Wanderlust Week #2 - Binondo Plus!

Another tick off my 25 things list last week. Yay! Last Saturday, I was with my high school friends for another wanderlust day. It was actually my idea to go on a Binondo food trip since I have never been there and I heard the food was simply irresistible. My friends gladly obliged since they too wanted to take part in my little adventure. We met at Carriedo LRT Station since it was the most accessible place for all of us. We just walked our way towards Ongpin Street and wandered around Binondo using our trusty Google maps as our guide. I made a lot of research prior to our trip and I narrowed 7 places that we should go to. Unfortunately, we only got to visit 6 places because of lack of time. But, as I always say, it's all goooood.

The entire trip consisted of the following food stalls/restaurants: Fried Siopao - Wai Ying Fastfood - Cafe Mezzanine - Carvajal Street - Sincerity Restaurant - Estero area. 

Top L-R: Shanghai Fried Siopao, Masuki, Wai ying Fastfood;
Middle L-R: the busy street of  Benavidez, Chinatown Welcome Banner, Cafe Mezzanine;
Bottom L-R: Carvajal Street, Spa-la-la (I love the name of the store!), the homey street light of Binondo

Fried siopao madness. The fried siopao was surprisingly good!
At 16php, we had our tummies giddy for more.

We then walked towards Wai Ying fastfood where you can reportedly find the best Nai Cha. Indeed, their Nai Cha did not disappoint. We also ordered other sumptuous meals such as Shrimp Chong Fan, Curry Beef Siomai, and Hakaw. I personally loved their Hakaw and their Curry Beef Siomai was surprisingly good. I never thought you could mix curry and siomai in one dish! Soooo good.

Clockwise from top left: the famous Wai ying Nai Cha, Curry Beef Siomai,
Shrimp Chong Fan, and Hakaw, my personal favorite!

We then walked ahead and went to look for the Estero but ended up instead in Cafe Mezzanine where my good friend, Gilson, and I tried their Moon Cake with 2 eggs. It was my first time to try a moon cake and the taste was indescribable. There was a surprise egg in the center which contributed to the sweet-salty ensemble of the cake. Delicioso! 

The intricate design of this mooncake made it more special.

Our next stop was Sincerity restaurant but on our way there, we sidetracked towards Carvajal street since the lights and the colorful decors were amazing to behold, attracting all of us to just pass by there. The place was about to close though and so we did not get to see the colorful fruit and vegetable stands. We finally arrived at Sincerity restaurant and ordered their famous Sincerity Chicken. It was pretty okay. My gustatory receptors were not that exceptionally impressed though.

Sincerity Chicken (L) and Spicy Fried Frog Legs (R).

Our last stop was the Estero where the (in)famous Spicy Fried Frog Legs were old at a meager price of 110php for sharing. I must admit the thought of eating frogs appalled me but then again, I am advocating a YOLO life so I went for it. Besides, I searched the internet for any casualties regarding their Frog Legs but I haven't seen any reports of it. Haha! Sigurista, teh! So it came to me as a surprise that frog meat actually tastes like chicken but has the consistency/texture of fish meat. It was not that bad after all. In fact, I would not hesitate to eat it again the next time we  get to visit Binondo.

At Wai ying Fastfood. From L-R: Gilson, Luisa, me, Maymay, Edward

We were all full after the food trip. But the night didn't end there. We traversed the Manila road from Binondo to Quiapo to get our dose of card reading ("hula") with Madame Remy. For my hula, Madame Remy said I love to travel and that that is my number 1 passion right now. With regards to my love life, there are problems here and there that need to be solved. I will be a milyonarya someday and that I shall have 2 kids. I will also be receiving a special surprise within 2 weeks. Ain't that awesome? Haha! I love the milyonarya part. I didn't get to take a picture of myself though. Instead, I took pictures of my boys killing it with Madame Remy. Edward, in particular, dropped some awesome questions. And Madame Remy's favorite word: MAAARI. Hahaha! Whatta fortune teller!

Left: The busy road from Ongpin to Quiapo. Right: Gilson and Edward getthing their hula with Madame Remy.

Our last stop was at the Ayala Triangle Gardens where we get to experience the Lights and Sounds Show. This is a daily show held at ATG Makati City every 6:00-9:00 PM and is being brought to the audience by Ayala Land and Makati Tourism. The show started last November 16 and will be continuing its magical spectacle until the end of December. I love the concept of lights and music being merged into one pro bono show. The entire show was masterfully invented and skillfully executed. It was for me a brilliant way to cap the night! 

Pardon the blurry picture. You've got to see it in person to appreciate it, I guess.
But ain't the lights lovely? (:

L-R: Sean, Maymay, Gilson, me.

My good friend Luisa was not around for the show but another friend came, my BFF, Sean, with whom I bestow the nickname vayets/vayetch. A quick trip to KFC and a little chat with my high school friends made this trip very memorable. Once again, the Jo(e)vialist in me is giddy and another YOLO moment was conquered!

Wanderlust Week #1

Yay so I finally have a free time to post my previous Wanderlust Week! 

