Lets Go Under the Sea at SEARENIABAY Cafe

Themed cafes are becoming really popular these days and if you're thinking about heading up north for the holidays then why not make the most out of your stay in Baguio and check out Seareniabay Cafe located at Block 3 Lot 3 Ciudad Grande Phase 1, Bakakeng Central. If you're a little mermaid fan (insert Ariel singing "Part of Your World"), then you will most likely enjoy this cafe. 

My sister, along with our niece arrived around noon and we got lucky because the place was exclusive to us the whole time but this is not a first, we also had the place to us last month when we visited the Unicorn Dream Cafe (you can read my UNDAS blog if you want to know more) so I'm not sure if we're just really early birds or where it's at that's why it's not crowded compared to other cafes in town. We ordered immediately because we had a tough time locating it we're quite starving already and we didn't know how long it will take for our food to be served. To be honest, it is quite far than we imagined we almost lost our patience looking for it so we thought this better be worth it. We spent our waiting time taking lots of pictures and shooting videos while our niece went on to try their cozy mermaid blanket which is available to rent for free. 

The under the sea vibe was there because of the mermaid wall art, it's cute and colorful I read on their Facebook page that it was painted by local artists. The throw pillows are really pretty my niece definitely love them but what I'm crazy about are their mermaid tail mugs and disco ball cups they're just super cute. I must say that the food was okay though there's nothing special about the menu but somehow still worth a try. 

If you want to unleash that little mermaid in you then visit Seareniabay Cafe, they're open on Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 AM-8 PM and close on Mondays.

UNDAS 2017

Welcome November

Wait, what?!...it's November already? It's 53 days to go until Christmas, whoa. 2017 is definitely coming to a close, whether we like it or not. 

Today is All Souls Day but the scheduled blessing of niche at the columbarium which housed my mom's ashes took place yesterday at 10AM. We arrived at the columbarium a few minutes before 10:00 I'm glad the ceremony started right on time. What I like about the columbarium is that it's not as crowded compared to public cemeteries, at least in my experience. This one is conveniently located right next to a cathedral so I get to pay my mom a visit whenever I can not only during All Souls Day. It's been 4 years since my mom passed but I still miss her every day. I mean who wouldn't? Others take a lifetime to grieve the loss of their loved ones.


Halloween is my favorite time of the year because I'm a fan of stories of the unknown. Well, I guess anything that is out of the ordinary is of human interest, right? But before we all get excited about Halloween, let's not forget its true essence. All Saints Day is celebrated in honor of the saints, known or unknown whilst All Souls Day is not just about dressing up for parties and trick or treating but a day of giving alms and prayers for the dead. These occasions exist with a purpose so we must never forget what they are for.


All Saints Day


Holiday Break Chill at Ze Creamery 

Since it's the first of November my sibs (siblings), niece and I decided to try a newly opened cafe in the Baguio city called Ze Creamery. This cafe opened sometime this year but I don't think they have been around for a long time because I'm quite familiar with old cafes in Baguio. We arrived an hour before noon (I think) and the place is quite full already and the only available table is by the entrance which made us quite uncomfortable because it gets really cold and the door was open the whole time but we did not ask the staff if we can close it so that was our fault.


We checked out their menu but we are really interested in their freakshakes because they look delectable on pictures (we've been stalking their Instagram prior to coming, lol) we didn't have anything else in mind we just ordered monster fries to go with it.  I got myself a chocolate flavored freak size Death by Chocolat (hence the name) whilst my twin had some of that Red Velvet freak size too and then some baby freaks Banana Caramel and Strawberry Shortcake for my elder sissy and niece. We all agreed that their monster fries sour and cream dip was a big hit. It's best to come early so you get the best seat in the house.


Ze Creamery is located at Unit C-11, The Zone Vill (C&D), Bukaneg St., Legarda Rd., Baguio City and open from 10AM-10PM.


