Post-Christmas Catch-ups

For the second year in a row, my family and I had Sunday brunch at the Peninsula Manila. We do this for a several reasons. First, I have Manila Pen membership and one of my vouchers gives me 50% off on Sunday brunch at Escolta. Second, it's nice to get the family out once in a while and enjoy a lavish spread of delicious food in a lovely setting. Third, celebrating like this towards the end of the holiday season feels like the best time to do it. We get to avoid the craziness of Yuletide rush but it still feels very festive. In fact, the Manila Pen lobby was still beautifully decorated with Christmas decor. And finally, my nephew's birthday is also around this time so we get to have two celebrations in one.

Peninsula Manila lobby

As always, the food at the buffet was grand. Also, the dessert spread still had a holiday vibe. There were gingerbread houses with Santa and Christmas trees. There was panetonne, which is bread from Italy that is traditionally enjoyed during Christmas and New Year. And there was trifle, a traditional holiday dessert from the UK. I really loved the trifle. Actually, I loved our entire meal. We were all stuffed by the end of our Sunday brunch and it was great to be able to start 2026 with a bountiful feast.

Dessert spread at the Sunday brunch buffet at Escolta

I also got to catch up with my friends. For the first time in a while, I had dinner at Florabel in Estancia for post-Christmas dinner. My friend Pia always goes home to the province during the holiday season so we don't often get to see her during the Christmas get-together of our set of friends. As such, we normally meet up in January when she's back in Manila. It was also a pleasant surprise that our friend Celle joined us that evening. It's been years since I last hung out with Celle so it was great to catch up with her too.

Dinner at Florabel in Estancai

I then met up with my ex-teammates over dinner at Lugang Cafe. I randomly saw an ad on social media that said that elite BDO card holders can get 50% off at Lugang Cafe. Michelle had one, so we agreed to have dinner there before the promo ended. I actually also hadn't been to Lugang Cafe in ages but I have always loved the food here so I should try to eat here more often. I should definitely keep an eye out on their annual feast-all-you-can promo.

Finally, I got to have a couple of board game nights. I have two regular groups but there are five people that are in both of them, including Jovan who celebrated her birthday this month. For our first board game night of the year, we asked her what cake she wanted and she said she wanted Avocado Cheesecake from Lia's Cakes in Season. Unfortunately, we made a bit of a mistake in that we incorrectly ordered the Avocado Cake instead. We kinda felt bad that Jovan didn't get exactly what she wanted but since she would also be in that second board game night of the month, we got her an Avocado Cheesecake then. This also served as our post-Christmas get-together because this second board game group didn't get to meet up in December due to badly conflicting schedules. It really was great that we got to have a double celebration and enjoy a great cake along with it.

Loss

My Uncle Cesar passed away. (He's actually the brother of my grandfather but we call him uncle.) It happened right before 2025 ended. I actually saw him earlier last year, when his wife Auntie Lily was about to celebrate her 99th birthday. Since my mom and I couldn't attend the party which was scheduled over lunch on a weekday, we decided to visit them at home and spend some time with them to catch up. Uncle Cesar didn't seem sick at the time. In fact, he was quite energetic and he talked to us about all the work he was still planning to do. It was very impressive that his mind was still very sharp and that he was still doing consulting work at his age. It is quite sorrowful that we lost him shortly before the New Year but it is also great that he lived up to the incredible age of 98. My family and I went to the wake right after Christmas. It was such a shame that I got to see many of my relatives under such unfortunate circumstances during the Christmas season but I guess that's how life goes.

Then shortly after New Year, the fathers of two of my dear college friends passed away. My friend Val lives abroad but she came home recently because her dad was in critical condition. Unfortunately, he didn't make it. His wake was held a few days after his passing at della Strada Parish. Then a few day later, more bad news: my friend Letlet also lost her dad. His wake was held at Mt. Carmel. Both wakes overlapped and I ended up going to both wakes on the same night. I was told it was bad luck to do this but I don't really believe in that and I felt it was more important for me to show support to my friends Val and Letlet. Their husbands, Louie and Alan, are actually also part of our college group of friends, so I was there to support them both as well.

May Uncle Cesar, Tito Red, and Tito Gaudencio all rest in peace.

Celebration at Chef Jessie

What a wonderful way to spend the weekend. I joined my friend Jenny at Chef Jessie in Rockwell as she celebrated her milestone birthday. 

Dinner at Chef Jessie for Jenny's milestone birthday

Guests were asked to be there by 6pm so that everyone would have time to settle down because the party would start promptly at 630pm. And indeed it did! My friend Anna and I got there at about 630pm and as we arrived, the opening prayer had started. We made our way to our table - we were seated with many of our other high school batchmates - just as dinner was about to be served. Chef Jessie is known for great food so we really enjoyed our dinner. And because I shared a table with high school friends, many of whom I don't get to talk to very frequently anymore, the night felt like a bit of a reunion.

