My biotches are the sweetest. Rounding off my birthday blogging

Never knew my girls had it in them. Treated the bitches at Marciano's for my birthday and they gave me the bestest surprise ever: public humiliation and three Bizu cakes! Lavlavlav you all! Cocktails and prancing around ensued, let the pictures tell the story.

Feeding Program! Everyone was soooo hungry and we were late. Thank you, Jake for ordering ahead!

I was confused when Kaye, Timmy, and Anna went out after the main course. Was getting slightly pissed that they were taking so long and when they got back they didn't want to head up to Cold Rock for desserts pa. They were so stressed pala preparing my surprise! :)

GAH! I LOVE YOU BITCHES!

Shopping afterwards, major major public scene at Topshop heehee.

wearing Topshop cropped Top, Zara skirt, Bayo oxford shoes, Esprit bag

Happy hour at Spicy Fingers! Hello, beers, margaritas, tequila sunrise, and screwdrivers!

Heading home! Everyone's slightly sleepy.

Nah, we're all perky and lively! And no, we weren't tipsy.

This world is a warm, sunny park.

Humdedum. I turned 22 (yeah I have to stop pushing for twenteentwo) last Friday and I spent my day with the Jakester topped with dinner with mi familia. After I picked him up at Ortigas (see my rants about the failed shopping spree mega sale in my previous post) we headed to Makati to eat lunch at Apartment 1B. Everything was so yummy, from our french onion soup with gruyere cheese, baked samosas to our baby back ribs and three-cheese veggie lasagna. The wine and beer were perfect too, just what we needed after the horrendous traffic at Ortigas. Service was excellent, ditto with the ambiance. Mr. Aga, the doorman, was nice enough to take our pictures and was very accommodating all throughout Jake's yosi break hihi.

While we were walking back to the car--being the ditz that I am I parked a block from the place, I saw the lovely Salcedo park all sunny and sparkly and decided to have an impromptu photoshoot 'cause it's my birthday after all. Jake couldn't say no to the birthday girl but proceeded to take a "short nap" on the bench so I ended up tugging and nagging at him to get up.  Sigh. I was too perky to let him dampen my spirits so tada!

wearing Zara skirt, Chatuchak chiffon petal dress as top, vintage lace crochet belt, Kickers moccasins, Nine West bag

For desserts, we were craving Chocolate Fire but I was too lazy to drive all the way to Leviste from Apartment 1B so we went straight to Greenbelt 5 for my shopping spree gift. Topshop cheered me up, not so much for Zara (Powerplant branch you better be nice to me), and I got a few tops I've been lusting after. We argued a bit on where to get dessert and ended up at Haagen Dazs since at the end of the day, we were both craving ice cream. Nom nom nom. You can never go wrong with Haagen Dazs.

We were running late after dessert and we wanted to pick up Chuck at Jake's place so we can take him to Malabon with us for my birthday dinner. Traffic was crazy at Makati and it took us an hour to get to Greenhills. My ever so sweet boyfriend decided to fool around while I was so stressed driving and he took pictures of me with his gangsta cap on. Gawd. These are the times when I wish I drove a matic 'cause by the time we got to Greenhills my legs were so sore from the stupid clutch. We got Rico, Jake's driver--also the birthday boy!, to drive us to Malabon and off we went with Chucky boy and Nikki to eat dinner with my fam. Chuck's the cutest in the car, he kept nosing around and bothering Nikki with her laptop and kept insisting on sitting on Rico's lap while driving hee. He's the cutest. My Estrel's cake also the cutest nomnomnom. Cheers to 22 (ack)!

I need a better strategy when it comes to mega sales

Please bear with my mindless rants. I'm way too hopped up on coffee to edit and filter myself today.

