Christmas isn’t over yet as I celebrated the festive season with my high school BFF Luti and her sister Amihan at Gubat. It’s my go-to hidden garden restaurant in the city because of its rustic ambience and simple food.
Our group all had rice meals. I had the longganisa meal and made it merrier with a cold one and a cuppa.
The best company is made even better with food and greenery. Here’s to more memorable meals with friends!
Yesterday, I had fun at the International Design Conference 2019. It was held at The Eye at Green Sun, which was a hotel and conference center dedicated to the arts. I saw my friends Donna and Mariel there, and I also got to learn some insights revolving around the theme Design Futures.
Here are my key takeaways:
3D printers and automation in the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution should not hinder craftsmen from creating. Rather, it should foster collaboration between technology and manual craftsmanship to create better output.
Creativity is still the same, whether it is aided with technology or not.
People should be the center of design, not profit.
I am truly privileged to be part of this conference. I hope that I can apply my learnings to my work, as well as influence my decision-making process as a design thinker.
Yesterday, I joined my high school BFF Luti and her family on a roadtrip to Batangas. We visited our friend Mabs’ farm, and incidentally, their minor basilica was celebrating the feast of their patroness, the Immaculate Conception.
We started our day with brekkie at Mc Donald’s.
We visited the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at Batangas City to celebrate the fiesta.
It’s a stunning church which really inspires the faithful to pray and give thanks.
We stopped over at a local store to buy barako coffee and delicacies.
Then, it was time for lunch at Mabs’ family home!
Our high school friend Mabs and her family are now based at Batangas City. She works at the University of Batangas. Her home is charming and cozy. We definitely enjoyed our fiesta meal!
We also got to tour their backyard farm and even pick some produce, such as pomelo, dalandan, and kamias.
We also got to feed fruit peelings to their ducks and turkeys.
We got to take home some fresh fruits, and as a city girl, this was a real treat!
I ended my day with a street food dinner at UP...
...and mass at Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.
I definitely had a memorable feast day, and it was more special because it was spent with friends who are family. I hope that I will experience more feast days with fun company in the future.
I was able to spend time yesterday with my high school friends Luti and Mabs. We ate lunch at Japan Fudo Street.
I liked my oyakodon as it was flavorful and filling.
We bought drinks at Serenitea, where I had this delicious Okinawa Tea and Espresso mix. Yes
It was so good!
We then watched Never Not Love You on recliner seats.
For early dinner, we bought Samyang spicy noodles.
OMG IT WAS SPICY! But it was a memorable experience.
I am thankful for true friends who are willing to enjoy new experiences with me. I hope to create more memories with them in the future.
Last Thursday, I spent the afternoon doing things I love. I got a haircut from a new salon and I was satisfied with it! Trying out new salons fascinate me because I want to know where I can get the best care for my pixie. The latest one seems fabulous!
After my haircut, I proceeded to Cinema Centenario to watch Deadma Walking.
It was hilarious! Joross Gamboa is my all-time favorite straight-actor-who-plays-gay-roles. He was amazing here. I am a babaeng bakla (girl who has a happy and gay sense of humor) so this movie truly resonated with me.
I had to have a couple of photos taken by the Cinema Centenario signage because a) new haircut, b) new dress, and c) LOL movie.
Then, I had late lunch at Bonchon for a Bibimbowl.
I also finished Day 21 of this book after my meal. Yay!
I also did some grocery shopping. The supermarket is a therapeutic place for me. I enjoy looking at different food items and toiletries. I bought this month’s needs (read: mostly hot chocolate and coffee because, priorities).
Before I knew it, it was already time to meet my BFF Jay for dinner and chika (catching-up).
It was our first time to try Botejyu. I had an okonomiyaki.
And this was Jay’s sukiyaki.
Everything was delicious!
We then had dessert and I had to snap this pic of some pretty tiles we saw.
I am thankful for my day of pampering, film appreciation, and catching up with my best friend. I look forward to more happy days this year! After all, there is still a lot to look forward to this 2018.
I had a great dinner with my Canadian friend Charlotte last night at Sunnies Cafe. We got to discuss life, work, and plans for the future. It is fantastic to have friends like her who are goal-driven and have the same kind of ambition as I do. It is also valuable to have people who got my back. I am thankful to know her and it was a lovely Christmas dinner at BGC, which I rarely even visit due to the traffic.
I even got to spend a few minutes browsing through Fully Booked, which is my favorite bookshop. It was nice to check out new titles to read soon. Surely, life will never run out of possibilities as long as there are books!
Friends and books make life more meaningful. I hope to make more time for people like Charlotte, especially in 2018! Here’s to more girl time, risotto, and good reads in the coming year!
With Adam, Charlotte, and Allan
Last night, A and I got to have dinner with our Canadian friend Adam. He’s actually the boyfriend of my cousin Abby, but he has become our friend too so it was nice to catch up. He brought his colleague Charlotte with him, and she’s actually here for a few months for work. It’s always lovely to catch up with friends, especially if it’s over yummy food!
Ajitama Tonkotsu from Ikkoryu
We had ramen at Ikkoryu, which is one of my go-to ramen places. It was my first time at their High Street branch, and I must say I like their interior design here. I had the Ajitama Tonkotsu, which is one of my comfort foods! A good bowl of ramen is magical for me. It removes bad vibes, inspires easy conversation, and just tastes delicious.
Ketchup x mayo ice cream from Freezer Burn
I finally got to try the ice cream at Freezer Burn. In the spirit of getting out of my comfort zone, I tried their ketchup x mayo flavor and it was weirdly delicious. I would definitely recommend it if you’re into chilled ketchup.
Stylish tags from n/a stock
We also got tags from Adam’s startup n/a stock. It made me giddy because it reminded me of that scene from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, wherein a patch with the Canadian flag was given to Anna because it will make her more likable to the French. It was definitely a YA moment for me, only it happened in BGC and not Paris haha!
It’s always a great time with people who can make us laugh out loud as we try old and new foodie favorites. Last night was good for the soul.
I was happy to spend dinner with some of my high school friends at Vikings last night. It has been a long time since I saw my St. Anne friends. Our friend Stephanie is a veterinarian based in Norway and she’s in town for a few days. We arranged a buffet get-together to welcome her and catch up. Just like that, it is high school all over again and these people were just as welcoming as they were to me all those years ago.
It warms my heart that my friends and I are still in touch even to this day. We keep things real and there is no dull moment between us. Our lives are interesting and it is a joy to see each other succeed in our chosen fields. I am also excited for our next get-togethers. High school never ends; in fact, it only gets better as we grow up.
