Sunday, May 26, 2013

what color is your weekend?

i love love LOVE!



Nostalgic in black and white. My cousin, Haggy, got married last week. It was a traditional, no-frills, post-lunch wedding. We were all uncomfortably sweaty in the humble little chapel in our humble little barrio but nonetheless, our humble not-really-little family was all happy and at the same time sentimental that one of us is getting married. He is the first grandchild to be married, and this is big not just for him, for his wife, for his parents, but this milestone is big for all of us. I cannot believe this man on the altar is the same little boy who I thought looked like Jerry in Tom and Jerry when he was born. I cannot believe he is the same little boy who crawled out of his crib and ate a piece of a broken glass to his mom's utter horror. I was in tears at the beginning of the ceremony when I finally grasped the bigness of this milestone - our once little baby is now a grown up man.






All Pretty in Blue and Red. The wedding's color motif is red. Mika, my other cousin, who I sat with in the church wore a powder blue dress which I think looked great on her. The color highlighted her youth. We were discussing (mostly throughout the ceremony) how the wedding could have been more heart tugging and moving if the choices of songs weren't so liturgical and more about love but we were advised the church does not allow this. There are rules, we were told. Hmmm. We also cannot believe that the priest talked about divorce in his homily - no offense Father, but before you is a young couple, in love and excited to start their own family; they need to hear the wonders of a married life. They need to hear about how love is a beautiful mix of magic, responsibility, sacrifice and completion. There is no need to be all doomsday about this. Really.



Pure in white with a mix of sunset yellow. Did I mention that my cousin is way much younger than me? I belong to the upper tier of our family tree (tsk, tsk). Good thing, I have older cousins who were grilled with "so, when will we marry you off?" and "will you be next in line?". Questions were asked with sheepish smiles and smug facial expression which silently screams, "I am married now, I found the love of my life, poor you, go find one, fast". We were even forced to participate in the tossing of the bridal bouquet game with whispered instructions to the poor bride, "nasa kanan si ate *insert name of ate here*". To our elders, we are not in a rush. There may be times when we get a little bit pressured because we see our peers settling down and we have you as constant reminders of where we should be at this stage in our lives but no, thank you. We are not in a rush. See, I even said the rush statement twice. I personally do not know the reasons of my ate's, but for me, it is as simple as not having checked off substantially my single & unattached agenda. There are far too many mountains to climb, oceans to dive into, courses to finish, businesses to start, travels and places to experience, people to meet, personal milestones to achieve - call me selfish but this is the truth. Marriage is like how Spice Girl's sang it, "two become one", not two become one and a half. It is necessary that one completes himself before being the reason of another person's life's completion. And though sad, I'll say this in all honesty, I am still in the process of gluing the pieces of "me" together. And Lord, I think this is going to be a long process. Haha!

sunday sermon

i love love pursuits of freedom!

“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first.” ― Jim Morrison

Saturday, May 25, 2013

oh bunny!

i love love Bunny!
who wore the hat better? haha! 

L-R: Fluffy Bunny & Me

The red hat was for my cousin's wedding entourage. Bunny and I tried it after. Haha! If only I knew dog-speak, I will invite the not-so-puppy fluffy Bunny in our round (kitchen) table in Cagayan Valley for an afternoon tea and a heart-to-heart talk. I have so much to thank him for: for allowing my sisters to baby him even if he's an adult already; for being an effective child/baby-substitute at home which has drastically changed the disposition of our dear nanay from worry-wart to happy mommy; for teaching my sisters to be responsible adoptive/pseudo mommies; for just being him, sweet and adorable and impossible to dislike; for accepting the name Bunny, even if he's a doggie. Haha!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

it's a magical world, ol' buddy

i love love Calvin and Hobbes!
LET'S GO EXPLORING!

via policymic

Saturday, May 18, 2013

sunday sermon

i love love pursuits of freedom!

via couleur est belle

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

dapitan again

i love love pictures!
dapitan part 2.0
photo essay
































"Did you check the email I sent you?", Alan asked. "What e-mail?", I replied, not really focusing on the conversation but trying to master the art of crossing the street without getting my pretty yellow shoes wet (it was drizzling that night) while nibbling on a Raffles chip. "Dapitan pictures", he answered. "But I blogged about it already!!!!", I exclaimed in panic and OC-ness. I resolved to just looking at the files he sent me without necessarily posting them BUT these pictures are so pretty they deserve to be published in the most famous blog in the milky way galaxy! Oh yes, haha!