All Souls Day


Experience Unicorn at The Unicorn Dream Cafe

The Unicorn Dream Cafe
for unicorn lovers

For unicorn lovers just like my 9-year-old niece, The Unicorn Dream Cafe is the perfect place to be. It was a rainy All Souls Day but the weather did not stop us from fulfilling my niece's unicorn dream, lol. There's no one inside the cafe but the staff probably because of the weather when we arrived half an hour before noon and we're glad because we're able to take lots of pictures and enjoy the place to ourselves.  I can see from my niece's eyes that she was having a great time because she kept taking pictures of pretty much everything inside the cafe she even borrowed one of the unicorn headbands (free to rent) and we did too, eventually. The lady who served our order gave my niece candies (for trick or treat I suppose) and a pink balloon, it was very sweet of them. The place was really cozy and the ambiance was magical it is something that kids would definitely love.


We tried out their bestseller freakshakes of course, as well as their colorful and yummy rainbow nachos which are good for 2-3 pax. I got myself the Purple Gurple milkshake which is a mixture of ube and vanilla topped with lots of candies and a donut. If you're not a fan of freakshakes and don't think you can finish something like that then you can opt for milkshakes without toppings instead. They also serve sandwiches, pasta, juice, soda, etc. They are usually closed on Thursdays but since they are closed yesterday November 1st, but they are open today.


The Unicorn Dream Cafe is located at Marand Nest Bldg., Bonifacio St., Corner Sumulong, Baguio City. Business hours are from 11AM-8PM (MTWF), 10AM-8PM (Sat, Sun) and close on Thursdays.

Food Trippin' in Baguio

I love exploring places and food and what I learned about living in Baguio is that you will never run out of good, artsy places to go to enjoy good eats. 

Good Taste menu

When I was still based in Manila I occasionally visit Baguio for vacation because where else can you find all sorts of ukay-ukay (second-hand items) stuff and lots of coffee shops everywhere but here. It must be the weather that's why in every corner of Baguio, you will find coffee shops that not just serve coffee and bread but also rice meals, porridge, noodles, etc. at an affordable price. When I was a kid my dad brought me and my siblings to this local restaurant by the marketplace called Rainbow Cafe (Kayang Street Located at the public market). I had my first taste of their bestseller Rainbow Rice here which consist of Chopsuey rice with lots of fresh vegetables, a slice of lechon and steamed chicken. Oh boy, the serving was huge! It left me a happy tummy that I will never forget so I told myself that the city of pines has more to offer. If you miss homecooked meals, drop by anytime at the very popular Good Taste (Otek Street near Burnham Park). It is open 24/7 I remember my sister and I come here for breakfast in the wee hours of the morning after work. Rice meals are considerably cheap. Food is served with huge portions of fresh veggies. You will realize that fast food is nothing but junk if you come here often but make sure you are really hungry because you will really end up stuffed. I love their fried rice, chicken fillet, blue lemonade, and cream puff if you want something for dessert.

OMG at Oh My Gulay!

My sister and I are very much into artsy places but are also into healthy food so every once in while we drop by at Oh My Gulay (La Azotea, Session Road) to savor their tasty salads. I came across OMG as a tourist many years ago. I like to Google places to visit before I go on vacation and OMG is listed as one of the most interesting places to eat in Baguio. I always make sure that I have an itinerary to follow so everything's organized when I'm there and this definitely topped my list. If you're into nature-inspired art and organic food you will find this place really interesting and if you still haven't had enough of OMG, check out Ili Likha and Cafe Cueva (both in Assumption Road) too.

Ili-Likha with the resident ginger cat

Cafe Cueva

For chocolate lovers and cacao advocates, savor a cup of bitter-sweet rich hot chocolate at "Choco-Late de Batirol" (inside Camp John Hay). Make sure to try their "Turon De Langka and pair this up with any traditional blend of your choice. I had strawberry whilst my sister picked the cinnamon flavor and both are equally delicious. 

Choco-Late de Batirol's Turon de Langka a
nd strawberry traditional blend choco

Grumpy Joe's Combo A: Chicken, Spaghetti, 
Fries, and Pizza

Western food is everywhere too so why not try "Grumpy Joe" (Leonard Road). The place is not very spacious especially for a large group but the food tastes good and the price is quite reasonable.

