I guess I haven't updated this blog much to establish the fact that I'm not very fond of December. Mostly because it's THE holiday season for the PH, which means droves and hordes of people will be coming and going in the weeks to come. When it comes to my dislike for people and crowds, I believe that much I was able to translate here, at least. 

Despite my tendency to shy away from The Outside during the festivities, I'm very much willing to forget all that if it means I'll be spending time with some of my favorite people - like my dad. 

Look who decided to come home for the holidays! We don't usually get to spend time with him since he lives and works so far away, and often when he does get a holiday it's during the summer. Seeing him during the Christmas season is suddenly tons better for some reason! Lol all the sales happening in malls huehue time to ask my dad for gifts, mwahaha!

We had this for our family dinner at Seafood Island where my dad got to meet my boyfriend for the first time. So far so good!

Also while I did say I'm not fond of Christmas that doesn't mean I'm a complete Scrooge. I do have people I hold dearly and I like to pamper them with gifts from time to time. Jed and I decided to go and look for some good gifts we can hand out to our family members one weekend and although I failed in documenting our haul, I was able to take a picture of this: 

I've been obsessing over Crimson Peak since it came out and I could not resist staring at this Thomas Sharpe Funko Pop figure when we passed by a toys and figures shop. ♥ I didn't want to purchase it then because I wanted to buy my gifts for my siblings first and planned on coming back for him later, but sweet boyfie decided to grab him for me as a Christmas present. Eeeeeee~! He now sits on his place of honor atop my computer desk so I can stare at him every time I need some perking up, haha!

On the subject of surprises, looks like he's pretty keen on letting me know just how much he likes to go big on the gestures:

As if he doesn't already do enough to keep my heart beating faster and faster. It was a regular work day and I was just reading manga working when he plopped this on my desk after coming back from his break. What a keeper! ♥ 

Merry Christmas, and have yourselves a Happy New Year!

I think one of the best things about my relationship with Jed is that we both love to cook - and that we can get incredibly creative with our cooking! It's an amazing feeling when you collaborate and end up with a really good dish that you can share after all that hard work. How's that for a couple activity?

Recently I've been watching a lot of cooking videos on YouTube again, and I decided to revisit some old favorite recipes of mine from Cooking with Dog. I've been following their channel since 2008 and I'm proud to say I've tried out quite a few of their recipes already - with astounding results! Japanese cuisine will always have a special place in my heart.

So - back to cooking: since Halloween had just ended I thought it would be apt to make something out of pumpkins because, y'know, why not. And also we had A LOT of pumpkins at home for some reason, waiting to be cooked. 

I've made some pottage before using Cooking with Dog's recipe and it turned out great! Making some the 2nd time around - and with Jed - would ergo be twice as awesome.

And I was right! Check it out: 

We've decided to add some bacon because anything's a good excuse to have some bacon, lol. Do check out the original recipe if you'd like to try it out for yourself.

Later into the month we also tried out Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, just because we couldn't get enough Japanese food in our system. :))

Good food, good fun, with the best company one could wish for. If I could ask for more, I'd ask only for seconds! 

Hey~! Have I told you already that I love October? A lot of things happened this month, so here's another blog post!

A few months ago my good friend Maddie invited me to cosplay with her in Fantasy Quest. I've never attended this event before, and seeing that it'll be held at Fernwood Gardens (which I've been to early this year for another good friend's wedding) I just had to say yes! 

Since I'm pretty lazy the good thing about this is that I didn't have to worry about my costume - I just had to research my character and see what makes her tick, simple enough. I think this was my first (and only) cosplay of the year so it meant a lot to me to be invited.

I bumped into a lot of old friends while we roamed around the venue, too. I haven't been going to conventions lately so seeing them again in an event was pretty fun.

The social recluse in me was sounding the alarm in my head as soon as the place got a little too cramped, but I made it through the end in one piece. Jed picked me up afterwards and we had dinner somewhere a lot quieter. (I will always prefer quiet dinners with him, especially after the chaos of cosplaying the whole day.)

There was a tad bit of reluctance on my part when Maddie asked me to cosplay with her, mostly because I know I've gained a lot of weight since the last time I donned a costume. The sigh of relief I let out when I found out Yuki's costume fit me just fine was enough to put my point across. Welp, here's to losing 30 - 40 lbs. of fat in the coming months!

But being back in the scene reminded me why I started this hobby in the first place - you won't find this exhilaration and camaraderie anywhere else! I guess once I'm in a better state of mind I'll slowly ease myself back into the hobby. Fingers crossed.

Despite what other people (read: killjoys) say, Halloween will always be my favorite time of the year for many reasons; it falls on my birth month, for one. The cosplayer side of me will always be gung-ho for any costume-making merriment, and it's also the only time of the year I can dress up as whatever or whoever without the usual judgment and stigma that comes with my hobby. 

It's the best time for me to let my creative juices flow - and boy did it ever this year. 

