Gene falls, Gene fell, Gene's fallen

Pizza Night and My Gluten-Free Shift

2017-07-30T23:22:00.001+01:00

From my Instagram post:
It's pizza night! Lovin' the classic Margherita - tomato, basil, vegan substitute for mozzarella topped with black olives, field mushrooms and spinach on a gluten-free base. No shame, I finished half of this in under 15 minutes; saved the half for tomorrow.

For those of you who may be wondering why I've moved to a gluten-free diet recently, there are various reasons and factors for the switch. You don't get diagnosed for gluten intolerance overnight. As I learned from a colleague, it took years for her to finally narrow it down to gluten. In my case, I don't usually adapt a diet (as I've done in the past, e.g., pescetarian, lactose-free) just because. This is one of my 'small steps' to rebalance my lifestyle while at the same time helping address some health concerns, with the ultimate goal of understanding the changes in my body better.

For the past few months, I've been having skin reactions on my face that seemed to not go away for good. It could be due to the change in environment (the ever changing and unpredictable weather conditions in London), change in diet (ingredients here may be different than what my body was used to), and/or stress factors. It could be a lot of things.

As almost everything in London is too costly, that means I don't have easy access to an affordable and at the same time dependable facial centre the way I used to when I was in the Philippines. Back there, it will usually take at most two visits, possibly one full facial peel along with regular facials, for my facial woes to go away. (Dermstrata - Greenbelt Branch, I miss you!)

For now, I'm staying away from gluten and dairy to see if my skin reactions have anything to do with these potential triggers. The good news is that there are properly regulated gluten-free and dairy-free options in the supermarkets here and all I have to do is search for them and read food labels diligently.

The Saturday Agenda: Vintage Find

2017-07-22T23:30:00.000+01:00

I love my routines but I do sneak in some variations every now and then.

My Saturday agenda at Angel and Islington today - the usual suspects plus a few twists:

After having my hair cut at Hair Base Islington (Cut was okay but I really miss my Filipino hairdressers and stylists in Manila!), I found out that it was raining quite heavily. I decided to grab a cup of coffee for warmth.
On my way to one of my usual coffee stops (Coffee Works), I bought fruits from several stalls along Chapel Market, a new discovery of fresh finds and my own small steps in supporting local.
After warming up over a cup of flat white, I bought my protein at Turner & George -- sirloin steak for my Chipotle recipe.
Another slight twist to my weekend routine: I wandered through Camden Passage and finally gave in to buying this vintage find. Scroll down to see what I found!
Finally, the endnote to my Angel & Islington weekend routine: I bought my flowers, this time from the stall in front of the Angel Station.

Cheers and enjoy the remaining bits of the weekend! Stay dry!

Vintage clip-on earrings with Swarovski crystals:
These would be lovely for a special occasion :)

The Sunday Agenda: Ice Cream

2017-07-16T23:24:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, I promised to treat myself to a scoop of ice cream.

This fine Sunday, I found the Amorino shop at Goodge Street.

Amorino sells gluten-free gelatos and I think its huge selling point is the artful presentation of its gelato in rose-like petals. How lovely and unique, isn't it? You can have as many flavours as you like, too! I got mine in banana, pistachio, raspberry and hazelnut.

Gelato. Hmm, is it the same as ice cream? Well, it is Italian for ice cream. It's just that the Italians make their ice creams in a slightly different way. Usually there is more milk than cream, which is then slowly churned to keep the gelato as dense as possible. The gelatos don't easily melt and drip like regular ice cream. I finished my Amorino 'flower' leisurely in 15 minutes :)

The Saturday Agenda: Indian Brunch, Kensington Palace and The Regent's Park

2017-07-09T21:27:00.002+01:00

Hey there! How's your weekend going so far? Are you dreading Monday and wishing for the extra 24 hours to prolong the weekend bliss? Hahaha, I feel you my friend. So relatable!

My weekend buddy, travel organiser, and good friend Liza is leaving for a place with almost-year-round warm weather very soon and we are maximising the weekends left for her to have a proper 'last hurrah' with London (after staying here for more than seven years).

