Window Shopping in Cubao Expo

I miss going around Cubao Expo, and since I have been so busy the past year with work, I never get the chance to go window-shopping there.

But, when Kim agreed to having dinner in Penpen's, I didn't let up the chance to stroll around, even if it were around 10:00PM.

The vintage shop right next to Penpen's was closing when we finished eating. I was able to spy a Coke alarm clock on the window, though. Now that's a stocking stuffer I definitely would want to have. 

There's a new vinyl shop opening. It didn't have a name yet, but I was smitten with their window display. The vinyl covers were all so colorful and eye catching, especially at night. 

The Humidor was still open. It seemed so inviting, had it not been quite late already. I've always wanted to try it. There's also a Japanese restaurant on top of it. I'm also curious about their sushi there. 

This is a new shop in Cubao Expo, at least for me. It's Mad Surf Kahuna - they have surfboards for sale inside. 

I really wish I had time to stroll in Cubao Expo again. There are so many new shops that I would want to browse through. 

Late Night Dinner at Penpen's

Last Wednesday, Kim and I had late night dinner in Cubao Expo. I wanted to introduce him to Penpen's, a place Brian and I frequented from a couple of years back. Derek and I ate here sometime last year also.

The restaurant is located inside Cubao Expo, and it being a weeknight, parking was quite easy.

Penpen's Filipino Kitchen serves Filipino-fusion cuisine. The current restaurant is half the size, making way for a bakery that will be opening soon.

I ordered the Tortang Giniling which was a value meal at PhP 120.00.

Kim on the other hand ordered Tortang Alimasag. His order was better than mine.

We also ordered one of my favorites in the restaurant, the Gabi Chips:

Their Pandan Iced Tea was such a hit with Kim!

Penpen's Filipino Kitchen

Cubao Expo, Gen. Romulo Ave., 

Araneta Center, Cubao, QC

telephone number: 02.330.1934

Old Navy Sale

Hope this isn't late for some. I was able to visit Old Navy in Bonifacio High Street last night and discovered that their denims and woven pants were on sale!

The sale is on for 3 days only, it ends later, December 14, 2014. Old Navy in Bonifacio High Street is open until 11:00PM, so please find time to visit. Pants that were PhP 1,650.00 are now at PhP 1,155.00. That's substantial savings if you ask me. Their denims are priced at PhP 1,650.00 - PhP 1,850.00, and because of the 3-day sale, is still subjected to 30% discount.

I was able to buy myself a pair of broken-in slim khaki pants at PhP 1,155.00. Such a steal! And for the taller people, just like Gap, their pants come in lengths of 30 and 32. If you're on the shorter side, the shop does free alterations.

Old Navy - Bonifacio High Street
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
telephone number: 02.856.6153

Landmark Discoveries: Orlina-inspired Candleholders

It is Signal #2 here in Metro Manila because of Typhoon Hagupit/Ruby, and my mom and I were worried because we weren't prepared to deal with a black-out. We had about 3 candles and no candle holders.

We decided to brave the weather to drive to Trinoma, with my sister, so that we can buy candleholders and candles, just in case the strong winds of the typhoons cause some electric wires and poles to topple over.

As usual, Metro Manila is probably not ready to deal with this, because I'm sure the preparation that this current administration did in order to take action against this storm is to offer eggs in Sta. Clara church - I digress.

We went to Landmark Department Store in Trinoma, where we discovered candleholders that took inspiration from the glass sculptures of Ramon Orlina. And they were quite affordable to boot.

Couldn't decide which picture looked better, the one with the flash or without. 

We found these candleholders in the Home Decor section of Landmark, on the 3rd floor. They were only PhP 89.75 each, so we ended up buying all remaining 6 candleholders there. The stand was included in the candleholder. 

They are very heavy, they weigh more than my Macbook. So it was really such a steal. 

So we're ready just in case there's a black-out tonight, what with our Orlina-esque candleholders. 