Ozark's Dark Beer Cheesecake and Chicken BBQ sandwich

Whenever my siblings and I like to catch up, we go to random places so when a friend of mine at work recommended Ozark, (2 Bear's Trail, corner Bareng Drive) even if this is right in the middle of nowhere we took effort to find it. I was surprised when we got there because there is no one else but us. No reservations needed, a table and good food awaits. This is a perfect place to chit chat and relax. The day we came happened to be my niece's 19th birthday. so we decided to pig out and enjoy their South American food. You can sit comfortably while enjoying the soothing view of pine trees and school field. My (pulled) chicken BBQ sandwich is super tasty, served with generous portions of fries and Ozark iced tea. Also, never miss out to try their bestseller Dark Beer cheesecake.

Canto's Half Slab Lomo Back Ribs is heaven 

I'm not a fan of jam-packed places but if you're craving for lomo back ribs cooked at its finest, head over to Canto and you will never regret a thing. The place is crowded for the most part so don't take your chances and reserve a table for you and your family or friends to make sure that you will not end up disappointed. I just didn't like the noise especially if you will spend dinner there plus there's not much privacy I noticed that tables are too close to each other. 

Chaya

For Japanese food lovers, Chaya is a good place to dine but not for walk-in clients since they have limited tables. It's like a house converted into a fine dining resto. I'm not really into Japanese food but I did like their tasty Chicken Teriyaki salad and green tea ice cream sampler which is served free after your meal. To be honest and in my experience, don't attempt to come here without a car although the parking space is also very limited because it will take you forever to get a cab home especially in the afternoon too so I find it not very convenient.

The lovely walls of Hillside Station

After scouring books at Mt. Cloud better check out Hillstation (Casa Vallejo, Upper Session Road) too. This is cozy place serve vegetarian yet tasty sandwiches. For non-vegetable lovers they thought that vegan food lack flavor but that is no longer true since most vegan dishes nowadays aside from healthy are flavorful just like the "vegetarian panini" I ordered. I thought I was eating smoked beef and not eggplant because the taste is quite deceiving it's like not eating a vegan sandwich at all.

My Vegetarian Panini 

That's pretty much it for now. I'm still in the hunt for cool places to go and I will definitely keep looking. Any suggestions? 

Merry Christmas Beybeh

My most awaited vacation is here at last. Thank God I wasn't tempted to waste away all my leave credits last month or I'll be left alone for the holidays. My twin and I reserved tickets a week before our trip we thought it'll be such a hassle to get one on the day itself especially during this time of the year where everybody's going out of town for the holidays. I hate falling in line but we had no choice they don't have online reservations yet it's a long queue at the terminal. 

We waited roughly thirty minutes for the 6 PM bus to arrive. We arrived past midnight yesterday the bus stopped in front of our vacation house since it's along Marcos Highway it's still kinda dark the moonlight lighted our path. Sissy rang the doorbell our brother opened the gate it's good he's still awake. We're so tired but it's good to be home, I miss home, my family and real food of course. My parents are quite surprised and worried at the same time they haven't seen me in months they noticed that I've lost a lot of weight they thought I got sick or something but I told them that I'm okay I'm just on a diet because that's the truth. I'm not going to forget about my diet while on vacation but I promise to myself that I will eat properly I don't want to be so hard on myself. 


I need quiet time and I definitely will make the most out of this vacation. We slept early so we missed Noche Buena we opened our Christmas presents in the morning. We loved mom and dad's gifts, a cute rabbit coin banks, yay! We gave them a digital photo frame in return and they liked it a lot. I got my niece two pairs of baby leg warmers she's wearing it right now it fits perfectly. 


That's about it for now. Have a Merry Christmas to y'all. Cheers!!!

When In Baguio

Tuesday. 08.31.10

I just got home earlier. Twin sissy and I spent our leave in Baguio. I did not bring my laptop with me so I am not able to update my blog for a week so but I'll try to remember what happened during my short yet relaxing vacation in the summer capital, Baguio City.

