Lunch at 2nd's

One fine not so busy day, Lai, Rommel and I decided to have have our lunch outside the office vicinity so we went around High Street and found ourselves at 2nd's.

2nd's is one of Lai's favorite restaurants. And according to her, the owner of the said restaurant is Rhian Ramos's sister.

We arrived there just in time for lunch. The place is spacious and cozy. I think it can accommodate more or less 50 people. As the name of the restaurant suggests, it is located at the second floor of Building 1, 9th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street, Taguig CIty. 

2nd's offers mainly Filipino cuisine but there are also other food you can order from their menu.

As for starters, Rommel ordered Bacon Chicharon in Buffalo Sauce. 

I was surprised how big these bacon strips are. The bacon strips are so crunchy but it lacked the flavorful taste of bacon. I think there are too much cornstarch that is why it did not taste that delicious. I enjoyed the salad side dish more than the bacon.

As for the main course, Rommel and Lai had the Three Little Pigs Kawali. It is basically a lechon kawali only the meat is very tender and juicy. 

As for me, I ordered the lamb caldereta from the menu. I must say that the serving is generous and the lamb meat is very tender and falls off the bone. The sauce is also thick and the melted mozzarella gave the dish it's  flavorful and unique taste. Not bad for my first time.

Food at 2nd's is quite expensive but if you are looking for a place with good food and superb ambiance, this is the place to be.

NARS Funny Face: A Review

I love red lipsticks. Eversince I was a kid, when I used to participate in school programs or attend Santa Cruzan, it is almost mandatory for my mom to put some lipstick on my lips.

But now that I am working, I am quite adventurous when it comes to trying new things. I told myself, why not try a pink lippie for a change, it might look good on me. Hehehe

So, I searched for the perfect pink lippie for me and found NARS Funny Face. =)

Funny Face is a bold and gorgeous semi matte lippie by NARS Cosmetics. It is not as shocking as NARS Schiap but it gives your lips a vibrant aura. Aside from the lip color, what I like about this lippie is that it is not drying to the lips, unlike those of MAC Matte collection, wherein you may need to apply a lip balm first to prevent your lips from chapping after the application. 

It is also moisturizing and lasts longer because of its semi-matte finish. Whether you are fair skinned or a little darker, this lipstick will still look good on you. 

So far, this is the most expensive lipstick that I have. But at its price of $33, this product is worth every cent you won't even regret purchasing one. 

Here is my selfie shot using NARS Funny Face. Perfect for office wear no?

NARS Cosmetics is available at all Rustan's branches in Metro Manila. 

Lunch at NBA Cafe Manila

It's Payday Friday again and the team feeling so rich today decided to splurge some bucks at the newest restaurant in SM Aura, that is NBA Cafe Manila! 

For those who do not know yet, NBA Cafe Manila opens its doors to the public on April 25 and is a first-of its kind destination for casual and avid NBA fans alike. The restaurant also features larger than life NBA displays and unique basketball memorabilia. NBA Cafe Manila is located at 5th flr, SM Aura Premier, BGC, Taguig City.

We took some shots first while waiting for our orders (the service is very slow!)

And here are our orders! As for appetizer, we ordered Bay Shrimp Ceviche. The serving is small but I enjoyed it so much! It's so tasty!

As for me, I ordered the Hickory Smoked Bacon and Beef Burger. Priced at Php 390, this burger is topped with Wisconsin cheddar and cheese and Kansas City BBQ sauce.

My side dish for the burger is beer battered onion rings which is also very good!

As for Kat, she ordered this Cheeseburger with french fries as side dish. Cheeseburger is topped with gruyere cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, sliced dill pickles and truffle oil.

And here's our drinks!

As for Rommel, he had Beer Battered Fish and Chips!

And here are some of the memorabilia that can been seen inside the restaurant. On one of the walls, is this display of NBA jerseys.

And also this Php 140,000 basketball signed none other than NBA Superstar Lebron James.

Of course, this obligatory shot with the jerseys! Hehehe

Getting a Dose of Vitamin "Sea" in Baler

Summertime has already begun and it is almost obligatory for everyone to go to the beach! Of course, my high school travel buddies and I will not let this time pass without getting our skin tanned and enjoying the goodness of the beach life! Hahaha

So for this summer, we decided to visit the beautiful island of Baler in Aurora which is also known as the birthplace of surfing here in the Philippines. Baler is about 230km from Manila so it will take about six to seven hours travel time to get there. 

