Xiao Long Bao by: DIN TAI FUNG RESTAURANT in BGC Tagiug

BGC visit 2017

I am privilege enough to my meet and greet and some catching up with a very dear friend Kristine Gabriel and her daughter Stacy Gabriel as well with Reginal Clemenia for a sumptuous and delectable lunch at this famous restaurant she recommend and introduce to us Ms. K told me that this DIN TAI FUNG was famous in Hongkong and she let us enjoy the authenticity and the goodness of their food.  Xiao Long Bao is the authentic name and to make it simple it a steam bun with fillings inside you can either choose meat, sea foods, vegetables or a combination depends on your choice from the menu.

 Wonton here we choose the Mushroom filling with House Soy Sauce yes for a kick of veggies to match our meaty mouth lover and you can choose if you want it be serve spicy.

Fried Pork chop yes since I have been away from eating this kind of meat in the Muslim country you will always crave from the food that you truly miss so first in the menu was to look for pork meat and yes I found that they have this big servings of Pork Chops the meat is thinly slice and big in servings and i think they put some magic on their breading that makes you eat it on its own way

The Famous Xiao Long Bao yes you can have your choice of fillings inside either you choose a meat, sea foods, veggies or mix of one another and also the way of eating it has its own standards and you need to be very very cautious since its cook from steam the fillings inside is also hot and you don't want to burn yourself were here to enjoy food so you have to have your spoon and chopsticks first take the bun by chopstick put on the spoon poke the bun chopstick and let the steam comes out you can blow a bit then sip the soup inside and after that you can use you chopstick to toss it on the desired sauce you want for your guidelines you can research  specially in YouTube a much more detailed way to eat it and enjoy this kind food since were really here to enjoy and have a good memories when it comes to food and we only want the good ones 

Hot Prawn Salad with Mango and Pineapple to add a different flavor of sweetness on the table since they are more on the mainly course and appetizer and don't have some dessert specialty you opt to choose this on the menu anyway if your in BGC everything is near to one another if your familiar with the place were you can have your after meal  catching up and yes we go for a coffee and cake restaurant after and enjoy the good view of the city as well seeing the good people.

Our main order just enough to fill our tummy and taste new flavors of food yes I can attest we have the best experience ever during that day on my vacation specially when all of your senses are being used and you have to chance to record it or documented it from the beautiful view from the air you breath the hugs and the kisses and the good chat and the good food you taste.

I am happy to keep this awesome Lady as a good friend I am missing talking to you now and excited to hear new stories from you for everyone who want to know her you can check and follow her on her instagram : https://www.instagram.com/khristinegabriel/

Cebu Vacation 2017

From one province to another now bound to the Queen City of the South Cebu City a big thanks to Jennifer Madrigal for booking our online round trip ticket I hope her ticketing service would prosper in the future.

My mother is Fond of seeing a good view from the window our seat assignment  was not  on the window side she was on the middle and I was on the aisle but she insisted to go on the window side I allow here since no one claim the seat.  It was her second trip by plane the first one was during my brothers wedding way back 10 years ago fast forward her second trip was 10 years after.

As O.F.W yes always first things first have to eat the Filipino you could possibly eat I spend a lovely lunch time with my Mother in a all Filipino Buffet at Cabalen Resaturant here in SM Cebu were you will be charge for 298.00 php / plate so I did try some of the best food I could taste from main corse to the appetizers and deserts.

Whatever happened you will never miss out the famous Lechon Cebu well actually all lechon taste the same and cooked the same way maybe its in the marination they make differences but no one cares I will eat every singles piece of meat shredded from Lechon.

Dinner time is perfectly served at the house of the In-laws of my brother yes they served a lot all "Lutong Bahay" Its always been a rare occasions were you can have the chance to meet and greet and bond with each other yes mind you the In-laws of my brother was a church minister my sister in law was a P.K ( Pastor Kid ) and they are very conscious about your attire and oops as soon as I got a call I was at the mall and it happened my brother ask me if i wear short and I said yes and have no time to change cause I'm already on my way inside the cab  I have my nails polished and I wore the baby pink DKNY bag lol! anyway it has never been a concern I was only for a couple of days for visits but never the less we end the night happy and I had my tummy full the food was really awesome as they say very Visayan taste.

