Airbnb stay: The Infinity at BGC

My parents had an event at BGC last week and it was scheduled right smack in the middle of rush hour. Since we're coming as a family, I figured it's a chance to book for a short staycation. Good call too 'cos I drove us that day and it frkn took us 3 hours to reach BGC huhu. Imagine if we didn't book, I'd be stressing along the way and all our makeup would've melted and our getups super gusot gusot na.

Congratulations to my mom and dad for getting their service awards that night! They've been with Philamlife for 25 and 30 years respectively, wow. I didn't even realize they've been in the financial business for so long. :D

Anyway, I already have a BGC/Taguig Wishlist at Airbnb but I had to find a place which has free parking and is close to Ascott Hotel where the event is going to be.

My requirements: Cheap, has free parking, close to Ascott, nice interiors, and a lap pool.

And so I'm happy we found Miguel's place at The Infinity. The unit we rented sits on the 44th floor, has 2 bedrooms, and is fully equipped, as in it's livable long-term. And we only got it for ₱2,750 for that day. Subtracting the discount I got for registering with Nuffnang and thank you Lord for the savings!

The best part of our stay is really the view from the master's bedroom because it has panoramic windows huhu I love iiiit. When I saw the photos on Airbnb, I had high expectations with the view. Thankfully I was not disappointed.

It overlooks a large green patch of land that is actually a cemetery. Since we figured that's as much greenery as you can get in BGC, we just shrugged it off, either way it provides a really great view. During the night it looks like a black hole sucking in all the lights from the city lelz.

Parking was a bitch at first 'cos the guards weren't clear with their parking instructions. Do we park first of sign up at reception? It's our first time there, and we didn't know their parking rules. In the end they gave us specific slots to choose from 'cos we couldn't navigate ourselves in the lot. We even had a hard time looking for our slot cos we didn't know where to look. There were labels on the floor and on the walls. It was so confusing. When we finally found where to park, we realized it would be super hassle cos the slots are in front of each other, as in if we go in, we have to call the car owner behind us to move out saglit. Kainis diba. So I did this stupid thing of parking between the two slots para wala na maka-park sa likod. Haha. Well, the guard called us out for it and I had to adjust the car. Bummer. Buti na lang walang ibang nagpark sa likod namin. :P

So yeah, back to the unit.

Interiors? I'm not really a fan of their interiors but it does look clean and the linens are all fresh and comfy. At least there were no unsightly furniture. And in fairness to most of their wood furnishings, they're all quality timber.

Kitchen? Fully stocked and loaded with everything you need to prepare a meal except for a rice cooker haha. They have an electric stove with oven, refrigerator, hot and cold water dispenser, pots and pans, tons of glasses and mugs, plates, cutlery, and even a strainer! I mean we were planning to cook pasta so it was a pleasant surprise to see a big strainer haha.

Living? Cabled TV, Wifi, phone - check check check. In the future I want to make sure the TV is either Samsung or Sony (arte!) so that I wouldn't have to bring my laptop and HDMI cable. You know how some TVs don't play mkv or mp4 or doesn't read subtitles? Yeah.

There's also a separate phone for when you want to call the guard or something. Sosyal no, very hotel like.

Amenities? There's a gym and lap pool so I was happy but I wasn't able to try it cos my monthly visitor came huhu.

Bedrooms? I told you, the master's view is to die for. The smaller room is okay too. Each of them has their own aircon. The common areas has a split type aircon. I just realized how gastos it seems to maintain this kind of life. Daming aircon lol.

Bonus! Laundry room -- which could pass as a third bedroom or maid's quarter 'cos it has its own bathroom. But still, I was amazed at this room. All the cleaning stuff are there: mops and brooms, washer and dryer atop each other, ironing board and a portable sampayan, etc.

Looking at fully furnished condos like this is really a treat for me 'cos I'm already dreaming of my own home too in the future. <3

Yam lol

Thanks for warm welcome!

Isn't it nice to condo hop. haha I've been wondering for a long time why travelling doesn't appeal much to me, then I realized I'm more of a city hopper than a nature tripper.

