The best of 2011

from weheartit.com

2011 was a hip-happening year for me. I can't believe I just used the term "hip-happening" but it's a pretty accurate way of summing up the last 364 days. Too many things happened that I'm thankful for and I can only hope 2012 can be as awesome. I want to keep this short and heartfelt so here's my 2011 gratitude list:

1) Rang in 2011 with family and Jake--which won't be happening tonight. I feel sad about it but I'm too chicken to head out and be the one to come over to his place or wherever this year. Have you met my neighbors? They all have death wishes every NYE and dispose firecrackers like it's the end of the world.

2) Finally gave in to the iPhone craze and bought myself an iPhone 4--I only meant to ask the guy at Globe if they have stocks already 'cause I heard about the "waiting list" and wasn't planning to buy that day. I chatted up the guard who, incidentally, was probably the first person who didn't think I'm a bitch at first sight and told me in secrecy that they do have new stocks and set me up with customer service. Tadah! Brand new phone in a snap. It's probably the best spontaneous purchase I've ever made.  

3) Discovered new restaurants and date places--Marcia's Tuscany, Romulo Cafe, Maginhawa strip restaurants, anyone?

4) Anvil Awards--Winning an Anvil Award of Excellence for our communications program was probably the best validation that I am meant to work in this field.

5) Boracay 2011 with Jake and the girls--ahh, celebrated Jake's 24th on the island and also our (and by our, I mean us girls) summer trip for 2011. Too many happy memories of Baling Hai, sunset paraw cruises with beers, drunken nights, and calamansi muffins.

6) Singapore trip with office friends/first out of country date with Jake--one of the best trips ever! 5 whole days of exploring Singapura and shopping with Mitch, Maan, and Ryan, plus Jake and the Gonzalez clan were also there on the same dates for his grandparents' anniversary celebration. We had our first out-of-the-country-together photo outside Cotton On at Orchard Road, which was probably one of my happiest memories--both for my shopping spree at Cotton On and seeing Jake hanging out outside waiting for me. Also had our Ben & Jerry's date there and I had a blast spending time with his whole Gonzalez family at Clarke Quay.

7) Laiya 2011 with office friends--Yes, Laiya will always be my happy place for Jake and me but this year, I made new happy memories there with my office buds. We had a blast snorkeling, swimming, and just lazing around the beach while on our workshop. I can't wait to head back to La Luz.

8) Bohol trip with mom, sister, and girl friends--This year, my friend Kaye and I decided to treat our mothers to an out-of-town trip and went on a 3-day Bohol vacation with our moms, my sister, and Fifi. It was an all-girls trip and I will always treasure our moments before sunset by the beautiful Panglao beach while our mothers gossiped on, the Bohol tour adventure and seeing the Chocolate Hills and other tourist spots for the first time, and also seeing DOLPHINS out on the open sea!!! Bohol also probably has the best snorkeling spot I've seen in ages. And oh, let us not forget Bohol Bee Farm's to-die-for homemade ice cream and lasagna. Heaven.

9) Starting graduate school--I finally plucked up the determination and sense of responsibility to start my post graduate studies this year. I've been putting it off the for the past year or so and I must say, I am enjoying it. Here's to getting my MA in Marketing Communications on time.

10) Boracay 2011 round two/Seeing my balikbayan cousins and uncle for the first time in 10 years--Well, my cousins are 5 & 7 but it was surreal to see my uncle ever since he left for the States ten years ago. It was probably the happiest and most complete we've been as a family. Also, I will never forget our 4-day Boracay trip where, instead of making rampa as usual, I played around with the kiddos and had a blast introducing my cousins and family to the island.

11) Too many dates with the girls--Always happy, always laughing. We even named ourselves Team Gorla and I'm lucky to be spending time with real friends.

12) El Nido--I will never forget that trip: the sunsets, the limestone cliffs embracing the town everywhere you look, the secret beaches, tipsy nights, Pukka Bar's pressed coffee, and the breathtaking islands. 

13) Turning 5 with Jake--enough said. <3 Wait, Marcia's Tuscany <3

14) Turning 23--the year I started to accept that I can no longer pretend to be a teenager. I turned twenty three with the people I love the most: Seryna and Chocolate Fire date with Jake, Cafe 1771 with family, and Friuli Trattoria with the girls who surprised me again. It never gets old. :-)

15) Re-discovering Tagaytay--Mano's Greek Tavern Hotel, Ilog Maria and Marcia's Tuscany are my new happy places and have succeeded in luring me back to Tagaytay over and over this year. I can't get enough of its secret versions of Santorini, Tuscany, and well, I really can't compare Ilog Maria to anywhere else.

