FatShaming

While browsing my Facebook feed, I've come across some posts where someone complimented someone for looking good because they lost some weight.

It got me thinking. Does she mean that she does not look good before because she is fat or because she looks unhealthy that is why the additional weight does not look good on her?

It is 2016.Let's stop fat-shaming ourselves. Let's stop fat-shaming other people. Let's not be clouded with insecurity that fat is bad and skinny is good.

One body-image warrior said that being body-positive is not an idea or advocacy. It is a journey and war. One that we must keep on fighting until the world accepts that we all come from different shapes and sizes.

There are days...

There are days when you just want to be taken care of. There are days that you just want someone to take over everything and you can do nothing. There are days you just want someone to say, "It's okay, I am here" so you can relax. There are days...

I love being single because I am still in the process of learning everything about myself. How I react on certain situations by myself.

I love helping my family, my friends and everyone. I don't want to think of it as a burden but more of a challenge. Maybe it's because there are times that I am tempted to do something else. Some wants to have kids on their own at an early but responsible age, while I, want to travel, splurge on things while I am young and single. Because for me, once you have a family of your own, you no longer have to think of yourself, their needs and wants comes first and I am so not ready for that. As I said, I am in the process of learning about myself.

My uncle always tell me, I am the captain of our family.I am the leader of our generation in our clan. Because I have visions, I always like to plan ahead, I think ahead, and I work ahead. It is actually a flattering statement coming from someone I look up to, but there is a big responsibility that comes with it. I have to make sure that my family, including my cousins are all okay, monitored and connected to one another. I have to make sure that family is still family even when they are gone.

He said I got it from my mother who is the eldest of 8. But a part of me want to protest, how about me? What if I don't want to be a leader? I am the youngest in my family and supposedly the youngest are the one that is spoiled, self-centered and all but apparently not. I mean, none to any of me and my siblings, but in the natural order of things, the eldest is the leader and the rest should follow. But not with us.

Don't get me wrong, I don't blame anyone for my responsibility, but again, there are days you just want to lounge around, hang out, you know, stop and smell the flowers, be a bum.

I'm also human, in as much as I want to do things without complaining, I tend to feel tired and worn out at times that is why I hope for days like those.

There are days..

Good Vibes

In a world where people choose to say nasty things to one another, to back-stab each other, these two videos restored my faith in humanity. (I'm afraid I can't post the videos because I wasn't able to ask permission if I could post it).

I live a happy life. I mean, I don't have a perfect world where everything I want and needs are all there. But I am learning to live within my means, maximize what I have in terms of people and things and emotions, and at the same time, I try to practice to always see the good in everything. But there are times, or days that negative people will always find their way to influence you. We still have to admit that in order for things to be balance, they will always be there, the pros and cons. yin and yang.

Anyways, one thing I am always proud is I managed to keep close to my friends in college. We were blockmates on our first year and ended being friends for more than a decade now. We have our own lives to live but our friendship remained strong. There were fights, yes, but we surpassed them all. I can say we are at the point of our lives that each has its own path now but we always know we will have each other's back for life.

Since one of our friends got engaged, we created this group chat in Facebook to keep track of each other's whereabouts. After the wedding, we continued the group chat to keep track of one another. In this chat, we talked about everything under the sun, wedding bliss, expectant mothers, and single-blessedness among other things. Until one day, our sister, Rachel asked for prayers for her father who recently got his foot amputated due to diabetes complications. I guess you could say the condition got worse because months after the surgery, he was blabbering that his day is about to come, and when they had reunion last Christmas, instead of being a happy event, it turned out to be a sad one because he is saying goodbye to everyone.

Rachel said he has been talking nonstop for days now. Like he always leaves what to do when he's gone, where to bury him, what he wants to do or who he wants to see..

One of his requests is to see Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa, two of his most favorite basketball players from Barangay Ginebra. (For the benefit of others, basketball is like everyone's favorite game of Filipinos). They knew it is impossible for them to do that because they don't have the means but they also don't have the heart to disappoint the old man.

