A Wonderful Day in Tagaytay

As I wrote in an earlier blog post, my mom and I stayed in Tagaytay for one night right after we attended a wedding in Batangas. It was a short overnight stay but it was a really good one. I booked a room for one night at Lee Boutique. It's been years since I last stayed here but I still do really like it. Part of what I like is its very convenient location, right along Tagaytay-Calamba Road and quite close to Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road. We arrived at around 11pm and it was raining really heavily when we did but thankfully, parking was still available when we got there. (In my experience, I've always been able to park.)

Lee Boutique hotel lobby

Surprisingly, the room rate hasn't changed; it is still about P3000 for one night (although I guess technically the price has gone up because my room didn't come with breakfast whereas before, it did). Our room was on the ground floor. This made is very easy for us since we didn't have to go up the stairs. Another thing I love about Lee Boutique is that it is a pretty small hotel. The walk from our car to our room was just about 20 meters. This made it very easy for us to bring stuff from our car to the our room and vice versa. That said, while the hotel itself is relatively small, the rooms are actually very spacious. Ours had twin beds, a small couch, and a table with two chairs.

Lee Boutique hotel twin room

To set expectations, I told my mom I was getting a room at an inexpensive, non-fancy hotel since we were just going to stay there to sleep. As it turned out, my mom thought Lee Boutique was pretty good. She liked its quaintness and the fact that the room was comfortable. The staff was also very friendly, helpful, and hospitable. When we checked in, the cable box in our room wasn't working so the receptionist replaced it with another one. Upon check out, one of the staff told us that all the minibar items are free and that we should just take them all. Cool!

Lee Boutique hotel reception

My plan was to take my mom to Restaurant Verbena for brunch but I was surprised that I couldn't find it! It seems like Discovery Country Suites has either closed or moved because it wasn't where it used to be. Instead, I decided to go to Bag of Beans Athena, which I saw along the road on my way to Lee Boutique the night before. This turned out to be an excellent choice!

Bag of Beans Athena

Bag of Beans Athena has a really lovely ambiance and is beautifully decorated. While I waited for our food, I took lots of photos here.

The beautiful al fresco area of Bag of Beans Athena

It was raining more heavily that day than it was the day before so we couldn't see Taal but in better weather, this restaurant seems to offer great views of the lake.

Rainy weather meant that we couldn't see Taal lake from Bag of Beans Athena

I ended up ordering the Breakfast Sampler which has eggs, bacon, pork sausages, ham, hash browns, and two buttermilk pancakes. I also ordered Kape Barako to go with my pretty heavy breakfast. I remember Bag of Beans had unlimited kape barako before but I couldn't see it in the menu this time so I just ordered one mug. Once I had fully consumed it, I ordered another one. It was then that the waiter told me that he can just convert my order to the unlimited one (apparently it's still in the menu and I may have just missed it). This saved me a bit of money. Cool!

Bag of Beans Breakfast Sampler and Kape Barako

The restroom here is also really nice.

Restroom in Bag of Beans Athena

Before we left, we purchased a few items from the shop, including raisin bread, cream cheese cookies, and coffee. I really enjoyed our brunch here and I told a lot of my friends about Bag of Beans Athena. I definitely want to visit this place again, hopefully in better weather so I can enjoy the view of Taal.

Inside Bag of Beans Athena

During the pandemic, a friend of mine told me about Cecilia's and she said that their buko pie might actually be her favorite. There are a lot of Cecilia's stores in Tagaytay and we stopped at one of them on our way home. I got some buko pie and my mom got some other goodies, including banana chips which my nephew enjoys. Cecilia's buko pie is indeed quite good. I'm glad we got to try it.

Cecilia's Buko Pie

We also ended up making a quick stop at Good Shepherd. I purchased some ube jam as well as burong mangga (or pickled mangoes). I didn't know that Good Shepherd has this product. One bottle costs around P200 which is cheaper than other similar-sized burong mangga products I've seen in shops in Manila so I got one. I kinda regretted not getting another bottle because I ended up consuming the one I got pretty quickly haha. I had forgotten how much I love burong mangga!

This trip to Tagaytay, even on a rainy weekend, reminded me why I love this place and why I used to take vacation leaves from work and spend a few days in Tagaytay just to chill out and go on solo food trips. Maybe I need to do this again.

