CieLJ Cravings: The Original Hawaiian Bar-B-Que Tagaytay

I can't get a good review about the food at Punta Fuego, so to make sure that I will at least have one good meal on my birthday I've scouted for some restaurant options in Tagaytay with a few requirements 

> I wanted it to be on the way so that it will be easy for us to spot, 

> A bit commercial, so that we don't need to reserve in advance and have the option to be flexible with the time, and 

> have great, consistent reviews to save us from disappointment

The original Hawaiian Barbecue immediately became part of the list because of it's location which is just along the highway. The rave reviews in various blog sites just made me even more curious and I took note of the best sellers. 

CieLJ Weekend: My Kind of Birthday

The last few weeks have been difficult, with the new role, transitions, migrations at work, health concerns (still finding the strength to blog about it) and some repairs due at the condo, there's just zero time for me to plan or even imagine what I want for my birthday week. I waited too long, and as expected, all the good deals are gone. LJ insisted that we should still try to get a good vacation, so I went back to Google and searched for possible options. With just one week to go, I entertained the idea of us just driving someplace na pwede kami tumunganga, both of us just really want to rest and eat good food... at tumunganga :) 

So here's what we came up with... semi-road trip to the South :) 

I said 'semi' because it was basically a free and easy drive, if we want to stop we will stop, if we want to keep on driving we can. Absolutely no pressure to stop at the regular touristy pitstops. 

Woke up early (well at least, by our standards) on the day of my birthday, took care of the laundry and packed our bags. We were out the door at around 1030-ish. 

12pm we visited Greenfield, Sta Rosa to check out the progress at Solen. You can read back about Solen here. We are very excited with the idea that we will eventually be moving to a house. So many design ideas are crossing our head, but we still have time to figure that out, so those scrap images are reserved for Pinterest for now. 

CieLJ Weekend: Theme Park Edition

LJ recently celebrated his 30th, and instead of having a party we packed our bags and decided to head back to Singapore and tour some parks! We are getting old, so we didn't fill our schedule to the brim like the last time, but I'll be posting suggested side trips as well just in case you guys are interested. 

Day 1: Chill, Zoo, Chill 

Well that was the plan, but then it became... got lost... Singapore Zoo.. aaand we got lost again, LOL! 

We left Manila at around 5am. Fearing that he won't get to drop-by Duty Free when we get back, he went ahead and started his shopping even before we got on-board. 

I came home late from the office the night before and had to finish packing so I got zero sleep. I spent the 4 hour flight snoozing while LJ tries to keep me from rolling to the floor. 

We checked in at Value Hotel Thomson near the corner of Thomson Rd and Ballister. It's quite a long walk from the MRT and I wouldn't recommend this for tourists, especially if you have kids, unless you plan to take the taxi everywhere or you know how to take the bus since the bus stops are nearer. You can read my full review and the room photos here.

Tip: If you are planning to explore the city on your own, you could get the tourist pass card or a regular ez-link card. It's easier than having the need to prepare change. We have ours from two years ago, and just added credits once we got to Changi.  

On our first day, we got acquainted with the bus system and we failed miserably. After a couple of attempts we got to the Singapore Zoo, finally! 

CieLJ Tradition: MYOH 2013

...aaaand we're back! I had to take a little break from blogging to get my swing back at work and keep the household in working condition ...heck! who am I kidding, I've been out talaga because of Candy Crush! LOL! anywaaaay, so we are back now, I promise to make the post more regular again, and I still owe the ratings for our wedding suppliers, we'll post those soon. 

CieLJ Cravings: Vanilla Cupcake Bakery

Passing by this cute and newly opened Vanilla Cupcake Bakery you will easily fall in love with the decor. The drapes, the Daphne chairs, the cozy sofas and of course the line-up of cupcakes to be served on a cute white saucer along with a wooden fork. You can almost hear the place screaming "Instagram me!"

Alas, the pleasant experience for the eyes, becomes a stressful game for the mind. Despite the long display of yummy treats at the Vanilla Cupcake Bakery in Glorietta -- wrongly labeled cupcakes if I may add, there's no one to assist you on what you are supposed to do. Apparently the cashier is on the side, you are expected to tell her your order, pay and step aside. There's no clear menu aside from the cupcakes, I was so unsure on what I can order, I can't see any coffee list and the girl didn't up-sell any drinks so I assumed there was none. 

What's next? 

You'll have to wait for your name to be called, a good 5 minutes if you are lucky. We were unlucky, they totally forgot our order!