Related: Our first Airbnb experience: Citiland Tagaytay Prime Residences

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If you're new to Airbnb, sign up using the link below to get free travel credits from me. Sign up here www.airbnb.com/c/ybirog and get ₱850 off when you take your first trip worth ₱3,500 or more! :)

Froyo Wars: BLK 513 vs Llaollao

Froyos are back! And so is the food category of this blog lol. You might have heard of both BLK 513 and Llaollao (on Instagram, I bet) because right now they're taking the dessert world by storm because of their interesting menu and really, who doesn't miss froyos?!

K. Let's start comparing the two haha

BLK 513

Famed for its color which is due to activated charcoal, BLK 513 definitely piqued my curiosity. So this weekend, I was welcomed to the dark side.

The place: I don't know about the Megamall branch but the SM North EDSA branch was small and mejo crowded, and guess what, with millennials snapping here and there (guilty as charged though I'm more of a tita)! I wouldn't blame them. The Dark Skim Cup looks good on photo, especially if you picked the right colors for your toppings and fruits and snap immediately before it melts haha. The place also offers a very nice background for your photos. Too bad there's not much seating available.

The menu: Very limited. They only serve Dark Skim Cup (1 crunch, 2 fruits, 1 sauce), Dark Skim Cone (2 toppings). and Matcha/Cacao Skim drinks. At SM North EDSA though they sell Super Skim Cup, which is pretty much just a Dark Skim Cup swirled in a razzle machine (think McFlurry).

I asked if they sell plain black yogurt and sadly they don't, you have to pay what's on the menu and opt out of toppings if you really want plain. Too bad.

The price: Just about right for a fad food trying to make its way into millennials' pockets. Prepare ₱185 per cup. Even the cone will set you aback ₱170. Okay lang haha.

The taste: Is great! I love what I had so far but it came off too sweet and too much for my own liking, or for my own standard of Greek yogurt. They did claim it was Greek so I was expecting a creamier and tangier yogurt (like White Hat's), but it was mostly like a plain tart yogurt, just dark. You can't really taste activated charcoal so there's no other flavor to expect.

They have a wide selection of toppings: caramelized cookies (which I'm guessing is crushed Lotus Biscoff but they wouldn't disclose haha), crushed oreos, crushed choco chip cookies, white chocolate, granola, brownies, some kind of a trail mix, etc.

Fruits: Strawberry, kiwi, mango, lychee, melon, grapes, peaches, etc.

Sauces: There's ube, chocolate, hazelnut, matcha, espresso, milk, etc.

Is it really healthy? So far I haven't seen any effects of this so called activated charcoal they added on the yogurt. It's supposed to help absorb harmful chemicals in the body, then what? Are we gonna poop it out? In my experience of taking activated charcoal capsules when I was a kid, it was always followed by a serious case in the bathroom. That hasn't happened so far. Hmm.

Accessibility: BLK 513 has branches in SM Megamall, SM North EDSA (yey), and SM MoA.

Next up,

Llaollao

I first saw it on Instagram and a couple of weeks ago chanced upon it when I went to Glorietta.

The Place: Is bigger and there's adequate seating outside. Just like BLK 513, it's pretty crowded (but with families and kids this time), and there was a long line when we got there.

The Menu: Similar to BLK 513, they also have the crunch + fruits + sauce combo and many other combinations. They also have smoothies with frozen yogurt. They have a lot on their menu but since I'm just mildly curious, I only got the small cup (1 topping). Next time though, I will get that Sanum cup for sure!

The Price: I guess it's fair enough. Range is from ₱39 to ₱199. Not bad. :)

The Taste: Is awesome! This is my kind of yogurt, very tangy. You'll appreciate all the crunches and fruits you put in because it complements the tanginess of the yogurt.

Just like BLK 513, they have a wide selection of fruits and toppings. Just look at these,

Lotus Biscoff cookies, Crunch, Oreos, and Smarties to name a few 

Kiwi, banana, watermelon, melon, mangoes, pineapples, grapes, etc.