After dinner, the program started. There were speeches from several people from all parts of Jenny's life: family, high school and college friends, colleagues, and choir mates. Everyone shared such awesome and amazing stories of Jenny, which wasn't a surprise because I know how great a person she is. Then we got to the musical portion of the evening. Jenny is an incredible singer; she was part of a well-renowned choir in college and is now part of another topnotch choir. Interestingly enough, her son also sings. He entertained the guests by singing while playing the guitar. He then had a very lovely duet his mom. Then Jenny, who is a classically trained singer, regaled us with several songs that were all quite difficult to sing and require a high degree of vocal proficiency. Her solos were very impressive. Finally, she joined her choir as they closed out the night with fine music and incredible voices. It's not every night you get to attend a milestone birthday celebration that turns into a veritable concert.

Beautiful music from an amazing choir

It truly was a beautiful evening, filled with great food and wine, exceptional musical performances, and great conversations with friends that continued even after the program ended. Definitely one for the books. It really was an honor to have been part of this very special and memorable evening. Happy birthday, Jenny!

New Stuff, New Experiences

I have new plates. Swanky Plates. Last year, my family had dinner at La Latina and our dinner was served over these really cool plates that had very interesting animal designs on them. I decided to get my mom a couple of these plates for Christmas. I then also decided that, even if I didn't need them, I could get one for myself haha. As luck would have it, there was a bit of a problem with the availability and the shipment schedule of my order. I shared my concerns to Swanky Plates that this delay would mean that I wouldn't be able to give them as a gift to my mom in time for Christmas. They managed to send me the plates right before the 25th but because the delay meant that I couldn't properly prepare the plates as a Christmas present, they sent me a couple of extra plates as an apology. I decided to give one of the extra plates to my mom and keep one for myself. As such, I now have two Swanky Plates: the Matador Bull (which I ordered)...

Matador Bull Swanky plate

...and the Lioness Rockstar which they gave to me for free. Cool! (You also know you are old - or well, older - when new plates make you excited hahaha.) There are 16 different designs so if you are interested, you can order them from this link: https://swankyplates.pickup.ph/.

Lioness Rockstar Swanky plate

I also got to try a new place: Ossam at Food Choices in Glorietta 4. Apparently, the main branch is in BGC. I ordered their Yangneom chicken set with teokbokki and kimchi and while I knew this set would already be quite heavy, I also really wanted to try their cheese ramyeon so I ended up ordering both. Needless to say, I was really full after dinner haha. The food was pretty good too.

Ossam in Glorietta Food Choices

Finally, a first for me: I won Terraforming Mars! I've played this game so many times in the past, both physically and online (via the virtual Steam version) but I had never won it before. We actually hadn't played it in a long while - I'm guessing the last time we did was before the pandemic - but my board game group felt that it should hit the table again. And for the first time in my life, I won it! Cool.

My first ever win at Terraforming Mars

What a year 2025 was

It's time for my annual review of the previous year. 2025 was absolutely incredible. For the first time in a really long time, I went on two trips. I took my family to Taiwan where we had an absolute blast getting to see Taipei (including Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall), Jiufen, Shifen, Yelhiu Geopark, and Taichung. I also went on my first business trip since 2018 - and my first international one since 2009 - to Gold Coast in Australia. Interestingly enough, it was also my first time to both these countries, giving me an opportunity to see a bit more of the world.

There were also lots of great moments with family. One of my nephews graduated from college and I got to watch my other nephew perform twice, first during the Kaliwa't Kanang Kalabitan event at St. Scho and then again at the Natividad et Familia Christmas concert of the UST Guitar Department. Uncle Albert celebrated his 88th birthday. Tito Erwin and Tita Maritie celebrated the 50th anniversary of their wedding. I attended the first birthday of Andrei, who is the grandson of my cousin. I took my family to enjoy afternoon tea at the Manila Pen lobby. My mom and I visited the Ramon Magsaysay Library before enjoying afternoon coffee at Diamond Hotel. And of course my family had our wonderful Christmas and New Year celebrations. These are only the ones I wrote about but of course there were many more. 

Last year was also filled with art, both visual and performance. Aside from the guitar shows where one of my nephews performed, my mom and I also got to watch Dionne Warwick's concert One Last Time in Manila. We watched Don Quixote staged by Ballet Manila at the Aliw Theater. We also saw two galas - ballet and folk dance - of the International Dance Day celebration at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. We I got to see a few art exhibits - Of Grit and Steel at the Ayala Museum, the Ortigas Art Festival at Greenhills Mall, and Manuel Baldemor's European Journey of Discovery. I also started on my art collecting journey, acquiring a couple of Manuel Baldemor artworks from Art Circle Gallery and a couple of Pancho Piano pieces from Nami Art Gallery. I haven't been able to write about this yet but before 2025 ended, I also purchased a Yeye Calderon painting from ArtAsia in Megamall. Since I started on my art journey, I have also started to pay more attention to art on display everywhere - in lobbies, hallways, hotel rooms, and many other places - and I feel that this has made me a lot more appreciative of the beauty that surrounds me.

I also got to spend a lot of time with my friends. I attended the wedding of my friend Michelle in Pico de Loro (which was also my first time there). I spent a weekend in Punta Fuego at the beach house of my friend and we got to play lots of board games and eat great food. I attended the first All Aboard Expo sa QC. I got to try a few rooms at Mystery Manila and that was lots of fun. Then of course there were the many board game nights and the many brunches, lunches, and dinners I had with friends.