Rachel and his siblings come up with the idea of spreading the news online. She made a public plea for her father to see his idols or at least get a video clip from them. She shared it to us, her friends, and we also shared it to our friends and so on. She made her account on public so everyone can get in touch of her. Within 24 hours of massive sharing of this plea to different social media accounts, one of our college classmate, who's husband's friend is a friend of these guys heard our plea! She was able to get a hold of Mr. Helterbrand, managed to get a video and next thing is Mr. Caguioa!

We were all so overwhelmed with the response of people who helped Rachel and her siblings for this. Few hours after, her father's photo and the video greeting were posted in the team's official fan page and everyone is sending their be-strong messages to the family.

Some says faith in humanity is restored. Indeed it is. This should be the main purpose of social media aside from being reunited with friends or families around the globe. It shouldn't be to bash, or degrade or belittle someone.

Can I also say how proud I am of my friends? We did not do much but the fact that we easily agreed to share the plea, to make Rachel smile despite what she is going through is enough proof that this friendship knows no boundaries.

Taken during our annual Christmas Dinner Tradition together with their kids

Four Years...

It was the middle of year 2010, I quit my job in 24/7. And since I cannot afford to be jobless for a while, a friend referred me to Teletech Customer Care Management, Philippines. 

August 02, 2010. First day of work. In a room of 20 hopeful trainess and 1 trainer, my life in Teletech began. A friend once told me, I am Miss Friendship, and I think even my Mama would attest to it. You can leave me not knowing anyone in one corner but few minutes after, I will manage to have a friend. 

Meet USCR 7. That's the name of my wave. They said training days are a bliss. You get paid without taking calls. So I enjoyed it as much as everybody did. 

That's us with Boss Mike and OM Aisha

By the time I hit the production, we were still a team. Fortunately, since we were one of the first few batches, we manage to have one team. But I was closest to the girls. But these four manage to leave an impact on my life. 

My Shupatembangs (Carla, Me, Glaiza, Urville and Anna)

These four were the closest to me among our wave. We all have our own differences, but we all have something in common, our Love to Travel. We all get giddy and excited whenever we would talk about our dream destination, dream adventure and other things. They were the major reason why it took me a while to decide leaving the company, because I did not only find my travel buddies there, but I found my real friends in them. 

Then the rigodon happened, we were all shuffled to different teams because of the change. I was so devastated then. I invested too much emotion on the team and the idea of being transferred to another one was too much for me to handle. 

meet Team Sharifa

Glaiza (one of the closest to me) knew Sam or Sharifa and she assured me I will be in good hands.. During my stay sa kanya, we were okay as supervisor and agent. Not until she has to be given a new set of agents. After I was transferred to another team, only then, Sam and I became friends. 

 Team Earl

Then there's Team Earl. Then we were transferred to Chat from Residential Billing. We all welcomed the change then... 

In Teletech, it is where I experienced my first out of the country trip, thanks to my shupatembangs who made it happen. It is where we managed to learn how we respond on things. 

at Ocean Park, Hong Kong

It is also in Teletech, I've been to other places I never thought I would go, get to experience what they had to offer, be a local or just enjoy how beautiful this world is. 

 me in Bato Springs, Quezon

The Ruins, Bacolod

 white water rafting in Cagayan De Oro

 some hotel in Macau

Abra De Ilog, Occidental Mindoro

in a cozy beach in Samar

And then, I had to be moved to another Team Leader. TL Cherry. I am getting used to the idea of being transferred from one leader to the other. It is in her team when I enjoyed being alone. Since we handle Chat service, we were not required to take calls unless the call volume would said so. 

this is our latest picture when we watched 50 shades of grey

I am happy to know that even though we were incomplete in the photo, and we are no longer team mates, we managed to see each other once in a while to have fun from time to time. 

And then, another change happened. Nalipat ako sa Connected Home. I had to be separated to the team again. Good thing, mababait at welcoming ang new team ko. at first, aside from being sabaw with the changes, super tinatamad na naman ako. Pero I was wrong. It turned out, the team I was moved to, were great. I found new set of friends.

