So long 2010!

I can't believe that tonight is already new year's eve! I also can't believe that I am having a hard time saying so long or goodbye to this year! T.T 2010 has been a good year to me and even though there were bad stuff or unfortunate stuff that happened to me, I am still thankful of what I have become this year. I feel like I really have learned a lot and matured a lot. I know that at some point, I am starting to have a little vision of what He wants out of my life.

I was also able to accomplish some of my new year resolutions which I have shared with you on one of my January posts. Here it is again for one last time and I shall tell you if I was able to accomplish my goals. ^^

(v) - I really want to baptized this year!!
(x) - I also want to lose some weight..
(v) - I hope I can find another way to have income aside from my "weekly allowance"
(x) - I hope that I can do my devotion everyday..
(x) - I hope to be able to attend church regularly and also be a part of YPF!
(v) - I really really want to travel again this year.. maybe HK or China??
(x) - If I get baptized this year, I hope I can juggle in Church Choir..
(v) - I hope I can do well in my studies.... Excel if I can
(v)- I plan to vote this year but I don't know who to vote for YET.
(-) - hmm... what else?? I plan to... save money..
(-) - I hope I will be more disciplined this year :)
Out of 11 resolutions, I was able to put a "(v)" on 5 of them and 2 "(-)". "(-)" means that I am not really sure if I was able to accomplish, because I feel like I'm in the middle. ^^

First and foremost I was already baptized this year and I praise God for helping me with this and that He was there in every step I took so as to be baptized. Second, I was able to find another way to get income and that is through my part-time tutoring of 2 kids. ^^ Third, thanks to my uncle's birthday I was able to travel last August to Hong Kong and maybe I can squeeze in Baguio even if it was just within the country. To be able to travel is a luxury for most people and to be able to experience it this year is something I am very much thankful for. Traveling (for me) is somehow related to learning and experiencing other cultures and honing oneself to other people's culture so (for me) it is a good investment/ experience. ^^

Fourth, I think I am doing well in my studies, I mean, I'm not failing any subjects so therefore, I am doing good. Contentment is something I learned when I got to college or even before I was still in high school. These days, people don't really care about your grades (though they must be good), they also take a look at one's personality, attitudes and totality as a person. I'm not saying that we should not take our studies seriously, all that I'm saying is that we must have that balance of school work and fun. Everyone should give their best in everything that they do and if they fail, they must see it as an opportunity to learning more rather that staying where they are and just cry over it. Which leads me to another topic, crying. Crying over something is not bad and is not totally good. Its not bad because it helps people pour out their emotions. Its not that all good because, some people don't know how to put an end to it. I believe that we should learn when to get over something and move on. If its about achieving something materialistic, try harder the next time opportunity knocks! ^^ And keep your family and friends close cause they will help you get through all the hardships you will face! ^^ (trust me on this!)

Lastly, I was able to be a voter this year. I participated in the first ever automated national election of our country. It really isn't that big of a deal but to be able to say that you were a part of that historical event of my country makes me a little proud! Change is a good thing if its for the betterment of the individual. And this year, I changed a lot (base on my observation together with other people's observations), and I truly hope that we will all agree that I have changed for a better me. :)

Now that I have evaluated myself through my resolutions and I have seen that there are still some resolutions undone. I must carry it over to year 2011! ~.~ (especially some particulars)...

Hmm.. What else can I say? I just can't say goodbye to year 2010 yet because a lot of GREAT MEMORIES (check my whole blog for this year) has been made and given to my life. By the next time I will post something here, it's already 2-0-1-1!!! T.T I guess everything does have to come to an end, especially 2010! I just have to remind myself that 2011 is gonna be a greater year for me as it holds a lot of surprises, trials and problems! All things happen for the better of me! (and yours too!) T.T I guess this is it, goodbye 2010! I will remember you forever!

To all who has been a part of this great year of mine, from the bottom of my heart and soul, THANK YOU! ^^,

take care and God bless...