As is customary for my company to hold a Halloween competition, this year they put up a new theme and deadline. With everyone's spirits dipping because of some recent changes we didn't know how badly we needed this distraction. Plus as the reigning champion from last year we all wanted to make sure that we're not leaving without our mark!

Did we win? Of course~! I'm very proud to be part of this team - each one did their part and gave it their very best. All the effort was worth it!

While it's now a bittersweet memory for most of us, we're happy to have left one last milestone in our time in Microsourcing. Plus next year all the other accounts have very big shoes to fill, lol. Now onwards to new adventures!

Figured it was a good time to go for one last out-of-town trip before the year ended even though it's still October just to get the past month's taste out of our mouths. Things had been happening so fast lately, and whether we knew it or not we desperately needed a breather before we start tearing our hair out of our heads.

Lately I've developed a penchant for searching for white beaches online during my spare time in the office and I came across this resort while checking out Trip Advisor. The lovely reviews piqued my interest so I decided to convince my partner into booking a stay. It didn't take much on my end because one look at the stunning pictures was enough for him to have us file our leaves and prepare for the trip!

Jed was the one that coordinated with the reservations team, leaving me to take care of planning our itinerary and travel route. He sent them first an inquiry email and promptly received a response where they let us know that the cottage we were looking to book had been taken already, but in lieu of that offered us their newer accommodations to try out. We were quite happy that they were so considerate and opted to take their offer to stay in their Tree House. We booked a 3-day-2-night stay and paid via bank deposit, and they provided us with a receipt via email to present to the reception on the day of our booking.

How we got there:

Remember to bring plenty of water to drink during the trip, especially if you're traveling during summertime. Enjoy the tricycle ride going to Stilts - the road to the resort is so picture-perfect!

Naturally I went ham on the pictures:

The main beach. This area is where the tourists and hotel guests frequent, and where most of the beach activities take place.  This is also where you'll find their famous stilts cottages. Near the shore you'll find a hut where you can rent kayaks, boats, swimming and snorkeling gear, and more.

Wading in the water. This is the beach that's nearest to our Treehouse. You can see that it's a little less-maintained but still pristine. They decided to preserve the seaweed in this part, and you can find lots of starfish and other creatures that bury themselves in the sand. Naturally I freaked out.

Other side of the second beach. Lots of big rocks over on that side. The maintenance staff actually discourages you from walking across the rocks as it could get dangerous.

The eponymous stilts cottages. These cottages are built for multiple guests, and their biggest can fit up to 25 people. They all look well-built and meticulously maintained, and each cottage has a ladder that gives its guests direct access to the beach. The area at the bottom and near the cottages are rife with seaweed. The growth isn't thick enough to concern you, but make sure you still wear proper gear for safety.

The blushing line of Calatagan. There's a spot near their restaurant where you can sit and catch the full, unobstructed view of the sunset while enjoying your dinner. They also have benches and love seats scattered across their main beach if you'd like a more secluded and romantic setting.

Second day in the resort. Still so beautiful.

The swimming pool was quaint and adequately-sized. The best part about it, however, is that it's heated so you can enjoy the pool at night without your teeth chattering! Jed and I enjoyed a lovely night swim before calling it a night. It's so relaxing!

The welcome sign greeting you to paradise. Walk down this pathway and you'll reach the hotel lobby and the pool. All around the resort you'll find adages and quotes that add to the resort's charm. I think it's a really cute and personal touch.

The entire time were were there we couldn't think of anything else other than how beautiful the resort was, and how everything was so well-maintained. The staff were well-trained and very friendly, and gave us all that we needed - whether we asked for it or not. This place took our worries away and allowed us to focus on each other as a couple, and for that alone we made a promise to come back.

I also regret not taking pictures of the food they had to offer. Most of their dishes are for sharing, and all very delicious and affordable. Their selection of drinks and cocktails also had us very satisfied; I had one damn good Sidecar!

At the end of your stay they will ask you to fill up a guestbook and tell them about your experience, and honestly I think the whole guestbook isn't enough for me to write down just how much we loved the place.

We sincerely had no words. Impeccable service from the staff - from the email reservations team down to the lovely maintenance people. 10/10, we will be back very soon.

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Stilts Calatagan Beach Resort
Please visit their website for more info, reservations, and inquiries.
You may also contact them on these numbers:

0917-5863343 / 0917-5237777
0917-5807653 / 0908-8662254
0925-8226654

Send them an email at stilts.sales@gmail.com or sales@stiltscalataganbeachresort.net
Or fill out their contact form.

Hey, who doesn't love a good cat cafe, yeah? We saw this gem blowing up on social media and they're fairly new so we decided to give them a shot. Well worth the visit, I'd say!

It's one thing to see a (decent) cat cafe in this country, but a Bengal cat-themed cat cafe?? We just had to pay them a looksie.

Goodness, they're so beautiful. I can't wait for my next visit.

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Bengal Brew Cat Cafe

Ground floor, Manhattan Park View, Arantea Center, Cubao

Store hours are from 2PM to 10PM

Walk-in customers welcome. For reservations, call: (02) 3668287

Facebook page: Bengal Brew / Wolf & Bear