Love is in the Air

February is the month of love. And what better way to celebrate love than through a wedding? My friend and colleague Dan got married earlier this month and many of us at work made our way to Tagaytay Midlands to join him on this very special occasion. The church ceremony was held at the Madre De Dios Chapel which has a gorgeous view of Taal Volcano.

View of Taal Lake from Madre De Dios Chapel in Tagaytay Midlands

The reception was held at the Tagaytay Midlands Veranda which is just a short walk from the chapel. Cocktails were served before the reception started in the early evening. The program was wonderful, with Dan and his wife Mariel performing some really entertaining choreography upon being introduced as a couple and entering the the venue. That wasn't really the only dance they did. They did a more romantic first dance later in the evening followed by a lovely mother-son dance and a fun and upbeat father-daughter dance. One of the highlights of the evening for me was the best man's speech which was one of the best ones I've heard in all the weddings I've attended. Side note: I gained weight during Christmas and hadn't lost any of it but I'm still thankful that my suit still fit.

Cocktail hour at the Tagaytay Midlands Veranda

Love month can also be made extra special with Valentine's Day-themed desserts which you can find in pretty much any dessert shop. I decided to get a Passion Bliss Cake from Dylan Patisserie which I took home to my family. It looks really nice and it tastes really good too!

Passion Bliss Cake from Dylan Patisserie

Valentine's isn't the only occasion that was celebrated this month. This 2024, Chinese New Year was also held in February. I found myself in Powerplant Mall for CNY weekend and I gotta say, this mall always has great holiday-themed decor.

Chinese New Year display at Powerplant Mall

Several Chinese-themed stalls were temporarily set-up all throughout the mall that weekend and while going around, I spotted these Hello Kitty cookies. I decided to get a box of chocolate cookies and a box of milk cookies before realizing that these were actually special commemorative snacks to celebrate Hello Kitty's 50th anniversary. I didn't realize that Hello Kitty was created in 1974. Cool!

Hello Kitty's 50th anniversary

I shared these cookies with my family but I did have some for myself and they were quite good!

Hello Kitty milk and chocolate cookies

Still on the topic of love, I got to enjoy some of the snacks I love the most: Tim Tams! My friend Drew just got back from Australia after watching the Australian Open there and he very nicely agreed to get some Tim Tams for me. I still knew which flavors I wanted that aren't available in the Philippines and Drew was able to get all of them for me. Thanks Drew! (I really do wish these were available here.)

Tim Tams from Australia!

I also revisited one of the retail places I love the most: IKEA! I had planned to buy a 2-level cabinet but when I got there, I changed my mind and got other items instead. A trip to IKEA wouldn't be complete to me without enjoying a meal at their restaurant. I went crazy and ordered Swedish meatballs with a side of vegetables, salmon with couscous, a strawberry cheesecake, and some coffee. (It's refillable so I had a couple of cups.)

Lunch at the IKEA restaurant

I love the food here so much that I decided to order some take-out which I then had for dinner later that evening. I ended up getting plant balls, some cheese fries, and a croissant.

Take-out from IKEA

I also saw several signs for ice cream that cost only P25. There were supposed to be two available flavors - butterscotch and cotton candy - but one of them had run out (I think it was cotton candy.) Despite already having had dessert, I decided to have some ice cream as well. I really can't go to IKEA without overeating. Thankfully I walked a lot before and after my meal so I must've burned some of those calories haha.)

IKEA ice cream

Finally, I got to see my friend Anne for the first time in years. She was here with her family and she hosted dinner at the home of one of our other friends, Mike. (Or well, technically it was his parents' home.) Anne is a chef so we had a pretty grand feast. What was also great about that evening was that several other people were invited, many of whom I hadn't seen in ages (we're talking way before the pandemic started). It was such a lovely evening that gave me an opportunity to catch up and reconnect with so many amazing people over delicious food.

A feast of Filipino food prepared by my friend Anne

With all the eating I did this month, it's no wonder I could barely fit into my suit when I attended the wedding I talked about at the start of this blog post haha. but hey, food is love!

