Pino Attack!

Two days ago, I went out with two of my friends for a 'bon voyage' dinner. We went to Pino Resto Bar in Jupiter Street, Makati to try their food and eventually know what all the hype is about.

Pino is like a sibling restaurant of Pipino. Pipino offers vegetarian Filipino food on their menu while Pino is the opposite. The places are situated side-by-side, only separated by these white, fence-like wood (see photos below). Pino diners may also order from the Pipino menu, however, Pipino diners cannot.

While others cringe by thought of vegan, we do not. My friends and I are more on the omnivorous side rather than the herbivorous. So yeah, we eat whatever's edible. Haha! We really have no problem trying whichever restaurant we want to eat in.

And now, we do know why this place is gaining customers day by day. It's because their damn good food. :) Basically, what they serve are basic Filipino food but what sets them apart from other Filipino restaurants is their flavor and of course, their special vegetarian menu. They stick with the basic technique of how these meals are originally cooked but the flavor is just bursting inside your mouth. I am no food nerd nor a certified food critic but I hope you believe me enough that their food is just so yummy! Haha!

These are what we ordered (We didn't order vegetarian meals though):

Bopis

Forgive me, I forgot the exact name of this dish on the menu. This dish is delicious! Probably not everyone is eating this but if ever you do, this is one of the best bopis I have ever tasted. The meat is cooked right and tender and the flavor is just so good.

Kare-kareng Bagnet

This is one of their bestsellers. Oh my goodness, I can't even begin to describe how delightful this is. The bagnet is crunchy enough but still appropriately soft enough for your teeth to chew. The vegetables are half-cooked, just the way I like it. You might want to order additional kare-kare sauce when you order this one if you want to add some on your rice. As you can see, that amount of sauce won't be enough for the three of us.

Sinigang with Salmon

Again, I forgot the exact name of this dish on the menu. Sorry. Anyway, I love this sinigang, too. Well, I might be biased since sinigang is one of my favorite Filipino dishes. Haha! The kick of the sourness in this dish is just right. Yung parang humahagod talaga sa lalamunan. Unlike other restaurants, they were too generous in placing the vegetables in the bowl. It also seemed like they placed the whole salmon in that bowl. You can scoop a lot in this bowl, actually, you get what I mean? Haha!

Apart from good food and good menu, the place is perfect, too. The restaurant is a small, intimate space so you can't really feel that the place is crowded even if it actually is jam-packed with customers. I like that it gives off that relaxed vibe that you and your friends or family can actually sit down and talk while enjoying fantastic dishes. Their interior and decors do help in giving that vibe. And of course, let's not forget, their dishes are pocket-friendly, too! Yay! :)

I hope my words gave enough justification and credit for how good this restaurant is. Well, I really did my best in 'trying' to convince you to go and check out this place. Haha! So you better get out of your house and drop by at this place. If you didn't trust my judgment though, well, you would still get out of your house and try this for yourself. :)

You can check their website for details. Or the owner's personal page. :)

First week of January

Aside from my melodramatic heart issues, I started the year spending time with friends I haven't seen for the longest time, too.

Last Friday, I had lunch with Chai, a friend from high school who is now based in Singapore. She came home for the holidays. Of course, what's the other best thing to do to match with eating? Hours of catching-up, of course!

This is the photo collage I made for my friend who is now based in Samar. It was her 24th birthday last Sunday.

I met up with my friends from way back Toni Braxton (HAHAHA!), BSB, stroller, non-hormonal AKA elementary days (Haha!) last Sunday. These people and I were also servicemates back in high school. Goodness, I haven't seen Mary for 5 years and Raffy for 3 years! Mary is busy with Medical school and Raffy is based in Canada. Anyway, we had dinner at Buffet 101. Thanks to Mary's parents for the dinner treat! :D 

I did start my year shiny, happy and bright! Looking forward for more shiny, happy, bright days ahead! :)

And oh, I forgot to update you with my accomplishment for the last quarter of 2012. :)

We are okay. Let's not ruin this. :)

I have always been a person who thinks too much. Especially over overwhelming issues, questions or situations in my life. Most of the time, I believe it doesn't help me. Sometimes, it just make things worse than they are. Well, there are times when giving no much thought about whatever it is, how to actually fix it, how to deal with it works better.