Alas Pilipinas Wins Bronze at the AVC Challenge Cup!

Congratulations to the Alas Pilipinas Women's Volleyball team for winning the bronze medal at the AVC Challenge Cup!

HER-STORY MAKERS 🇵🇭🥉

Alas Pilipinas made a historic entrance to the AVC podium, securing the BRONZE in the 2024 AVC Women's Challenge Cup after defeating Australia in straight sets.#AlasPilipinas #AVCChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/njEnI3Zxd3

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) May 29, 2024

This is the highest placement that a Philippine team has ever achieved in this event that started in 2022. The previous best that the Philippines achieved in the women's tournament was 7th so this jump to third place is pretty monumental!

BRONZE for the PHILIPPINES! Alas Pilipinas makes history with their first-ever podium finish in the AVC after defeating Australia in three sets! Congratulations, Alas Pilipinas! 🇵🇭 pic.twitter.com/CMdjzoytpC

— Volleyball Philippines (@volleyball_phi) May 29, 2024

10 countries compete in the AVC Challenge Cup: Vietnam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia, and Uzbekistan. These teams are split into two pools, with the top 2 teams in each pool advancing to the semifinals. I have to say that it was quite fortunate for the Philippines that the two highest ranked teams - Vietnam and Kazakhstan - were both in pool B and the Philippines was in pool A giving us a slightly better chance to move forward. Still, the big challenge facing the Alas Pilipinas women was that the team was only assembled a couple of weeks before and they barely had practices as a complete team.

However, it turned out to be a magical mix of players because despite their lack of matchplay as a team, they gelled together very quickly and their chemistry was undeniable. Jia De Guzman, who is arguably - or maybe even provably? - the best setter in Philippine women's volleyball, was a tremendously good team captain, not only because of her leadership, maturity, and experience but also because the rest of the players respected her very highly. Sisi Rondina, who may very well be the the shortest spiker in the entire tournament, was also a very welcome addition to the team as she has a lot of international experience and has won multiple medals in international beach volleyball in the past. Her never-say-die attitude is inspirational to watch and she has a courage and ferocity that is practically unmatched in local volleyball.

As a result of this magnificent team chemistry, the Philippines topped Pool A without a single loss, taking them to the semifinals! There, they ran into a very formidable Kazakhstan team who used their massive height advantage to defeat the Philippines in straight sets. This means that the final match of the Alas ladies would be a battle for third. In the end, the Philippines dominated Australia, 25-23, 25-15, 25-7 in a very convincing three-set win to claim the bronze. Amazing! We now have our first AVC Challenge Cup medal and our best finish in this tournament!

ANOTHER AVC TOURNEY HAS ENDED 🎉

The 2024 #AVCChallengeCup for Women has been nothing but an intense showdown between some of the best women's volleyball teams in Asia. Check out the podium finishers for this year's edition:

🥇Vietnam
🥈Kazakhstan
🥉Alas Pilipinas

📸 RM Chua pic.twitter.com/Uhu8q1v9qk

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) May 29, 2024

As if this wasn't enough, two of our Alas Pilipinas players won individual awards. Team Captain Jia De Guzman was awarded best setter. Many people believed she could win this award and she did!

JIA IS GOLD 🤩

From orchestrating some of the best plays for Alas Pilipinas to leading the team to a historic bronze in the AVC, team captain Jia De Guzman bags the Best Setter citation at the 2024 Women's Challenge Cup.#AlasPilipinas #AVCChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/V0QBaSal7w

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) May 29, 2024

The big revelation to me and possibly the entire tournament, however, was Angel Canino who was also awarded best opposite spiker. Why was this a very pleasant surprise and an incredible achievement? First, opposite spiker is not Angel's natural position; she is normally an open spiker. The lack of a natural opposite spiker in the team meant that the coaching staff moved Angel to this position. Second, despite not having as much international experience as her teammates, Angel was consistently the top scorer of Alas Pilipinas. This Best Opposite Spiker award means that in her first stint as part of the National Team (that isn't under-23), Angel won a bronze medal and an individual award. Sensational!

