birthday blues

Okay. Tthe weather this past few days are the worst and I've been working from home since yesterday and it's my birthday. Mommy just baked me some lasagna and I have a cake so I'm pretty happy now amidst the ugly weather.

I'm certainly grateful for this year's blessings and continuous graces and thankful that we are safe and warm cocooned in the comforts of our home. Now my birthday wish will be for everybody to stay warm and safe and for the rain to stop. Thank you Daddy, Mommy, Ate and Aya for making my day special regardless of the gloomy weather. ♥

I'll be whipping up some home made hot chocolate later. *amusing myself*

Stay dry and safe everyone... With Love ~ ♥A

Gastro-tour alone

I woke up early this morning as usual when I am out some place not home. I am a light sleeper and I can function with little or even without sleep for a day. I took a shower and started packing my things then breakfast alone.

I had my coffee by the veranda while looking at these..

And by the looks of it, it's going to be a great day.

I finished my coffee and started getting ready to leave. My agenda for today was try a couple of places to eat, attend mass if possible, find the boasted Strawberry shortcake from Vizco and anything I can come up of doing.

I bid my goodbyes with Ate Belinda and with her is Justine, the kid I played with last night while I waited for my pizza and chicken.

with Ate Belinda and Justine

I walked my way out to find a cab since the area was mostly residential and cabs were pretty uncommon to pass by this area. And when I found one, wow! Mr. Driver was a flirt and I can't wait to get off to my destination. Anyway, my first stop is Café by the Ruins.

 I'm not really hungry and I had my coffee earlier but I am craving for some butter croissant and chocolate and I searched for this café because they have croissant and chocolate in addition to the good reviews I read. Maybe next time I'll head here for a real meal.

my date for today =P

I stayed in here for a couple of hours writing some notes and trying to finish my food and chocolate. The chocolate was really thick and I thought when I ordered it it was made for drinking. By the looks of it now, it's more like a dip to me. And I wish I was able to take the leftover home, such a waste. I'm pretty bad at finishing my food in reality. As Aya always saying I just like ordering things, looking at it, tasting a bit and that's it. I have a bad eating habit. yikes!

Time for lunch now and I'm not yet hungry so instead of heading to another restaurant I hunted for the strawberry shortcake. Hailed another cab and turned my GPS mobile application ON.

I can't help myself I need to post that..! Cab's plate number was similar to my Citrix initials. hihi it's lame I know. =D

It's a success! I was able to point Mr. Cab driver to the right direction and I just walked a bit from the drop off. Now I have my strawberry shortcake to bring home and it's past lunch time. I walked around a little and after a while my backpack is killing me. It's too heavy with all the glass jar containers of ube jam, strawberry jam, strawberry preserves, peanut brittle, etc. I needed a place to stay for a bit and I tried to find Oh My Gulay restaurant.

Mind you this is a vegetarian restaurant and I am not sure what I'm doing in here. I am no vegetarian and I don't even eat any vegetables. My curious brain was just here to see I think. er.. Looking at the menu I was shouting and strangling myself "Why am I here!!!" Yes, I have nothing to eat in here with all the food choices made up of vegetables, so I settled with a safe choice.. MUSHROOMS!

And while I stayed, I looked around the art works mentioned in every reviews I read about the restaurant. The place was not the typical restaurant, it has a kind of mystery in it. It is located in a building and is unnoticeable unless you're really looking for it. It took me a while to realize that I was walking in circles while I'm looking for it. Thanks to Mr. Security guard I was able to locate it. Looking at the interior, it is very arts-y and every nook offers a different kind of seclusion.

So I'm really thinking it wasn't really the food why I came here, it's the place that I've really come to look for. My eyes was satisfied even if I wasn't able to explore the whole place. (It sucks travelling with a huge backpack attached! lesson learned!)

I had my mostly untouched pasta wrapped and now ready to walk around once more. A few meters away was the church so I'm praying I could catch a mass at this hour in the afternoon. Luckily, I did.

Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral

The cathedral was amassed with people attending the church service so I stayed outside standing while listening to it.

After the mass I headed to SM Baguio to find something else to do for the rest of the day since my bus wasn't due until 11 tonight. Walking towards SM, I am starting to regret it. I really dislike huge crowds and I cannot turn back now because I am in line with a lot of people going to the mall. *sigh*

Okay.. nothing else to do and I am not really hungry to eat more instead I checked out the movies. Er.. nothing interesting for me so I settled with After Earth. Another waiting time, I've got an hour or so before the movie. And because I was a bit disappointed with the hot chocolate this morning (disappointed not because it's not tasty but really because it was not a hot chocolate drink) I saw this spot near the cinemas.