Sunday. 08.29.10

It's been raining a lot here in Baguio since we arrived yesterday afternoon via Dagupan bus. I slept soundly last night because mom's comforter is the best! Sissy and I have to wake up early not to miss the 7AM mass at the Pink Sisters Convent. Our brother drove us to church we arrived 15 minutes before the first mass starts. It's our first time at the Pink Sisters I must say that it's a lot solemn to hear mass there compared to Baguio Cathedral. This church isn't spacious enough to accommodate many people so it's not crowded at all. It's really quiet there I can hear what the priest is saying clearly during the mass. It started raining after the mass so we're unable to take pictures outside. Dad and brother went ahead so mom and the two of us head over to "Cafe by the Ruins" for breakfast. I thought I'd have something exquisite to drink so instead of having coffee I chose this "mint tea" something from the menu and had the shock of my life when the waiter served me a glassful of hot water with what I suppose is mint leaves and a small cup full of honey to taste. To be honest, I didn't like my tea at all it tastes like toothpaste dissolved in water or something it's a little weird for me. I ordered the beef sandwich that got me even more disappointed because the bread is very hard to chew and the filling isn't generous nor tasteful enough. Cafe by the Ruins looked pretty enticing from the outside but the food is no winner to me or maybe I'm just expecting too much? Whatever, I'm not a happy camper so to speak. The weather is still not very cooperative so we went home after buying Ukay shirts from a stall fronting Prime Hotel. Let's hope that tomorrow's a better day.

Monday. 08.31.10

National Heroes Day


Oh, It's a holiday and another rainy day. Our first itinerary for the day is supposedly a trip to Bencab Museum we forgot about it yesterday for but according to the website they're closed on Mondays. Nevertheless, sissy and I never lose hope we didn't stop scouring session road in search of authentic-artsy places. Few days before my leave I breezed through some food blogs on the Internet and when I come across this vegetarian resto/art gallery called Oh My Gulay, located at the top floor of La Azotea building along Session Road. We got excited when we take a peek inside OMG, it's an art jungle in the amidst the city. A cozy atmosphere greeted us. We got a little intimidated by the place at first because we arrived early we didn't see anyone taking pictures so we chose a spot where we can take pictures discreetly. It's lunch time so we told ourselves that we'll worry about taking pictures later we better check out what's on the menu first. For our main dish, it's twin sissy's pick she chose Lumpia Salad. This salad lingered on our tastebuds, the vinaigrette dressing is so good we loved it. Then comes dessert my pick is called super sosy. Don't be fooled it's not like sosyal (fancy) at all, it's just the name. The yummy crepe is made of mango and peach it's not too sweet, just perfect for our diet. 

The rain poured heavily after we had our fill and more customers started coming in so when we saw them taking pictures of the place we wasted no time and did the same thing. We had a real good OMG experience. It's still raining when we got home. We had spaghetti and double dutch ice cream for merienda. We thought we've had enough until dinner and will not eat anymore but mom cooked our favorite dish Tokwa't Baboy (tofu and pork) so we had no choice but to eat again, I'm so stuffed. 

I guess that pretty much is everything.

Chill Time

I'm so back. I haven't been writing because I just got back from vacation last Tuesday. It was for my mom's 64th birthday that's why I went on vacation to visit her. The original plan was a trip to our coconut farm in Quezon since I haven't been there but the rainy season is up it wouldn't be a good idea to go there. When it rains, the mud gets very thick and we have to pass by rough roads so my parents suggested for me to just spend my leave at our vacation home in Baguio. I enjoyed my stay in Baguio because mom and I were able to spend quality time together. My dad and elder brother were not there during my stay they have to attend the wake and burial of one of our relatives. On Sunday, Mom and I heard mass at Baguio cathedral. I didn't understand anything through the mass was in Ilocano so I just prayed in silence. We went to Session Road fronting Prime Hotel afterwards to shop for Ukay-Ukay. I bought myself some real cool shirts and a messenger bag. Mom got herself pretty blouses too. 

