Hello December! Today marks the second
day of December and you know what that means… It’s time for my “You know it’s
Christmas” blogs! Hopefully I get to post more blogs this time :D. So, if you
know and recommend a good place or great buys or delicious food for Christmas
or related to Christmas comment away or send me an email and I will try my best
to try it and blog about it J.
Oh! It must be within the Philippines… specifically in Metro Manila for me to
visit it since I commute J.
But I do welcome suggestions! J
Have a wonderful Christmas Season! Here’s to season 3 of “You know it’s Christmas”!
-DOT-
Photo was edited by writer, original candy cane
photo from: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf79677796.tip.html,
if you would like to use it kindly
inform or at least cite the source thank you! J
Finally I’ve been to
a 10A Alabama's Handmade Arts and Crafts Fair! For months (literally) I’ve been
planning to visit it because I have heard and seen a lot of good things about
the place and the arts and crafts fair. I love trinkets and small knick-knacks.
I also make small quirky things so going there was really a treat for me.
Welcome!
For those who are
not familiar with 10A Alabama, it is the address and the name of the place were
handmade things are sold by various artists and crafters. I would say that this
place and the fair is a celebration of art and creativity. I would describe the
fair as warm and cozy because you get to see different the art pieces and you
also get to talk to the artist themselves. I believe that there is something
for everyone there. From dolls to jewelries to bags to sculptures to furniture,
they have all things cute, colorful, creative, and delightful.
During my visit
there I gravitated towards jewelries particularly earrings (I have an earring
fetish… if there was such a word) J.
I saw A LOT of beautiful earrings studs, dangling, and more. I couldn’t buy all
that I wanted because I was working on a budget and I had to restrain myself J. So I went over all the
booths and found one booth, booth owner was Jaime, that sold these cute food
jewelries. No, the jewelries were not made from real food, but they looked like
tiny versions of well-loved dishes. There were fruit earrings, burger
necklaces, and pasta rings. Well, I have been looking for these types of
jewelries for so long and I found them!! So I choose to buy two cake earrings
one for me and another for a friend. J
Oh! My dad came with me and he too found something to buy. He bought paintings…
and he bought me and mom earrings J
(sweet).
one of the booths that sold notepads and paper crafts
another booth that sold felt crafts and jewelries
food jewelries from Jamie
yumm!!
<3
Hopefully 10 A
Alabama would have another fair on December because I would surely love to
visit again. For those interested, they would also be having a gift wrapping
workshop on December (which I won’t be able to attend…BUMMER). For more
information about this workshop and more information on 10 A Alabama visit
their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/10aAlabama
-DOT-
Title inspired by the Little Mermaid song. :) Photos are personally owned by writer, if you
would like to use it kindly inform or at least cite the source thank you! J
When you think of Japanese
food, you might immediately think of sushi, sashimi, and tempura. Well, Japanese
food is more than those things… and that’s a great thing! J Japanese cuisine can also be composed of rice
bowls or donburis. One of my favorite
rice bowl dish is katsudon and I’m so
glad I found a restaurant fully devoted to katsu… and this place is called
Yabu!
Katsudons are one of my
favorites because it’s one of the Japanese dishes that don’t require soy sauce
to be used. (I am allergic to anything soy). In other words, you can alter the
dish without sacrificing the taste.
Ok back to Yabu.
My family and I were able to
dine at their Robinsons Magnolia outlet. (Visit the new Robinsons Magnolia Mall
it’s so pretty and uncongested there J). The
place was full! The ambiance was great. It did not look like your traditional
Japanese restaurants. As we were seated, I was intrigued by the food being
served to the other tables beside ours. The food all looked the same. When I flipped
thru the menu, I found the same thing. I was used to lengthier Japanese menus
because of all the different types of sushis, appetizers, and others. BUT it
was a good thing because it just shows that this is Yabu’s forte. So I ordered
chicken katsudon set, my brother ordered the pork katsudon, and my parents
ordered pork katsudons which were either Rosu or Hire. Roso and Hire were
variations to the pork katsudon. MAN! The food was YUUUUMMMMYYY!!!! It was the best Katsudon I have tasted to
date. It was crispy, and not oily, on the outside and tender in the inside. It tasted
best when drizzled with Yabu’s sesame-mayo or sesame-oil dressing. The set that
my brother and I ordered had free miso soup, Japanese pickles, fruits, rice,
and cabbage salad. Ohhh… did I mention that rice and cabbage in Yabu is
UNLIMITED! J
Dad's food
おいしい
<3 <3
UNLIMITED! :)
Yabu was great! I would definitely
return to Yabu soon! J
-DOT-
Photos are personally owned by writer and some were taken from Yabu’s
Facebook page, if you would like to use it kindly inform or at least cite the
source thank you! J For
more information check out: http://www.facebook.com/yabuhouseofkatsu
So
I’m currently in Tagaytay helping out in a conference about children J. The
weather here is perfect! It’s cool, windy, and sunny. The comforting weather made
me think of a certain comfort food…burgers! Then I remembered that I haven’t
blogged about this great place I recently visited.