Xi by Cafe Guilt

I recently got to try Xi by Cafe Guilt. I had passed by this restaurant several times before and it always looked interesting, especially since it has a few parking slots which is a bit of a rarity for establishments in the Tomas Morato area. I looked it up online and I saw some really nice photos of its interior. When I was thinking of a place to have brunch one day, I thought it would be good to finally head here for a meal.

Xi by Cafe Guilt

Xi by Cafe Guilt really does look nice, not just in photos but also in person. It's decorated with flowers, leaves, and greenery giving it a very lush, indoor garden vibe. Even the wallpaper at the back of restaurant matches the overall theme. It has tinted floor-to-ceiling windows that allow a lot of natural light to come in, making the interior very bright, cozy, and inviting, while also providing a sense of privacy by preventing people outside from seeing the people inside.

It has tinted floor-to-ceiling windows and a few parking slots outside

I ordered The Big Breakfast. It comes with bacon, sausage, eggs, baked beans and sourdough bread. (I do tend to go with some version of this dish whenever I have brunch at any restaurant haha.) I also ordered a Hot Americano to go with my meal.

The Big Breakfast

I wanted to chill out at this place for a little while longer so I decided to order their chocolate mousse for dessert.

Chocolate Mousse

I found my first dining experience to be quite enjoyable so I decided to pay this place another visit soon after that. When I checked their instagram account, I saw that they had chicken and waffles on their menu so I was planning to order that in my subsequent visit but unfortunately, their IG account was not updated and this item was no longer on their menu. I decided to order Eggs Benedict instead. I was quite hungry when I got there so I ordered a side of bacon. The dish looked nice but the poached eggs were undercooked, making them too runny and wiggly. That said, I didn't feel like asking them to replace the eggs because I was too hungry so I still ate my dish haha.

Eggs Benedict

I don't know if Xi by Cafe Guilt is known for its all day breakfast items but personally, the ambiance of this place makes it a perfect brunch place for me. It also feels like a nice place to chill and spend an afternoon reading a book. Maybe I will do that at some point in the near future.

Xi by Cafe Guilt
https://www.instagram.com/xi_bycafeguilt/
Scout Rallos cor. Sct. Torillo St, Diliman, Quezon City, 1103 Metro Manila
0956 860 8159

D is for Doctor

D also stands for Dentist. And Dermatologist. Interestingly enough, in the first quarter of this year, I found myself taking several trips to the dentist (or rather, a few dentists) and a trip to a dermatologist.

It started when I cracked the crown on my molar a while back and a chunk of it came off. I've had that crown since 2006 so I guess it was just about time for wear and tear to finally damage it. After that, my molar would hurt every now and then but it was always sort of manageable so I just let it be. (Yes, I know, that was not a good idea.) However, shortly before Christmas last year, the part of my gum right below that molar started to hurt and feel tender. I was worried that maybe my broken crown and partially-exposed tooth caused an infection. I decided to consult my friend who's a dentist.

An x-ray showed that my tooth was in really bad shape. My friend told me I would most likely need a root canal. She put a temporary filling and recommended I see her associate, an endodontist (or a dentist who specializes in the tooth pulp). I scheduled a check-up with that endodontist a couple of weeks later.

The endodontist confirmed that my tooth was in really bad shape and she told me that she was surprised I wasn't in excruciating pain. (Thankfully I wasn't! Maybe some nerves were already dead?) She did recommend a root canal which we scheduled a couple of weeks after that visit.

The root canal treatment turned out to be quite an ordeal. I was injected with anesthesia but once the endodontist started to drill, I still felt a lot of pain so she had to inject more anesthesia. Ouch. The original expectation was that this procedure would take an hour. However, my root was apparently longer than average. She was unable to get to the deepest part of the nerve so she had to go back in to extract the rest. In the end, I was there for 2 hours. My jaw was horribly sore from being kept open for 2 hours. I was given meds to manage the pain and I was told that my tooth and gums (and even jaw) would feel bruised for a while.

A few weeks after that, I had to go back to my friend's clinic for a new crown placement. I needed two trips for this. The first was for a temporary crown placement and so that they could measure my tooth to have a permanent one manufactured. It was during this trip that I confirmed that the root canal worked because the dentist drilled my molar without any anesthesia and it didn't hurt one bit. Amazing! About a week after that, I went back for the placement of my new permanent crown.