Meet Jabe, Sasan and Dee.. Missing in photo na naman si ate Helen, hahaha! Anyways, mali na naman ako ng inakala na hindi ko sila makakasundo, dahil next thing I knew, sila ang karamay ko nung time na kabadong kabado ako if itutuloy ko pa ba ang pag alis o hindi. Medyo malala ang sepanx ko sa kanila dahil sumabay pa na nag change location ang office, nagkaroon ng rigodon, at may nakasabay ako na nagresign... Pero alam ko, hindi ko man sila makita ng madalas, friends pa din kaming lahat...

After four years of staying in the company, masasabi ko na sila ang dahilan why I stayed and also decided to leave. In as much as I want to be with them at all times, kailangan ko isipin na hindi na ako masaya sa trabaho. It took me a while to admit na walang nangyari sa akin sa apat na taon when it comes to my career. Marami man akong lugar na puntahan, marami man akong tao na makilala, hindi mawawala ang dahilan na walang nangyari sa career ko.

So, going back to my introduction... I quit. I decided to leave again. This time, I wanted to try if I can make it somewhere overseas, away from everyone. I wanted to start on a clean slate. Gusto ko ibalik yung dating personality ko na observer, yung lahat inaabsorb ko, yung dahilan bakit ako napansin na may potential ako. Gusto ko patunayan sa sarili ko na, kaya ko, at kakayanin ko.

Baon ang lahat ng natutunan ko sa Pilipinas, kaunting pocket money, maraming dasal, at sangkatutak na lakas ng loob at positivity, heto ako ngayon sa UAE. Nagbabakasakali. Nagbabakasakali sa bagong buhay.

So really, feeling ko naman ang buhay ko is not all about failure. Yes, I failed. Yes, I resigned. But I am trying to do something about it. Hindi ako nagpakain sa takot ko. This goes to everyone who got themselves in a mess too... That you can get out of it. We all can get out of it. We can all start again..


Love,

AngelSmile02

To my friends...

Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.. 

I had a total of Seven Send Off Dinner/EatOut with my friends (not including the last one i had with my family), i was feeling anxious how things will turn out days before my flight.. After each of those despedida, i only have nothing on my heart except for love, hope, and positivity.

To my Shupatembang, Team Clingy, Friday Girls, Jaboom Twins, HS Barkada, Catie and Wackie and Team Sherr. Maraming salamat for you guys took the time to be with me.. You have no idea kung paano magpigil na huwag umiyak sa idea na pupunta ka sa isang lugar na wala kang kaibigan. Pero ginusto ko to, inumpisahan ko to, at papanindigan ko to. Hanggang sa muling pagkikita, sa susunod na gimik, at sa susunod na walwal moments mga kaibigan! Cheers! I love you all! 

Thoughts

Writing this while almost everyone is sleeping.. 

Ang dami dami pumapasok sa isip ko what will happen to me right after I get off from this plane. Pero one thing is certain, things will never be the same again. Umayon man o hindi sa plano ko, things will definitely change. 

Ginusto ko to eh. Inisip at pinlano ko to. Panindigan ko dapat di ba? I was asking for change. Itapon ang lahat ng naumpisahan sa Pilipinas. Hingang malalim. Kaya ko to. 

Going Loca @ Locavore

When I worked with 24/7, I had three girl friends (Mic, Kei and Teejay). We call ourselves Friday Girls. Because we normally go out every Fridays after a hard days at work. We would try different restaurants in the metro that is within our budget. And it is said that Great Bonds were formed during meal time. 

Anyways, since it has been a while when we were complete, as part of my send off dinner, they agreed to meet up and I get to pick the place. I chose Locavore in Pasig. I am fond of reading blogs, food reviews, and stalking celebrities instagram posts, and Locavore has always been on their list. It seemed that the place has some sort of Conyo vibe. 

For starters, we had Singkamas and Mangga (Php 180), its the regular slice of Mangoes and Turnip with three different dips, Patis Asukal (Sugared Fish Sauce), Chili Smoked Rock Salt, and Shrimp Paste. 

We also had Kinilaw Platter (Php380). It is similar to Kilawin, where it is a raw meat or seafood where its main ingredient is Vinegar or anything that has acidic solution. We were given three types of Kinilaw, one with tuna (left), tanigue (middle) and shrimp (right). Apparently not everyone in our group has a thing for raw meat, they said it is an acquired taste but I like how it was mixed with shallots and mangoes to remove the gamey of the meat. 

