Airbnb stay: Megatower Residences at Baguio

When we decided on a whim to go to Baguio, the first thing I wanted to settle before arriving is accommodation. Of course. Something clean and simple, affordable, and near SM Baguio. Being near SM is comforting because I know they've got it all for me lol. Since we're arriving the next day, there weren't much options that fit our budget, but thank God I found one at Megatower Residences. The room is spacious enough, clean, no hideous furniture, and it's walking distance to SM Baguio. Just right.

When we touched down at Baguio, I was in constant communication with the host. But when we arrived at the condo building, things started to get worrisome. I couldn't contact her. She wouldn't respond to my messages. Her phone cannot be reached. We didn't travel six hours and paid 4k just to get scammed. I double checked her Airbnb profile, and was alarmed to realize that the unit had zero reviews. Why the heck didn't I check that?! We inquired at the lobby guards, saying we were booked at Unit 1B-51. They said that they didn't receive any key for turnover. They asked for a name. I can only give the first name of the host. Finally, they decided to accompany us to the basement to check the room if someone's there. Maybe the signal is poor. Maybe the host is busy. Maybe. When we were about to board the elevator, a miracle happened. THE HOST RESPONDED AND SHE'S ABOUT TO GO UP NA DAW. 

JUSKO! And that ends our stress. Poor signal is the culprit. Next time I'm not booking a basement unit anymore.

Anyway. Here's our room. 

Spacious enough for two. Bed mattress isn't that thick though and doesn't seem sturdy. To be honest, the room looked underwhelming compared to the Airbnb photos. But it's clean enough so it's okay.

Ref, kitchen, dining, check!

TV is very small and they forgot to provide us with the remote control. Too bad, sayang cable! There's wifi but it's not fast. Keri lang. We tried downloading a universal remote control app, but apparently none of our phones are IR equipped. Whatever happened to that feature?! 

Kitchen counter is small. There's barely enough room for cooking, but kebs, we weren't gonna cook anyway. I love the deep sink and the pull-out spray kitchen faucet! 

The CR is nice and clean as well. Glass-enclosed shower, yehey! 

The room kinda feels stuffy, understandably so because it's at the basement. Yun nga lang, will take note not to book basement units anymore haha. It's too dark in the morning, I'm not used to it! LOL I need my sunshine haha.

We got the room for around ~2,000/night, after applying my Airbnb credits. Not bad for us. :) Will probably book at Megatowers again, but definitely not at the basement next time hehe. :D We really liked the place, it's near SM baguio, bus terminal (to Manila), and the ground floor of the condo has a convenience store, pharmacy, eatery, and bakery. Perfect! Pluuuuus, there's Victory Church on the next block so we didn't miss out on service that weekend. :)

Still not on Airbnb? Man, you're missing out on tons of beautiful and affordable accommodation! If you want to sign up, please do so using my referal link so we'll both get free travel credits! Yeyy!

Late update: Biglaang Baguio Trip!

Late update! Some three weeks ago, hubby and I decided to go to Baguio on a whim. By that I mean we booked an Airbnb 14hrs before our estimated arrival, and bet on slim chances that we'll get bus tickets for a 6am trip the following morning, which we didn't. The terminal was packed with so many people and there were so many chance passengers like us waiting for available slots. We failed to leave early but thank God we were able to secure tickets for the 9am trip. The entire ride took around 6 hours with 1 stop over. We rode a regular a/c bus with Victory Liner and I'm not doing it again haha. It was okay but I'm too fat for my seat and I couldn't sleep properly because of the noise (TV, people). Reason why we took the first class bus on our way back. Bigger seats, less people, and no stop overs.



To justify our biglaang lakad, aka biglaang gastos, we said it's to celebrate his birthday and his finally getting a new job. So there. We got an Airbnb at Megatowers and spent two nights "exploring" Baguio. We didn't really do much. We happened to arrive before Panagbenga festival ended so Session road was still closed and infuriatingly impassable due to the thick crowd. Traffic was terrible and the crowd is intolerable. I personally would rather hole up in our bed. But that's not the point of going to Baguio right? And besides, our room is super basic. The TV is too small, the wifi is slow, and they forgot to give us a remote control so there's essentially nothing fun to do in our unit. Add to the fact that we're at the basement so signal sucks and the room feels stuffy. I did drop a positive review at Airbnb in light of it being a good value for money, but yeah, could've gotten a better place. Anyway. We ate at 50's Diner and Ahmad Brothers, looked around Mines View Park, bought pasalubong from Good Shepherd, and finally tried strawberry taho (love it! but I still prefer the classic). We had fun, overall hahaha. And that's about everything we did on our 2 nights there lol.

