never lose the child in you

That's right! Even if you're about to be a bridesmaid - or  a bride. You see, my best friend will tie the knot this coming December and that, obviously, will make me a bridesmaid in a month's time. Juskoday!!

So late last month, I went to their house to have my fats, bulges and short limbs measured for my gown. It was a heartbreaking encounter with the dressmaker. As you all know, my tummy is impossibly huge nowadays. It's embarrassing! And again, heartbreakinggg. 

BFF bonding came right after. She got us shakes and a dozen of donuts only to finish just two. Pasimpleng diet. :P Of course the afternoon was all about wedding stuff - prenup themes and outfits, save the date vids, wedding songs, reception gimiks and last but most definitely not the least, the scary gastos that comes with all the getting-married thing. It made me more cynical. Hahaha!

Speaking of prenup, her shoot was just few days away when we met and she was still friggin' unprepared. She had ideas on what to wear but nothing definite yet. I was the one panicking for her 'cause I'm the type who'd prepare {and even write down, goodness gracious} my outfit plans a week before a big day, sometimes even for small ones and most especially for travels. I am such an OC freaakkk, don't remind me.

Anyway, I pressured her of preparing that instant so my supposedly sukat-lang-pwede-magpambahay day became another trip to the most convenient mall eveerr, SM Fairview. I'm so glad I opted to wear a decent outfit instead of my rotten pambahay clothes, or else. And with rotten, I really mean the sobrang nipis, butas butas pa kind. Hehe.

We scored a belt that will match her available white dress for her casual look, then silver shoesies for her red dress for another theme. She's considering using the same shoes for her wedding because it was that elegant, not to mention pricey. Blame it on me!

After our grown-up errands, it was time to relive our inner child. We started with the energy-draining shooting. She made a whopping score of 124 points and was stepping on my ego with "anong nangyari sa 'yo best?". The next round, I made sure I beat her. Sweat, blood and tears! Haha! I finished with 144 points and it put my self-esteem back to pedestal. Hahaha! I kid, I kid.

 

We also wasted quite a number of tokens playing pachinko. It's super addicting!! It's a gambling device, what do you expect? We didn't effin' win, not even once. Oh well, loseerss.

you win some, you learn some hahaha

To cheer ourselves up, we surrendered our tickets at the booth for some candies. Yeeyy! We even divided the candies like we all used to do when we were kids, one for youuu, one for meeee, one for Appleee.. Hahaha! Madugas na bata! Although, we ended up sharing the candies as we strolled the mall a little more.

candieessss

We ended the night with literally sizzling plates. Her treat again!! I wonder when will I be able to give back to all these friends who have been treating me to just about anything left and right. As much as I'm enjoying being this spoiled to friends, I also cannot wait to make it up to them. Insert conscience's voice: "Magtrabaho ka na kaseee."

thank you, best! :*

Having mentioned going back to work, hope I can finally lift my butt this month to do so. It's about time, little miss.

*excuse the blurry mobile photos

ELSEWHERE

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Bloglovin'

food trippin' with ze best friend

Gaaah! How do you hate it when you want to sleep already but you can't?? You just cant'! Yeaah, I hate it too. However, I have my blog to keep me company. Take this a sign, put up yours now. ✌

I digress. Last month, few days after my third major sickness this year, my best friend called me up out of nowhere inviting me for dinner. I was a bit hesitant 'cause 1) I'M SICK 2) it's late already and 3) I don't have anything to wear. Superficial like that! Hahaha! But as obvious as it is, I went with her anyway. 

It took us a while to decide where to go. From the gate of our village, it's either we turn left going to Quezon City or we turn right going to Bulacan. I live in Caloocan, by the way. The part of the city that's sandwiched between QC and Bulacan - right smack in the middle.

So anyway, we chose the latter. Bulacan, that is. It honestly felt a little weird looking for a place to eat. It's not that I'm totally clueless about the place, I mean, it's the direction going to my dad's favorite church so.. But not to dine out. 

