It's that time of the year again

It was my first time to celebrate my birthday on a school day and I was really looking forward for it because it would be a first experience. And the thought of swiping my ID upon entering our college building wherein it would say "happy birthday" gave me excitement. And I did it! I swiped my ID! And the machine greeted me. I was so happy! Simple joys like this in life really matters to me. When I entered our classroom, my classmates greeted me and it was really overwhelming. My heart was just containing of pure happiness and thankfulness for another year that the Lord has provided me. 

Joma and my classmates surprised me in the classroom wherein they sang "happy birthday to you" together with Marla playing the violin. They gave me a cake and they let me blow the candle on it and there was also flowers. I felt very special during that day and I could not really ask for more. I am just too blessed to be surrounded with these thoughtful and loving people in my life. They also gave me letters and gifts which I appreciated so much. My heart is melting right now remembering that moment.

After class, Joma and I went to Yakimix SM Mall of Asia branch to have lunch. We got vouchers from Metro Deal which was a hundred peso less from the original buffet lunch amount. So we just paid P462.00 each. It was actually my first time in Yakimix so I was having high expectation because of the good reviews that I read about it. The SM MOA branch was one of the biggest among their branches. The ambiance was not that noisy and everyone was having fun of cooking their food and that was I like about it, the grilling part even though it kinda takes time before you completely finish cooking. They have wide selections of raw food from seafoods and meats. They also have cooked food like dimsum, makis, tempuras, soups, and other appetizers like salads, pizza, and fries. And of course, they have drinks and dessert section. Their dessert section was my favorite! They have gummies, ice cream, cakes, halo-halo, cookies and many more sweets that definitely caught me.

Most of what we got was meat, appetizers and desserts. We really enjoyed grilling, cooking and of course eating! We were there for about two hours just trying and consuming every food that they have. And even though we were already bloated, we just kept on eating and eating. It was really fun and one for the books experience. 

Pyromusical 2016

I am really a fan of fireworks despite the pollution it brings to the environment. Do not get me wrong, I just love seeing their colorful lights up above the sky. There is just something comforting about seeing lights, all kinds of it, especially when they are glowing brightly. 

Last February 13, 2015 was the first day of the annual PyroMusical held in the Mall of Asia Seaside had begun and I was eager to see this event since last year so now that I have an available time, I asked Joma to go with me. We bought the lowest price ticket (P150.00) because believe me, you could really see the fireworks wherever location you are even outside the vicinity of the event's area and even without purchasing a ticket but of course, you will feel more belong if you are inside of the place.

The Philippine International PyroMusical Competition 2016 comprises of eleven competing countries such as Portugal, China, USA, UK and of course the Philippine's very own, the Platinum Fireworks Inc. The competition would be from February 13 to March 19, 2016 which are all Saturday wherein each country would show their unique and magnificent fireworks display through their chosen theme. The 2016 PyroMusical was opened by the defending champion which was the Philippines' Platinum Fireworks Inc. followed by the first contestant which is the Portugal's Luso Pirotecnica.

The show was set to start at 7 o'clock in the evening but Joma and I arrived there earlier because we knew that there would be a lot of people who would see the show and we also wanted to be in front so that we could really see the fireworks display. There were no seats provided except for the VIP section but it was fine because we don't get tired so easily. There were bands who entertained the crowd as well as a taste of fireworks display once in a while to make the people feel excited and for us not to get bored. When the show was finally going to start, the crowd started to feel hyped, all heads tilted up, eyes towards the night sky and phones were up readying its camera's capture button to be clicked. And the most awaited show then began and colorful light lit up all over the sky.

The Philippines' fireworks display presentation was incredibly heart-warming and breathtaking. Their theme was loving and appreciating once's country. This could be seen through all the Filipino songs that they have used throughout the 30-minute presentation. They have exemplary done well their fireworks routine. My favorite parts were the heart-shaped fireworks, the slow-mo fireworks where it was like I was catching stars when I looked up the sky and the continuous popping of the fireworks like there was no tomorrow. It was very magical and definitely, my eyes were full of those colorful and brilliant colors up above the sky! I was just smiling the whole time and just feeling so amazed by what I was seeing up there. It was like a 3D experience, but this time in real life. It was worth the wait! They had absolutely proved that they deserved being a champion last year.

