Retreat

I've been reading The Third Secret by Steve Berry for days now. It's actually a thriller much like Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. But I got a surprise when I turned the page and found this:

The quote fell out of place in this book, but it made sense, really. It hit me so hard, I just grabbed my phone to take a photo. And I wasted no time posting it on Twitter. Haha. 

For people who find it so hard to let go and move on. Steve Berry's got something on you, huh? :)

For Here

Stalking is made so much easier nowadays! It's already half past one in the morning, and I'm still stalking my barista crush online. Good news! I know na his name! I suppose that's not really big news 'cause I can always approach him at the coffee shop and ask for his name or just take a look at his name tag. But I like a good challenge, so I went online and after half an hour, I got his name! *pats self on the back*

Bad news is: everyone knows him already! Regulars at my favorite coffee place beat me to it! They've all been raving about how good-looking and charming he is. They've already posted blogs about him. Sayang. I thought he was extra friendly to me, but he's like that towards everyone pala. Ilusyonada kasi ako. Haha. 

Oh, well. I still have another barista crush. And I can always stalk the other regulars.

I kid.

Third Place

I'm a homebody. I don't like leaving the house. I'm not gala, layas, lakwatsera, or ma-gimik like most people my age. I'd rather stay at home and watch television, read paperbacks, or surf the Internet. It's usually just school-bahay-school-bahay for me. I do go out during weekends, but that's often just to buy groceries, or go window shoppping. Yes, I'm as boring as they come.

But lately, I've been having a hard time staying at home to study my lessons. I always end up sleeping on the bed, cause that's usually where I read my books. My sister is actually fond of calling me "Masa" because of this. "Masa" stands for "masandal, tulog." Which is true! I can sleep any time, anywhere. I tried using a table to study, but I ended up placing my head on top of it, and just dozing off. So, a week before my midterm exams, I finally decided to drag myself out of the house to study somewhere else where I am in no danger of falling asleep.

I've been coming to this coffee shop near our place for sometime now. Ate and I tried studying there together in January, but we weren't very successful. Well, she was, but I wasn't. I decided to give it another shot two weeks ago. I found a table by the corner, bought myself a cup of coffee, and started studying. Surprisingly, I got a lot of studying done. From then on, whenever I feel like I really need to focus, I leave the  house, and go to this coffee shop - my third place.

By the way, I got the term "third place" from an old Starbucks planner. A third place is a spot you frequent aside from your house and your school/office.

This picture was taken during one of my study dates with Ate.

I remember telling my cousin how ridiculous it is to study in coffee shops because those places are often crowded and filled with social climbers. Some people like going to Starbucks or CBTL just to take pictures of themselves while sipping their 150-peso cup of coffee. Now, I wanna say sorry for my misguided beliefs. I take back everything I said.

It's actually okay to study there because they have spots intended for people who wanna do just that - study.   Most of the people there are also hitting the books. Some are holding meetings; others are just killing time. People aren't loud, and the place isn't as noisy as I thought it would be. The fact that the staff is very accommodating didn't hurt either.

But, as happy as I am about my progress there, I think I need to find a new third place. I don't want to make a habit of spending more than half of my daily allowance for coffee and pastries, just so I can avoid falling asleep at home. I need to find a place that's just as conducive to studying, but won't totally rob me of my savings. Any suggestions? :)

Dine In: Five Cows

Metro Manila has been experiencing some serious rain these past few days. And because classes get suspended almost every other day, I've been stuck at home watching Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy. Yes, I didn't quite understand The Dark Knight Rises, so I had to watch the first two films, which didn't disappoint, by the way. The only time I was able to go out was last Saturday, but even then it was raining hard in the city. Ay naku, kebs. Being stranded inside the mall was so much better than being cooped up at home.

Ate and I went to Five Cows for lunch. The last time we were there was four or five years ago. Sobrang tagal na. I remember, we met this very nice waiter there named Brian. He was so accommodating, that when they asked us to fill up a suggestion form, we recommended that he be promoted to the position of manager. Haha. Sadly, I didn't see him there last time. Baka he changed his career path already. Anyway, we've always wondered why this cute little resto and ice cream bar is named that way. And until now, we haven't come up with a decent answer. Isa lang naiisip namin na reason: you'll end up feeling like you weigh as heavy as five cows after eating their yummy food. And devouring their heavenly ice cream cakes!

Chicken Fingers and Fries with Salsa and Garlic Dip

Liempo with Java Rice. Believe me, two people can eat this. Parang for lunch and dinner na!

To die for S'mores Ice Cream Cake

Forgive me for the orange-y pictures. I really don't know how to adjust my camera settings. Anyway, the food still looks good diba? Kain construction worker kami ni Ate, and true enough, we felt as big and heavy as five cows. Haha. I'd definitely go back for more, especially for their ice cream cakes. The good thing is, they serve the cakes in slices so you don't have to worry about buying a whole cake that'll just melt in a couple of hours.

What I look forward to trying on my next visit: the Baked Spinach and Cheese Spread, the Flaming Alaska and the Ferrero Crunch Supreme.

