Hungry Kid Adventures Part 1

With all the stress we've been through because of work, we can't help but reward ourselves once in a while with good food. Over the past year, we've tried something new and by that I mean not the eatery near our condo or the fast foods near the office. And since work kept me too busy to do other things except sleep and eat, I haven't been able to write as much as I wanted to so I've been inactive in the blogosphere. To make up for that, here's some of our food adventures. Tabemasho!

1. Bo's Coffee 


2. Yellow Cab Pizza





3. Bonchon

4. Kenny Roger's Roasters

5. Charaptor


6. Project Pie


This and the fact that  we're stuck at the office explains why I've gained a lot of weight.

Art Appreciation Day: A Day at the National Art Gallery

In celebration of the National Heritage Month, the National Museum opened its doors to the public for free. As word of free admission traveled fast, people began flocking the National Museum, including us. It's not like we haven't been to the National Museum before. It's actually our second time and my room mates and I have been meaning to visit a museum, particularly Museo Pambata, as childish at it sounds. Also, the last time we visited, we weren't able to enjoy the National Art Gallery, partly because we weren't allowed to see the sculptures due to the number of people in our field trip (they're afraid we might break something) and partly because it was undergoing renovation.

I'm not exactly an art enthusiast so I don't really know how to appreciate abstract paintings and the like. I'm not an art expert so I only took pictures of artworks that has captivated me, a mere layman in the field of art. I won't be including pictures of paintings I have seen during our first visit, so feel free to enjoy the next sights as much as I did.

I  don't know what these paintings mean but I loved how the artist played with the colors.

Four faced.


How could something so detailed and incredible be born out of a thousand strokes of a pen?










Coz i'm trying to blend in.


I'm not a fan of yellow but I definitely like this one.


If you watched Heneral Luna, you'll know what this is.;)

Coz the Museum held too many artworks that the structure and design of the building was rarely noticed.


It was a worthwhile day. First, because I was finally able to see the works of the national artist I have only read in books. Second, because my room mates and I got to do something out of ordinary. By out of ordinary I mean something that doesn't involve sleeping all day long or watching movies or only getting out of the house to buy food.

EmanCPAtion

Whirlwind.

If anyone asked me for a word to describe how the past year had been, that would be the perfect word. The past year has been a whirlwind of paranoia and excitement. Things have been hazy, like everything’s a blur. Or like someone has gotten ahold of an awful lot of ingredients and tossed it all on the pan and let them to cook themselves.

A lot of things happened in the past year that even I have trouble tracking it down. There was graduation, review, board exam, employment and finally, audit. In a short span of time, I went from unemployed to employed to contemplating whether to shift gears or not. There was a lot going on that I can’t help but feel that everything’s in a fast forward mode—that I am looking into somebody else’s life through my laptop screen with the video playing at twice the normal speed. I feel like whatever little control I had over my life went spinning out of my hands.

It was nice for a while. The change is welcoming. It was a break from my pretty much predictable life. I was earning for myself, though my salary isn’t as nice as I dreamt it would be. My parents finally had one less mouth to feed. And there’s freedom— the much awaited freedom. Yeah it sure is nice to be finally free.  The type of freedom we all have been dreaming of ever since we were old enough to think for ourselves and complain why our parents have to be goddamn controlling and protective. Oh you know, the type of freedom where no one would bother you if you kept your things lying in piles all around your bedroom or when you need not inform anybody that you’d be home late or where no one would tell you to move your ass or else you won’t have a nice future ahead of you. Well, you are now living that future and quite frankly, it isn’t as bright as they’ve all promised you, even if you poured your goddamn best into it. The future ahead doesn’t seem promising and I found myself wishing I could go back in the past.

As I am scavenging my thoughts inside my messy head, I am reminded of the quote someone posted in our area saying ‘work without love is slavery,’ quoting Mother Theresa and yet another one saying ‘make your passion your profession’. The first time I saw that I was instantly hit. It’s like finding a treasure buried in deep shit. So maybe auditing isn’t my passion. This is what I get for plunging into accountancy without knowing what it really is about. I feel like I was enslaved more than I would like to admit. The thought of finally having an account after a month of doing nonsense in the office was a mix of happiness and pressure. After that I remember the lows more than the highs. Sure, it was nice to meet new people who I never thought I would be friends with. Spending the busy season with them made it more bearable. But the rest of the time, I had to juggle dealing with the client, demands from my senior (or the lack thereof) and finishing the work. I’ve been very vocal about throwing in the towel. There are even countless times when I think of snapping, of ditching my work. I have always doubted myself before. For some it might come across as false humility but seriously, what the fuck do they know about me? The time I spent in the firm made me doubt myself like never before. All warning signals inside my head tell me that this isn’t something I want to do for the rest of my life. And for someone as indecisive as I am, that really calls for an emergency. I’ve never felt more stupid and useless in my entire life. I’ve never had to do things against my will, almost all the time. Sure, the overtime was needed. But working overtime for no pay all the time is just way behind justifiable. Its feels like I’m on a pro-bono case, on some charity work. And it feels like all my efforts are just in vain. Maybe it was the feeling that you’re not appreciated at all that bothers me. Or perhaps it was the fact that for the past months I didn’t feel like I have a life outside of work.