Movies 2010

In one of my previous post, I told you about the books that I have read for this year and right now, I shall tell you about the movies I have watched for this year. ^^ Unlike the number of books I've read, I have actually watched 20 films this year! And I would like to thank Citibank for their promo, that I am able to watch so much number of films. Before, watching movies was something I am alienated from. ^^

Now, red ones are my favorites while black ones are just simply good films. (in my opinion that is)!

- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakel
- Spy Next Door
- Valentine's Day
- It's Complicated
- From Paris with Love
- Alice in Wonderland
- Diary of a Whimpy Kid
- The Back-up Plan
- The Last Song
- Shrek 4
- Little Big Soldier
- The Killers
- Karate Kid
- Letters to Juliet
- Knight and Day
- Twilight Saga: Eclipse
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice
- Salt
- The Expendables
- Step Up 3

Now that I am telling you about this, I feel like I have watched a few films. :<> It's already new year's eve tomorrow! One more post for tomorrow and we are about to say goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011! Are you guys ready for it? Well I'm not yet sure if I am... :|

take care and God bless...

Wonton + Cara Mia and an Owl

Yesterday, I had the chance to go out with my very close girlfriends. We decided to go to Greenhills since I want to let them try Happy Lemon too, but to spoil out all the fun, Happy Lemon was closed for their inventory and general cleaning. What I don't understand is why they had to do it yesterday and didn't they just opened up? But, I guess that's life. ^^ We first strolled around Shopsville while were also looking for where we will have our lunch. We came upon this very colorful store that sells a lot of cute and adorable stuff. This store is named "Regina" and is located at the second floor of Shopsville and is beside Kamiseta. It has a lot of stuff that you could actually buy for gifts to anyone. Too bad, I found this store after Christmas day, because I have just a lot of things I wanted to buy for my friends because they were surely unique finds and some of which are a whole lot cheaper than other stores I know of. This store sells mugs, necklaces, stick-on paper, pens, bags, hats, perfumes, and stuff that you-name-it-they-have-it. :D Some of the things they sell here are overpriced than others so you might want to be really knowledgeable and careful when you are about to buy something. I bought myself some stick-on notes that are both cute and cheap! :)

"Regina Store"

After getting tired looking over the things at Regina, we headed to Promenade to choose a resto that will satisfy our cravings and on our way to the food court (for Sizzling Pepper Steak) we were called on by a food server from Wonton (餛飩小館) telling us about their buffet promotion which is, Php 200/head for lunch and dinner during Mondays to Thursdays. While there is another rate for weekends.

"Wonton"

On their menu are, Siomai, Shark's Fin, Hot and Sour Soup, Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Japche (Korean Noodles), Salted Fish Fried Rice, Fish Fillet with Tofu and Tausi, and Fried Chicken. ^^ Now that's a lot of variations for a Php 200 buffet! Their siomai and shark's fin is really good. It was very rich in flavor and I just loved it a lot. Japche was also good... the noodle was a bit weird but it sure tasted good also, the texture of it is like rubber bands (or silly bands) but it was really good. The next thing I loved on the menu was the fish fillet because you can really taste the fish and there is no foul smell. ^^ The rest is okay... :)

my plate: Japche, Fried Chicken, Dimsums... ^^

the view we were enjoying from our table (Ortigas)

Greenhills is a place for people who loves to shop! And us girls don't really are shoppers and rather eaters. :)) After our lunch we walked around Promenade and that's the time we found out that Happy Lemon was closed. T.T So since our palette was still after something sweet and satisfying we decided to go to Cara Mia at Missouri St.! :>

Gelato choices


Tiramisu al Cioccolato

Cara Mia is a store mainly for desserts like cakes and GELATO (Italian Ice Cream) while its sister resto Amici is known for its authentic Italian pizzas and pastas. A cup of gelato costs Php 70, while pints and tubs has their own set of prices, depending on what flavor you like and as you can see on the picture above.

