Thank You

Hey Hey Hey! It's my Birthday! 

Cheers to one and all!

I would've already blogged about another birthday celebration at a ridiculously snotty swanky place and put on a new outfit that would make me really, really, really ridiculously good-looking but I feel like skipping that altogether this year and give what I normally spend on this day to some of my fave charities.

So yeah. Cake and icecream at home it is.

P.S. Don't worry, I might go back to being really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking next year.

Toodles!

Dad.

If I was even half a decent writer, I would write an epic novel about my Dad and his real-life adventures. I mean, we're talking about spies, barons, dictators, castles---yes, castles!--- let's throw in the seven dwarfs for good measure and call it a party.

During the prime of his career, he missed out on some recitals and school presentations, but I never felt a tinge of neglect. He could be flying from two different cities in a day but still manage to get home just in time for dinner and be excited about the most mundane things like a new pair of socks that I just purchased in the mall. He never told me what to do but he always led by example---He showed me to be compassionate to those who needed it the most, to choose my battles (and weapons!) wisely, to never dignify pompous questions with an answer, to be passionate about doing the right thing even if it can be the most difficult thing to do, to be able to find humor amid grave predicaments, to turn to God for guidance and thanksgiving... and randomly, how to survive winter in Cambridge, Massachusetts (he went to Harvard Law right after I was born).

Happy Birthday to my first love and sometimes, my favorite frenemy. 

Check out all that sass!

Photo by Jon Tolentino Photography

Toodles!

Happy Birthday Skyler!

Today is April 16 and my one and only partner-in-crime turns 8 years old. It was absolutely love at first bite sight when I met Skyler. He was only 3 months then and boy, did he give me one too many heart attacks along the way. From chasing him around constantly as he managed to escape from his harness/leash to jumping out of a moving car to eating up all my designer shoes for dinner to a king-size bed space hogger to being my only constant companion, even when I took out my bad days on him.

He is the reason why I've become such a strong advocate against animal cruelty, especially to pet animals. You give a dog a piece of your heart, he gives all of his in a heartbeat.

Happy Birthday, my Pachu-chum. You get extra treats today---who the heck am I kidding, you get extra treats everyday!

I posted this before but this pic means a lot because this was the first time that we met and I knew I couldn't let go!

Toodles!

Beautiful Day: Part 1

Okay, I lied. Well, maybe not. I don't know. Sheesh, can I just blog in peace? Hahaha. I am seriously having an argument with myself while you're there reading and sitting on your couch/office chair/toilet ---ohhh, you know who you are, toilet-sitting readers!

I just turned 31 on April 3 and I did say on my previous post that I wasn't going to go to a swanky place for my birthday celebration. Well, I don't think this place is considered swanky but it is a teeny bit trendy. I know, I'm just trying to play with my words but I'm sticking to it. Oh and there's a big difference from the other birthdays because I went for BRUNCH and not for DINNER so that's obviously more casual...right? RIGHT? Be a pal and just nod.

I had to brainstorm about a place where I could take the kids (my adorable nephews!) and not have them actually get freaked out by a frou frou restaurant that served Bambi and Thumper as an entrée, so I chose to bring the family to Bottega Louie. It's located in Downtown L.A. but we went on a Saturday so the streets were pretty empty.

Going there, depending on your route, you can actually spot the famous Disney Concert Hall designed by one of the boyfriend's fave architects, Frank Gehry. (Apologies for the bad photo, with little stain on the windshield haha)

When we got there, I was surprised to see the massive space and high ceilings. The Patisserie is right by the entrance so you'll see all these delicious desserts and pastries lined up for your picking. They make macarons too but I couldn't spot any of them anywhere. My googley eyes just failed me, I guess.

I only saw some macarons as part of a display, though.

A full bar is situated on a corner, before you reach the main dining area.

Anyhoo, there were nine of us that were waiting to be seated and when the host finally got us a table, it was quite disappointing as they were trying to squeeze nine very healthy very not model-sized  people in a teeny tiny table. So my brother threw a little hissy (but justified) fit at the manager for giving us a hard time in accommodating our request to give us the other free table next to us so we can have more room to move.

I kid you not, this was the round table that they wanted all nine of us to squeeze into.

Other than that, everything else went smoothly. The server was attentive and the food came at a reasonable time, considering they were pretty packed when we got there. The food was okay, but I wasn't about to hang on chandeliers over it either. I say the place is still worth a try though, if you haven't been there.