ANGEL SOARS HIGH 🪽

From being a natural open hitter to becoming Alas Pilipinas' opposite spiker, Angel Canino proved that she can do it all after bagging the Best Opposite Spiker award at the 2024 AVC Women's Challenge Cup.#AlasPilipinas #AVCChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/YhHv0bHxiE

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) May 29, 2024

Congratulations Alas Pilipinas! Thank you for bringing pride and joy to the country, despite all the odds!

A Wedding in Batangas

My cousin Pat, who also happens to be my ex-colleague, just married Carlo, another ex-colleague. My mom and I were both invited to join their wedding which was held at Sefriya Farm and Orchard in Alitagtag, Batangas. It was scheduled on a Saturday so my mom and I agreed that, even if it was a long drive from Metro Manila, we would go.

Sefriya is a beautiful place and apparently (and understandably), it has been gaining popularity as an ideal wedding venue. Unfortunately, it rained almost non-stop that weekend. I'm pretty sure Pat and Carlo were stressed and bummed but they both still managed to be in great spirits despite this setback. It is also said that rain on your wedding day is actually good luck so hopefully they will celebrate many incredible decades together that are filled with love, laughter, and adventure.

The ceremony was held at Kapilya or the Sefriya chapel. It is described in the Sefriya website as being reminiscent of idyllic churches in Southern France and I have to agree as it is very charming and intimate. The colors inside the chapel are warm and inviting and the lights give it a radiant glow.

The dinner reception was supposed to be outdoors but it had to moved indoors - to Tipanan Hall - because of the precipitation. Tipanan Hall was a bit tight once all guests were inside but the coordinators and organizers made it work. It also helped that everyone was very understanding and eager to make Pat and Carlo feel loved and celebrated on their very special day. As it is with most weddings, this one also became a family reunion as my mom and I got to see and catch up with Pat's parents - Tito Jun and Tita Marivic - as well as Tito Erwin, Tita Maritie, my cousin Carissa, Tita Florence, and Uncle Clifford who flew in from the US. It was really cool that so many of us were able to make it.

I also sang at the wedding. Carlo has heard me sing before - during Christmas parties at work and during karaoke nights - so he asked me if I could sing during the reception. Naturally, I said yes. I decided to perform The Promise (Martin Nievera version) because I was already quite familiar with this song. Not that familiar apparently as I flubbed one line haha but overall, my performance was still relatively well-received. Whew!

Normally, I try to stay until the end of the wedding reception but my mom and I had to leave a bit earlier this time because we weren't able to book a room in the area. When I remembered that I had to reserve accommodations me and my mom, there were no available rooms left in any of the nearby hotels and resorts. (Sefriya was fully booked quite early, presumably by the families of Pat and Carlo and by the members of the entourage.) I didn't want to have to drive back to Metro Manila for 3 hours late at night so I booked a room in Tagaytay instead (it was still more than an hour away but a lot closer than home.)

Despite the weather, it was still an incredible and wonderful wedding. The coordinators were still able to get the fireworks display to work and it definitely brightened up the rainy night. Many of Pat's and Carlo's relatives and friends were also there that night and I'm sure the newlyweds felt loved.

Congratulations and Best Wishes, Pat and Carlo!

New Discoveries and Rediscoveries

The last couple of months gave me an opportunity to try and discover new places. One of these was Grifoni's at The Podium. Apparently, this is a popular pizza place in Siargao that has made its way to Metro Manila. My ex-teammates and I had dinner here one night after work. What I loved about this place is that they have gnocchi on their menu! So we ordered the Baked Four Cheese Gnocchi...

Gnocchi from Grifoni's in Podium

...along with another pasta dish and pizza. We also had some dessert. The food was pretty good - and I really do love the fact that they have gnocchi! - so I'm sure I will visit this place again in the future.

Choco Lava Cake from Grifoni's in Podium

Another place in the Ortigas area that I got to try is Satchmi. I had seen this place a few times before but I only just recently got to try it when I was in Megamall and was looking for a place to have coffee and some food. My original plan was to have souffle pancakes at Gram but it seems Gram in Megamall has closed. I then saw Satchmi, I realized I had always been interested to try this place, and decided to go here instead. I ordered the sausage and waffles along with some coffee. It wasn't the best sausage and waffle dish I've ever had but it is quite inexpensive when compared to similar dishes in other restaurants and cafes so I thought it was pretty good value for money.