Bibingka Ilocos

Time to go home and while waiting for the Victory bus to leave, a lady hopped in selling Bibingka Ilocos. Mom bought five pieces I love its taste, It's so good it's different from other bibingka I've tasted before. When we got home, mom cooked "spaghetti" as her early birthday treat because I'll be leaving for Manila on Tuesday, her birthday. I just stayed home the following day to help mom out with her chores and I know it's not a lot but I gave our dogs a bath hehe. I guess we haven't had enough of ukay-ukay so mom and I went back to town. She suggested we check out Lola's (grandmother) Ukayan for a change located at the basement of one of the establishments near Prime Hotel. My mom calls the older lady owner of the store Lola. We are her frequent customers or Suki. Every time we visit Baguio we drop by her store even though her ukay-ukay is more expensive compared to other stalls in Session but she gives good discount sometimes. In the afternoon I checked out mom's new videoke machine. I noticed that there are new songs I found myself singing to some familiar songs that I like. I had a real good sleep at night I miss the cold and I love mom's comforters.

Ukay-ukay finds

Time to go back to Manila the next day. I'm back to the world again. Darn.

***

Back to work, same old thing. I wish I can go on leave for a month so I can get away from unresolved issues at work I'm too old for such. As usual, half of my shift is queueing as always, so when avail comes I kill time browsing anything. While checking out foodstuff I came across this real cool and interesting call center blog site it's so full of things I can relate too that I decided to share the URL to my friend and we read it together during our long avail time. I bookmarked the URL on my home computer and had my sister read on and she enjoyed it too so I thought I'd share this blog site http://callcentercon.travellerspoint.com.

Lastly, I super love my new haircut and color but I miss my deep red hair. 

Getting Around Baguio

I just came back from a relaxing vacation in Baguio and just finished scrapbooking photos from my sister and I's trip. We have 80 pictures taken from Camp John Hay we almost run out of pages. We spent about 2-3 hours just taking pictures and walking at the park. We found a playground and a swing. It's been forever since I've been on a swing so I got very excited.

We went to the Cemetery of Negativism, Bell House, Amphitheater and many more. Of all the places we went to, I like Bell House the most. It's an old Victorian house which is a little spooky inside but I love the antique furnitures. I checked out the baby grand piano as well as every room in that house. I felt something strange especially in the dining room. Our digicam kept clicking even if we're not taking pictures. 

Later in the afternoon we head over to SM and cooled down with yummy treats from Cerealicious. I had one of those flavored cereal with vanilla ice cream on top we want some more we returned the next day to try other flavors after we got tired looking for ukay ukay. Our vacation won't be complete without grabbing a bite at Session Delights. We ordered pancit, it's really tasty and banana split for dessert. I miss Rainbow Cafe's "rainbow rice" too which is made up of vegetables, pouched egg, lechon and chicken. This local restaurant is located somewhere near the marketplace it's worth coming to. 

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Sunday! Our country is predominantly Catholic that's why it's really crowded in church on this day. Holy week is over I bet vacation is over too for people who work normal jobs. The priest mentioned in his homily earlier that Filipinos aren't taking this Lenten season seriously anymore. Instead of fasting or sacrificing a little, most of us take this opportunity to go to the beach and get some tan instead of taking time to pray and reflect. 


I must admit I'm not a devout Catholic. I don't go to church every Sunday, and my last confession was God knows how long time ago. I also haven't received the bread of Christ for many years but I don't just remember HIM during holy week. I just assume that God is understanding enough because I have my reasons. 


Twin sissy and I are here in Antipolo to do some cleaning. Our eldest sister and kids are moving to Baguio which means that we're left to take of our family home. We checked up on our old desktop and uninstalled unimportant files so it's somehow faster now. This baby is about 3-4 years old good thing it's still up and running. We're going back to Shaw tomorrow morning since we both have shifts already. My sister is fast asleep right now maybe she got tired of moving furnitures and she also went out to buy a new mouse for our pc she broke the old one. I don't feel like sleeping yet. I'll watch the movie "Music and Lyrics" on HBO later. 

Baguio Christmas 07

I just got back from Christmas vacation in Baguio and it was all worth it. I had plenty of sleep of course. There's plenty of food was I forgot about my diet for a while. I'm glad our parents liked the digital camera we bought them for Christmas in fact they had their pictures taken right away. I bought ukay ukay stuff as usual from a Wagwagan (ukay ukay store) fronting Prime Hotel and another location beside Silvertone Inn along Session Road where I got a leather laptop bag. My sister and treat ourselves with "banana split" at this place called "Session Delights" where else but in Session Road, our favorite place to have dessert. We love their yummy banana split it's worth coming back to every year. 