So what we ordered are: Espresso for me, Mint with Chocolate for J, Blueberry Supreme for A, Strawberry Supreme for J, and Mango Jubilee for M.

our picks!

!my espreso!

We were not a big fan of blueberry supreme but there rest, we do recommend for you to try. And you might want to try having mint with chocolate and espresso together cause they taste good together. ^^ Cara Mia is a cool hang-out place for friends and families. While you're there, make sure to try Amici as well because when we were there, the smell of pizza crusts and creamy pastas sure made us hungry... :o

And lastly, thanks to M for this wonderful vintage-like owl necklace! :D

take care and God bless...

Kao-Chi Restaurant

A week ago, my family and I tried a new restaurant that opened at N.S. Amoranto Sr. Ave. The name of the resto is Kao-Chi Restaurant (高記餐廳) and obviously, it is a Chinese restaurant. The interior of the resto was amazing, I never thought that a small space as what Kao Chi has can be as high-end and luxurious looking. The design in totality was very wonderful, I felt that I was in China. By the time I entered, I was amazed with the collection of figurines and stuff related to China or being Chinese ^^. Too bad I wasn't able to take a decent picture to post here. (All of it was a blur) :<

outside of the restaurant

For appetizer, we had their Hand Made Pork Dumplings. What I can say about this is that, it totally tastes like Xiao Long Bao and far from what I expected from what dumplings should taste like. :\ But I should give them the credit for making it have that soup we find in Xiao Long Bao. ^^

Hand Made Pork Dumplings-10pcs. (Php 138)

Next in line was Three Cups Chicken, which tasted more like star anise rather than what Three Cup Chicken supposed to taste like. I mean, I'm no great expert but all I know is that Three Cup Chicken should not taste like star anise. Right? Well, I'll just give you a rundown of the foods we ordered then I'll tell yo about it afterward! :)

Three Cup Chicken (Php 238)

Mapo Tofu (Php 238)

Sweet and Sour Pork (Php 238)

Sauteed Eggplant in Special Sauce (Php 238)

Sauteed Prawn with Tomato Sauce- 5pcs. (Php 338)

The Mapo Tofu sure has its kick on it. The serving quantity was also enough. :) Sweet and Sour Pork ans Sauteed Eggplant in Special Sauce, was not that great or good but it was edible and one of my motto is, "As long as its edible, I'm fine with it!". I have to say that Sauteed Prawns with Tomato Sauce is one that made the whole lunch okay. We really didn't like the restaurant but I somehow forgot the reason why we do but it sure has something to do with the food and service. Oh! I remembered one, all the food they served were cold. :( And I am not a big fan of cold foods served when they are supposed to be warm! Anyways, overall, I must give them some slack since they just opened up. I might want to go back to the restaurant to check if they did improve with their food and service. :)

If you want to have an experience of your own at Kao-Chi Restaurant, here are their details.

Kao Chi Restaurant
+632 4107788 / 4107799
109 N.S. Amoranto Street
Quezon City, Manila

take care and God bless...

Greetings!

Have a merry merry Christmas everyone! :) Simply remember that on this day, we are thankful for whom God has given us - Jesus Christ! ^^ May your Christmas' be filled with joy, love and all things happy and great! :)


take care and God bless...

Happy Lemon

Just as what I have promised on my last post, I am going to tell you about a new store we saw @Promenade, and that store is Happy Lemon! Happy Lemon just recently opened on the former ground level of Fully Booked @ Promenade. We were there on an evening which explains why my pictures are so. :)

outside their store

Happy Lemon started in 2006 in Hong Kong and now has over 100 outlets across Hong Kong and China.

Happy Lemon aims to provide consumers with a lifestyle experience, interweaving quality beverage choices with popular culture. Whether through our creative infusion of coffee, selected tea leaves, cocoa and lemon or through our careful selection of high quality ingredients from around the world, we continuously surprise our consumer by injecting creativity in every drink we made.

...We don use added preservatives or artificial additives in our beverages.

