Amid My Silent Reverie

In the quiet place of Grand Heights at Antipolo lies a unique and beautiful museum namely,  Pinto Art Museum . It houses numerous paintings, may it be on acrylic or wood, by Filipino painters such as Neil Manalo, Elmer Borlongan, and Alfredo Esquillo Jr. among others. There are also other installations collaborated through the use of other media that I never thought would look perfectly good altogether. It was a refreshing site to see. The level of appreciation I have for paintings or any other art pieces are not as technical as others may have but I must commend that the exhibit inside are very beautiful indeed. Here are snapshots of some of the paintings: Mga Bata sa Pantasya ng Karahasan by Neil Manalo Karnabal by Salingpusa (several artists). This is also one of the two largest canvases in the museum.

Admittedly, if I have a choice, I am not fond of going to Festival Supermall at Alabang. I'd rather go to Alabang Town Center because it has a much beautiful ambiance, for me, rather than the former. But since the boyfriend and I are very fortunate to get free Deal Grocer  vouchers from my tita, our choice of restaurant is Mati's Meat and Bread which is   located at River Park - a relatively new and one of the four expansion project of Festival Supermall to adhere to present-day mall operations. Mati's Meat and Bread is a two-storey building restaurant. The first floor is high ceiling which I think helped in the good ventilation of the place. I did not smell of steak or pasta upon going out. I just noticed though that they have few servers. During our stay I only saw two, one of which I think is the branch manager or shift supervisor. Only when we were about to go out did I saw another female waitress. Oh well, we went in around 6PM so I guess, it is not yet a busy ti...

I have been a community relations assistant for 4 1/2 years now and I have been accustomed as to how an issue or concern should be managed. If one resident has a problem, I collect all the details and if it is beyond my authority to decide, I relay it to my immediate supervisor or project manager and they advise me on the way forward. It is also what I revert to the person. I remember how the community people would nag me whenever I don't give them a feedback right away and at first, I admit, I don't understand why they have to be stubborn. But later on did I began to appreciate when your queries are addressed properly and promptly just like a customer and service provider relationship. Last Thursday, I had the worst experience in customer relations.

In the midst of my usual quiet and alone time this morning, I unexpectedly received a message from a friend who wanted to share the recent status of her relationship with her boyfriend. A few experiences on the matter does not make me a guru but I felt really humbled that she chose me as her confidant. I cherish the times that my friends come to me asking for an advice or just a listening ear. All the while they thought I was only helping them but in reality, they are also returning the favor to me - by making me feel that I am needed and I personally think it is living a life with purpose. Apparently, her boyfriend is calling their relationship to a close but she hasn't accepted it yet. And based on her stories, it maybe because the man is already talking and hanging out with someone else. They have been together for the longest time now; shared numerous birthdays, monthsaries , anniversaries, a list of favorite restaurants to go to, bought countless of couple stuff together ...

Our activity for this weekend is to collate all probable evidences on how much our mothers loved and cared for us through the years. I did a little backtrack and a surge of emotions came in. At the end of it all, I have two words for you Mom, THANK YOU! Thank you for always carrying me until I can walk on my own. Thank you for always assuring me of your unconditional love even when I am doubtful.

I consider myself lucky, because I still have the luxury to travel and to go to different places even if it is just once or twice a year, not everyone are as privileged. Last weekend, it was a Sagada trip with the boyfriend and a few new found friends. Admittedly, I am an obsessive-compulsive planner when it comes to vacation getaways. I gather all related information from the place, do's and don'ts, things to bring down to the appropriate clothes to wear. Of course, I do believe in spontaneity but I also value our safety and security above anything else, hence the importance of researching. We found out about the tour through Metrodeal . For P3399.00 per person, we are entitled to (1) a 3D/2N stay at a hostel/inn, (2) a round trip transportation fare and (3) a tour in the town proper. Excluded in the package on the other hand are the following: Tour guide fee to Sumaging Cave/cave connection - P150 and P450 per person respectively Tour guide fee to Bomod Ok Falls - P100 ...

Following the line ups of the boyfriend and I's "food bucket list," we recently dined at one of the famous restaurants in Tagaytay which is  Buon Giorno! Caffe and Bistro. " Good morning" when translated in English but their dishes are not limited to breakfast meals. They have a wide variety of salads, pastas and pizzas per se. It is located at The Cliffhouse along Aguinaldo Avenue, with other food concessionaire such as Cafe Breton, Fruits in Ice Cream, and  Fire Lake Grill among others. The criteria that made Buon Giorno! famous in addition to the variety and quality of food it offers is the location - it is overlooking Taal Lake. Let's talk about these two further. We ordered an appetizer, a pasta, a main course (which included a salad) and a dessert and our verdict are as follows:  Croquettes with Mozarella Verdict: It's almost the same with California Pizza Kitchen's Fried Mozarella  except that the croquettes have rice which made it...