Flatiron 1771 in Uptown Mall BGC

Flatiron 1771 in Uptown BGC recently opened and so one fine Tuesday, my sister and I decided to spend the day here. For one, I heard that the internet speed at Uptown BGC was insane and two, I am always up for great food.

The first thing we tried was the Salmon Cake. As you all know, I am a sucker for salmon and so this was a double edged sword for me. I love Salmon but I also have high expectations set for salmon. This was either an "OMIGOD I LOVE IT" moment or "SERIOUSLY? WHAT IS THIS CRAP?" moment.

This was an "OMIGOD WHAT IS THIS I TOTALLY LOVE IT!!!!" moment. Seriously. The salmon cake was just so awesome. Even though I could see the oil because it was fried I didn't care. It was just oh so good. The combination of the lemon dill ranch sauce was just amazing! A-MA-ZING!

The next one we tried was their pizza. After all, they boast of being a New York style place and pizza in New York is one of the best things. We had the Salbacho Pizza which is a thin crust pizza with salami, bacon, chorizo, plum tomatoes, basil, and parmesam. I honestly did not have high hopes for this because it was thin crust and I loved my thick crust pizzas. Surprisingly, it was good. I actually found myself nodding my approval and that's pretty rare for me. I think it's the chorizo bits that really did it for me and the sauce that they used. It gave off a barbecue feel to it which I loved.

Finally we had some of the main course and we opted to try their Chinese Chicken BBQ and the Battery Park Pork Chop. I loved the chicken because it was very tasty. The pork chop not so much unless you dip it in the sauce then it becomes great.

Now this is the best part about our dining experience. We were given the chance to have a bite of the upcoming Intense Brownie Burger by Chef Kirk. This is swiss fudge brownies with espresso ice cream in the middle then drizzled with praline cashew and topped with chocolate and tofee sauce placed in a pan of cream cheese sauce. Whew! This was over the top. It is seriously, seriously one of the best desserts that I have tried. The brownies are heavy enough to fill you and the espresso ice cream definitely wakes you up.

Overall I'd give Flatiron 1771 4.5 stars out of 5. Great ambiance, awesome food, and cost that is not over the top. Go ahead and visit them at the ground floor of Uptown Mall BGC.

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Diamond Painting is LOVE

I've been pretty busy lately with work and the few times I have to myself, this has been what's keeping me busy.  Diamond Painting has bitten me and after almost 3 weeks, I finally finished one.

Let me take you through what it is. So this here is the box that it comes with.

There is a pattern inside as well as a green holder to place the beads on.

This here is the pattern. Isn't it gorgeous?

The beads are tagged with numbers and it comes with small ziplock plastic wraps where you can transfer the beads for safekeeping.

You just need to place the beads one by one on the corresponding markers. It's soothing and it's relaxing to the mind.

Look at how pretty the beads are.

Finally, my Diamond Painting is done. I chose this red rose because I always make my first craft project for my Mom. She loved it!

I recommend doing this if you want to relax. I love coloring but sometimes, thinking of what color to use stresses me.


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the night I met Ian Veneracion

Ian Veneracion has been my crush since I was 7 years old. Yes, 7 years old. He has been my crush for 28 years and I have never seen him in person. I've been covering media events but I have never seen him ever.

He recently made a comeback on a soap opera but since I don't cover showbiz, I still didn't get a chance to see him. When I found out that he was one of the guest of honor in an art exhibit, I made a way to be invited to it just to accomplish my childhood dream of seeing him.

IT WORKED.

When Ian Veneracion first came in through the door, I am embarrassed to admit that I actually gave a small shriek. Come on people. He was my crush since I was 7. I waited 28 years to finally see him in the flesh and there he was, still oh so handsome.

When he was able to settle in, I swooped in. I asked for 3 photos. Afterwards, I asked for 3 more photos. Then I had to take a selfie and by this time, he was of course wigged out so I had to explain to him that he was my childhood crush.

Finally, after 2 hours of staring at him from a distance and just absorbing how he looks, I finally had the guts to ask Ian Veneracion something that I have been wanting to do ever since I realized the value of a hug. I asked him if he could hug me. Yes, I asked if he could hug me and HE SMILED AT ME AND SAID "OF COURSE!"

HE HUGGED ME! MY CRUSH HUGGED ME.

EEEEEeeekkkkkkkk!!!!! ACCCKKKKKK!!!!! OMIGOD OMIGOD OMIGOD!