Five Cows is really a happy place for dessert lovers like me! Happy eating! :)

Neons

Hi guys! It's been more than a month since I last updated my blog. Time flies really fast these days ha. I haven't been doing anything blog-worthy lately - yep, busy with school as usual - so I guess nobody's really missing anything. Haha.

Oh, I saw The Amazing Spider-Man a few weeks ago, but I'm no Marvel expert so you can't expect a decent review from me. You can't even call an "it's really good!" a review, can you? Haha. But if you haven't seen the movie, go now. I tell you, it's way better than the first three Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films. (Sorry Tobey fans!). There are still a few cinemas showing the spidey flick along with The Dark Knight Rises, which I have yet to see, by the way.

Anyway, I went bowling with my cousins two weeks ago. We were supposed to go to Red Box, but for a number of reasons, we ended up at Paeng's Bowling Center at Eastwood City. Before you get any ideas, I'm no athlete. I stay away from all things physically harmful. Haha. But this time, I'd like to make an exception. We've been bowling since 2010, and it's sort of a past time for us - something we do when we can't go singing or when there's no movie worth watching in the cinemas.

See our matching bowling shoes? You can rent 'em for an additional P30.00. Not bad, right? Just be sure to bring a pair of clean socks to go with 'em ;)

And you can tell by our scores that we're not really good at this stuff. Two more years and we'll be pros. Haha.

I'm a Paeng's loyalist. I've tried ten pin bowling somewhere else, but this place is the best I've been to so far. People there are very friendly and accommodating. And given the relatively cheap rates, the place is spotless and well-maintained. Look at the lanes; they're super shiny! Haha.


So if you wanna go bowling, visit Paeng's Bowling Center at the fourth floor of Eastwood Citywalk. It's near the cinemas so you're sure not to miss it. Oh, and you can play billiards and darts there, too!

Best tip ever: Go bowling on a Saturday. It's disco bowling - the lights are off and they play really cool music! Enjoy! :)

Couch Potato: Suits

Hey guys! School officially starts tomorrow. And guess what? I am not excited. Haha. I used to look forward to going back to school. But that was before I went to law school. This time, I'm more excited about something else - Suits!

Two weeks ago, I asked my Twitter friends if this television series is worth watching. Surprisingly, many of them replied to my question with a YES! and a SUPER! and a SOBRA! Haha. So I gave it a try, and finished the first season in just two days! That's how good it is.  (Plus the fact that the first season only has 12 episodes. Too bad.)

Suits is a legal "dramedy" about a brilliant college-dropout (Mike) who gets hired by one of the senior partners (Harvey) of New York's best law firm.   The story revolves around Mike and Harvey's struggle to keep the firm from discovering Mike's secret and keeping him in the office, all while addressing their multi-million dollar clients' legal problems. To read more about the series, click HERE.

Here are two of my favorite Suits moments:

Videos uploaded from YouTube

I fell in love with Suits (and I'm obviously obsessing about it now) because of its plot, its characters, its witty lines. Actually, all of it. I like how it makes legal stuff super easy to understand. You don't have to be a lawyer or a law student to get this show. Plus, it has my kind of witty humor. All of the characters are funny in their own way. There's always something to laugh about in every episode.

And it doesn't hurt that the characters are good-looking. I mean, guys who wear suits are really attractive. The corporate wardrobe pieces of the female characters don't hurt either. In two words, aesthetically pleasing.

The second season of Suits premieres on June 14 in the U.S. That's two days from now! And I can't wait!

Side Trip: Salcedo Weekend Market

It's our last hurrah before school starts! And before going home to Lucena to spend the remaining days of my vacation, we dropped by the Salcedo Weekend Market in Makati. (More on the reason why we decided to check out this weekend market on my next posts.)

It was my first time to visit the weekend market in Salcedo. There's something about weekend markets that make you giddy and excited, no? Siguro, especially if you're a shopaholic na pati simpleng weekend market papatulan mo. Haha.

We got there at around half past ten in the morning and the place was already swarming with people. It's a good thing the park is huge, and that it's covered with trees so the shoppers need not worry about the scorching heat.

We were in a hurry that day (and this was only a side trip as the name of this blog post suggests), so I was able to explore only half of the park. And I was able to take very few pictures. I didn't even treat myself to anything. Sayang. Di bale, I plan to go back there soon!

Here are a few tips to remember when going to the Salcedo Weekend Market (or to any weekend market, for that matter):

1. Bring an umbrella. Most, if not all, weekend markets are set up in huge open spaces. If you worry about sunburn, it's better to hide under your sunnies and umbrellas.
2. Prepare for long walks. Like I said, huge open spaces. Oh, and bring a bottle of water if you tire easily.
3. Bring lots of cash and self-control. Haha. You never know what you'll find in a weekend market, so it's better to be prepared. You wouldn't believe the goodies they have there. You actually have to control your impulse-buying nerves so as not to go broke.
4. Go there hungry. This is actually a self-serving tip. Haha. There are lots of food items to choose from. To be honest, I hated myself for eating breakfast before going to the weekend market. I should have eaten there instead.

The Salcedo Weekend Market is open every Saturday from 7:00 in the morning to 2:00 in the afternoon.

Happy shopping!