I have memories of being to Baguio but I don't remember enjoying it. I just remember it being too cold haha.

For sure I'm going back! I'd be riding Genesis Joybus to and from, and will get an Airbnb at Outlook Ridge or book a hotel room at Azalea Residences hahaha. I just realized, being an asocial homebuddy, I'm not too big on outdoor itineraries. If I do travel, I want to make sure I'm getting a big airconditioned room with fast wifi, cabled TV, and a nice view. I'm too much of a city girl I'd rather admire nature from afar.

While I just confirmed for myself that spontaneous trips like this is not really my thing, it did help that I was with my husband and we're both in a come-what-may mood. Anything goes, good or bad, as long as we don't die or lose our pocket money. It was a good celebration, and I thank God for allowing us to experience it all.

I can finally stop nagging him to get a job hehe. And I on the other hand, can stop blaming him whenever I get tired from my sidelines because 1) it was never his fault, it just feels unfair when I see him at home doing nothing while I cram article after article to meet deadlines, and 2) it's really my personal choice to stress myself out - on everything.

So yeah, following this post I plan to make separate entries for our Airbnb home, 50's Diner, Ahmad Brothers, Pik a Pot, and Victory Liner's first class bus. :)

Hey blogg what is upppp

For the life of me I can't seem to find time to update this blog anymore! I've been soooo frkn busy with work lately and while I'm constantly craving for some me time, I'm also constantly craving for potato corner, and I only have the luxury to accommodate one, and food wins - as usual. So what's up? Right now I'm working on 2 articles, 2 invitation suites, and a long long overdue brand design guidebook. I'm so bombarded with work and I can only make up excuses as to why I'm not delivering as pronto as I'm used to. My usual excuse would be the truth, that I'm also working on other projects so please bear with the delay. But the truth is, every time I go home I just want to rest and play Clash Royale, Design Home, and Mad Skills BMX till the break of dawn. I suck at time management and it sucks lol hahaha.

My writing job employer renewed their guidelines and gave a maximum of 48 hours turnaround for a single article. I'M GONNA DIE. And as if I'm not employed enough, I applied at Livingston Research as a freelance academic writer. I took their online test - a 45 item grammar test, and a writing test - a 200 word position paper about a random social sciences topic - all within time pressure... and I passed. I can't believe it huhu. I just really wanted to test myself, see if I'm cut out for it. A day after I completed the exam I got a frkn call from Livingston UK delivering the good news. For the most part I didn't understand the accent, but I heard congratulations and we'll email you the next steps blah blah blah and your success manager will call you in a few days to follow up on you. Like... what the heck. All that formality for a freelance position?!

So I checked their portal, read the notes, yadda yadda and went to their site to check for any open assignments I can try. BUT MYGAHD IT WAS SO FRKN DAUNTING. If being an academic writer means doing somebody else's homework, I'M OUT. No, I'm kidding. I'll check it out again to see if I can do anything haha.

I'm glad I took the test, passed, and got to see the type of work they offer. I've always been mentally complaining about this writing job I have, that I feel like I'm being underpaid, that they're too strict, that there's too much work, blah blah blah. But upon seeing Livingston's offer, I'm actually very lucky. I'm not even writing academic papers and I'm getting paid twice. Super sorry Lord for complaining too much. And you know what, I've learned a freaking lot writing for my current employer, and I've improved too. My bosses are all very kind as well. I hope I don't get fired before June though cos that's going to be my 1 year milestone with them! Gotta work harderrrr!

On the other hand, I can't thank God enough for putting me at White & Case naks naman. HAHA. I mean, besides the HR thing (which still makes me feel super duper bad just thinking about it), I'm enjoying the work and I'm not feeling stupid. Or maybe because jusko ang tanda ko na kasi diba hahaha. I'm learning a heeeeell lot and it's super exciting. I'm surrounded by super admirable people too and everyone's just super nice and friendly lol. To be fair, I've always been around great people. I've never had to complain about the people I work with. And swerte ko lang. Thank you Lord! <3

Okaaaay, so back to work! 

