Quick Stop in Baguio

I've heard so much talk about Baguio not being the same as it used to be, and to some degree it is true, because air pollution is astounding along Session Road and traffic seems to be just as bad in Baguio as in the city. But with Manila being the sweltering cauldron it's been these past few weeks, the 7-8 hours trek to enjoy Baguio's cool weather is always a good idea.

We picked Bloomfield Hotel to be our base for our overnight stay en route to Sagada. It garnered generally good reviews on Trip Advisor and I liked the fact that it was at the end of Session Road, where most of the foodie items on my list could be found (I used this fantastic post from Nikka Corsino as my guide for food tripping in Baguio).

Bloomfield Hotel was also just a few meters away from Hill Station which is probaby one of the most charming restaurants I've been to.

Hill Station is said to be one of the pricier restaurants in Baguio, but really, pricing is similar to most decent restaurants in Manila. Soup and salad are at Php120-Php220 per serving, pasta dishes at Php300, main courses range from Php300-Php900. Not dirt cheap, but not outrageously expensive either.

The Mt. Cloud bookstore was also such a find! It was so quaint and well-curated with "serious" literary pieces, you'll find no Twilight trash here folks. In a way it was like time traveling, seeing the names I used to wrestle with during my literary undergrad days:p

Also within the compound are Casa Vallejo, a boutique hotel, and North Haven Spa.

We're leaving for Sagada in a few hours and on our way back to Manila, we will spend another day in Baguio. Can't wait to try out more food items from Nikka Corsino's list :)

Excited!

Just two more sleeps and we're off to Baguio and Sagada! Woot!

I can count in one hand the number of times I've been to Baguio, so every trip is always something to look forward to.

I already have a list of restos and foodstuff that I want to try, and the list mostly involves dessert. (drool!)

So here's what still needs to be done before we drive north:

1. Finish this week's assignment
2. Send billing
3. Start on next week's assignment
4. Take down curtains and put up new curtains
5. Send out laundry (which includes the blanket that G refuses to go even a day without, that's why this is the only chance to get it washed)
6. Put out trash

Of course I also need to pack my bag and we also didn't buy groceries this week since we'll be out until middle of next week.

And that's that. Dalawang tulog na lang!!

My Carrot on a Stick

The following days will be all about doing double duty on my writing gigs so I can spend my week-long break zoning out to this:

 

Go Jill go! You can do it!

Smiley Smile

There's nothing quite as pure and unguarded as a child's laughter.

See you next week Baguy when we make cookies! :)

COL Me

Ok, so the title is stupid:p

But my Citisec Online account was activated last night and I made my first orders using their Easy Investment Program (EIP) just a few minutes ago.

Let's see how this goes :)

Thunders Alert

Every time I receive an invitation that requires dressing up in a cocktail outfit (or worse, a long gown!), you can be sure that that's thumbed down faster than you can say "no social life".

My type of event is dinner in some cozy restaurant where I'll get plied with yummy food and wine. The product presentation takes all of 15 minutes, and everything is over and done with in two hours max. I'm not particular about the swag, as long as it contains complete information on the brand du jour, then we're friends.

It's all about taking the path of least resistance in my old age.

??

If we...

Would he have...

Could I have...

Would he be...

Coulda shoulda woulda :(

One Day More...

It's the last day of our five day Holy Week break and while I can't say that I'm raring to go back to work, I feel refreshed enough to face all the office dramz, and then promptly tune them out:p

Aside from puttering around the house, I really should log-in some copies today, because my cousins will be in Manila for 2 days and for sure we'll be meeting up for dinner. Also, there's that week-long trip G and I are taking by the end of this month, so that's another thing to prepare for. It looks like I have to activate my writing machine mode ASAP.

Every day is always something to look forward to :)

Easter Sunday

Our Jack-Jack afternoon...

....with a side of Julia the spidergirl.

Fun, fun afternoon at Mama Lou's with the family. Wish you were there Tita Kwissy!

Walkway 2012

I hope Church Simplified comes up with another Walkway for next year, and call it Walkway 2013 (ta-dah!).

Next time around, I'll bring an umbrella or go in the late afternoon or evening and leave the Mean Girls behind. I think I'll bring Mama and Tatay again because they really enjoyed Walkway.

Spotlight on the Mean Girls

A typical conversation between the Mean Girls:

M: Listen! Tell me if this is correct: one thousand four hundred twelve equals nine hundred eighty one.... well?
J: ...... one million.
M: That's right!

Don't worry, I didn't get it either:p

I love it when the Mean Girls are in their BFF mode, but their mind games, which usually end in either or both of them crying, are beginning to disturb me.

I do hope that this is just a phase that they'll snap out of eventually.

Congratulations!

I received a letter from my credit card provider a few weeks back congratulating me for being pre-approved for a special cash loan. The amount of loan depended on the available credit limit at the time of application and it seemed pretty reasonable with only a 0.68% add-on rate, as opposed to the usual 3.5% monthly interest. Although to be honest, that's just how I interpret it, for all I know, that's a 0.68% add-on rate to the monthly 3.5%.

Anyway, while scanning the letter and with the thought of easy cash within grasp, I couldn't think of anything I wanted right at that very moment that would necessitate taking out a loan for. Sure I want to have my eyes lasered, but I want to wait until giving birth (no, I'm not pregnant yet) before doing so because our eyes' prescription supposedly change while pregnant. I also couldn't think of a new dress, trinket or even an out of town trip that I wanted badly enough.

These days, my thoughts are mostly focused towards wealth generation* and not so much on accumulation of things. Because first and foremost, our tiny house can only take so much junk. But more importantly, I have everything I want right here and right now.

*Please don't read this to mean that I'm now rolling in dough, I'm not. I'm just more conscious now about how I spend my resources, as well as putting aside money for emergency and retirement funds. In short, I'm now one of those boring and respectable adults I used to poke fun at.