My Sister in Law invited me over to this wine shop / restaurant / bakeshop called LA VIE PARISIENNE located at 371 Gorodo Avenue, Lahug, Cebu City rated 4.5 that is if you googled this restaurant its based on peoples rate and review.  Its a  Modern French restaurant in which in Cebu they call it "Little Paris" for more of the reviews regarding this place I am suggesting you visit the www.sugbo.ph  they had a good review of the place and the all the important details you need to know about the place.

I am fascinated with wide selection of Wine that you can choose there are some that are way too much price friendly I believe you can choose to the aged wine and some regular wine I don't know much about wines but this are the wines that I saw during my visits I think it was my second visit already since I was able to visit this place long before I am going to work abroad.  They have this wide variety of wine you can choose even from the entrance to their wine cellar I am again really fascinated by how they merchandise their Items and they know hoe to maximize small spaces but still look elegant and tasteful since I don't want to miss this event so I took a quick shot with their wine cellar.   

Since I have visited an old restaurant of my friend in BGC Taguig I saw how did they set up if your going for a just a regular casual drink its more of the cheese and some cold cuts a very light and classy way to enjoy the wine yes it has been an old traditions since from the old times passed on to the new generations soon I will find out about this I hope to have more travels to enrich my knowledge on this.

Yes here we were enjoying the good view and ambiance of the place and mind you guys my bills never reach 1000 php much lesser for this cause you have a wide options and choices for the wines I can really say this is very economic and budget friendly I had my good day spend that day so I guess the wine help me relax as soon as we hit home there is something in the wine that gives you that relaxing and calming effect on your body unless you take it moderately.

Yes we visited this famous Big Mall in town called SM SEASIDE its really BIG and nice to visit at located at the city proper with the view of the sea you just have to know where you should be drop and before entering you can take a visit at the chapel near the mall. As soon as we hit inside we look for the restaurant area and yes I am dying to taste our proudly local foods.

I visited the Paolitos Restaurant yes I highly recommend this restaurant cause the food was really awesome and delectable and they serve right in time and the staff are very friendly as well of course the budget is very affordable you have 5 person for less than 2000 pesos and you already a lot of food choice to eat I cannot remember how much we have order but its really a lot they will give you so many options on how you would like your food done there is really something in Cebu with regards to their food I swear I would definitely come back soon to create a video content on this restaurant.

I meet up with my past co worker from my mother company Ever Bilena he was really a famous name now in Cebu as one of the sought after Make up Artist and Hairstylist in Cebu name will be revealed soon, well he treated me for a nice dinner at this "Ihawan Yakski Barbecue after we had a massage treatment he drove me around the city and we headed to his place for a more private bonding and some catch ups.

Before we hit our flight Decided to have some Korean food since we were early to our flight we check in first our luggage and make a quick dinner to this PEARL KOREAN MEATSHOP & RESTAURANT inside the Gaisano Mall I did catch them which my first time to ride the Angkas app that help me go to my destination quickly and the driver was really accommodating my mother had a hard time eating here since she is not a fan of spicy food and their Ramen is really awesome hot and spicy food is great and price except for the service since maybe we go there around closing time so there no one there who could really attend your needs for a much lesser of 1000 php you can have a meal for 5 already.

After the dinner time to catch out flight its time to say goodbye to my extended family in Cebu until the next vacation when well we don't know for now lets savor the good memory in Cebu and lets plan for another itinerary  and adventure to make on my next visit.

Marinduque Vacation with the gang 2017

Vacation 2017

Oct 2017 I had the chance to have a great vacation in my life as my first time OFW so I make an itinerary with my mother to join with me we were having our snacks at the BURGER KING Kamias Q.C since its the nearest bus terminal with route going south here we go to JAC Liner bound for Dalahican port somewhere part of the Lucena province of Quezon.

After reaching the Dalahican port we need to wait for the ferry to come StarHorse Shipping line had a daily trips except of course if there is a storm or typhoon usually the ferry is called RORO ( Roll-on-Roll-off) ferries because you can bring your vehicle for a fraction of cost. Again before you make any travel you have to plan ahead to what are the schedule of ferries so you will not have the hassle of waiting long hours inside the terminal for ticket prices you can check it on their Office and some concern if what are their travel schedule.  Yes they do apply discounts for Student and Senior Citizen of 20% and if your carrying a child 3 years old and below the price is 50% off the good about the internet is that you can check them on the Facebook

Its already early in the morning and we arrive at the Balanacan Port in Mogpog Marinduque. I personally prefer to travel by late night from the Bus terminal due to less traffic and late nights will just keep you fall sleep on the cool temperature inside the bus since it will take 5 hour travel time by land plus some stop over were you can take your break for snack and little stretching then head back again to your seat.  You would know you arrived at the port of Balanacan if you see the big Statue of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Balancan.