And then we had Lechon and Oyster Sisig (Top) Php400 and Sizzling Sinigang (Bottom) Php530, and both were great! The sisig were crunchy and very tasty. While the Sizzling Sinigang was something to look forward to, it is Beef Short Ribs and they sauteed the french beans, instead of the regular soupy sinigang, it was served as a gravy and even my friend who's not adventurous with food loved the dish.

Last on our viands list was the Kare Kare Wings (Php295), I think Chicken Wings is originally a starter meal but since it was coated with Kare Kare sauce, it passed as a viand for us! This is another dish I appreciate that it was crispy and tasty and saucy at the same time. 

For our dessert, this is a homemade Leche Flan with Dulce De Leche sauce (Php200) and its a good thing we ordered it. It was to die for! It wasn't too sweet but very tasty that for me, you don't even need the sauce. 

All in all, our group paid around Php2300 for the entire meal including a platter of rice which is good for 5-6 persons. 

I will give them a 4 out of 5 stars. The ambience was great, it was very laid back actually, the food is also great, it is indeed a filipino dish with a twist, but the parking isn't, though we came in early so we had no problem parking our car. 

And this was us! 

Love, 

AngelSmile02

Understanding (Beyond Language)

I was having dinner with my Ate, when he sent this message to me... 

"You are strong for getting out of bed in the morning even when it feels like hell..

You are brave for doing things, even if they scare you, or they make you feel anxious.

And You are brave for trying and holding on no matter how hard it is.

So please, i hope you are proud of yourself and you deserve that change you've been praying for..."

- I know that this message is copied from somewhere and you just added a personal note on it. nevertheless, the fact that you made an effort to understand, learn and write this to me in English (he is Turkish, by the way), is enough proof that you tried understanding why there are times, I had some mood swings, why you noticed that whenever I am thinking of something, I always grab a pen and start doodling and why I sleep during our conversations via facetime. Thank you for those effort, we may not have what others have, but you understand that times like this, I need a listener and a friend. 

Love, 

AngelSmile02

Cycle of Acceptance

Sometimes, those unexpected things would make you think or weigh your current situation. I was having coffee in a small cafe somewhere in Makati when I had the time to have a little reality check...

Naisip ko, yes, some would think I live a very colorful life. Ang dami kong nagawa, napuntahan, at na experience these past 8 years. Pero come to think of it, nothing much or baka nga nothing happened on my career since I started working. Nasan ako? Agent pa din sa call center. Bakit nga ba hindi ko inaspire to push for other position? Bakit nga ba hindi ako nag excel para mapansin ng management? Anong mali sa nagawa ko? Compare to my friends, parang walang nangyari sa akin. Masyado ba akong naging happy go lucky nitong mga nakaraan taon?

I remember one article I read online. First stage is DENIAL. This is not happening. This isn't true. I am not failing. It is the situation that is wrong, not me. Hay, dineny ko pa na yes, napabayaan ko nga siya. I took my career for granted. Inisip ko, I finish college, madami akong puwedeng aplayan after nito. Hindi ko inisip na 8 years and counting na pala akong in denial sa sitwasyon ko. Nakakahiya. Ang sarap ko sampalin.

Second stage is ANGER. Eto na ang iba't ibang klase ng angst ko. I detached myself from friends. Nagalit ako sa lahat kasi napagiwanan ako. Kung sino sino sinisi ko. To the point na pati politics pinagbuntunan ko ng galit. In short, nag pin point ako who to blame why this is happening.

Third stage is DEPRESSION. For me, there is a thin line between ANGER and DEPRESSION. After ko sisihin ang kung sino sino, na depress ako, mas pinili ko to deal things on my own. Good thing sana yun if I am doing it to improve or heal myself. Pero hindi, I was sulking over the idea that I sucked. I failed. Eto na ung mga eksena na nakakahiya, ano na lang iisipin ng mga kamaganak ko. Sabi ko nga, I finish college, I should be on top pero wala, nganga. Nakakahiya. I even wanted to  bury myself sa kahihiyan.