As Jake's gift was a shopping spree, I was ready to wreak havoc on my usual stores just this weekend but my plans were crushed. Forever21's mega sale was apparently too ridiculously crowded that I found myself stuck at J. Vargas outside Megamall for a full 30 minutes (at 9-freaking-AM!!!) before I gave up and headed to Makati instead. Screw the sale, nothing is worth that amount of lining up and dealing with traffic. Greenbelt was a good call, I found comfort in Topshop (and the very attentive salesladies) but for the first time in my life, couldn't find anything at Zara. Like the good girl that I am, I didn't push for the rest of the shopping spree and decided I'll wait this week to see if anything changes before I check out Zara/MNG/F21 again. See? I need new skirts and shorts and shoes! Dumdumdum. Jake's the best he knows me too well. He was even happy that I'll shop this week instead, that way he can come with me daw instead of me shopping alone like I originally planned. Awww. I can't forgive him for the "well your fashion sense sucks" comment on YM though. Who the hell wears teal rubber shoes, Jake? Just because Lebron thinks it's cool doesn't mean it'll look good on you. On the bright side, also got my morning updates from Topshop  & Reko and I'm loving what I'm seeing:

Yesyesyes I'll be waiting for you <3.

Photo cred: Topshop & Reko daily newsletters

I don't want three birthday cakes. Wait, I DO want three birthday cakes. Gaaaah

Mom and I are having a hard time deciding which cake to order for my birthday. If you've spent some time with my mom, you will realize that cakes and sweets are a top priority for her--regardless of the occasion (or most of the time, just whenever she feels like eating sweets). Since my birthday's coming up, we were arguing about what to get since, unlike her, I refuse to have three cakes all for moi (flashback to her birthday dinner last February, THAT was a blast). Now I'm torn between three cakes because I WANT THEM ALL. Gah. How on earth will I ever decide?

Do I go with the trusted, reliable Estrel's? Although, we've been ordering this for almost every occasion and I'm kind of sawa na..but I miss my caramel cakes.

Or or oooor, do I order cakes from Sonja's Cupcakes? :) I'm all for a cupcake  tower cake but they now do whole cakes and I can only imagine how yummy one huge giant cupcake would be. Tempting!

And while this might not be a birthday cake, Kusina Torre's (of Parvati) Triple Decker Cheesecake tastes too good to pass up. A whole cake would make me a very happy birthday girl, it's so yummy!

Or I can always order from Betsy's. You can't go wrong with their home-made cakes.

Triple decker cheesecake photo from The Food Photography

I'm no food critic but I'm feeling overconfident this morning

Finally tried Omakase with Jake after weeks of hyping. The verdict? Well, I love their sushis and the tempura. You can't go wrong with deep-fried rolls of salmon and cream cheese. Ambiance-wise, perfect for dates 'cause they keep it hush-hush and plushy with the velvet seats and lighting. I have to give them props for the waiting area, we got there at 11AM and we had to wait to be seated and with the fountain and comfy couch, you wouldn't mind waiting. Overall, we felt we could have had a better time, busog-and-satisfied-wise, at Teriyaki Boy where it's cheaper. We're a bit picky about our Japanese food, you see, and Jake wasn't very happy with his Beef Teppanyaki. At the end of our meal, we pretty much summed up that Shinjuku Ramen House>John&Yoko>Sumo Sam>Teriyaki Boy>Omakase. Or maybe they were having a bad day and we ordered the wrong food? Huh. Now I'm curious how our lunch could have turned out if we ate at Borough as planned. Jake's been craving NY food but we were itching to try Omakase once and for all. We had a great time talking and bonding, though. Nothing beats that.

Lovely Sundate, as usual, and I was the designated driver. Jake has this way of fooling me when I'm driving and I always fall for it. I'm gullible and I get confused easily when he's yelling at me when I'm trying to focus on the road. I love him for that haha! He has also been cooperative recently and has agreed to take photos of my outfits for my Chictopia and Lookbook accounts. He does it with a sarcastic smirk every single time, too, but I don't mind. I also caught him red-handed absent-mindedly doling out sweet lines from a memorized template. He was saying, "I love you. You're the best." and followed it up with "I'm sorry. I love you." before going "Ooops, mali!" LOL. He was too cute and I couldn't hate him for it.

wearing Zara striped tee, vintage Calvin Klein denim shorts, Bayo oxford shoes, Esprit vintage pouch

Greg & Hotch are one and the same. Doi.

