Blurred Specks

Binondo Newbies

2009-05-16T08:45:00.000+08:00

Binondo is known for its rich culture, historical heritage and nostalgic aura. This is where Mr. Ivan Man Dy brings his "street walkers" to experience what old Manila has to offer.

On our 11th monthsarry (and also my post-birthday celebration), miel and I decided to go to Binondo since it is just 15-20 minutes away from their apartment. We have never been there before that was why we were both excited. We are an adventurous couple and every time we get a chance to try new things, we do not hesitate. We want to experience a lot of things together so we just try and try even though we do not know where to go and what to do.

Getting there was no joke since we were not familiar with the place (newbies remember?). We just asked everyone we passed by from security guards to pedicab drivers. Thankfully, we were able to find the must-visit places there like the San Lorenzo Ruiz Church and several chinese restaurants. Since it was our first time, we just tried out whatever food stalls we saw there without looking at its name. We were able to eat fried siopao, dumplings and tea egg (egg soaked in tea).

We went there in the late afternoon that is why we only had few hours to go around Binondo. After buying some noodles and milk tea from the chinese grocery we passed by, we went to Eng Bee Tin and tried their food. We ordered kiampong rice, beef noodles, meatballs and siomai. The food was good although it was a bit pricey since we found out later on that there were other restaurants there who offer great tasting food for a low price. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our Binondo date even though we went home very tired

Miel and I will definitely be back here and we will try out those must try food and restaurants that we read from other food blogs. Have you been to Binondo? Share it here and let us inspire each other!

Rio and Enzo

2009-03-30T21:48:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was my cousin Rio's 7th birthday and she shared it with her little brother Enzo who was baptized on the same day. It was held in Shakey's Cainta which was pretty small considering our family is big. Almost everyone was there save for my brother Ron who got there late.

There were games for the kids and kids-at-heart while some were busy having their face painted. Everyone had fun and even though the place was small, it was filled with a group of crazy people who were there to mingle with families and friends.

It was also some sort of a "mini" reunion since most of my uncle's and auntie's were there, not to mention all my cousins. I also brought my psp and became an instant baby sitter to my cousin Borj who had fun playing Burnout Legends.

After the party, we went back to Tito Don's place to hang out, play with my cousins and catch up on the latest with the family. The elderly men drank booze while my auntie's were giving updates on each other. Meanwhile inside the house, Enzo was surrounded with gifts as he tried and show a cute face to us. It was an unforgettable Sunday with the family especially now that most of them are busy with work and school.

We all know that Sunday is family day and we make sure that it is spent with the family. This is one Filipino custom that I love and I know that most people are having a great Sunday every week. So how do you spend your Sundays with your family? Share it here and let us inspire each other.

Nine Lives

2009-03-15T04:41:00.000+08:00

I was actually referring to our 9th monthsarry and not the pussy (pun intended). It's been a month since I last posted here and we are also months away from our Thesis subject. While waiting for that day, I would like to share with you what we did for our monthsarry celebration.

If there was one thing we got used to doing every 13th of the month, that would be going to the mall. We know for sure that we will seldom visit the mall if we will be taking up major subjects next academic year. Things are getting harder and harder especially if you are a few months shy of graduating. Anyhow, our feet took us to TriNoMa in North Edsa on a Friday the 13th. It was great to see that there were a few people strolling the mall which I think was reasonable knowing that we, Filipinos, are superstitious about this day.

Our first stop was food (of course!) and since we did not want to eat in fast food stores, we decided to eat in Mei Hua Pot and Noodle House. Since there were a few people, we got seated once we entered. There were many choices of food in their menu but miel and I opted for their Ansio Beef Noodle Soup with steamed oysters.

We also sampled their dumplings such as xiao long pao and siomai which became my instant favorites. I am no chef nor a foodie, I just love to eat and trying out Mei Hua's dumplings was superb since the taste was just right for me. The skin also does not peel off quickly unlike other dumplings I have tried and I can compare the taste to Mandarin Sky's dumplings (which is way better of course).

After a sumptuous dinner, we decided to burn what we ate so off we go to Timezone and played several arcade games. We played house of the dead, deal or no deal and percussion master. After playing some arcade games, we decided to try our singing prowess and reserved a videoke room inside timezone.

As you can see, we are having the time of our life (since we are alone inside the videoke room, haha!). We did not waste our time and just reserved song after song until our credits ran out. Our voices got tired after an hour of bout with the mic.

Our feet were tired from all the walking around Trinoma and Timezone so we went to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to relax and talk about everything we did that day.We ordered Ice Blended Mocha and Blueberry Cheesecake. We took some picture with our newly acquired green bebe which we claimed using our Timezone credits. It was one of the best days and I really had fun with our monthsarry date.

So how about you guys, how do you celebrate monthsarries, anniversaries or whatever you call it with your special someone? Share it here and let us inspire each other.

