Dating a Royal

Whenever I head to the nail salon, I always keep my finger nails free of polish. It has always been that way though I have my digits painted once a year. Yesterday, I exercised my yearly indulgence and painted my finger nails blue! To be honest, I got the mani-pedi-foot spa package and since nail polish application will come out free of charge, my stingy-optimizer self grabbed the opportunity and has an Avatar-inspired nail.

Shocking choice of color considering that I am partial to neutral shades.

O.P.I. Dating a Royal. 

The nail polish dries fast and evenly. In terms of quality, I have no complaints with O.P.I. The color is another story. It's a tricky shade to wear since you have to be fair or have a rich skin tone so that the color will come out classy and not skanky. Pardon the choice of word. 

According to O.P.I.'s website, this is how the color should come out.

It came out a shade darker and Person A thinks this is indigo. This is a good tool to consult before I have my nails painted again.

Upon seeing the color on my nails, I was initially appalled! Parang PENTEL PEN blue!

After a few hours, I started to love it and I got two compliments at work today. Hahaha! Yes, I am rocking blue nails at work. In my jeans and safety shoes. Since this is a strong color and already an accessory on its own, I'll be planning my outfits around my nails so the next two weeks I'll stick to whites, beige, neutrals, brown and blue. Minimal brown and gold accessories. Maybe blue and silver can work, too.  

Of Leaf Pies, Bulalo and Spending the Weekend with Family and Friends

This same long weekend last year, I had a girl bonding weekend with le bestfriend in good 'ole Tagaytay. This year, I also headed to Tagaytay to take this little boy to see Taal Volcano.

It's still six in the morning when I took this shot and he just got off the plane from Cebu. He grew up in Isle of Wight and due to the unflattering reports he sees on TFC, he doesn't see the Philippines as a good place to visit. On this specific holiday, his Mum made sure that he gets to appreciate the country of his parents and took him to Bohol, Mindanao, swam with the whale sharks and now, Taal.

Cousins! 

I should dig up photos of us two when I was still a toddler and you were in high school. Memories eons ago.

We had bulalo from Leslie's for their Filipino food overload.



A must if you are doing "GR duties", that's Guest Relations for the uninitiated, to foreign friends and family. It will be a year again before they enjoy authentic Filipino dishes. The broth is a bit salty, which had me thinking, is Rose and Grace's offering much better?

Last Saturday, I enjoyed some Rokumeikan Leaf Pie with my college girls.

This is THE leaf pie that Chuvaness craved for.

Our verdict: finer, less crumbly version of otap. Nothing spectacular and damn expensive. Php 50/small pack of two small leaf pies whereas you can get a family pack otap for the same price. This small box has 10 small packs. Get the picture? Mahirap maging social climber. Haha! On a serious note, if you really want to get it in Singapore, head to Takashimaya basement, Rokumeikan Tokya Ginza has a stall there. It's a very happy place for foodies - street and finer foods are available. It's where we bought the Godiva milkshake I shared in my previous post.

Dinner #2 that night was with one of my high school friends who is now based in Bukidnon. Meet Sarj, our glowing mom in red. Rightmost. There are 3 ladies in red in this picture.

I haven't seen her since we graduated from college and in that 5 years she got married and she just gave birth to her 2nd child! Yep, baby #2!

And as you noticed, I recycled my outfit, kasi peg ko HRH Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. If my clothes don't smell and I just used it for a few hours, I air dry it and use it in the next opportunity. Trust me, I smell nice. Saves water and saves the textile quality. 

I am typing this post in my neighborhood carwash. Jellybean, my taxi-white car, is badly in need of pampering after 2 months of braving the rain and mud. 

Apart from charging reasonable cost, this place has Porsches and MBs and other luxury cars parked in its vicinity.

And at times, I see the carwash boys driving these cars. Naka Boxster si Kuya! 

Deym, talo most of my guy friends!

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Stella

My favorite M Cafe group has a new addition to its restaurant line up: Stella, a wood-fired bistro.

From the name itself, Stella is the Latin word for star and maybe geared up to become the next big star in the bistro scene. That's just my interpretation. A bistro, of French origin, is defined as an unpretentious restaurant, tavern, or pub.

The Place

The entrance leads to both Stella and Rocket Room, the adjoining bar - it looks very interesting and I am making a mental note to try it when I am in the mood for apertif.

Upon entering the restaurant, it has that chic, casual yet sophisticated vibe. Lighting is warm and the leather and plush seats add an elegant feel. A lone starfish and modernist lamps give an eclectic aura. The interior design theme is well-executed.

Cold towels are provided for once you've been seated. 

A nice touch which is rare in this restaurant category.