The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

I have just recently watched The Maze Runner, while checked in at New World Makati City Hotel. Movie was good, but it just left me with a lot of questions, which I felt would be answered if I had read the book.

First chance I got, I looked into purchasing a box set in Powerbooks Serendra, but since I wasn't familiar with the author, and wasn't sure whether I would like his writing style or not, decided to purchase the first novel instead.

The first novel is The Maze Runner, and at Powerbooks, it costs PhP 359.00. Unfortunately, at the time, I was not able to bring my Powerbooks Card, so I wasn't able to get a discount off of it.

I just finished the first novel a couple of days ago, and I do, in fact like the writing style of James Dashner. It was a good thing I was able to buy the 2nd novel, The Scorch Trials, so there was continuity in my reading.

As expected, there were a lot of details that were not captured in the movie, and things became clearer for me - especially the backstory as to why the Gladers were placed in the maze to begin with.

I'm currently reading through The Scorch Trials, and so far the Gladers are onto another challenge before they can finally discover what their true purpose is. I am quite excited for the movie adaptation to come out by next year, hopefully.

My only regret, though, is that I wasn't really able to follow the true time-sequence in reading the novels. The Maze Runner was published in 2009, The Scorch Trials in 2010, The Death Cure in 2011, and The Kill Order in 2012. The Kill Order, however, is a prequel to The Maze Runner, together with another upcoming novel, The Fever Code, slated for a 2016 release.

Anyway, I'll just end up reading it in the order it was published.

The Scorch Trials I purchased in National Bookstore in Market! Market!, and I got points out of it on my Laking National Card. Glad to report that the novel is cheaper there, it was priced at PhP 349.00.

If you're interested in reading these novels, feel free to check reviews of the series found online. They are quite gripping!

Mason Jars as Christmas Gifts

This idea actually came from my mother. In one of our Dapitan trips a few weekends ago, she purchased several Mason jars from a stall we frequent for gifts for her secretaries and assistants.

When I had started bringing Christmas gifts to the office this week for my co-managers, I noticed my assistants waiting eagerly for presents. Realising that I forgot to buy something for them, I intended to drag Kim to Dapitan to purchase Mason jars and, basically, steal my mother's concept.

A Mason jar is a molded glass jar used for storing preserves for storage or selling. You normally see these used for home-made jams and jellies that are being sold. They were invented and patented by John Landis Mason, a tinsmith from Philadelphia, back in 1858.

The ones being sold in Dapitan come with the tin lid. They, however, lack the rubber seals, which are needed if you intend to use these for sealing preserves. These would suffice, however, if you're to use them for storage. Mason jars are also used, now, in lieu of mugs. Some hip coffee shops use Mason jars, those designed with handles, for their drinks. Some Mason jar lids already come with holes punched in the centre for straws to go through - these types were actually available for sale in Dapitan.

The ones I purchased had handles and an embossed design on the side. A quick search online, and I saw the exact same Mason jar I had.

borrowed from homewetbar.com

Was able to purchase this at a price lower than Landmark's retail price, which is sweet, especially if you're buying 20 pieces,

My source had an option for gold tin lids, though.

Borrowing from my mom's concept, I filled the Mason jars to the brim with candy from the grocery.

I'll be tying gold and silver ribbons, and these are all ready to be given to the assistants, Finance staff, and Housekeeping supervisors of One Serendra.

I really hope that they start using it in lieu of the mugs that they have in the office.

Mason jars are so the rage right now. And several people will be giving these as gifts this holiday season, which would be a fresh alternative to the usual gift staples given as gifts.

Hope my mom and I gave you a cute Christmas gift idea. Try placing something else instead of candy. Toys, shells, pebbles, jawbreakers, loom bands, scented beads - play around with the things you'll put inside, and the receiver will be in for a surprise. There's really no need to wrap it up, because the vintage look of the Mason jar will jazz up the bottom of the tree perfectly.

