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

Day and Night

"We accept the love we think we deserve."

                                                      - Stephan Chbosky, 

                                                                        The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Hello, who ever you are reading this right now. :) Can I just be the random girl that I am and say that I'm really excited for the 14th of September!! Why? Well, because The Perks of Being a Wallflower's coming out! *Click the link to watch the trailer*  

I read the book exactly a year ago and remember finishing it so quickly because it was such an easy read. Not exactly the most easy going book you'll find due to the discussion of drug usage and profanity, but it definitely is worth your while.

After selling about a million copies, they decided to turn this book into a movie. A movie which I am quite excited for because it stars both Logan Lerman (Percy from Percy Jackson) and Emma Watson (Hermione from Harry Potter). I just hope that they're consistent with how the book was written. 

Okay, enough of the randomness. So I was dismissed early from school today and decided to have a little photo shoot at the park. Notice that I'm wearing the same outfit but changed the accessories? Hope this post helps you mix and match your outfits, too. :)

DAY:

Chiffon Top, High waisted pants, Shades: F21

Wedges: Parisian

I absolutely love these wedges! They're extremely comfortable and I love its colour. Such a great buy considering it was only P699.00! 

Quilted bag: Thrifted - Necklace: Market Market - 

Bracelet - Made by me - Flower Brooch/Clip: F21

NIGHT:

I love this "believe" bracelet I got from Cotton On in Singapore! Despite its dark colour, I find that this bracelet keeps me positive throughout the day. :)

Neck piece: The Ramp - Chained clutch: Hong Kong

Heels: People Are People 

I don't only love these shoes for it's height and design, but also because I have the same pair as my great friend, Mirabai Sebastian! 

Sorry for the lack of creativity of my blog title. It seriously isn't the most easy task you know. But I hope you did get why I entitled it Day and Night. Hope this entry inspired you to mix and match! Know that you don't have to wear your favourite outfit in one way only. ;)

Directed and Photographed by: Joshua Lopez Arellano

P.S. Happy birthday to the coolest Grampa in the world! Popi, if you're reading this I just want to take the time to tell you how much you mean to me and that I love you to the moon and back. <3 

Chateau Surprise!

Every weekend, my mum takes my brother and I out to eat some place nice. As much as I'd like to try something new, we always end up either eating at Cibo or Mamou. I'm not complaining though because every meal I have in both restaurants are always consistently great. Consistent when it comes to the food and the service. 

However, today for lunch we decided to eat at Chateau. Or at least what used to be Chateau, but is now called "Cafe 1771". I was so surprised because I haven't been in that branch in El Pueblo for quite sometime. 

I loved everything about it. I loved the food and the service. Most especially the interiors and ambience! 

I really loved all the little details they added after renovation!

Instead of serving the usual bread and butter, we were served popcorn. 

Soup of the day was Creamy Asparagus Soup.

I ordered the mango shake which was pretty good if you liked a bit of milk in your drink. Notice how there isn't any straw in my drink? Pretty cool how Pasig city is embracing the Green movement and is now prohibiting plastic. 

Handmade Ravioli - Filled with button mushrooms and ricotta cheese, tossed in extra virgin olive oil and herbs.

Pasta Chorizo - Spaghetti tossed in chorizo sauce reduction and parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes - With extra virgin olive oil, roasted garlic bulbs and parmesan cheese.

For dessert we ordered, the Espresso Cheesecake and the Valrhona Chocolate Caramel Cake which did not disappoint at all. 

Valrhona Chocolate Caramel Cake - Layers of caramel mousse, chocolate biscuit & chocolate ganache. 

You can never go wrong with chocolate and caramel put together. So if you're a fan of melt in your mouth cakes, I suggest you try this. :)

The food is kind of pricy but totally worth it! I know all the dishes we ordered consisted of pasta, but if you're a fan of lemon chicken like I am, their version's real good too. 

Cafe 1771 - a sweet saturday surprise! :)

CAFE 1771 - located at El Pueblo, Ortigas Center (across The Podium)

Tel no. 631-7340

*Didn't get to bring my camera, so photos were taken with my iPhone.*