Fourth stage is BARGAINING. akala ko sa market lang to applicable pero sa buhay din pala. Eto ang start ng confusion ko. I have to weigh things literally. Dahil sa kapabayaan ko, I bargained things na dapat nakuha ko lahat kung hindi lang ako sinapian ng kapabayaan.

Final stage is ACCEPTANCE. My mama has always been our source of positivity. Even people around her can attest to it. I am my mother's daughter and I thank her for instilling in me that I should be able to surpass all this. I need to accept the fact na, i failed at this job, BUT just like a story, it has to end for new beginnings can come.

Why am I saying this? Walang nangyari sa career ko. Entry level kind of job na at my age hindi na dapat. Ayoko nang sisihin ang tinatawag na "Office Politics" na kesyo I don't want to kiss the bosses' ass kaya I am still here, na I don't want to be like them na kinakain na ng paninira sa iba makaangat lang. Saan ko nga ba uumpisahan ang change na gusto ko?

Sana this year, makuha ko na ang CHANGE na para sa akin. Sa Pilipinas man o hindi.

The Yabu Experience

I am back! And hopefully, hindi na naman ako tamarin to post for new experiences. As for new learnings, since my last post, there was a lot that happened, and siguro it should be on another post, because this is intended for YABU experience only. (^_^)

Me and my food buddy and fellow kaladkarin, Glaiza, were thinking where to eat one Saturday afternoon. She hasn't eaten anything then, and I was a little hungry too, so after our little shopping splurge, we had to choose where to satisfy our thirst for good food/adventure. We were thinking between, Mad Mark's (I am not sure of the spelling), or somewhere else.

One thing I liked about Glorietta 5 in Makati is, even though it is a weekend, there were only few people strolling, eating and shopping in the area. Maybe because you really had to go there, unlike other parts of Glorietta that it is just beside the MRT, or just few distance from the bus station. Anyways, going back, Glaiza remembered that there is a branch of YABU in the area and we have been wanting to try it out since November of 2013.

Then Yabu it is. Upon arrival, the ambience was a little bit intimidating maybe because there was barely anyone there (location wise kasi, dadayuhin talaga siya so I guess not everyone is aware na may ganyang restaurant in the area)

We were ushered to our table, and in fairness, very prompt ang service! We were given the menu agad-agad, and though we were gutom, we still manage to go all thru the menu to check what we wanted.

After getting our orders, we were served this mini bowl of toasted sesame seeds, and a club shaped, pestle.  You have to do the old style of grinding the sesame seeds for the aroma and flavor to break in. It smelled like our version of Pinipig. I just love the smell of it!

Afterwards, the waiter gave instructions how to use their selection of condiments. Sabi ni kuya waiter, you can pour three spoonfuls of their special yabu sauce, (extreme left in the photo), then three smaller bottle written in Japanese Characters were chili sauce, flakes, and oil so it is up to you na timplahan siya. The three tall bottles were for the cabbage salad dressing, and the last one (extreme right in the photo) were salt for the fruits.

What I had : Menchi.
I loved it! It's a mix of minced meat of beef and pork with cheese! I love everything that has dairy product on it. Yabu was not kidding when they said they do take their katsu's seriously. It was insanely tasteful! It was not nakakaumay given the fact na may dairy siya. Plus the Panko breadcrumbs that were used were fresh, and hindi nakakasugat ng gums whenever you have a bite on it. And I think one reason why hindi siya nakakasawa kasi hindi makapal ang breadcrumbs as oppose to the meat itself. Another thing is the way it was cook, it was not greasy at all! The color is bright, and golden and crisp!

Their Cabbage Salad is okay lang, Glaiza told me one Japanese Restaurant (within the area too) that she liked their cabbage salad better than Yabu's, I think it has something to do with the quality of the cabbage or the dressing itself. But Yabu's isn't that bad, don't get me wrong, it was good, but as always, there's better, or it could have been better, or something like that.

I also had bowl of fruits as part of my katsu set, apparently there were only two choices, watermelon and pineapple. I love these fruits and it was a bit of a hassle to ask numerous times for refill, because they were only giving one slice per fruit. But again, Katsu is their main thing, so wala akong masabi dun kundi 4 out of 5 stars! (I hope my vote counts for something)

All in all, the experience was good, and the person I was with then was not afraid to try new stuff so it probably added to the experience na rin. Most probably than not, I will be back. (^_^)

WildFlour Cafe

I had always wanted to try their famous cronuts so with my food buddy glai, we indulged ourselves to this famous hybrid of pastry in the metro. 