Then I found out that my best friend and her fiancé frequent a place there - a carinderia of sorts but a notch more sosyal. I wish I noticed the name of the place but sadly, no. And the food? Not bad at all! I even finished mine, hyperacidity and all. Partida! We had sisig, sinigang, rice of course and their SERVICE WATER. Sinong takot sa sakit ng tyan? Definitely not me!!

excuse my sick fugly face

On our way looking for another place to settle to, my best friend thought of visiting her fiancé. He works in a Jollibee branch somewhere in Bulacan, manager if I'm not mistaken. Minutes of kamustahan after, we're off to go. He handed us free sundaes. Instant dessert, why yes?

Everything was a blur after that. You know how it goes? You refuse to part ways yet but you can't think of  a place to go to.  Plus it was late already. Tragic!

By {her nickname} finally thought of going to the gimikan part of Robinsons, Novaliches. I am more than a a hundred percent sure that if only the malls are open, we wouldn't even think of setting foot in that place. But we didn't have a choice, clearly. 

Now, guess what we did there? Here: Park the car, leave the air con working and finally eat our sundaes inside. Yes, ganun kami gumimik. Hahaha! But frankly, if not for my hyperacidity, I wouldn't mind drinking a bottle or two just to keep the night going. Mind you, I've only tasted alcohol four times in this life time. At TASTED lang talaga. Hella good person right here! Mom? Mom? Are you reading this? Hahaha!

Jollibee mainstays :P

Since our Robinsons stint didn't really work out, we transferred yet again. We found ourselves capping off the night with macaroni soup at another Jollibee branch, the one that's near SM Fairview. It's where we stayed the longest. Too long that we only left at around 1AM {or was that 2?} Unimaginable kwentuhan.

And before I go back to forcing myself to sleep, let me just boast around that EVERY SINGLE THING was her treat! Made me realize all the more that I'm indeed blessed with friends. I am thankful beyond words. ❤

ELSEWHERE

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Bloglovin'

best friend duties

Tossing photos of an unplanned day out with the best friend. I was having a tough day then for bajillion reasons and the easiest escape I thought of was sms-ing the best friend for rescue. Thankfully she isn't called as such for nothing. Few hours later, I was venting non-stop to her. I kept on blabbing as she drove to our destination - of course with occasional reactions and sympathies here and there. I gave her five stars that day for multi-tasking. :P

best friend to the rescue ♥

everything is more fun with a little camwhoring

And what other way to cheer someone up? Libre, syempre!! Haha! She wasn't just my sponge that day for listening to my endless qualms but she was also my pasta and pizza dinner sponsor. She treated me to dinner at Kangaroo Jack. It was my first time there and I kinda loved their four cheese pizza. Like I'm craving for it right at this very moment? Hahaha! Kainis!

selfie selfie selfieee 'cause i'm vain like that

I went home that day feeling a lot better. Although at that point, nothing has changed yet, it's really of big help when you get to release things that are softly killing you inside. Agree? And if you read this and you happen to have a good heart and is somehow concerned, don't worry, I'll be alright. I've had enough of rest hence I made this month my "time to move"  month. Gusto mo yuuunn? In a matter of months, I'll have a new job, I have started my dream business and perhaps I am a lot happier. I am claiming it!

ELSEWHERE

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Bloglovin'

rain or shine, happy or sad

I am perfectly aware that I have to be up by 8am tomorrow but here I am trying to blog at 3am. Where art thou, sleep discipline? It's been a while. :)

As promised, next on my list is the day out with the best friend some weeks ago. We went to Quezon City Circle hoping we'd accomplish my 2012 goal #01 which is "Learn how to ride a bike" but as you may have all guessed, we failed. I disappointed my best friend but I'm pretty sure not as much as I disappointed myself. Remember I already failed before? :'( But no, I'm not quitting. The next time I try mag-aalay muna ako ng itlog at magmamakaawa sa lahat ng mga santo. Would you know kung may Patron Saint of Biking? :P

Looking on the brighter side, it's good that we were able to bond for almost the entire day. Come rain or shine. Come happy or sad. 