So maybe living on your own isn’t as great as it seems. There are days when I feel like crawling in bed wishing when I wake up I’m a grade school kid again, falling in love for the first time. Most days I wish I could relive my high school days and stop praying for the time I would be in college, finally away from my parents. I wished I was more adventurous back then, more carefree. I wish my concept of night out wasn’t having a desert and coffee. I wish I took more photographs, kept more memories of happy days to help me last through the bad ones. I wish I spent more time with people instead of my laptop and books. I wish I lived in the moment instead of worrying about the future. I wish I never wished to grow up so soon. 

Maginhawa St. at Masaya

And yes, call it riding the bandwagon but the fact that Maginhawa St. is a food haven is just so tempting we can't stop to care. Jayfel invited Althea who invited Krizza who invited me and Donna to go try Maginhawa. There's just way too many choices and since Krizza is craving for some noodles, we ended up eating at Caution:Hot.  The food was delicious and worth the price and was realllly spicy, if I might add, considering that it was only 2nd degree. Thank God for the unlimited iced tea. I really can't imagine how terrifyingly hot the ultimate burn would be. 




Since it ended up raining for most of our stay in Maginhawa, we ended up jumping from one milk tea shop to another in search for a place to stay. By dinner time, we decided to hit Fullybooked at BGC for some free reading while eating White Hat Yogurt. ;)



Credits: Jayfel

Dahan-dahan lang sa Daraitan

The last time I went hiking was way back in high school and it wasn't really much of challenge back then. How could that be challenging when you have climbed the same mountain a dozen times ever since you were busy playing girl scout when you were in grade school? Now, imagine me, someone who spends her free time in bed, either sleeping or watching movies, climbing a mountain that's 700 meter above sea level with an 80 degree angle of inclination. That's what I call an insane hiking adventure! Or should I say, rock climbing.

Mt. Daraitan is no secret gem. It has generated quite an attention with it's breath taking view, difficulty of hike and the oh-so-tempting Tinipak River that awaits you after the climb. This gem is located at Tanay, Rizal and the barangay officials have ensured that this wonder of nature is kept clean and well-preserved. 

A wooden bridge on the way to Mt. Daraitan.

Before the hike.

Meet our guide, Kuya Eduardo.

Our buwis buhay guide. 
Mt. Daraitan has 3 stations. You will find a cave in the 1st station. In the 2nd you get to see the beautiful view below while standing on a makeshift platform made of wood that can carry 10 persons. The third station is the Summit.

Station 1. 

Station 2. I swear I had a heart attack just by standing there. I was so afraid that the platform we were standing on can't carry us.
View from Station 2. 

Station 3: Oh the sweet taste of victory after hours of rock climbing. My feet almost gave up on me one-fourths of the way. hahaha
See those rocks? I couldn't quite decipher whether I should be grateful or not to them. They made the the hike hard, in way. But if it weren't for them, I swear I would have skidded all the way down to the starting line.
Meet the Original AMI Kids plus Bea. :)

The clouds were almost at my reach. 
I was cursing all the way to the summit but when I saw just how beautiful the view was, I was immediately in awe. 
We had a blast taking photos and admiring the scenery before eating lunch. After we had enjoyed the summit to our heart's content, we started our descent to the Tinipak River. The descent was easier compared to the climbing part, but not for the clumsy ones like me who tend to slide and lose balance.

When at last we reached our destination, we were greeted by this scenery.

Clean river and rock formations.  
The rock formations were amazing. The river was so clean and refreshing that I suddenly decided to take a bath even when I didn't bring extra clothes and a towel.
Green scenery. Clean air and water. Cool wind. A sharp contrast from Metro Manila's tall buildings and traffic jams.


Another fun part of the adventure was when we went inside a cave. I never been to one before so I was really excited. We took a bath there, with only the light from the flashlights illuminating us. The water was so cold. Sadly though, we weren't able to venture deeper into the cave.



Sunset at Tinipak River.

'Twas a day well spent. The place was a breath of fresh air, literally, and a good escape from the hustle and bustle of the city life in Makati. My whole body was aching even before we had reached the summit and I had body sores for a full week after the hike that I even decided to take a day off from work. I really couldn't imagine myself going up and down the underpass to work and the stairs to the LRT for fieldwork. haha. Well, it was definitely worth it and I'm hoping for more fun experiences like these with my new friends. :)

Photo Credits: Eden, Marnella, KC
For more information about Mt. Daraitan (with the time table and budget), visit Pinoy Mountaineer or you can go browse articles online (there's plenty of them on the web already).

Friendzoned


I look at you staring desperately at her

Witnessed how you won her heart, the first kiss, the first embrace

I saw you, always,

For my eyes only see you—

But you never saw me

I was always the friend who everyone says suits you better

I was always the friend who everyone secretly pitied for her undying loyalty to you

I was always the friend who keep wishing you’d stop seeing me as the little sister you vowed to protect

I was always the friend who kept waiting for the day you’ll realize that you want me to be more than just your friend.
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