heads up!

photo care of wikipedia

photo care of www.raftingcdo.com

CDO - Camiguin....here we come :)

Gumbolicious

My uncle and cousin has been enthusiastically sharing about this place and their food since Christmas to me. "It's a great restaurant for a date!" Though unfortunately, Lis has second thoughts since it looked expensive.. ala TGIF..somehow, I got her to agree to spend Valentines here..since we like trying restaurants all the time. Oh and that we had several "free/discount" coupons that time :D

We had reservations ( as always just to make sure.. :) ) 8pm for Feb 16 (yep, we didn't join the fuss of feb14, the traffic and crowd) at The Block. We had to pick up Val's dress for her prom first tho.. Unfortunately at Trinoma.. hehehe.. We were a bit late but thanks to great service, we got settled at once anyway :)

Did I mention good service? Yes, it really was. Well, not as good as with 5-star hotels, but here in Manila, you would know the difference. The place had an ambiance perfect for barkadas and family gatherings. You'd feel the warmth of the place the moment you entered the doors :)

We ordered their best seller - Seafood Jambalaya. It's seafood paella with a twist.. :) perhaps because of the "Southern United States feel" (aka Texas, Alabama, Mississippi area). I like our home made paellas, Dulcinea's paella, but promise, you would make second thoughts ordering this dish.

The im-famous fish and chips. American restos will never be complete with out this dish :) but what makes Gumbo different from others? To be honest, i've only tasted two kinds of fish and chips :) one from TGIF, and this one. Gumbo's dip is exquisite. It kinda has the strong taste of garlic with the subtle aroma and flavor of lemon. What more could you ask for? The fish is cooked well too.. though it was a bit salty..
For some reason, I couldn't really remember why we had the All-Meat Extravaganza Pizza...All i could remember was the greatness of the dish... The spices were overwhelming. With all the food I've eaten already, I still manage to swallow 4 slices... I literally couldn't help get another slice after a slice... Still, nothing beats Brooklyn White Cheese Pizza :D or Amici's Al Quattro Formagi (four cheese) :D

Guess how much our total bill was (with two drinks)? 800. But of course, we had the fish and chips for free...hehe.. but, say that we had to pay for it also, it would be still worth it. :) This is our kind of restaurant :) A+ comfort food :)

Share the Love!

We went to the Fort last Friday and dropped by Krispy Kreme since I've been wanting to try out their heart-shaped donuts. Lucky for us they were also giving out their world famous original glazed donuts=) We also got to watch a "dip-the-donut-yourself" session where kids get to dip and design their own donuts for free. Speaking of designing your own donuts, Krispy Kreme is going to have a Valentine's event this February 13-17, 2008. Drop by any Krispy Kreme outlet and share the love...and the donut! hehe

Advanced Happy Hearts Day!!!<3

Tagaytay Getaway 2008

At last today has come! It took forever for weekend to arrive... what can i say, excited e...I was very hungry already all throughout the trip to tagaytay..traffic pa sa SLEX :P i was reserving my appetite for Bag of Beans. For some reason, the drive was a bit longer today as compared to before..maybe its because of my hunger :P tsaka delicate na yung car so careful driving na :) It was a foggy Saturday morning at the mountain :) The road was a bit hazzy and blurry.. And the breeze was very cold..yes!

1. Bag of Beans

We arrive around 900pm.. around 1hour late from planned haha :) we still have to go to Bag of Beans. Its just right after the Mendez intersection, probably around 10 minute drive :) There were still very few people here, buti na lang coz im starving :) The dining area is down stairs, in a garden type setting :) It is a great site. You can already feel energized with all the fresh air :) Lis and I chose the Bacon and Eggs breakfast (Php250) with a White Bread Basket (Php125). Lis had hot chocolate (Php85) while I tried the Brew coffee arabica (Php85) :) Bring an umbrella along, you'll never know when you need it...then again, whats a few drops of cool clear rain water? after all we all don't get to come here often..