A lot of people also collect vintage Mason jars, so visiting Dapitan might be a good idea, since they have so many options there.

Omakase Ayala Triangle, Ayala Beats@180

The One Serendra property managers attended the Ayala Beats@180 party in Ayala Triangle yesterday evening, 5 December 2014. It was a conglomerate-wide party, the gardens hosting to the different Ayala companies' employees. Employees from Globe, Honda Cars, Ayala Corporation, and Ayala Land, Inc. were in attendance last night. They gave us debit cards which we were to use for dinner in the restaurants in Ayala Triangle, all of which were exclusive to the attendees to the party. There were also food-booths in tents that sprouted in the gardens, that also accepted cash. It was set up like a fair, which was pretty reminiscent of the Ateneo HS fair that was resurrected during my time, and a little less rowdy compared to the annual UP Fair when I was in college.

The Serendra gang was pretty lucky because I prodded them to eat at around 5:45PM, and we were able to get seats in Omakase. A couple of minutes later, and there was a queue already to get in. I mean, can you imagine so many Ayala employees trying to eat dinner all at the same time. The restaurants were all full to the brim, they even had to set up dining tables in the lawn area in preparation of the number of people that were to be eating. In a way, I suppose, this was to be our Christmas party for the year, because prizes were raffled off from the  stage set up behind the fountain  of Tower One. Later on during the evening, the people were also treated to the lights and sounds show at the Ayala Triangle Gardens.

I'm a regular in Omakase, so I was quite surprised that I haven't posted pictures from it yet. Now, I only took pictures of my own food order, as we were a group of 7 property managers, and we ordered about 2-3 dishes each. Some of the One Serendra property managers enjoyed dinner in Omakase so much, they were thanking me profusely for suggesting to eat there. 

I ordered their Gyudon, which was quite hefty. 

I've grown quite fond of salads, lately, and tend to always order these whenever I dine out. I ordered the Omakase Salad, which is the restaurant's version of a Kani salad. Only difference is they use their own dressing on the salad.

It was an interesting evening. After dinner, I stayed on a bit with my co-managers to watch the lights and sounds show. Afterwards, walked on over to One Roxas Triangle, where I parked my car. 

Omakase has several branches already, and I've already tried eating in their branch in Il Terrazzo, along Tomas Morato, which is quite near my house. If you're interested in eating lunch or dinner in Omakase in Ayala Triangle Gardens,  the details are below:

Omakase - Ayala Triangle Gardens

Makati Ave, Bel-Air, Makati

contact number: 02.467.3150

Las Flores in One McKinley Place, BGC

Lunch today with one of my favourite Serendra residents was quite interesting because we didn't know the names of the dishes that we ordered!

This lunch has been long overdue, more so because I took a 5-day vacation leave to celebrate my birthday last week.

My resident had in fact eaten in Las Flores before, and she took photos of the dishes that she liked on her iPhone. So when we were seated, instead of perusing through the menu trying to figure out what she had ordered before, she just showed pictures of the dishes to the food attendant.

We ordered Mojitos to complement our food, and it was quite strong!

When we were still both working for the Social Events Committee before, we had a Spanish-themed event where we ordered 3 types of paella. Sans the teeth stains however, undoubtedly, both our favourite paella was the negra, so we ordered their Paella Negra to try and compare with Casa Marcos':

This tapas I definitely know as gambas (Gambas al Ajillo, PhP 395.00):

This tapas, I liked so much because of the assortment of chorizos, each offering a different taste, a different type of bite (Trio de Chorizos, chorizos sautéed in white wine and olive oil, PhP 625.00):

The last tapas that we ordered, had marbled potatoes, and meat that I couldn't place to be either pork or beef. So if you realise what I'm doing here, I'm comparing the dishes that we ordered to the menu of the restaurant available online. I can surmise that due to the presence of the potatoes, this is the Botifarra Catalana (PhP 495.00):

