REMINISCING ABOUT THAILAND

   I remember when I went to Thailand way back in 2008, aside from falling in love with the shopping experience, I kinda went gaga with their food as well :D

  When I went to Mall of Asia earlier, I suddenly remember how I loved Thai foods, it was just a pure spur of the moment thought. So when I pass by a  restaurant with a tag line that says, "eat thai, love thai", without a second thought, I went inside :D 

  I actually love their interiors, the first thing that came into my mind when I entered the place was that, it was STYLISH. I love the combination of black and purple which are their main motifs.

  Aren't they cute? Well for me, it is :D

   Most of the purple walls are adorned with black laces and we all know how laces are kinda hit again in fashion since last season if I'm not mistaken (sorry if laces aren't really visible in this pic and I think this shot of their wall looks more of a door, LOL!)

  A complimentary dish of chips and nuts were served while waiting for my order.

   I tried their Thai Rice Noodles with Chicken Fillet. For a reasonable price of Php228, this dish deserves  a 5 star rating. It was really flavorful, I wouldn't mind munching on this even on the summer season where the sun is scorching hot. It also has mung beans which was in great combination with the rice noodles, and the white onions, which I'm not a fan of, actually even the purple ones, but with this dish it doesn't taste like onions at all, it's more of like turnip or "singkamas" but it's definitely white onions.

   I also tried their Thai Coffee Cream Shake, which I would give a 4.5 star rating. By the way for its price of Php98, it's almost a treat coz of the  scoop of ice cream on top, which I think is vanilla flavored, but what kept me from giving this drink a perfect score was the fact that I got tired with the taste or what you call "umay" even if I haven't consumed half of it yet.

  But all in all it was a pleasurable experience visiting this place because of their friendly staff and they don't have service charge, LOL!

SOMETHING CHINESE

    I was pretty impress that P.F. Chang's branch in Alabang Town Center was their first in Asia. They also have another one in Taguig but being the Southerner that I am of course I went to ATC to finally experience this Chinese restaurant that first gained popularity in the US.

  One of their FRIENDLY staff offered to mix a special sauce for me while waiting for my order (very kind of her or maybe it's an SOP to them, anyhow I appreciated it ) just in case I would need one. She mixed a small amount of hot mustard, the one on the small cup on the left, a small amount of chili paste, the one on the small cup on the right, they mixed it with this special sauce on the small cup on the center, I'm sorry I wasn't able to ask what made the sauce special, anyway I wasn't able to use the sauce that was mixed for me because my order was flavorful enough.

  

   I ordered their Sichuan Chicken Chow Fun Noodle. It's a rice noodle stir fried with minced chicken, preserved veggies, black mushrooms and onions in a spicy sauce but I requested for mine to be less spicy. I'd give this dish a 4 star rating out of my usual 5 star rating as being the highest, it has a bitter taste into it, it seems that the mushrooms were burnt, or maybe the black mushroom is supposed to taste like that. I think it's better off without the mushroom or they could have just added a different mushroom instead.

   I also tried their apple juice that I would give a 3 star rating because it kinda tasted like one of our local apple flavored light alcoholic drink. 

   But what i really really like with P.F. Chang's though is their EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE. I need to put emphasis on that, their staff are uber friendly and  definitely deserve a 5 star rating.

  Another thing that I love with this place is their interiors. I'm sorry I wasn't able to post pics of it because my cam wasn't cooperating when I tried to take pics #Sorry

   They also gave me  a discount card which will take 500 php off on my next visit if I will be ordering worth at least 1500 php #NotBad

A SONG ABOUT EQUALITY

  I just love the message behind this wonderful song from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. It was actually released since last year but it was only a couple of days when it was played in our local radio stations. Anyway this song is about the gay and lesbian rights, talking about same sex marriage and  yours truly also shares the same belief that it should be legalized :)

  Here's the lyrics, feel free to sing along while you play the music video :D 

When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay,
'Cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight.
I told my mom, tears rushing down my face
She's like "Ben you've loved girls since before pre-k, trippin' "
Yeah, I guess she had a point, didn't she?
Bunch of stereotypes all in my head.
I remember doing the math like, "Yeah, I'm good at little league"
A preconceived idea of what it all meant
For those that liked the same sex
Had the characteristics
The right wing conservatives think it's a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don't know
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago
I don't know

