It's been ages (10 days to be exact) since my last blog post and just to give an update, i'm still alive. I'm so alive that i've been taking in projects from here and there like there's no tomorrow. I somehow feel bad that I promise to make this a lengthier post to make up for my absence here on blogosphere. It's just that I have been into so much lately that blogging or even breathing, for that matter, could be such a chore. I haven't even been checking my social media accounts that much and I feel so behind with everything that's going on. I didn't even get any memo that the UAAP cheerdance competition was held yesterday. I heard that UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe did awful. In fact, they placed second to the last according to the news. Imagine, SECOND TO THE FRIGGIN LAST! That's just unacceptable for a team that has the most number of cheerdance championships won. Oh well, gone are the glory days but regardless, I won't ever get tired of chanting "Go USTE" for my dear UST! Winning teams, we'll get you next time!
In retrospect, I just realized that despite the stress and all, I was still able to go on shopping sprees, at least three times within ten days! Oh my talk about stress shopping! I splurged on a route that I would rather take on any given day rather than go back to binge and stress eating again. Speaking of which, I also noticed that I lost weight. I somehow feel lighter and my clothes fit better. I'll have to consult Mr.Scale to validate that though because it could be the mirror. Let's cross our fingers and toes for that one. Also, I was able to finish a book, it's my first of author Emily Griffin and the title is Where We Belong. It's about secrets and how these secrets, no matter how little, will always find their way to reveal themselves. Alongside keeping secrets, the book also conveys how keeping secrets weave our lives with a web of lies that further complicate our relationships, career and all other things that truly matter. I'll give it a thumbs up, it's one of those engrossing I-can't-put-down-unless-I-really-need-to-pee books. For the record, it's a breaking one for me as it was my first time to finish a book in two days. On average, I usually finish a book of 400 pages in about a week, depending on how many hours I can devote to reading at night.
Last Saturday, I spent the whole day driving for my mom while running some errands and the whole night baking 100 cupcakes to be served in a birthday party the following day. I usually do not accept orders as i'm not a legit baker more so knowledgeable of the cupcakery business. It's just that I couldn't say no to a friend who's done more than enough favors for me than I did for her. She just loves my cupcakes and would love to share its goodness to her guests. Ehem, pardon the lack of modesty right there. Anyhoo, I did agree and took on the challenge only for the love of my friend. Too bad that I didn't get to take photos of the finished cupcakes as I was in a hurry but picture this, my friend requested that I bake her 100 dark chocolate cupcakes topped with blush colored frosting. The cake itself was very basic yet the turnout was elegant as I placed some edible pearls on top of the swirled frosting. I baked the cupcakes the night before then frosted all of them on Sunday morning. One major mishap of the list of mishaps that I had yesterday: the frosting was quite a last minute decision as I originally intended to frost the cupcakes using boiled icing. Unfortunately, the icing didn't reach stiff peaks after an hour of relentless beating. It just wouldn't come to form no matter what I did. My fingers even had blisters for holding the beater too hard. I was at the verge of tears as it was past 9am and not one cupcake was frosted! I was already panicking as the cupcakes needed to be picked-up at 12nn and I had to get ready for a date with my cousin who I will be meeting at Ayala Triangle Gardens at 11am. At that point, I could only say a little prayer to all heavens. I also texted my cousin to wait it out a little as I was going to be late, for sure. Then, a light bulb abruptly turned on in my head. Well, a lightbulb that lies somewhere had to because I didn't have a choice lest I want to ruin my good friend's birthday to her disappointment! Why not make swiss meringue buttercream frosting, I thought?! Yes, thank God the cupcake fairies didn't forsake one bit! I just softened 3 bars of unsalted butter and whipped it with the boiled icing that I already made and voila! A very yummy turnout! It was one of the best frostings I ever made, in my opinion. I told you, a little prayer and know-how would always come in handy!
My cousin agreed that we meet an hour later than originally planned because my time to prepare was exhausted by my failed attempt at boiled icing. I took a shower, dressed up, and applied a little makeup roughly in 30 minutes then got in the car hoping i'll be in Makati on time because I hate being late. Second mishap for the day: it took me about 1 and 1/2 hours to get to Makati when it should only take about 30 minutes on a Sunday. Yes, on a Sunday for crying out loud! Why? First, I took the C5 route which is the usual but I didn't know that Kalayaan road was bombarded with all the works that came along with any annual feast! There were marching bands, police vehicles parked and a lot of people crossing the streets so imagine the traffic that I went through just to get to Makati. What made it worse was I took a different route from a fork which I thought would hasten my way to Ayala but what the heck!!! I ended up along Edsa northbound, which was headed towards the opposite direction! I only realized it when I was about to approach my mom's office along Shaw Boulevard. As I was driving, I took the underground tunnel which shouldn't be if I wanted to take a U-turn. WTF, right?! I ended up taking a U-turn around Greenhills where it was hella traffic too! Again, I was so frustrated, my eyes watered. Was it Sunday the 13th? I was only able to my calm senses when I was driving along Ayala southbound and arrived in Ayala Triangle Gardens in 10 minutes tops. Thanks to the magical powers of Mr. Epifanio delos Santos for sweeping all the cars off my track that moment. Seeing my cousin for the first time in a long time made me smile again. Good thing I brought her some cupcakes to makeup for the long wait.