Yesterday, however, my 'overthinking' tendency surely helped me big time. It made me realize things that I haven't thought I could realize. It made me see the situation in a different light. Even I was amazed by myself! Good job, Jana (pat on the back)!

I talked to myself.
Why the hell are you so eager to ask and clarify your situation? 
Two things: I want to know if any of it were real or true. I want to know if there is something for us to move forward to.

So, if ever both of you are moving forward, do you badly want the same thing?
Yes, of course!

Are you ready for that?
(Boom! I knew that was the turning point.) No, I am not. I don't think I can. I'll be leaving anytime soon. I'll start from zero when I move to Australia. Ideally speaking, the thought of a relationship with someone I love, whose company I enjoy, who makes me laugh and all the other characteristics I can think of about him is good and fun. Realistically speaking, relationships are work, too. Both of us have to work on it every single day to make it work and make damn sure it will last. Now, let's insert the reminder that we would be having a long-distance one. It is overwhelming enough! I can't possibly start a relationship with someone I'll be leaving behind anytime soon. To complicate things more, he'll eventually move to the US after I leave. Starting everything in my life as soon as I set foot in Australia is altogether too much to handle. To top it off with a freshly brewed relationship might push me to the limits of my sanity. One thing at a time. I don't want to insist on doing things I am, and probably him too, not totally ready for. It might make things worse for the both of us. I don't want that. I don't want to screw it up. I don't want it half-baked or half-cooked. I don't want to create a relationship that I am not entirely sure I can really fight for given the situation we will both be in. He is about to start his career, too. And in a different country. I possibly have no idea how we can actually make it work. But who knows, when we are both ready and in a better place in our respective lives, we can actually could start one. Okay, that's wishful thinking. Haha!

But were any of our moments real? Were any of his words and actions had meaning?
I don't really know but I know in my gut that he meant it. I just know it. The mere fact he is still here with me, as a friend, means he still values me and wants to keep me in his life. For me that's enough. It is enough justification that he didn't consider me as a past time, that all his efforts to me weren't for his ego or for fun and that he's actually keeping me. Our friendship may have started with a touch of weirdness or flirting or whatever but he did took an effort to get to know me. I had enjoyed every time we spent together. The conversations and laughter we shared are my favorite memories of him. So whatever his initial intentions really were and regardless of, I know he showed me a part of himself. I know he opened his life to me and he allowed me to be in it. I know we have each other as good friends. We're a good team actually!  

So yes, I have decided not to open the topic of our possible future together when I made peace with him yesterday. Though I have tried twice, we ended up arguing twice, too. He kept on rubbing to my face that we are okay. Very much okay. I didn't get it at first but now I do. We are okay. Just like this. Being like this. Let's not ruin this. I also got the message that he really does not want to talk about it because it would just complicate things for us. Besides, there really is nothing to talk about. I believe we (well, I realized it later than him though) both mutually understood now where we actually stand. There are things that you just have to take for what they really are, I guess. There are also things best left unspoken of.

You are both a blessing and a lesson. At the end of the day, I found out that I'm not ready for you. I'll let that romantic part go and I'll keep this friendship part. I am more than okay with that. Frankly, I really didn't expect you would still be along for the ride. I thought you would be like the other guys who would just diss girls after they got bored. That's enough to be thankful for. I surely have a wider smile on my face today. And no, I am not bitter at all. Seriously, there's nothing to be bitter about. I feel totally relieved and happy. I know I got a little bit overboard crazy about our situation. But now, the thought of you doesn't make me feel frustrated or sad anymore. And I don't think I miss you more than I should. :D

The way you came into my life was a breath of fresh air and all new to me. It was flashing lightbulbs kind of shocking. It was heart-beating-out-of-my-chest kind of scary, too. Thank you for letting me experience this. Now I know how it feels like, to be surprisingly pampered and pursued. You made me feel really special. What we are and what we have become wasn't new but the process was all new to me. Thank you because you might not know it but you helped me become emotionally mature by seeing the bigger picture of certain events. You helped me realize that being aggressive deserves some timing, too. The absence of bitterness when you very subtly rejected me in a way is all new to me. It feels good not to have ill feelings every after sad endings. Thank you for this. Thank you because I know you still have my back as my friend. You made me realize that stories doesn't have to have a happy ending all the time. Sometimes, it just have to be the right and perfect ending for the both of you.

