7 years and counting...cheers!

It is always important to have fun at work. Being with my current employer for 7 years and counting is really an achievement for me. I am quite "choosy" with work. I am not a corporate-office-girl-trapped-in-the-4-corners-of-an-office-facing-only-a-radiation-emitting-device type of an employee. I always look for some action and challenges that would test not only my abilities but my personality as well.

I feel so blessed to have this job who does not only give me challenges but takes me to different places i've never been before. This experience alone is incomparable. The pay is not that grandiose but would suffice my lifestyle and made my budgeting skills even better. And once in a while, I can still treat myself to a scrumptious but a little bit pricey dinner. 

For our 7th year celebration, me, Ninio and Aran decided to go Korean. We were joined by Ice (former colleague) and went to try Manna Korean Restaurant at SM Lanang Sky Garden. 

Left: Gensing Sangyeopsal (pork); Right: Gensing So Galbi (marinated beef)

I had fun grilling the pork and beef short ribs. It was my first time to use the table top grill...haha! 

left: unlimited side dishes; right: toppoki

While I was enjoying the food, my friend was quite disappointed with the Toppoki. He was expecting it to be topped with cheese like the one he tried in another Korean resto.

left: Eom Rice; right: Jjampong

I love the Eom rice. It's a fried rice wrapped in an egg like omelet and topped with ketchup.
Jjampong is perfect for people who are not really a fun of spicy food just like me. The spiciness is tolerable.

I always look forward to gatherings like this. Good food, pure fun with great friends! 'Til our next food adventure... 😄

KHMERrific experience...a take on their food.

"I am not a glutton - I am an explorer of food." -Erma Bombeck

All my trips are not complete without food. So here are some of the flavors i feasted during my visit in Siem Reap.

Best for Breakfast: A nearby resto owned by a Vietnamese family can be found just a few steps away from our hotel (Popular Guesthouse). Their iced coffee is just perfect for Siem Reap's hot climate. Pair it with omelet and banh mi (baguette) and it sure gives you enough energy to go temple-hopping the whole day.

my breakfast combo

Best for Lunch and Dinner: Food is everywhere in Siem Reap and I can say that Pub Street is the most favorite place to dine and hang-out among tourists and travelers. Here, you can choose from fine dining, mid-range, to budget-friendly restos. Adjusting my taste buds to Cambodian food is not a big challenge for me since most of the food served are "same same" with Pinoy dishes.

Left: Pork fried rice;
Upper right: Lo Lak (fried beef w/gravy, veggies, fried egg and french fries);
 Lower right: grilled pork

Best for Snacks and Refreshments: I highly suggest lots of liquid intake when you are touring in a tropical place to avoid dehydration which could lead to a more serious injury which is not easy especially if you are a tourist. There is this one cafe in Siem Reap that offers a really cozy place for diners and serves good food. I am talking about The Blue Pumpkin. I personally love their Chai Massala (Indian milky tea). It was served hot, but me being a "cold-blooded mammal", asked for a glass of ice and poured the warm tea into it. I think there was some kind of a weird look on the face of the girl who handed me the glass of ice. :D

best tasting Lemon Juice in my travel history; Angkor Beer; Watermelon Shake

Right: Chai Massala;
Left: Lemon-mint shake; Pistachio macaron; Walnut & cinnamon muffin

Upper Left: Pepperoni Pizza; Lower Left: Linguine in red sauce
Right: Strawberry & Coconut ice cream 

What i love about Cambodian food is that it did a very good job on my digestion. Well i'm sure it helped that almost all dishes are served with vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber). So next time you travel around Asia, don't forget to include Siem Reap in your list. =)

KHMERrific experience...a take on their culture and temples

Siem Reap, Cambodia is home to Angkor Wat and to hundreds, thousands, i actually lost count on how many temples there are. Temple hopping would be the main event when you go tour Siem Reap. When i was there with my friends, we limit ourselves to only three temples since i don't want history overload during our visit. On our list was of course Angkor Wat, The Bayon, and Ta Prohm.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is really huge and is considered the largest religious temple in the world. It is a must to climb its towers to get a better view of its surroundings. Just be sure to dress properly when you plan to go inside the towers because they implement strict rules on this. No shorts, sleeveless, and other skin-baring piece of clothing.