Boyce Avenue + 8th Month

2009-02-15T09:05:00.000+08:00

It was our 8th month anniversary and since my girlfriend and I always go out during "monthsarries" we decided to go to SM Mall of Asia. We also heard last week that Boyce Avenue will be having their concert in SM MOA concert grounds. Since February 13 was a Friday night, we went there earlier than the said time because we wanted to find the best spot to watch these guys. Miel, as I dearly call her, invited her cousins and her sister to join us. She knew that Anne will enjoy the night because she is a big fan of Boyce Avenue.

After our class, we went straight home to change our clothes then off we went to MOA. There were a lot of people when we got there yet we still found a place just a few meters away from the stage. We watched in awe as these guys serenaded the audience with their rendition of songs by Rihanna and Colbie Caillat. They also sang some of their original pieces which was equally beautiful. We only took a few pictures of them since we were busy singing with the audience.

After a few more minutes, they were already on their last song which the audience did not accept so they shouted "more" while Alejandro Manzano was waving goodbye. He went backstage at first but decided to go back and play one more song. It was one memorable night and as you can see from the pictures, we enjoyed every bit of it.

After the concert, we ate dinner and we saw these kids playing hockey in MOA's skating rink. I think they were the Manila Saints although I am not sure. We watched them play for a few minutes before walking around the mall. We went to the usual botiques; Egg, Tomato, Bench and Penshoppe.

We then decided to go to San Miguel by the Bay after stralling the mall to unwind and enjoy the cool weather. We walked by the bay and relaxed on the bay wall while eating cotton candy. It was the first time for the four of them to go out and enjoy the time together.

It was a fun night and I would love to see the Boyce Avenue when they go back here in the Philippines. Our night ended with a long wait for the fx bound for morayta to arrive. The night was a blast and my companions were tired from all the singing, the walking and the picture-taking that we did.

So did you have any pre-valentine adventure this weekend? Share it here and let us inspire each other!

Departing Macau

2009-02-02T06:36:00.000+08:00

It was quick yet it was fun. I enjoyed every moment I am with my mom in Macau. I hope that this will not be my last time here in Macau. I would definitely go back here because I wanted to visit Coloane and Taipa. Macau is just part of this amazing administrative region of China and I believe there is still much to discover in the CoTai Strip.

It was a beautiful morning and so we decided to have our breakfast in Hotel Sintra's restaurant. The food was delicious and I must say that their siopao was well done. I loved the native egg and the dumplings which were the reasons why I came back several times on the buffet table. I had a full stomach when we went back in our hotel room so I went straight to the bathroom and meditated. When I was done, there was still time before our flight back to Manila so we decided to check the t-shirt store if it was already open. Unfortunately, it was too early and most establishments around San Ma Lo were still closed so we went back to the hotel, got our bags and went to the airport.

When we were on the way to the airport, we saw a wedding car behind us and it was lovely. We also saw this big Macau Grand Prix Control tower with a date that said 11/13-16/2008. If we were there a month later then I guess we were about to head home while the grand prix spectators were arriving.

So anyway, we arrived at the Macau Int'l Airport safely even if it was the second time that we experienced a fast cab driver. We were early so we waited just across the check-in counter while reading some of the brochures we got. I was about to walk around the airport when one of the guards there called my attention. I thought I did something wrong but it turns out he was a kababayan who assumed I was also a Filipino because of my color and my rosary bracelet (was I that obvious?). He helped us with our baggage and our check-in was a breeze.

After waiting for a few hours, we boarded the Tiger Airways plane bound for Manila. We did not buy the food that they were offering since we learned our lesson from day one. We just took a nap and after a few hours, we safely arrived in Manila NAIA terminal 1. We claimed our baggage and headed straight to the exit to get a cab. We got a very bad one just outside the metal railings in NAIA 1 because he said that it was metered when in fact it was not since he showed us a fare matrix. Php900 from Pasay to Caloocan?! That was ridiculous! We told him to drop us off immediately, he did not comply so I opened the cab door and that was when he obliged. Luckily, we got another cab and the driver was WAAAAY better than the previous one. After a few hours of travel, we got home and my mom even added tip on top of the fare. It was nice to be home!

Macau Trip day 3 part 2

2009-01-31T03:36:00.000+08:00

The weather in Macau during September is hot that is why it is recommended to bring your umbrella if you decide to go here on this particular month. I heard from my mom's co-worker that the best month to go to Macau is between December to February. I kid you not, the weather in the Philippines is much more tolerable than in Macau (or probably because it was our first time there? haha).

We took a quick nap and woke up to a semi-warm afternoon so we got up and checked the map for places that we can visit by walking. I mentioned in my multiply blog that we got lost on our first day so this part of our 3rd day adventure became a walk in the park since we finally remembered the street that we took to get back to the city center. We chose to visit the chinese garden, cultural institute, the church where we had our first mass in portuguese and back to the ruins of St. Paul.

Our first stop was the chinese garden and in order to go there, we needed to get back to the city complex that we passed by on our first day. We also had a little chat with a Mormon who happen to know some missionaries assigned here in the Philippines. He talked to us and he told me the name of one of the missionaries and to my surprise, I also knew that guy. We became instant friends but sadly I forgot the guy's name and his companion. I enjoyed the chat by the way, I hope you can read this so we can catch up. Moving on, after passing by a few streets, we arrived in the chinese garden. There were a lot of old people there, green trees and even a pond. It was very relaxing even though it was not as beautiful as our chinese gardens here in the PHL.

