s also a seafood platter with a lemon and butter sauce! Their Smokin’ Caesar salad with Smoked Salmon also looked tempting in the picture. And lastly, I’d like to try this drink they have: Lava Guava, a mix of guava juice and tequila and a dose of honey! Cool!

The prices in Fish and Co are said to be the same with Italianni’s—around P400 to P500 per person for a full meal. Hmmm, I only spent around P250 when I went to Italianni’s with my friends coz we shared the food! Hopefully, I’ll be able to do this too when I try out the Fish and Co. restaurant at the 3rd floor of Greenbelt 3. :) Yeyy!

I can’t wait for Drich to get back so I’ll have my food-trip buddy again :)

Four Obsessive Compulsive Habits

Four Obsessive Compulsive Habits

1) Keep on calling up Aldrich's cellphone even when i know it's gonna tell me "The Subscriber cannot be reached, please try your call later"

2) Checking, Richard's, Mine and Aldrich's mail folder everytime i pass by the area to go to the restroom

3) Looking at the calendar to check if it's still Oct 5! Can't the earth spin any faster??

4) Constantly opening up my emails and friendster account for any sign of Aldrich being online (his aunt might not have IMs) due to this, i've also installed the gmail message notifier on my desktop.

MUSINGS ON THE SECOND OF OCTOBER

MUSINGS ON THE SECOND OF OCTOBER

Musical talent uncovered through Sadness
I have learned how to play 2 and a half songs by ear with the organ that my brother lent us. Striking the keys and making melodies seem to be another one of my outlets when I’m feeling sad…

Artsy Streak
I’m actually an artsy person. I like visiting museums and pretending to understand paintings in art galleries. I’d like to take pottery and photography classes for my personal satisfaction. It’s just something that I want to do.

More Revelations on The Perfect Man

I realized that there are other factors why I liked Hillary Duff’s movie. Aside from Hillary’s crazy antics, I was especially able to relate to the movie because 1) Hillary had a blog and eventually a homepage; 2) Her mom is a passionate baker. So I was awed by those two things. I had a smile on my face every time Hillary’s character would write on her online journal, and was excited when her mom would pipe out flower icing decorations for her cake. Cool, it’s so cool. Watching the movie once again ignited my desire to fix my blog and bake again. Real cool :)

The Murad Cellulite Solution
It’s a regimen actually which really interested me. I would try it out if I was in the cellulite removal stage, tsk tsk. Too bad, I’m still a long way off to that. I need to lose my fats first then worry about cellulites later on. Anyhoo, click the link for Pam Pastor’s article on Dr. Murad’s take on cellulite in the Inquirer.


Goodbye, Cellulite!

Coloring Guyito
Guyito is the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s carabao icon. We have The Philippine Star on weekdays and Inquirer on Sundays upon my request. I’m partial to Inquirer because my friend writes for their 2bu! section and my former college professor is the managing editor of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine….which also featured one of my works, hehehe.

Anyway, I read about a partially blind artist made an artistic sculpture of Guyito, which was featured in last week’s SIM. Then this Sunday, there were two painted versions of Guyito depicting nationalism and readership. I think it’s really cool and I’d like to be there when the painted Guyitos are unveiled :)

Here’s the article take from SIM…

Guyito Power
First posted 10:44am (Mla time) Oct 02, 2005
By Inquirer News Service

GUYITO, the official mascot of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, takes centerstage as the newspaper marks its 20th anniversary in December. Festivities will be highlighted by the unveiling of 20 Guyito carabao sculptures based on the character created by chief cartoonist Jess Abrera, and translated into the three-dimensional version by sculptor Juan Sajid Imao.

The Inquirer has invited 20 of the country’s veteran and emerging artists to paint the fiberglass sculptures based on the anniversary theme, “The Power of Knowing.” They are: Malang, Bencab, Kidlat Tahimik, Fernando Sena, Salvador Convocar, Soler, Steve Santos, Caña, Lydia Velasco, Ernesto Patricio, Bing Siochi, Roel Obemio, Tres Roman, Wilfredo Offemaria, Bin Samonte, Jef Samonte, Romeo Forbes, Rex Tatlonghari, Anton Balao and Jack Salud.
The grand unveiling of their works is scheduled on December 5, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Greenbelt Park, Makati City.

The carabao sculptures will be donated to 20 selected cities/municipalities nationwide, to be chosen based on their high schools’ rankings in the Regional Finals of the Quiz Bee Competition. Miniature versions of the Guyito sculptures will be given to the top 20 companies that have supported the Inquirer in the past two decades.

From January to May 2006, Inquirer representatives will visit the 20 selected schools/cities to turn over the sculptures. In addition, an Inquirer Campus Journalism Workshop will be held in each school. The one-day lecture/workshop will feature Inquirer reporters, editors and columnists who will discuss specific journalism topics and share their expertise on effective writing, editing and layouting. The number of student participants will be determined by the school’s available venue. Delegates will be given a handbook on journalism styles, methods, ethics and best practices.

Inquirer president Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez said the complement of anniversary activities underscores the need for knowledge. In marking its 20th year, Inquirer particularly hopes to motivate students to become achievers. “Through these projects, we hope to inspire the young to value reading and use it as a tool to attaining their dreams.”