First on the list: Cyma.

I have been craving for Greek food for the longest time already - 3-4 months perhaps? But I only got to finally satisfy my craving last week when my college barkada (Phabulosa) and I decided to get-together for a crazy weekday night. We (I) initially wanted to go to Greeka Kouzina since I was informed previously that the place was awesome for meet-ups and get-togethers and that the ambiance and food were excellent. Things did not turn out the way we planned it though and so we went instead to Greenbelt for dinner. My girl friends and I decided to have a Chesca-themed night and the biggest winner was Miss Josephine Dianne Deauna. Yes, from drab to fab ang peg ni Atey! You see, Dianne is the Dora-the-explorer type of girl when it comes to fashion. She has this carefree attitude and it shows in the way she dresses herself. I did not mean this in a negative way, mind you, Dianne has her own personal taste when it comes to fashion. And we all love her for it. Here's a picture of how Dianne was transformed by her fairy godmother:

Dianne in her usual dress (L) and on the Chesca-themed night (R) (Sorry Di I have no other solo pics! Don't kill me!)

Chesca and Dianne. The picture on the left was taken a month before our Greek night and the theme for the night
was patterned on Chesca's fashion. She wears this very feminine clothes, full of ruffles and sheer fabric and bling. I love it!

The food at Cyma was, as expected, amazing. We ordered Roka Pasta, Lamb Yiouvetsi, Moussaka, Kotopoulo Lemonato - all for sharing, and I ordered their Gliko Frappe (sweet frappe) which was undeniably good. I personally ordered the Lamb Yiouvetsi because I miss eating lamb (my favorite meat!) and Kotopoulo Lemonato because this is my favorite Cyma food. Another surprising discovery was their Roka Pasta which was made of "sautéed arugula (Roka) and spaghetti with EVOO, pine nuts, grated parmigiano reggiano and fresh tomatoes". It was the best pasta I have ever tasted as of yet and wouldn't hesitate ordering it when I come back. Once again, Cyma did not disappoint. Good thing my friends loved it too. 

from L-R: Kotopoulo Lemonato, Roka Pasta, Moussaka. I forgot to take a picture of the Lamb Yiouvetsi since we already started eating when it was served.

After our sumptuous meal, we went for one round of drinks at Dillinger's. The place is awesome for those who want to chow down cheap ass food and drink and party the entire night. The place is cozy with an edgy side to it. The music is loud though - perfect for party people but not so enticing for those who want a quiet alcohol-free barkada night.

I love the old stonehouse theme of the place! Look at the entrance! (:

Top photo from left: Dianne, Chesca, Adrian. Middle photo from left: me, Jean.
Bottom photo from left: Chesca, Dianne, me, Jean.

Missing from the gang that night was Hazel since she had to attend to a soccer rehearsal. She followed us though at my place where Jean and Dianne slept for the night. It was all good and we were all reminded of our college days when we were all still carefree, worrying less about other people (patients) and caring more for our outfits and theme days. We were young back then. We still are. And we shall be having more of these, I believe. Good food + good company + weekday getaway = FUN.

Wanderlust Week #1 solved.

Weekend Musings

I have been wandering around the Metro since last Wednesday and it was such a refreshing thing to feel happy, light, and carefree again. I love hanging out with my friends and I love sharing my thoughts to them. Contrary to what the house of Stark believes in the book Game of Thrones,  'Winter is NOT Coming' in my life right now. I am declaring it and I'm gonna prove it.

P.S. I have another #25things ticked off my list. Wait for the coming blogs on this week's wanderlust.

Prost!

The First Happy Day of My Medicine Rotation

I am so happy today! And to think I'm on duty! Haha! Thank heavens!

I am currently rotating in Internal Medicine as of this posting and suffice it to say that since this rotation started, each day sucked for me for a lot of reasons.

(1) I am not inclined to the Medical field. I am leaning more towards the Surgical field.

(2) I do not like the ambiance of the department in general. There is something in it that I cannot pinpoint that sets me off.

(3) I tend to compare Medicine with other rotations and as we all know, comparison is the thief of happiness. Medicine just loses over Surgery, Ophtha, ENT, heck, even OB-GYN. (Obvious bang gusto ko talaga mag-surgery? Haha!)

(4) I do not like some of the residents in Medicine. Haha! Sorry. 

And because I carry all these "bitterness" so to speak in my heart each day since October 1, I really did not enjoy my rotation. It has its glory days of course (as with all other things), but when summing it all up, this rotation gives me a negative balance (parang I&O lang - pun intended).

