Random Gala in Manila

This is way back August when we happen to have a small gathering with my VSO-ICS peeps. I stayed overnight with one of them- which was a very nice sleep of course. And then my companion brought me to the newly built SM in Taguig. By the time I was in Manila this mall was still underconstruction. The Samsung Hall is also located there (too bad I wasn't able to watch Sungha Jung's concert). But that's not what I wanted to say. We had a small tour and she treated me with Magnum Ice Cream. This ice cream is famous in the Philippines for being expensive and yummy. And I assume that the first Magum resto is in SM Aura? Well, nevermind.

So, we first had to choose the ice ream whether vanilla or chocolate. And then, the coating - they offer the dark chocolate and white chocolate. My friend and I had to different orders so we can taste each other's ice cream. And for the toppings they had array of toppings to choose from. It was so varied that you will go gaga for choosing only three toppings for your ice cream (which is very much unfair).
Ok so this is the array of toppings, in blur.. hehehehehe

And tada our finished product ice cream, after going through all the stages.

But it is not just the ice cream that you will be fascinated to eat. If you love chocolates like I do you'll definitely appreciate these chocolate bars that they displayed over the place. How can they possibly be displaying it instead of eating it? grrr such a waste! It is sooo big.

The Magnum place is located at the top floor near samsung hall. It is represented by this large M made of ice cream sticks!

Ok lets move on to the other part of our gala. since travelling to Manila is what I seldom do. I met with one friend of mine who has been wanting to see me but failed due to my busy sched. hahahaha. He is actually been wanting to treat me to lunch so I contacted him that day to fulfill his promise. He took us to this cake resto and had small chit-chat.

and the cakes we had are so deliii..

But they didn't like it that much so I had to bring the left overs. We parted ways right after. and that ended my gala in Manila. Hope to see them again soon.!

Travel

Photo taken from: The Idealist Facebook Page

I read one post last night and it is about valuing travelling. It didn't just fascinate me but inspired me to have my own planned solo trip.

At my age, one of the biggest discoveries that I treasure most is travelling. The new experience it brings cannot be paid by the years of working in the same company for the rest of your life. There's more to travelling than just seeing new places, it is discovering yourself amidst the place you are unfamiliar with. By the time you've been to more than one place - yourself has been renewed. But we have limiting beliefs, beliefs that limit us from seeing the beautiful world out there. Whether it is money, family, work or unsecure future that keep us from going - be inspired to change your life and the world you're in for many years. With that you'll be amazed by how things can come naturally.

Food Trip (Sagada)

I'm not really into food but trying new things is one of my motto now so I'm kind of doing things I haven't done before to know my own limitations. That's why if I had to walk for hours or get into topload rides on a bus passing on a very steep road- just  to get into a place I haven’t been before - I'll do it. Challenging myself is my new hype.

And for this post about food, well, some people might think that its not new to them but since it is new to me I'm posting it. These are the places that I've been to when I was in Sagada, my travel buddies recommended it.  They've been there many times, so I bet they have great taste when it comes to food in Sagada.

And our first stop,

Pinikpikan House

"Pinikpikan" is a specialty in the Mt. Province. It is prepared by beating the live chicken prior to cooking. Maybe PETA people won't agree in the way the chickens are killed but this is part of the place's culture, basically since then. So there's no way of stopping them from doing it. And there is no wonder why most tourists drop by and try it since it is delicious. The chicken used for this is a native chicken so it is tastier and fresher than the commerical ones. 

One order of it includes the infamous etag or "smoked meat". Smoking the meat is the same as smoking the fish in central luzon, they do it to preserve them. But I think I prefer etag if it was fried and not in  a soup. It was very salty but worth a try for tourists.

Their food are surprisingly affordable. And the resto doesn't run out of people, tourists keep flocking in.

And an added attraction of this resto - are their really cute dogs. Go to their backdoor and you'll find them. This resto is nearer to the market where jeepneys park so it is not hard to find it, just go straight and look for the sign.

Lemon Pie House

Now, friends told me that this is where most people go. And yeah, obviously they are up for the lemon pies. It was also my first time to taste the pie. It was good, but the blueberry cheesecake was  good as well. Their tea is good too.

 

The house is located in the further end and near to the curve going to the first cave. You can just walk to it.

Yoghurt House

If you ate in the "Pinikpikan house", walk further and you'll find it. It is near to stores selling souvenirs and stuff.

Their yogurt tastes really good compared to the ones I've tasted before. I ordered the one with ice cream and loved it.

Gaia café

This is one nice café based on my standard. And it is not really hard to find. It is along the way going to sumaguing cave. Must try are the veggie chips and the lemon tea. I got a separate post of it here 

OTHERS

Suman (Rice Cake)

Maybe their own version of rice cake is worth a try as well. I bought this suman while on my way to cavalry hill and it is quite tasty.

 Etag

This is how etag looks like when still on the process of being etag (I don't know what they call it, maybe airdry)

And a finished product etag - ready for buying.

Fruits

These are the fruits found in the North.

My first time to see and eat rattan. this tastes really sour. I haven't liked it that much.

Persimmon on a tree. It was my first time to see one too. When Iwent to the market I bought 1/4 of the fruit. The taste is similar to papaya - sweet

Peaches. Looks different, right? This is how their local peaches look like. But I haven't tasted it so I don't know its difference with the ones we frequently see in fruit stalls.

Just a thought

Your decisions in life echoes through generations.

