Happy Kitchen in Amigo Terrace- Iloilo

When I go to Iloilo with my husband, we usually go to Breakthrough and  Tatoy's because it's stupid not to eat seafoods when you are here.

After nearly 5 days of non-stop grilled pork and fish, my palate needed something more western and I wanted to eat in a much nicer (posh!) and more comfortable place (freezing air-conditioning). Quite frankly, the sea breeze was not doing my hair and skin any good.

On my way to Iloilo Supermart to buy cake, I passed by Amigo Terrace mall and stumbled upon this cute restaurant, HAPPY KITCHEN. Note: S has also been complaining that he is hungry...

I was immediately drawn to it because of it's bright and colorful interiors as well as it's glass walls that make the place look very well spacious.

Upon walking in, I just fell inlove with the place! All the chairs are  ghost chairs. BONGGA!

Beautiful SMS from my dad

I'm sharing a beautiful SMS from my dad. 

1 day GOD showed me a rock. He told me to push it as hard as I can.

I did it for many years, but nothing happened. It didn't move even an inch.

Then I told God: "Sorry, I failed to do it."

He responded:      

"Child, your task is only to push, not to move it."

God doesn't want us to suffer. He just only wants us to follow, learn and see how His mighty power works.

Just P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens!)

...Trust him inday.

I am truly blessed to have a wonderful dad.

Yes they call me Inday,

L

Losing Your Philippine Passport in Europe

DO NOT WORRY. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE WITH THE REST OF YOUR EUROPEAN VACATION!

For sure, you will be able to go home to the Philippines once you have happily completed your holiday.

I just want to get that out of the way before writing the rest of this blog.

NOW, if you  happen to lose your passport in Europe and you find yourself reading this...

Breathe...

Relax...

You will be fine!

The downsides are:

-You can only travel to other SHENGEN territories via land.
Nearly all airlines do not accept the temporary travel document issued by the Philippines Embassy/Consulate.
You will really need to change your travel arrangements. I had to take a bus ride from Madrid to Lourdes.
However, the airline that will take you back to the Philippines is mandated to accept the temporary travel document issued by the Philippine Embassy and you are guaranteed safe passage to go home.

- Some countries don't accept the temporary travel doc for tax rebates. 
Note: Amended. Thanks for sharing your Paris Shopping issue, anonymous reader. 

 When you lose your passport in Europe, here are the things you must do:

Echoz Juice

Okay quick post!

Introducing my ECHOZ JUICE!

Nestlé Dalandan + green apples!

Nice noh!!!

Good night,

L

The Rare Times I Go Shopping

I'm sure I have mentioned that I  hate shopping. I don't go around the mall looking for something specific.

I just go inside a store. I stand in the middle and wait for  a  "small voice" or a "force of attraction" SERIOUSLY that's how I shop.

Today, two dresses clamored for my attention. They were both screaming "TATLER BALL" .

I ended up choosing the emerald ball skirt and the black off shoulder top. 

Now, since this is an unplanned purchase... I realize I actually have nowhere to wear this to... Syempre hindi naman po ako naiinvite sa Tatler Ball di ba! Di naman po ako ALTA.

Happy I have a collar bone,

L

Naks..can you see it? 

Echoz Water

I've been posting a lot of ECHOZ WATER in my instagram account. 

Have you ever noticed that in restaurants they serve this fancy type of water infused with fruits and herbs? 

And somehow this simple touch adds to the ambiance.

And you say to yourself, "Wow ang sossy naman ng tubig na toh!"

Well, at home dahil medyo may delusions and TIME ang lola mo, I make sure na hind lang  ulam ang BONGGA sa presentation...pati tubig.

It's quite easy to make ECHOZ water! If you eat fruits, well set aside some for your water. WAG NAMAN BANANA teh! 

We also have pot of mint plant at home so that helps a lot! It adds a refreshing flavor and it goes with just about any citrusy fruit. If you have no mint, CUCUMBER! 

Lemon!   You should  always have lemon in your ref. It's one of the most versatile fruit in the world! You can use it when you cook chicken, pasta, cakes and yes, Echoz water!