At Happy Lemon, you can be assured that only the Yummiest drinks are served!

-an excerpt from the flyer.

inside their store


their menu (click on the picture to enlarge)

What I love about the store is that even though they have just recently opened, they already have great service, great drinks and even a great ambiance and design that is a very important element in every food or beverage establishment. At first my friend and I were hesitant to enter the store because we thought that it will hurt our "budget", but by the time we looked at their menu, we learned that their drinks are very much affordable or reasonably priced. We couldn't believe that a store that cute and attractive, was selling drinks at reasonable prices.

My friend and I ordered the same drink since we were too scared to try their much more adventurous drinks. We had a Regular Mocha Cocoa (Php 85) which I must-say has a very rich taste. It has a blend of something bitter (which I guess is the coffee) and something sweet (which i think is the chocolate) to let it have a great taste! It was really good and we were really enjoying every sip of it. :D

my friend and I with our drinks o.<

While we were waiting for our drinks, we were given a number that was placed at a very cute lemon-shaped thing. :) We just couldn't help ourselves and take a picture of it! :D

Happy Lemon surely has liven up to its commitment to surprise their consumers and serve the Yummiest drinks! I shall surely go back and try their other drinks and I shall tell you about it too! :)

happy holidays everyone!

take care and God bless...

Greenhills + Banchetto = Happiness

Last Friday, my college friends and I headed to Banchetto to celebrate our Christmas party! And the story of what happened that day goes something like this...

Before heading to Banchetto, my friend K, N, G and I decided to meet up at Greenhills Shopping Center and have a stroll first since it was still quite early. I was the first one who arrived there so I went to Promenade and waited for them @ Fuzion (a smoothie cafe). While I was there, I ordered a Mango-Banana Fruit Shake which was something new in their menu, and all I've got to say is that it looks a whole lot better than it tastes. The lesson I learned from this is that I must stick with the familiar or old mixes. It costs me Php 109 for this one and I'm just sad that I bought something I did not like. ): But there is a bright side though, there was a new store along Promenade that made me very happy and that is, Happy Lemon! I shall tell you more about my visit in this store on my next post... :)

After having a delicious drink there, we went to Shopsville and the tiangge area where there are a lot of stalls selling dresses, shirts, bags, hats, and many other stuff. We bought ourselves a few things that we liked and loved... I bought myself a very cute necklace which costs Php130 (with haggling ^^). The original price was Php 180. So you guys should really bring your game face whenever you are shoppping at Greenhills so that you can buy the stuff you want at the price you deserve and here's my tip: slash the price to half and work your way up by adding 10s, and stop where you and the seller meets. ^.^ We also went to the night market being held in front of the Christmas on Display(COD)... The stuff being sold there is similar with what is being sold inside I'm just not that sure if its cheaper or not. Since we were already there, we watched the COD and it was good even if the sounds were too loud. After which, we were now on our way to Banchetto which was the highlight of the evening.

Christmas on Display @ Greenhils

We rode an FX going there that cost us Php 50/head. It's not that bad considering the long line we skipped because the driver directly asked us on where we were headed( *Greenhills to Banchetto will only take around 20 - 30 minutes).

Banchetto is an Italian word for "feast" and is situated at Emerald Avenue in Ortigas (In Front of Strata 2000 Bldg.). It was created to attract call center agents around the area but it seems that everyone around the Metro wants to try it and that "everyone" included us! Banchetto starts at exactly 12 midnight on Fridays and goes on until 11am of Saturday. It is an overnight feast where different people sells all kinds of foods you can think of, whether it be Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Western or even Vegetarian or Mexican. ^^,

the map (A is for Banchetto!) ^^

We arrived at Emerald Avenue at around 11.15pm and even though it was still early, tents are already up and some of the sellers are already setting up their foods. Tables and chairs are limited but since we were there early, we were able to get us a table and 8 chairs ^.^ (I therefore suggest that you go there early, around 11.30pm, if you know that you will be needing tables and chairs). Another FYI! Chairs and tables are set-up at the end of the banchetto area and is already at Emerald Avenue corner Garnet Road. It was starting to get brighter by the minute and by the time it was already 12 midnight, a lot of people started showing up out of nowhere and walking along the food stalls. :o