[Review] Dinner at Naan Indian Street Kitchen at Kapitolyo

Naan is an Indian restaurant located at D Strip, United st., Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City. It's definitely not authentic so don't expect too much but their Filipino/Western fusion menu is the bomb! It's a great place to dine in if you want to be introduced to Indian food without getting overwhelmed with new flavors. If you happen to like it here, I'm sure you'd enjoy real authentic Indian restaurants next (ie. New Bombay, Queens at Bollywood, Gilak)! On to the food, here's what we had:

Vegetable Samosa (₱150)
Size is small, and the shell is very thick, not much fillings inside. Still very tasty though! But they only serve tamarind dip, no mint-cilantro dip huhu. 7/10

Cheese-stuffed green chilli pakoras (₱150)
Here's a new favorite! The chillis taste great, the cheese is perfect and dip is awesooooome. 9/10

Butter Paneer (₱220)
Sauce seems more watery instead of creamy, but overall it tastes great and really perfect for Naan. 8/10

Fried Butter Chicken Curry (₱360)
Another good find! I don't usually like crispy fried chicken (except chickenjoy) but their breading is soooo good and the sauce is exploding with flavors. You have to try this! 9/10

Cardamom spiced sweet lassi
I forgot the price of this but I didn't like it that much because the cardamom is too strong haha. Hubby liked it though.

Naan (₱35)
Tastes exactly like it's supposed to haha. Pretty small too so get a bunch of these if you must!

Price range for 2 people is around ₱700-₱1000. Is it worth it? Price-wise, nope because you can get more authentic flavors for the same price. But heck, it's obviously fusion so I'm just babbling here hehe. But like I said if you haven't tried Indian food, this place is a great intro. My husband and I are total Indian food lovers and we we're looking for nearby Indian restaurants to try, but having dined at Queens, Gilak, and New Bombay gave Naan an unfair bar to beat haha. Kasi nga it's fusion, ang kulit!

Anyway the place is bright and colorful. Ambiance looked friendly, the staff are attentive. I loved the colors in this place, their logo, the walls, and even their plates!

Too bad they only accept cash!

Will probably try it again here, must go back for Chilli Pakoras! And of couse, must tryTikka Masala and their hummus too!

Naan Indian Street Kitchen
D Strip, 20 United st.,
Brgy Kapitolyo, Pasig City

[Review] Smile Elephant Kapitolyo

Smile Elephant is a Thai restaurant located at W. Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig. This humble and unassuming restaurant beside an emission center offers great and authentic Thai flavors. If you're craving for Thai or wanted to try something new, you won't be disappointed!

What we had that night:

Fresh spring rolls (₱185)
I love the rolls but the dip not so much. I think I like the Vietnamese version better haha.

Pad Thai (₱225)

Aaaah long time to Pad Thai! A lot of people say their Pad Thai is already very authentic, but the one I had from Thai Curry House (Minnesota, US) is still tons better. Maybe because this one has too much togue and scrambled egg hehe. Don't get me wrong ha, this one's very delicious din naman. 8/10

Lemongrass chicken (₱205)

Good thing we dared! It looks sooo unappealing on the menu. I almost thought they're crickets. But holey moley this one's delicious. It has real dried lemongrass sticks fried along with the chicken and the flavor is just really really great. Haha. Just don't mind how it looks. 9/10

Grilled pork neck (₱230)

Not a fan of grilled things but the hint of cilantro on this one made me change my mind. My husband didn't like the cilantro though! 7/10

Mango sticky rice (₱110)

I would've liked this but it's warm and the mangoes aren't sweet. 6/10

We also ordered Pandan tea (₱80) and it was okay. Lasang pandan gulaman haha. Not gonna rate haha

Will I come back? Yes for Lemongrass Chicken, Pad Thai! Would want to try their Tom Yum soup and Thai Milk Tea as well! :D

They only accept cash payments and have no service charge, yey!

