Alex Eala makes waves at Wimbledon

I've been a tennis fan for a really long time now. And for the longest time, there weren't any Filipinos at the top echelon of this sport. That is, until Alex Eala. She achieved a lot of great success earlier this year, beating four top 10 players - Jasmine Paolini, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Elena Svitolina - leading up to this year's Wimbledon. In fact, it was just in the previous tournament - the Berlin Open - that Alex beat both #2 Rybakina and #6 Svitolina back-to-back en route to the semifinals. As if that wasn't enough, she also beat Donna Vekic in the round of 32. While Vekic was not seeded at that tournament, she did win the Olympic silver medal in 2024, the same year she reached the semifinals of Wimbledon, so she was a very strong and skillful player. Eala beating all three players consecutively and in straight sets shows just how far she has come in her young career.

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Her success in Berlin put her in everyone's radar at the start of Wimbledon and everyone in the Philippines started to dream of what Alex could achieve in the third Grand Slam event of the year. After all, she seems to play well on grass and she has a pretty good record against top 10 players.

And what a Wimbledon it turned out for her. She defeated Renata Zarazúa, Maya Joint, and defending champion and #3 seed Iga Swiatek to reach the fourth round, losing to ex-Wimbledon finalist Jasime Paolini in a hard-fought three-setter. This breakthrough allowed Alex set a handful of tennis Open era records at the All England Club. First, she became the first Filipino seeded at a Grand Slam event. Second, she  became the first Filipino in the Open era to reach the 4th round of a Grand Slam event. (Felicismo Ampon reached the quarterfinals of the French Open twice, in 1952 and 1953, prior to the Open era which started in April 1968.) Third, she also became the first Filipino to defeat a reigning Wimbledon champion. That is just awesome!

While Alex may not have won Wimbledon, this was a truly great result for her. Prior to this, the deepest run she had made a major was the second round. she also moves up to world #28. Awesome! Hopefully, Alex can keep achieving great things and maybe even go higher in the rankings. Whatever the future holds for her, she really has made history for Philippine tennis. 

An 18th Birthday Celebration at Rockstar KTV

Aya, the eldest daughter of one of my dearest friends from high school, just turned 18. In the Philippines, many women celebrate their 18th birthday with a debut, which is often a somewhat formal or semi-formal party where people dress up and the debutante wears a formal or fancy gown. However, Aya decided to celebrate in a different way, by holding a party at Rockstar KTV in Greenhills Mall.

It's actually not surprising that this was how she chose to celebrate, given that she is into performance arts. She has a beautiful voice and that she loves to sing and we have in fact had quite a few karaoke nights together. It was also during this party that I discovered she can also dance. To open the party, she danced to K-Pop music together with a couple of her friends who I believe are members of a street dance crew. Awesome!

The night was obviously filled with a lot of music and singing. But an interesting highlight was the 18 shots segment of the program, in lieu of the more traditional 18 roses. 18 people were asked to do two things. First, all 18 people were asked to say three words to Aya that should encompass what they wish for her. Once everyone done was sharing their three words, all 18 people would take a shot together with her. I say that this was an interesting highlight because I was asked to join the 18 people, I guess as a representative of the old generation haha. My three words to Aya were: Achieve your dreams. And I really hope she does.

Happy 18th birthday Aya!

Nautica Sale

I found myself at Shangri-La Plaza one evening to do some errands when I happened to pass by a Nautica shop. I think it might actually have just opened. Nautica is on the expensive side but it's always been my favorite brand because the clothes fit me quite well, the fabrics are good quality, and I love the style and colors of this brand. As I passed by this shop, I also noticed a sign that said all items were on sale: 20% off for 1 item purchased, 30% for 2 items, and 50% for 3 or more items! Whoa. This just made everything significantly more affordable, especially if you buy three or more items.

I ended up getting three shirts, although the third one, I planned to give as a gift. As I made my purchase, I asked the salespeople there when the sale would end. They told me it would run for a while. So when my nephew told me that he needed new pants because he had gotten bigger from working out and his current pants no longer fit very well, I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to take him to Nautica. I ended up getting my nephew a few pairs of pants. I also got a new pair of jeans for myself. We also got a black Nautica t-shirt for my other nephew although he is very picky when it comes to clothes and he didn't particularly like the shirt we got him. So in the end, that black t-shirt went to me haha.

Family Day at Manila Pen

I had an amazing day with my family at the Peninsula Manila. My Manila Pen membership was about to expire and I still had a couple of vouchers left that I hadn't used. The membership package was also changing, with a higher cost and fewer benefits that are a bit more difficult to make use of and I wasn't sure if I still wanted to renew so I decided to make use of the vouchers I still had.

Peninsula Manila

We started the day by having lunch at Old Manila. I had taken my family here a couple of times before and we had always enjoyed the food, the ambiance, and the service. My voucher provided 50% off here for a three-course meal for 4 people. I unfortunately forgot yet again to take a photo of the menu so I am not sure exactly what we ordered, but I know that we each had two options for an appetizer (I got the crab bisque)...

Crab bisque at Old Manila

...and main course (I got the beef).

Beef main course at Old Manila

We all had the same dessert, which not only tasted great but also looked great. I have to say, the presentation at Old Manila is always topnotch, making our dining experience even more enjoyable.

Our fantastic dessert

Included in our three course meal were a couple of amuse-bouches...

Amuse-bouche to start our meal

Another amuse-bouche

...and some petit fours served after our meal.