Sunday Inquirer Magazine profiles the artists who have made the Guyito undertaking possible. SADG

Church Gathering @ Kaliraya
The message in church today made me say “Yes” to that gathering on Oct 30-Nov 1. I didn’t really like to go at first because 1) I don’t really know anyone that well 2) Obnoxious guys might be there 3) I don’t want to mingle. But then, I always get this some-kind-of-high when I go to church…I get inspired by the preachings which is a rare occasion these days. The message tugged on a heartstring when the pastor shared an experience of pain and suffering—pain that makes you say, ‘I can’t stand it anymore’. Yet everything has a purpose. We are the clay in the Potter’s hand and the Potter molds us as He sees best. What are my expectations? Not much, except that I’d be happier or enlightened when I come back from that experience…

Chocolate Buffet @ Makati Shangri-La

I’ve tried Manila Penn’s Chocolate Buffet last December, now it’s time to try Makati Shang’s! Bwahahahaha (laughs the Chocolate Monster!) It’s only on Fridays and Saturdays, 6pm-9pm at the Lobby Lounge. And oh my gosh, they have dark chocolate pralines and chocolate with mint ala After Eight! I am definitely going, and this time, it doesn’t matter if I’m all by myself! Hahahaha! (another laugh by the Chocolate Monster!) Check out the write up link from ClicktheCity.com under the picture :)

Sweet Shangri-la

Times like these, i feel like i'm single again

Times like these, i feel like i'm single again...coz i do things on my own, plan for myself without really including anyone else by default...which leads me to thinking what my definition of 'being in a relationship' is..

For me being in a relationship means there's someone whom i can constantly share my life with, someone who i won't think twice in sharing what's happened in my life, from the pettiest detail to the most serious and most sensitive events.

Being in a relationship also means that there's someone who i can bug if i want to go out.(Going out is a necessity for me) I don't usually like bugging others to go out with me, gusto ko kasi gusto rin talaga nung taong lumabas at hindi napilitan. Ayoko kasing nagbbaby-sit.

Usually din, if i plan something, the other person is always included in the picture, either kasama sya sa plans or I inform him of my plans.

Hmmmm...

So today, I didn't adhere to any of the definitions of being in a relatioship simply becauase i couldn't. My bf is in Chicago and all the plans i made were last minute which i couldn't tell him about since he's asleep.

I went to the gym after lunch, which was a big thought struggle for me since medyo naddpress ako kanina kasi mukhang hindi na tlaga matutuloy ung Singapore trip that got me all excited. Ang hirap maging sobrang excitable na person, it drains all your energy. But working out on a Saturday at FF Greenhills is always something to look forward to, malakas ung enticing power nya para sa akin so i was able to go :) I think nagiging habit ko na rin pumunta sa particular gym na un. It has some addictive properties, hmmm. Reminds me of the catchphrase printed on the bright colored wall: Motivation gets you started, habit keeps you going.

Anyway, after gym, i went to G4 and met up with Karen to watch a movie. Last minute un, kasi while i was feeling depressed, i felt like watching a movie, so i texted Karen since i remembered that she's not doing anything today. So there, we watched Perfect Man, the one with Hillary Duff. Lo and Behold, i enjoyed it more than Pefect Catch with Drew Barrymore and who's-that-guy. Maybe because my expectations weren't that high? And besides, i enjoyed watching Lizzie Maguire before, and similarly, the movieshows Hillary doing lots of crazy antics as in her TV series.

I'm more of a Hillary Duff fan than a Lindsay Lohan fan. For one, i absolutely hated the movie Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen. I don't even remember the storyline much anymore, it's was simply soooo superficial and not entertaining at all. Herbie was okay coz it was more of a remake so there's an edge there.

Anyway, Karen and I ate at Wendy's before the movies, nagchikahan, etc. I was also finally able to buy my Shine Curl shampoo, pay for some bills and after movie, I shopped a little at Bench. Then i went home already, although I wouldve wanted to stay longer and walk around the mall.

I'd like to try eating at Heaven N' Eggs sometime, also taste those colorful circular things at Bizu...window shop at the expensive stores, check out cellphones, look around Powerbooks, oh and i forgot to buy Cosmo!

I don't even know if i will be able to tell Aldrich all these with the details included, well he can read it in my blog. But this isn't really my ideal type of being in a relationship...

Hmmmm...

I'm just having some rather different thoughts right now and all i can say is being alone makes me think a lot.

Here are some of my thoughts:

1) Save for a PC or Save for an out-of-the-country trip?

Saving for a cellphone is on low priority although it is one of my wants.

Right now i'm checking out sightseeing options in Singapore. I realized that if i'm really set on going, i should first research on the place and plan out the places that i want to see so that money and time are not wasted and also save up for the trip.

2) On being single and the illusion of indestructibility

This made me remember Karen's question to me on why Hillary wanted to run away when she started falling in love with the guy in the movie. I told her coz she got scared and Karen asked me why. Hehehe, why? because falling in love is a scary ,wonderful thing. Scary even for the old-timers coz it makes one vulnerable. You have to invest a big part of you in someone else. You put down your guard, you let the person take care of your heart. That is scary. But that is also love--trusting the other person with your heart. This leads to the automatic risk of loving: getting hurt. Despite this, a lot of people choose to love than not to love. The pros still outweigh the cons :)

Even with that answer to Karen's question, i still feel at times that i don't want to be in a relationship. This thought usually comes to me when i've experienced too much hurt and i try to be strong and in the process, i'm too guarded and develop these shields to protect me. There are times when i feel that i don't want to have someone take care of my heart, that i'd rather take care of it myself, so at least if something happens, there's just myself to blame. Well, this is one of those times...

Sometimes, i just feel like i want to have total control of my life so i won't go crying like im doing now...it's just gets so tiring..it's not something that i can control with my mind...coz it's something that i feel...

It's one of those times that i just want to be alone, but it's a moot point as of now. I know enough not to make decisions when im emotional.