After my multiple visits to the dentist, it was now time for me to see another friend who is a dermatologist. I had a massive pimple late last year that remained on my nose for more than a month. I then noticed early this year that it had apparently popped already and I was now left with a noticeable and nasty acne scar. I scheduled an appointment with my friend to ask what could be done about it. When I was at her clinic, I decided to also asked about options to address the the cholesterol deposits around my eyes. As she was inspecting me, she noticed that I had warts on my face and neck. She said she could get ride of my warts and cholesterol deposits and even out my acne scar using laser treatment. I thought I would have to schedule another visit but she said she could do it right then and there. I had no other plans that day so I decided to go with it. I gotta say, despite the anesthesia, it still hurt haha. The treatment left my face looking pretty nasty for a few days, especially in the parts where my cholesterol deposits used to be. But at least they are now gone, along with the warts. And my acne scar does look better.

My plan now is to see my dentist and my dermatologist more regularly. While I do believe that health is wealth, I haven't been as good as I need to be when it comes to looking after all aspects of my physical health in the past and I need to do a better job at it as I get older.

Corner Tree Cafe

I learned about Corner Tree Cafe many, many years ago when vouchers for it appeared on Groupon Philippines. I tried it a few times back then and I thought the food was quite good. It wasn't until recently that I got to try this place again.

Corner Tree Cafe

Corner Tree Cafe is a vegetarian restaurant located along Jupiter Street in Makati. I was in the area one night and I was thinking of a place where I could have dinner. I passed by this restaurant while driving and thought, hey, I should try this place again. So I did.

I started with some Spinach and Pechay Chowder. Their soups come in the smaller cup and the bigger bowl portions. Since I wanted to try more items from the menu, I opted for the cup. (You can take the vegan option for this soup, which means they will not add a dollop of yogurt.)

Spinach and Pechay Chowder

I then ordered Vegetable Dumplings. I have now idea what ingredients they use in this appetizer but man, these were exceptionally good! I absolutely enjoyed these and I would love to have these again in the future.

Vegetable Dumplings

For my main course, I ordered the Oyster Mushroom Birria Tacos. (You can order 3 pcs or 4 pcs but since I already had soup and an appetizer, I chose the smaller serving.)

Oyster Mushroom Birria Tacos

I really enjoyed my dinner here so soon after that, I visited Corner Tree Cafe again. Because I loved them so much the last time, I got the vegetable dumplings again. I did want to try other items on their menu so this time, I ordered a cup of their Roasted Carrot Soup.

Roasted Carrot Soup

For my main course, I ordered the Arroz a la Cubana. The "meat" in it is actually minced tofu but it's so flavorful and has such good texture that it doesn't feel like you're eating tofu. (You can get the vegan option which means they won't serve egg with your dish.)

Arroz A La Cubana

I'm not a vegetarian but I actually really do like the food here at Corner Tree Cafe. They also have a lot of vegan dishes and some items on the menu, such as the Arroz a la Cubana and the Spinach and Pechay Soup, have a vegan option where your food is served without any animal products. I also like the ambiance of this place. If you're looking to enjoy some vegetarian or vegan dishes or just try something different, I highly recommend this place.

Corner Tree Cafe
https://cornertreecafe.com
150 Jupiter, Makati, 1209 Metro Manila
(02) 8897 0295

Four Trips to the Movie Theater

Lisa Frankenstein

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I watched List Frankenstein primarily because Filipino actress Liza Soberano was in it (it was her Hollywood debut). As it turned out, the movie proved to be wildly entertaining, fun, and crazy (in a good way). It starts out light and silly then takes a bit of a dark turn while still keeping a lot of its inane and insane humor. I also loved the fact that Liza played a very critical and pivotal role in Taffy and she was present throughout the film. She put in a great performance that got rave reviews from Hollywood critics. Actually, everyone in the cast put in incredible performances, from Kathryn Newton to Carla Gugino to Cole Sprouse. I gotta give props to Cole who had almost no speaking lines throughout the entire movie and who had to put in a very physical performance but he had such a presence on screen that you couldn't help but feel for and even understand him. I really enjoyed this movie and I hope it gets shown in one of the movie streaming services I'm subscribed to because I would love to watch it again.