It's seriously cheaper to eat at home. You just have to be creative and think POSH!  #illusionada #pretensiosa

Ambisyosa,

L

Dose of Happy

I watched my wedding video and it just brought a smile to my face...

I love my husband and while we fight half of the time, that love will never change. I may not love him every minute of the day...but safe to say, he makes me happy most of the time.

Off to do my grocery and off to yoga in a few...

Out of the blue,

L

Oh! If you wanna see my wedding video, drop me a message. I'll send it privately!

When I'm lazy to cook...

...We order KFC

Slacking off in style,

L

Just You and Me

Last night, I just felt so sad. I cried. I think my period is coming hence the surge of hormones  and overflowing of emotions.

I told my husband.. " I am so sad and depressed that I can't seem to have a baby."

In life, I'm so used to getting anything that I want. It's just a matter of hard work and perseverance. But baby-making seems to be the opposite.

After 5 months of trying, I am already feeling so defeated. I have been reading about infertility and the more I read, the more hopeless I feel. Some couple try for more than 3 years..some til 15!  

I  had myself checked and so far the initial tests show, I seem fine. My husband seems fine. If I want to do more tests, the more indepth tests are physically intrusive and I feel more violated.  

At this point, I'm not even sure why I'm stressing over this. 

Maybe because I am 33 this year...

I don't even know if I want a baby. I just know that I am suppose to have one. 

I have been hiding in the house for a few days now and I've been refusing to go out. 

I've always been the best. I've always been an achiever and this is one thing I seem to be failing at.

My husband said...

"Look, if it's just us then it's okay. I love you and I just want you to be happy. I didn't marry you for your uterus. If it comes, it's a blessing. If not, we are already blessed. 

We are fine, just you and me. "

Hopefully, I'm climb up out of this rabbit hole...

Needing optimism,

L

Life's Imaginary Checklist

I feel there is an invisible checklist...

While not explicitly written in any books, the questions people ask validate my theory of the existence of this invisible checklist.

I've always been a straight arrow/ good daughter/decent person.  Because I have a type A personality,  I generally do what is expected of me. 

But as I grow older, I feel that society expects more from me.  It never gets easy...

It's all In my head. Or is it?

1. First Smile 

2. Learn how to talk

3. Learn how to walk

4. Go to school

5. Do well in school 

6. Graduate 

7. Get a job

8. Be successful 

9. Have a boyfriend

10. Travel

11. Be rich/ have enough money to support the people you love.

12. Get engaged

13. Buy a house/car 

14. Get married

15. Get pregnant

17. Have more kids

18. Make sure kids do well in school

19. Stay (happily)married

20. Stay attractive

21. Make sure kids are successful

22. Stay healthy 

23. Marry kids off

24.Have grandkids

25.Live as long as you can

I feel this immense internal pressure to conform and check all the items in the list, just as I have been doing all my life.

But I'm starting to get tired...

I think I will avoid society and it's imaginary checklist for now...

Going down the rabbit hole,

L

Yoga and Life

 I think yoga is a representation of life. 

After all, Buddhism preaches that Life is Suffering. 

In yoga, there are difficult and painful poses and breaks in between. The great culmination is shavasana.

 It occurred to me that as long as I live there will always be hardships and joys. It will always be UP AND DOWN. The only time it will be truly peaceful is when I stop breathing. That is life.

Tired,

L

Princess Masako Owada

Princess Masako is the wife of crown Prince and heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan, Prince Naruhito.

She has a degree in Economics from Harvard and a degree in International Relations from Oxford. She gave up her career as a diplomat when she married the Prince in 1993. She was 29.5 years old when they were married.

It took her nearly 6 years to get pregnant but the first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. She gave birth to Princess Toshi in 2001, more than 8 years after their marriage. Princess Toshi is now 14 years old.

Due to the pressure to produce children and more importantly an heir to the throne,  Princess Masako reportedly suffered (or maybe still suffering) an emotional disorder. She has remained out of the public eye since 2002.

In deep thoughts,

L

NOTE: I do not claim any credit on the photos.