Wow, this feels like life-changing. Overstimulating your brain cells and overthinking has its perks, too. Haha! Jana, you have started the year right.

Hello, 2013! :)

Happy and Blessed New Year, everyone! :)

To greet the year right, our family attended the New Year's Eve Mass. Our aunt wanted to have photos taken at the University of Santo Tomas after the Mass. Unfortunately, the shutter button of my camera broke so I had to use her brooch to press the shutter and take a shot.

When we got home, I used my old camera instead. Thank God, I haven't given it away!

After the usual family portraits, we prepared food for our Media Noche. We patiently waited for 12 midnight to welcome not only the new year but also our Mom's birthday. This is why our family celebration of New Year is 'bigger' compared to other family events. We watched our neighbors light their firecrackers and let them damage our eardrums. Haha! Ever since we moved to Manila, we stopped using firecrackers. Even lighters/sparklers (I'm not sure if I used the right term.). We are totally not a fan of firecrackers because it is scary to use them. People here in Manila go wild and grand over firecrackers!

By next day, our family and our relatives from our paternal side gathered for the New Year and Birthday Lunch. :)

Wheeeeewwwww! I am totally hyped for this year! I'm always excited whenever the year changes because it never fails to offer each one of us a brighter future, a fresh start, a second chance.

This year will mark another big the biggest 360-degree turn ever in my life so far. It is so big that the thought of it makes me anxious and nervous but excited. It feels like a whole new chapter because I am going to start almost everything in my life from scratch in an entirely different country. I know there will be tons of mishaps, adventures, fun, frustrations, experiences, and all other words you can think of ahead of me. But I'm up for every single bit of it!

My mantra for 2013! :)

For this year, I made a little bucket list:

1. Survive the year alone in a different continent: Be independent. Hone the survival skills. Learn road direction. Keep the sanity intact. Combat homesickness. Maintain communication with people back home. Get used to doing things alone. Allow yourself to adjust.
2. Please watch movies as they come out in theaters.
3. Discover. Learn. Explore. Try: Travel and travel alone. Read books often. Write more. Sketch even more. Improve creativity. Get lost, find your way and be amazed with yourself (Haha!). Stay crazy. Step out of your comfort zone. Do more things you have never tried but always wanted to. How to commute there. How to cook! (Yes people, I am giving in. I should not JUST EAT. Haha! Let's see about that...) How to do make-up. (I use make-up but I don't use them often. I am more of 'only the basics' kind of girl when it comes to this. But you know, this skill can come handy. And it's never wrong to learn how to beautify yourself even more!)

I got these for Christmas. Omg. This was the sign that I really should learn how to put eye make-up. Thanks Kate for the palette. Thanks Tito and Tita for the rest of the items that you see. :)

4. Look for work! I'll be paying bills in dollars soon!
5. Graduate. Again.
6. Be fit: Dance, Zumba, Jog, Yoga, Pilates. Whichever!
7. Save! I will be living in a different country and if ever I am below the budget, I can't possibly ask my mom for extra. Hello.
8. Meet friends before leaving.
9. Meet new people and gain new friends! This is going to be fun!

10. Time Management: chores, work, study, rest. This isn't going to be easy since I'll be doing just about everything altogether.
11. Declutter!!! My room needs to breath properly before I leave. And so is my luggage. I am strictly limited to one big luggage only. I also have a weight limit to consider. OMG.
12. Finish my scrapbook! When I leave, my mom would probably throw every single movie ticket or receipt or any keepsake I kept somewhere in my desk thinking it's trash. Haha!
13. Do well in school!!! MUST.
14. Don't forget to breathe in between everything else.
15. BE TIRED. And be thankful that you are.

It's a vague and small list. I might have other things in mind that I have missed out here. But you get the general idea of what I want to do and how I want my 2013 to be. :) 

New year, fresh start!

Cheers to another wonderful and fabulous beginning!