For dessert we had Churros con Chocolate (PhP 195.00), but we both agreed that we liked the churros of Dulcinea better:

The place was nice and quiet, and had a nice rustic charm to it. I loved the ceiling fans that they placed in the al fresco dining area outside the restaurant which gave it an azotea feel. The bar had an old-world feel to it. The seats had pillows and upholstery done in burlap, made to look like flour sacks, which I saw quite a lot in H&M Home in Robinson's Place Magnolia. Add the downpour that we experienced, giving the air a nice chilly clime, and the lunch experience was just superb!

Feel free to try out their other tapas and offerings:

Las Flores
G/F, One McKinley Place,
25th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
telephone number: 02.552.2815

Restaurante Pia Y Damaso - De Espadaña to Die For!

Is it obvious that De Espadaña of Damaso's is one of my favourites?

I only love these cakes - Chocolate Kiss' Dayap Cake (or what I fondly call the wedding cake), the Red Velvet of Classic Confections, and Damaso's De Espadaña.

What is in this cake?

It's basically queso de bola cheesecake topped with prunes - the combination may sound weird, but give it a shot, and you'll get hooked onto it too.

Do you know how much I love this cake? So much I don't mind paying PhP 250.00 pesos for it (more or less).

And the best proof that I love it so much? I researched how to type ñ on a Mac just to be able to type its name correctly!

If you haven't tried it yet - you are missing half your life. You have not lived until you've tasted this thing. Whoever made this - GENIUS!

I've been so busy in BGC the past couple of years, when I had an opportunity for dessert in Greenbelt last Saturday, I made a beeline only to Damaso's. Didn't even feel sorry that Sinfully is gone na pala.

The stay-cation for my birthday was so fun - because I was able to eat 2 of my favourite cakes in one evening. Guess which this one is!

Restaurante Pia Y Damaso
Level 2, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Centre, Makati
telephone number: 02.729.5511

The Joys of Blogging - Christmas Gift for A-List Manila Readers

I actually have so much more posts that I needed to upload tonight, however, seeing that I'm already at my 100th post, I decided to devote this post to reflecting on the joys blogging has given me through the years.

A-List Manila started back in 2011, because I had just come out of surgery and was recuperating alone in the condo with nothing better to do. After the first week of watching Grey's Anatomy, and after exhausting myself looking at the Facebook posts of my friends, I decided to upload some pictures that were still stored in my phone.

In uploading the pictures, I wanted to be able to tell the story behind the photo, and that's when I realised Facebook was not going to be enough an avenue for me to share these.

So I started to write.

I am no stranger to writing. When I was in high school in Ateneo, I joined Hilites Magazine. As a freshman, one of my proudest moments was in the first grading period, when the editorial board of Hilites chose my poem to be placed at the back cover of the magazine.

My poem was about a ride from school to the house, and getting stuck in traffic amidst a sudden rain outburst. I heard a tapping on the van's window, and I was face to face with a little girl getting wet in the rain asking for change from me. I was seated, dry and comfortable in the van, and she was soaked to the bone. What made me better than her that fate handed this card that afforded me this comfortable lifestyle?

That's when I wrote Tapping On My Window and it was used as the poem for the launch of Tulong Dunong that year.

I wrote for Hilites for 3 years, and on my 4th year in high school, I became the Editor-in-chief. I still remember my column back then, and it was entitled, Nite Lite.

But then, life took over. And here I thought I would take up Journalism, or Creative Writing, and finish a novel and become a Pulitzer prize winning author.

I did get to finish a novel during the summer break from high school to college, and I was able to share this with some of my friends - never been published though.

Lately, I've been playing with a concept for another novel about a dystopian society - but I haven't gone around establishing the proper ground work for it yet.

The closest I've come to publishing in the past few years is One Serendra's monthly newsletter, but that has ceased as well.

