Back to Basics

Today when teenagers think of fun, they throw in alcohol and media of some sort. Last night, I threw a sleepover at my place and tried to eliminate the usage of gadgets. 

I remember my childhood days very clearly. Gadgets weren't so big in the 90's growing up, so kids like me would play outside most of the time. I'd remember playing games like Dengue, Hide-and-Seek & Marco Polo. (And honestly speaking, call us immature but my friends and I still enjoy playing those kinds of games and that's what I love about them.) -- I have a younger brother whose 13 years old, and he and his friends don't even consider playing those games anymore. Instead, they'd spend their time watching movies or playing with their respective gaming consoles. I find it so crazy how kids as young as 5 years old have their own PSP's! Wild.

Meet my friends! We call ourselves CANADA. No, not because of the country but because our initials start with each letter formed in CANADA. Pretty cool, right? :) We even had shirts made! Haha.

CANADA

Chino, Anton, Nick, Alyssa, Daniel, & Andrew.

These guys have been my friends since grade school so you can just imagine how bonded we all are. Not all of them stayed in Waldorf until Grade 12. One even moved to Baguio! But I'm glad to say that distance never changed our relationship. We still managed to keep in touch. I'd like to think that a friendship/relationship is a two way street. So as long as you don't stop making the effort, things will be okay. :)

Being the thoughtful mum that she is, she bought us some of my favourite snacks to get us through the night just so we wouldn't "starve". Typical fat ass notion. HAHA.

I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty addicted to gadgets. Especially my phone, I'm never seen without it. But during bonding sessions like these, I try my best to keep it away with no regrets whatsoever! 

We decided to go to the play ground to just talk and okay, maybe squeeze in some swinging here and there. But left early because the guard told us that it was past the villages curfew. So we just played games the whole night instead of watching a movie. We played soccer outside the streets, Balderdash, Hilarium, Cranium, Monopoly Deal and the renowned filipino card game 'Pusoy-Dos'.

I love watching movies, don't get me wrong. But I really enjoyed playing board games last night because it really brought us back to basics. It's much more interactive and you just enjoy each others company more which is the whole point in 'bonding'. 

We weren't complete that night so it was only Anton, Nick, Daniel and I. My brother decided to join in the fun too! We were missing the beginning and ending of CANADA! :( Nonetheless, it was for me one of my favourite sleepovers starting off with the 50% off Brothers Burger that was certainly satisfying, all the deep & sabaw conversations not to mention the never ending tiffs of what to do next.

I'm going to be all cheesy and quote Bob Marley here... 

"The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for."

I love these guys to the moon and back! And to me, they're worth suffering for. I'm the eldest in the family and I've always wanted an older brother. How lucky am I to suddenly be given FIVE! :")

I always get so flattered when people go: "I wish I find my own CANADA soon."

My only wish for all of you is that you DO find your own CANADA! Because I swear, life will be so much more worth while with friends like these on your side. :)

Pastels and Denim

This is what I wore today when I had to go and fix my visa for my trip to Taiwan next week. Super last minute, but I'm pretty excited! I've only stopped by Taipei's airport last time I went to the US.

I love to travel, and I'm not going to lie.. when ever I think about traveling, I think of going out of the country just to getaway from the Philippines. But today, I came upon this 

      'It's More Fun in the Philippines' video and was amazed at how beautiful our country is. Part of my bucket list now, is to visit more islands in the Philippines. :) Click here to watch the video!

                         

I absolutely love prints and recently have been addicted to floral prints in particular. When I saw these pair of shorts, I knew I just had to have 'em!

I'm a flats kind of girl because they go with mostly everything and their extremely comfortable! 

Growing up, I was influenced into reading 'The Adventures of Nancy Drew' by my mother. These loafers certainly do remind me of her very much as she'd wear ones similar to them to all her adventures and misadventures. :) 

Outfit for the day:

Denim polo: Banana Republic - Floral shorts and shades: F21

Loafers: Archaeology, Rockwell - Bag: Mango

Hope you enjoyed this short entry! So what're the top 3 places you'd love to check off YOUR bucket list? :)

Why I Love My Mondays

Just like Garfield and probably majority of the people.. I hate Mondays. Or at least hated. 

We're quite a small bunch in my dads side, so I only have a number of cousins I can count with only one hand. They're all quite young and live in America so you can just imagine how close I am to my aunt and uncles! 

Meet my Tita Pau! She's the youngest sister of my dad. She stands 4 foot 10 and 3 quarters. She's really small, but she has one of the biggest hearts. She's a nursery teacher, so you can just imagine how good she is with children. :) Being the ultra-competitive family that we are, she enjoys doing triathlon too. She's my RETRO wonder-twin, who in my opinion, CAN pull it off. ;) HAHA. *inside joke* She loves to eat and that's one reason why we get along so well!

So just recently, I've been spending my Mondays with this woman for a little bonding session we like to call "U.B.E." No, I am not referring to the yam instead the

 'Ultimate Bonding Experience'. 

We usually like staying in. We pig-out (no doubt about it), watch our favourite TV series of all time F.R.I.E.N.D.S., swim, or just talk about anything and everything that's happening in our lives. But yesterday, we decided to take it outside so we went to Greenbelt. 

Marciano's - A restaurant that serves American and Italian dishes is brought to you by the same makers of the Japanese restaurant in Greenbelt 5 called John and Yoko. 

