Explore Manila, the Philippines and the World!

Well, that’s what we are going to do for now and for the next few years. I know, how can I live with that? Putting off travels for the next few years? But you see, there are a lot of things that need to be repaired already in our house after staying there for 3 years max. The fixtures need to be replaced and I’m thinking of getting Grohe faucets for kitchen and master’s bathroom. It is quite expensive and will be way over the budget for our house renovation but I know that it’s of good quality and it will last for years. With that, I guess putting off our travels for a few months would be worth it. Yes, probably a few months will do.

1. A swim shirt. Especially when you are going to swim! This will prevent sunburn and avoid getting too cold.

2. A great baby carrier or backpack.

These are life savers in airports, train stations, cobblestone streets and hotels without elevators. Strollers are something to consider but if you have a little baby with you, a good carrier is close to a necessity.

3. A fabric high chair. I didn’t know there is such a thing! Will definitely check it out.

4. A flashlight.

Street lighting might not be as consistent as in your hometown and you’ll probably have a few nights returning to your hotel down a quiet road or path. A torch or flashlight can come in very handy. You might be surprised by how much you use it.

5. A nightlight for the bathroom. I do this! I also bring nightlight for the room. All of us can’t sleep in the dark (*grin*)

SOURCE: www.mylittlenomads.com

One of the countries that I would love to visit again is Bangkok. I remember Hubby and I together with my brother went there for 4 days and 3 nights last 2007. All of us had a great time shopping and eating. I remember I had to take a couple of diet pills after the trip because I gained a lot of weight eating authentic Thai food. Almost all of our meals were buffet so I can’t help but binge and forget about diet during the trip. We had Chinese food, Indian food, and of course Thai food. I remember we even had street Thai foods while on a break from shopping. It was heavenly.

I also liked most especially the Grand Palace.

The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings in Bangkok, Thailand which served as the official residence of the Kings of Thailand from the 18th century onwards. It was huge. I remember we spent half of our day there just checking out the palaces. It was memorable! I can’t believe that the Palace has been constantly expanded and many additional structures were added up to this moment.

I’m always concern in what I would usually wear in a certain trip. Aside from the fact that I want to be as comfortable as possible, of course, I would want to look good in pictures. (*grin*) But different trips entail different outfits. There are trips that I can wear urban clothes. Comfortable clothes yet these look good on me. I would want to wear those when I travel with kids. At least, I can focus my energy on them and not on how uncomfortable my clothes are. There are trips that I bring night out clothes or party clothes. A trip during winter entails bringing the thickest jacket I got. I don’t like the cold that much so during winter, I make sure that I wear winter clothes. Our next trip will be in my hometown. I’m not sure if it would rain or it would be sunny, so now I wonder what clothes should I bring in that trip?

1. Beat jet lag: stay up late the first night. Oh, the kids will definitely love this. I remember what I love about traveling when I was a kid is that I can stay up late. This time, there’s a reason to do this – to beat jetlag!

2. Have a plan for the day. I agree, this is very important and since you know your kids’ routine very well, incorporate their daily routine with the itinerary.

3. Check the website of the attraction just before your visit. This is very helpful for me. I would do this whether I’m traveling with my kids or not.

4. Ask your hotel concierge for suggestions. Yes, they often know little tips and tricks for getting around the city and visiting attractions that can make your life a lot easier. Of course since they live in the city and knows most of the secret places and must be visited places around.

5. Don’t do too much BUT don’t do too little either. I had a huge mistake of packing our itinerary with too much activities. WE ended up all so tired and cannot move on the next day. Next time, our activites won’t be too much and won’t be too little either.

Source: www.mylittlenomads.com

I love restaurants such as Trattoria Gourmet. Because these restaurants give you lots of options to eat healthy. It’s like you are taking natural diet pills and at the same time happy with what you ate. As the Hubby would always say, he was full and yet contented. Unlike eating in buffets, you get to be so full, you feel like you’re going to get sick. Getting full in gourmet restaurants is so fulfilling you would always want to go back.

So, when my in-laws invited us for lunch on a Sunday, I was ecstatic when they said that we will have lunch at Trattoria. This time we tried different stuff like…

Salami Misti con Peperoni Marinati (P215)

The Salami Misti con Peperoni Marinati is made of fresh mozzarella cheese with tomato and basil olive oil. It was so healthy I felt so fulfillled after having this salad. I find the usual fresh mozzarella cheese really salty but this one is not. Love it!