And the sauces: passion fruit, raffallao (curious!), white and dark chocolate sauce, and even Lotus Biscoff too! I personally prefer the choices at BLK 'cos they sound familiar and tasty, especially the Matcha Milk and Esspresso latte. :D

Accessibility: Right now they have branches at SM MoA and Glorietta. Hoping for a branch in the North please!

Overall

I like BLK 513's vibe, the store feels up to date, the menu is creative, and it brings something new to the table in terms of how frozen yogurt is prepared. I hope they increase their menu offerings and put up more seating space. Right now I think its target market is the younger crowd, the way the store and the food is designed.

I love how straightforward Llaollao is, it offers the classic froyo with added toppings, and setup a place that is very familiar for a dessert store. BLK looks like a boutique in comparison. The have a lot on their menu too which is a plus, and there are more seating space. It's family friendly. :)

The two pretty much goes head to head, I love them both, so I'm going to pick the one I felt more, uhm, at home with?

So who's the winner?

From the menu, place, price point, and taste, Llaollao wins for me, and that's despite the fact I had BLK twice this week haha ang gastos. If only they would branch out in the north, araw araw na to! Char. What I really liked about Llaollao is the quality of the yogurt, plus it brings me back to the days I got so addicted to froyos I would eat it everyday and would even bring my own toppings (Nips represent!) para tipid. Llallao feels nostalgic.

BLK wins in the innovation and retail store design category though! You can snap a blurred photo of their wall and it will still come out Instagram worthy. And you know, it's a close fight for me. See, I love Llallao but I would eat BLK because it's nearer and they're nearly as good.

How about you, which do you prefer? :D

Condo Hunting: Zinnia Towers North EDSA

I didn't want to share this until I've bought a unit naaaks but I realized that day will never come (read: can't afford) lol so here you go. Zinnia Towers is a condominium project along north EDSA by DMCI. This is by far the best condo development I've seen, maybe because we're at the actual property and not in mall showrooms? Ewan, basta ang ganda. haha

First, amenities. I made this video na super effort cos the original video was so shaky I had to stabilize it using Youtube's video editor and post process it again to keep the intro frames stable kasi.. basta basta. Enjoy!

We came here maybe a month ago because... bakit nga ba. I like looking at properties haha.

What I love:

Location: It's along EDSA but it's far from the actual highway cos there's a long driveway to the property. It's near wet markets (Munoz and Balintawak), a supermarket (Walter), and malls (SM North EDSA and Trinoma). That means food. I can totally live here.

Units and pricing: They have larger cuts at a more competitive price point. Well, that's compared to the current one we're paying. The pre-selling rate of a 40sqm 1-BR unit at Zinnia is equivalent to a pre-selling 24sqm studio at Avida. Juskolord the difference. And I thought we got the best deal already. Property noobs.

Amenities: They have a fully functioning pool area which is so beautiful. Lap pool check! A gym is also close to being finished. That's all they have for now but as the second tower is finished, the land in front of it will also be turned to a recreation area. According to the agent, it depends on what the homeowners decide on. I hope it's a badminton court!

They have a lot of open space for lounging and the entire place is very well ventilated. You'll be blown away everywhere you go. Sobrang hangin. Beats me how they made it so airy.

Pathways are also present across the entire amenities area for those who want to take a jog/walk.

But what really won me is the building layout: it's open. You walk out of your unit and you'll be facing a balcony, not a wall. Every 5th residential unit is home to an atrium where more air can seep through and ventilate the entire building. I think it's genius, they don't have to spend on cooling the hallways.

The roofdeck is also home to more lounging area. It's well designed and entirely usable.

View from the roof deck

Haaaay what an exciting place!

Every model unit I see excites me. I walk in, check the layout and imagine the furniture I'll put inside. I check the provisions, the bare deliverables, the tiles, the outlets, the type of door, the windows, etc. Haaay, ang sarap tumingin ng bahay no? haha

Loooord, when is IKEA Philippines opening? I want my own Scandinavian themed house!