Yes I am with my mother and she is always happy and enthusiastic every time she step her foot on the soil of her motherland birthplace lol! Yes and I can see and feel her energy vibes maybe its the calmness of the province the nature the fresh air that she breath most people would say that OCEAN AIR is healthy and boost your energy no wonder there are some people who stay strong and grow old living near the beach breathing and inhaling the fresh air.

First thing on the list was to have my fresh BUKO JUICE yes I look forward to drink the fresh juice of it.  Yes literally you wont see this in middle east cause this was only available in some tropic countries like ours and why do I look forward to drink this? personally in my own opinion something that comes from nature is healthy cause as we say it comes from the tree of life there are lot of PROS & CONS of drinking this juice but one thing I like about it is that it feels refreshing so I refresh inside of me.  In my province you can have for free if you know anyone or a relative just use your charm for me I have it for only 100.00 pesos I am not sure how much I got but they gave me a lot. 

Since your in the province you can get your own veggies fresh as in freshly pick from the backyard or you can buy for some backyard farmer at a very low cost in that manner you cannot ask for more but they were nice enough to add more or give you some freebies usually I look forward for the fresh PUSO ng SAGING with fresh coconut milk there is something about coconut milk that I am so obsessed with it I really don't know but its how I love it.

Even the method of cooking I like the old and traditional way either your options is by wood or charcoal here in my Grandmothers house the options was the charcoal I like it because it gives a different aroma for the food it smell and taste "Lutong Probinsiya"

Another on my bucket list was to visit the famous Malbog Sulfur Spring in Buenavista I had visited this place more than 10 years ago it was now renovated and place just got bigger and wider I tested water quickly if its the same before a bit lukewarm to my surprise it was not eventhough I am here to enjoy and feel the good benefits of submerging your body in the sulfur spring water.

This is the view of the Sulfur Spring Resort its more beautiful and very closed to nature to get to the resort you need to cross a river its a small river and safe to pass the entrance fee would cost you around 25.00 per head adult / 10.00 chidren below 10 year old / 100.00 for the cottages and your fare for your service upon entering to your desired cottage you will be greeted with the pungent smell of the water since its sulfur and I strongly advice not to bring any blings or accessories cause it will turnish

Yes Pepay lets make our last post before the ferry leave us! Indeed it was a very memorable experience during my stay in the province of Marinduque I had so many memories back when I was young to my teens to my adulthood in this province there are things that has never change in the place and there are some that evolved nevertheless If opt to slow down a little bit because of our life has been pre-occupied and bombarded with a lot of commitments and obligations and the pace of life is so fast we need to at least step back and take life slowly and come back to our senses enjoy what nature has something to offer to us I can't say my province is one of the best I believe everyone have their own Fave and story to tell. 

First vacation of 2017

Memories of my first ever vacation as O.F.W

As a First timer O.F.W and first timer to go on a vacation it is one of the most highly anticipated event of your life were you get to see again your motherland and see your family and friends after a long year you have been away with them. Here is were you have your necessities Philippine Passport, Plane ticket of course it should have to be a round trip ticket, mobile for documentation, neck pillow in case you might fall asleep inside the plane, Jacket in case you get cold and feel cold inside the plane.

My eyes were a little dizzy and would want to fall asleep I got my personal Bag on my lap with all my necessities its my security comfort event though you can put it on the overhead bin.  I refrain from drinking any caffeinated drinks the whole day so I can have a good rest when I am at the plane.

Yes I was on board and the flight would took e around 8.5 to 9 hours of direct flight KWT to MNL yes since I have nothing to do inside the plane so it would be better to recharge my body by sleeping the whole flight if I can I would only have some break if foods is ready to be served by the way the flight I took is from the KUWAIT AIR direct flight even though its a little bit costly because its a direct flight and from the airline itself it is really costly but i don't like the hassle of connecting flights and transferring from one plane to another to another terminal and checking in of some of your luggage yes I would rather call it my relax time in the air.