Smile Elephant
45 W. Capitol Drive,
Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Open: 11am-3pm / 5pm-10pm

Hay

I'm hating my blog feed right now, you should know why haha. I've been terribly busy with a lot of things and while there have been times I was itching to write something as soon as it happens, I always end up getting distracted by more important things. Creating content for this blog has been a chore ever since I got married. You know why? Because for some reason I felt like I lost the privacy I once had when I was single. The time I had for myself. Being married opened my life in a different way it almost felt intrusive. I have problems right now, mostly financial, a lot spiritual, and the rest I can't even discuss here. And it sucks because I want to but at the cost of ruining relationships I'll just... keep it to myself. I need to write about it, somewhere somehow but I frkn can't because don't we all want to keep our mouths shut and pick who we share our troubles to? My blog isn't quite the right place to rant about my deeper problems. And I can't believe it. I used to be very honest here. Now, I've learned. Or maybe I'm just starting to get the realer problems of life, things you can't just blahg about. Hm. On the other hand, I signed my regularization papers yesterday. Whew. Job security at last. Or not. Cos who's to stay being a regular employee rids you of financial insecurity? My husband was a regular employee before he got redundated. On his next job he didn't last six months. Now he's jobless, nearing a month now, and I'm freaking out. Nagging about everything. I've cried on the bus, in the bathroom, in my sleep, about why I'm getting more and more insecure about this life. How is it not possible to cash in on love? There's gotta be some technology to support that. We'd be so damn rich.

I wanted to go the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale but I'm sure I wouldn't be able to buy anything. Php 200-500 for a book is still too damn expensive for me. Specially that ebooks are free. At best I'd be able to cover the event and would have something to blog about! But no chance scoring a Jojo Moyes. Are they giving it for free? All the haul photos I see has at least 1 Jojo Moyes title it's ridiculous.

I don't even like books, I just pretend to be reader.

Five Tips for Self-Love with Rauch Happy Day Orange Juice

The love month is officially upon us and everyone’s got their eye on their calendar for their much-anticipated date night and other winning ways to melt someone’s heart. However, February is not just all about romance and relationship, as it’s clearly the best occasion to celebrate the most important person: You. So for the love of yourself, Happy Day Rauch Orange got tips that will refresh your habits and will spark motivation of investing in yourself with food and fitness as the beginning. 1. Don’t skip meals and suppress your hunger. 

Just because you’ll be having a grand buffet or multi-course sit-down meal, never starve yourself the entire day and go all out to the dinner table. This habit leads to overeating, filling your plate with caloric food choices. It is always a good idea to grab a fruit, cereal, oatmeal or whole wheat bread before heading to the gathering so you won’t arrive feeling ridiculously famished.

2. Practice mindful eating.

Before you eat, scan the food choices and decide which one you’ll pick or miss. Start off with a clear soup or a glass of water and fill up your plate with a heaping serving of salad. Skip those fried, greasy, and creamy appetizers that are loaded with calories and fat. Opt for smaller plates and utensils so that you only consume smaller bites, which trick your brain into eating almost 30% fewer calories. Remember to eat slowly, chew your food longer than the usual, and enjoy conversing at the dining table – these tips will help break the bad habit of binge eating.

3. Move and stay active. 

No time for the gym? Squeeze in a 10-minute workout that can help you burn extra calories and elevate your mood for the entire day.  Should you need to bring a car, park at the farthest and walk your way up or down to your destination. Additionally, consider taking the stairs to burn few more calories and improve your cardiovascular fitness.

4. Rest and recover. 

We are not new to the temptations and nostalgia of the love month without feeling stuffy, that’s why planning your schedule is always the first way to go. Achieving seven to eight hours of sleep is a sanity-saver and gives you a clearer, calmer mind. In fact, the ghrelin hormones increase when you’re up past your bedtime, while leptin or the hormone that tells you when you are full decreases with lack of sleep, which means a major wreak havoc to your diet.

5. Strengthen your immune system with Vitamin C.    

The last thing we want to happen is catching a bug in the form of cough, colds, or flu, so make sure to give your immune system the boost it deserves. The antioxidant Vitamin C, which helps to ward off communicable diseases should be part of our healthy lifestyle.  Note that our body lacks the ability to produce Vitamin C, so it’s therefore important to get it from the right sources like Rauch Happy Day Orange Juice. A European brand that’s in tune with the taste of our time, every 1L pack of Rauch Happy Day Orange Juice contains 16 high-quality and sun-ripened oranges giving it a zesty and refreshing taste. Each glass is enough to meet your body’s required daily dose of Vitamin C. Much more if you’re looking for ways of curbing your sugar cravings, a sip of something sour or tart like orange juice will help.