It was a sunny Saturday contrary to our expectations of cloudy skies. Obviously, that made us very happy. Let's keep the text brief and sweet. Here's the Saturday agenda in five bullets:

We had Indian brunch at Dishoom (Carnaby branch). The place gets packed quite fast and one needs to reserve ahead. Good thing we got a 9:30 AM spot.
We walked around the Regent Street. It was the day of the London Pride March and the streets were decked out in rainbow colours.
Kensington Park. It was a lovely day under the sunshine and the gardens seemed as green as they can be.
Kensington Palace. Our Art Fund pass allowed us free entry to visit the state apartments where royals like Queen Victoria and Princess Diana once lived.
Regent's Park. Incidentally, I got to cross out one from my bucket list: To visit an English Garden. Do you think I will be able to cross out the other two in my list this year?

Click 'Read more'to see my short, sort-of bucket list and the rest of the Saturday agenda pictures.
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The Saturday Agenda: Kenwood House & Hampstead Heath

2017-06-18T22:33:00.000+01:00

Hello dear. Hope summer is treating you well, wherever you are now.
I went for a "little escape" this weekend.

Here's my quick Saturday agenda:

Kenwood House - This stately house and its estate is located at the northern part of Hampstead Heath. This was featured in films such as Notting Hill and Sense and Sensibility. It also houses a collection of paintings which includes a Rembrandt self-portrait.
Hampstead Heath - A really massive park that is more "countryside" than green spaces typical of London city parks. If you want to truly detach from urban life without going very far from the city, this is the 'heath' for you. Think hilly, sometimes forest-like, grassy trails and ponds (like the one pictured above).

Click to "Read more".

The Sunday Agenda: Changing of the Guards, Highgate & Flat Iron Steak

2017-06-11T22:12:00.000+01:00

Hi there!
Need a dash of sunshine and a generous sprinkling of warmth? I'll try my best to brighten up your day in my own little way. Here's a slight variation to my usual TSA agenda - this time S is for Sunday :)

Changing of the Guards
Highgate: Waterlow Park and Highgate Cemetery
Flat Iron Steak

Click "Read more" to see my Sunday agenda.

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The Weekend Agenda: Paris (also Hashtags 2017 ed. vol. 10)

2017-05-30T18:53:00.000+01:00

#Paris #DearParis

Dear Paris,

By now, you may have gotten used to receiving notes admiring your beauty and charm, retelling in various versions how your cobblestoned streets, your food, your arts and culture, your architecture, your Eiffel Tower, your fashion and films, and your language truly embody romance, love and passion. Should I add any more? Aren't there enough travelogues, memoirs and poems about you? My own compilation of random thoughts will be the millionth verse to this epic ode to Paris.

It's just that I've always dreamt of visiting you, experiencing you --- the Parisian flair that many talked about. Until recently, Paris was a good idea, but only that, a good idea. Who would have guessed? I was presented the opportunity to move to the UK and I have found the perfect excuse. You're now literally just hours away --- a Eurostar train trip and a Schengen visa are the only things that keep us apart. Cheesy as it may sound, it felt like falling in love with someone from across the miles for so many years, with only literature and pictures to keep you inspired, and realising that finally you're meeting him in the flesh.

I was wary and guarded when I walked your streets for the first time, knowing that I do not speak French (at least conversationally) and that tourist traps and thieves are out and about (as in many cities in the world). In a way, you were still a stranger, beautiful and promising in paper --- like most men are, putting their best foot forward when they want to win you over.

I sampled the food from your brasserie and wondered what is it that sets your cuisine apart from the rest. It wasn't love at first sight (or taste), to be honest. It took some more buttery croissants for breakfast and a couple of glasses of wine for lunch AND dinner for me to finally make up my mind. Yes, you do excellent pastries and you've got the wine and food pairing down to a T. The baguette or any 'hard' bread is not something I fancy much though. I like my food less messy to eat, melt-in-your-mouth tender, and flavourful.