Anyone But You

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I watched this at the theater because I was so stressed at work and I felt I needed a light, check-your-brain-at-the-door kind of movie to kind of forget my worries, even for a brief moment. When I saw that Anyone But You was showing, I remembered seeing the trailer which I found to be quite amusing - "Titanic me" - so I decided to watch it. Thankfully I did because it greatly exceeded my expectations. It's funny and raunchy and delightful but I was surprised that the poignant moments, such as the harbor scene, actually had quite a bit of soul. I also loved the idea of Ben having a serenity song and I have been singing Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" a lot since watching the film. (I have also since added it to my Spotify playlist haha.)

The Boy and the Heron

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I read great things abut this movie and when I searched it on Rotten Tomatoes, I saw that it had a very high rating. Plus, it's Studio Ghibli and there is something magical and uniquely interesting about tbe Ghibli films I had seen in the past. I decided to see The Boy and the Heron before its theatrical run in Manila ended. In true Ghibli fashion, it was fantastical, with elements of reality magnificently interwoven into elements of fantasy. While watching it, I could see how much depth the story had, how beautifully it was crafted, and why it was getting very positive reviews. However, I also realized that as a moviegoer, I now seek lighter entertainment rather than more complex and profound stories that require greater thought. Still, this movie is truly a piece of art.

I Am Not Big Bird

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I had just watched Enrique Gil's real-life partner Liza Soberano in Lisa Frankentsein and I was still interested in fun, easy-to-digest films so I thought, why not give this local film a go? The premise: lead character Luis travels with his friends to Thailand where he gets mistaken as a popular porn star who gained fame because of his gigantic private part, giving him the monicker Big Bird. I found this film to be absolutely hilarious and completely unhinged. It had me and the audience in stitches. This was definitely the endorphin kick I needed after a stressful day at work.

I hadn't really watched a lot of films at the movie theater since the pandemic, mainly because movie tickets are really expensive now. That said, I realized that being able to put my phone away for a couple of hours, focusing on the big screen in the dark, and getting away from it all even for a short time relaxes me a lot. I really should do this more often (or maybe not too often that it hurts my wallet too much haha).

Renovation and Repair

Part of adulting involves doing some repairs and renovation work at home every now and then. Unfortunately for me, I got hit with a few house repair requirements at around the same time. The first and the biggest one involved by bathroom wall tiles.

My new bathroom wall tiles

It started when a small part of my wall tiles cracked and started bulging out. I asked the engineering team of my building if they could fix it but because I had mosaic tiles, there was no way to fix it and I would most likely need to replace the whole wall.

Crack in the wall

I left my wall - with its bulging tiles - as it was since I didn't really have time to sort it out. That is, until one day, the tiles started falling off! Enough tiles came off the wall that it left a section of my wall bare. I got worried that the entire wall of tiles might just suddenly detach from the wall one day and damage my bathroom floor. I decided then to have my wall tiles replaced.

Wall tiles started falling off

It took a while to find a contractor, choose the tile, and schedule and execute the renovation. Thankfully, my contractor already had experience doing renovations in the building where I live so they sorted out all the necessary permits and paperwork. I also didn't have to worry about looking for tiles because my contractor did that for me; I told him what I wanted and he looked for some samples from which I made my choice. My boss also approved my request for me to work from home while the repairs were being done. Finally, after a long journey of research, selection, preparation, and actual renovation, my bathroom wall tiles were renovated!

My bathroom after my wall tiles were removed

That wasn't all the work that I needed at home, though. I also noticed that my kitchen sink faucet started leaking. Once again, I asked building engineering to see if they could fix it but they said that my faucet already needed to be replaced. Ugh!