I feel so stupid. I've been watching Criminal Minds for a while now and I've always had this nagging feeling that Hotch looks eerily familiar. I thought he looked like Will of Will and Grace but then clearly, he's a different actor. It's hard to figure it out 'cause his face is always all frowny and mad and it's hard to imagine Hotch looking like anyone else. Then I was lurking on this Criminal Minds fansite and they were doling out Dharma and Greg collectibles and I was weirded out before it finally hit me that HOTCH USED TO BE GREG OF DHARMA & GREG!!!! Insane! I am so stupid! I loved watching the show before but I didn't immediately connect the character with the dark and broody Hotch. Wow. It just goes to show how talented Thomas Gibson is, he's like a chameleon. Sigh. I won't be able to take him seriously on Criminal Minds from now on, hee.

WHY SO SERIOUS

SEE!

Photo cred: Criminal Minds Fanatics

NBA 2K11's here na? Nooo! Booo

I'm already saying hello to dateless weekends, missed calls and ignored text messages, absent-minded conversations, and spending some dates on the couch watching Jake play by himself or with the boys. Yes, boyfriend-less season's here again. I haven't even recovered from Starcraft 2 yet. Gaaah.

Girls should never be exposed to this type of torture. Is there a PS3 game I can also distract myself with?

Four years and a month with Jake and I'm reminiscing like a fool. Awww.

We're weirdly not going out on a date tonight. I don't have a ride and I'm too nice to make him bring me home all the way to Malabon from Greenhills and back. So, instead of moping around, I shall reminisce about some of the dates we've been to since 2006 ('cause I'm hungry and bored and too stressed to work and I NEED A BREAK!). Wow we're old.

Burgers at Bite Club, FIC Summer Cafe, dinners and lunches by the shores of Boracay and Laiya, AAV morning afters with friends, Amici and Caramia bittersweet goodbyes, Valentine's and one anniversary at the balcony, drunken nights at the Beach and GP, stop-overs at California Berry before turning left, High Street dates and strolls, yummy burgers at Brothers and Wham!, Bubba Gump, countless days on the Burgundy rooftop, trying to grow up at Cafe 1771, Cafe Mediterranean when we're too broke for Cyma, Capones, days at Cellos, Charlie's pig-out sessions, teasing at Chili's, bratting at Cibo, Alice in Wonderland-ing at Classic Confections, caffeine fixes at Starbucks and Figaro, being kids at Cold Rock, countless Sonja's Cupcakes, Cyma when we're feeling Greek, too many shopping sprees together, breezy nights at Dencio's Capitol Hills, PS3ing/movie dates & one Valentine's at his den, 22 toppings at D'Mark's, too many desserts at Dome, hand in hand along Emerald Ave, de-stressing after work at Earle's Delicatessen, one too many Estrel's cakes, binging on pizzas at Pizza Hut Shakey's,Yellowcab you name it, movie dates at Promenade (sometimes way too early for our own good) and G4, Gelatissimo, feeling healthy at Good Burger and Subway, sweet teeth at Goodies & Sweets, Haagen Dasz, Shinjuku & Tagaytay Highlands treats with his family, hanging at the house,  too many swims at his place, banana splits and parfaits, Italian dinners at Italiannis, La Trattoria, Pasto and Cantinetta, feeling Thai at Jatujak and Soms, Japanese dates at John & Yoko, Sumo Sam, and Teriyaki Boy, Katipunan & Home Depot with the boys, Kroc & W Grill with the Orgy, La Creperie for my French dreams, Manhann, brekkies at McDonald's and Pancake House, sweets at Parvati, Red Mango, Mexican at Ristras, sushis at Sakae, more sweets at Sebastian's, burgers at TGIF, and too many places and food I can't keep track of. Whew. Has it really been four years?

There, I just had a lovely daydream date by myself. I love you too much Ruiz!

Oxfords! Love you love you T. Swifty

Thank you, Taylor Swift. You have convinced me, once and for all, to go get some oxford shoes for myself. (And to possibly cut my hair short. )

Tada! I loooove them!

I've been trying on oxford shoes for some time now. Been obsessing over them at Zara and F21 then hesitating because, believe me, I do not want to cross that line when I'll be qualified as a shoe addict like my boyfriend. For the past months I've been steadily buying more shoes than I normally would, and I'm kind of scared because that's Jake territory and I've witnessed how out-of-hand one can get when shoes are at stake. Errr, but this is an exception. They're so purrrdy. And Taylor Swift wore them! That's enough reason to give in, right? Yes, yes. Now, all I need are some ferosh boots to complete my collection. Err.