Portobello Fries

Smoked Salmon Benedict

The kids did love the pizza! Maybe I should have ordered that instead. That's my mom, sister and Dad behind them :)

Oh, wait. I forgot--- I did love something! The Belgian Waffles! Yum.

Ummm... I think my brother went wild with the cream and syrup. But it was soooo good.

I had not one, but TWO handsome dates!

Before I end this post, let me tell you a T.M.I. story. I wanted to wear white, so I did. And guess what? I received a very special gift for my birthday...you know..my monthly gift---wrapped in crimson. So literally the pic down there sums up how I felt the whole entire day. I was so stiff, I couldn't relax and I was already imagining the most catastrophic things that could happen while I sat there eating my waffles--- in a tight white dress. I even brought a cardigan...just in case I needed to activate Operation: Cover up.

But wait! It's not over. We went for a quick stop-over somewhere but I don't want to overwhelm you with so many pictures so I'm splitting this post into two!

Toodles! 

Rapunzel No More

I guess when you reach at a certain age, you become more aware of the greater scheme of things and end up a little bit less selfish than you were before. Just as anyone else who're anticipating their birthday, one tends to think about where to go, what to do and what to buy. For the past decade, I've been having the same thing for my birthday : An expensive dinner (insane enough to make my financially sensible brother do a double-take on the bill but hey, I work hard for the money), a new birthday dress and shoes, gifts from family and friends and a sense of entitlement because somehow, it's so freakin' important that I was actually born. *insert hair-flipping* *blink* *blink*

So this year I decided to do things a little bit different--- Why not give back to celebrate my birthday? 

I was looking into different charities and I'm eyeing on two, one in the Philippines and one here in the U.S. but I wanted some instant gratification so I thought, how about I cut my hair short and donate it to people who need it more than I do? :)

The final hours of my Rapunzel hair... I never wear sweatshirts but my little, hardworking scientist of a sister from Harvard bought it for me and I have to say, it's pretty cozy :) 

Anddd.....Taddaaa.....

I did a little bit of research and there are a good number of organizations that collect donated hair for cancer patients but I decided that Pantene was the best candidate for my own hair donation. Their program is called Beautiful Lengths  <------and if you click on that link you'll be able to read more on the donation requirements. If you don't live in the U.S., I'm sure finding other organizations in your local area is just a Google search away. I think it's a win-win situation, really : You get to shock your friends and family with your new short 'do and someone out there is smiling, even for a moment because of a deed that was so simple to do.

So the questions is...will I skip the birthday celebration this year? Yes and No.
Yes, I will skip the usual hip, sangria-serving hot spots but...
No, I will not skip the celebration altogether because life is meant to be celebrated no matter what.

By the way, how do I look? :)

Toodles!

This Is 30

It's finally here. The day that I've been dreading, the day that I succumb to the dark side. Okay---not really, Obi Wan. I just turned 30, is all. THIRTY. I tell ya, the first thing I did when I woke up was run to the mirror and check for signs of ageing...let's see...Grey hair? Nope. Wrinkles? Eh, the usual weird ones under my eyes when I smile. Sagging skin? Not really. That's it?! I guess it's not so bad. But then there's the other list of telling signs: Countless wedding, baby shower and baptism invitations, numerous newborn pictures pouring in on Facebook, swapping tequila shots for a glass of sangria, the nerds back in school now ruling the world, having a seemingly non-existent metabolism (bye-bye bacon cheeseburger pizza diet) and a newfound appreciation for platform heels.

It's weird how I'm always in deep thought while I'm in the shower that I was able to experience a myriad of emotions while looking back on the things that I've done (and didn't do) as well as the decisions that have brought me to where I am now. Truth be told, there are things in the past that I would like to amend like attempting to eat leftover mexican food, but in stories such as this, we simply cannot. Hindsight is always 20/20 and having to lament on the shoulda-woulda-coulda's is just a waste of...well, everything. As you all know, I am my worst critic and I can't help but still beat myself up for feeling like I've never really accomplished anything, given that this is supposed to be a significant milestone. But then I realize, that the beauty of celebrating a milestone is that you can look back at everything and be able to celebrate the good, the bad and even the ugly. So what if I'm not tying the knot yet? If I don't have kids of my own yet? If I'm not yet earning 6 or more figures? If I still don't know what I'm supposed to do in life? If I still don't know how to put make-up on without looking like something that Edward Scissorhands spat out? Boy, do I have a looonngg way to go.

