Room Scents

Room scents are not only great to create the mood of a space but also to mask unwanted smell. These come in the form of scented candles, oils, sprays and reed diffusers. My preference is reed diffuser as it normally give delicate scent to the area where you put it. The downside, you need to put a lot of them as its radius of diffusing the scent is normally just a few feet.

I am not picky with the brand but I always like it delicate and floral. Here's the reed diffuser that is currently in my bathroom. I bought it at a random shop in Perth.

I'd like to believe that my bathroom smells like a field of wild flowers with hints of citrus.

For my linens and living space, I use  baby powder linen and room spray. This set me back by PhP 169, from SM. So for its sweet smell, I say this is a steal.

My favorite is Green Tea. However, when I dropped by SM, they ran out of Green Tea both the diffuser and the room and linen spray, so I settled for the next best thing, baby powder.

So at this time, my room reminds me of a fresh, sunlit dressing room or a toddler's room.

I also have this bottle in my car: Castelbel Lirio

Most of my friends love the delicate stargazer scent in my car. Very feminine.

The bottle description says: "Our mood enhancing sprays refresh any environment and bring the ambience of sun drenched Portugal to your home"

Just like this bouquet.

Some of the great smelling room enhancers are India Hicks diffuser, Terre de Bois candles for relaxing, Figuier, and those from Marks and Spencer and Jo Malone. I personally think Fragrante line that SM carries is a good substitute at a fraction of the cost of the brands mentioned. 

So now I'll sleep with my baby powder-scented pillows.

Ang arte ko lang.

Birthday Report

I am officially a year older.

Hopefully, I am a little bit wiser, lovelier at heart and ageing gracefully. I am not scared of getting old, of growing grey hairs (I find that sexy, especially on men) but I have reservations on getting wrinkles, more on that on later posts. So if I can only have one wish, I wish to age gracefully both inside and out.

So how did my day go?

Person A took me out on a “Hap-Pre-Birthday dinner”- another of one of his geeky ideas.

I kinda think I look a bit haggard in this photo: after not getting much sleep and a day at work. I don’t mind, I’m with the best company.

Person A handed me a small paper bag with this stylus inside

Upon realizing what has been given to me, I was hysterical “Oh, My God!”, “Oh, My God!”, “Oh, may gaaaaahhhhhdddd!”. In an increasing pitch that any choir will never be proud of. The real present was hidden elsewhere. 

I didn’t forget my manners. I said my thank you and gave the benefactor a great big hug – the biggest hug a little girl can give.

The next day, a lovely bouquet was “delivered” at my door.

“Ang haba na talaga ng hur (hair) ko!”

I dismantled my beautiful bouquet and came up with these arrangements:

Gerberas

And the stalk of stargazers with 5 flowers

Spent the afternoon with the kids, enjoying the fresh provincial air.

Made wacky faces with my parents

Chased five hyperactive boys

With the most handsome wave and the naughtiest eyes

And enjoyed the most succulent lechon, ever. The stringy meat in the belly, flavored with the spices is just heaven.

Forget Cebu lechon, hello Mindanao lechon.

Kinda ironic considering that this is a well-known Muslim area.

I am enjoying a quiet, cool evening in our terrace as I am typing this entry. Tomorrow, I’ll be leaving the simple life and go back to the hustle and bustle of the big city. So while this lasts, I’ll be hooking off the internet and bask in the love of my family, and that includes my mixed-breed dog, Lord Ashley, and my mama’s 2 special dogs, Charles and Louie. I’ll share them with you in my future entries.

Have a great week ahead! -(“,)-*wink*

Customized Heineken ... Sort Of

Person A and I received the coolest gift from a friend.

Our very own personalized bottle of Heine!

How cool is that?

Heineken is one of our favorite beers: it’s not strong and is very refreshing. Customized bottle can be had from Amsterdam, should you be interested.

Taking a look at it closer, it has our names engraved on it.

For the third time, thank you very much Dennis! 

We Need More Jobs

This kind of Job

Bloody brilliant.

I am a fan.

The photo is shamelessly stolen from this page.

Gayuma ni Maria

I had a girl-bonding afternoon with a very lovely friend last Saturday. We gave our nails their much needed pampering. I chose to paint my toe nails with this soft shade of purple

Bonbon, from Orly.

This is fast becoming a favorite. It’s so purrrty and compliments my asian skin tone (read: kayumanggi).  The type of sweet shade that doesn’t come out tacky. Daphne loves it, too. * Fan girl mode *

Then we headed to the fabled Gayuma (ni Maria) restaurant in Maginhawa, UP Village. When I was in college, Gayuma was already a famous restaurant. It is famous for its quirky menu and their “Better than Sex” dessert. I never had the chance to try it.

Gayuma, according to Filipino folklore, are love potions or spells that are used to attract a mate.  I think it is a wise choice for a restaurant name. It conveys a message that their secret ingredients will keep you coming back for more.