After the Philippines' presentation, there was a 10-15 minute break given so that the next country could be able to prepare and ready. The band started to play again energizing the crowd. When the host announced that the show would continue again, the people felt excited once again. The first contestant this year was Portugal's Luso Pirotecnica. Discolights was their theme this year. Their fireworks display were paired with different disco songs that would really make the crowd dance and enjoy. I believe that they have good technology compared with the Philippines that was why there fireworks was more advanced but of course, it was all about the delivery and the theme used. Their fireworks display was also very beautiful and majestic. I could not know who did better between the two, all I knew was this was a very magical night and I was just happy seeing those so many fireworks up above the sky.

This experience was incredibly unforgettable and undeniably stunning. I really enjoyed every second of the show despite the long waiting time before it started. It was beyond every words that I can put into a sentence because I was really in awe all throughout the show. My heart contained all the happiness and butterflies and this event was another one for the books! 

Gastro Food Park

Kapitolyo has always been my go-to place to pig-out because as I said from my former blog post about this place, it has many variety of restaurants. Left and right there are lots of food spots to decide from so you really would not go home disappointed because of the plenty of choices this place is offering you. 

One of the newest gems of this place is the Gastro Food Park. Food parks are becoming famous today just like the StrEat in Maginhawa, Calle Lila in Marikina and Mercato in BGC and Ayala. So when I read about this place on the Internet, I really want to try it out but I am pretty much waiting for the perfect timing to visit it. So it came when Anna and I are talking about catching up and of course, what will be the best pair of bonding with a friend? Definitely, it is EATING! I showed her the link of Gastro Food Park and asked her if she wants to try it with me and hurray she said yes. And so the adventure for great food has then again began.

We met at around 4:00 pm at the Pasig Church and then we rode a jeepney going to Kapitolyo. When we arrived at Kapitolyo, we asked the guard where Gastro Park is and then he told us the directions. It was only a quick walk and as we reached it, we were excited because it was a cute and artsy place. Since there were few people just yet in the place, we took pictures of the surroundings. Its size was just right, its not too congested, it is clean and it really has a great ambience for dining. It has ample wooden tables and chairs for their customers. The place is well-decorated thus making it picture perfect. It is full of food stalls each exhibiting different cultures through the designs of their stalls. 

(picture of the place)

The decision of what to order is really overwhelming because you have many choices from Singaporean, Mexican, Japanese, Filipino and so much more. We really like to try everything but of course, we have limited budget. Anna and I decided that we would pay half each in every food we would order so that we could try many. We roamed around the place like lots of times because we could not really come up on what to buy. We were scrutinizing every menu of the stalls, asking the staff what is their best-sellers. We were also observing the customers on what they were buying and we saw that most of them have tempura on their tables. So we looked where they got it and we thought that it was from the Japanese stall so we asked the stuff for it but then he said that it was not theirs and pointed the other stall. It was really embarrassing! Haha. So just like others, we bought tempura. It only cost P105 for 9 pieces and each piece was huge. We also wanted to buy Chicken Tikka Quesadilla for P120 from the Masala but they said that it was not available yet and they would just inform us. We also wanted some fries and the large brewed raspberry from Surfries but at first, they told us that we did not have ice yet which made us disappointed because we did not want to eat without a drink and we really like to order their drink because its the best-seller among all the stalls so we just postponed our purchase and just bought Pulled Pork Pizza first which cost P170 from Brick ____. The good thing about this food park is that all the stalls will serve your food on your table so it has a restaurant vibe. It was about fifteen minutes that we waited for the ice so that they could brew our drink. And when the wait was over, we went at their counter again and picked their best-seller Pickaboo fries for P1(explain fries and then price)___________ and of course their raspberry juice which cost P80 and it was already good for 2-4 persons. 

