24th Birthday Celebration

                So to continue, last March 17, together with my family, I celebrated my 24^th birthday. And just like my mom’s birthday celebration, we only had a very simple dinner, this time, at Abe.

Located at 3rd floor, Trinoma mall

                Foods served at Abe were all like Spanish and Native Filipino inspired. They offer different kinds of viands of meat on their menu, including goat and lamb meat and others. And I think, they also have fried frog legs. ;) But since our family is not really used to eat these “rare” meat, we just tried foods that we are very familiar with.

                 We had Crispy pata which was cooked really well.

                Then we had Morcon that was really tasty but my mom disagrees. Heheh!

                For our sidedish, we ordered Laing with smoked tinapa, for me, must probably be one of the Best Laing I ever tried! Or, maybe the best? 

                We also had sinigang na baboy which was truly enjoyed by the kids, especially the “sabaw”.

                For us Filipinos, every good food or viand must come with perfectly cooked rice. And Abe has it – unlimited! Yeah, for 62php, you can consume rice as long as you can. Guess I also have to share that I finished two big plates full of rice. Takaw lang?? :p

                Aside from their palatable foods, they also have a very lovely ambiance. I like how truly Pinoy their concept is, as evidenced by how their chairs and tables were made. And also, they have this really cute bar. :)

 

                 I may have other ways or options on how I will celebrate my birthday, I just chose to have a less extravagant dinner. Well, I guess, nothing beats a celebration with your family … :))

My Mom's Birthday

                Since I’ve been quite busy and preoccupied from work, I find that I haven’t updated this blog as much as I should. I believe there’s a lot I just got to share and to start it off, let me narrate what we did during my mom’s birthday .. 

                Last March 4, we celebrated my mother’s, uhm, nth birthday. ;P Of course, we only had a very simple dinner at Banana Leaf where almost everything tasted so good.

                One of their bestsellers is their Chicken Curry; they had it in sizzling or baked. I had mine baked and although it has lots of potato, which I’m not really fond of, I still find the whole thing delicious.

Baked Chicken Curry

 

Sizzling Chicken Curry

                Also one of their bestsellers is their version of the spicy noodles, Phad Thai. I love how its spicy taste only enhanced my appetite!

Phad Thai

 

                They have a lot of delectable foods to offer on their menu that were all Asian inspired including, Creamy tilapia, other types of noodles, fried chicken and different sizzling variants.

That's the Creamy tilapia on the center

                By the way, they prefer using banana leaf instead of plates. And in addition, I also love their Milk tea. :)

                After having our dinner, I decided to treat my mom for a massage. And syempre, join forces ang buong pamilya! :)

My locker number :)

 

                A sumptuous dinner and relaxation at the spa, oh, what a good life! Surely, without even asking, everybody enjoyed my mom’s birthday celebration – because I did! :)

 

This Means War

 

            Since I’ve been hearing positive feedbacks about the movie This Means War, I made sure to catch it on cinema.

 

            The movie is about CIA’s two top agents who are actually the best of friends and a woman who is trying to get over her ex-boyfriend’s engagement. So what happens if these two inseparable guys battle against that one girl?

            The British Tuck, played by Tom Hardy, is in search of finding a new love and signed up in an online dating network. There, he met and soon dated Lauren Scott. 

             Chris Pine as FDR, helped his best friend Tuck and served as a backup on his date. But eventually bumped into Lauren, got his attention and asked for a date.

            Later on, Lauren Scott played by Reese Witherspoon, found herself dating these two guys not knowing they are friends and became really confused of who to choose.

            Although there were flaws and it was obvious who Lauren would pick, I still enjoyed the whole experience. I like how action, comedy and romance were all rolled into one film. I also find it cute because it wasn’t the typical CIA-related serious action movie. Probably not at their best, but the actors especially Witherspoon, made it all worthwhile.

            The story just showed me the real test of friendship and the difference that love can make to a person. I also learned that in love and relationship, we must choose the one who can make us a better person. 

            Lastly, I just love how this feel-good movie kept me smiling up to the very end. :)

 

 

            This Means War

            Action Romantic Comedy 

            Directed by: McG

            Casts: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy

UNOFFICIALLY YOURS

            Since I was single and working during the Valentine’s Day, my family and I celebrated this occasion only last Saturday, February 18. So what did we do? Being an Angel Locsin fan and pretty excited about her latest movie, where else would I invite my family? In cinema and watch UnOfficially Yours definitely!

            The movie is about a guy, Mackie, who came from failed relationships but considers falling in love again and a modern-day woman, Ces, who doesn’t believe in commitments. Then they met in a very strange event. What happens if the other wants to take it into the next, serious level and the other still finds it for fun?