There were 8 of us, so we divided ourselves into groups that will go and have a look around. We were the last ones and these are some of the pictures I took while I was walking with the other hundreds of people (no exaggeration included)!

java rice on the go

the guy who cooked my Thai rice


some of the sweets @ Banchetto

foreigners @ Banchetto

some tempura and yummy salmons

buying ourselves salmon

After buying the foods we wanted, we went back to our table and literally had a feast with what our friends had bought for themselves. I bought Thai Rice (Php 65), my friends on the other hand bought, Chicken BBQ with Java Rice (Php 90), Salmon with Rice and Veggies (Php110), Baked Tahong, Sweet and Spicy Prawns, Pasta, and drinks. ^^, Here are more pictures before I go on with my story. ^^

my Thai rice


Chicken BBQ with Jave Rice


Salisbury Steak with Pasta and Mashed Potato + Fruit Shake

This is starting to become a very long post! So just to sum it all up, Banchetto is a must-try for everyone who loves eating food together with their friends or family. It truly is a feast for everyone and whatever happens there, will surely be unforgettable! There are a lot of food choices and anyone can surely find something they want to have at very reasonable and affordable prices. My Thai rice was really good and was a very big serving for only Php 65! Unlike with the Fuzion experience, the taste of the Thai rice is so much better than how it looks in the picture. :)

*Some cons of Banchetto and how you can get over it:
- There seems to be no comfort room around, so you better do you business before getting there. :)
- Banchetto's dining area lacks lighting but all's well! ^^
- It's too crowded at the start of the feast so wait until there are less people looking around before heading towards the food stalls..
- It's all about having your own game plan! :D hahaha...

I hope that I have made you want to go and have a Banchetto experience yourselves. For more details here is the link to their official Multiply Site and Facebook Fan Page! :) Happy holidays everyone! ^^

take care and God bless...

Books 2010

Year 2010 is about to end and I want to start wrapping up or looking back to the things I have accomplished this year. I decided to start off with the books that I have read. One of my goals for this year was to finish a book every month. One book per month seems to be very easy task for me since I was fond of reading but as it turns out, I was only able to read 6 books! That's just half of my goal and it is somehow okay for me since, its better to have something than none at all. :)

The books that I have read this year are mostly romantic or chick-lit books which disappoints myself since, I am already 18 and I feel like I should start reading books that are more mature or will just help me grow as a person. :) The books are:

- My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (January 31, 2010)
- George Muller (February 11, 2010)
- A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks (April 22, 2010)
- Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (May 12, 2010)
- Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer (May 20, 2010)
- Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks (June 16, 2010)

As you can see, most of the books are by Nicholas Sparks :D And just for the record, I am not really a big fan of his and I don't really like ALL of his books and I just don't know why 3 out of the 6 books I read were his... Anyways, I loved Message in a Bottle :)

And as the days pass, I shall continue telling you guys my accomplishments for this year! okay? :)

take care and God bless...

Sunday Morning

Yesterday was a nice day and I really enjoyed it. Today sure is another new day unfolding new things to me. I cooked breakfast and it wasn't that great and not that worst also. It was a mediocre breakfast I made with bread, Spam ham, cream cheese and egg. The picture is not that good since I was lazy enough to do anything with it.. ^^ Just place the Spam ham and cream cheese between two breads and dip it in the beaten egg and pan-fry! :) The cream cheese tasted like the ordinary cheddar cheese, so there is really nothing that special about it. :)

At the same time, I just want to share with you what I am currently loving! It's the Pik-Nik Potato Shoestring Fries Ketchup Flavor! :) The other picture is a gift my friend gave me.. It somehow looks like me excepting the long hair. ^^ Is there such word - excepting?

take care and God bless...