The Place

The restaurant is a neighborhood place. It is tucked in a residential subdivision, with the patio and living room of the house converted into a dining area. Stepping into the restaurant feels like going inside a fortune-teller’s lair. 

The drapings are not that great, too colorful for my taste.

This is the inside of the resturant

And this is the Japanese room upstairs. I think this is perfect for huge groups.

The walls are adorned with potion concoctions.

Let’s head straight on to the food. They have a quirky, “sex-fueled” menu, I kinda think it’s creative.

No Boyfriend Since Birth (PhP 215)

The dish’s tagline is “with the perfect blend of pesto and cheese who needs boys?”

Hmmm… I think I do. Je t'aime mon boyfriend! Yihee, cheesy!

This is good pasta. The noodle is al dente, the sauce has a just-right tang of basil and the walnuts add a surprising texture to the whole thing.

Once You Go Black, You Never Go Back (PhP 225)

Cocoa-crusted cream dory with chocolate sauce – served with rice.

Sweet-salty, crunchy outer crust with soft fillet inside. Yum! Anna and I loved it!

We weren’t able to consume our order so I had it wrapped for take-out. Unfortunately, the staff gave the order to another group. So… they offered me a fresh order of another best seller for take out… for free! 

Yay!

I Love You, Cross My Heart (PhP 215)

Fried chicken breast with cheese, shiitake mushroom and asparagus.

I say this is glorified fried chicken, the crust and add-ons are divine while the meat itself is juicy.

In one corner of the restaurant, this wall post is painted.

It made me giddy to try their city-wide famous dessert.

Beats Sex Any Day (PhP 75)

Rich chocolate cake, mercilessly topped with butterscotch, cream and chocolate bits. 

For its price, I think this is a good deal. I am not  big on the texture of the cake but I like how it tastes and the topping makes this dessert unique. I say, worth the try.

In Summary:

1. You go to Gayuma ni Maria for the food. All the dish we tried were superb. I was amazed and I will make this one of my go-to restaurants in QC. The serving size is just right for its price.

2. It is best to enjoy the place with friends and family, if they’re not the conservative type who gets offended with the sexually-suggestive dishes. If you opt to bring a date, maybe someone you’re really comfortable with. I just find this too aggressive for a first date, unless you’re both liberal or your date is a foodie.

3. The ambiance is okay but the materials used (drapings, table cloths) and the walls can all be improved. 

Gayuma Ni Maria

123 Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village

Quezon City

63.2.441.4872

Miss Universe Na Bukas

Kaya ihanda na ang webcam

Sakaling pumasok sa Top 15 si Ms. Philippines

Kailangang macapture ang crying moment, tili moment, ang jump for joy moment at ang hulog sa kama for joy moment.

At kailangang shumaShamcey tayong lahat bukas: Beautiful, Smart and Fierce, all at the same time. Cannot be one, cannot be two, it has to be "all at the same time".

Beautiful - look at that megawatt smile, it can light up the whole of Tondo

Smart - She graduated with a degree in Architecture,  Magna Cum Laude from University of the Philippines. She topped the Architecture Licensure examination in 2010.

Fierce - The walk. She even has the support of the Brazilian Gay Community and was tagged as one of the 5 Ramparados. Watch her sway her way.

Lastly, wag magpaparlor bukas, sarado lahat ng parlor sa umaga. 

At ang naka-VL (vacation leave) bukas, manonood ng Miss Universe. Confeeermed!

Kung nagtataka kayo sino yung 4, ShumaShamcey din sila:

“Veejay Floresca is one of the country's up and coming fahion designers and was a finalist during the first season of Project Runway Philippines.

Martin Bautista is also another young fashion designer who counts Charlene Gonzales as one of his clients.

Lex Librea works as a corporate travel consultant and is and avid sports fans.

Aleq Africa works in a leading real-estate firm."

I Can Live Here

One of the things I love doing is dream of my future home. One that I can call my own and one that I can decorate to my own liking. So yes it's natural for me to trade clothes shopping with home-furnishings window shopping. When there's an opportunity to go around hardwares and home depots, I usually happily grab that and dream of ways how to put things I like in my future home.

I like looking at the lamps so I can imagine the lighting I wish to have

I like to check bathroom fixtures

And tiles

Because I imagine my bathroom to be relaxing, in neutral colors, very fresh. 

I can't probably afford a tub. I am good with that. 

Oh yes, the general theme of the house would be clean classic in white/beige/taupe with soft pastel accents

Lots of natural lighting (now where can I get that in Metro Manila... at an affordable price?)

These knobs 

Are perfect for small, light-toned kitchen

The living room would be a small space that is in line with the general motif

Shades of grey would also look good in the chosen palette

Oh yes, the bedroom would look something like this

No bright colors, just muted shade so that I can relax at the end of the day.

I might consider some splash of color, or something like this with salmon pink accents

The good thing about dreaming, your imagination is the limit.