thought bubbles and rainbow-colored days

Baguio Trip: What's on the menu?

2011-02-27T21:58:00.005+08:00

It's that time of the year when Baguio feels like Manila. Definitely not because of the weather, because it's still way too cold in the city of pines. It's because of the crowd, and the heavy traffic!!!

This month is the Panagbenga festival, and people just go here to witness the flower parade and the celebrations.

It's not really the reason why I am here this week. My friends and I are just here to relax, work a bit, and enjoy the weather. Note to self: remind friends not to go back here during Panagbenga. Go a week early, or the week after.. so then we can relax.
Anyway, coffee shops and restaurants are really jampacked with locals/tourists but we still tried our luck eating in one of the known vegetarian restaurants -- Oh My Gulay!
Sadly, half of the items in the menu were unavailable so I just ordered a dish called 'Kabute' - it's mushroom pasta with cheese sauce and whole milk. Well, I wasn't really happy with it... maybe I was just dismayed that they ran out of Waldorfesto (salad).

"Kabute"

This one is better, i tried it the last time I was there...

"Anak ng Putanesca"

This one made me laugh... though again, it's not available!!!

"The Saging and Mani Love Affair"

I just wish they'd be more prepared next year so they could give more food options to their customers. Well anyway, I will still be back... but definitely not during the festival. Don't get me wrong, the flower festival is nice but I'm just the type who doesn't enjoy super huge crowds. I find it more enjoyable to chill out with a few close friends. :)

i wish to sleep but my thoughts are very much alive...

2011-02-27T05:43:00.002+08:00

I haven't blogged for quite a while now, i missed this... so i am back.

I think the barista added an extra shot of espresso to my drink.. for some reason I can't sleep. It's already 5am and in a few hours, the sun will say hello. I'm out on a vacation by the way... in a place 6 hours away from the metro. It'll be another day, and I wish it'll be longer.

The new season has started. I am just amazed, blessed, thankful, and just unexplainably happy. but it doesn't mean that I have forgotten. i miss them, but now everything's falling into it's proper place. we're all moving on...

God you are amazing.

simple joys = big blessings

2010-12-26T01:36:00.000+08:00

I am thankful.. So thankful that God has destined me to be the person that I am by surrounding me with such great people.

i laughed.

i cried.

i gave.

i received.

And most important of all, i learned… and I will continue to grow.

2010 will be unforgettable. I’ll treasure and bring the learnings and memories with me as I look forward and enter a new season.

I’m ready for you, 2011... bring it on!

“Terrified”

2010-10-29T22:40:00.005+08:00

A friend shared this song to me while we were hanging out last weekend.. and I haven't stopped playing it in my media player (aka "mobile phone") til now... hello LSS!

Btw, Katharine McPhee kinda reminds me of Emma Watson in some parts of this video. It's probably because of her hair / hair color..Anyway, I love Zachary Levi’s singing voice! ♥♥♥

“And I'm in love…
And I'm terrified…
For the first time and the last time,
In my only life…”

Product Launch: Nestle Heaven

2010-07-10T08:31:00.001+08:00

My fierce friend tagged me along for an event a couple of weeks ago in Club Bureau, Makati. It’s the product launch of Nestle Heaven! It was music to my ears: ICE CREAM!!!

Here is Nestle’s Marketing Executive Manager, Ernie Mascenon, starting up the event.

At first, it seemed like an ordinary setup -- the crowd enjoying the cocktail drinks under the blue/violet lights while the night is still young. I wondered, when are they gonna serve the ice cream? LOL.

Then the angels came…

and led us through the gate (oh yes, I was surprised that there was a real gate for people to enter) …

I’m still amazed up to this time. Kudos to the organizer for this brilliant setup!

There was a feast inside…

and some moving statues, each holding a pint of Nestle Heaven ice cream…

It was a well-attended event, here are some pictures of the “angels” and celebrities… (click on the pictures for a larger version).

And now, here’s what I’ve been waiting for… Nestle Heaven!

Nestle Heaven comes in 4 flavors:

Strawberry Dream

Vanilla Almond Secret

Butter Pecan Obsession

Belgian Chocolate Bliss

More than the fab names, this ice cream has the perfect blend of sweetness and creaminess (of course, it’s Nestle). So whether you’re an ice cream lover (like me) or not, I’m sure you’ll like it.