So, here's Dapitan, again. :)

Let the colors jump right at you. :)

photos by Alan David


Monday, May 13, 2013

elections sermon

i love love efforts to happiness!
this is so playful, i want to dance too!

 
via couleur est belle

cocina juan

i love love cocina juan!
maginhawa street

"This is really worth the long trip. Thank you.", said the English speaking 30-something diner at the other table. "No, THANK YOU sir. Where are you from?", replied the manager/owner. "Makati", the diner retorted. I was beaming inside, "yay, he likes the place, I like it, no, love it too!". This is not a foodie post (because I suck at descriptions) but if you are like my sisters and cousins who frequently read my blog (haha!), you would know how I love, love, truly love Cocina Juan in Maginahawa Street, UP Teacher's Village Quezon City.


























It's my go-to restaurant actually. My sisters are coming over for a visit, where to treat them? Cocina! My tito is asking for recommendations where to eat lunch? Cocina! My high school best friend wants to drop by, where to bring her? Cocina! I am all alone, where do I go? Cocina! Haha! Nope, I was not paid to write this one. I truly love love places like Cocina, very cozy and artsy. I like that their walls have different sets of colors. And their doors are painted in playful green. And that walls are adorned with painting. And the seat covers crocheted or woven. And the tables tiled. And the lights glistens as they hit the bottles in different colors. I can go on and on and on. Plus, it does not hurt that it is near our apartment! *wink* I have not started talking about the food yet!!


The food is Mex/Tex and the place is lauded for its chimichurri sauce. But what I absolutely cannot forget is the Cream Dory baked in cheese meal which melted in my mouth several years back and this is what I have been ordering since. No fish meal was available tonight though so we had the chicken and the pork. Yum! Highly recommended is their Dinamita and Pita Pizza -  I can never get enough of them.




























I pray for more places as charming and enriching as Cocina Juan - or better yet, build/start one someday!!

Hooray for our dreams!!


what color is your weekend?

i love love patterns!


























Gray with a touch of yellow. Summer is about to end. The rainy days are coming. For several weeks now, I have been waking up in the middle of the night all sweaty and uncomfortable with the heat. But at the onset of May, the gray clouds and the rain have since been hovering above us, we'll say goodbye to summer in a few days. This picture was taken last Saturday Morning while waiting for a breakfast restaurant to open and I spent the time taking pictures and enjoying the shade provided by a really huge acacia tree. The change in season (although it is not really that drastic here in the Philippines given that we only have two) chases the sentimental and the over-analyzer. I welcomed the year in impatience and frustration as I feel (and know) that I am lagging behind my personal timelines. Yes, how can I forget? They haunt me at night and render me sleepless at times. And then while I have not risen above the start of the year drama, here we are again, chasing our deadlines and saying goodbye to summer and nearing the half-year mark.


























Playful mix of seafoam green + orange/brown. This is a picture of a milkshake bar counter where my brother Paul treated Mika and me to drown the lingering and strong aftertaste of a Persian dinner. Being with college kids keep me sane. I both admire and envy their disposition - all sunshiny, all hopeful, all promising, all optimistic and all happy. If only possible, I will rewind and relive my college days and spend them being a magnet of opportunities and inspiration to others. Adulthood just zaps out the magic - responsibility and routine are the party poopers. But I always remind myself that I am the captain of my ship -  I am already at that age where I am capable of steering myself towards grabbing that dream, that elusive feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment that I am actually doing the thing I was born to do. 

"Dear God, I will get up and go every morning. I will be in constant motion. I will steer my ship to where my heart beats. But I need You. I need You to orchestrate my life because it is only through You that harmony is possible. Shape me and lead me that I may be the right person, in the right place, at the right time. Amen."

Opulent in green, red and gold. This bracelet I bought from Dapitan arcade. It's costume jewelry and costs less than five hundred pesos but they make me feel like an Indian princess capable of bajillion dowry. Come on Prince Harry, come and get me - haha! Last night, my brother asked me what my luxury in life is. I wanted to answer none because at this time I really cannot afford any (or I have my resources pegged for something else other than a fleeting luxury - that's the spirit!:)) but one has to give an answer, so I said travel. But what does he mean by luxury anyway? He told me it's about wanting something, getting something you do not really need. For him, luxury is about notebooks purchased even he still has a lot he has not written on. Notebooks. And then pens. I need to travel to calm my thoughts and panicky heart so it is actually a need. What is my luxury? I do not really know. But there is one thing I really want to happen - to be able to travel with my family. Do I need it? We can manage without it. But I want it to happen. This is one thing we never get to do - we're so huge in terms of logistics and expense that it will cost us an arm and a leg to get us all on a plane ride. But I know this is possible. Because tomorrow, I will be rich. :)

Happy thoughts!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

dapitan arcade

i love love home interiors!
mother's day at dapitan
a photo essay

I spent Mother's Day in a place any kind of mother will definitely go crazy about as any teenaged young lady will do when left alone in Forever 21. After greeting my nanay and aunts and all the mothers who have been and still are part of my life and after an early morning breakfast date (which I have yet to write about for Before Nine), Alan and I met with Miss Eden, a former colleague and close friend, for a Sunday shopping date at Dapitan Arcade. I have been harboring a not-so-secret desire for a place of my own and the visit to the arcade made me both inspired and impatient to make this happen. ASAP. I was hopping, zipping, pausing, swooning stall after stall - I felt like kid with a free pass to Disneyland. For a month!