Sausage and Waffles from Satchmi in Megallam

A new favorite dessert of mine is the Chocolate Strawberry Pancake. I discovered while I was in Greenbelt 5. I passed by what was previously TLJ but is now Infinity Taste. I went in to look for a cake or dessert I could take home and I saw the Chocolate Strawberry Pancake, which immediately appealed to me. At almost P500, it is really expensive but I really wanted to try it so I did. As soon as I ate it at home, I realized this is now probably my favorite dessert. The pancake seems to have a consistency and density somewhere between a pancake and a cake and the cream was thick but still light. It was just a really good combination of flavors and textures and an absolute pleasure to eat! I loved it so much that I visited this place again soon after and I ordered it again.

Chocolate Strawberry Pancake from Infinity Taste in Greenbelt

I also revisited Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles in N.S. Amoranto Street (near the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes). The last time I was here was more than a decade ago so getting to dine here again after so long was like a wonderful rediscovery.

Shanghai Hand-pulled Noodles in N.S. Amoranto

I love hand-pulled noodles so it was a no-brainer for me to order the House Special Beef (Dry) Noodles. I also got a side of Special Kikiam (it has also been a long time since I had kikiam). I really enjoyed this meal and I need to visit this place again soon!

House Special Beef Noodles and Kikiam from Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles

And since we're talking about new discoveries, I guess this one counts too: Nissin Irvins Salted Egg Noodles! A friend of mine visited Singapore and gave me a pack as her pasalubong to me.

Nissin Irvin's Salted Egg Noodles

It was good but I have to say that I couldn't taste the salted egg flavor as much as I do when having the Irvins chips. Still, I'm happy I got to try something new!

Remembering Nanay

My family just commemorated my grandmother Nanay's 1st year death anniversary. It was the middle of the week so I filed a personal leave so I could spend the day with my family. We started with a 6AM mass that we offered for Nanay. After mass, we headed to the cemetery to visit her resting place and say some prayers.

Early morning mass

It was still early morning when we left the cemetery and we wanted to have breakfast so I took my family to Dylan Patisserie in the Tomas Morato area. It was one of the few non-fastfood places that was open at 8am and we wanted a place that was comfortable and where we could enjoy good food and catch up. Dylan was also one of the last few restaurants where we were able to take Nanay before she passed away. We stayed there for a few hours, enjoying the food and the coffee as we shared stories about Nanay and caught up with each other. It was close to noon when we left.

Classic Full English Breakfast at Dylan Patisserie

Before heading home, I suggested to my mom that we have a late lunch at Italianni's in Ayala Fairview Terraces. I was notified via SMS that Bistro card holders could enjoy 50% off at Italianni's as a special soft opening discount. It was quite some distance away from Dylan but the discount was really appealing and I was already  on leave so we decided to go. The discount could only be applied when dining in but the staff said that we could over-order and they could pack and take home whatever we didn't consume. My mom and I had some pasta and salad but we did order a lot of other dishes that we took home to the rest of my family. (This meal meant I already got a return on investment on my Bistro card just a few months after I got it. Cool!)

Lunch at Italianni's in Ayala Fairview Terraces

It was a simple but really good day spent with loved ones that allowed me and my family to remember Nanay and celebrate her amazing life before she passed on. We love you and we miss you, Nanay!

Summer Lovin'

Temperatures in Metro Manila have been soaring these last several weeks, which is to be expected I guess given that it is the Philippine summer. I thought I should revisit one of my favorite places that I haven't been to since the pandemic - Hobing. After all, it was a perfect time for bingsu! The flavor I used to order all the time - the one that had red beans - was no longer on the menu. I can't recall what I ordered - I think it was injeolme - but there was an option to add red beans so I did. I really do love bingsu and this trip made me realize that I need to visit Hobing more often in the future.

Hobing bingsu

My good friend Mari who has been based abroad for the last several years came home this summer so that her son could celebrate his first birthday with her family.

Marcus' birthday celebration

It was Mari's family in Manila who organized the celebration and they decided to throw a party at Jollibee. I can't recall the last time I went to a Jollibee party so I had a lot of fun, even if I didn't participate in any of the games haha. More importantly, it was really wonderful catching up with Mari again after not seeing her in person for years and getting to see her son for the first time.