RAIN. It was raining when we arrived at the park. It was early lunch time then. We didn't want to brave the rain so we just stayed inside the car and I conducted 'Making Faces 101'. Trivia: The best friend doesn't know how to make faces. Look at her having a hard time. 

isang kindat naman jan, best! :P

SHINE. After the rain has stopped, we eagerly went out for lunch. Few shoots here and there as we were trying to look for a decent place to eat. The first picture worthy spot we found was what we thought as wishing well. Imagine my excitement peeking through the well only to find out it has transformed to a huge garbage can {or garbage well, whatever}. Only in the Philippines yan.

wishing garbage well

We found an area of decent restos and chose Bacolod Chicken Inasal. In this age and day, we don't just eat, we eat while taking pictures. I assume we all agree, thank you. Haha! :)

Ini ang Inasal!

HAPPY. After lunch, we were happy souls with happy tummies already. We strolled in the park stopping by every picture-worthy spot we see. It brought back memories. We felt like kiddos - young, wild and free. Hahaha!

we're just having fun, we don't care who sees ♩♪♫

{ohnooess, LSS}

SAD. And the obvious sad part is that after two hours of trying to balance that darn bicycle, I still didn't learn. Few days after, I have bruises all over my legs. For the second time around, all I got are bruises. Bruuiisseesss! Passsaa! Alam mo yun. Passaaaa? Gusto ko lang naman matutong magbike eh! Hindi ba pwede yun? Hahaha! I'm running amok now. :P

and that, my friends, is the look of frustration

Lastly, we had dinner at some random carinderia na feeling resto with the waiter and bill out effect pa. After a frustrating and tiring and dehydrating biking attempt, a good heart to heart talk with the best friend capped the night. Not bad at all, what do you think? ♥ :')

still trying to make faces, huh?

And speaking of not bad at all. It's already 4am and I'm left with only 4 hours of sleep. Not bad at all. Really.

ELSEWHERE

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Bloglovin'

ace water spa yet again

Yay! Super late post just because I'm super lazeh. Hahaha! Went to Ace Water Spa with the best friend several weeks ago. Thanks again to my sponsor, Belle de Jour Planner. :D

I was with my officemates-turned-friends the first time I got to try this hydrotherapy massage thing. We went to their Pasig branch then. This time, the  bestfriend and I chose their QC branch somewhere in Banahaw. And as usual, we got lost before finally finding our destination. You crazy driver! Hahaha! ILY, best friend. :* 

We stayed there for around two to three hours and the reason why we left early was, again, we're already hungry. Haha! So after hours of fun and acting silly in the massage pool, we spoiled ourselves even more with an eat-all-you-can dinner at Yam Cha Seafood and Dimsum resto. Food is mediocre though, nothing really special.

There you go. Photo dump ahead. ♥

in front of the spa
like this better than Pasig's

the wall just before you enter the shower/changing area

rules rules ruleees

pigging out, especially the best friend :P

ELSEWHERE

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Bloglovin'

out-of-the-ordinary balaw balaw experience

This one I'm very excited to blog about. Please ask me why. Haha! You asking me now? Because just recently I was able to tick off two items from my bucket list. Now tell me you're excited to hear my story too. :D

After 15 loooong months of not seeing each other, my best friend and I finally saw each other again. And no, don't think we're worlds apart. We actually live one jeepney ride {minimum fare even} away from each other. It's just that, I dunno, sometimes when you're no longer used to something, it's so difficult to make it happen again. Lack of effort, lots of excuses.

Anyhoo, I guess we felt obliged to see each other again {because we're best friends, for crying out loud}, and we ran out of excuses finally. So, June 5, 2011 {mark that milestone in your calendars please} we finally met again.