He hugged me 2x and for more than 30 seconds. IT WAS AWESOME! I AM IN CLOUD 9! ACCCCKKKKK!!!!

Happy night. I finally met him, got to talk to him, had my photo with him, and best of all, hug him. Oh happy day!

Angry Birds and B

Today was B's day. This is what I told him and I'm just really so happy that I was able to keep my word. Also, we didn't have an argument at all today. This is great news. I'm not one of those perfect Mom's and so my patience is not too long but today, today B and I got along the whole day.

PROGRESS!

We had lunch at Yabu because he wanted tempura and since we were at Powerplant Mall, Yabu was the best place for us to meet his Tempura desires. He had the Black Tiger Prawn and because I thought he was really hungry, I got him an entire set all to himself.

I also ordered my own set and beause I never learn, B ate 2 pieces and then smiled at me like an angel while telling me that I can have the other 2 pieces all to myself. This was his way of telling me that he can't finish the set. Thankfully, I love tiger prawns and so I ended up taking it home and having it as dinner.

Afterwards, we watched Angry Birds the movie and surprisingly, I actually enjoyed the movie. It was funny, sensible, and it made me understand why the birds were being hurled at the pigs in the game. You see, I've always wondered why people kept hurling the birds, why they were angry, and why the pigs deserved to be hit over and over again.

We had to take a photo with Red because how often do you see Red in person? I think I enjoyed this moment more than B did.

Afterwards, we went to Fully Booked where B ended up buying a sticker book, a Geronimo Stilton book, and KZone magazine. I ended up buying one magazine. This really was his day haha. We took the P2P Bus from Greenbelt to Alabang so our commute took only 30minutes. This was really one of the best parts because we didn't have to spend so much to be able to sit comfortably and travel in the fastest way possible.

When we finally got back to Alabang, I had one last suprise for him. I knew that he has never tried Rita's and so I brought him over and he had the biggest smile on his face. He ordered his favorite strawberry and cherry toppings. I also got him the Chocolate covered Strawberry Milkshake. The smile on his face made everything worth it.

Today, it was all about my son and I am hoping that I get to do this at least 2x a month moving forward. It felt good to not work for a day and just spend time with this little guy.

The Northern Taste Coffee Co.

Everyone who knows me knows that I am addicted to coffee. In fact it is the one thing that I use to survive my crazy schedule that changes almost daily because of freelance and PR work. I used to drink 8 cups a day but I needed to cut down on it due to severe acid reflux.

Cut down, not stop.

Now I am no snob when it comes to coffee. As much as I love products like Starbucks, I also fully support our very own homegrown coffee, especially the ones from Benguet and Sagada. After all, we Filipinos do love our coffee as well and the most expensive one actually comes from our land.

I had the chance to try 3 coffee beans from Benguet namely Sagada Medium, Anne Bean Ground, and Arabica Medium Roast. What I liked about all 3 is the moment I smelled them, I felt joy and contentment. The smell of the coffee beans were smooth and strong but not overly strong.

I tried all 3 black and then all 3 iced and among the 3, I loved Sagada Medium the most. The aroma was very smooth; something that I could smell until it was not hot enough to scald me. The Sagada Medium was also mild in taste. I rarely drink my coffee black but with this one, I had no problems because it wasn't too acidic or strong. Made from pure 100% highland Arabica beans grown from the highlands of Cordillera Regions, Sagada Medium is medially roasted to retain somehow the acidity in the beverage. 

The Arabica was my 2nd favorite of the 3. I prefer this one Iced and with a lot of milk. It's absolutely perfect because the coffee is stronger so even when doused with a lot of milk, it holds its own. Superior grade mountain coffee, medially roasted created with 100% Arabica coffee beans of the North Luzon Philippines and carefully roasted to ensure an excellent body with low acidity, providing a full flavored, yet smooth finish.

The Anne Bean Ground was my least favorite but it does not mean that it is not good. For people who can't really hold their coffee, this one is the best. It is the smoothest and the mildest. I'd recommend this for people who like coffee but can't take it occasionally. Again, this is just my opinion and since I am addicted to coffee, my taste may be more strong than that of others. This is a special combination of Robusta and Arabica. Normally, Robusta would have a burnt taste but the combination of the two changed the dynamic. The Northern Taste's very own 50% Arabica Med and 50% Robusta blend, combination of sweet and strong flavor of the mixed beans.