Goodfellas
Steaks and Burgers is located at 56 T Gener corner K-1st Kamuning, Quezon City. It serves
delicious foods, from burgers to pastas to steaks to so much more! I love the
place because the ambiance is so inviting and interesting. It takes inspiration
from the movie The Godfather so the interiors are a bit dark and masculine. I also
like this place because its location is far from the busy street of Morato (But
not too far away from it) perfect for enjoying their delicious food.
Leather seats... brick walls.. what's not to love? :)
The
last time I was there, my family and I ordered the following: Goodfellas
Burger, seafood pasta (sorry I forgot the name), and Goodfellas House
Steak.2 out of 4 of us ordered the
burger since that was Goodfellas specialty. It was yummy! It was 100 grammer
charbroiled burger, served on an oatie bun with lettuce and tomato plus fries
and ice tea. The meat was juicy and well cooked. It was so mouth-watering and scrumptious.it is
definitely a must try when there! Or try any of their burgers!
the Goodfellas Burger
The seafood pasta was something new on the
menu when I was last there. It was fettuccini cooked in a tomato-based sauce
topped with clams, shrimps, and other seafood. I am a sucker for anything pasta
so I loved this. The sauce wasn’t too oily and the seafood wasn’t too
overpowering. Altogether it was delightful!
My dad was the one who ordered the
steak because it seemed “masculine” at that time J. I did
have a taste of it however, and let me tell you this… ladies should also try
it. It was juicy and aptly seasoned. At Goodfellas, they serve 100% U.S.
Certified Angus Beef which are served with mixed vegetables and mashed potato
or rice pilaf.
It was another fun time with the family! Certainly
looking forward to another one at Goodfellas! J
-DOT-
For
more information check out: Goodfellas Facebook page J
The last photo is from their Facebook page
Some photos are personally owned by writer, if you
would like to use it kindly inform or at least cite the source thank you! J
Hooray!
I’m blogging again! I apologize for not posting for several months nowJ…. BUT I’m back!
So brief background on why I wasn’t
able to blog for a really long time… I’m currently on my last year in college,
which means I’m now deep in my majors. Some of my majors and classes this
semester require me to teach preschool, create a seminar, write papers, and
more. J All is well and I am on the
last week of the first semester.
NOW back to the topic, Last Night I was
able to watch The Phantom of the Opera at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP). And let me tell you it was AMAZING!! Everything was spot on,
from the lighting, to the props, to the backdrops, to the costumes, to the
orchestra, and to the performers. I sat at the center of third row, balcony
one. It was far but it was alright because I was able to see the entire stage. I
did bring binoculars which really helped. (Oh, if you don’t have one, you may
buy at CCP they are selling it at 75php a piece.)
Splendid Indeed!
Had fun watching with friends :)
some of the costumes
I loved every single bit of the
show. It’s really different from the movie because some parts in the movie were
cut in the show and because hearing and watching live will give you chills, the
good kind. J Here were some of my
favorite bits during the show:
·Prologue: LOT 666 (the Chandelier) - it was spectacular how the chandelier unfolded
and rose from the stage to the ceiling. Plus the dramatic overture by the
orchestra will definitely give you goose bumps.
Le Chandelier
·Act 1:
oAngel
of Music-
Phantom coming out of the Mirror! (needs no further description J)
oThe
Phantom of the Opera- The stage slowly unfolds into
Phantom’s lair. The candles, the fog, and the moving boat! The exchange of
voices from the actors was superb.
oAll
I Ask of You-
Need I say more. J This song makes The Phantom
of the Opera THE Phantom of the Opera. The sweet serenade from the orchestra
together with Christine and Raoul’s singing makes you melt inside J.
·Act 2:
oMasquerade- The
costume was epic! Each performer had a different type of costume complete with
small details.
oPoint
of no Return-
When Christine removes the Phantom’s mask and shows his deformed face. The make-up
was so good and gory.
oThe final scenes in the Phantom’s
Lair. Oh the drama! You’d really feel the pain and agony through the actors’
voices.
oPhantom disappears- still boggled by
how he did it!