The Bayon

Next stop is The Bayon. The entrance is a jaw-dropping, majestically grand structure that's really one of a kind. But wait 'til you get inside the temple. I felt some odd feeling when we went inside with all these heads and faces surrounding you. It seems like they are always on the lookout for visitors who will try to destroy their temple. 

WARNING: All eyes are on you. One false move and you're a dead meat...hahaha!

Ta Prohm

A must-visit temple to all those Lara Croft wannabes. This is my personal favorite. I love how man-made art and nature intermingled with each other to form a remarkable structure like this one. Gigantic trees emanating from the top of the temple and plants creeping on the walls make this exceptional.

Watch out for the second part of my Siem Reap trip...it's gonna be all about food. =)

yun o...HITO!

It's Thursday and it's my dayoff. We went to visit Los Amigos and had some food tripping along the way. Highlight of the day: LUNCH. It was already past 12 noon and we were heading home when my eyes caught the rows of HITO diners along the road. I was hungry, we were not in a hurry, and food as always is very inviting. Next thing I know, i was beside the aquarium trying to catch these slimy catfish to be served on the lunch table.
     
 while waiting for the food @ Barlyn's Ihaw-ihaw

      vegetable salad w/ ginamos (P30)

        grilled chicken liver (P30/stick)

            grilled Hito (P220/kilo)

You have the option on how you like your Hito to be cooked. It can be deep fried, grilled, ginataan (cooked in coconut milk), etc. I'm always torn between grilled and deep fried, but my appetite was screaming for grilled that day. But both are perfect for Hito, highly recommended! 👍

We only paid P268 for 3 persons. With 5 orders of rice, a bottle of softdrink, 2 chicken liver, vegetable salad, and a 400gm Hito. Deliciously cheap! 😃

Happy tummy, happy wallet, happy dayoff! 

A Taste of Iloilo

Had the chance to visit Iloilo City again and the best way to enjoy the place is to go on a food trip. I really love their food and here's a list of my personal favorites.

1. JD Bakery Cafe - affordable. delicious. complete. I never leave Iloilo without visiting JD. This all-in-one bakeshop is the best place for those who are looking for a scrumptious and budget-friendly meals. Most of their meals costs less than P100 only. Cake slices ranges from P30-P50 and dessert squares are below P15. Pasalubongs are also available here which is really convenient for visitors who are on a tight schedule. Its really a one-stop shop!

My personal favorites: molo soup, fresh lumpia and assorted cakes

2. Tatoy's Manokan - best-tasting Native Lechon Manok. Tatoy's is located at the beach area which is quite far from Iloilo's business center. From Robinson's Place, you can take a Villa-bound jeepney for only P13/pax. You can find mostly seafood on their menu but they boast on their native lechon manok which really tastes good. Best to go there during lunch and dinner time.

Steamed Talaba -  P60

Tatoy's Native Lechon Manok - P320

3. Book Latte Cafe - library. lounge. cafe. Located along Quezon St., just a few steps away from Robinson's Place (National Bookstore exit). It can easily be spotted for its pink signage. Food was good but it's quite difficult for me to comment on it since we were there during breakfast and as you can see in the pictures, our meal were all ready-to-cook (particulary fry in this case *wink*). Too bad we didn't had the chance to try their pasta, sandwiches, smoothies, etc. One thing that I noticed is that the books are limited to members only. I was quite disappointed because I was looking forward to browse some of it. I could settle for a magazine or a newspaper at that time but there was none in sight. I hope they could allot a shelf of any reading materials for non-members and travelers since it would be somewhat impractical for the latter to be a member. And also to give justification to what they are claiming as "library,  lounge, cafe".

  

Breakfast Meal w/ Brewed Coffee or Juice - P145

Pancakes w/ Brewed Coffee or Juice - P95

random trip to Tagaytay and Lucban Quezon - Part 2

Before it gets crowded for the Holy Week, we decided to visit the shrine of Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban, Quezon. It's a 4-hour ride if you're coming from Manila, but in our case, we need to find the easiest and shortest way from Tagaytay to Lucban.