But I continue to write via this platform. Maybe I am able to reach out to people, mostly, I believe I just give basic information - stuff that I would want to see and know about, like where is this shop located, what is the contact number of the restaurant, what's the price-range for this bar. These simple things that I get to do, though, bring me a sense of fulfilment.

Really, I don't know what my audience reach is, and I'm not really aiming to be a well-known blogger - as long as I'm still able to share my thoughts, and my ideas, and my experiences through my words, then I'm good.

It is the Christmas season, and I want to be able to give a random stranger a nice surprise for this holiday season.

It has been a tough and challenging year for me - and whenever I would feel stressed, I would always look forward to going home, lighting up the oil burners and candle warmers, choosing a scent, and putting these on the warming plates.

So to celebrate my 100th post, I will be giving out a Scentsy warmer to a lucky reader who would like to contribute a post to A-List Manila. Email me photos from your favourite restaurant, store, or vacation spot, and tell me your story. The best entry will merit a post here in A-List Manila, and a Scentsy warmer from me! Don't be shy to share, and now is your opportunity to experiment with your writing skills. I'll give you guys until December 21, 2014 to email me your stories and photos. Send these to cruzgold@gmail.com. I'll choose my favourite entry and notify the winner on the 22nd, and post their blurb on my blog - and I'll ensure that you receive the Scentsy warmer for Christmas!

Tokyo Tonteki in Greenbelt 5

Kim and I had dinner last Saturday in Tokyo Tonteki in Greenbelt 5. Lately, we've been growing fond of the Japanese pork loin-places that have been sprouting in Metro Manila. We've actually tried quite a few already - Yabu, Ginza Bairin in UP Town Centre, Saboten in Serendra, and now, Tokyo Tonteki.

For that evening, it was really because I was looking for fiber in my diet, and Kim pointed out the cabbage salad that was included in the pork loin sets of Tokyo Tonteki. 

I ordered their signature Tonteki, and opted to get the 350g serving, priced at PhP 450.00:

I realised later on that I could have made do with the smaller portions, since the Tonteki was quite heavy. Kim ordered the Chopped Tonteki at PhP 375.00.

I had a feeling that the Stir-Fried Japanese Mushrooms would be interesting, and it did not disappoint. The side-dish had three different types of mushroom, although I was only able to identify the enoki and shiitake, but at PhP 250.00, it was so worth it:

Tokyo Tonteki's dishes come with unlimited servings of Japanese rice, cabbage salad, and miso soup - so if you were to really look at it, their prices really pack in value for your money.

It was a satisfying dinner, and should you feel the urge to try their juicy pork loin steaks, or the mushrooms, then their details are below:

Tokyo Tonteki
2nd Level, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati
telephone number: 02.744.8652

Aomori Cafe in Northeast Square, Greenhills

While waiting for the staff in Garden Barn to organise the Philips Umbra shades that we purchased, Mommy and I decided to have something light for lunch - just having survived my birthday buffet dinner the night prior.

We saw a coffee shop at the ground floor of Northeast Square that was selling fine-bone china tea pots and tea cups, and bric a brac from London. They had cute character tea pots that would add colour to any tea party. What really sealed the deal for my mother to stay were their plush velvet seats - she's such a fan of purple velvet. 

We ordered their Gratinated Smoked Fish Pate, Gruyere, and Toasted Breads, reasonably priced at PhP 118.00:

My mom ordered the Beauty Tea which was only PhP 108.00, and was served in this tea pot and cup set, which they also sold in the shelves lining the walls:

And I ordered the Iced Lychee Tea which was only PhP 98.00. It had sinkers also:

The coffee shop also had sundry items for sale, such as clocks from London, which were priced at around PhP 4,000.00 to PhP 5,000.00, as well as salad dressings from Thailand. When we were there last November 28, some of the dressing was on sale at 40% off. 