            I think, John Lloyd who played the role of Mackie Galvez, has mastered the art of making pa-“kilig” in his movies. He may not have the sexiest body, but he has captured every girl’s heart. There was this particular scene where he said to Angel (Ces), “Naghihintay lang ng inspirasyon… Uy, nandyan ka na pala…”, then started to type really fast on his keyboard/PC. It was funny but really felt that “kilig”. I’ve seen JL’s movies since One More Chance and this must be his most daring film – well, in terms of baring too much skin.:p

            As an Angel Locsin fan and having been able to watch almost all her movies, I can say she truly has grown as an artist. Playing the role of Ces, she was able to sustain that level of maturity of an actress she has already showed in In The Name of Love. For me, Angel was very effective with her character that I nearly forgot it was her and dama ko siya talaga! Feminism in the film is quite evident in Angel’s character as she portrays a very strong and independent woman. Since The Promise, I think Angel just keeps on becoming bolder in her movies. And here in her latest, without a doubt, she really is Philippines’ Sexiest Woman/Celebrity – deserve na deserve!

            At lot of people have perceived this movie as a rip-off of Hollywood’s Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached, but director Cathy Garcia-Molina did it great by making a not-so-old-not-so-new concept appear fresh. These movies may have similarly tackled casual sex relationship, but UnOfficially Yours differed by having a story with a very pinoy approach; like how families affect with the two main characters and how involved friends are in this situation. It is also nice that an old Filipino custom like Harana has still become a part of this very modern love story done in a modern way.

            As I’ve said, I was with my conservative family including my mom and lola, when I watched this. Although it was very sexy, they never find it bastos or anything like that. The director perfectly made those love making hidden in a very hilarious scene. I was laughing so hard specifically in that wild, “kalabugan” scene where Mackie’s friends were just waiting for them outside his room.

Overall, I completely enjoyed the movie. I find it amazing how a light romantic-comedy film took me into their world and captured my attention all throughout. I also love how they all seem to be so fab with their outfits especially Angel. It shows that no matter how toxic the workplace is, anyone should still look fashionable. 

UnOfficially Yours is not your typical love story where boy meets girl then someone comes along that gives conflict to the story. Here, it teaches us that there are relationships that start in an unconventional way; that it is the couple themselves that complicates everything; that sometimes, relationship doesn’t really need an official status but understanding; and, that we should never easily give up and surrender in love. At the end, it made me think why I still stay single. Am I like Ces who is just afraid of commitments and getting hurt? Or, am I just waiting for someone like Mackie who would do such effort and make me believe in love again? Choss!

           UnOfficially Yours is definitely a Must-See movie for people who are in love, got hurt and wants to try and fall in love again!

Single on Valentine's Day?

Now that Valentine’s Day is finally approaching, most people would feel that LOVE already is in the air! 

Couples, for sure, are now busy preparing and planning for their V-day date. Flowers, chocolates and balloons are all over the place. We would also notice that restaurants and cinemas are full of lovers on the 14^th. But what if you are SINGLE on this very special day? What can you do to enjoy this event?

Hmmm ., broken-hearted?

I think it would best to be with your friends in celebrating this affair if you are mending a broken heart. Who else can make you laugh really hard and forget such painful situation but your friends, right? Sometimes, bonding with your buddies on Valentine’s Day can even make your friendship stronger. The only thing is, sana SINGLE din silang lahat para di ka maingit. Chos! 

“Can you be my Valentine?”

If there is that one person you wanted to be with on this event, go, and ask him/her to be your Valentine date! I think this is just so easy for guys – they only need GUTS and enough MONEY. ;p But for women like me, it would really be hard to ask a guy for a date. It would require too much COURAGE and FIGHTING SPIRIT to do it! And also, we have these tradition or Filipino values instilled to us that, that men should ALWAYS do the first move. But then again, we are all entitled with our own opinion, so, kanya-kanyang paniniwala lang yan. What’s important here is, make sure that the person you wanted to be with is also single! :p

Spend it with your FAMILY.

Is Valentine’s only meant for LOVERS? I don’t think so. For me, this is the season where in we celebrate LOVE ., not only for our partner, but also for those people dear to us – including our family. If all your friends are in a relationship and you got rejected by that person in your mind, to whom would you run to? To your family, right? Show your love and have your family as your date. :)

Single.

Whether you came from a failed relationship or a painful past, it is okay to be bitter; curse all the lovers in the world and try to pretend that Valentine’s Day doesn’t exists. Guess it is part of the healing process and our defense mechanism. But let us remember our family and friends. They are the ones who would definitely make us feel better. 

In love with a particular person? Say it. They deserve to know that they are loved. If they don’t feel the same way for you, surely you’ll get hurt; but eventually, you’ll learn to accept it. At least, nasabi mo and you’ll have no regrets and what ifs. I know it is always a different case for us girls. Pero siguro kaya nga ata merong Valentine’s Day eh, for us to have an excuse in making such major, bold move. But like I’ve said, diskarte mo na yan girl, it is always up to you.

 Does it really matter if you’re single or taken on the Heart’s Day? Well, for me, this is an occasion where we celebrate the presence of LOVE and remember how great it is. This is also the moment that we acknowledge those people we really care about, may it be your special someone, friend/s or family members. Married? In a relationship? It’s Complicated? Those are just status. I believe, what’s important is, we recognize and continue to show and spread LOVE. 

Happy Happy Valentine’s Day!  Love! Love! Love! :)