Landtrip from Tagaytay to Lucban Quezon: We took the van from Tagaytay to Calamba (travel time: 45 minutes; fare: Php70/pax). From Calamba drop-off point, we took a tricycle going to the terminal where Lucena bound buses are located. (travel time: 3hrs; fare: Php130/pax). Request for the bus driver to drop you off in Diversion. In Diversion, cross the road going to Jollibee. Beside it, you will find the jeepney terminal going to Tayabas and Lucban (travel time: 45mins; fare: Php20/pax). We arrived in Lucban at around 8pm and we dropped right in front of Patio Rizal Hotel. The hotel's location is very accessible since it is located in the town proper. Across it is the Municipal Hall, pharmacy and convenience store. It is also surrounded by different cafes and bars, and restaurants like Buddy's where we had our dinner.

Patio Rizal Hotel

We started early for the day. We immediately head to Kamay ni Hesus right after breakfast. It is situated at the foot of Mt. Banahaw and it's only a 3-minute tricycle ride from the hotel (fare: Php10/pax). Inside, you will find the Church, different grottos, the Garden of Eden, Noah's Ark, souvenir shops, and of course the steps (i did not count the steps so i'm not really sure how many there are) of the way of the cross leading you to the 50-ft. statue of the Ascending Christ. We went there on a Saturday and we were lucky enough to attend the healing mass by Fr. Joey Faller. We left after the mass without joining the individual healing due to time constraint. We need to be back in Manila before 5pm to catch our flight back home.

the steps and the way of the cross

the 50-ft. statue of Ascending Christ

We checked out and had a quick lunch of Pancit Habhab before we jumped into a huge jeepney. We took the Sta. Cruz route this time to make the trip shorter and to catch a glimpse of the other side of the road. We dropped off at Calamba terminal and joined the bus going to Buendia. We arrived in the airport just in time for our flight.

nn =)

random trip to Tagaytay and Lucban Quezon - Part 1

Summer is just around the corner and what better way to welcome it is to visit a place with a cooler climate. We planned to go to Baguio but travel time was quite long (considering we are from Davao City) so we dropped the idea and head to Tagaytay instead. From the airport, we went to Pasay Rotonda and took the cranky non-airconditioned bus going to Tagaytay via Cavite which cost us Php60/pax. The trip ran for like 3 hours because of heavy traffic since it was already rush hour. We arrived at around 7pm and alighted at the terminal in Olivarez where you can find tricycles that will bring you to your hotel. Tricycle fare was Php20/pax from the terminal to Keni Po Rooms. Jeepneys are cheaper at a minimum of Php8 but their last trip is at 9pm only, while tricycles are operating 24/7.

our home in Tagaytay

We started early for the day, had our breakfast in the hotel and visit the church beside it. First stop: Tagaytay Picnic Grove. It was only 5-8 minutes from Keni Po by foot. Entrance fee is Php50/pax. Numerous activities are available for the guests to enjoy, from horseback riding to cable car and ziplines, and of course picnic huts for those who want to enjoy the view of Taal Lake while enjoying food with their families and friends. Souvenir shops also abound the place.

Picnic Huts in Picnic Grove

People's Park in the Sky. Jeepneys are available from Picnic Grove to People's Park for only Php10/pax. Entrance fee is Php30. From the gate, you need to walk an uphill road for 3-5 minutes before reaching the grotto. I was quite disappointed when i reached the top. I looked for the Museum but the management already closed it according to the girl from the souvenir shop. Sayang...I think the park badly needed a renovation, the signage and other structures were dilapidated. Additional attractions could also be a welcome treat for the tourists.

People's Park in the Sky entrance

We only visited these two since we will be leaving after lunch for Lucban Quezon. After checking out, we went to Mushroomburger to have our lunch and proceed immediately to Olivarez terminal to catch the van going to Calamba.

quick lunch before we leave Tagaytay

nn =)

passions

i am a passionate person. i always put my heart into everything that i do especially if i really love the things i'm doing.

i love to go places and traveling gives me a big relief to my sometimes stressful life. i wander whenever i feel the need to bum away.

i love to eat, i love to cook...i love food! when i'm home during rest days, i always invade the kitchen and try on my experimental recipes. and yes, even though i am not really good at this craft, i still dream of having my own  resto/cafe/diner in the near future.

i love to read and write. obviously, books are just one of my many "bestfriends". sadly, i haven't read any for months now. i've been very busy with other things and i really miss flipping over the pages.

and all of these are the just some of the reasons why i started a new blog. i wanted to put into words and then share to everyone the places i have been to, the food i have tasted, the books i have read, the movies i have watched, and my journey into this so-called life.

happy reading everyone!

=) nn

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