I liked their cronus but I love the one I had in Le Coeur De France (that's another story). It was flaky, airy and tasty. Since the texture is flaky, it tends to be messy when you eat. What I had is their Chocolate Cronut and Glai had their premium cronut version of Tiramisu. Both were chocolatey in taste, not too sweet but it was really flaky. 

We also ordered their mac and cheese and it was a bliss! It was creamy, cheesy and the pasta is al dente which made it soo yummy for dairy lovers like me. (^_^)

I was craving for bread pudding that day, so i ordered for one when i saw it was available but it has a disclaimer wherein you have to allow 30 minutes for them to prepare. But it was worth the wait. The pudding has chocolate filling inside, it has powdered sugar on top to enhance the flavor of the bread and the pudding itself? Creamy and soft inside! 

I once spoke to a customer who recommends vietnamese coffee for coffee enthusiasts like me. And since this hot drink is available, i gave in. And boy i tell you, it was yummy! Just my kind of sweetness and it's not that strong. 

With the service we got? I'm a bit disappointed. We had to ask twice for my soda, had to repeat myself thrice for refilling my water. And it took quite a while for my take out order. 

Happy Birthday

I will be 27 few hours from now.. I was thinking if i learned anything for the past 7 years after graduation, for the past 10 years after mama left, may narealize ba ako? Hindi ba nakayuko ang nanay ko sa taas kasi ikinahihiya niya mga ginawa ko? Proud kaya siya sa lahat ng decisions ko?

Every year, consistent ako in spending my birthday eating out with family and friends. This year, aside from the fact i didn't plan for anything, hindi rin ako nag budget since wala nga akong plano.

Pero what i did differently is I did quite a few thinking.. For the past years, may na accomplish ba ako? May narating ba ako? May natutunan ba ako? I do not have a flourishing career, nor a successful lovelife.. One thing i am proud of is I experienced a LOT this year.. Travels, learnings and pains..

I have been to different places for quite sometime now. Been learning a lot not just from the people i met, but also about the experiences thru those travel. And pain because not every travel i had where smooth sailing... May nawala, may nadagdadan na friend, may nawala din..

Pero one thing i learned is wala akong pinagsisihan sa lahat ng yun... Good or bad, lahat yun helped me with the choices, or solutions i made today. Those experiences, made me firm about my stand.

Hopefully this year na uumpisahan ko, with the help of those experiences, ma accomplish ko naman ang career and lovelife. Although wala talaga sa isip ko ang latter, not in the next ten years.. :p

I just want a well lived life. A life na walang takot. Yung hindi ako natatakot maubusan ng finances both for my needs and family's needs, isama pa ang super dami kong wants. Yung life na kaya ko panindigan lahat ng desisyon ko, yung kaya ko magdesisyon for myself and hindi napupush ng iba.

Lastly, at the end of the day, i just want to make my mother proud.

Happy 27th to me!

Babies...

     I was exchanging sms with a friend and we were just talking how hard it is for one of our friends to be with us from time to time because aside from work, the friend has a family on her own now. She does not even have a yaya so pahirapan talaga.

     Until our conversation were shifted to having a child. I remembered me saying, "kaya ayoko ng bata eh". My friend told me that I was only saying that because I don't have one yet. I told her, not that I don't plan of having one, but with my state now, where I get easily irritated if kids won't listen to you nowadays, it is really hard to have one. She said isn 't nice to have one almost the same generation as I am? I mean, for me, a baby is a BLESSING. A blessing for me, is something you handle with care. Why would I have someone now where I'm not ready, emotionally and financially, and still so much to learn? 

     I know for a fact how hard it is to raise a child. Not that I don't have any experience but I tried taking care of my baby cousins and it gets quite expensive because you just don't feed them, you nurture them, you send them to school and such. 