Do visit them if you plan on going to Garden Barn. There's ample basement parking space in Northeast Square, but if I were you, I'd really make a beeline for multiple establishments there already - like hit Power Mac for repairs, then go shopping for Umbra items or Brabantia bins in Garden Barn, then have your hair or nails done in the salons, before deciding to relax in the coffee shop. 

If you're interested in contacting Aomori, their details are below:

Aomori

LG, Northeast Square, Connecticut Street

Greenhills, San Juan

telephone number: 02.724.1952

After Greenhills, Mommy and I decided to fetch Daddy and drag him to the original Philippine Pottery Barn - DAPITAN!

Here's a shot of a stall that we visited in Dapitan:

There, we went loco and purchased a tall clear vase and Mason Jars with handles!

Philips Umbra Room Stylers Shades in Garden Barn

Since my birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year, Mommy and I decided to go out on a Black Friday drive around Metro Manila the following day.

Whenever my mother feels ill, window-shopping (or plain shopping) always makes her feel better.

Our first stop for that Friday was Garden Barn in North East Square in Greenhills. I wanted to update several stainless steel lamps that I was able to purchase from Serendra's garage sale so I went around looking for Philips Umbra Room Stylers shades - which used to be readily available in your friendly neighbourhood Handyman store.

These shades, however, have been pulled out and are now only being sold directly by the importer, Garden Barn, in their showroom in Greenhills.

Now, I'm sure this information is going to be pretty useful, since I had gone around trying to research what options for shades I had available here in Metro Manila - and unless you want to get bespoke shades from Keystone (at bespoke prices of course), these Philips Umbra shades are actually quite an affordable alternative. Their prices range from PhP 325.00 to PhP 495.00, and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, heights, and color.

Above are some samples of the shades that are available in Garden Barn. They have these in beige, in grey, brown (both dark, bordering on purplish, and a light mocha shade) and red.

For the stainless steel lamps from the bazaar, I purchased a brown shade, sample of the color from their HK website borrowed below:

It only cost me Php 395.00 per shade. Coincidentally, it is the same colour and style I purchased for a mother and child lamp I had updated early this year.

I also bought a red small shade priced at PhP 325.00 for a colourful Brunei jar my mother had wanted to convert into a lamp:

I'm sure a lot of DIY-ers, like me, have probably asked this question: Where can I buy shades for my lamp?

If you want to update the look of your lamps, feel free to visit Garden Barn, and check out their assortment of Philips Umbra Room Stylers shades.

Garden Barn
UG North East Square, Connecticut Street,
Greenhills, San Juan
telephone number: 02.654.9068
opening hours: Mondays to Saturdays (10:00AM to 7:00PM)

Merced Bake House

When I was a child, I would throw a hissy fit if they didn't serve a Merced cake for my birthday.

Seriously, there was one birthday, I might have been 10 or 11 when some idiot (definitely notify parents since they know how pihikan I am) decided to purchase a Goldilocks cake for my birthday. I refused to go down for the birthday celebration, making the guests wait for me to blow the candle, unless there was a Merced cake.

Then I grew up and birthdays ended up being celebrated in restaurants where they usually have complimentary cake for the celebrant for the blowing of the candles - and Merced got pushed out of the picture.

I made a request from my mom this year, if they can source a Merced cake for my 7th Annual 25th Birthday Celebration. Mommy did not disappoint, and she bought me a cake from Merced!

Merced has been around since 1972, and they're still located along EDSA. They're right before Quezon Ave., in front of the Quezon Ave. Flyover.

They have quite a selection of cakes now, and my parents got a chiffon cake with mango-flavored icing - I guess their take on Mango Bravo.

If you're like me, and grew up to Merced cakes for your birthday, why not have a nostalgic birthday by ordering a cake from them, here are their details:

Merced Bake House
869 EDSA, Quezon City
telephone numbers: 02.924.2108
email: mercedbake@yahoo.com.ph