Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Everyone my age grew up on Dr. Seuss. So yeah, if you only know him from the animated movies that come out - you're way younger than me!

Loving Everything About Missha Philippines

I now have a new beauty addiction. Oh noes!

I was invited by Missha Philippines to their Tiendesitas branch a couple of weeks back, to get schooled in everything Missha by the lovely owner, Noemi. Totally floored that the owner herself would be giving the crash course, it was an opportunity not to be missed. Like most Korean beauty brands, I love that Missha focuses on using organic ingredients in their products, as they believe that going the natural route is better than using harsh chemicals that end up aging you in the long run and harming the environment.

Weekend Beach Travelling Like a Bawse

So you have a long weekend ahead of you - or if you're like me, need a break from Man-illa every three weeks - and are super psyched for your weekend beach trip. As the Philippines is composed of over a thousand little islands, there is a very high possibility that the trip will include some sun worshiping and a lot of salty sea water. Here are some tips for minimal travel stress and maximum fun!

Savage Beauty: The Alexander McQueen Exhibit

It was my uncle Nelson who told me about the Alexander McQueen exhibit at The Met, when we dropped by to pick up a souvenir for a friend of his before heading to Lady M Confections' for a slice their famous Mille Crêpes.

The line at the entrance was ridiculously long, we had to join the queue just to get into the damn gift shop! I was puzzled, as I've been there a few times before and have never seen the Met with an actual line of people waiting to get in (then again, I'm not from New York). Being there the other day, he said it was because that was the last week of the Alexander McQueen exhibit. Wait, what Alexander McQueen exhibit?

2nd's (Comfort Food Revisited) on Valentines

For the record, I'm not a huge fan of this Hallmark holiday. I like that it's a great excuse to go out and have more than one cocktail on a weekday with the guy footing the bill (it's always nice when someone makes you feel special), but what I dislike is the traffic, the really bad flower arrangements, the overpriced Valentine meal sets, the crowds, and the overall cheesiness of this one day of the year.

I had no plans of doing anything on V-Day, until Jericho asked me out to dinner. Looks like he had nothing better to do today as well. With the promise of being wined and dined (and fed a copious amount of chocolate), I was looking forward to spending most of the night sitting at the corner table of a really nice restaurant, enjoying the low lighting, good food, and interesting conversation, preferably with a glass of champagne in hand. Yes, I was setting myself up for failure.

Mucking Around Manila

Jericho took me out one sunny Sunday, as we were both hankering for some vegetarian chow. I also sorely needed to get back to my Naturopathic doctor in Ongpin for a long overdue checkup as well, and he was curious about what the heck a naturopath was and how drinking all that disgusting tea has kept my hypothyroid at bay. He wanted to get checked up, too, so we decided to make a day of it.

More Than Just a Cuppa at Kuppa Roastery & Café

Growing up in the Middle East, I was a coffee drinker at age 7. I don't think I developed high expectations of what coffee should taste like, I just know what good coffee is supposed to taste like. It's an understatement when I say I was sorely disappointed that coffee shops that serve the good stuff are too few and far between. I met with the owners of Kuppa Roastery & Café at noon on a Tuesday to check out the popular Bacolod café's first Manila branch. Situated adjacent to Deutsche Bank Net Quad Building and HSBC at The Fort, getting a good cuppa coffee or tea is now a hop, skip and a stroll away from where I live.