happy carbs

planning to cheat (on your diet of course) this weekend? here's my Top 4 favorite places in Cebu to get your happy carbs fix :)

 

1.Pho Xao from Phat Pho - this Vietnamese fried noodles is loaded with prawns and vegetables (bean sprouts, crispy fried shallots, carrots and spring onions) and you can ask them to serve it mild or super spicy (i prefer the latter). I usually pair this with sticks of beef satay and Vietnamese rolls, and yes, no rice needed!

2. Cacio E Pepe from Tavolata - their version is a personal favorite. This dish is a tricky order because it's either a hit or a miss partly because of how simple it is to make. Tavolata's version achieves the right balance of cream and pepper and the handmade pasta seals the deal. It's creamy but not overpowering and the fettucini is perfect to the bite.

3. Hazelnut Pancakes from Tinderbox - if you're craving for something sweet then head over to Tinderbox and order this masterpiece. Stack of pancakes with hazelnut spread and sliced bananas, whip cream and sprinkle of powdered sugar. I think I just gained a few pounds trying to describe the entire plate.

4. Lasagna from The Corner Bakery - probably the best lasagna in this side of the world! I have been trying to hack the bechamel recipe for months but to no success. Their lasagna has a "melt in your mouth" goodness and the flavor is perfectly balanced. Plus the fact that I live few cartwheels away from the bakery is the icing on the cake! :)

 

sneaker happy

i am currently participating in a "dressdown for a cause" initiative in the office for more than a week now which i think is a perfect excuse to temporarily retire my blazers/suits and dress shoes for the next 2 months :) 

have been obsessing on sneakers lately and became an instant New Balance fan after getting my first pair 2 weeks ago. i like how the color pops and matches perfectly with the trendy jogger pants or a skinny pair of jeans (like this OOTD from last Friday)

below are my top 3 choices of kicks this summer:

Jeremy Scott x Adidas Golden Wings 3.0  (already ordered and will be shipped from Germany) - this latest Jeremy Scott creation is definitely stunning and a sure headturner but will set you back at $250. You can order online as it's only available in selected Adidas stores.

New Balance 1500M - this one's directly made from the UK (currently looking for online sellers) and has the leather treatment. It's perfect with a dark pair of denim (see photo from Pinterest below)

Tip: Sneak Peek in Ayala Center Cebu offers easy payment terms.You can get a new pair of New Balance or any other brand and have it on installment (even up to 6 months!). 

Pharell Williams x Adidas Originals Superstar Supercolor - relased more than a month ago and available in 50 colors (yes 50!), options are unlimited. My personal choice is this pink pair which sets you back at $100.

what's your summer/spring shoe style obsession? sound off the comment section :) 

a date with myself :)

...i can no longer remember the last time i had a date with myself so i decided to take some few days off from work and initially planned on going somewhere north like Dumaguete (i'm bad with directions so i'm not sure if it's north LOL)...the planned didn't push through and i ended spending my time within Cebu...i decided to go back to Shangri-la (after spending Easter Sunday with friends there) with just a book, a camera and some sunscreen :)

..i started off with a late lunch at Tea of Spring..i shy away from the tempting Tides lunch buffet coz i wanted something new and light...ordered some stir-fried udon in black pepper, freshly steamed shrimp dumplings (which is the best i've tasted by the way) and a serving of jasmine tea...it's a dimsum feast i don't mind doing more often :)



...after lunch, i went to my favorite Shangri-la spot (the big rock right in the beach front) and started reading the remaining chapters of "A Clash of Kings" while playing my beachfront playlist in my ipod (it's a combination of All Saints, Dario G, Moby, Madonna and few Hed Kandi remixes)..the only break i had was when i took a solo shot of myself to capture the moment :)



...around 3 PM, i decided to move to different spot to finish reading my book while stealing glances at beautiful strangers by the poolside - and i have the perfect thirst quencher to beat the heat while doing that :)



...i no longer waited for sunset as i needed to meet up with some friends for dessert...meet up with them in Dolce (which is a new happy place for me) and had servings of their famous butter cake paired with some Italian coffee



...after dessert, i decided to skip dinner - i needed a long shower more than anything else and went straight to sleep..it felt really good doing something spontaneous and rewarding at the same time and can't wait for the next one :)

on running and playlists

there's a lot of things i'm excited about April and kicking things off will be season 2 of Game of Thrones on HBO and i'm painfully counting the days to fly by to get to April..i have also been running, yes, it sounds unbelievable but i do though not the hardcore type..it's more of a leisure thing and it's the perfect excuse to create a playlist to listen to while running...here's my Top 10

1. Blood for Poppies by Garbage - yes, the goddess is back and hotter than ever!! Shirley Manson is divine and perfection in every inch!