16) Christmas 2011--happy day with family and Jake. I made it a point to buy presents everyone will love this year. I'm broke but I'm happy <3

..and these are just the highlights. There are the countless dates, happy moments, lucky passes, and too many blessings I've received this year. It's the little things that matter, after all. 

I'm ready for you, 2012. BE NICE TO ME!

Here's how Christmas Day 2011 went

I had a wonderful Christmas with family and Jake this year. Well, except for my drama scene during Christmas Eve when I threw a tantrum 'cause everyone went to sleep by 11pm without opening the gifts, everything went smoothly....the day after.

All drama and issues aside, I was happy to have spent it with the people I love the most. It was also the first time (I think) that Jake and I were together on Christmas day. We usually swapped gifts before or after Christmas. After 6 Christmases together, shiz never gets old.

So, tadah! Meet my Lola Mely. I managed to force her to take a picture with me before she opened my present. Mind you, she's a bitchier version of me so watch out. She also picked out her gift this year and made me buy black  Electra FitFlops for her "causal wear". Yes, my granny has taken to wearing sequined leg-toning flipflops while hanging out and about.

My dog Pepper was the absolute cutest this Christmas. Ever since we started piling on the gifts under the tree a few days before Christmas Eve, she took it upon herself to man the gifts and never left her post by the tree except when it was eating and sleeping time. Silly girl.

And here's my mom's beloved Christmas village. Every time we would pass by Gourdo's, she always ends up buying something for her collection. I love staring at it when it's all lit up and moving.

With mudra and sister.

wearing Bayo silk top, Topshop eyelet shorts, Promod shawl, Pietra FitFlop

Jake arrived just in time for lunch and photos. I am loving this Christmas 2011 photo with the boyfriend <3

Aren't these plates the cutest? Makes me wish we can eat off these festive plates everyday!

After lunch came our annual exchange of presents. We both agreed to tone it down this year (i.e. absolutely no kicks or extravagant shopping sprees) and just splurge on birthdays instead. It makes sense, really. Or not. I've been eyeing a nice pair of Nikes that would be perfect for Jake and he likes it, too. Miami Nights or whatever it's called--I just love the black and hot pink color scheme but hey, gotta stick to the budget (which I proposed by the way arrrr)!

I got him what he told me to buy this year: some Obey (or not? forgot the brand) tee at Greyone. And I've looked everywhere for his snapback baseball cap but can't find one that he would actually like. So now I have utang, yay! It's worth it, though. I've learned never to buy something on my own for Jake. Boy has a very specific style.

I felt so guilty after seeing his home-made card for me. I just wrote the usual MerryChristmasILoveYou line on my card and he made me laugh with this one! 9gag yay!

And he also made an extra effort to mess with my head this year. This was the first thing I saw when I opened my gift: a huge-ass Jordan box. I was already expecting my Floretta FitFlop and didn't think he'd push through with his "I'll get us matching Jordans" threat. Arrrrr. My FitFlop shoe box was so small it fit right inside this box with space to spare.

After that we ate more food and my mom's homemade carrot cake. Good times :-) Can't wait for 2012!!!

The search for the perfect nail polish

I'm currently on a nail polish obsession phase and am currently collecting different shades to satisfy my inner shallow girl. Every time I get a mani-pedi, I am never satisfied with the nail polish selection so I am taking it upon myself to just buy and bring my own so I no longer have to put up with that feeling of regret after leaving the salon when you realize the shade you picked out was all wrong for your tootsies.

Since I only go for pale and neutral colors (for some reason, dark colors make me look skanky), here are my top picks which I'm currently on a mission to buy and hoard:

Orly's Kiss the Bride, Lift the Veil, and Pink Nude

Sally Hansen's Pink Slip and Cafe Au Lait

OPI's Coney Island Cotton Candy, Mimosas for Mr. & Mrs., and So Many Clowns...So Little Time

I think I may cut back on buying clothes to buy these instead. It's going to be so worth it. Plus the names are too cute to pass up, right?

Christmas Eve!

Time flies. I can't believe it's Christmas already! I'm so excited to spend Christmas Eve with my family and dress up for the holidays! I went all out on presents for everyone this year and I hope they all went out on me, too. (Shallow much? Yes.) I've been itching to go shopping for myself the past few days instead of spending my moolah on gifts but there's something about all the spending and giving that gets me excited to see everyone's reaction when they see my presents. Raaaawr. I can already smell the cakes and cookies my mom's been baking all day and am looking forward to Noche Buena. 