Right after I picked my cousin up, we headed to Glambox Studio located at Value Point Bldg. in Salcedo St. for the makeup private selling where I got the chance to meet one of the Youtube beauty gurus, Say Tioco Artillero, who hosted the event. To be quite honest, I only went there just to meet Say while purchasing makeup was second in my agenda. I was planning to purchase food for Say but with the perils that I went through, I couldn't go on doing that anymore as we had other things planned after the meet-up. It was such a breeze to locate the place as my cousin is a resident of Makati. When we got there, it was raining really hard. Good thing that there was a parking space by the building that was vacant and waiting for us. A registration fee of P200/head had to be paid in order to purchase products. There weren't any customers inside when we got there, blaming it on the weather that day. I must say that meeting Say was such an experience! She was so nice to us and eagerly helped us through picking out the right shade of foundation, suggesting products to checkout as well as investing on small talk. I felt a little shy at first, or call it starstruck, that I wasn't talking back to her that much when she asked me questions. She was just so down to earth despite the fame and she's very pretty and tall, too. I also got the chance to meet her boyfriend, Mark, and her friends who helped out with the selling. We only spent around 15 minutes in the studio and I only bought two bottles of nail polishes (Revlon in light lilac color and Chinaglaze in Re-fresh Mint) and a lipstick (Revlon in nude shade) all for P730 while my cousin purchased a powder foundation by Revlon. I intended to purchase the Ben Nye Banana Luxury powder but I was informed that it was sold out. Say told me that they will be holding another private selling event the following week so all I had to do was reserve the item that I wanted and I can just pick it up when I go back. I happily agreed despite the wait as it was a nifty reason to meet her again. Below are the pictures of the private selling:
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| My cousin Joy, Say Artillero, and me |
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| Say and Khaye.. Rhyming! |
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| Me and Say |
Right after the makeup event, we headed straight to Greenbelt 5 to dine at Chateau 1771 for late lunch. This restaurant is fairly new and is situated at the newly constructed wing of GB 5. Their offerings gravitate towards fusion cuisine that assure a highly regarded dining experience. I failed to take pictures of the interiors as we were already close to death by starvation when we entered and found our seats. But of course, I wouldn't pass the chance to take photos of the food that we ordered.
First off, the food took a while to arrive that I had more than enough time to paint and even dry my nails. The wait lasted for a good 15-20 minutes which is usual but my stomach was growling that I had to find a way to divert my attention to something else.
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| Chinaglaze nail polish in Re-fresh Mint |
As a starter, there was actually a complimentary appetizer which was a small bowl of chips and dip that I didn't fancy because of its weird flavor. My cousin told me that the dip was made of mashed eggplant which looked like a small portion of dung. Oops, sorry for the lack of a better word but it serves dual purpose as the taste was not palatable for my taste buds and it didn't look appealing hence the lack of motivation to have a photo of it taken. Anyway, my cousin and I shared a salad which is the Goat Cheese and Grilled Apple Salad, Php300. We were actually debating whether to order it or stick with the classic Caesar Salad and we made the right choice. The salad was refreshing because of the crisp lettuce leaves which served as the perfect bed for the grilled apples and goat cheese. The flavors were an impeccable play on sweet and savory. The sweet aspect was received courtesy of the sliced apples that were grilled enough for its natural sugars to be released. The vinaigrette itself was tangy which complements the faint-tasting yet creamy goat cheese. The salad was topped with bacon bits which added the salty element to round up the dish. For drinks, I had Dalandan Juice (Php150) while my cousin ordered Carrot Juice (Php150). I didn't get to finish mine as it tasted like it was a glass of diluted cheap juice concentrate. For that price, it was safe for me to expect highly, hoping that it tasted the same as that of Sonya's Garden which is a cult fave. Sadly, it was far from that caliber. My cousin's juice on the other hand was freshly made with a delicate hint of sugar in the mix. I was able to take a sip of her drink and for someone who's a non-raw carrot eater, it was found to be a delight.
For our main course, we chose to share on a pasta dish thinking that the servings were good for two. But when the food came, we figured that we both could enjoy a plate each. Since we were able to finish the salad which was big enough for us to share, we just agreed to finish the plate of pasta and just order again if it wasn't enough to satiate our hunger. We feasted on Gambasetti (Php 500), which was wittingly coined after Gambas and Spaghetti primarily due to its ingredients. The shrimps were breaded and fried which restored its juiciness. It was cooked just right like the pasta which was served al dente. It's noteworthy as well that they didn't scrimp on ingredients. There were more than 10 pieces of shrimp and a handful of chorizo bits hiding underneath its goodness. I have come to like this dish as i'm trying to averse from the cream-based pasta which was my obsession prior to this. My point is, I had officially become a convert! I'm sure to order olive oil based pasta save for my next visit. Overall, this dish was good although I would have wished that the chef toned down the amount of salt.
