Fire and Earthquake Drill at Smart Tower

March to April is Fire Prevention Month here in the Philippines and in case you don't go out the streets the whole day, it id freakin' hot especially during noon time. Last Tuesday, it reached the hottest day ever recorded which is 36 degrees Celsius. It is as if you will break out into fever anytime soon. In these days, most of the buildings in the metro conduct Fire and Earthquake drills for compliance with the city ordinance.

This is the first time I get to attend a fire and earthquake drill since on my previous company, I intended to leave on that day or go to work late so as I would not go down the 21 floors of our building. This time, we are only located at the 7th floor and since we miscalculated the time they will conduct the fire and earthquake drill, we get to participate on it.

Strangers, Again

"She used to be my Unicorn"

I used to have a unicorn on my desk. The statement reminded me why I have that. That it was a symbol of a mythical creature so pure and so beautiful. Also, a symbol of something I have read before. I has a memory of it, a good one. It was a long time ago that has already ended. Everything in this life is a cycle. We go on stages and in the end we go back to where we started.

A friend of mine gave me a video link and I watched it making me realize the cycle we all go through. Watch below and appreciate.

This video is from Wung Fu Production. They do mini movies and is usually posted in youtube.com. I watched their other videos before and I sure can relate to them. Here are the stages of relationship that we go through.

Wake Boarding at CWC

This is a very late post since I wasn't able to get photos at this time and had to get it to my friend who took the pictures for us.

When we were at Camarines Sur at CWC, we had experienced a rare opportunity to try on wake boarding. Wake boarding is a water sports that uses a board on the surface of water while hanging on a rope and being pulled to the waters. It is like skate boarding on water.It looks simple and easy as you look at the people doing it but truth is, it is very difficult.

Mt. Balagbag Climb on Good Friday

I told my mom that I will go to Mt. Balagbag on Rodriguez, Rizal on Good Friday. At first she was hesitant but I said that Jesus too went to climb on Skull Mountain on Good Friday and he was even carrying a cross with him up. She didn't argue anymore and I saved up the date to go there on Good Friday.

It was 3am when I woke up. I think it was earlier since my mom would set all the clocks in the house a few minutes advance. I prepared stuff to bring and texted my fried so she can buy me some water for the climb. I got to ride on my brother's friend since he was just going home from our house. It saved me the time and money going t o our meeting place at the boundary of Muntinlupa and San Pedro.

Little Tokyo Experience: Kagura

After we eat at Hana, we were still looking for the famed Okonomiyaki that we read on articles on the net. We scanned the whole area again to look for the place where it is served. Everything was in Japanese that we are not sure where to look for, however, I saw a big picture of an Okonomiyaki on the wall of the restaurant just beside Hana, which I learned is Kagura later on, and we confirmed that this is the place where you can buy and eat authentic Okonomiyaki.

We asked for a table for four but at that time, the place is already crowded with people. We were asked to wait and since we have nothing to do, we just went around the place, besides, we were still quite full. We got at the outer parts of Little Tokyo and saw some other restaurants and Japanese convenient store around. I took a mental note to go there if ever I needed something Japanese. After a while we got back to Kagura but still, there are no seats available. We waited and got a bit irritated when the crew gave a seat to a Japanese guy. We talked to the manager and she was apologetic. Soon, we had a table when a grouped billed out. We were not that excited anymore, though because of all the waiting.

Little Tokyo Experience: Hana

When we had a lunch out at Omasake, we thought of eating at Little Tokyo before Tanja and Ruel would finally transfer from Makati to QC. A day before their last day, we met up at Rufino to go to Little Tokyo in Makati.

Little Tokyo is a popular place in Makati where there are a lot of authentic Japanese restaurants. Here, you can taste the authentic Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki and other Japanese dishes. you will surely have a feel of Japan in this place. It is located along Pasong Tamo near Amorsolo Street. Fom Rufino, we walked to get there. If you'd do the same thing we did, you just walk until you reach a Shell gasoline station, from there you should turn left and continue walking until you reach a small arch marking the entrance to Little Tokyo. You can notice that there are a lot of Japanese restaurants along the way. This place is lined with lots of it. There are also convenient stores near where you can buy Japanese product. It really feels like a small Japan in the middle of the city.