My leaky kitchen sink faucet needed to be replaced

Thankfully, on a trip I took to MC Home Depot, I saw some nice Moen kitchen sink faucets that were on sale. I was told by my building engineering that Moen is a good brand so I ended up getting one that was at 50% off. Our building plumber installed it for me (with a fee of course) and I'm quite happy with my choice. I love the fact that with my new faucet, the spout is higher up with more clearance from the sink. I always had to lean forward ever so slightly when washing dishes before and I always felt a bit of a strain in my back after. I don't seem to have that problem with my new faucet anymore. Cool!

New Moen faucet

As if that wasn't enough, when I had my split-type aircon cleaned recently, I was told that I needed to do a pull-down cleaning. The basic cleaning, which I have done regularly (otherwise my aircon gets clogged and starts leaking) doesn't really clean certain parts of my aircon. Pull-down cleaning is a lot more expensive but I decided to have it done because I would rather have my aircon properly and fully maintained than have bigger problems with it later on. Still, it didn't help that I had to have it done so close to so many other repairs and renovations I had at home. Nevertheless, I'm happy that I finally got everything sorted out.

Cobra Kai!

I'm very late to the party but I am now officially a Cobra Kai fan!

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A lot of people had been saying great things about Cobra Kai. It already had its own following when it was still being produced by YouTube Premium (YouTube Red when it started) but I think it expanded its reach when Netflix picked it up from YouTube Premium in 2020. However, I only subscribed to Netflix in late 2021 and by then, there were already four seasons of the show. I finished the first season in the middle of last year but it was only over the Christmas break that I finished watching the second season and became majorly hooked. 

SPOILER ALERT: Stop reading here if you plan to watch Cobra Kai but don't want to be spoiled

The big cliffhanger of season 2 is when one of the lead characters of the show, Miguel Diaz, shows mercy to Robby, his nemesis and the son of his sensei Johnny Lawrence, which results in him getting kicked off the second floor of their school. The season ends with Miguel in a coma and Johnny leaving Cobra Kai, resulting in his previous sensei John Kreese taking over. By this time, I was so emotionally invested in both Miguel and Johnny that I absolutely needed to know what would happen next. (I have to give major props to the people who watched Cobra Kai while it was still on YouTube Premium because it took two years after this cliffhanger for Season 3 to be released. That must have been a tough wait for anyone who was as emotionally invested as I was but in my case, I was able to watch the next season immediately.)

Needless to say, I blitzed through seasons 3 to 5 in just a few weeks. And I gotta say, I really, really love this show on so many levels. I know it can be a bit over-the-top and even unbelievable sometimes, like how could so many brawls happen, often with a lot of bad injuries without those kids being put in juvenile detention? How could Hawk/Eli purposely break the arm of his ex-best friend-at-the-time Demetri only for them to become best friends again shortly after that? (I figure it's possible but I would normally expect it to take much longer.) Still, I'm somehow okay with all that haha.

I also love how they brought back a lot of characters from the movies, such as Ali from The Karate Kid, Kumiko and Chozen from The Karate Kid Part II, and Terry Silver and Mike Barnes from The Karate Kid III.

The Season 5 ending was, for me, a fantastic finale, with some epic battles and a plot twist that sets the stage for even more intrigue in season 6. I loved it so much that I almost immediately watched it again after watching it the first time haha. I do want certain things to happen, like Miguel winning the Sekai Takai or having Johnny tell Miguel that he loves him like a son. That said, I won't be disappointed as long as the show continues with the same quality as the previous five seasons.

***** END OF SPOILERS *****

If it isn't obvious yet, Miguel and Johnny are my favorite characters haha and I feel it is their father figure/son and student-sensei relationship that is the heart and soul of the show. I'm such a fan of the show that I ended following a lot of the cast on Instagram and watching videos of them on YouTube. I saw this video of the cast taking a "Which Cobra Kai character are you most like?" Buzzfeed quiz. I ended up taking the same quiz myself and I was really happy that I ended up as Miguel Diza haha.

Season 6 is expected to be released later this year and sadly, it will be the last season. While I understand the tendency of audiences to want their favorite shows to keep on going, I guess there is also value in ending on a high note and not dragging on for years even if future seasons aren't as good as the earlier ones. Nevertheless, I'm really happy that I finally got around to watching Cobra Kai.