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| Gambasetti |
And for dessert, we feasted on Triple Chocolate Mousse (Php250), a dessert showcasing a triple layer of Valhrona chocolates: the bottom layer was made of milk, the middle layer of white and the topmost layer of dark and then dusted with cocoa powder and drizzles of chocolate sauce. It tasted light and definitely not sickeningly sweet enough that it captures the perfect balance of bitter and sweet. The texture was incomparable to other mousses that i've tried as it wasn't airy nor fluffy. It's the type that could manage to maintain its form when kept on room temperature. Imagine sinking your tongue and palate with dense, cold and creamy leche flan in between, that's what the experience would be like when you try this. It's a melt in your mouth dessert that I wouldn't mind having for the rest of my life!
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| Triple chocolate mousse |
Chateau 1771 offers a wide variety of delectable dishes that could take you to any part of the world. They serve a huge selection of alcoholic beverages, too. They are actually more of a wine bar than a restaurant where cocktails and populars like Johnny Walkers and Hennesys are frequent orders. My dining experience was a pleasurable treat overall, much thanks to my cousin for paying. Although our bill shot up to around Php1500 due to a non-liquor charge which I didn't quite understand why. I will definitely be dining here again with my family as i'm sure my Dad would love the other dishes that I found on their menu and of course, the liquor. And who knows, I might as well dine here again with the love of my life in tow as the ambience and seating arrangement make for a nice casual lunch or dinner date with a special someone.
Moving on, we decided to walk around the malls to let the food settle in our stomachs. I thought of visiting a Candy Corner booth by the cinema at GB 3 to purchase a box of Bean Boozled candy but they ran out of stocks. I'll save the Bean Boozled talk on a separate post. Then my cousin brought me to Glorietta food court because she told me that she's been craving for nachos as if we weren't full from the food that we ate at Chateau 1771 yet. Taking a clue that she was paying, why not, right? When we got to the food court, we found a kiosk that sold nachos. We ordered the all-meat variant for Php85.
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| All-meat nachos |
Right after we found our seats, I felt an air of let's-go-back-to-business attitude from my cousin. All along, she waited for a moment to tell me something that's why she invited me out on a date in the first place. I asked her if there was something that she wanted to tell me but at the back of my head I was hoping that it's good news, the type that we've been wanting to hear from her for the last two years. And yes, she finally spilled the beans! She's getting married to her long time boyfriend, Kuya Michael! At last!!! They've been together for a little over five years now and my cousin just turned 30 years old last week. She's of age and i'm sure she's over the moon right now. The catch is, I am the first in the family to find out. They haven't told her parents yet as it was a mutual decision. There was no official engagement held nor a ring. Knowing her boyfriend, Kuya Michael sure has something up his sleeves when he comes back from Dubai, where he works as a nurse. I was so giddy when I found out that I was already planning the wedding in my head. There was an avalanche of ideas rushing that I couldn't verbalize everything. I got too excited as if I were in my cousin's shoes, really. I knew from the time that she hopped in my car that there was a lustrous glow in her face that makes for the absence of a diamond ring. I could tell that she's ready to take on the next phase of her life and I couldn't be more happy for her. Ate Joy, or Manang Joy, as I fondly call her, is my closest elder cousin. I look up to her because of who she simply is. She's very smart, successful in her career and the kindest person I know. But I learned that the most important reason for our date was an invitation to be her Maid of Honor. OMG!!! I'm going to be a MOH! Ate Joy's best friend is actually a guy and I happen to be her next closest friend/cousin so I was the obvious choice. But really, the pleasure is mine. Knowing that I will be playing that role made me all the more excited for the wedding and preparations. This is it, I will be walking down the aisle as a MOH. Let's mark our calendars, shall we? The date is October 18, 2014 at Don Bosco Church in Makati.
After the exciting announcement, we headed towards ForMe Clothing where I did some serious shopping. Ugh my emotions, they are getting the best of my wallet! As a sweet form of gesture, my cousin gifted me with a beaded necklace and beaded bangles. Oh diba, bongga talaga! We parted ways at 7pm because my cousin had to go to church for her 8pm service. Too bad I couldn't join her as I also needed to go home due to the heavy rain that's about to commence. I feel bad though that I wasn't able to attend mass but i'll attend one within the week. While I was driving home, I unconsciously took the Kalayaan route again! I forgot about the festivities and the traffic. As I was driving along, traffic was bitching but I didn't mind as a 5-minute fireworks display happened and I was just smiling alone in my car watching the different colors and formations that flickered beautifully up in the sky which made the traffic and the day, despite the mishaps and torrential rain, all worth it and well-spent.
Thank You, Lord, for the good news and a wonderful weekend. Thank You as well for making me a blessing to others and for blessing me in ways I couldn't imagine. I lift everything up to Your name for greater things ahead. I love You.
Stay Happy,
Khaye :)
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