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately?
"Man, that's gay" gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we're saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don't have acceptance for 'em
Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it
Gay is synonymous with the lesser
It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself
When I was at church they taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service those words aren't anointed
That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned
When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same, but that's not important
No freedom till we're equal, damn right I support it

(I don't know)

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

We press play, don't press pause
Progress, march on
With the veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
Till the day that my uncles can be united by law
When kids are walking 'round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are
And a certificate on paper isn't gonna solve it all
But it's a damn good place to start
No law is gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever God you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it's all the same love
About time that we raised up... sex

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

Love is patient
Love is kind
Love is patient
Love is kind
(not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
Love is kind

Lyrics courtesy of azlyrics.com

DOUBLE FRIED CHICKEN

  I once watched a local tv show counting down the latest food craze that we have on the Metro. One of the food craze that was mentioned was double fried chicken. Imagine how crispy your chicken can get if it's fried that way, right? :D and the first restaurant in Manila to give our all time fave dish a twist was Chicken Charlie and they actually opened their first store in 2010 but thank goodness coz only after three years they opened up a store in our very own SM Calamba, yay! :D I'm actually a food traveller so I was really happy when I saw a branch that is only 10 min tricycle ride away,haha! I don't have to go all the way to Manila.

  Anyway, I was with my cousin when I went to Chicken Charlie yesterday and were actually both on a budget so this was really a perfect place coz they have value meals,haha! 

  We tried their value meal F which comprises of a generous serving of Charlie's Signature Burger, fries and drinks, for a very affordable price of 145 php this is such a treat, and yep the chicken is oh so C-R-I-S-P-Y :D

   We also ordered their value meal B which has 2 pc drumsticks, rice and drinks. My cousin actually opted to try two different flavors for the drumsticks, one is chilli and one is plain flavored. This meal is only for 138 php.

  All in all we super love everything that we ordered, their chicken is REALLY CRISPY! We definitely got our money's worth.

   

NOT YOUR ORDINARY COMEDY FILM

  Here's another dose of inspiring movie for you guys, in a laugh out loud form :D
  
  I can say that this is one of the best comedy film that Iv'e seen so far. It stars Sandra Bullock and the oh so hot Bradley Cooper :D 
  
  It's about this uber intelligent cossword puzzle writer, Mary Horowitz, played by Sandra, who was setup for a blind date by her parents to Steve, a cameraman from CCN Network News, played by Bradley, and it was love at first sight for Mary but not for Steve. 

  Mary's obsession with Steve, and her adventures while stalking him across the country has what made her realize some life lesson's that can be compared with solving a crossword puzzle, like perseverance, the importance of never quitting, other life lessons like not changing yourself for anybody and that if you love somebody, if stalking is the only way to be with that person, then your'e probably not meant to be with them in the first place, makes sense, right? not that I can relate to that, hehe! 

 I hope that you could also have the chance to watch this movie coz aside from those simple wisdom, it also has nice soundtracks and it's just really hilarious! A nice movie to watch with family and friends :D

FUSION OF ELEGANT AND CASUAL DINING

  After I feasted at the Coffee Origins, I decided to finally take my lunch, it was almost 3 pm, I was walking down GB5, looking at the long lineup of restos, and my feet brought me to Zuni.

  I guess what brought me here was their very relaxing music, a jazz version of some of the old songs :D

  Anyway, for me this restaurant has one of the most relaxing ambiance. You can choose to either dine inside their dining area or enjoy your food on their al fresco which what I actually did. 

  I ordered one of their pasta dishes. Anyone who knows me will say that this is what I always order if available, specifically pesto pasta :D but since they don't have that in the menu, I decided to try  their Penne with Chicken and Hungarian Sausage.

  It was sauteed in olive oil and garlic, with red cabbage, sun dried tomatoes and arugula, it also has slices of cheese, I'm sorry I wasn't able to ask what type of cheese is it but all in all this dish is really good, especially that I'm not a fan of cream based pasta, this is such a good choice.

  

For my drinks, whenever I'm eating out, I usually pair my food with coffee, but since I almost had a total of a pitcher of coffee at the Coffee Origins, I opted to try one of their pineapple flavored chilled drinks.