But today was different. As I mentioned in my previous posts, I have been doing a lot of YOLO-ing, a lot of emo moments, a lot of reading regarding self-motivation and what-have-you's. Because of that, I decided to start my day right. I woke up early, did not reprimand my yaya, and went to duty. And then I went to the chapel to pray and thank God for this day. I went on to ask for forgiveness. I went on to ask for blessing. I went on to seek for His guidance. And it was a refreshing thing for me to do since I feel like I have been so independent for the longest time. I am at ease knowing that I can lift it all up to Him and let Him carry my burden. After the small chat with Him, I tried to study in the chapel since it was the only place in the hospital I know that is soothing, cold, smells like flowers, and most importantly, quiet. Haha! But then, my study was cut short because there were 3 consecutive code blues (will talk about this soon). After which, it was a pretty benign ER Duty Day followed by a meeting of all clerks, interns, and residents of SLMC regarding JCI Accreditation. We had patient endorsements after and then I had patient rounds with my senior resident. 

That is actually my typical duty day in Internal Medicine. Pretty much a-okay, right? But because the bitterness and the anger was so fueled up inside of me back then, I didn't really get to enjoy what this rotation had in store for me. Okay, so maybe the residents I work with now also had something to do with it. Haha! I don't really know the answer to that but honestly, I blame no one but myself because I allowed all the negativities to eat me up before.

Anyway, back to why I am happy today. I am happy today for a lot of reasons.

(1) I went to the chapel and prayed.

(2) I decided to smile.

(3) I tried to be open-minded.

(4) I did not entertain negativities.

There are probably a lot more reasons but that is all I can think of as of this moment. And I am happy no matter how mundane it may sound. The lesson I learned today was this: If I change, everything changes. All the YOLO-ing and the emo moments helped me change my outlook in life. My life is way beyond perfect. In fact, I still have several things to tweak to make it a notch above the norm. But the key, I have learned, or more aptly, re-learned (because I knew this already), is choosing to see a better perspective. My perspective back then was focused on the sad, the mad, the drab, and the flab. Right now, I must say I made a better choice by looking at a brighter sunshine ahead. And at this moment, I can confidently shout out to the world that this is the first happy day of my medicine rotation because of one choice I made to change my perspective. What about you? What's your choice?

Because I am YOLO-ing

Because I need to express the feelings I feel inside and I need an outlet for my depression (?), I made a YOLO soundtrack to accompany me in this Quarter Life Crisis phase.

The Maturity Climb

I think I'm still in the lower third of the greay zone. :(
Maturity is hard.
Growing up is hard.
But I know I am built for climbing.
I just need the motivation and use my willpower to make things right.
I can do this.
Trust.
Hope.
Faith.
Love.

YOLO + Spa and Ramen on the Side

So. I mentioned in my previous post that I will be meeting my girlfriends for a relaxing massage and dinner. And indeed we had a relaxing massage and sumptuous dinner!

Our first stop: Nuat Thai - Kapitolyo, Pasig

(L) Gwen, Anette, Tita, Luisa; (R) Me, Gwen, Luisa

The place was quite hard to find at first. We had to make a U-turn because we went the opposite way. The place was quite small but it was cozy and the smell was minty - just the way I like it. My friends and I opted for a Thai massage with oil while Tita opted for a Swedish massage. We were then led to a dimly lit room and our feet were cleansed with lukewarm water. We each then had our own beds and we were asked to change into pajamas (Yay slumber party!). The 1-hour Thai massage then began. It was a new experience for me because I usually opt for the Swedish + Shiatsu massage. There was a lot of stretching. And by a lot, I mean A LOT. Good thing I don't have a stiff body so I tolerated everything well. We were then served with hot tea after the massage but it wasn't really that good. Hehe. What I loved about the massage is that it is really relaxing yet not so painful and you really feel recharged after! The other spa places I go to provide a pre-sleeping type of massage - the one where you can easily fall asleep after. This one gives you a kick in the butt. You feel alive after and you'll have more energy to do other things afterwards. Overall, I give Nuat Thai 3.8/5 points. I'm definitely cmoing back.

Next stop: Ramen Cool - Kapitolyo, Pasig

What captivated us were the bright lights and the cute glass wall designs. We ordered their bestseller, Nabeyaki ramen, and Shrimp and Eggs sushi for sharing. Each of us also bought solo orders of Gyudon, Chicken Teriyakidon, and Tonkatsu. I must say that their Nabeyaki ramen is the best ramen I have tasted so far and their Gyudon was not that bad. I was however quite disappointed because the restaurant did not use authentic Japanese rice. Nevertheless, the people were courteous, the food was good, and the conversation was awesome.

It's Christmas time at Ramen Cool! The Christmas tree is too cute!

 (clockwise from top left) Gyudon, Nabeyaki Ramen, Chicken Teriyakidon, Shrimp and Eggs

With my pretty friends Gwen and Luisa.

 Now for the YOLO part. My friends and I all agree that we are undergoing something that is popularly known as the "Quarter Life Crisis". Each of us discussed our own personal struggles in school, in work, in love, in our relationships, and in our own personal struggles to get to know ourselves better. There was a lot of laughing, some teary-eyed moments, some teasing, and a few gossiping involved. Last night's lesson indeed was Y.O.L.O. (You Only Live Once) and so we vowed to live each moment happily and to be more stress-free in the coming days. I am so glad to have very supportive friends who share the same sentiments that I have and who I know will be with me in my search to live a Jo(e)vial life. Y.O.L.O.!