New other blog

Apparently, I have already reached the memory limit of my first 6 year long blog. I could always upgrade and pay for premium but because I’m a cheapskate – and frankly this is really more for me than anything else – I have decided to just make another new (free) blog. I hate that it’s a completely new one but hey, I’d rather make an entirely different one for free rather than shell out money. 
So, here goes. I am transferring to another blog. Welcome. At least, for the next 6 years or until I exceed my free memory again.

Vacationista: Dushanbe, Tajikistan Day 4-6 (and departure)

Since our last two days were actually our meeting days, the only thing I can share was our dinners. The first meeting night, the Tajikistan government hosted a dinner for all participants at this restaurant called Buhoro. It was a big hall with a dancefloor and a stage with all the chairs and tables at the side. They again had gorgeously painted ceilings.


Again, as with the government hosted dinner in Georgia, food was overflowing! It was served to us all throughout the 3 hours we were there. We had different kinds of breads and cold cuts (no horsemeat, thank goodness), salads, meaty samosa (so good), soup (which I didn’t eat much since my friend warned me it was too oily and might upset my stomach), more meat and veggies and a huge platter of fruits.  

All the while, we were entertained by different kinds of performances (obviously I take crappy photos and didn’t even make an effort to go near the dance floor).

 

Afterwards, my friend and I went out for some ice cream and blueberry iced latte (so yummy), with me in my super comfy ababu pants and jacket. My friend obviously has this thing for ice cream, same as when we were in Georgia. Spent the night chilling.

 

The next day was a whole day of meetings here and there. Since it was our last night before departure, our big boss wanted to treat us for dinner. Hence, I had a costume change. Haha.

 

My local counterpart recommended this karaoke type restaurant which had lady belly dancers. On hindsight, it wasn’t a good restaurant to take your bosses and co-workers to since the women would dance around our table and no one watched. Haha! And here we were, talking about gender equality, women empowerment and feminism. Actually, in Tajikistan and most of Central Asia, women are still seen as second class citizens so we still had a lot of work to do. We had our usual salads, soup, bread and of course, shashlik. I guess you can say their cuisine was very simple.

 

Our flight was at 4am so I didn’t even try to sleep anymore. Me and my friend just hung out till it was time for me to go. Slept on the Dushanbe-Dubai leg. One of the FAs was actually a Filipina and she was like “all of you were asleep! You didn’t even eat your food.” Haha! We proceeded to the Dubai airport business lounge and had a light breakfast. Wanted to put the glass water bottle in my bag because it was so pretty – Healthy Options carries that too but it’s too expensive – but the bottle was too heavy. Where would I even use it, right? Glad they’re making a conscious effort to lessen use of plastic bottles.

 

Then started our 8 hour flight from Dubai to Manila, with Kim K and Sheldon as my company.

 

I also tried their instant noodles, just for the heck of it. Naka-business nga, pero pagkain instant canton. Haha! I also find their plane camera amusing, it’s like their version of a dashcam so you can watch as the plane lands and you see the on-ground staff wave his lights, as if waving to say “Welcome home.”

 

Vacationista: Dushanbe, Tajikistan Day 2-3

Woke up around 8am to have breakfast with my teammates at 9am. This was my breakfast every single morning I was there – two sunny side up eggs, assortment of hams, sausage and cheese, croissant, coffee, fresh juice and fresh plum, peach and grapes.
 

After working, we then went out for our super late lunch/early dinner at a local restaurant our colleague recommended called Toqi. Outside, it looked like a boring building with some camel statues but inside, there were artificial trees decorating the place. 

Plus, we had to eat in a small stone room on a low table and sit on the floor with their carpets and plush pillows, making us feel like locals.

 

My colleague ordered some bread, salad and pilov for us. Pilov is like their version of biryani – flavored basmati rice topped with spiced beef, fish and quail egg. Ended with some fresh watermelon and cantaloupe.

 

We still had some time to spare before our next meeting so we did a quick stop at this huge building (again, yes they love huge buildings) with tons of columns. 

Inside they were selling.. Every kind of nuts and spices! But as you can see, the place was huge but empty. It’s a new building so there weren’t a lot of merchants yet. Still, I can’t imagine the place being filled with sellers and buyers and being a hustling and bustling market place. Perhaps in 10 years or so. 

We then went to our scheduled meeting which was with the venue for our upcoming conference in October. They call it the Kokhi Navruz or the Navruz Palace. They had extra large roses all over their gardens.

 

We did an ocular of the place and again – the building, or should I say palace, was over the top! Think carved wood, glass filled rooms, chandeliers, huge round tables you only see in movies or in international media, tons of columns, hand painted walls and ceilings, all in all giving it a grandiose feel. Kinda weird for a developing country, if you ask me. I’ll let the photos do the talking, though they hardly do any justice.

 

Worked again until I fell asleep on the bed. 