As for our trip, we rode the executive luxury bus of Genesis Transport Service, Inc. (Joybus) to get there. This bus travels without stopovers and has recliner seats and portable toilet onboard. Fare is quite pricey at Php 700 as this includes snacks(Skyflakes) and bottle of water, Wi-Fi, bus stewardess, blankets and pillows.

Since this is our first time to ride the Joybus (well, except for Joyce), a group shot using the monopod is definitely in order! :D

We left Cubao at around 2AM and arrived there by 8AM just in time for breakfast. At the bus terminal, several tricycles are lined up offering tours to tourists. The drivers rate for day tour is Php800 per trike. This includes going to Ampere Beach, Balete Tree, Mother Falls, Ermita Hill and Sabang Beach. But because we did not have any way of knowing how to get to the tourist destinations there, we availed the day tour and rented 3 trikes.

Upon arrival, we immediately checked in at Carlito's Inn and restaurant (10mins away from the terminal) and grabbed some breakfast there. After an hour, our kuya drivers fetched us and we're off to start our town tour! 

Our first stop, Ampere Beach! 

Ampere Beach is quite far from where we left off. I think we traveled for almost an hour just to see this wonderful place. It looks like that of Batanes because of the big rocks along the shore. The place is not suitable for swimming because of the very big waves and big rocks so we just took some shots in the breakwater. 

Our next stop is the Millennium Tree also known as Balete Tree! 

I believe the first things that come to one's mind when they hear about Balete are horror stories. But this tree is truly incredible! It is known that the 600 years old tree would take 60 people holding hands with arms outstretched to encircle it. 

Here is our photo from the inside of the Balete tree! The roots are soo biiiggggg!!!! #medyoscary

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The caretakers of Balete tree were kind enough take this trick(panorama) shot. (I remember how funny this shot was taken..hahaha!)

We left the Balete tree almost noon, so we decided to go back to the city and eat our lunch at the famous Gerry Shan's Restaurant. 

Gerry Shan's Restaurant is an affordable eat all you can restaurant that offers mainly Filipino food. At Php 185, one can have as many as 20 viands to choose from and unlimited iced tea. 

We also chose this place for lunch, since we need to load up for our next activity and that is the trek to Ditumabo Falls also known as Mother Falls. 

The trek to Mother Falls is not very easy. That's why I am proud of my not so hiking friends for braving the roads that lead us there. At the start of the trail, there is already river crossing. Several man-made bridges can also be found along the trails. 

These are some of the photos from our trek. #medyohardcore hahaha

The water from the Mother Falls is very cold. And I mean, very very cold! It's like ice only in liquid form! Hahaha It's also so crystal clear and very refreshing too!!!! 

Because it is very hot in Baler especially in the afternoon, we stayed in the falls for quite a while.  (Ang sarap maligo!!!) Hehehe

It was around 4pm when we left the Mother Falls and so our drivers hurried up and brought us to Ermita Hill. In one of the view decks of Ermita Hill, one can enjoy the breath taking view of the Pacific Ocean.

In the upper left portion of the frame is the Sabang Beach as seen from the view deck. In the upper right portion, on the other hand is the Aniao Islets. 

It's almost dusk when we left Ermita Hill and so we decided to call it a day. So, our kuya drivers, brought us to Sabang Beach where we had our dinner at Bay's Inn. 

Here is a picture of the yummy foodie that we ordered. Crispy Pata, Calamares, Fried Chicken and of course the to-die-for Kilawin!!!  Hahaha

Can I just say that Bay Inn's Kilawin is one of the best tasting Kilawin I have ever tasted in my life? Just the perfect combination of sour and spicy raw fish! Hahaha

And these are some of the signage/posts that can be seen from the walls. 

After feeding our very hungry tummy, we went back to Carlito's to freshen up. We also played UNO before going to bed. 

On our second day, we hit the Sabang Beach!

Joyce, Gelo and David were brave enough to try surfing. As for me, I just ogled at every surfer guy's flat tummy there! Seriously, they are really very hot!!!

Here are some of their pictures.Their trainers are prepping them before they hit Baler waves!

Of course, beach body group pics are definitely in order! hahaha

The sun is almost high so we decided to get our brunch at Bay Inn's again.American breakfast for everyone!

After brunch, we went back to Carlito's to prep ourselves before going home. Here's another shot of us inside the Joy Bus!

That's it for our summer getaway this 2014! Hope you enjoyed today's entry! =)

Laneige: Water Sleeping Pack EX and Water Bank Gel Cream (A Review)

Summer is here and it is already very hot and humid here in the Philippines specially in the afternoon where the temperature can get as high as 35 degrees. I, for one had to hydrate myself by drinking as much fluids as possible to prevent dehydration! But as you know, it isn't only our body that needs to be hydrated. During this period, our skin tends to become dry and flaky because of the intense heat. 