Anyway. In case you want to check it out, just... go. Haha. Here's a map. The first tower has just been turned over this May so only a few units are left. The second tower is scheduled to be ready for occupancy by December next year, but we all know it's gonna be delayed to a million years later. You know developers. (HAHA funny how it also applies to software developers HAHA) Maybe you can still get a couple of good units there.

If I read the forums correctly, before DMCI acquired the property, the site was shaded red on Project Noah's flood monitor during typhoon Ondoy. I hope the property managers have looked into it!

Either way, I'm still sold on this property haha. Are you? :))

Surviving Mondays

Why are Mondays exceptionally hard for me? Two words: night shift. If we both work on the graveyard you'll know how this feels. Right now I'm close to sticking toothpicks in my eyes to hold them open, all while struggling to validate the tons of scripts I have to work on for a test on Wednesday. I really need to get working. I wish I were facing a case of laziness instead but sleepiness and tiredness is something you can't coach your mind into overcoming, not when the body isn't cooperating.

So what gives? I don't know. I'm actually excited for something, though it doesn't reflect on my half lidded soul. I'm excited for the eight episode of Scarlet Heart Ryeo, because there goes my chance to worship the Goryeo princes' perfect jawlines once again. I'm talking about you, Wook and So, and occassionaly Jung. <3

But anyway. I need to redo my body clock. I need to force myself to sleep everyday before the sun rises so I could still fool my body into thinking it's nighttime and go to sleep mode. But can I really do that.

Minnesota Part 2?

My manager has requested to process my US travel documents (ie. visa) last week, so now I'm filling out the application form again. For some reason though, this doesn't excite me. I'm like 90% sure I'm gonna get denied cos I just came back last March and is now up for another three month itinerary, that sure as hell is a red flag to the embassy. I'm starting to hate how the company deals with sending employees overseas. It shouldn't be a problem but they're making it hard for us just so they could save money (who knows, never got any top management insight about this fishy thing). K, let's not poke into details.

Speaking of the US. I think I lied when I said I wasn't excited, I kindof am, just think of Amazon, and IKEA, and Nickolodeon Universe! Gaaahd I suddenly miss Minnesota and its perfect highways. But if I'm only gonna stay for a short while, I don't think it'll be worth it. I won't be able to save anything unless I stay longer lol. But oh well, in God's will. What I'm saying is, I'm mostly negative. Monday na Monday negative? It's called setting expectations (while secretly hoping for the best) lol.

Please pray for me!

Life Lately and bat ang takaw ko nanaman

Get well soon daddy <3

My dad was confined last Friday due to pneumonia so I skipped work and stayed at the hospital to accompany him. Right now he's doing better so yey thank you Lord! I actually like being in the hospital with him because there's aircon, cabled TV, and lots of food options outside hahaha. I've been eating unconsciously this weekend. Oh no.

I was actually teasing my dad cos his condition isn't really that grave. He said the ER doctors interviewed him round after round trying to justify his request for confinement, but eventually admitted him after a doctor's recommendation haha.

I don't know what kind of condition you need to have to be admitted into a room but my dad definitely isn't getting better at home. I blame stress at work cos instead of getting a full rest, he's running out and about on errands and facing the computer more than his pillow. We thought a vacation in the province would help him but everybody's too busy to plan an outing. The most convenient and cheapest option would be to stay at the hospital. It's nowhere near feeling the sea breeze and eating healthy foods but it works just the same.

Tinker Tales

Tinker Tales is an exhibit organized by Ang Ink as part of their 25th year celebration. I thought it was free so I dragged Jeckie with me and went to Makati so see it. Apparently it's not free. It comes with a ₱150 entrance free and honestly, I didn't think it's worth it.

Don't get me wrong, all of the artworks are impressive, I had fun looking at the them, I was inspired. But I still couldn't get over how it's worth 150 haha sorinaman. It was merely a gallery,  I didn't think there was actually a theme behind the illustrations as a whole. It's not a collection. I think they were just compiled and hanged in frames, and to tie it together they asked kids to invent stories out of it, hence the tales. I need more concept, it's in a frkn museum for goodness sake but I didn't learn anything.