Happy Food at Dairy Queen

After our dinner at Go Greek!, we asked Kat if she could treat us with dessert and after several negotiations, we decided to buy ice cream at Dairy Queen, our happy food!

We went to Dairy Queen at the Glorietta 4 Cinema area. It was the only thing we could think of that is opened that time since it was already late. The place is just small and at the counter, you can see their whole kitchen where they prepare the cold delights for the waiting guests. It was expected to be small since it was on the cinemas and they expect people to take out the sweet treats as they go watch. There are only few tables for guests who wanted to dine there.

Dinner at Go Greek!

It was Wednesday and my high school friends and I usually meet up at Ayala for dinner. This time, we are running low on budget since pay day are days away. We settled for Food Choices in Glorietta 4 for a light dinner that night.

We decided to try out Go Greek! which is located at the far end of the Food Choices. Their area is quite hidden but big tarpaulin ads are around so that you can easily find it. Their small space in the food court is nice. It was decorated with Greek stuff and the kitchen is visible on the counter, you can see how your food is cooked.

Girl Date at Tokyo Tokyo

To start the week, I had a girl date with one of my high School friends. We usually bond at Alabang since her work is at Calamba. We decided to eat out that night since she needed some girl time and I am the one available that night.

We didn't know what to eat since we met at around 8pm and we didn't want to eat a heavy meal. We triued out different restaurants but either they are already closing or the dishes we wanted are not available.

We ended up at Tokyo Tokyo. Their Festival Supermall branch is newly renovated. They have a wider space for the customers now. They also have a different look and feel inside. We ordered something new in their menu, the Bento Meal. This meal comes with a Miso Soup, a glass of soft drinks which is upgradable to a Red Iced Tea, a meal with unlimited rice, vegetables and a main dish, and of course a dessert.

Smart Fun Familia at Enchanted Kingdom

We were invited by our Smart friends to join their annual Fun Familia held at Enchanted Kingdom. As one of their benefits as a Smart employee, they are encouraged to join this event together with family members or friends. Since most of our friends in Smart chose EK for this event, they gave us free tickets so we can have fun with them.

Free tickets are given to employees plus 2 free ones together with P300 worth of Wizard Money. If you want to bring a bigger crowd, tickets are sold at discounted price (P350).
Enchanted Kingdom is a theme park located at Sta. Rosa, Laguna near the South Luzon Expressway Exit. It has been established on 1995 and since then, many of the young (and old) pinoys have enjoyed this magical place.

Lunch Out Series: Omakase

I was invited by Tanja to have a lunch out with them at Ayala Triangle Gardens because she already got her back pay from her previous company. We dined at Omakase, a Japanese restaurant beside Amici.

The place is small but can sit large number of people. The interior is Japanese inspired and they have this big Japanese dolls that also looks like Russian dolls. The seating is cozy and I like that it is cushioned. The staff are accommodating and attends to us even if there are a lot of guests coming in. This place is also jam packed during lunch hours, good thing, we got there early and got a nice seat at the middle of the restaurant.

Sweet Endings at Happy Cream Puff

 After our lunch out at Buffalo Wings and Things, we didn't want to get back to the office yet, instead, we looked for something to eat for dessert. We decided to go to Happy Cream Puff since our location was near their Dela Rosa branch.

Happy Cream Puff is located at Rada Regency, Dela Rosa Street Legaspi Village Makati City. Their store is small but it is cozy inside. You can smell the freshly baked pastries as you enter. They also serve drinks there to go with the cream puffs. The staff are friendly and and quick to assist you. Maybe because there are only few guests that goes there.

Lunch Out Series: Buffalo Wings and Things

It was Dan's last day and since he was our team mate in one of his project, he invited us to dine with him for the last time. They suggested to eat at Buffalo Wings and Things just beside Chubby's Rib Shack. It is located at Solaris One Bldg, along Dela Rosa Street at Makati.

The place is just small and it is sharing its space with Chubby's Rib Shack. Their area can accommodate small group of diners and 1-2 large groups. It is very difficult at lunch time to have a place for a large group here and so we waited for a long time to be seated. The manager and staff were apologetic about it. We think, they need more staff in the place since there are only two people in the kitchen and the crew is very few to attend to the demands of the customers.