Despite all these, I love you still --- imperfections, quirks and all. It may be a one-way street, and you may not feel the same. I am after all another stranger, and we had less than three days together. Nonetheless, it was indeed an exciting and magical experience, and I will never forget this 'first time' in my lifetime. If you and the universe permit, I will see you again.

Enchanté!

With love,
Genefel

Click "Read more" to see my #Paris weekend, as told in 35 snaps.

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The Weekend Agenda: Budapest

2017-05-14T09:37:00.000+01:00

Where do I begin?

I've previously travelled to some cities on my own but all of those were for work. Budapest was my first solo travel for leisure outside the Philippines (my home country), and I chose to do it on the week of my birthday!

After so much internal debate on the pros and cons of Budapest and travelling solo, I finally clicked the "Buy" button for the dates of the trip and accommodation. I remember feeling an indescribable rush afterwards - a combination of excitement, that sense of being daunted by the new challenge, and sheer happiness over the fact that I will soon be breaking away from another comfort zone.

I posted my 35 #birthdayseries in Instagram (@genefel) during my Budapest trip. As mentioned in my captions, I don't usually post that many pictures in succession in any of my social media accounts. But I was so enthralled by the entire experience that I felt it justified to share these in Instagram (where I have comparably the smallest number of followers among my social media accounts so I thought it was most appropriate for such a meaningful milestone in my life.) Why 35 posts? Well, that was because I turned 35 recently.

Happy 35th

In this blog post, I slightly reframed my #birthdayseries story to share with you my three-day Budapest itinerary. Hopefully, this inspires you to travel more (if Budapest is something you haven't visited yet or wants to revisit), to travel solo for leisure (if you were like me who mostly travel for work), and to view age more positively (if you tend to hide the years rather than count your blessings). ;)

I included a post-script on pre-travel basics at the end of this post. You may find these useful if you're traveling from London, or need some references on airport and hotel essentials.

Warning: Loads of pictures, i.e., probably more than twice my Instagram #birthdayseries, but hopefully with lesser text so I won't bore you with much details. Should you decide to validate these by taking the Budapest trip yourself, there are more stories left to uncover! :)

Now go on, click "Read more", but you've been warned ;)

The Weekend Agenda: No Agenda

2017-04-30T20:57:00.000+01:00

My daily morning view from my bedroom

"Happiness is not having to set the alarm for the next day."

Agree. The happiness in Saturdays indeed! And Sundays. And long weekends :)

22-23 April

Last week's Saturday was a no-agenda Saturday. I stayed in and cooked my lamb moussaka --- lovely brunch and dinner with the usual good helping of rice. Please check out my latest The Skinny Eats post and see how high this dish ranked in my list.
Sunday came. It was the celebrated London Marathon, but I only craved for blueberry muffins, haha. I went out briefly to check out the marathoners who passed by Limehouse and headed to Lidl for my muffins.

Click "Read more" for the rest of my 'No Agenda' weekend.

The Skinny Eats: Hello Fresh (April 2017)

2017-04-30T19:17:00.001+01:00

Hey there! How are you today? It's the end of April, can you believe it?

Do you still remember The Skinny Eats from a year ago? If you can't or have only started reading recently, here's a quick recap:

"The Skinny Eats" (formerly Delectables) is intended for quick foodie "two cents" (maybe a few rants, but mostly raves) from yours truly --- the skinny lady who surprise, surprise actually eats but sadly (for me) hardly gains a pound and even loses more just by breathing, lol. Compared to the more sumptuous, three-course equivalent in the former Delectables posts, these ones are more concise in the same eat-and-run pace when one goes through pit stops.

For the second instalment, The Skinny Eats will be my two cents on the meal planning and shopping subscription service called Hello Fresh.

Click to "Read more".
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The Saturday Agenda: Liverpool

2017-04-16T11:30:00.000+01:00

Happy Easter my dear! I hope that you're making the best of this long weekend break.

While most of London travelled further to warmer cities or countries, I opted for a short day trip and as such, had to contend with below fifteen-degree weather.

Click to "Read more".