I think what fueled my frustration and panghihinayang with the event is the fact that it was so hard for us to go home. It was Saturday and we were coming from the north so we parked the car at Trinoma and rode the P2P bus to Glorietta 5 to save time, money, and fuel. I love the P2P bus, it only costs ₱25 during weekends! Anyway, going there was okay cos when we got to the terminal, the bus just arrived. But on the way home, we had to wait for over an hour for the bus to get to G5. Huhu it was very exhausting. I should've added more things to our Makati agenda para di ako nasayangan ng ganito lol

Backyard Food Park

I'm not a fan of food parks, seating is usually a pain, it's mostly too crowded, it causes traffic, and most stalls are expensive. But yesterday since Terai and I were curious, we ate there for dinner. In fairness, it has a wide range of food choices: there's burgers, pizza, pasta, shakes, mexican, seafood, and booze. Great!

 We decided to eat at the mexican food stall and ordered a burrito. It tasted good but the sauces (sour cream and salsa) are way too salty. Plus it took so long to get to us.

Seating was annoying though, look at these chairs and tables standing on gravel. It's so hard to sit when your chair is digging into a pile of stones. In fair, some of the areas are paved, I only have a problem with these graveled areas lol. It rained hard last night too so we didn't fully enjoy our stay. A lot of groups were smoking and drinking too. Not the type of place I would dine into.

Overall I think it serves the purpose of providing more variety in the area. Ayoko lang talaga ng traffic and mega double parking yung mga cars. And when it rains, ang hassle sobra. Reminds me of LB Square in Los Banos haha.

Not coming back though unless I'm craving for burrito. :P 

Llao Llao

It's been a while since I had frozen yogurt, I think it's because most of them are gone now. Tutti Frutti, Frutti Froyo, White Hat -- I can't seem to find them anymore. Which is why I was excited to find Llao Llao at Glorietta. It was packed with people so I just had to try it.

It was very damn worth it. It's pretty pricey so I just got the smallest cup with crushed Lotus Biscoff as toppings. It was heavennnn! I missed froyos! Wish there was a nearer branch. :(

I have a feeling froyos are getting a comeback and they're gunning for the fad food route, covered in scientific achuchuchu with cups that are actually racked up in unhealthy calories. Skip the toppings, is all.

Life lately and my KDrama obsession

If you haven't watched any of these feel free to skip, if you intend to watch sorry but there will be spoilers. I'm pretty much just gonna pour out all the feels I have with these amazing dramas. <3

W Two Worlds

Source: doramax264.com

It's almost finished now! For the most part I enjoyed it, especially the first half before Kang Chul woke up from his dream. But after that I'm having a hard time piecing the romance between the two. 

Unpopular Opinion #1: It seems like Kang Chul is desperately trying to make it up to Yeon Joo just because he confirmed that he was her lost husband. Whatever happened to his own feelings? Was he even remotely interested with her when they first met after he woke up? It feels like Kang Chul was never really attracted to her after the dream but convinced himself there has to be something about her after reading that his webtoon self was so fond of her. If anything, he was just curious so he decides to court her to see for himself. Nothing wrong with that right? It just didn't feel so genuine. I wasn't kilig. Bleh.

Unpopular Opinion #2: Han Hyo Joo's (Oh Yeon Joo) acting is weak. Sorry, but let me google her facial expressions to drive a point,

It's the same frkn expression all the time. If not neutral, her face just looks surprised and befuddled every time I see her, and don't even get me started with "shouldn't you feel the same if you're on her shoes?", YEAH but not always. The drama presents confusion, anger, happiness, and fear in so many levels and so far she has only succeeded in looking confused.

Unpopular Opinion #3: The plot is unique and different and drives us crazy sometimes but at some point it became too unpredictably boring. I can't explain, but let me say that just because the story is unpredictable doesn't mean that it has a lot of twists. There is no twist in this story, just pure unpredictable resolutions that doesn't really add to the wow factor of the plot. I felt like there were a lot of variables being added to the story just so Kang Chul could properly close the conflict between the two worlds without being cast out as a main character, because then he would cease to exist. 