Boscaiola Pizza (P355 – P495)

The Boscaiola Pizza was oh so yummy. It was made of Pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, salami, bacon and cheese. One slice is enough for me. Since we weren’t able to finish the whole thing, we just had it boxed and then save if for snacks.

For pasta, we had Spaghetti alla Pescatora (P295) which had seafoods in tomato sauce. This one is just ok. I was probably too full already after the pizza that I didn’t get to appreciate this one anymore.

Everybody was happy with our lunch. At least our bodies were happy too.

Healthy Lunch + Bonding with Family = Perfect Sunday!

Trattoria Gourmet, Shangri-la Plaza Mall
5th Level, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, EDSA cor. Shaw Boulevard
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 637-2784

Are there really easy ways to lose weight? I guess it all depends on the person. There’s a friend of mine who makes dieting a hobby. He makes no real effort when it comes to dieting. Although he does the extremes – dieting now and then binge eating the next day. It’s not advisable but my point is, he finds it easy to control his eating habits.

If you are really determined to lose weight, you will find it easy as the days or weeks go by. Discipline I guess is the key. I have yet to go to that path since I don’t have enough discipline to lose weight or should I say, to control my food intake. I crave chocolates and burgers and fries and pizza every now and then, so for me, it is hard to fight that craving.

Any tips on how to lose weight easily?

We had dinner at My Thai Kitchen at The Venice Piazza in Mckinley Hills, Fort Bonifacio a couple of weeks ago. I’m not sure if this My Thai Kitchen is the same as the one at The Enterprise, but I used to love their bagoong rice. I would order that everday for lunch when I was still working there. So when I heard about My Thai in The Venice Piazza, I waited for a special occassion to eat there.

We had Pad Thai Noodles…

…which for me was just ok. It was a bit sour for the kids so they didn’t like it that much. There were a lot of left overs so we just brought it home. Hubby ate it for breakfast the next day.

Since I love squid so much, I tried their Squid Stir Fry with Garlic and Peppercorns.

Without the pepercorns and the sauce, the squid is too bland. It was soft though compared to Northpark’s squiid with pepper (which is my ultimate favorite). I’m not a fan of sauces but this time, I had to include it in this dish.

A Thai meal is probably not complete without a Chicken Pandan. Funny when I was in BKK, I didn’t see any Chicken Pandans there.

My Thai’s chicken pandan was very tasty and crunchy. It was a little sweet too and not the ordinary that’s why the kids love it so much.

We then ordered sticky rice with mango for dessert which was finished in not more than 1 minute. Thus, no photo was taken. LOL! There are other food on the menu that I want to try again so we will definitely go back.

My Thai Kitchen
The Venice Piazza Mall
Ground Level, The Venice Piazza
McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio
Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines

Well, even if I don’t travel, I always make it a point to apply sunblock before leaving the house. It’s not that I don’t want to get dark but I just want my skin to be protected from the UV rays. I remember I used to apply tanning lotions during summer just to get a complete tan. I was curious on how tanning lotions for tanning beds work too. I love the color of tan but during those days, I didn’t apply sunblock. Now, I’m regretting all my sun bathing because I can see the effects on my skin – dark spots. So, yes, I highly recommend that you bring sunblock when you travel. Especially when you are going to the beach!

Have you been to the latest dining “spot” or mall in Manila?

Yes, that’s in Manila! It’s the Venice Piazza at McKinley Hills in Fort Bonifacio. It’s the newest mall although not all of the restaurants have fully opened yet. We went there to have dinner at My Thai Kitchen.The mall is not very big but the space around it is huge is very nice for picture taking.

Here are the restaurants which opened so far in the mall:

- Blackwood Bistro
- Carlo’s Pizza
- Figaro Coffee Company
- Harry’s Bar & Italian Restaurant
- KFC
- Kuse
- Little Asia
- My Thai Kitchen
- Sol Gelato
- Stackers Burger Cafe
- The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
- The Old Vine Grille
- Tokyo Cafe

Most of the restaurants there look promising. I wish I can make a payday advance now and head there as soon as I can. Hubby and I love to explore new restaurants and this mall would top our list. If I can pull off that payday advance, I might be able to do a little shopping too. The procedure is pretty simple and it doesn’t require a lot of requirements. Looks like I’m good to go, actually. I’ll see what happens then I would definitely head to the Venice Piazza mall.