The Food

Complementary bread choices of rye,

tomato

and wheat with olive oil and tomato dip. 

The bread is soft, tastes healthy and freshly-baked. The dip tastes subtly of tomato. I commend their tactic of allowing the customer to choose from a common bread basket rather than leaving an entire basket on the table. 

Less wastage.

The Stella Salad (PhP 295)

Butter lettuce, crispy bacon, sundried tomato bits, candied rosemary pistachios, buttermilk chive-ranch dressing, Malagos pecorino.

Sounds intimidating but tastes like a healthier, gourmet Ceasar salad. Tomato dominates the flavor, while the dressing, though cream-based, has that healthy taste to it. And don't forget the generous bacon serving. The meat tastes home-cured and home fried! This is worth the title of "House Specialty"

Wood-fired Garlic Mushroom Cream Fettucine (PhP 425)

Porcini dust, truffle oil, Malagos pecorino, fresh lemon, herbs.

Typical excellent cream-based pasta with generous mushroom flavor with the added nakakagutom flavor of truffle oil. What separates this dish from other cream pasta is the hints of lemon which surprisingly complements the cream and the sheep cheese which I suspect is local - the Malagos farm I know from Davao. This is a good order if you are craving for cream-based pasta.

Salt-baked Gindara Fillet, 400g (PhP 395)

Light dill-citrus cream, citrus bits.

Gindara baked in a dome of salt. Don't mistake the salt as bread crumbs... It's very salty. Hehe The fish is baked to perfection. Very soft. Citrus provides a good contrast to the taste and smell of the sea.

This is again a winner.

In Summary

1. Stella is a casual yet chic bistro perfect for catching up with friends, casual date and intimate family gatherings.

2. Food tastes good, well-executed and excellently-presented with modernist cutleries. Portion is good for 2 persons and price/dish is mid-range. Relatively cheap considering the area it is located.

3. You will choose this place if you want to have good food, nice ambiance and somewhere new. It has all the elements of what makes the M Cafe group successful.

Stella

Bonifacio High Street Central

7th Ave cor 29th St.

Bonifacio Global City

63.2.621.3222

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Daily Travel Report

Today, I decided to be the coolest person on the planet by conquering this monster of a roller coaster.

I believe I looked this cool.

But most likely, I had this silly face while screaming my heart out with every twist and turn.

It's not for the faint of heart. It accelerates lightning fast and it even does the 360 degree roll - the "Cylon" track of the ride.

Notice the expression on their faces.

We took the " Human" track. The first ascent heaved my stomach but after realizing that there' no way I can get out of this ride in a minute or so ... I decided to let go, quit fighting the forces and released the tension by screaming. It worked! I enjoyed every second of the exhilarating ride.

So now I scraped my throat from screaming silly and can't utter a word.

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Interesting Things Today

The colorful Lamborghinis plying the shopping district.

I don't often see a Lambo where I come from, much more in different colors.

Godiva chocolate elixir in Dark Chocolate Decadence.




This is happiness in a cup. It tastes very chocolatey without being too thick or too flavorful. It's worth the splurge.

The famous Ikea meatballs!




It's not just a hype. It really tastes great. The flavor is very meaty while the texture is that of finely ground pork and beef, you can't see nor taste the extenders.

This trip is turning into one major foodtrip.I shall soon see if the kilometers of walking is able to offset the calories in take.

My legs are demanding a massage.

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Start of the Long Weekend

And I welcomed it by enjoying a hot Japanese meal from Tonkatsuya and sleeping at 9 in the evening! Hermit alert!

Then at 5 in the morning, the sight of these piled boxes made me smile.

My favorite pairs of shoes are inside. My 4-year old platforms from Brazilian shoe-maker Schutz. Jane of Sea of Shoes recently signed up as an ambassador. They're pretty, comfortable and reasonably-priced. Then there's the Franco Sarto red wedges which I wear when I like to accessorize my plain white and beige get-up, my Charles and Keith stacked camel pumps. Neither centrifugal nor positive displayment. Geek joke! Then there's the ever comfortable and trusty Nike trainers.

Yeah, I am guilty for admiring shoes and bags. I don't own "it" shoes because I can't afford them but each pair I buy is something well-thought of and something that I can still wear 5 years down the road. You got it right, my pairs of shoes last that long and even beyond.

I'd like to end this post with the cutest puncher

None of the shoes in the box are coming with me this long weekend. I have my trusty Zara ballet flats and Payless thong sandals to keep me company. They're also years old.

Heels are a disaster on walking trips.

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It's Raining Again...