Days before our planned meet-up {but honestly without it in mind}, I was surfing the net for restos serving exotic food. I thought all of them are situated in far provinces. Fortunately I found one in Angono, Rizal, Balaw Balaw Folk Food Folk Art. A restaurant and museum in one, pretty interesting. The next thing I know, I was dragging my best friend, along with my sister, to Angono.

It was such a disaster going there, blame it on me. I thought I had the brightest idea - I'll research, the best friend will drive. Surprise, surprise! I left my laptop's battery. I got stressed asking for directions. We arrived in Balaw Balaw a little late for lunch.

welcome to Angono :D

finally, Balaw Balaw

One mistake after another. We could have given our orders first before roaming around the place but we didn't. We went around the three-storey creepy museum for roughly about an hour. And what did we see there? Lots of paintings, sculptures {I didn't see Machete though}, antique household furniture and some stuff related to the Higantes Festival. And can I just emphasize it is creepy there? If in case I'll visit the place again, I swear it'll only be for eating.

didn't I tell you it's creepy?

Speaking of eating, we all had Minaluto, mix of seafoods served with yellow rice. Nothing really different with how they were prepared but still worth the price just because they're seafoods. :D We also had Nilasing na Palaka and Adobong Baboy Ramo. The frog tasted like chicken, while the wild boar tasted like sour Christmas ham. I prefer the former, hindi ko ma-take ang baboy ramo. :( We also tried their Balaw Balaw, which by the way means fermented shrimp. I didn't like it as it tasted like vinegar.

waiting in vain, antagal ng food

Minaluto, 235php

Man vs Frog

Nilasing na Palaka, 220php

Adobong Baboy Ramo, 385php

We were in Balaw Balaw for about 4 hours. 1 hour roaming around the museum, 1 hour waiting for the food {good thing we were allowed to charge our cellphones, cameras and laptop, abusado much}, and 2 hours eating. And since we didn't want to part ways as early as 5pm, we went straight to Megamall. We played shooting and racing at Worlds of Fun. Yes I know, not enough to burn the calories! Haha! Before calling it a night, we also had Ice Scrambles. Perfect way to cool down.

and the winner is.. yours truly! :P

And as I was saying, I was able to tick off two items from my list again -

Goal #9. Eat anything strange/exotic. - CHECK!

 

9. EAT ANYTHING STRANGE/EXOTIC 
I have always been gutless to try eating anything strange. Don't think I'm picky with what I eat. In fact, I eat ALMOST anything common to human, well make that Filipino, taste buds. I'm just scared to try different cuisines and weird dishes. I remember not trying the tamilok {wood worm} in Puerto Princesa because it's so disgusting. It looks raw.. and slimy.. and.. ulk! IT'S JUST SO GROSS. Even with this list in mind, I think I still can't eat that. haha! daya.. but I might consider. Next time I go out of town {or country, ayiee} I swear I'll try to eat anything uncommon. Just no worms, puhlease.

Goal #18. Reconnect with old friends.  - CHECK! 

18. RECONNECT WITH OLD FRIENDS 

In case you still don't know, I am the laziest person in keeping in touch with old acquaintances {oops, do I sound proud? I am not.} I rarely call or text friends people I know to ask how they are, or if they are still good, or what's keeping their sanity. I am online most of the time during weekends {that is if I don't have commitments}  but I am always on invisible mode so that I'll only talk to people I really want to talk to. Aside from that, my Facebook is also defaulted to 'Go Offline'. And oh! As much as possible I avoid bumping to ex-classmates or old friends in the mall. You know the part I hate the most? The kamustahan. Like 'Oh, kamusta ka na?', 'San ka na nagwowork?', 'Si ganito nakikita mo pa?' Come on, talk to the hand. Hahaha! Stone to death that anti-social. Enough of the stories, the whole point is not to change the anti-social in me. It's just that there are few people out there who doesn't deserve to be completely forgotten. I won't wait for fate to bring them back to me. I will do something. If not now {because it's hella late at 2am}, at least soon.

Happiness. ♥

ELSEWHERE

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Bloglovin'