Here’s my favorite… it makes me miss Baguio more and more, LOL!

Okay, I’m craving for ice cream now! … but it’s too early, I need to wait for the nearby grocery to open. aaaargh!

Sun, sand, and coffee!

2010-05-30T05:06:00.001+08:00

I had my first Boracay trip this month --- thanks to the convincing powers of a dear friend. :) Bora was not really at the top of my list of travel destinations for this year. It’s basically because of two reasons: 1) I think it’s too commercialized 2) it’s crowded.

I badly needed a break too so I decided to go… and I’m glad I did. T’was fun walking in the long stretch of white sand on a weekday!

One morning, while walking, we saw a signage for cellphone repair services and had a good laugh at it. The arrow is pointing to the sea --- so in case your phone got wet or something, you have to swim first to Caticlan to have it fixed. :) Just kidding…

We stayed at the Grand Boracay Resort. It’s a cozy, simple-yet-classy triple A rated hotel located at the heart of D’Mall, Station 2. (Sidenote: HBO aired Gremlins 2 thrice during our stay there. I love Gizmo!)

Come to think of it, had Bora not been that commercialized, I might not be able to enjoy my favorite drink while sitting on the powdery white beach sand.

The sun + white sand + a tall espresso java chip frappuccino = a perfect beach bumming experience!

Now, here’s my share of the Bora sunset… enjoy!

To my travel buddies, let’s schedule another trip to Bora! :)
More pictures at my multiply site.

Sunny day…

2010-04-04T13:34:00.001+08:00

It’s a sunny Sunday! I just thought of doing something in photoshop before going back to some freelance work stuff… I hope you find this easter egg! LOL.

Vietnam Lacquerwares

2010-04-04T01:52:00.001+08:00

I was looking for something to do one Saturday evening so I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures of random things inside the house. I stumbled upon some “unpacked” stuff from my Vietnam trip last month. Yes, I’ve been busy. :)

I bought some handmade lacquerwares from a shop in Pham Ngu Lao, District 1. It’s called A.M. Lacquerwares. You can view their website here.

Lacquerwares are wooden objects which are decoratively covered with many layers of varnish to make it look shiny. Asian lacquerwares are very popular among art collectors all over the world. I am not an art collector though… I just love the mix of colors and designs so I decided to buy some items as souvenir. :)

The first item is a photo album.

Yes.

It is.

I guess no one uses photo albums to store printed pictures anymore...

So let me convert this to a scrapbook instead. LOL.

“Ball” Tealight holder set.

I really really like this one. I had a difficult time choosing for a design. But after much thought, I settled for the “oriental” look.

I bought this for roughly around Php 800 (Philippine Pesos). Not bad at all!

Think, think, think… How can I renovate a room full of gadgets to something that is still “techie/modern” but would somehow have that “oriental” feel? I need tips.

so, the google search starts now…

^_^

Can't wait to see this movie...

2010-03-08T17:19:00.000+08:00

SHUTTER ISLAND

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Philippine Screening is set on April 14, 2010. I can't wait!

I’m back in Manila

2010-03-05T16:55:00.001+08:00

I just came back from a backpacking trip outside the country. The first thing I checked when the plane landed in Manila is my mobile phone. It was turned off for a couple days so I was a bit excited to check text messages in my inbox.

Surprisingly, most of the messages I got were political campaign ads endorsing candidates for the local/national elections. How did they get my cell phone number?

Here’s one sample. (Hello.. I’m not residing in Palawan to begin with.)

These campaign materials are everywhere --- Print, TV, Radio, and all over the internet. Now, through text messages? Give me a break.

15th Hot Air Balloon Festival

2010-03-05T14:37:00.001+08:00

Feb 14, 2010 - It was a “steamy” valentine’s day. :)

My friends and I went to the 15th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Festival in Clark, Pampanga. We arrived there around 4AM … good thing we arrived early! We waited in line for about 30mins to get tickets at the entrance. Not bad, but next time it would be better to purchase tickets in advance.