Well, it looks cute and I felt intrigued so I tried it. The staffs were urging me to order more, every now and then asking me if I'm okay with everything, do i need anything else, and the likes of those questions. Really sweet people too bad I'm still full and just waiting around for the movie.

The movie wasn't that bad but not my cup of tea as well. I'm speechless I think I went in to rest and cool off from the warm weather outside. Now this ends my walking tour by myself. Calling it a day I searched for a cab to bring me to the bus terminal for the ride home. At this time, traffic was really bad and it's a wise choice to end the day early and head to the bus terminal.

Yay! I survived with my GPS for directions and I was able to walk around by myself, no hurrying up and changes in plans depended solely on me. I didn't look for places to see because I've gone and seen most of it before so I tried to navigate around the eating spots. I wish I could eat as much as I wanted too, guess I am not a foodie after all. It was a fun experience and I'm looking forward to a real trip alone. It was a bit annoying that the parents were texting every minute that by the time I am already in the bus terminal my mobile was almost dead. It was fortunate that I was able to charge my phone on the way home in the bus! Glad I booked on the deluxe bus going home. Hope they can trust my independence and choices. I love them all the same and I know they were just worried about my safety. *sigh*

I wish my next alone trip would be Europe! hihi Nobody says I can only dream small.. =P

happy and exhausted... with lalalalalooove! ♥A

movie alone again =)

Nobody to be with so I went all by myself. yay! Today's line up, Les Miserables and Hansel and Gretel. I went alone in the nearest cinema. *Me Time*

I enjoyed Les Miserables, though I felt tired after all the singing in the movie! It wears me out that the actors were struggling to sing for their parts the whole time. Now, I'd love to see the real musical. If there'll be a remake here I'll make sure to reserve a ticket regardless of how much it is! ^_^

Then I made a quick errand for Mom to pay her bill. It was exhilarating! The adrenaline rush! I only have 15 minutes to do it in between, Hansel and Gretel is about to start by then and I made it! I didn't know I can move that fast and boy I was lucky there were no pending lines! hihi I made it just in time.

This movie, though I adore Jeremy Renner, this is not his most impressive movie for me. Anyway, it's not that bad either, maybe I expected more from it.

I yearn to have another movie but then it's getting late and I still need to fix the salad when I get home. So home I went after making time in the restroom then I saw this. ugh! Women! Is it really that difficult to pick up after yourselves in public? tsss....

Really, that crumpled tissue paper bothered me.. Why the need to leave it there when the rubbish bin is just around the corner?? *annoying*

my day??

How would I describe this day? 

My birthday is always an uneventful day for me.. I don't know why exactly, but whenever I look back at the very exact day every year, I can't feel happy happy rather I feel happy-thankful or happy-trying-to-be-happy.. It has always been the days around my birthday that make my month awesomely happy. My birthday has always been a family day, days around it is a celebration with the 'cousins' or with friends. Thinking about it now, I think I know now what's wrong. I am a full-pledged 'LEO' of the zodiac on my birthday month. I crave attention and control. *manipulative bitch* And when I celebrate it with family, I just go with the flow to avoid any unlikely arguments just because it should be a great day! and yet at the end of it, it doesn't make me feel that way. *sigh* (hmm.. having a blog like this is quite liberating I guess.. lol.) 

Anyway, how this year's day went? Bad start.. First of, I really don't like planning things with family. Really! super undecided at some point and on the other hand there's this other things going on. It always starts with 'what do you want to do?', 'what's the plan?' and then when you voice out what you wanted it's always as if they don't like it, so why bother?? And then it goes with 'ewan ko' (I don't know) answer from them which really does it for me. I don't like it. (er... this post is starting to be a ranting post.. ugh! guess I really need to let it out.. not feeling good on my birthday is bad enough. T.T ) Always like that.. And this year?? what I have on the table is quite a handful... My mother is prioritizing a distant relative's funeral! Inuna talaga! Sinong matutuwa??  I mean, for me, there's nothing wrong if we need to attend the funeral, but she's asking not to attend mass on my birthday and just attend the funeral's mass??! seriously?? that throws out my mood even more! It's ok if I can't celebrate, but don't take away that simple gesture for my birthday. That really started it. *sigh* whatever.. That's just one thing and then there's the list of it! We came to the wake last Sunday and attended the interment today, on my birthday. She really insisted on it and even imposed us to go with them. And then there's this listing of the bills and all.. Who would like to celebrate if you are to spend the day on a relative's interment and with your mother non stop talking about the bills to pay?? how's that!? And to top it all, generally this day feels really bad because it felt forced. So I just tried to get on with the day.. And for now, I'll just wait for my 'me-gift' due next month, 'happiness delayed'. Can't wait to get my hands on an SIII plus the planned splurging-night out with my girls! I know these will even out everything!