Overall,
I had a wonderful time! Watching The Phantom of the Opera was a sweet way to end the semester. Bravo!
-DOT-
Credits to:
TJ (thank you for your photos) and Phantom of the Opera Manila facebook page for photos
if you would like to use
it kindly inform or at least cite the source thank you! J
Last night, my friends and I went to Mezza Norte for a foodie adventure and bonding time.
[BACKGROUND INFO: Mezza Norte is a food bazaar/haven where one can find different stalls of food. It is located at UP Ayala Techno Hub. It’s open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday every 6pm -3am]
Mezza Norte! :)
find your type of cuisine from the different food stalls
Jam-packed with people
Okay back to last night, so after a very busy week my friends and I thought of trying the pasta-all-you-can at The Old Spaghetti House at Techno Hub, BUT when we arrived the line was soooooo loooong. We then decided to instead go to Mezza Norte, thank God for Mezza Norte.
Mezza Norte was packed with people, despite of the rain. Entrance was free so it made my experience more fun. My friends and I decided to go around the different food stalls first before buying anything. By doing this, we got to see different dishes offered at Mezza Norte and we got to scout for empty tables and chairs. While circling the place, I saw buy-one-take-one desserts, Korean cuisines, Filipino dishes (particularly tapa), burgers, barbeques, burritos, tacos, Chinese dishes, pizzas, ice creams, and many more!! After two rounds at Mezza Norte and soaking feet, {tip: wear boots when visiting Mezza Norte on a rainy day} we decided to go for the burgers at Big Bob’s Burgers, but the line was long and when we asked it would take about 40 minutes due to the number of orders. So, instead we decided to go pika-pika (sharing food by buying small servings). I bought mini tacos from Taclings. My friends bought pizza (I wasn’t able to get the name of the stall but it’s in front of the stage J) and chicken from Dadi’s Berd.We shared these and we loved the mini tacos. Afterwards, I bought dessert brownie mix with chocolate sauce) from Med Chef.
colorful juices
desssertsss!! :)
Big Bob's Burgers
flame on! :]
My Friends: Nikka and Sab
pizza for three: Sab and me
juicy chicken from Dadi's Berd
pizzza
TACLINGS!! <3
We went around for the last time to buy drinks. My friends bought tamarind juice and lemongrass juice while I bought milk tea. We stayed for a little while and listened to some live music then went home.
Last night was so fun! I’d go back to try the other stalls J
-DOT-
For more information check out: http://www.facebook.com/MezzaNorte
Photos are personally owned by writer, if you would like to use it kindly inform or at least cite the source thank you! J
Last January, my mom celebrated her birthday and as a birthday treat we went to La Union, in Thunderbirds Resort. It was a spontaneous trip… unplanned but unforgettable. J
Thunderbirds Resort has two resorts in the Philippines. The one we went to was at La, Union. We left Quezon City at around 7:30 pm and it was a six hour drive. We arrived at the place and we all felt sleepy so I really didn’t care where we were since I was really sleepy (plus I had to do some projects). We headed to our beds and slept…
When I woke up, I was surprised to see the beautiful shore and the beautiful sunrise. I was invigorated by the place. When I got out of our room I saw Santorini…. ish. J I suddenly had flashbacks of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie. It was such a beautiful place.
We had a good breakfast in their restaurant… then my cousins came and we went around. While staying there, I had the chance to bike around, walk a lot, and just chill. Even with loads of school work, God allowed me to enjoy the beautiful place. Thunderbirds Poro Point also have a lot of activities for guests… there are tours and they also have a casino. Since I have cousins who are minors, the Casino was off limits :D. Instead they, does not include me since I am allergic to chlorine *bummer*, swam in the pool for HOURS literally. I, on the other hand, took photos J.
I love the place and the environment. It was such a treat. Hope you get to see the place.
Here are some of my photos:
Thunderbirds Resort: Poro Point
Good morning!
The dome ceiling art
dome ceiling
ooohhh afternoon sun
sunset
The dome at night
I <3 it here!
-DOT-
P.S. Their hotel rooms are the bomb! I love it so much!! I wish I could have their rooms as my own room. J
Photos are personally owned by writer, if you would like to use it kindly inform or at least cite the source thank you! J For more information check out: www.thunderbirdresortsporopoint.com