Taking pictures was a challenge since almost everyone wanted to get good angle / view of the balloons taking flight. I think more and more people are getting hooked into photography. From entry-level cameras to high-end DSLRs, tripods, monopods, telephoto lenses… name it, and you’ll get to find someone walking while carrying these gears. There was even a booth selling DSLRs on site. It was crazy!

It would’ve been a great experience to ride one of these. But for now, I’m contented taking pictures from the ground.

More pictures here.

Lovin' the holidays...

2009-12-27T06:42:00.000+08:00

it's been a month since my last post :) i hope you're all enjoying the holidays as much as i do -- i'm having a crazy happy one. i'll be back blogging in the next couple of days... need time to sort out lots and lots of pictures I took this season :)

cheers, happy holidays!!!

The mall rat loves bread.

2009-11-21T19:59:00.001+08:00

After a jam-packed day at work, I decided to go to the mall today to somehow jumpstart my so-called weekend. I headed off to BreadTalk at Glorietta 4 only to find out that it’s closed for renovation. Darn! Good thing I paid attention to what was written on their tarp --- they have a stall at the Landmark Food Court. *big grin* “But where’s that?”, I thought.

Seriously, I didn’t know that Landmark has a food court (or maybe I just forgot about it since for the longest time I’ve been referring to it as “that department store in Makati which connects Glorietta and Greenbelt”).

Anyway, I found the stall. Happy lunch time! (well, as for my body clock, it’s dinner).

I personally think that the BreadTalk folks are artists trapped in Baker uniforms. Check out these tasty treats!

These breads are way too cute, i don’t think I’ll be able to eat it. LOL!

So I just bought some pork floss bread (it’s their bestseller) and went back shopping.

Happy weekend! :)

Check out their cool website! http://www.breadtalk.com.ph/

That crazy island trip…

2009-11-15T15:36:00.001+08:00

I received a text message from a high school friend one afternoon…

“Ros, are you free tomorrow? Wanna go to Puerto Galera with me?”

Okay, at that point I panicked (i just woke up), I thought it was a Friday so I immediately checked the calendar on my phone… but it’s Saturday already… Saturday afternoon.

I was having second thoughts that time because I have work on a Monday night. But being the backpacker that I am, I gave it a go.. why?.. coz she mentioned the magic words: “it won’t cost you a cent, just bring your camera and take pictures.” *grin* :)

So we sailed off… the waves are crazy. It makes me think about that accident which happened around last May (just this year) when an outrigger boat sank on the way to the island.

Paranoid much? There were a few passengers on the boat, and there were plenty of life vests. But I was scared coz I have my gears with me…
(Note to self: bring waterproof pouches for the gadgets next time… better be prepared)

So using my mobile phone, I just twittered and checked my FB account while on the boat ride to the island to take my mind off the negativity. Thanks tweeps! :)

check out the pictures

Coco Beach is a 10-hectare beach resort with 110 rooms, a tennis court, hanging bridge, spa, 2 swimming pools, etc. It’s not part of the white beach stretch so it’s not commercialized – suits me, I’m not really a fan of beach nightlife. I was browsing through the list of activities they have for us during our stay and I found out that they offered free introductory lessons on scuba diving the day before we went there. Eeeek, I wish we were there earlier!

Best part of the trip is that I get to hang out again with 2 of my elementary/high school peers. We exchanged stories and shared good laughs... some things never change. :)

BOHOLicious weekend

2009-10-25T10:53:00.001+08:00

Last weekend, I went to Bohol together with some friends. We stayed at the Dumaluan Beach Resort. That weekend trip was a blast! It was my first time to go there and I just fell in love with the beach… who wouldn’t?

Beside Dumaluan Beach is the Bohol Beach Club, we just paid the Php 350 entrance fee which is good enough for the whole day (and it's consumable -- food and drinks!). Like how my colleague describes it, “this place is like being in your private Boracay” (less the crowd, of course). These pictures were taken around 10:00 AM.,while some of my friends are still sleeping (and others went out to try the plunge and the zipline). No post-processing done on the pictures yet. This is beach heaven!

I would love to go back there and just relax.

This reminds me… I haven’t uploaded all the pictures yet :) No excuses, just plain laziness. Haha! I’ll have it included in my gallery in the next couple of days…

Later!