Yes I was in the Philippine soil and little bit jet lagged and dizzy but I am to some of the activities in store for me i don't have an itinerary to follow cause I don't want to put any pressure on me or maybe just a simple meet and greet lol.

Here with my sister and nieces and nephew strolling around Antipolo City it has little pour of rain that day and as they say there's always a RAINBOW after the rain so to my surprise I was able to capture it feeling that my journey back to my motherland was full of excitement and fun and I hope to enjoy my stay.

First things first I had a chance to pay for a visit in one of the beautiful church in my town Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Antipolo City Rizal the church is near the Hinulugang Taktak road it is not hard to find you can ask for the local for directions they will be more happy to guide you and provide you the right directions but if your travelling by tricycles they will most likely to charge you a little bit higher cause as they say the area is mostly visited and roads are small. Better plan ahead your trip so that you will never get to be in the hustle since your ultimate goal was to enjoy.

My sister asked to pose for this poster tarpaulin on the mall that is newly opened and the captions says "All about you!" well it let me think really? what it is really that is all about me! lol and among the picture posted i make this as an insert since it doesn't belong to the captions and title of the content well I always believe ladies and gentlemen that I am a work in progress and everyday I learned I am not perfect and I will never be but one thing I am sure I metamorphosed.  All about me is what you see and what you get but please do not disclosed anything based only on what you see All about me is HEART, All about me is PASSION, All about me is BELIEVER and that will be all and I thank you.   

click the link in my vacation of 2018 : cebu vacation 2018

Things I miss in the Philippines

I was a make up artist by profession and most of the things that I truly miss was the make up yes.. all about cosmetics stuff I am into it its my thing and forte and strength.  Cosmetics specially the make up and the artistry involved with it had earned me a good life and a good career it has been my ticket to some adventures of my life I have been vocal about it I have some of my previous work and sample event that took off when I was hitting on my career.

Since I hit my mid 30's I started to take care of my physical health as well as my mental health so how do it do it? 2 times or 3 times in a week I do run on track and field in Marikina City this help me on my cardio and the muscles of my whole body because I want to stay physically fit I am eating same without deprivation but running help me maintain my ideal weight and active now there are some things needed to be done before you do this activity because this make a toll of your body if you don't know the proper and right way of doing it read and ask opinion for expert. As for my mental health I just do one thing "stop worrying" I just pray even in times of troubles our "FAITH" is our most best defense.

I have miss great bonding with good people we were not perfect as Friends but we do care and love each other we would have updates on everyone life and to talk about things we have learned from the past and talk about plans for the future.

Here I was doing my last prayer in the church I used to drop by whenever I pass by some churches but this one in my city proper which is in Antipolo City you can see the image of Our lady of Peace and Good Voyage ( spanish: Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buen Viaje) here I pray that if work was meant for me I ask for good guidance since she is known as the patron for safe travel fast forward 3 years yes indeed I did have a safe travel to where I am now prayer really works.

Here my hair was still long i remember the time when my dear friend Reginal Clemenia invited me over for small trip in Baguio this around February in time with the Flower Festival of Baguio City I can't remember how short the trip was but we had fun of strolling around the city and try to dine out some restaurant that we wanted to try on but of course everything has to be within our budget we stayed in one of the dorm houses to which we knew the owner so we can have a great deal in terms of our accommodation expenses is concerned yes invest for a good friendship cause you may never know how in the future some great people you've met will make a great impact in your lives.

While doing a lot of walking and passing by or by any chance we see something touristy we would stop and know whats into it here while walking on the famous session road we pass by to see this beautiful church known as Baguio Cathedral with Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral it was really indeed famous because when we pass by it was full we couldn't get a glimpse of what is inside because of the crowds since we want to maximize our time and we felt a bit hurry and hungry as we say we would definitely go back and pay tribute to our visit.

As for some special occasions and event I do miss to chill out  and step back for a while , paused for a while for life has been so fast time has been so fast and sometimes we tend to rush our self for goal that is way beyond our control and in the end it became our struggle. Struggle to survive struggle to chase our dreams and we forget to be within ourselves we forgot to pause and ask ourselves to what was our purpose yes I do ask myself sometimes to whats the best and chilling out is one outlet I tend to do either me alone myself or with my group of friends so that i can gather and processed my thoughts.