A few minutes passed by and we decided to go to the next stop which was the cultural institute. It was closed when we got there so we just went to the ruins of St. Paul. We did not take pictures here because we had plenty during our first day, we just went around to look for moon cakes since it was just a week after the festival. Some of the stores there did not entertain us and it was sad because my mom wanted to buy moon cakes. She was not able to attend their annual "dice" organized by their boss that is why she wanted to buy some moon cakes to compensate for the supposed luck it would bring. I did not want to blame the language barrier but these people should work on their customer service skill. Out of all the stores we went to, there was only one near the Ruins which helped us on our purchase. They even gave separate paper bags for each moon cake package we bought. Thank God for that wonderful store's attendants.

If you happen to pass by this store when you are in the Ruins of St. Paul in Macau, just buy a bread or anything to show appreciation for their commendable attitude.

After buying moon cakes, we grabbed a quick snack in one of the food stores there. My mom wanted to try the coffee from the Singing Bean coffee shop but decided not to. We went around and looked for pasalubong's for our relatives since when you enter San Ma Lo most of the shops are botiques (e.g. bossini, hang ten and marlboro apparel)

We found one store that sells good quality shirts with Macau prints so we decided to buy there. The "uncle" was nice enough to give us a discount since we bought a lot from him. We stil have not found keychains and ref magnets so off we went looking for it. Finally, when almost all the establishments were closing, we found this small store which we thought were just selling toys but also sold keychains/magnets. We hurriedly bought enough to bring home to friends and family. Before we even realize it, it was already 8:30PM, which means that all the establishments in San Ma Lo were closed including food stores and restaurants. It was a good thing that Pizza Hut was still open when we passed by so we ate there before heading back to the hotel.

As you can see, aside from our TV screen, we also have our own PROJECTOR which was the window view from our hotel room (har har!). Since this was our last night in Macau, we could not sleep and we just stared outside as the night progressed.

Macau Trip day 3 part 1

2009-01-30T04:35:00.000+08:00

This is where I will continue what I started here. It took me some time but in the end, I decided to continue sharing my stories here in blogger. This would be a great experience for me since I can apply my web design/editing skills here in my own blog site so I hope you guys appreciate this.This is a 2-part post since we went to several places on our 3rd day.

Moving on, our third day in Macau was spent on a walking tour in Macau Fisherman's Wharf. The weather was warm even though it was only 8 in the morning when we got up. We got ready for the day's adventure and went to the shuttle bus waiting area. The good thing about Macau is that they allow passengers of a certain hotel to board shuttle buses which ply on the same route as that of major hotels within the vicinity of Macau. We just showed the driver our keycard and off we went to a 15-minute bus ride.

We saw some billboards which, to my understanding, were related to the 13th Paralympics being held in Beijing during that time. We also saw some interesting landmarks and artistic monuments along the way.

There was also a bigger New Yaohan building near our destination and a beatiful center island design upon reaching the u-turn towards the fisherman's wharf. There were a lot of people outside the ferry terminal which connects macau and hongkong when we arrived. Several other shuttle buses like the Venetian bus and those that pass by the Wynn and MGM Grand were also there.

We went inside the wharf even though some of the establishments there were still closed. We went around and found some people waiting for the attractions to open just like us. We walked inside the wharf and found out that even the establishments inside were still closed. We decided to just grab a quick bite outside the wharf just behind the Macau immigration police office. We went inside a small chinese restaurant and even though the owner could not understand us, we managed to order a couple of noodles and some drinks.

After we ate our brunch, we went back to the wharf to check out some of the places there. Our first stop was the mini colosseum which we used to shield ourselves from the sun. We took a few pictures then moved on to the other buildings with awesome architectural design.

The heat started to get irritating that is why we decided to rest for a few minutes. There was this Filipino sweeping the trash near the resting area and we decided to chat for a moment. We learned that there are many Filipinos working in the Fisherman's Wharf and we can see them in some of the establishments there. Although we failed to get a picture with the guy because my mom was already walking far.

After a short chat, we said our farewells then decided to get some coffee in Ruby Cafe which took us by surprise. One of the baristas in Ruby Cafe is a fellow kababayan (actually there were 3 of them there) and she lives in Adelfa St. which is just a few minutes away from our house. The world is indeed small especially for those people who grew up in a family-oriented and hospitable country. The ambiance of the cafe was cozy and the warmth of the baristas were very welcoming. They told us that their boss is very kind and most of them did not want to leave that place. They even told us some of the places we needed to check out before going back to our country.

A refreshing snack plus a nice conversation with the baristas definitely made our day. Ruby Cafe is a must visit coffee shop in Macau Fisherman's Wharf. We then decided to go back to the hotel because mom could not take the heat anymore. We went back to the ferry terminal where the shuttle bus was waiting then sat exhaustively after boarding. We passed by several landmarks such as the casino chips shop, the ferry terminal connecting macau and hongkong, the lotus monument, the grand prix museum, wynn macau and the famous Lisboa hotel and grand casino. It was one well spent half day.