  For me, this is the best pineapple drink that Iv'e ever had. It's not too sweet, not too sour and it's very refreshing :)

  

    

  

COFFEE FESTIVAL

  Yesterday, Oct 10th, was the first leg of Coffee Origins, it is an event that is being held every October at Greenbelt in Makati, so it's like the October Fest of coffees. It will run until Oct 22nd and as a self confessed coffee addict, of course I didn't dare miss this event :D

Photo courtesy of facebook.com/greenbelt

  

  Several coffee brands from almost all over the country participated. It was like a feast for me yesterday because of the free taste of the different types of coffee that I don't get to savor on a daily basis :D

   Each Coffee brand has their own booth. The first one that I tried was Cafe Amadeo which is also part of the Cavite Coffee Development Board. They let me try their mix of robusta, arabica, excelsa and liberica. If I were to rate this coffee, which is 5 being the highest, I will give this a perfect score. It's not too sweet and not too strong, just the right amount, considering that it's a mix of four different species of coffee.

   The next one that I tried was Kapeng Bailen. They actually share a booth with Cafe Amadeo. I tried their mix of robusta, arabica and liberica. I will give their coffee a 4.5 star rating because it's still really strong even after adding a generous amount of creamer and sugar, well maybe because I'm not really a fan of strong coffee, but if you are, then you will surely enjoy this.

   The next one that I tried was Kape Isla which was from Negros Occidental. I was able to have a taste of their Mt. Kanlaon coffee (It was only  when I uploaded the pics that I noticed that this shot of Mt. Kanlaon coffee was not really photogenic, LOL! #MyBad #Sorry) Anyway this coffee was a premium blend of arabica and robusta. I'd give this a 4 star rating because it's not as flavorful as the first two that Iv'e tried, well maybe because it was only a blend of two types of coffee.

  The next coffee booth that I went to was the booth for Kape Musang, I'd give their coffee a 4.5 star rating. When I tried their product they don't have sugar anymore, I just added creamer but it's still tastes good. Maybe my curiosity for how it could have tasted if it has sugar was what kept me from giving it a perfect score :D

  The next that I tried was Hawaiian Coffee Co, which was yep, really from Hawaii. I gave them a 5 star rating, because even if their coffee was only a mix of arabica and robusta it still taste like it has almost all of the species of coffee in it.

  Gourmet Farms was the next one that Iv'e tried. I gave them a perfect score as well for the Manila Blend that I was able to taste, it was also a combination of if I'm not mistaken arabica and robusta :D

  Also I was able to try a coffee fr Sulu, which was called Royal Coffee, theirs is a Civet coffee, which is made fr beans of coffee berries that has been eaten and excreted by the Asian Palm Civet, yep you read it right, its droppings are what makes this coffee oh so yummy!but this baby definitely deserve a perfect score :)

  The last coffee that I tried was Siete Baracos fr Batangas. I had a taste of their Black Gold Label coffee, which I gave a 4 star rating, its too strong but then again I'm not a fan of strongly brewed coffee but if you are then i would highly suggest this product to you :)

  

   

MY CURRENT FAVE FASHION PIECE

 Lately Iv'e been really fascinated with the comeback of this fashion piece from the 80's, crop tops, that is. Iv'e always wanted to buy one I just don't know where to wear them, LOL! Well I could wear them to the mall or whenever I'm hanging out with my friends, but I guess living here in the province won't be an appropriate place to don such type of clothing, I mean the people here are very conservative :D

   Anyhow, I just wanted to share with you my current fashion obsession, I would also love to match it with a skater skirt.

  You can also pair it with a long, flowy skirt or maxi skirt like what our very own Ms. World 2013 Megan Young did in this picture.

   How about you, what fashion piece are you currently obsessing? :)

  Photos courtesy of facebook.com/apartment8clothing

  

ULTIMATE CHILL OUT SONG

  This song from OneRepublic was taken out of their second album, Waking Up in 2009, but it was only a couple of months ago when I first heard of this song which was from an advertisement,hehe! and I actually love everything about it, the rhythm, beat and even the music video, anyway this song is just full of good vibes. It just want to tell us that  even though there are days that a lot of awful things are happening, there's always a choice to be happy because the fact that your'e still alive and freaking kicking, it means that there's still hope. Just in case you would like to sing along with it while you play the video, the lyrics is just below :D

Woke up in London yesterday

Found myself in the city near Piccadilly
Don't really know how I got here
I got some pictures on my phone

New names and numbers that I don't know
Address to places like Abbey Road
Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want
We're young enough to say

Oh, this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

I say, "Oh, got this feeling that you can't fight"
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life, a good, good life

To my friends in New York, I say hello

My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Colorado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out
Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
We all got our stories, but please tell me
What there is to complain about?