2. Feel so Close by Clavin Harris
3. Shake it Out by Florence and the Machine
4. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People
5. Room for Happiness by Kaskade feat. Skylar Grey
6. Gangster Tripping by Fatboy Slim - it's a must to insert a classic piece and this one's way too good to be not on a running playlist
7. Wild Ones by Flo Rida and Sia
8. Collide by Leona Lewis and Avicii
9. Blue Jeans (RAC Remix) by Lana Del Rey - a current obsession
10. Walk by The Foo Fighters

..i got these babies on auto-repeat and follow it with the perfect cool down tracks which serve as a perfect finish to the entire run :)

1. Breathe Me by Sia
2. Poison and Wine by The Civil Wars - their Barton Hollow album is one of my current obsessions



3. Tomorrow Will be Kinder by The Secret Sisters
4. Lego House by Ed Sheeran
5. Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron and Wine

...what's in your running playlist?

tour guide

...the girls wanted a new scene so i decided to take them to Imperial Palace for an early afternoon bite and to get some few cocktails before sunset



...took some pics...some staged, some candid :)







...i can now call myself an official tour guide (for the non-adventurous stuff only hehehe) and i'll come up with rates the next time hehehe

suite and wet

...i ended up having an unplanned getaway last Sunday when me and my housemates decided to go to Imperial Palace - it's a new waterpark resort and hotel in Mactan...the pictures posted in their website were worth checking out so we went to see the place and plan for a day tour

...the first thing i saw in the carpark when we got their was this beetle that was an exact replica of Herbie...i knew i have to take a picture right away and channel Lindsay Lohan...damn! i left my leather jacket - i'm sure it will make the picture perfect!



...the place was surprisingly HUGE...bigger than my usual fave Shangri-la..and their waterpark was interesting enough that i was instantly turned into a little kid getting excited to try all of the good stuff my eyes have seen...can i just say wet, wet, wet in the most literal sense? I LOVE IT!!!







...we ended spending the night at the hotel...and oh boy, what made it perfect was we were upgraded to a suite room with the same local rate you pay for a regular roomm...i'll say it again...PERFECT!!! hahaha





...and ow, did i mention that the view outside was equally perfect? :)



...i'm now seeing tan lines and i know i'll get much more when i hit Boracay next week...summer's officially starting kids! :)

going back

...i got my bags packed already and im ready to take the first morning flight back to Cebu by tomorrow...it was nice to see old faces, to reminisce about most probably the most enjoyable phase in my life - high school...all the crazy antics, the bloopers, the trip to the principal's office, the petty quarrels, the competition and everything that came in between..it was worth staying until 5am earlier even with my leg hurting like hell :(

...can't wait for the pics...here's a bit of a preview :)



...vacay's done..time to get back to reality called work

back to the same s***

...i'm back to the same shit again - work that is...i'm still in vacation mode though hehehe (i'm half asleep and half of my brain is literally not working)...weekend in Cebu was the refresher i badly needed

...as usual, all good things come to an end

...another super busy/crazy Monday

one more week

...it's the Holy Week season again and this could only mean one thing for other people - the beach...but for me - it still is work and i hate the fact that i'm already used to it...oh well

...maybe by next year i'll plan it in ahead to stop being a corpo slave for few days and just enjoy a vacation...and since i'm not much of a fan of the beach, i'll probably head back here - the Chi Spa :)

...water, water and more water







...and i miss this cut - the one i got when i spent some chill time at the Chi Spa



...one more week to go and i can finally get back to Cebu - though only for the weekend - just enough to satisfy my lechon cravings and of course seeing the people i love :)

would you be tired if you did this for the weekend?

...last weekend was just super fast-paced for me, but i think i wasn't the only one...it's the Sinulog weekend so expect the worst when it comes to traffic but when it comes to party...Cebu's the way to go baby :)

...got to sneak out from work to spend the weekend in Cebu, and the first thing i did was to get myself a haircut (i've been having a bad hair day for the last 4 days) and went to Starbs after for my caffeine fix (something that's been deprived from me since I got here...yeah they got no Starbucks here, so i gotta make friends with the coffee vending machine)





...had dinner with Tetet, Ian and Chubaboink and had some carbo overloading...started off with bruschetta then some seafood pasta and some penne with fried zucchinis and eggplants...super yum! and best part about it is that i was able to get a bag of 3 muskeeters when i made a pit stop at the Waterfront...YEY!






...went to some posh bar after and mind you i was already more than 24 hours awake but i'm still kickin'...had lotsa dose of different kind of cheeses and caviar and got some Kahlua for the required alcohol for the night...made a few more talks and called it a night...






...was on hibernate mode the whole day of Saturday and started the day late...had dinner with friends from work to catch up on things and then i got myself a good massage and head for dreamland right after..

...did a little bit of sunbathing (actually that was bit too much) and few hours of walking to catch the whole Sinulog parade...i'm tired...let the pictures do the talking :)

the hard part and a fabuloush weekend with my mean girls :)

...got a fab weekend with mah girlfriends that almost cost me my lovelife hehehe but that's all behind me now...we're friends but i've learned a lesson from it :)

...a friend from home came over to cebu to livin' up my weekend...miss this biatch soooo much :)



...spent a fab lunch with her and ian (overeating galore hehehe)...then head on to watch a dog show (their cute, but can't imagine having one of them as a pet)...stayed there for less than an hour then head on to the mall to get some stuff :)







...wish she can stay longer...to have more camwhorin' moments hehehe



...and i can't wait to see HEROES's 21st episode (The Hard Part) later :)

DOWNLOAD LINKS GALORE :)

http://rapidshare.com/files/30091614/H.121.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/30091601/H.121.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/30091596/H.121.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/30091586/H.121.part4.rar

...watcha waitin' for :)