Hashtags 2017 ed. vol. 9

2017-04-10T00:08:00.000+01:00

#theonethatgotaway

I thought I saw you today
Or maybe it was just someone who looked like you.
I wonder if you also remember me on days like this
When you see mundane reminders through someone who looks like me.

When you see someone with the same set of bags like mine
The same red coat, the same little black dress, the same pair of shoes
Does your heart skip a beat only to find out it wasn't me?
But I've changed my ensemble and some things are not the same
Not consciously to erase memories, or for reasons of that sort
I just changed...

When you see a familiar silhouette or a smile
From the crowd in your daily commute or weekend trails
Do you crane your neck to see if it was me?
Do you ever wonder if you would run into me ever again, and what would you say?

I think this city, this world, is big enough though,
Big enough for us to keep our distance from each other.
And I guess that's for the best, the safest for us.
No expectations, no closure,
Just ellipses...

I guess there are such things as moments
That remain to be moments.
Perhaps memorable, but painfully so
Because they never ended; they were fleeting
Such as bubbles that burst like ghosts of summer
When they could have faded slowly away, more beautifully.

It was painful to watch;
It takes a lot of strength from my end
To just be present
Each time I find a piece of my everyday
Which takes me back to a memory of you
Or us, or me and you.

You had a hundred chances
But you never took any one of them
And no, you cannot take them back.
They are gone, they've passed
And lost their flutter and innocence
They've grown up and left us for good.

We were almost there
But maybe some things are not meant to be
Maybe you blew it,
Yes, maybe I am the one that got away.

The Sunday Agenda: Rambling Through Sunny London Part 2

2017-04-09T23:39:00.003+01:00

It seemed like I didn't get enough Vitamin D even after yesterday's hours of rambling through sunny London. When Liza called me up at midday to join her in her random cravings for Filipino food, I obliged right away, complete with my beach mat for the 'walk in the park' expected after a hearty lunch. Burn calories, burn! LOL

We had Filipino Lunch at Kamayan, Earl's Court...
And more sun-bathing at the Holland Park :)

Found this tree of cherry blossoms, and thought, 'What better way to capture this sunny cheerful mood?'

Happy spring and good night!

XOXO,
Genefel

The Saturday Agenda: Rambling Through Sunny London Part 1

2017-04-08T23:33:00.000+01:00

Hey there!! How was your week? I hope it went well at work or with whatever kept you busy for the past five days. Mine was exhausting physically and mentally. Two days into the work week, I was already looking forward to Saturday, lol.

Last night, I joined the girls (Liza and Verna) for Movie Friday. We saw Beauty and the Beast. I know, it was quite belated, but I guess that goes with age --- no rush to be ahead and join the premiere night bandwagon anymore. We are way past that stage and we often choose to enjoy things at our own pace.

Click to "Read more".

Hashtags 2017 ed. vol. 8

2017-04-03T23:17:00.001+01:00

#ThatPerfectMoment

I want that 'Perfect' moment. That one night.
Under this 'Dreamworks' slice of moonlight. By the riverside.
When he finally realises that this is it. Ours is the real thing.
When his gaze catches mine, and the milliseconds of silence would say it all.
We'd stand up from our seats, still speechless.
Our two pairs of left feet, trying to make sense of this lovely song:

"Dancing in the dark.
With you between my arms.
Barefoot in the grass.
Listening to our favorite song.
When you said you looked a mess.
I whispered underneath my breath.
But you heard it darling.
You look perfect tonight."

I would be my usual nervous self.
Expect that, whenever I get close to this precipice.
Even after all that life has showed me, I still have fears.
Heights, traps, love.

I am not perfect.
He won't be perfect.
But we would be perfectly right for each other.
There'd be odds and doubts.
But the timing would be surely right by then.
He'd see through my quirks,
Bear with the mess and randomness
And find the logic to understand these
However complex I get to be;
I will appreciate the chapters,
All the empty and profound pages
That made up what he became
Beneath that beautiful hard-bound shell.