While I am gearing more towards clean, chic and mabango looking house, Dapitan arcade has slanted me towards the dark, rich and eclectic home vibe - I am loving the colors, the quirkiness, the richness and over the top designs of bric-a-brac.


I was told the arcade is more festive and more people-ridden during the Christmas season. Our visit happened on the month of May, perfect for a first timer whose money is enough for one whatever-arcade-piece to bring home to - just because. But given my improving haggling skills (or more like the vendor's frustration to get his inventory off the shelves), my Php500 limit bought me a blue Buddha figurine to add to my mother's collection and colorful jingly bangles which, according to the seller, was imported all the way from India.





Saturday, May 11, 2013

dumaguete food trip

i love love food!
where to eat in Dumaguete


























'Twas a sweet 2-hour ride from the province of Siquijor to Dumaguete and by the time we reached the port, I was all in a rush to get to our hotel, park our things and satisfy our bellies with Dumaguete food sacredly listed in a sheet of yellow paper, carefully folded and tucked in my camera bag. I am a little control freak such that I had everything planned by the minute. Haha! :)

JUTZ CAFE DINING GALLERY

Art+Food = Magic!!!!! I believe there are proper blog sites which can dissect the food quality blah-blah and what I will be posting here are mostly pictures (I am lazy that way - haha!) and my personal experience of being in the restaurant and trying out what I felt like eating at that time. I love how la boheme Jutz Cafe is and how it promotes art - I am loving the vibe!!



































What we sampled:  

Jutz Cafe Favorite Pizza. your good old traditional pizza which at that time was heaven for me because I was incredibly hungry!! My first bite of it was my salvation!!!

Shrimp and Mushroom Pomodoro Basilico. So satisying. :)

SANS RIVAL CAKES & PASTRIES (just two blocks away from Jutz Cafe) 

Dessert heaven. Sans Rival when translated in English means, "without rival", in Filipino, "walang katapat". And truly, my favorite cake in the world is sans rival - wherever and however it is made. Sans Rival Cakes and pastries is packed with both locals and tourists at the time of our visit, understandably so. We went back the next day and had the same order: SILVANAS and SANS RIVAL CAKE. I still dream about these two until today.

and seriously, right across Sans Rival is ZAN ZIBAR... hahaha!



TEMPURAHAN
Rizal Boulevard gets transformed into a dining destination every afternoon courtesy of a group of vendors who thrive in the concept of tempurahan. I thought I will be getting my taste of tempura and Japanese cuisine but what tempurahan offers are squid balls, fish balls, kikiam, balot and penoy - our typical street food upped one notch as they are serve by the bay with the view of the ocean while serenaded by street musicians (who will not leave your table until you pay them - haha!). Again, I am loving the vibe!!


PANDA ICE CREAM HAUS
While I stay loyal to FIC's Pistachio ice cream, Panda's fried ice cream is worth a try. :)


LAB-AS
I am definitely going back to Dumaguete for this!! I am loving the Dumaguete plate (that's gata, coconut strips, sea food and lechon kawali all in one plate - yummm!!!) and the chili crabs (yummmm again!!!!!!!!!).

PAINITAN
I love love breakfast and I love love it that Dumaguete offers a unique breakfast experience!!! Check out Before Nine for an account of our morning in Painitan!

KRI

Right before our 3 PM flight back to Manila, we headed to KRI along Siliman Avenue for a fine dining lunch experience in Dumaguete. It has lovely interiors and superb customer service. And the food - they taste as beautifully as they look. The restaurant is categorized under fine dining but is surprisingly affordable. :) Definitely a must-try!

















































































Sorry for the KRI picture overload but I honestly can't get enough of the place - so beautiful!! 

What we sampled: Rice Paper Vegetable Roll for appetizer| Cream of Roasted Tomato because I am a soup person!| Main Course: KRI Pork Ribs * Tuna wrapped with Nori * Samurai Salmon with Tempura

We spent less than 24 hours in Dumaguete, got to try all these wonderful dishes - it was an incredible whirlwind love affair with our bellies!!