The next day, all our other colleagues including the bosses started arriving so we were definitely on war mode. Again, we had our super late lunch/ early dinner at Rokhat Teahouse since our other colleagues haven’t been there. We walked going there from the hotel which was a bit far (and too hot under the afternoon Tajik sun) but my Spanish colleague really wanted to walk. We passed by this almost dry lake (?) with the second largest flag in the world (the largest one belongs to Pakistan).

 

Good thing my friend was with us since he interpreted and ordered for us. If we didn’t have a Russian speaker with us, we’d be lost with the menu! By the time we got to the restaurant, we were famished. We ordered a variety of salads, flat bread, soup, huge dumplings with meat inside and sour cream sauce and of course, shashlik. My favorite salad is the beets with Japanese mayo. For 8 people, we each shelled out TJS50. Not bad at all.

 

The rest of the day was spent working and the night was spent chilling with my friend.

Vacationista: Dushanbe, Tajikistan Day 0-1 (plus, Dubai International Hotel)

When one of my foreigner colleagues found out I’d be going to Dushanbe for a work meeting, he immediately said that there is absolutely nothing to do in the city. Me being an optimist and lover of travelling, I didn’t believe him and just thought I’ll make the most of my trip. Turns out, he was right. In Dushanbe’s defense, I didn’t actually try to explore the city, mainly because everything was so far from each other and you actually needed to take a taxi to go around. Plus, there’s the language barrier so you needed a Russian speaking person to be with you. This is the same meeting we had in Bangkok last year which though was pretty light compared to our Georgia or Pakistan meetings, still, I wasn’t really able to go around.

 
But first was the long-haul travel. I was so excited to fly via Emirate’s Business Class because I’ve heard so much about it. It’s even on my bucket list. Unfortunately, I was so disappointed. The seats were not as big nor as comfortable as Turkish Airlines, you couldn’t move or customize the seat as much as you wanted to, the restroom was tiny, in-flight wifi was limited to two hours, no complimentary toiletry kit (which I guess is good since it could be a move to be more environmentally-friendly, you know) and service was just so-so. What happened to all the great things I’ve heard about Emirates? Perhaps they were pertaining to First Class, which is still in my bucket list. The only ‘special’ thing about them was the ceiling of stars they turned on at night which let’s face it, has no added value to my traveling comfort.

 

I honestly didn’t rest well on their seats. It was so uncomfortable even with the extra mattress. After 8 hours of unrest, landed in Dubai. Since we had an 11 hour layover, me and my colleagues availed of the Dubai International Hotel, which is actually a 5-star airport hotel. Paid about $200 for my stay but it had all the amenities of a regular hotel: tea and coffee, shower and toiletries, TV and wifi, and even a small gym, Jacuzzi and pool outside (plus an empty barber’s room). My room’s view was still just the airport hallway. Haha! I didn’t bring my swimsuit so wasn’t able to take a dip but will definitely make a mental note to pack it next time I stay with them.

 

Went around their Duty Free stores which had the usual perfume, chocolates and souvenirs. Only bought a P1,700 mousepad that looked like an actual carpet, for my brother’s diorama, per his request. And some Loacker wafers. So random.     

We then went on our Dubai-Dushanbe 3 hour flight and arrived in chilly Dushanbe. We landed around 3am but arrived at the hotel at 5am since we had to get our visas on arrival, waited for our luggage and for our airport pick up to leave the parking lot.

 

I think Hyatt upgraded me because when I compared to my colleague’s room, the standard room was smaller and didn’t have a couch. Perks of being an organizer (and the one who bugs the hotel), I guess.

Had a great view of the fountain in the middle of the man-made lake too.

 

Woke up at around 9am and had some breakfast. The spread wasn’t as varied as most hotels but they had a lot of fresh fruits like whole pears, grapes, plums and my favorite, peaches so I was more than happy. We worked for some hours where hotel staff gave us some coffee and pecan pie (so good!).

 

We needed a break and some fresh air (plus some super late lunch/ early dinner) so our local counterpart brought us to this small building called Tsum (?) selling lots of cellphones on the first floor and souvenirs at the second floor. Bought a small magnet (TJS13) and two small plates (TJS70) as décor for my mom and brother.

 

Our super late lunch/ early dinner was at a huge white building with columns called Rokhat Teahouse. Its name is more complicated than Rokhat but that’s the easier version (we also just pronounce it as Rohat).

 

The place was two floors and overlooking a small garden where the kitchen was located. The ceilings were painted with some colorful design and was already peeling and showing age, which I loved because it gave the place an authentic feel to it. 

My colleague ordered salad, bread, compote and shashlik – grilled meat – for us. Shashlik is known in Tajikistan and it was really good. Rice was no longer available after lunch hours so bread was our carbo.