     I'm at the point of my life where I wanted to be free. I wanted to travel, here and abroad. I wanted to try working to a different place. Try some stuff like bungee jumping, eat an exotic food or just be somewhere else. I wanted to do a lot of things so much I might think that the baby I thought of as a blessing might be a nuisance for me. 

     I wanted to have one. No mistake about that. But before that, I wanted to maximize my single hood, me being young and free. I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. So that once I need or have to sit back and be a mom, I won't have any what ifs in life. What if I tried this, what if I did that questions are questions I hate to ponder on. Do not mistake my want not to have one for now doesn't mean I don't want one in the future. 

TheSweetestAngel @ Lugang Cafe (Mall of Asia)

Me and my office mates were supposed to try Caffe Bene inside SMX in Mall of Asia, however to our surprised, they're closed and no one knew why!

So we ended up at Lugang Cafe which is just a few minutes away from SMX. Lugang Cafe is a Shanghai based Bellagio restaurant.  Ever since the restaurant had been opened, I always find myself giving it a second look, because the place looks intimidating and would make you think that it is a fine dining restaurant. The restaurant is stylish and quite hip because it's not the usual Chinese restaurant that we all are used at. They also have private rooms for small functions.

I was only able to shot this lovely bird cage lights and fell in love with it.
 

We only ordered few because some of the prices were a bit pricey. The serving can serve up to two persons. The menu is quite impressive too, every dish has pictures and would really entice you to drool over foods.

This is my personal favorite.

Sweet and Sour Pork : I like how the crunchiness of the pork when it was fried were maintained. I have tasted quite a lot of this dish with different restaurants but this is quite different. The sauce were glossy and just my kind of consistency. The pineapple used weren't too overpowering.

Spicy Clams : This one could have been a favorite. Apparently, not all the clams were cooked well. I must say, the sauce as usual is great but it did not live up to its name, it wasn't that spicy. I have a low tolerance for spiciness, so I asked my friend who was with me then and she said, it's only minimum to cater to everyone I guess.

We had Golden Fried Rice with shredded pork for rice meal. I wasn't able to take pictures of it because we were all hungry then. It has cucumber to have a twist from the regular fried rice I'm used at.

In between, I ordered  Tapioca Pearl Bubble Milk Tea. I'm not really a milk tea person, but whenever I order one, I see to it, that I will enjoy it. This one is pure heaven! It doesn't have a bitter after taste which made oh so fine. (^_^)

And for our dessert, Mango Custard!!! In as much as I love Chicken, mangoes are my favorite too. So we tried this Custard and it was creamy although a bit bland for those who doesn't like sweets that much.

All in all, we enjoyed our experience at Lugang Cafe. The extensive array of desserts! Definitely one of the best ambiances we've been to.

We were only three and we only paid roughly 470Php / pax.


Happy Eating! ♥

- TheSweetestAngel (^_^)

Being Fat and Fatbulous

November 30. Bonifacio Day. I have always been a fan of a man who fight for his cause, specially when I believe to their cause.

     I was having my morning coffee at a certain cafe along Edsa when I saw a woman, in her late twenties and is quite larger than the average. Or in short, MATABA. Nothing is wrong with her, physically just as I've thought. But some people who saw her, thinks otherwise. I was observing their reactions to the woman. Some just don't care at all, some just glance at her. What intrigued me was the reaction of these group, they were grinning from ear to ear, and to top it off, they were making fun of her weight. They were imitating the way she walk with exaggeration. The woman, noticed what they were doing and just walked away, embarrassed, her cheeks were red.

      I was left there, thinking. Why was she embarrassed? Why did they make fun of her? Why was she not doing anything? And why do those kids acted that way?

     Fat is an adjective. Fat is JUST a word. It should not define you, nor make you feel less about yourself. I, myself is also fat. I used to think that being fat is a hindrance. A hindrance for me to wear clothes, I wanna wear. Things, I want to do. Five years ago, gaining weight is a no no for me, that would be the end of my world. But I was wrong... Completely wrong... I shouldn't be thinking that way, I shouldn't be reacting that way.

     When I first noticed I was gaining weight, I went thru a lot of stages. Yes, just like break up (",). I was in denial first. I would joke around that I was just filling the space in my clothes. I tend to eat more whenever I feel mad about people teasing me about my weight. I was cynical too, I would also compare others to my body. Why are they like this and I'm not. It was bad.

