5/21/15

If you're looking for a good place to eat Filipino food, might as well try Cafe Juanita. To celebrate my uncle's short visit here in the country, we had dinner at their Pasig branch and was served with good food.

It was my first time to eat there and we were greeted with an establishment with over-the-top and fancy decorations upon arrival. It turns out that it was an old house converted to a restaurant. It wasn't hard to see since the ground floor is very similar to old school living rooms and the entire ambiance felt like we were just chilling at home.

We ordered a set menu and made additional orders since there were 7 of us and their set meals are only good for 5 persons. Seeing that they have plenty of customers, I think they should add more for a larger party.

The food was good though. I don't eat some of the food that were part of the set but I liked those that I've tried. It included a complete package starting from the appetizer up to the dessert which was a good deal.

They also have branches in Alabang and BGC, I think, so try them out!

5/17/15

Have you ever had that feeling of being taken for granted? It's really hard when you keep on exerting a huge effort to maintain your friendship but the other person keeps on ignoring you and acts like there's nothing wrong when you finally get to meet up with each other in person.

I keep on asking myself what I keep on doing wrong. I don't even know why I'm allowing myself to be treated this way but I don't want to end our friendship either. I hate being overdramatic but I can't help it when I keep on getting treated like this. I've spent a lot to be a good friend and I mean that figuratively and literally.

I'm just trying to be a good friend that I've never really done before but I don't know how that will work when my efforts seem so worthless.

5/16/15

I was originally scheduled to go to the beach last Thursday to Friday with the Gang. We planned it  since a month ago and we were all looking forward to the trip. However, we ran into some last minute problems and the trip got postponed to June. It was a sad news to hear at first, knowing all the effort we had to make just to clear our schedules. However, we didn't let our free time to go to waste.

We still decided to meet up with each other yesterday. One of us had a gig so we agreed to have dinner in Maginhawa street. It was my first time to go there though it has been one of the food places I've been wanting to visit.

I didn't know how to go there on my own so I went with my friend who had a gig and had to go to Quezon ave first to record. We initially wanted to take the bus but we had a difficult time waiting for one. It's not surprising considering that it was a payday Friday. As per her recommendation, we rode the MRT instead and I dropped off at Cubao station. From there, I took the LRT2 for the first time going to Katipunan. I didn't even know there was a train station there but I managed to find myself where I should be. I took a cab to Maginhawa street and met up with the others.

After hanging out at Infinitea, we decided to look for a place to eat. We wanted to try out StrEat but the place was jam packed. We ended up walking down the area and finding this resto that serves breakfast food called Pies and Breakfast.

We were served good food though the serving was quite small. We took advantage of the time to give our birthday present to my friend who celebrated his birthday a few weeks ago. We also continued to talk about our beach plans and random stuff.

After one of our friends arrived, we moved to another resto to try out their churros. After a fun chat, we tried looking for a bar to get a bottle of beer but found out that beer was prohibited in the area. So we decided to proceed to Mow's where our friend will perform with her band.

The performance was great and everyone had their bottle of beer as they wanted.

After our friend finished their performance, we  moved to a bar nearby and continued hanging out. We were introduced to our friend's longtime friends and played a lot of drinking games. It was a really fun night and I can't wait to have a repeat of it when we go to the beach  next month.

We ended up at around 2 am so I had no choice but to go straight to the office and sleep there. I took a cab with my friend to Ayala who was also heading south. I still feel so tired until now but I'm just so happy for having a great time last night!

5/14/15 - Singapore 2015 (Day 5)

Here's day 5 of my trip to SG. Day 4 recap here.

Woke up early on this day to pack up my stuff. This time, I'm already assured of a flight.

I checked out early and proceeded to Bugis where the first location of my friend's shoot will be held. I wanted to do some last minute shopping but there was no more time.

I met up with my friend and his stylist and introduced me to the model who is a local actor in the city. It was pretty cool to meet a celebrity. We got some shots within the area and rode his car to go to the next location, Boat Quay. But we had lunch in McDo on the way.

Upon reaching our next destination, we immediately took shots for the shoot. My flight was scheduled at 8pm so I had to be at the airport by 6pm. But I had some time left so I still decided to go with them to the next location.