The Northern Taste Coffee Company is the number one retailer of these coffee beans in Benguet. What I liked most about them is after ordering, they deliver freshly roasted coffee the very next day. For someone who depends on coffee to work and stay focus, this is very important.

Why buy from The Northern Taste Coffee Co.?
1. We pick-and-roast-to-order!
2. Freshly packed & vacuum sealed!
3. We help and support Filipino coffee farmers!
4. We deliver next day!
5. No Minimum order, no delivery charge!

For those interested in ordering, you can do so here.

7 Things I Learned from Halalan 2016

For my international readers, halalan means election.

Facebook has said it. We were the most active and socially involved country in terms of our election. We were too involved if I may say so. Everyone became a political analyst and campaign manager overnight for different candidates.

It seems like a good thing no? Unfortunately, it wasn't for a lot.

People started bashing other candidates and while this is a little normal, it went to the point that family and friends were fighting each other and even unfollowing and unfriending one another which is tantamount to a severance of the actual relationship in real life. This was heartbreaking because it was so unnecessary. People broke off relationships because of a difference in opinion and points of view.

Different strokes for different folks remember? 

To say that people went ballistic would be an understatement. Luckily, my friends and I never had this happen to us and I think it's because we all respected one another. My takeaway from this whole circus are the following:

1. If your friend unfriended you, perhaps you weren't really the friends you thought you were. It hurts but at least you now know that a simple difference in opinion was enough for you guys to be F.O. (friendship over.)

2. Take note of those who went crazy with their support for their candidates. Take note of those who bashed others just to make a point. Take note of those who called you names and what not. When the zombie apocalypse happens in our lifetime, STAY AWAY from these people. If they can seek blood when they really have nothing to gain, what more can they do when it's their survival at stake. They will not help you. They will kill you to give themselves a better chance to survive. RUN AWAY from them. Seriously.

3. We are ready for change. We are clamoring for it. At the end of the day, Duterte gave us hope for a brighter Philippines. This is what essentially won him the race.

4. When I met Duterte in person, I realized ... he's not that tall. He really is the typical Pinoy.

5. Our local media are biased. A lot of them are no longer professional and they do not respect their jobs. They just see it as a job and not an honor. I say this after several encounters where I saw firsthand and heard known journalists make snide remarks and comments as well as have a ready made article even before a press con started. It was very appalling.

6. We still have a lot of uneducated voters which is very sad. They voted famous personalities without checking if these personalities deserved to be voted. I wish that this would be addressed in the future. No more empty promises please.

7. People will always reveal their true colors when you give them a mask. In this case, the mask was the social media platforms people engaged on. A lot of them waged war, called names, threatened even and these are all disgusting things. Now that the storm is over, they are back to wearing their "decent" mask. However, for me, I now have a clearer view of people and their bias. I hope everyone else has them too. No amount of "We all went crazy with the election but now let us put to rest blah blah blah blah blah." If you called me a retard or an insipid fool for having a different candidate that I supported, you don't have a space in my world. No to negativity.

Respect begets respect. 

We may not all like the same thing or support the same persons but we all need to respect one another. The only ones who do not deserve respect are drug lords, drug addicts, rapists, pedophiles, human traffickers and trolls.

Heaven and Eggs

* This post is made by my little sister, K.

Who doesn’t love an all day breakfast restaurant? I know I do. I was thrilled when I found out that I’ll be able to eat at Heaven and Eggs at Glorietta. I’ve heard good and bad things about the place and have always wanted to eat there. We went there around 6pm and there were a few people around, we took photos of the place and then they served us our food.

The first thing they served was the Soup of the Day, salad and pancakes. The soup tasted amazing and everyone commented that it would be perfect when you’re feeling sick. The pancakes were delicious and very fluffy, it tasted even better when there was ice cream and maple syrup. Then they served the Fried Chicken Fillet, Grilled Scampi and Buffalo wings. The Fried Chicken Fillet was crispy yet soft, it went well with the mash potato. The Grilled Scampi was delicious, it wasn’t fishy and there was a side dish of corn and carrots. The Buffalo wings wasn’t that spicy, it was really scrumptious and the meat was soft.

Then came my favorite part of every meal, dessert time! We were served Fruity Tootie Waffles, Chocolate Chip Waffles and Tres Leches Cake. All of them tasted heavenly and if I were to rank them my first would be Chocolate Chip Waffles, then Tres Leches Cake and Fruity Tootie Waffles. They are all really yummy and I would definitely come back for them. All of their food, especially the desserts are worth trying.

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