Like getting married. Your decision to have a good and reliable partner very much affects your future children and the children of your children. Of course there might be aspects that might make your marriage imperfect but the fact that you strived for a better family is a very good decision to make. Such things as going to a very good university and trying to be confident about everything are decisions as well. But the main point in decision making is foreseeing the result of having that decision. But not all of us can make good decisions, there are times that our decisions will either frustrate us or make us lucky. Nonetheless, if you wanted something good to happen you can make that better decision for yourself and to the people that will depend on you in the future.

Having said that, I am just very much interested at the thought of knowing how great people started small. Maybe because they made good decisions and held on to what they believe in. I do believe that if people will just change their life and strive to be better - they can have that better life they long for.

VI021 Reunited

Ok, this is about my volunteer memoirs.

Last September, one of my weekends was with the people I have not met for months. It's the first time for our batch to be completed since the RV weekend last year, so it is a bit nostalgic.

Apparently, one of our British counterparts was able to join us, her name is Amy, she came all the way from Scotland to do Development work in Leyte. Her coming is the reason in organizing the group's dinner. Everyone catched-up with each other, threw jokes, laughed, took pictures and a lot more. I actually enjoyed being with everyone again. And as usual, I had to get used to the attitude of some people. Well, now I'm getting used to it.

Funny hahaha

So I'm funny. Some of my friends say so. But I guess there is a deeper burden that lies on being funny all the time - people think you are always happy and its your sort of duty to shower them with that happiness. I would be glad if there's a job like that - to play a part in people's lives with a good cause for there is no such thing as a happy world? Right?

Personally, it delights me when I make people laugh. The compliments they give is enough for the effort I put on those punchy jokes,  but I think it is the same for all of us, making people smile give us that light feeling because you've done something good. Doing good things is innate in all of us, its just not that fully recognized in some ways.  For me there is no true laughter than from an informal conversation you have with friends.

Gaia Cafe

Cafés are one of those cute establishments that we see everywhere. They are always artsy-craftsy which guarantee a very nice ambiance for customers. So this one café that I've been to was the first one that I liked so far. Considering that I never really go to cafés that much, comparing it to other cafes is less likely to happen. Hahahaha. You can say that I may have a not-so- high standard yet when it comes to cafes.

So what brought me there? A friend and I was just passing on this signage when we were on our way to a cave.

It says…

 It is one of those you see on Korean series that it caught so much attention from me. We didn't went through at first but it was really tempting so when we were on our way home we finally dropped by.

  Another signage that welcomes guest as we approach the entrance door.

  The café looks like a tree house made of pine trees. And pine trees also make good  furnitures, right?. 

 

 It offers snacks, drinks and meals; and even pastries like muffins and cookies.

 

 What we had were the homemade malunggay chips with a dip of black beans, tomatoes and garlic and blueberry muffins.

   Blueberry muffins.. Nom NomXD

 

For my drink I had the lemon grass tea with honey.

I took random pictures when we were eating. The malunggay chips was a must have, it's some kind of  nachos when we were eating it and a very healthy food for those on diet.

And that's how to eat it. hahaha. Since the dip bowl is just small, I think it wasn't enough for the two of us but they don’t really do refill unlike the dips in Jollibee. Hehehe

 That's the view from where I was sitting. That pine tree was really nice. It is very similar to those pine trees sold at malls during Christmas. 

 When I look to my left this is the view that I get. Inside that window are souvenirs and those pinned pieces of paper are some quotable quotes that are in support to women empowerment which might be the owner's advocacy.

 And that's the owner's house. Well looks like the owner was really artistic and rich after all to have a cute café and a very fancy house like that. :D

A Place in the clouds

Oh yeah, I walked on clouds when I went to this place. Hahahaha. No I'm just exaggerating.

 

Going to this place felt like we were near heaven because the clouds are just about our reach. And the best thing about our travel is we were all on topload rides, so the view, majestic mountains, rice terraces and vast rainforest were very much appreciated. I didn’t regret me soaking wet because of the rain and shine weather in that 3-4 hour bus ride. It was all worth it.

Above is one of my friends. I wasn't intentionally taking a picture of him. I just wanted to capture that cloudy and foggy road we are passing. I admire how the bus driver maneuver the curves. Riding on top of the bus is both terrifying and fascinating.

Sagada. One of the most touristy sites in the Philippines though has been long existing was my first time to set foot on. And it was a 'fall-in-love' sort of impression that I had when we arrived. What I love most of the place is first the weather, second the food in affordable price, and third the very cute restos, café and bars found in every street corner of the town. This place is definitely a must go to.

Unlike in Bohol, where most foreigner own almost all types of business, in Sagada, most locals manage/own the businesses. A friend of mine explained to me that the place is an ancestral domain, no foreign people nor a fellow Filipino can own a land unless they get married to one of the locals. They consider their land sacred and should only be given to their descendants. And I can see that most of the people have benefitted from its touristy asset.  Since their land is theirs and no one can take it away from them. Locals have ventured into business to cater tourists' needs, from food and lodging, to souvenirs and travel tours - I think locals have provided them all.

I think for the whole trip I almost had nothing to worry about since most of my friends have been there several times already so they pretty much know all the must go places to eat and site -see. Even the cheap places to stay in.

When we were there we stayed in this P250 per night lodging house which is not bad.

Above is the building we stayed in for a night. My friend said that it is one of the cheapest place to stay in.

Sea of Clouds. Since Sagada is situated in the mountains, cold morning welcomed me when I woke up.  I woke just in time to see this "Sea of Clouds". One of my friends took me to watch the sea of clouds up close but we ended up taking pictures of the cavalry hill because we were late when we got there.  I might write something about it later.

More posts will ensue after this one for I took a lot of pictures which is worth sharing I guess.