I miss the days when I thought Santa was real and we would run up to the balcony after midnight mass and see the huge boxes piled up. I remember dancing around one merry Christmas when Santa gave me tons of Polly Pockets and the long-haired Barbie I wished for. Still, I always get that happy giddy feeling when Christmas Eve comes around. Bring out the presents!!!

Intuitive Nature Solo Art Exhibit

Our resident artist in the office, Vicky, invited us to the opening of her solo art exhibit: Intuitive Nature held at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in BSP. It was a merry day to act like cultured people and finally learn how to appreciate art.

I loved the theme of her work, especially the landscape paintings with the vivid colors. Jake, being the artist that he is, put on his serious face to examine and appreciate the artwork. The rest of us oohed and ahhed and pretended to put in our bids for the silent auction.

Love, love, loooove the colors behind us.

wearing Zara cotton jersey dress, H&M lace flats

I kept trying to sneak up on him and pose like a fool while he was by himself and "appreciating". I'm totally clueless about art, all I know is how to make arte.

So proud of Vicky! This is actually her second solo exhibit--her first was held while she was in the States.

Our goofy gang.

Dana even won a Vicky Faye Aquino original artwork during the raffle! Lucky girl!

 

The exhibit will run until January 7 so there's still time to visit and bid for the artworks. Some of the pieces here will then be transferred to The Museum at De La Salle University for another exhibit. Ako na cultured.

Mango on sale at 50% off!

Woohoo! This is the perfect way to pump things up halfway into Christmas! I'm in desperate need to stock up on cardis and slacks for my 2012 "office-appropriate" wardrobe. Ho! Ho! Ho! 

Missing El Nido

We had our tourism campaign finals for Integrated Marketing Communications yesterday and my groupmates and I used one of my photos from El Nido as part of our collateral material. Seeing this photo again only makes me miss the place.

Here's Jake at the secret mini-Boracay beach. I remember the long trike ride, the one hour muddy trek,  the laughing fits when the mud would eat our Havaianas, and the breathtaking view and  feeling of being the only two people on the island that made it all perfect.

El Nido 2012, yes?

Brace yourselves, finals are coming

As a true blue Lasallian, December has always been a bittersweet month for me. I am always torn between wanting to celebrate the season in a holidaze and having to study for finals. As it is, I always end up with nerve-wracking courses for term 2 that are surefire causes for depression and anxiety.

The breezy nights and cold days are definitely not helping. I can't wait for the Christmas break.

Oh the joys of a slabwich: Chuck's Deli!

It's merienda time once again and I'm craving for a deli sandwich. Not the thin, sloppy kind you can get at the corner but a REAL deli sandwich with all the trimmings. I want a big old slabwich, which I can only find at Chuck's.

I've been meaning to blog about Chuck's Deli, this restaurant along Serendra that's serving the coolest and yummiest sandwiches. They've taken "creative" to the new level and played around with their menu offerings and sandwich names. Jake and I went there a couple of months ago and since I'm too hungry for my own good, I shall blog about these nom nom goodies. 

Love their facade! Feels like you're entering a playbarn!

Behold! My Chuckatsu slabwich (I only ordered half). It's chicken katsu with bacon on a slab of  crrrrispy bread. My mouth is watering right now.

Jake went for the Reuben. This is Chuck's Deli's own take on an otherwise traditional Angus corned beef sandwich, comes with swiss cheese, sauerkraut, mustard, and their special sauce. Yummy!

We also ordered their mushroom soup to go with our slabwiches. Just thinking about it in this rainy weather makes my tummy grumble.

wearing Topshop top, Black Sheep shorts

They've got other yummy and cool-sounding slabwiches on the menu, too! I wanna try the Jessica's Meltsdown (tuna), Handsome Threesome (all ham goodness!), The Buffy (buffalo chicken slabwich aaaaaah!), and Off-the-Hook (beer-battered fish). I might just drag Jake out to Serendra this weekend!

This is why Bieber's so annoying

I am a fervent Justin Bieber hater. There's something about the guy that just annoys me but I can't pinpoint exactly what it is--his face? The way he dresses? How he always wears a smirk? How he thinks he's so cool?

And then, them geniuses over at 9gag finally answered my woes:

Justin Bieber looks like a girl. Or a lesbian, to be more appropriate. And since I refuse to post photos of him anywhere on my blog, I am very grateful they were able to get the point across without having to put his annoying face above.