 

We then had some vanilla ice cream as dessert from the store downstairs. My boss paid for everything so I don’t know the prices. Haha.

 

Walked back towards the hotel but not before stopping by our resident mission office there (which looked like a mansion complete with a winding staircase and chandelier) and a local grocery store. 

Didn’t find anything extremely interesting so I only bought 6 bars of chocolates and some wafer (TJS62.2) to give away. 

Vacationista: Dushanbe, Tajikistan Summary

Dates: 17-23 September 2017 (Sunday 7am departure –Saturday 4am departure)

Traveled via: Emirates Business Class (Manila-Dubai, 8 hours) and FlyDubai Business Class (Dubai-Dushanbe, 3 hours) and vice versa

Transit Hours: Dubai to Dushanbe is 11 hours; Dubai to Manila is 2 hours

Temperature: hot during the day (approx. 30 degrees Celsius) and chilly at night (approx. 25 degrees Celsius)

Outfit: Work outfit then casual with jacket at night

Mode: Work Mode with chilling here and there

Visa: On arrival ($60 + $5 online fee)

Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Dushanbe and Dubai International Hotel (for transit)

Pocket Money: exchanged only US$50 (TJS8.77 per $1) but still have tons of TJS left

 

Liliw’s White House Bistro

My friends visited me over the weekend and planned a quick trip to the farther south of Laguna. We decided on going to Liliw, also because I wanted new espadrille wedges. Haha. Dropped by the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery since my Manileno friends haven’t been.

Made a couple of other stops like my friend’s grandma’s house but what I really want to share is this small resto we discovered right smack in the middle of the shoe stores in Liliw. It is called White Hous Bistro and opened two years ago. We had late lunch there at around 3pm so we had the whole place to ourselves. 

The place was so gorgeous! It’s an old  house turned to a resto so it felt like I was eating with my rich grandparents. Haha! Place is pretty small with a few tables, maybe maximum 30 people all in all. 

Their kitchen was downstairs and the interior was simple but super pretty and cozy. The whole place was made of wood. There was even an old school window, as if anytime some guy was going to play his guitar and serenade you. 

Generally, they had a Filipino menu but also had some Japanese rice bowls like Katsudon. They have Pinoy viands ala carte but the most value for money would be their group meals, good for 5 pax (sakto samin!). 

We chose the grilled liempo group meal which had pinakbet, pancit lucban, pork sisig, rice wnd iced tea. With 8% service charge, we only paid P1200 for everything. Sulit na!

Food is good – loved the fresh pinakbet and pancit – and price is affordable and quite right for the taste. I highly recomend bringing your friends here for your meal fix. Afterwards, we went shoe shopping where I was able to buy P250 beige espadrille wedges. 

Lastly, was able to capture this super pretty shot of the nearby church. Look at that gorgeous sky! So blue! I seldom see our skies as blue as this, unlike when I go to other countries like in Georgia. 

Review: Hello Gorgeous’ Unicorn Elixir and Cat Stamp Eyeliner

I have always been doubtful of facial oils, maybe because my first experience with it was with Human Heart Nature’s sunflower oil which really didn’t work for me. But recently all these blog reviews on facial oils made me wanna give it a go again. After much research, my top choices were Nuxe and Kiehl’s oils. I even tried them in small doses (I preferred Nuxe for the smell) and plan on buying the full sized bottle of Nuxe when I travel next, since I now find my usual Olay night cream too heavy. But I need an between product so in comes Hello Gorgeous’ Unicorn Elixir which has been receiving good reviews. Bought it with their Cat Stamp Eyeliner for combined shipping via Beauty MNL.

For the elixir, I use about 6 drops and found it very light and easy to apply on my face. No heavy feeling! My skin also easily absorbs it quite well. No strong allergic reaction happened though I found the smell too strong – like those too fragrant soaps. See the gold flakes in the elixir? Pretty.

I was really excited for the cat stamp because I’ve always wanted the cat eye make-up but am not really good with it. Look how pretty the swatch is! So pigmented! 

But how about on the eyes? The verdict? This is perfect for first-timer, non-professional, lazy girls like me. Photos show my first stamp (without filling in the cat eye liner) then the two photos are already filled in (ignore the unfinished undereye make up). I super highly recommend this for an easy to apply cat eye make up! I also think that once there’s no more ink in the pen, you can use the stamp and dip in another ink.

I recommend both these products for anyone who  wants to “try” facial oils and cat eye liners first without investing in super expensive products. Check out my other reviews on Hello Gorgeous products I’ve tried so far. 

The Happiest 5k: Color Run 2017

I’m no runner but I’m all about fun and this Color Run was the definition of F-U-N.

It was some weeks back when I saw their ad and I immediately invited some of my girl friends to join. Basic 5k fee was P850 but with shipping and admin fee, I paid a total of P1020. A bit steep (I can do without the headband, tattoo and even the unicorn medal we got at the end) but it was for a good cause – for the children of Unicef – that I didn’t mind.