Last was I miss hanging out with my family well as you can see they were small in here as time flies they will grow fast so i miss the moments in their life the stages that will go through and not be part of it so I hope their love and affection will never change. This were just only the things I am missing there will be a lot more to tackle hope you look more forward to that.


ever bilena event : sample event with Reggie
cebu taoist temple : my vacation 2018 in cebu
ukay ukay sa kuwait : my life in kuwait

My Life in Kuwait as first time traveler

My life in Kuwait as a First timer Expat working in the Middle East

This was my first time to travel out of the country and it happened when I was on my mid 30's and never would have thought this would happened to me It was never been on my plan nor dream because all I want was just to travel and explore whenever possible I can because travelling takes a toll on your Budget,Time and Energy. I was looking so pretty weird because as a certain precautions and advice for you not to get some attention from the Arab country or Arab world i should have maintain a manly look sound weird but better follow some certain precautions. The year it was taken was April 2016

During the first quarter of my stay I am lucky to have a brotherhood and sisterhood on the church ministry that help me cope up with my homesickness and loneliness here me attending a series of teachings for you to become a full pledge member of SFC (Single for Christ) I am grateful for the every Friday i need to attend with the group.  Here I have felt the love and Fun experiences with them.

My first taste of going around the places here in Kuwait the first of all was in the famous GRAND AVENUES MALL first hand experience walking in the mall and seen Arab people I am in the Prestige side of the Mall where you can find all the Luxury brands you can think of from Shoes, bags, Clothes, Accessories and so on.

well whenever I feel sad and low I tend to eat a lot and my all time favorite comfort is the famous McDonald mostly the famous crispy fries without the Mcspaghetti  which i truly miss because in the Philippines you can have it in a meal plus you request for an additional spaghetti sauce and cheese in which in the Arab country you will never find it here even if I have try searching in some of the most famous fast food chains here.

so most of the free time if your an OFW you will definitely understand me to kill the boredom and every payday or salary you would often see our "KABABAYAN" having some social life through going to the mall and eating out and most of all roaming around for some window shopping and also shopping and we all love to update with the latest trends for fashion and gadget and most of all we love t look forward for SALE and we love to buy stuff that we can give as our "PASALUBONG" for our Family and Friends.

There are some moments in your life that you would feel that you are in prison as doing the same routine for work and house and vice versa but all in all we learned to cope up and live the kind of lifestyle and culture that you are living in with all your prayer everyday all is well in the few days to come.  So far so good i have my stay up to know and have learned to cope up and love the country.

during the summer time I was able to experience my first ever feel of the Sun and the Beach so far this was my First and last experience Because people will tend to stay indoors and at home during the hot season for the temperature was so killing me but this experience is one of a kind that i can never forget but for me nothing beats the beautiful beach of my country PHILIPPINES.  I hope i can do my own version of that blog soon since I just become active only this time.

I still have my ups and down in my life here but you know life must go on i still have my high hopes because of my FAITH...

My first experience of winter the cold weather where everyone is looking forward where you can wear a good outfit and walk around were you can feel the cold breeze of the wind damping on your skin.

Since your going in the mall and get to see beautiful stuff i learned to adopt and buy good stuff and be fashionista by heart here I got My ALDO shades that i bought for 2KD under the sale item.

Another fast food chain that i love to go to as your comfort food since this was the most accessible and very affordable.

During the Summer this is my go to food indulgence to beat the heat from outside and feel refresh from the inside here i was able to look and scout for a Filipino restaurant that you can find within my area since I am living in Salmiya the restaurant name is "SPECIAL CUCCINA DE GUCCI" here you can find all the mostly 80% of the menu is catered to a Filipino dishes so expect to be with our "KABABAYAN" there will be more blog soon to post.

Yes Middle Eastern people love to have coffee as part of their social gatherings and socialization so I did try some coffee and this mouthwatering Strawberry Cheeze Cake and Caramel Machiato coffee here in Al Salam Mall were you can find this very cozy Green Leaf Coffee Shop good product as well as taste, presentation and service for an affordable price.

to see some of my life in Kuwait you can check out on my YouTube channel: mitchicoke22

https://youtu.be/cur7vwVN950

greenleaf coffee shop

sample video you can watch!