2. Cliffhouse Tagaytay

I have to admit, I really don't know if I would be dissappointed or not... The entire place is covered in fog :) well for one, our short stay here was relaxing. But you couldn't get a good glimpse of the scenery that the place promised. Hay..bad timing.. owell.. Nonetheless, we'll still definitely head back to this place, probably March when we come back with Lis' sister :) There are a lot of good comments we've read about the food here. We just had a look around since we're here already, and the fact that parking is a whooping Php 100 for the first hour and 50 for every succeeding hour. Its even more expensive than any Makati parking. So if you come here to eat. Eat fast!! Just kidding. Probably we'd get to write more about this place next time..hehe :)

3. Manos Greek Taverna

Aaron is an avid fan of Mediterranean cuisine so he was so eager to try Manos Greek Taverna which is also along the main highway of Tagaytay. The serve authentic Greek food and offers an ambiance of how you would imagine a Greek restaurant would be....roughly finished but "home-y" with blue, yellow and white painted walls. Atleast that was the idea we got from "Sisterhood of Travelling Pants"...remember Lena when she went to her grandparents in Greece. We had:

Lamb Gyros - Souvlaki Shawarma (Php90);

Greek Salad - Elliniki Salata (Php160);

Baked Summer Vegetables - Briami (Php130)

4. Tagaytay Zoo

Next agenda: get our picture with a tiger cub:) Atleast that's what we expected! Residence Inn is a mountain resort and mini-zoo which is also the "Halfway Zoo" to Paradizoo Theme-Farm. The entrance fee is one payment for both which is Php200. The mini-zoo have a huge variety of exotic animals with some you can interact with. Its a great educational experience for kids and animal lovers. Their tigers, specially, are all beauties! They were huge and obviously well taken care of (unlike what we have here in Manila Zoo=P). You'll also see ducks, chickens and peacocks running around the vicinity allowing tourists to touch them and take pictures with them. Oh yeah! Don't go too near the orangutan...it spits!=P The time came for our one-on-one pic with the tiger...and its also the time when we've realized that it wasn't a cub! It was 1 year old Mia:P That's right the name of tiger is Mia, together with her brother Mio...are both trained tigers trained for picture takings like what we've experienced. There will be a zoo keeper there to assist.. he'll tell you what to do and what the tiger is trained to do :) Php50 if you use your own camera and Php149 if their camera (print out). We don't want to spoil any of the details.. it definitely was a tiger experience :) Don't worry, they won't bite, other wise we wouldn't be typing this entry hehe :P
Paradizoo is a different experience since you don't usually get to experience farm life in the city. They have a flower farm, vegetable farm, honey bee farm, butterfly garden, perpetual pet park, etc. Its also a great exercise since you'll get to walk around the whole lot:P

5. Caleruega Church Sunset

The last time we went here was sad.. we didn't know that it closes at 530pm.. I read a lot of good things about this place so we wanted to check it out. This time around, we were determined to reach the place. My God this place truly is heavenly. "Closer to nature, closer to God". The scenery was absolutely stunning. We got to see the sunset... Of course, it was planned.

There were two paths to follow, one to the hall and a road leading somewhere else.

We entered the hall around 430pm. We looked quite funny there coz we really didn't know where to go exactly... We had a few pictures here and there, not knowing of the beauty this place really holds at her door steps. We reached their roof top, nothing much. went here and there watching the scenery and feeling the air rush to our faces. There were a lot of "romantic spots" for lovers. hehe i convinced liska to atleast sit with me at one of them.. Caleruaga was full of cottages, I didn't know... Apparently maybe for the wedding guests :) Oh, there were a lot of "hanging bridge" signs all over the place, but we couldn't find one... :( there is a bridge though, with vines on top that u need to use to get to the roof top. Maybe that's the one. :)

When it was time to settle for a nice spot for the sunset, we decided to head down to the road. Not really knowing where it leads, we sat at a small hut with its chairs as swing, dunno what this is called tho. The road is a 'road' for the stations of the cross. you'll find carvings of the depictions per station. Lis asked if we could go down further the road, which we did. We noticed some cars parked, which was odd. But we decided to head to their direction nonetheless.

Whew! It was a long walk, and this has been a long type :P

There was a 'hidden' park apparently down the road. Lis has more pictures that wasn't included in the collage. you'd really feel like you're on a hidden moutain oasis, natural but clean and well maintained. From here there are two places you could go to, to the right was a camping site. There were several campers there, so i guess the cars parked were theirs. To the left was a 'hanging bridge'!!! so there it is!! the last time i got to cross one of these was during a camping trip in Makiling way back in high school. Yes! after the bridge was an open field, with picnic tables around, plus a small 'hill'.. not sure :P but definitely u have to walk up. :P Of course we went up. I wouldn't miss it for anything :P it wasn't the highest peek in Caleruega, but it has the most open view! you'll get to see clearly the fields below... the small hills... several mountains... the clear sky... and you guessed it, we were just in time for sunset! :D

Caleruega is definitely a must go place :) its known to be booked for weddings a year in advance :P well.. who knows :P we might be back here again someday :)

Just a note though, be careful when driving, it might be foggy... when we were going down, the fog was already thick enough to block your view of the road :P It was fun.. but be careful. :)

Bag of Beans
is along main highway in Tagaytay near Mendez Intersection.