Petit fours

After our lunch at Old Manila, my plan was to also make use of my voucher for afternoon tea as well as my remaining P1000 voucher. However, as we were all still full, we first headed head to Landers in BGC because my mom needed to buy some stuff there (there are several items that are available here that aren't readily available in many other places). The good thing about our supermarket run is that we also got to do some walking, helping us burn off some of the food we had just ate. Once we were done, we headed back to Manila Pen for afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea at the Manila Pen Lobby

The afternoon tea is served at The Lobby which tends to be full on weekends. Thankfully, we managed to get a table when we arrived. There were actually four of us who would share that afternoon tea which is traditionally meant for two people which is why it only comes with two beverages - we got coffee - but I've had this set before and I know that 3 to 4 people can actually share it. Since I also still had my P1000 voucher, I also ordered two more coffees and an apple pie cheesecake. This dessert is not that big and it is quite expensive but I gotta say, it is absolutely delicious!

Apple Pie Cheescake at the Manila Pen Lobby

I'm really happy that my family and I got to enjoy lots of fantastic food together at a fantastic location. I'm also very grateful that my family and I continue to have these amazing moments and shared experiences together.

Goodbye, Old Swiss Inn Makati

Old Swiss Inn in Makati has been one of my favorite restaurants in Metro Manila. It's on the pricey side but the food here is really good so I always felt it was good value for money. Before the pandemic, it was open 24/7 so sometimes, I would go there late at night after a very long day of work and reward myself with a great meal before heading home. So when I saw the news that Old Swiss Inn in Makati would be permanently closing on July 1, I made sure I visited one last time.

I went with a couple of my friends and because I was the resident expert, I ordered a couple of my favorite dishes: The Zuri (which used to be called Zurich Geschnetzeltes; I guess they changed the name because it may be a bit intimidating to read and pronounce) and the Peppersteak Swiss Inn, which is a pretty good steak especially for its price point. Of course, this being my final meal here, we also ordered the Walliser Fondue, which has fresh tomatoes and dippers of baby potatoes and assorted vegetables (along with some bread). (The Waatlander Fondue is actually one of their best-sellers but I thought it would be better for us to have baby potatoes that we could dip into the fondue instead of just bread.) We also ordered the Chicken Forrestiere, which I've had before and also enjoyed, so that we would have pork, beef, and chicken. As expected, it was a great meal.

It's quite sad that Old Swiss Inn in Makati will be closing. However, the good news is that they do have a branch in Paco, Manila. Actually, their original branch was in Paco before it closed in the 1980s due to a fire. It's new location will be at the Garden Plaza Hotel and Suites which is close to where it operated decades ago. I do find their Makati location to be a lot more accessible but at least, with the return of Old Swiss Inn to Paco, I will still have the option to enjoy their delicious food in the future.

Visiting an Old Favorite on Father's Day

To celebrate Father's Day, my family and I had lunch at The French Baker. We don't normally go out for Father's Day because of the huge crowds heading out that day, which means restaurants are full and parking is a challenge. But this year, we decided to go out just for a bit of a change-up. I thought that we could eat at The French Baker because it doesn't usually get full, even on weekends. We still arrived early so that we would have a better chance of getting seats. When we got there, we managed to get a table for everyone in my family. Shortly after we got settled, the rest of the tables became occupied so I'm quite happy we arrived when we did.

The French Baker was established in the Philippines in 1989. It's very first location was in SM City North Edsa, which I was very familiar with because my friends and I would sometimes eat there when we would go to the mall. Some of my family had never eaten here before so this lunch was a first for them. Once we were done with our main courses, some of us ordered their delicious pastries for dessert. They also had a Father's Day Promo and since we met the minimum spend requirement for it, my brother got a Chocolate Overload Sundae for free. Cool!

The French Baker was a bit of a staple for me as a student. I didn't have a lot of money back then so whenever I wanted to treat myself during trips to SM City, I would eat here and I would order either their Fetuccine Ala Carbonara or their Chicken Ala King. I love that after 37 years, The French Baker is still around, making delicious food and pastries. And I love that my family and I got to enjoy their food together on Father's Day.

Catch it if you can! at Rift

Recently, I discovered that my cousin is a co-founder of a relatively new art gallery called Rift which is located in Quezon City. They've had a few exhibits already and her mom - my aunt - invited me to visit but I hadn't been able to get around to it. Then even more recently, Yeye Calderon, who is one of the artists I follow and whose art I had purchased in the past, shared on his social media account that a couple of his paintings will be included in an exhibit called Catch it if you can at Rift. When I saw this, I messaged my cousin to ask about it and she said that this show was indeed at her gallery. She invited me to the artist's reception and I thought it would be cool for me to go. Not only would I get to finally support my cousin but I would also get to see and appreciate more art, including those created by Mr. Calderon.

Catch it if you can!

The exhibit showcased a great mix of paintings of different styles and media and sculptures made of different materials. Most of the artists whose works were on display were present that evening and it was really interesting to hear them talk about their art to guests at the exhibit.

Unfortunately, Yeye Calderon could not make it that evening but I did get to see his two paintings on display and they were indeed very beautiful.

Yeye Calderon's paintings on exhibit at Rift

One of the most popular artists there was Yul Servo, an actor who has appeared in many movies and TV shows and who has also been Vice Mayor of Manila. His two pieces were created using automotive paint on stainless steel and brass.

Artworks by Yul Servo

I'm happy I was able to attend this event. It was cool getting to see art pieces from many different artists with very unique and even thought-provoking styles and points of view. It's also great that I finally got to visit my cousin's gallery and show her some support.