Weekend Getaway at Casa Ibiza, We've Got a Deal!

We bought some coupon at CashCashPinoy for an overnight stay at Casa Ibiza at Antipolo for 6 people at 51% off. We bought two so that we can have a relaxing time away from all the hassle in the city.

View our deal here

When they booked the bought coupon, there were some problems. The online booking confirmed our booking however when they inquired, it seems that they haven't booked us yet so instead of the Grand Villa which can accommodate 6 people, we were given 3 ordinary rooms for us to stay. It was okay since the place is good and the facilities are fine.

Dinner at Shakey's

It was another family dinner since my mom celebrated her birthday a week ago. She always wanted Shakey's spaghetti so we went to the nearest branch, Shakey's Muntinlupa to have dinner and celebrate her birthday.

Shakey's is located along the National Road. It is near Muntinlupa City Hall and the Save More Supermarket. This branch is just new and since it was opened, a lot of people are regularly dining here. They have a large space, good for large groups dining in. They also have a lot of crew who are accommodating. The only problem here during meal hours is the parking space but the guard outside handles it well.

Lunch Out Series: I Love Backyard BBQ and Bento Box

I have eaten in I Love Backyard BBQ quite a number of times already but I failed to blog it. This time, since I got the time, I will include it in my lunch out series part of my blog.

I Love Backyard BBQ and Bento Box is a restaurant in Salcedo Village in Makati. They share space and you can order in either of the two menus they have. I Love Backyard BBQ serves steak and sizzling dishes while Bento Box serves Japanese dishes.

High School Reunion Dinner at Marciano's

It has been 7 years since we were together as classmates in high school and this night, we came together to have a mini reunion and remember the old times and catch up with the latest happenings in our life.

I graduated from CSA Biñan on 2004 and since then, we parted ways. Some went to UP, La Salle and UPLB. Because of an spontaneous invite, we decided to meet up at Greenbelt after work. It was something we haven't done for the longest time.

We decided to dine at Marciano's. It is an Italian restaurant located at Greenbelt 3. They serve pasta, pizza, streaks and other dishes as well. The place is a bit small, but good enough for large groups. They have seating inside the restaurant as well as outside. They have a lot of crew that assists you who are friendly and accommodating.

First Run: Hyundai Run for a Cause

My brother invited me to register to Hyundai Run for a Cause but unfortunately, the registrations were closed after he said it to me. After some weeks, the registration was once again opened and I get to register this time. I told my friends about it but the registrations closed after a day and I was the only one who registered.

Hyundai Run for a Cause is a free fun run that is sponsored by Hyundai for its anniversary. It benefits Gawad Kalinga in their projects. Over a thousand people registered for this run (mainly because it is free) but most of them didn't attend the run. However, there are still thousands that is why runners are divided into different waves so that runners could be more comfortable in running through the course.

Dinner at 8065 Bagnet

I wanted to try out 8065 Bagnet a long time ago but since it was located at Makati, and at that time, I don't know anything about the place, I just hoped that someday I could eat there and have a taste of what people are talking about.

A few weeks ago, my super blocmates Tanja and Ruel told me that they have already eaten there and since I wanted to go there really bad, I had them promised to me that they'd take me there before they leave Makati and finally transfer to Quezon City. And so they stayed true to their promise and we had dinner there just before March ended.

Lunch Out Series: Amici and Caramia

It was once again Friday and this time, we were only three to dine out for lunch. We initially wanted some place near but ended up at Ayala Triangle Gardens to eat at Amici and have dessert at Caramia.

It wasn't my first time eating here as we had Sir Lester's birthday celebration lunch here a month ago, however, one of us haven't tried it yet here and since the food here is okay, we decided to eat here again.

Birthday Dinner at Don Henrico's

We usually have family dinner whenever there are birthdays in our family and this time, it's my turn to treat them since I just celebrated my birthday.

I chose Den Henrico's at Festival Supermall since I was craving for its yummy buffalo wings. But sadly, I realized that I ordered too much that I crossed out the dish on my to order list.

Their place is located outside the mall on its 2nd level. It is near Shopwise's 2nd floor entrance, just beside the array of ATM machines and The Old Spaghetti House on the other side.