Ros

Photoshoot Preview

2009-10-06T16:07:00.001+08:00

I was invited for an awesome photoshoot for BlackStellar Events last Saturday. Here’s a sample shot (double-click the picture for a larger image):

I’ll be uploading the full set to my gallery soon :)

Later,

Ros

I just met a superhero…

2009-10-06T15:37:00.001+08:00

Relief Operations for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy are still on-going throughout the country. I am amazed to see how this calamity united Filipinos from all walks of life. Go Team Pilipinas!

Last Wednesday, I volunteered again for the relief operations organized by our church in the Fort. I was assigned to an area near our church along with a familiar personality – Mr. Alex Compton.

To many, he is not just an ordinary guy. Alex is a full-blooded American born in the Philippines. He’s an athlete and was very popular during his years in the Metropolitan Basketball Association (Awarded 1999 MBA Most Valuable Player).

We exchanged stories about life and some of our ‘Ondoy experiences’ while on our way to Western Bicutan. We passed by a GK (Gawad Kalinga) community nearby and he looked so glad to see the developments in that area. He mentioned that he was able to volunteer that time when the houses there were being constructed.

“When did you become a Christian?”

“More than 10 years, I think…”, I replied.

“Mas lamang ka sa akin… (you have more advantage than me)”, he smiled.

Probably not, I thought. It’s funny to realize that I have more learning experiences inside the church than outside of it.

I am honored and humbled to learn from you, Alex. You taught me what ‘getting out of the comfort zone’ truly means.

September 30, 2009 – I learned that you don’t need to have super powers to be a hero. Your life could be a blessing to someone in need.

Not an ordinary weekend.

2009-09-28T08:15:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday, 09/26/09, the Philippines was hit by a typhoon. “Ondoy” – sounds like a name of an innocent little boy, but people will remember that name differently.

It was a not-so-regular Saturday for me. I have decided to just stay at home since I didn’t have much sleep for the entire week. I left the office in Makati around 6AM (yup, coming from the night shift) and arrived home a little before 7AM. It was raining all right, everything seems normal, so I slept… I woke up around 2PM and was shocked to see what’s in the news.

FLOOD. The roads turned into rivers. According to the reports, people from different areas in Metro Manila were already on their rooftops waiting to be rescued. There’s no flood in our area, but I feel for those who lost their loved ones, homes, and properties. My heart is crushed.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…” Psalms 91:2-4

Our local church sent a message that the weekend services are cancelled and that they are opening their doors to help the ‘Ondoy’ victims. Mom and I waited for the nearby mall to open so we could buy some stuff to donate. When we arrived at church, we were amazed to see the outpour of love from the church members. Donations kept coming in. We wanted to volunteer but we don’t know how until one of the committee members listed something on the whiteboard… “NEEDS: Van”

Mom and I looked at each other and smiled. Coincidence? We told the pastor immediately that we have a van available for them to use. He asked if we have a driver, and with a wide smile, I pointed to my mom and said, “siya po” (she’ll drive).

We started to load the van with relief goods around 3PM (Sunday) and along with 4 other vehicles we went to Marikina to distribute the goods.

It felt so great to give. I feel so much alive. Thank you Lord. This is truly one weekend I’ll never forget. I haven’t heard a word from some friends yet. I hope they’re okay. Pray everyone.

“Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” Isaiah 59:1.

You too can help. Click here for the list of verified relief centers for Ondoy victims.

Later,

hello world!

2009-09-26T11:47:00.001+08:00

Let’s kick this off with an introduction… My name is Ros - just a commoner with a passion for photography, multimedia arts, music, and traveling.

I have been surrounded by a lot of positive influences this year – all had inspired me to create this blog. ‘Thought Bubbles and Rainbow-Colored Days’ is about bits and pieces of my day-to-day experiences, opinions, interests, and light-bulb moments.

Sweeeet! I just did my first post! yay!

PS: I gave in to a friend’s suggestion (thanks Eric!) … My multimedia gallery (www.shootandstyle.blogspot.com) is also under construction. Please do visit. l'm looking forward to your comments and suggestions! :)

Later,