Manos Greek Taverna
is shortly after the Tagaytay rotonda if you are coming from The Cliffhouse or Bag of Beans.

Residence Inn
is located after the Tagaytay Radars after Bag of Beans, maybe around 20 minutes of drive.
Residence Inn Resorts

And right before the Radars is a street to the right, straight ahead, turn right till u hit a dead end and you find the Paradizoo Theme-Farm.Paradizoo
Here is a map to the zoos.

>Üü<

http://www.azuzephre.net/site/gallery/5/

>Üü< "emoticon" for hug. I am the bigger smiley while Lis is the more cute smiley.. :) We use it all the time. Thru text, email, YM's, notes, letters or in any writing. But nothing beats a real hug.

Its a source of love, strength, happiness, joy, pride, dignity, inspiration or warmth. It means goodbye, saying i miss u, or wishing a happy trip, or congratulations after a job well done, a good luck, a sorry, or a forgiveness. It is a sign of gratitude, or a sign of peace, a sign of friendship, or a sign of closeness.

Its a simple act, requires no effort, burns no calories and yet sometimes one of the most difficult thing to do. But is perhaps Give you love one a hug :)

But for today, for me it means being thankful. Its a sign of deep gratitude for the love I am receiving, for the countless times that Lis has been there, being patient, loving and caring, thanks :) Huggy Lis :)

lis and aaron

Liska and I are going to be 2 years old together this Friday.. It has been two years already! I must say that it has been the greatest. It gives you that feeling and yearning to eagerly look forward for the years more to come. What started out as a simple acquaintance, to org members, to classmates, to friends, to close friends, are now sweethearts. I can even still remember the first gift she gave me back when we were friends in college. (I still have it by my bed side upto now :) )
God really works in mysterious but wonderful ways. I remember one time during the days before we became close. I came across a saying that goes something like: "the person right for you is closer than you think, and might even be right under your nose". I remembered the feeling back then. It was nice, but I really didn't bother about it much. Everything just went in place. If you look at it, its nothing much, that it could have been better, sweeter, more romantic and all.. But for me, for me, there's nothing more wonderful than Lis and how we 'started out':)
But like any relationships, it has its ups and downs also. Who hasn't right? as the saying goes, everybody has problems once in a while, but you can't sacrifice the good times that you've shared over the tiny challenges you've met along the way. :)

We're going to Tagaytay this weekend :D We wanted to visit Red Ginger again but we thought it would be best to try something else :) Here's our agenda for the day:P

8:00am - Breakfast at Bag of Beans (Lis has always wanted to try this out)
9:30am - Cliffhouse (They say that the scenery is great)
12noon - Manos Greek Tavern (One of my favorites, Mediterranean Cuisine)
2:00pm - Tagaytay Zoo (Tigers!)
4:30pm - Calaruega Church Sunset :) (we like visiting churches :D )

Excited nko! hehe :)

This year's an exciting year for us, here are some of our plans:

1. Head back to La Luz (With Lis' office mates)
2. Palawan (sino gusto sumama?)
3. Bohol (With Lis' office mates uli )
4. Singapore (Hopefully with college friends)

~.PaSs the ChEeR.~

"Pass the Cheer" is Starbucks' theme for this holiday. And in order to "pass their cheer" to other people, Starbucks came up with a gimmick that you'd really never expect.

Aaron and I came from Philam to pick up some stuff for Chi Fusion. As we were heading back to Smart, we saw a white SUV (crosswind) passing by and noticed that there was a venti Starbucks on its roof as if somebody forgot about their drink or intentionally left it their after they were finished with it. As the SUV passed by, the driver's window was rolled down so Aaron told the driver that there there was a Starbucks cup on its roof. Surprisingly, someone from the back seat handed us two Pass the Cheers coupon (as shown below) that started with : "You just did something really nice today..". Each coupon is good for one short Christmas drink. Yey! hehe

Nice gimmick if you ask us. It makes you remember how simple things can make other people happy. And that you don't need expensive gifts to pass the cheer this holidays.

You may also check Starbucks's Pass The Cheer campaign thru www.itsredagain.com =) Happy Holidays!