It was really cold during the night we can't help but sleep early. We have lots of music, and movies on our laptop so we had movie marathon from dusk till dawn. We're big fans of Ghost Whisperer so we watched everything. We're almost done with season 3 unfortunately, episodes 11 and 12 are not yet available for download. 

We heard mass at the St. Joseph the Parish Christmas day then we head over to Mine's View to buy some souvenirs. Last stop is at Maxi Photo Digital services to have our pictures printed. While waiting for our prints mom treat us with "halo halo" so we can cool down at bit. I just stayed home the following day and watch the fogs go down in our veranda, it's a lazy Wednesday afternoon. We left Baguio in the morning and arrived in Manila after lunch time. Good thing my shift's at 1am so I was able to rest. I brought distributed pasalubong to my team mates. Vacation's over but it's  pay day, so good!

Baguio Forever

My twin and I spent our birthday in Baguio I just got back Monday afternoon. I had an exhausting and uncomfortable trip. It's undeniably summer. The bus we're in overheated. I miss Baguio already so I'll just think happy thoughts and recall my stay at our lovely humble abode.

I enjoyed my stay in our vacation home. I miss the view of the mountains as well as the cold afternoon breeze. It rains in the afternoon pretty much everyday. It's not too foggy unlike in December until January. We went ukay ukay shopping but this is not the season for nice finds I just bought a few.  I got myself two pairs of cool shoes for Php250 a pair which originally costs Php400-450 but I haggled and promise to the lady that I will take both if I get a good price. I also found myself a huge messenger bag and ethnic slippers. We dropped by in SM and had lunch at Solibao it was dad's treat for his birthday. The following day we had breakfast together with mom at a local restaurant called Rainbow Cafe. I ordered Banana Split since I'm craving for dessert. 

I still can't get enough of Baguio I don't want to think about going back to work. My 5AM shift started this week I think I like it despite of the queue because the call floor is not as crowded unlike graveyard. My body clock is still adjusting but I'll get the hang of this. 

Zit No More

i bought my twin sister a birthday present and a bluetooth headset for me. I'm happy that I'll be in Baguio during my birthday hopefully my SSS salary loan will come on time before I go on vacation. I'm excited, I can't wait to see our puppies, our sister said that they've grown so fast. I miss our vacation home, ukay-ukay, strolling around Baguio city and having ice cream at our favorite stop for dessert "Session Delights." I wish to go a little farther out of Baguio, like in Sagada perhaps? I'd like to see the "hanging coffins," which by the way are cursed according to the locals so you can't take pictures or film it or you'll die. Now that's really scary. They say it's a long travel from Baguio to Sagada about 9 hours too bad I don't think we have that much time. 

Let me tell you about this amazing product from Eskinol, it's called Overnight Pimple Gel that works like magic believe me because I tried it myself it really works overnight. I put a small amount on my zit overnight it dries up easily. A tube costs Php76.00 which is not bad compared to other pimple products that doesn't work fast as they claim to be. It's definitely a good one to try.

Fudge Bar Heaven

Aside from being the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio City is also known for broomsticks, foot rugs, knitted stuff, ethnic furnitures and of course its yummy treats such as Choco flakes, Lengua de Gato, Pastillas, etc.




If you've been to Magsaysay marketplace and happen to pass by pasalubong stalls there you might have seen a jar of Fudge bar but won't see it everywhere not even in Mine's View Park that's because not all the stall sell them. A jar costs Php 60-65.00 depending on how good you are when it comes to haggling. I'm not quite sure what it's made from because the label doesn't say the ingredients, just the manufacturer's name. I think it's butter cookie with chocolate, nuts and raisin fillings. It tastes so darn good me and my twin sister can finish a jar in just one sitting especially if you're watching TV.


If you visit Baguio don't forget to try this Fudge Bar I'm talking about you'll keep coming back for more.


Sweet!