... and I haven't ran for more than a week. These make me sad among other things such as change in plans and bureaucracy in some government institutions (Hey! I pay my tax properly!). So tonight I have decided that complaints and whining end here and I am choosing happiness. 

So does my eye bags.

The flowers on my dining table. Carnations! It's my and Person A's favorite, among other flowers.

I got the flowers for our monthsary. We don't celebrate monthsaries, I forget it more often than he does. But yeah, the gesture is kilig.

My camel pumps which I wore tonight (at home!) just because I can.

The show we watched last Sunday night. It was good and breath-taking. I'll tell you more about it when I have the time. Maybe in September.

What made it more fun was it was with friends.

Last night, we celebrated the birthday of another friend. Notice Person A's fake mohawk. I teased him that he changed his hairstyle because I now dig Bobak Ferdowsi. =P

Enjoyed good food from Stella. I'll also share the restaurant with you.

And of course dessert from our favorite cafe, Diamond Cake Club.

Hooray! For growing old. 

With that, I sign off and get a restful sleep.

Good night. 

Weekend Report

I finally got my much needed rest from the activities of the last 72 hours. It's no fun running on 3 hours of sleep but with the company I got, it's all worth it. To say my August is packed, is an understatement. What a better way to spend my last month of being 26 than to seize life! I can't wait to summarize all my August adventures but that has to wait until September 1st and so let me pick up the story from my last blog entry. 

This is breakfast last Wednesday, the second day of the deluge. Bread, cookies and fruits. 

With coffee and freshly-squeezed lemon juice. 

Looks fancy, no? Honestly, this is my last food stash and this is called making do with what I got. Since Makati did not suspend the number coding restriction, I contemplated whether to brave the rain or face the police officer. In the end I decided to be safe and mitigated the possible apprehension with an extemporaneous spiel.

Person A was craving for frozen yoghurt on our way to the grocery while I had the cheese curls. The police officers were kind enough not to impose the number coding scheme.

Upon going back to work on Thursday, I felt overwhelmed with the things that I have to finish the next 3 weeks so I "happy-fied" (this sounds like a good word) myself with a scoop of nocciola gelato in a cone. It has to be in a cone for me to be happy. As always, hazelnut is love, it's my peyborit.

And ended the night with my girls. 

I am in a household with 8 wonderful girls and each week we nourish our spiritual lives through topics, service and praising God. 

Now let me start my weekend story with Wenlock, who is now oversleeping on my bed. 

Wenlock, together with Mandeville, are the official mascots of the 2012 London Olympics. So what are they? They are two drops of steel and named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock and Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Much Wenlock held a forerunner of the current Olympic Games in 1850 while the hospital organized the precursor of the Paralympic Games. I like the backstory, it's very geeky.

Wenlock is grey (or higly polished steel) because he's formed from the last girder of the Olympic Stadium. It is said that the skin reflects the appearance of the people he meets. The one eye is a camera and the yellow thing on his head symbolizes the light of a London Taxi. The shape on the front of his head represents the shape of the Olympic Stadium roof. He has five friendship bracelets on his wrist, each taking the color of an Olympic ring. 

He's got a sexy butt, too!

Wenlock was hand-delivered to me by my nephew - Kean. I picked him up from the airport Friday night and with that few hours we spent, the little guy blew me away. He's got the cutest British accent; I like how he pronounces the word toy shop and east coast. 

He loves Transformers and asks tons of questions. I had to come up with a simple enough explanation for the questions "How is lightning formed?" and "What is the body made of?" 

At 3 in the morning, I took them back to the airport and slept for a couple of hours before being woken up by Person A who arrived to pick me up for my 7AM event. It was already 7:45! Shoot!

Here we are grabbing a quick breakfast at SLEX. The shades is important to hide my enormous eye bags. 

I arrived 2 hours late for our company's sportsfest. For 8 hours, basketball, volleyball, swimming, bowling, darts, billiards, and table tennis were played simultaneously. One of the company activities I always look forward to.

I competed in 2 games of table tennis. That's neither topspin or underspin. I don't play well but I love the sport. I've been playing it the past 3 years.

I had such a great time that my photographer captured me in these 2 stills having a good laugh and looking like I am about to break into a dance number while serving. Haha! Person A and I also had the chance to paddle balls one-on-one after more than a year. I say I've greatly improved.

With minimal sleep, sweating it out for 4 hours, we ended the week with a massage. It was something I really needed before hitting the sack. I purchased vouchers from a deal site. It was okay but I am not complaining considering that I only paid PhP 99/person for a one-hour swedish/shiatsu massage and my body could use some kneading.

And so that's weekend #2 in August, I am looking forward to another adventure-filled weekend next week.