Jollibee party

That wasn't my only get-together this summer. I also met up with some ex-colleagues for a board game night. I had played Champions of Midgard with them before and they were quite familiar with it already so this time, I learned and taught them the Valhalla Expansion. I actually really love this expansion since it reduces the luck factor of die rolls. In fact, part of your strategy can be to have your warriors die in battle so that they go to Valhalla and gain more rewards (and points). I gotta say, Champions of Midgard is fast becoming one of my favorite board games.

Champions of Midgard Valhalla Expansion

I also met up wit my high school and college circle of friends. One of my friends suggested that we have dinner at The Patio in UP Diliman and it turned out to be the perfect place for us. Not only was it a bit nostalgic because we all graduated from UP but also because The Patio has a very chill and relaxed vibe and the food was pretty good. They serve Pinoy dishes and aside from the the many menu items we ordered, I also got a bowl of lomi for myself. Kinda doesn't make sense to have hot soup during summer but it wasn't that hot when we met up for dinner and I hadn't had lomi in ages.

Lomi from The Patio

Of course, no month would be complete without quality time with my family. For Mother's Day, I got my mom the Classy Blush Cake from Dylan Patisserie. It's a strawberry shortcake with a vanilla almond sponge base, vanilla whipped ganache, and strawberry compote. It was pretty good!

Classy Blush Cake from Dylan Patisserie for Mother's Day

Also, after we watched Miss Saigon, I took my family to Uptown Mall for dinner. My plan was to take them to the shared area of Watami and Texas Roadhouse at the top floor of Uptown Mall so people could choose to order from either restaurant but we all decided to just order food from Texas Roadhouse. I then suggested that we walk to Mitsukoshi Mall in BGC, which is only about a block away from Uptown Mall, for coffee and dessert. I bought some cream puffs from Beard Papa to take home and we ended up having coffee at Key Coffee.

Key Coffee at Mitsukoshi Mall BGC

Considering that we had just watched an amazing show that everyone enjoyed, getting to have good food and try new things and have my family visit new places was a really amazing way to end the day.

A Surprise Star Wars Encounter at Uniqlo

I just had an amazing photo op with Star Wars characters at the Uniqlo Global Flagship Store in Glorietta 5!

Photo with Star Wars characters at the Uniqlo Global Flagship Store at Glorietta 5

It was a series of fortunate events that put me in a position to get this photo taken. It all started when I saw a Monster Hunter shirt in Uniqlo in SM Makati. I thought that my nephew, the Monster Hunter fan, might actually like to have that shirt. However, strangely enough, I didn't get it yet. Instead, I decided I would just go back on Sunday (which was just a few days later) to get it.

Fast forward to Sunday. I was driving to Glorietta and my initial plan was to go back to that Uniqlo store in SM Makati because that's where I saw the shirt. However, I decided to go to the flagship store in Glorietta 5 instead. I figured it was bigger and probably had more stocks of that shirt. As it turned out, my guess was right. I decided to get one for my nephew.

Since I was already there, I decided to also get a Star Wars Return of the Jedi shirt for myself. (After all, I am a Star Wars fan.) It was then that I noticed a couple of people dressed as stormtroopers in the store. They were going around, having their photos taken. I figured it must be to market their Star Wars merchandise. I picked up the shirt I wanted but then I kinda tried to see if I could find an opportunity to have my photo taken with the stormtroopers. I wasn't sure there would be since they looked busy with their photoshoot so I decided to take a photo of them. A woman who was part of the Uniqlo Star Wars campaign must have seen the look on my face as I did because she asked me if I wanted to have my photo taken with them. Naturally, I said yes!

Photo of Stormtroopers

The really cool thing though is that it started out with just me, two scout troopers, and a storm trooper. The woman took a photo of me with them when suddenly, more people in costume arrived, including an ewok! The woman then very nicely took a photo of me with the whole gang. When I saw the picture, I was really happy. And by the time I was done with my photo op, a short line had formed of people who also wanted to have their pictures taken.

My first photo, with two scout troopers and a stormtrooper

As it turned out, Uniqlo Philippines announced this store visit of Star Wars character on their social media pages. I just lucked out that I was at the right store at the right time.