Speaking of, I had several great dining and food-and-drink experiences. I wrote about most of the places that I got to try for the first time: Lusso, Dohtonbori, Crepe Glazik, Sourdough, Mixue, Mamacita, Made Nice, La Latina, Bolero, and Sicilian Roast. I also wrote about a few places I had been to before: Prologue and Aperitif. I also got to eat again at a couple of places that I hadn't been two in ages: Trellis and Little Tokyo.

Work was tremendously busy last year so I went on a couple of staycations for some me-time: once at Dusit Thani and then at New World. That said, I didn't get a chance to read a single book the entire year. Considering that I have a couple dozen books that I haven't read yet, I need to make sure I carve out enough time to read again this year.

It wasn't all happy memories though. My Uncle Albert passed away. We also lost Wolf, our family dog who passed on after being with us for almost 14 years. I also haven't written about this yet because it happened just right before the New Year but Uncle Cesar, who is the brother of my grandfather (dad's side) also passed away.

Writing a blog on a somewhat regular basis takes a lot of effort but I still do it because it helps remind me of my experiences and sometimes, I also get to read something that I have completely forgotten about. So after more than 20 years - and yes, I celebrated my blog's 20th anniversary last year - I continue to write. Hopefully, I can keep doing this for many more years.

Happy New Year and Welcome, 2026!

Happy New Year everyone!

I love the Christmas-New Year holiday season because for me, it is always centered on family. On Christmas Day, my family and I heard mass before visiting my mom's sister and celebrating Christmas dinner with our relatives. (I also have to say that I finally got to watch KPop Demon Hunters on Christmas Eve.) On New Year's Day, we all heard anticipatory mass in the late evening at our neighborhood church and we celebrated together at home. 

I also "ordered" a couple of dishes from our family friend Snooky, including her exceptionally good molo. Snooky and her family lived right next to my grandparents before my grandmother moved in with us and sold their house (they actually still live there now). Snooky and her family shared their molo recipe with us, and for decades, our long-time family helper Mama Guading would prepare it during family celebrations at home. When Mama Guading passed away, we no longer got to enjoy her molo. But a few years ago, when my grandmother was still alive, she ordered molo and lumpia from Snooky for my brother's birthday. I then realized we could still enjoy this very special dish. Because of that, in the last couple of years during Christmas, I "ordered" molo and lumpia from Snooky (I say "ordered" because she absolutely refuses to let me pay for them so I just give her and her family other gifts and treats as a thank you). This year, we had it for New Year. For me, tthis dish is Michelin-star worthy, with an spectacularly delicious broth and molo dumplings that are bursting with meat and shrimp. I have to say, it really is the best molo I have ever had.

Snooky's molo

I'm really thankful that I got to celebrate the holiday season filled with love and family. Hopefully, this awesome start of the year can continue throughout 2026.

Natividad en Familia: A UST Guitar Christmas Concert

What an incredible way to close out the year. My family and I watched Natividad et Familia, the Christmas concert of the UST Guitar Department which was held at Manila Pianos. This show featured faculty, students, and alumni and my nephew was one of the performers. The theme, as you can guess from the title of the concert, is about celebrating Christmas with family so almost everyone in the audience were family and friends of the performers. In fact, each member of the faculty had a duet performance with one of their family members.

Natividad et Familia Christmas concert of the UST Guitar Department

The repertoire was wonderful. It featured a great mix of classical, contemporary, pop, and even rock music (I thought it was cool that they performed a guitar ensemble version of Metallica's Fade to Black). Naturally, the performers also played some Christmas songs.

Manila Pianos

My nephew performed three times that evening. First, he performed Sleigh Ride together with the other students of Assistant Professor Mesa. Next, he performed Attic for Nine Guitars by Andrew York with the Sibol Guitar Octet of which he is part. Since the octet only includes 8 people, Assistant Professor Mesa joined them. Finally, he joined the full ensemble that performed a special arrangement of Shchedryk (the English and more internationally known name of this is Carol of the Bells). This is one of my favorite Christmas songs so it was wonderful to see and hear the UST Guitar Department perform it to wrap up a fantastically musical and Christmassy evening.

The full ensemble

The concert started at 6pm and it lasted a little more than 2 1/2 hours (including intermission). With the photo taking and socializing that happened afterwards, we left Mania Pianos at around 9pm. At this point, we still hadn't had dinner so the problem now was that there wouldn't be a lot of places that were still open since many restaurants close at 10pm. I then remembered that Mendokoro in Salcedo Village in Makati is open until 11pm. We decided to have dinner there.

Family dinner at Mendokoro

Thankfully, when we arrived at 930pm, Mendokoro didn't have a lot of diners anymore so there were more than enough seats for all of us. I've always wanted to take my family to my favorite ramen place in Metro Manila, especially since they all enjoy Japanese food (including my nephew who had just performed) so I'm happy we celebrated my nephew's successful concert performance here. It truly was a great way to close out 2025.