I'm dying to turn a new leaf over.
I want to...
- fight for a cause (leaning towards animal rescues, in the name of my Skyler)
- detach myself more from any sort of narcissism.
- be more mindful of the things I say or do...Hey, I only speak the truth. But I know I have to tone it down a bit  :)
- be more discerning with the company I keep. Only offer my friendship to people who truly appreciate it.
- spend more time with my parents and siblings, because they always have my back. Love you guys!
- eat more stuff that's good for me but tastes awful.
- be more adventurous and explore uncharted waters.
- not go chasing waterfalls... and stick to the rivers and the lakes that I'm used to. Hmmm...that sounded way cooler in my head than out loud. Wushoo. I got you hummin' to a tune, didnt I?

So anyway, dramatics and biological clocks aside, I think age is just a state of mind but exfoliating twice a week helps too. Let's not waste this day of celebration, shall we?

It's my birthday and I'll cry, eat and drink and go nuts if I want to...

So to mark a beginning of a new decade, I decided to be a little bit more adventurous with my birthday dinner. And I thought, what better restaurant to fit the bill than The Bazaar by José Andrés.

I'm going to spare you from a pseudo-food critique report and simply say that this has been by far, one of the most interesting and innovative dining experience I've ever had. I mean, they had me at "liquid nitrogen" and "air bread". Here's one of the staff mixing some nitro drinks:

The Interiors

Disclaimer: I apologize for the poor quality of some photos. I transferred all the good ones from my Canon to my PC but my hard drive completely died on me so 50% of the photos here are low res photos from a camera phone! *sob*

The restaurant was a huge space split into four. There's the main dining area "Rojo y Blanca", the bar "Bar Centro", the dessert bar/lounge "The Patisserie" and the hidden dining area, "Saam" for those who prefer the restaurant's most luxurious dining experience.

Rojo y Blanca

Check out the wall filled with back portraits.

Bar Centro

I don't know if this was still considered part of Bar Centro but the chairs were freakin' awesome!

The Patisserie

The Patisserie has a wide variety of items to satisfy your sweet tooth and you can just imagine me all googly-eyed while scanning through all that sugary stuff on display.

El Baño - Totally making this up..can't resist to show the nice ladies' room, though! hahaha.

On to the food!

For those of you who haven't tried this place out, be reminded that they serve everything tapas-style...meaning: it's impossible not to order several plates to satisfy your hippo appetite.

This was the air bread. It's pretty much a best-seller here.

I think this is the Sauteed shrimp and behind it is the Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks. I'm bad with names.

The caprese salad called Not Your Ordinary Caprese Salad. The mozzarella is at a liquid state but it only bursts into cheesy goodness in your mouth.

Oops sorry forgot what this was. Tee-hee.

Jicama Wrapped Guacamole.

Eggplant Tempura - Oh my yum!

Sweet Potato Chips.

Overall, the ambiance and food were all very much worth it. I wouldn't suggest though coming here if you've got a growling appetite 'coz you'll end up re-ordering food just like we did and that can easily run the bill to the hundreds.

So, this is 30. Feels like 21, tastes like chicken.

Toodles!

How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and...ahhh, eff it.

Today a man celebrates his birthday..

The man who insisted in sending me to the emergency room for a graze on my knee...
The man who attempted to cook me a late night snack but failed because he thought he could cook an egg on a griller...
The man who thought a sea monster was out to get him, but all the while it was just a seaweed stuck on his foot...
The man who smothers me when he hugs me because he forgets how tall he is...
The man who refuses to keep a safe distance while I am nursing myself from a bad flu...

The man who after all this time, argues that I've gotten more beautiful over the years...Okay I totally made that up. No, wait. That's actually a true story and I'm sticking to that!  

The man who, on our first Valentine's date, got me three huge bouquets of flowers because he said he was trying to make up for the other Valentine's days that I never received any...

The man who doesn't get embarrassed when his girlfriend asks to slow dance with him even if there's no music playing...

The man who, despite all my shortcomings and failures, says "I love you" and still means every bit of it...

I love you too, Hunny. Happy Birthday, Love.

I'm, I'm so in love with you, whatever you want to do... is alright with me...
Just imagine me doing my impersonation of Al Green...complete with arm and hip movement hehe.


Al Green - Let's Stay Together

Toodles!