     Until one day, my friend introduce me to this blog. The Plump Pinay. I didn't even know what the word Plump means until I googled it and learned its "well round" or "Chubby". It was Stacy and Danah Gutierrez who founded it. Two beautiful young ladies (they're younger than I am). The cynical in me thought "Hindi naman sila ganoon kataba for them to say that" But as I go over their blog, little by little, I am enlightened by their entries. How they wanted everyone to love their body, how they lifted each reader by reminding them how beautiful they are regardless of their sizes.

                                                 The Plump Pinay Stacy & Danah
                                                            Royal Plumpies
    
     These two girls reminded me, my size, the woman's size should not be a hindrance in achieving self confidence. I'm not saying that I was depressed with my weight, but there were days where you feel "blah" about yourself.

     My family from the mother side were also plus size. Nevertheless, I grew up thinking it is okay to be fat as long as your heart is healthy. I should not lose that principle.

     Present time, I find it disappointing to know how people tend to discriminate women who's size are not 0-2. Sometimes, I hate to admit it but media has something to do with this. Because of things they advertise they forgot the value of equality. That not everyone who's skinny is healthy and not everyone who's fat is also healthy.

 

     Let me qoute what the twins said,

"We have had enough-- enough with the stupid media that bombard very unnatural images that make us want to change every bit of our bodies. Enough with the Caucasian looking models that only make us want to hate our beautiful Filipina features. Enough suppressing our urges to eat good Filipino food just to look like the women shown by the advertisements in our country. ENOUGH. Not all people are meant to be thin as the media evoke"

     Again, Fat is just an adjective. We can all be fat and Fabulous. The word should not define you, nor make you feel less about yourself. And besides, with how advance the technology now is, everyone has a fair share of things, regardless of size.

     Now, let me go back to my opening, November 30 is Bonifacio Day. Andres Bonifacio is the man behind KKK. He fought for what he think what was right. I want to be like him, fighting for my right, fighting for equality., Let's all fight for our right, for our equality. Let's all try to have a small portion of Andres Bonifacio within us, we are after all a portion of his offspring right?

   
     Next time, someone would say you're Fat, just say thank you. It's not bad as it looks like. Positive thinking, gets positive results. (^_^)

The Sweetest Angel invades Pampanga and Tarlac

Super dream ko malibot ang buong pilipinas. I sometimes get jealous of my tito who's a blogger because he gets to travel for work.. so since I have work that requires me 40 hours a week inside the office, I try to travel as much as I can, on leaves or during offs. so isa ito sa mga trip namin sa buhay pare pareho... ang maglakwatsa..

our ticket




ang tatlong lakwatsero






walang kinalaman ang post ko sa aso na to... super cute lang talaga niya...






it wasn't too sunny nor rainy then... sakto lang sa mga gustong maglakwatsa




nung first night, hindi successful ang pagpapalipad kasi super mahangin daw.. pero we were able to take some pictures na naka lobo na yung balloons.







dahil nga windy siya, puwedeng puwede magpalipad ng kites..





glaiza




the following pictures were taken nung bumalik kami the following morning
















entry ko for natural light




my shot of Anna




rule of third






eto na, we had lunch back in Tarlac. we tried the famous isdaan na nafeature sa tv before. eto yung kubo namin...




kaming apat



while waiting for our order, you can feed the koi fish, just asked the waiter for the food...





FINALLY FOOD!!!

this is how their rice is served. per kaldero is good for 2 to 3 person













apat kami dapat na nagpapic... we miss you carlota




our trip to isdaan wont be complete without trying tacsiyapo wall. if you are stressed, mad, or just want to try this. please do so. you can buy a mug (16php), a saucepan(15php), a plate or even a tv (1800 php)!

it's a different way of releasing your anger, and I admit, sarap ng feeling after!!




they also have stone giants when I posted my photos in facebook, they thought I went to Thailand... But no! It's more Fun in the Philippines right?!














this is their sankilo bridge... if you pass this with a pail of water, you will win one kilo of grilled tilapia!




I will definitely be back @ Isdaan