But a girl can dream, right? About that perfect moment.
I don't know, but I have an almost clear picture of this dance by the garden.
Sometimes, it does not feel like a dream anymore.

Credits: Lyrics in italics from Ed Sheeran's song, Perfect

The Sunday Agenda: Afternoon Tea

2017-04-02T22:08:00.000+01:00

This was officially my first British afternoon tea!

Liza joined me in experiencing this must-do-while-in-Britain. We took advantage of the Groupon discount and booked our Sunday 3pm tea break at the British Musuem's Great Court Restaurant.

I chose Sencha tea, a type of green tea which is most popular in Japan. We were served three layers of finger sandwiches, cakes, scones, teacakes, buns and biscuits. I loved the scones most of all. I felt that putting on the very rich cream and jam was just so quintessentially British!

The Saturday Agenda: Going Through My TSA @ A+I Routine and Trying Something New

2017-04-02T21:33:00.001+01:00

It seems that I now have an Angel+Islington routine. It became a pinned, default agenda in my Saturday afternoon for these past weeks. You might be thinking, 'Doesn't she do anything else other than go to Islington on Saturdays?' Hahaha. Surely, I don't want to bore you with my routine by posting the same set of pictures and captions every week. Please bear with me as I post this for maybe the last time --- my typical Saturday at Angel+Islington. The next time I mention TSA @ A+I, you can just go back and re-read this post :)

Don't worry, it looks like I will be doing something different in the coming weekends, and I sure did something different this Saturday (read on to the end of this post)!! But it doesn't take away my hunch that there must be something special and addictive about Angel+Islington for this place to bore itself into me, quite literally, (-;) and stamp its own agenda in my Saturday afternoon.

The typical TSA @ A+I goes like this:

Buy flowers. I have a favourite. There's this lovely stall near The York and Toni & Guy, along Upper Street. I think it's called Angelic Flower. I usually buy the hand-tied bouquet because this includes a good mix of vibrant colours - greens, roses and tulips. Its height and hand-tied size is just perfect for my vase, too.

Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Prepping for British Summer Time

2017-03-25T21:33:00.000+00:00

The clocks are moving forward tomorrow! British Summer Time, am I ready for you? For those who live outside UK, British Summer Time or BST is when UK time is advanced one hour forward of Greenwich Mean Time, so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less.

Shot near Mile End

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The Saturday Agenda: Okonomi-yaki and Fresh Picks

2017-03-18T22:23:00.000+00:00

Hey there! How did this week go for you? Pleasantly blah at work? Or another challenging rollercoaster ride? Either way, I hope this weekend is treating you well :) Sharing with you again my Saturday agenda. Here goes...

1:00 p.m.
Okonomi-yaki lunch

@ Abeno with Liza
Abeno claims to be the only one offering the authentic Okonomi-yaki experience in Europe.
We dined in the Bloomsbury restaurant at 47 Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY. There's also another Abeno in Covent Garden, a.k.a. Abeno Too. Check out its website and book a table in advance.
We ordered a deluxe Tokyo mix (pork, squid and prawn) to share, and requested for a gluten-free dough.

For our side dish, we chose one from the Spring Menu - Kakiage Tempura, with scallops, asparagus, carrots and onions.

Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Why I Keep Coming Back to Angel and Islington

2017-03-11T22:53:00.000+00:00

Hey there, sweetie! How well have you spent your weekend?
It is rarely warm and sunny in London that whilst I originally planned to stay in my flat this Saturday (no Saturday agenda with friends this weekend), I wasn't able to help it but I just had to go out and bask in the precious warmth and sunshine!! Is spring coming soon? Please do come already :)

Hmm, what's my default weekend place? Angel and Islington. I never quite understand why this place seems to beckon to me whenever I need somewhere else to just be. Just be. Quiet. By myself. Mindless and mindful of solitude all at once.

As I have mentioned in previous posts here and in Instagram, this all started when I was looking for a butcher shop after finding the frozen meat at supermarkets too bland and quite tasteless. I found Turner and George and went there almost every Saturday to buy my fresh meat, and then sort of fell in love with Angel and Islington in the process.