 

The basic package included a shirt, bib, headband and a gold ‘Happy’ tattoo. I had it shipped to my office and received it 3 days before the run.

 

Since I was coming from Laguna, I woke up at 3am and met up with my friends at around 530am. The first wave of runners started at 545am and we ended up with the 4th wave. Saw some girls with similar high socks as me. Hihi. There was a bit of a program with hosts Anne Curtis, Coach Rio and Eruption but we were too far back to actually see. There was also a concert at the end but us titas skipped this. Haha!

 

Before long, the run started! As you can see, there were a lot of people and according to Anne (feeling close), about 10,000 people joined. Isn’t that awesome? Photos will show how fun the run was and it’s so amazing that you get to enjoy yourself while helping out children. There was even a 500m dash for kids!

 

There’s a station every kilometer which first had a shower station (I figured they needed us wet so that the powder would stick on us?), then the colored powders and last was the bubble station. It was so fun! And even for a non-runner like me, I still got to enjoy it because really – I can’t emphasis this enough – it was really about having fun. No competition or pressure to finish the race in 10 minutes (is that even possible?). Me and my friend would alternate between jogging and brisk walking. I actually felt good that she was more out of shape than me. Hahaha! Kidding aside, everyone was really just having the time of their life in this run.

 

Before long, we finally reached the finish line (and we weren’t the last ones which was my only goal) and were awarded with our unicorn medal. Honestly, I didn’t know we had a medal. I thought that was for those who availed of the ‘deluxe package’ but hey, it was a nice surprise. Last would be you get your own packet of colored powder to be used at the concert grounds.

 

And here’s how I looked before and after the race. So colorful and fun and so worth waking up early in the morning for!

 

I highly recommend you join this color run the next time they have it. It’s really, super duper fun and you get to do something good for others! Some tips: 1. Baggage area is available at the grounds for your bags, 2. The colored powder is easily washed off with water or even wet wipes, and 3. There are available porta-potties at the venue though don’t expect them to be clean. For more info, please visit the official websites or social media of Dream Machine PH, Unicef Philippines and Run Rio.

Meet Ashley

I’ve wanted a new cat for months since our old cat left us. I miss Luna of course but I was hoping to get a new kitten soon. Didn’t want to buy so I asked my mom to look for one in the streets or somewhere, you know a cute kitten. Imagine our luck when she found the most perfect, most adorable one all the way from Rizal. 

Meet Ashley. Took me awhile to think of a name for her since I usually base my pet’s name on the first impression I have of her/him, like in the case of Toffee or Luna. Even though it should’ve been obvious to name her something like Ash (abo, grey, get it?), it didn’t automatically come to me.

My friends say she looks like a Russian Blue. I couldn’t care less. I love her to bits! She’s super sweet and playful and clingy, just the way I like it! She “calls” me for two things: food and cuddles! 

I’m thinking I wanna spoil her starting with buying stuff for her – after a visit to the vet, of course – like kitten milk formula (P399), pet wet wipes (P50) and wet cat food (P60 each). Bought these at PetExpress. She doesn’t particularly like the milk formula so might try adding it to dry cat food to make it mushy and easier for her to eat. 

Still had some leftovet cat litter so I just bought some deodorizer (P159 at South Supermarket, cheaper than online at P200) plus bought her a toy for P66, though she’s a cat so she prefers bottle caps and simple ribbons to play with. Haha! 

After my Color Run at SM MOA, decided to make a side trip to Cartimat,every pet owner’s supposed heaven. Wanted to buy more cat toys, litter deodorizer and wet cat food. Unfortunately, the prices were disappointing! Totally not cheaper than buying from the grocery or online. There’s a bit of savings but not drastic. My cats toys ranged from P60-90 while the cat food was P50-55 (P5 cheaper but that’s it). Even the Whiskas brand was cheaper in groceries. So I don’t think I’ll be “hoarding” again from here.

To end, here’s a cute photo of her sleeping :))))

Grocery tips

1. Always have your produce reweighed. I saw in a Facebook post how S&R’s produce had a lower price when she had them reweighed so I did the same for my banana and sure enough, from P34 it became P24. 

2. Keep your eyes on the cashier monitor. I usually do this when shopping but for this time, I was a bit distracted and later on, found my P24 banana to have been scanned at P29. The price per kilo was different. I should have told the cashier but I only noticed it afterward. Our law states that the price tag on an item should be followed.

3. Never underestimate a small grocery store. I usually assume that Rustans, S&R, Shopwise or SM have the best variety of products but when I visited our local, tiny WalterMart in Laguna, found these babies! Flavored liquid creamers for P50. Yummers!

I also love South Supermarket for their packaged seafood (clams, squid, crab sticks for only P130/pack) and even their roti!