(pict of stalls)

Finally, we completed all our food which all in all amounted to P500. It was definitely worth it because all what we have bought were delicious especially the raspberry juice. The pizza was just ordinary but its price was reasonable. The fries was divine! Its bacon and cheese was put generously on the fries. Its taste was really perfect! There was nothing special with the tempura only that the pieces were big and its affordable price.

(pic of food, pic with anna)

Anna and I stayed here for four hours. We really had a very great conversation full of laughter, story telling, teasing, advising, and reminiscing. I really missed having a time like this again with her and I am very happy that God made this day happen. It was a day only  full of  happiness with the person whom I consider as my college best friend. 

 (pic of anna)

If you truly want good food at prices that are within your budget then this place is recommendable for you. I also suggest that you go together with your group of friends so that you will be able to try many variety of food they are offering. We enjoyed and are very much contented with our stay and dining here. This now became one of favorite places to go when I want to eat a lot.

Address: #12 1st Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig (Landmark: Chinabank, Kanto Freestyle Breakfast) Operating Hours: Monday - 4:00 pm -12 mn, Tuesday to Saturday, 12nn-12mn / Sunday, 5pm-11pm Instagram: @gastropark_ph

Pig-out Night

My best friend, Allye, and I decided to hang out because I messaged her that I was already stress in school and it was great that she did not have anything to do during this day. We originally planned to go to Mercato in BGC but when we arrived at the place, it was not open so we were really disappointed. We thought of other places that we could eat and chill and thanks to Zomato, we found this restaurant called Recovery Food also located in BGC. 

Recovery Food offers Filipino dishes that will surely capture their customers' taste buds. They call their meal offerings as Filipino comfort in a bowl and they have this positioning of "Eat, Recover, Leave." The restaurant offers dishes that you can mostly find everywhere just like Tapa, Sisig, Lechong Kawali and the like but they put the quality of every meal very high that will surely make the customers feel very satisfied despite its quite high prices.

The restaurant was small and it can accommodate few people only so when we went at around 7 PM, it was already full that we have to wait for about 20 minutes for us to have a seat. There was nothing special with their interior and furniture. Their kitchen was open so customers can see how they prepare and cook the food. While waiting, they already gave us the menu so we could choose what to order. Looking at the menu, I felt like everything was just ordinary and I could buy their food at a lower price at some other places but well, I want to know what was really special with the place that a lot of people keep on recommending it. I ordered a regular Tapa De Morning which is their best-seller that cost P180.00. On the other hand, Allye chose their full recovery Doc Sisig priced at P235.00.

The waiting time until our order had arrived was kinda long so we were kinda irritated. When our orders were already delivered, the servings were really at a generous amount and the way they presented these ordinary dishes were different from what I expected. It was like a high standard and high quality ordinary Filipino dishes so we were excited to devour what we ordered. My Tapa De Morning was fantastically delicious. It was by far the best tapa I have ever tasted in my life. Their tapa was in small pieces and it was not greasy which what I like it about it very much. It tasted great and this is a very must try! Allye's Doc Sisig was also appetizing but it was a normal sisig and I find that there was nothing extraordinary with it aside from its price was was way lower than the other food in the menu. Their food whether you order the regular or full recovery size if you are fond of eating a lot will really bloat your stomach. We were really full and our tummies were like exploding from these yummy food that we have tasted.

But one thing I did not like about the place was that their service was a bit slow like when we were asking for water and it took for so long that it ended up that they did not gave us water but when it was about the payment, they were so fast at getting it. And also, the ambiance of the place felt that we need to eat fast and right after we eat, we must leave the restaurant immediately. That was what I felt well I think that was because of the staff's not very accommodating. But regardless of all of these, I will surely go back because of their food. I am going to try their other dishes and I will see to it that I'll go back not during peak hours. Overall, I love their food even though it was pricey. Still, it was a good dining experience.