Just a few of the surprises you will see when you look up the ceiling! 

It wasn't my first time coming. My tita wanted to eat in some place she hasn't eaten at before, so randomly this place came to mind because I am one that's big on the ambiance of the place and I remembered loving it at Marciano's! 

Meet the third member to our U.B.E. group. My brother, Josh. 

My U.B.E. buddies!

Frutti di Mari -- ordered by my tita because she's pescatarian. I on the other hand, am not really fond of salads and cannot eat calamari/squid, so I didn't bother trying it.

Legally Blonde - Penne in creamy tomato sauce with gorgonzola, anchovies and mushrooms. 

I ordered this hoping it would be similar to my favourite at Cibo, the Penne al Telefono. Sadly, it wasn't but it was pretty good still! I enjoyed it more than the bolognese below. :)

Trump Meat & Mushroom Bolognese. 

My brother and I are never satisfied with just one order, so we usually choose two dishes and have them split into two. The servings at Marciano's were pretty big, so it was just like ordering two pasta dishes per person.

'

We had Gelato for dessert and ordered three flavors. Mint chocolate, Biscottino, and Creme caramel. All so yummy! I love Gelatissimo. :") It was for me the perfect ending for a perfect monday. 

So now you know why I love my Mondays! I really do look forward to these small bonding sessions because family is so important to me and I'm proud to say that I have such a great bond with my family. So what is it about Mondays you love most? :)

Marciano's 

(02) 729-0467

                                 2/F Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center 

                                     Makati City, Metro Manila

                                              Philippines

Change of Plans

Today, The Pettersen's and I planned for a trip to Tagaytay for lunch at Antonio's but due to an emergency we stayed in Manila and had dinner instead. My mum introduced us all to this Thai restaurant called Mango Tree. 

I love Thai food! I'm a girl who loves flavour more than anything. So whether it be sweet, sour, and spicy.. you name it, I love it. When Thai food comes to mind, Peoples Palace would be my ultimate favourite! But I must say that, things may change after trying Mango Tree. :)

Mango Tree is located at the new High Street extension (Where Jamba Juice is, in front of Kabisera and Pancake House.) You definitely won't miss it as its facade is simple and modern yet extremely eye-catching.

I personally love their high ceilings because it gives an elegant feel to your dining experience. 

Pomelo salad with fresh prawns and grated coconut. 

Pandan chicken with tamarind sauce. 

I always smell my food before I eat it. It's a weird habit, I know. So with that being said, I really enjoyed this dish because the pandan leaves gave such a great aroma. 

Pad Thai: Thai stir-fried rice noodles with prawns.

Never was there a time where we didn't order this when eating at a Thai restaurant. 

It's a safe yet satisfying choice.

Sweet 'n Sour Sea Bass.

Green Beef Curry.

I'm a fan of chicken curry, but I really enjoyed this version too. It wasn't too sweet neither was it too spicy. It went perfectly well with the sticky rice (photo below) that we had ordered separately. 

SIBERIAN HUSKIES! My favourite big dog breed, forever.  These two specifically look like statues don't you think? :)

High Street would probably be one of my favourite places to be at night. The open space, nature, and modern architecture never fail to catch my attention.

We had dessert at Slice. I've tried their confections once or twice before and I'd have to say that they aren't all that bad. 

Pia Cayetano - Senator and Triathlete owns this cafe. With triathlete being said, you know you'd find a few healthy and natural products. 

I ordered this the first time I visited because it's piping design on top caught my eye. Claudia ordered it this time and enjoyed it. It's really no wonder why this is their best selling chocolate cupcake. I mean, you'd be crazy not to love chocolate AND yema!

I ordered the Turtle Pie, Clara ordered the Red Velvet Cake and 

Josh ordered the Chocolate Yema cake which was basically the bigger version of the cupcake beside it.

 Turtle Pie: I really enjoyed it! I'd have to say one of the yummiest Oreo crusts I've ever tried. Great play of textures and taste.

Red Velvet Cake: This was good and moist. The cream cheese frosting wasn't too heavy either. Just wished it was chilled.

Chocolate Yema: The chocolate buttercream and yema put together may be quite filling, but all in all it was a yummy cake!

Clara ordered the Chocolate Stirrers. Which was basically warm milk poured over a block of chocolate to help melt it. Just an innovative way of serving hot chocolate, I guess?

It must've been really good because she finished every last drop of milk poured into the cup. 

Meet my beautiful neighbors! Clara and Claudia. :)

Mum's Outfit for the day:

Dress: Mosaic - Chained Necklace: Bazaar - 

Bag: ALDO Accessories Shoes: Charles & Keith

Outfit for the day: 

Dress and Sandals: F21 - Cardigan: New Look - 

Peace Necklace: St. James Bazaar

Sorry for the long post! I hope you did enjoy it though. For all you Thai lovers, health conscious-food enthusiasts out there, I suggest you try Mango Tree and Slice! Hope you guys have a great experience like I did and let me know how YOUR experience goes! :)

MANGO TREE:

7th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street Central,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 

Telephone Number: +632 217-2367 

( I suggest you make a reservation in advanced before dining at Mango Tree, because it's usually full.)

SLICE:

7th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street Central (Beside Jamba Juice)
 Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 

Telephone Number: +632 565-1998