I feel so vindicated.

Marcia's Tuscany with mom

Mom and I went back to Marcia's Tuscany last week, not to eat, but to buy their homemade jams. I've been overly dependent on their guava compote every morning, slathered on crisp toast with some butter. It's the perfect brekky, I tell you.

It was my second visit to the lovely place and I felt like a little kid again in my own secret garden.

Hay, I wish our gate or door (whatever it is) looked like that.

wearing Zara bodysuit, F21 skirt, H&M lace flats, bag by H&M

Caught a lovely candid photo of my mom enjoying the stroll down the garden path towards the house. This was after Neil Adams welcomed us at the gate. He thought we made reservations to eat and was equally happy when we said we came back for his jams.

I never noticed these bricks when I went there with Jake for our anniversary. Pretty cool and vintage-y.

Also my first time to notice this smiling lamb at one of the corners of the garden. Neil also takes care of the gardening so it's really nice how he decorated his garden with little knick knacks.

We went on a weekday so the place was quiet. Here's a shot of my mom taken from the garden looking in. I still cannot get over how there are freshly cut flowers everywhere. Oh, and how it feels like you're in Europe, of course.

I asked my mom to take a picture of me at the garden dining area. I love how the sunlight cooperated and made it look so light and airy.

The famous compote! We also bought some mango banana compote to last us 'til our next visit. The waiter brought the guava out freshly cooked from the kitchen.

Can't wait to go back and eat there!

Ilog Maria

Mom and I have been hearing a lot of positive things about Ilog Maria, especially now that we're fans of all  things natural and organic. My mom, especially. She loves them Burt's Bees products and we've taken to buying au naturale products at the Sesou kiosk at Trinoma. However, they only sell a limited range of products and is always out of stock of the Ilog Maria line.

So, I was beyond thrilled when we went to Tagaytay for the Andres Bonifacio holiday and decided to take a detour at Ilog Maria. I found a new happy place!

From Tagaytay rotonda, turn right going to Silang, Cavite until you see this sign right after Petron:

The long winding one-way road to the farm--I have no idea how cars are supposed to maniobra when there's another one coming from the opposite direction. My mom actually panicked for a bit 'cause it looked like the road was going nowhere. There are literally trees everywhere and not a sign of civilization. Some of the locals passing by assured us that the farm was just at the end of the looooong road.

After a couple of minutes, we started to see these: bee nests!!!

We arrived at the quiet farm and immediately saw the glass-walled shop. Ilog Maria bee farm produces bath, spa, and health products made naturally from their bees. They have a limited supply since everything is hand-made the old-fashioned way. Walk-in customers at the farm get to buy the products at wholesale prices. It's really worth the long trip! You can even tour around the place and see how bees make honey for a fee. Too bad I didn't get to see the Ilog Maria (yes it exists!) which runs along the farm.

Mom and I couldn't get over the heavenly scent around the whole place! It's nothing compared to Lush, where the strong soapy scent assaults your nose. This was more of a calming scent that immediately relaxes you. Everything from the soap bars to the honey products smelled and looked wonderful. My personal favorites are the lavender soap, spearmint soap, honey and propolis shampoo, insect repellent, and honey facial scrub. I was too confused about what to buy since I wanted to try everything! They make everything with their harvested honey and propolis and each product comes with benefits to the skin or your health. 

Cool pinewood buckets for gift sets! I stocked up on goodies for unique Christmas gifts.

We wandered out to the area where they were making some soap bars and saw the propolis ingredient that's found in every product. You can really see how they take the hand-made thing to heart. They often run out of products if the demand is too high because they make everything from scratch. This also helps them keep their prices reasonable. 

And I found these noisy geese! I thought geese normally chase after people but apparently the ones at Ilog Maria are so used to visitors that they can tolerate people posing for pictures with them. Haha.

There was a bee hive which you can open to see the bees but I was too scared 'cause I wasn;' wearing any protective gear. I managed to get close enough for this shot, though.

So far, mom and I have been trying the shampoo and soap bars with wonderful results. After my hair went dry from consecutive digital perms, I opted for organic and no chemical products and I have been satisfied with how my hair feels softer and healthier. I've also switched to 100% natural products for my facial and skin care and feel really good about it. We're already planning to head back to Tagaytay to try out the other stuff we didn't buy. They also ship via Air21 but nothing compares to actually checking out their products at the farm itself.

See you soon, Ilog Maria!