We went to the Marina Barrage. It was getting late when we got there so I decided that I'll go back to the hostel from there. The shoot wouldn't proceed until sunset so we had some time to chat and take pics of the team for the meantime.

It was finally 4pm so I had to bid goodbyes to my friend and my new friends as well.

I rushed my way back to the hostel to retrieve my luggage and got a taxi. It was a rush hour so it was hard to get one at that time. Thankfully, the hostel helped me book a ride.

I arrived at the airport with enough time to check-in before boarding. I even managed to do a last minute shopping in Uniqlo before boarding the plane.

Just like on my way to SG, I got upgraded during the flight and moved to the business class. I watched a movie on the iPad and got served with plenty of food.

Arrived in Manila at past 11pm, almost midnight.

Overall, it was a great trip! My first solo adventure was great and I am hoping that there will be more of these adventures in the future. I've accomplished so many things in this trip and will always be looking for more opportunities to grow.

5/3/15 - Singapore 2015 (Day 4)

Here's day 4 of my trip to SG. Day 3 recap here.

This day was supposed to be my last day in SG. I started this day early by packing up my stuff and leaving my baggage at the hostel counter since I had some places to go to with my friend before I leave and I won't be in the hostel during the check-out time. The hostel accommodated requests to store baggages even after check-out time so it was convenient for me not to bring along my luggage while doing more sightseeing.

My friend and I decided to check out old houses in Dakota. Apparently, the condominiums in the area were there before the British invaded the territory back then. I'm not quite sure of its history but it was something worth checking out. It was near Geylang which was one of the places I wanted to see but didn't have time anymore. My friend arrived quite late but we still managed to eat at a nearby hawker center. I treated him lunch as a way to thank him for the whole trip and to relieve him of any disturbance I've caused.

He wanted to do an ocular for a shoot i Victoria theatre which was in another area so we decided to ride a us afterwards.

While on the bus, I got a phone call from the airline and found out that I was confirmed for a flight o the following day. That was great news to me and quickly relayed the info to my friend and everyone concerned back home. I already alerted my boss that I'll be absent for one day.

The theatre was near City Hall and we had to walk along a log street to get there. It was a big place and there was even a photo shoot going on while we were in the place so it must really be a popular venue for photographers.

We had to split up after since he had a meeting with a client. We had a tentative plan to have snacks after if there was time.

As I made my way back to the hostel to figure out what to do for the rest of the day, I passed along Little India and got a henna tattoo which was one of the things I wanted to do. I got a sun design on my left hand.

I took some time to relax in the hostel and charge up my gadgets. Also told them that I will be staying for another night.Fortunately,the bed I was occupying was still available.

I went to the Singapore Botanic Gardens to have a taste of nature since I wasn't able to go to any of the zoo or the bird park. It was a big park and I didn't even get to see the entire place. Therewere tourists as well as people just chilling out or playing around. How I wish we had a similar park here in the Philippines as most of them are either small, far, or too filled with commercial establishments.

I couldn't figure out where to go next so I just went back to some places I've been to the past days like Clarke Quay and Vivo City. I checked out the stores and other parts of the area that I wasn't able to see more closely.

After finding out I won't be able to meet up with my friend anymore, I decided to make use of the time to go back to the airport and find out if my sim card was in the money changer where I thought I lost it. Unfortunately, they didn't have it anymore so I had to buy a new one when I return back home.

I got back to the hostel a bit late but I wasn't ready to call it a day so I went to Gardens by the Bay since we were't able to go there. Unfortunately for me, the conservatories were closed but the gardens were still open to the public. The place was great even at night. I only got to see a few places of the area but I was struck by awe at how beautiful it was. Like me, there were others who were checking out the place even if it was late already. I got a confirmation from my friend that I will be able to join him on his shoot on the following day since my stay was extended. I was very willing to go and assist for one more time before leaving and that made me excited.

I didn't want to miss the last ride so I went back to the hostel while the trains are still operating. Just like the oe here in Manila, the MRT didn't operate the whole day.However, since the place was small, I think I could have walked my way back to the hostel but I just wanted to go back immediately to rest.

I realized I haven't eaten dinner past midnight so I  had my usual midnight trip to Mustafa centre and grabbed some meal on the way back to the hostel to cherish my last night.