2017 came and I decided on a (mostly) pescetarian diet. I had no excuse to go back to Islington anymore. :( Until now.

So why do I keep coming back to Angel and Islington? I tried to find answers to this question this Saturday.

Click to "Read more".
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The Saturday Agenda: Making Handmade Soaps + Persian Lunch

2017-03-04T22:38:00.000+00:00

Why do I share my Saturday agenda with you? Good question. My two cents on this:

Currently, it is my only "free time" when non-work events of interest actually happen. Other than these, I'd most likely bore you with a lecture on audit, risk and controls, hahaha. And on a Saturday, no thanks.
I want to encourage you to go out, get out of your comfort zone (which will most likely be your very comfortable, warm and cosy bed) and LIVE OUT LIFE!! Don't get me wrong. I am an introvert myself and staying indoors with a cup of hot cocoa and immersing myself in the world of books are my closest to heaven. However, I've made a pact with this introvert self of mine that I will go out more and see the "outside world" every now and then. Why? Life is short. We are here for the journey - THE experience. :)

So here goes my agenda for this Saturday...

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On Memories and Daffodils

2017-03-02T18:30:00.000+00:00

On my way to a client meeting earlier today, I decided to have a quick lunch at Wasabi. I saw this lovely #gardenoflight at the Paternoster Square, near St. Paul's Cathedral.

From the official Marie Curie website:

"The Garden of Light is a celebration of the people who matter. It’s packed full of daffodils – 2,100 to be precise. Each one represents a Marie Curie Nurse, symbolising the amazing care and support they give to families affected by terminal illness.

It’s also a place where you can remember the people you love by signing our memory wall, and hear poignant audio stories from some of the people we’ve helped."

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I picked a daffodil petal myself, wrote the names of those who have passed away but remain closest to my heart, and pasted my daffodil petal on the memory wall. Why daffodils, I wondered. A bit of Google search showed me that these flowers symbolise rebirth and new beginnings. My greatest respect to these Marie Curie nurses for their dedication to their jobs which continue to give us hope on humanity and pave the way for rebirth, second chances and new beginnings. Some may have left us in this lifetime, but in my heart, I feel that they are just around us in various versions of stardust.

XOXO,
Genefel

The Saturday Agenda: Steamboat

2017-02-25T22:38:00.000+00:00

For Verna's XXth birthday, we decided to invite her friends over our flat and have our own steamboat / hotpot.

This is definitely much cheaper than the one that you'll have in restaurants. You'll need an induction cooker (for slow-cooking), a cook pot huge enough to dunk the ingredients in, a really good soup base and a good variety of ingredients (prawns, thinly sliced meat, tofu, mushrooms, wanton balls and dimsum, vegetables). We had more than enough to serve 4-5 people.

Thanks to Lily who is such a pro with hot pots, we all had a filling and lovely steamboat celebration.

Hashtags 2017 ed. vol. 7

2017-02-19T20:54:00.000+00:00

#Edinburgh #outtakes

Outtakes: A short part of a film or television programme or music recording that was removed and not included usually because it contains mistakes --- according to the Cambridge dictionary.

Do they refer to bloopers as well? Hmm, not really sure. However, I'm going to use this term to headline the photos from my Edinburgh trip that just won't fit in my Day 1 and Day 2 posts and which I felt deserve their own post :) Allow me some 'blogger license' here please :)

#stairways
I know I like a backdrop when I see one. There is something about a stairway which fascinates me. First, I grew up in a house without one and thus, I've always stared in awe at houses with second floors. Secondly, climbing one makes me feel like a princess (thank you Disney and fairy tales).

This stairway leads to the Edinburgh Castle.

Click to "Read more".Read more »

The Weekend Agenda: Edinburgh - Day 2

2017-02-19T19:16:00.000+00:00

Continuing on from my earlier post, here's the rest of our Edinburgh weekend agenda.

Sunday 19 February

Breakfast: At Starbucks.

I had the super-scrambled eggs + flat white.

Click to "Read more".