Taylor Swift photo cred: Gofugyourself

Nagging and wheedling at the shops

I've always loved shopping dates with Jake. We are of one mind when we shop--clutching each others hands and our cards on the other. We know which stores to visit first, which ones to ignore, how to wait patiently while trying on clothes or shoes, when to say no, when to control each other when things get out of hand, when to compromise on who's getting more shop time, what styles to choose and recommend, and when to treat each other--depending on who's feeling generous at the moment. In fact, we've got it all down pat that he can shop alone for me and buy me something I'd love and vice versa. No, we're not superficial, but sometimes when we get tired of movie and dinner dates, this is what we do to bond.

I was forced to wait for my sister this weekend while she proclaimed her love for Ateneo at the bonfire. Jake, Nikki, and I had a blast hanging, trying on stuff, and pigging out at Trinoma. My dearest boyfriend outshopped me at Zara and before that some twat cashier stressed me out at Powermac. She overcharged me and I already punched in my pin so there was no turning back. I'm waiting for their call saying they already remitted my moolah. Gawd. Anyhoots, I can't believe Jake outshopped me at Zara. I'm not jealous, more of territorial. How would he feel if I bought more stuff at Nike? Hahaha gaaaah. That reminds me, I'm tempted to buy these awesome driving gloves and a hat for the sole purpose that they look good on me. And then I attempted to hide my stuff from mom, which didn't really work, mainly because Jake loves ratting me out and he did. Hee. I love him too much.

And you said you wouldn't like Parvati. No man can resist the triple decker cheesecake!

Receiving my sermon and brat face. We had to wait 30 minutes so they can fix their stupidity.

wearing Zara top, Maldita shorts, Nine West bag

<3 <3 <3 Yes

My sorry attempt to hide my stuff from mom.

Real men wet their burritos

Mom treated us to dinner at Ristras last night. Been craving Mexican food like crazy since last week. We were torn between here and Charlie's but we figured we've all had enough of burgers for a while. Everyone ordered something huge and yummy and we ended up gobbling all the food. Haha! Jake and I always liked eating here but our last time was a bit of a let down 'cause they served my quesadilla kinda cold. Last night everything was perfect so it's pretty safe to conclude I love Ristras again. Also, I may not be able to look at quesadillas and burritos for another week or so. I'm still full from last night.

Mom ordering and Jake pointed out the contest winners, 1 huge burrito in 1 minute! Awoah.

I think we over-ordered: chorizo and steak burritos, steak quesadilla, and tacos. Nom nom nom.  Jake and Bernice ordered their burritos "wet" which made it all melty and yummy.

We were so full Mom didn't have the appetite for dessert anymore. I insisted on getting froyos 'cause I was so umay from all the food. We tried Yoggle, the froyo place beside Charlie's at Greenhills and Jake acted like a kid. He made me put on a LOT of toppings, he was so excited. Hahaha. The yogurt there's yummy but Red Mango's still on the top of our list. I almost had a heart attack when the gay cashier pulled a prank on me, Php 500 daw the bill, hahaha I did a double-take and a HUWAAT? I kind of like him :)

Also said farewell to La Salle's football field in the morning, they're putting up a huge "eco-environmentally friendly" building over it. Like we need more buildings at La Salle, boo. Although if they put up a decent parking space to go with the new building I'll gladly take it.

wearing sheer floral top from Bangkok, Mango boyfriend jeans, Aldo belt, Kickers Moccasins, Promod necklace

Happy 3 weeks, Twitter. No break ups this time!

I just realized I've been tweeting consistently for three weeks now. Wow. This is a first. Ever since I signed up more than a year ago, I would tweet but I usually stop after a day or two then tweet sporadically in a hazy moody cycle. Now it's getting close to a month and I'm still banging away on my keyboard/pad every time a thought pops up. There's something so refreshing about being able to unload shallow mindless thoughts off without a care. It's therapeutic for me, twatting away like I'm just jotting thoughts down on a journal. Let's see if this time it will last forever, I can't jinx it!