I probably just don't understand the whole concept they're trying to pull. What I did like though is the idea that the W webtoon is merely a bridge between two worlds, in which the artist is able to control a character by drawing it out, explains why there was so much resistance in Kang Chul's part when he was being killed out of his own series. But that's just stupid... I still have so many questions lol. 

Anyway.

Love in the Moonlight

Source: i.ytimg.com/vi/7xFAVcexVsQ/maxresdefault.jpg

The main characters are sooo friggin adorable and perfect for each other. This reminds me so much of Sungkyunkwan Scandal but LITM is tons cuter because the two main characters look super good together, and it's so nice to see Kim Yoo-Jung grow up to be such a pretty girrrrll. Last time I saw her was at Moon Embracing the Sun. She hasn't changed! :)

I don't know how possible it is to fake your way into the palace when it comes to your gender unless you're a super buff girl with abnormally high testosterone but it's funny having to think these men were fooled into thinking such a cutie patootie lad like Hong Sam Nom is actually a guy. Well, dramas. 

This series got me soooo frustrated every time there's a potential kissing scene that doesn't unfold because duh the crown prince has not come to terms with his apparent gayness yet. We'll see in the future episodes though. Is it that easy to develop an unusually soft spot for a friend just because he looks like a member of the opposite sex? 

Now the conflict will always be the same. If you were the crown prince and you find yourself falling in love with your personal eunuch, questioning your sexual preference along the way, getting stressed out because maybe gays are taboo in ancient Korea and you might just be facing a potential dethronement... then you learn that the object of your love, confusion, and stressed innards is actually a legit woman... would you be angry first or relieved? 

KDramas have always played around with the same plots ever since but somehow they manage to pull it off. Never mind that the story is unoriginal, putting new characters on the table is enough to bring it a new light. At least we get a new chemistry to observe.

Cinderella and the Four Knights

Perfect example of recycled plots. Sorry, not entirely hehe but it is similar in a lot of ways to Boys Over Flowers. Or maybe that's because Ahn Jae Hyun acts like Lee Min Ho, which I could only account to the fact that Jae Hyun is married to Ku Hye-Sun who played Guem Jan Di in BOF, so naturally he would seek for advice on how to play the role. IDEK if that follows.

Anyway. I started off rooting for the second male MC which is Hyun Min (Ahn Jae Hyun), but right now i'm jumping ship to the first male MC because his character is starting to be nicer haha. That's all. It's a pretty light watch with a very very annoying second female character who (aside from having a poor actress in its cast), OF COURSE, is obsessed with love triangles, placing herself wherever there's a guy and a girl and no other girl in between. Sobrang landi diba. Grr.

Eun Ha Won (Park So Dam) just grows on you. I'm starting to like her character better! :D

I must admit I was dead hooked on this series when it started but right now, it's kind of dawning on me how immature and silly their characters are, and that there's not really much to expect from the story. That or I'm just too immersed with period dramas that I can't take a breather with shallow story lines right now.

Okay, last but not least to complete my life lately...

Moon Lovers; Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Source: seoulrhythms.com

There's just so much eye candy in this drama, nevermind if I don't approve of IU's acting. She can be cute sometimes. I've made several screenshots of the 4th and 8th princes faces and is close to building a shrine dedicated to worshiping their uhm faces. Their acting is so real, specially Kang Haneul (Wang Wook): his expressions, his eyes, even his jawline lol it's killing me. Which is why I'm torn between shipping Hae Soo with the 8th prince or the 4th prince. There's just so much emotion in Wang Wook I can literally feel his struggle fighting his feelings for Hae Soo.

This series is just oozing with sex appeal. Who cares if the guys are basically covered in layers of traditional clothing and sport long hair and skirts all the time, whenever they draw their swords I swoon and suddenly become ready to face death. Kidding.

Grabe lang how my insides are squealing whenever there's a romantic scene OMGEHHH. Arg. Watching on-going series like these spells torture to an avid fangirl like me. I can only rewind the previous episodes and screenshot like crazy. Arggg.

Currently waiting for episode 6 to be uploaded somewhere...

Ah yes, that's about how my life is lately.

How you doin?