So for today, let me share with you a product that I discovered that is very good in hydration and in keeping my skin healthy and vitalized. 

Let me present you the Water Sleeping Pack EX and Water Bank Gel Cream from the Laneige line.

1) Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX 

What I like about this product is that it is very light when applied to you face. It is so light it easily gets absorbed by your skin you wouldn't even notice that you applied it. It's light blue gel type texture is also non-sticky and it has an aromatic scent that is so calming. (Thanks to the Sleepscent incorporated in this product!)

I use the sleeping pack twice a week but you can use that as necessary. I use this at night before going to sleep. When I wake up in the morning the following day, I feel so fresh and my skin looks so healthy! :) 

Tip: When you're so stressed and had a very rough day, try to inhale the scent of this product for 5 seconds and pretty sure you will feel relaxed after! 


2) Water Bank Gel Cream 

This one is essentially thicker than the Sleeping Pack and I personally use this product in the morning rather than at night. I use this daily as it provides a 24-hour long-lasting moisture to keep me well-hydrated throughout the day. 

So what are you waiting for? Love your skin and start moisturizing! :) 


This product is available in all Laneige Branches here in the Philippines. 

SM Aura Premier 
Trinoma 
Robinson's Ermita 
Robinson's Galleria 
SM Megamall
Shangri-la Plaza

Cena gastronómica de la Cova Tapas y Sangria

Last March, Luthie and I decided to avail our long overdue voucher from Deal Grocer and so one fine Monday night we headed to Jupiter Street in Makati and had our dinner at Cova Tapas y Sangria.

The interior looks like that of inside of a whale. (Don't ask me how I figured that out, I also don't know why.. Hehehe)

For starters, we ordered the Huevos Cabreados. Well, this is basically, fried eggs, shoestring potatoes (yes, I also thought of Piknik), crispy chorizo and alioli. This is already quite heavy but nonetheless yummy! Hahaha

Next, for the main course, we ordered this Fideua. /phi-du-wa. This one is composed of squid, clams, short noodles and alioli. It looks scanty but this one serves 3-4 pax though.

Lastly, our dinner will not be complete without the taste of this Summer Peachy White Wine Sangria. Oh man! This sangria is the best! I think I had 3 glasses of this one! It's so refreshing, perfect for a night of small girly talk! Hahaha

To try more of Cova Tapas y Sangria's other menu,

You can visit it at 22 Jupiter St. Bel-Air Makati City

A Relaxing Weekend | Chateau Royale Sports and Country Club

Last February, a day after Valentine's Day, my good friend Marge and I went to Batangas (yes, I was in Nasugbu again..) to have a quick break from our sooo busy lives! Hahaha! We wanted to relax and give ourselves a time to breathe so for this getaway we chose Chateau Royale Sports and Country Club in Nasugbu, Batangas as our destination.

Chateau Royale Sports and Country Club is located along Nasugbu Highway and is 10 minutes away from Tagaytay. To go there, you can ride a bus from MRT Taft Station with sign (Nasugbu) via Coastal Road that will take you there in approximately two(2) hours. 

Here are our selfies. LOL

Upon entering, you will be welcomed by their large receiving area where you can see huge statues of Buddha (I think..or some godly structure) and vases and other ornaments that are taller than you are. By the way, I like the violet sofa over there. It so velvety and very soft! Hahaha

After checking in, we were brought by the mini cart to our cabin. And by cabin I mean a log cabin a little like that of below. Ours was on the elevated part though.

Here is the interior of our cabin. The room is so large, I think a few more people could fit inside it. Since it is only the two us, we each have our own queen bed to sleep on.. :D

Here are some of the things that one might actually see inside Chateau Royale. There were lots of fountains and koi ponds and buddha statues. By the way, the picture on the upper left side of the frame is the condotel, another type of accommodation that you can avail.

For other recreational activities, there's also rock climbing (70 feet high), swimming pool, playground for the kids and zip line.

Of course, because I was feeling so strong that day, I did not let myself skip rock climbing! Sadly, I was not able to reach the top, my knees were all shaky when I was in the middle of it. (damn it, back pain!)

The following day, we decided to grab our lunch in Tagaytay. Since I haven't eaten at Bag of Beans, we decided to eat there. And here are our orders, Tocino for Marge and Grilled Fish for me. We also ordered their specialty pie but was not able to take a picture of it na.

That's it for our getaway this February. Hope you enjoyed today's entry. =)