When you're happy like a fool, let it take you over
When everything is out you gotta take it in

Oh, this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

I say, oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life, a good, good life
Oh, a good, good life, yeah

Hopelessly
I feel like there might be something that I'll miss
Hopelessly
I feel like the window closes oh so quick

Hopelessly
I'm taking a mental picture of you now
'Cause hopelessly
The hope is we have so much to feel good about

Oh, this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

I say, "Oh, got this feeling that you can't fight"
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life, a good, good life
Oh yeah, good, good life, good life, oh, this is

To my friends in New York, I say hello
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Colorado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out
Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
We all got our stories but please tell me
What there is to complain about?

Songwriters
Zancanella, Noel Patrick / Kutzle, Brent / Fisher, Eddie / Tedder, Ryan B

Lyrics courtesy of MetroLyrics

THE BEST UNCLE IN TOWN

  Yesterday, Oct 4th, me and my cousin went to  our usual go to place for some gastronomic adventure, which is Nuvali :D 
  
  I would highly recommend this place, to my fellow southerners out there or to anyone of you who's in the mood for foodtrippin' and retail therapy in a more laid back atmosphere. Nuvali is in Solenad 1 and Solenad 2 along Sta. Rosa - Tagaytay Rd. and yesterday our feet brought us to Solenad 1 and decided to try Uncle Cheffy wherein their specialties are bbq and pizza.

                                   
 We ordered their Cheese, Cheese and Cheese pizza which has mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar, gruyere, blue cheese, herbs and salsa. For me the best way to eat this pizza, is that since its really thin you can actually roll each slice and then stuffed it with herbs and salsa, its just so Y-U-M-M-Y :D

   Another specialty that we ordered was their Memphis Bbq U. S. Ribs which was also served with marble potatoes, lettuce and three kinds of sauces, if I'm not mistaken one of them was salsa, I'm sorry I wasn't able to check the other two because I was really enjoying my pizza :D but the ribs was very tender, so I also enjoyed it.

   We also tried their Lamb Breast Provencale Way. This is actually my least favorite among all our orders, it says in the menu that it will be served with salad and sauces but when it arrived in our table it only has one type of sauce that for me doesn't really match with the strong flavor of the lamb.

   Anyway Uncle Cheffy was able to make up for the not so pleasurable experience of my taste buds with the previous dish when our dessert was served which was the Italian Leche Flan. Its the best leche flan I've ever tasted!!!! I hope my exclamation points were able to help me express how I love this dish, LOL! It's sweetness is just right, even if you eat it with it's side dish of mango, whip cream and cherry, don't worry about having sugar coma, unless of course  you consume 10 servings of this, LOL! :D

                             

AN INSPIRING FLICK

 This is one of my favorite movies of all time, though its kinda ironic because there's not a single scene in this movie that I can relate to but I actually cried a lot when I watched it the first time, "arte" haha! Lemme give you a short, short summary of its story so I can tell you why I love this movie so much. It's about Toula, a 30 yr old lady, who doesn't seem to bother so much about how she looks, she came from this big Greek family living in America who has a restaurant in Chicago, called Dancing Zorba's where she was working as a waitress. That's where she also first met Ian Miller, a native American guy, the love of her life who's an english teacher. Her dad keeps on pushing her to get married to a Greek boy, make Greek babies and feed everyone until the day she dies, when what she wants was to pursue a career. 

 Toula's  determination  to reach her dreams in spite of her age, and her dad who doesn't seem to understand that there's more to life than getting married is the reason why I love the movie so much. 

 I hope that you guys could also have the chance to watch this movie, and be inspired the way I do. 

REPEAT AFTER ME...

  How's that  to start the month, right? Law of Attraction or what we call possitivity, is the key baby! As what Mahatmi Ghandi says, “Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” Who knows having this kind of mantra might bring overflowing of blessings not only this October but on the coming months as well :D

PS: Feel free to share this "inspiring" pic,hehe! on your fb wall by clicking on the fb icon below, thanks! <3