Summer Job and Back to School Memories

I started working when I was 9 years old. Sounds like child labor, noh? In a Fil-Chi family, this is called TRAINING.

It started the summer of '91. My dad told me it was time na mag "ko tiam" na ako. No more playing with the kids in our neighborhood. It was time for me to start my right of passage...

Well... I didn't really do much work. I simply took out the trash, swept the floor and arranged boxes of stocks.

However, the "training" was centered around discipline. I went to work from 8 am until 4 pm. If I was late, I was made to stand outside our store. It was embarrassing but I learned at a very young age that I should never be late for work.

I  also got paid 15 pesos/day and when my salary increased, I started working during weekends too!

Every summer, I would save up all my earnings and I would use that money to buy everything I need for school.

Do you have any idea how empowered I was at the age of 9? Having work and money shaped my confidence and self-esteem at a very young age.

Back to school shopping was shopping madness for me! It was the only time of the year when I could binge shop for myself.  I really enjoyed buying my own things with my own money! My mom respected my choices. I decided on everything!

Every year, I got myself a new pair of BANDOLINO shoes. And when I could finally afford an expensive bag, I got myself a Jansport! Even as a kid, I had a good taste in bags and shoes.

Yesterday, I bought the June issue of Yummy and I saw a full feature on BEATRIX.  Oh, I wish I had this when I was growing up. They are so !!!!

Beatrix is NewYork-based brand of kid's bags that became famous in the US because many Hollywood parents and celebrity kids have been photographed using it.

It is also distributed by someone from our family. Yay! Full Support Please!

The bags are very well constructed using HEAVY DUTY NYLON. ( It is a far cry from the bags from 168 na after 2 months, sira na).  BEATRIX bags are very DURABLE!

The designs are embroidered and not just digitally printed.  The bags are comfortable and very light too!

The materials used to make BEATRIX bags are all food-safe and free of all the bad stuff: No lead, No phthalate, No PVC.

I've been warned that those food containers in Divisoria may have lead... I'm not sure but best to be on the safe side especially when it comes to something that has contact with food!

The best thing about BEATRIX is the bags are MACHINE WASHABLE. It's so easy to remove the stains and the stinky smell. Just throw into the washing machine and it comes out clean and smelling nice.

I used to bring Iced Milo to school and I'd always spill it all over my lunch box. Mama would get so upset. She is not a believer of Breeze's tagline, DIRT IS GOOD. She hated (and still hates) spills and  stains. Sermon galore talaga everytime I spill ulam, juice or milo. #traumaticchildhood.

I wish I had a Beatrix lunch box when I was growing up!

Oh wait! Come to think of it... No one is stopping me from getting one! I can bring baon to the office and eat on my desk.

Beatrix is available in all branches of Rustans, Hamleys Toy Store, Mamaway and Baobao Babies in Cebu!


Happy Back to School Shopping!!!



Reminiscing,

L

Madrid to Lourdes Via Bus

We were supposed to fly from Madrid to Lourdes via IBERIA. The flight normally takes around 1.5 hours. However, we had to make changes in our travel plans because my husband lost our passports.

To travel from Madrid to Lourdes via bus...

1. Go to WWW.ALSA.ES

2. Go to the international route 

3.  Choose your route: Madrid  ( Plaza Elíptica) ---> Tarbes

4. Book a pickup from Tarbes Train Station. 

We used the taxi service of ALLIANCE: alliance-taxis-lourdes@wanadoo.fr

Note There are some trips that arrive 2 or 3 am. The earliest train from Tarbes to Lourdes is 6 am.

This is a cheap route but it takes a lot of time. The bus ride takes 13-14 hours with a 1 hr stopover in SOCU. This is also where you change buses.

Personally, I didn't mind the long travel time. It was a pleasant and comfortable journey.  Expect magnificent views as the Spanish Country-side looks like a beautiful painting. It was like starting into a screensaver. 

Be sure to bring food and drinks. The chips and cookies in SOCU are way overpriced. Try to save some videos on your Android or bring a book too. NO WIFI IN THE BUS. 

Happy Trip!

Missing Spain,