My brother asked me to come up with the romaji lyrics to this so I’m posting it here so that my hard work doesn’t also go to waste! Check out the song, it’s very cool and chill, too! This was a good way to review and also learn new words. I might do this more often!
Romaji Lyrics
Summer Situation Gurasu wa yureru tokeru koori Kion to tomo ni usumaru koohii Tomodachi kourin kyou no yotei nai nara dokka ikou ze Toka iu kotoba wo kiite takai sora ni te wo nobasu weekend Sugu ni koramarinaku naru earphone hottara kashite soto ni kuridasou
Nani wo shiyou tte wake demo nai kedo aitsu ga kounara ikou ka Dokka kyou wa mekedashitai kono machi ni mo akichautatte omocchau Kore nankaime no think zeitaku na hi Aimai na think kurai no ga choudo ii Soutou kimochi ii tte nobishiteru
Chikazuku hodo ni tooku ni natte tooku naru hodo chikazuku nante Fushigi na koto mo aru no ga seikatsu Summer Situation Amari aru keikaku yeah yeah yeah
Mukashi no dorama no you na long vacation menkyo no nai no ni dou surya ii no Yari nokoshita koto ga takusan aru suna de yogoreta kedo haku sandaru Machi juu ni wa tobidashi chuui iza tobidaseba hitokiwa jiyuu ni Saratte kure namiuchigiwa chikaku naru no wa hanareru maebure
Abiru kousen nete hataraite yogorete keshita ato te de mata kaite Katachi nadete saguru no ga jinsei natsu mo soto dezu yaru TV game Sonna shounen mo rapper ni natta yume wo mita mama de asa ni natta Kumorizora ni wa toubun you nai mazu wa chill nochi open your mind
Summer situation tokeru natsu Tokenai mahou kakerareru netsuryou SOS Todokanai mama no kimi wo sagashiteru situation Summer situation tokeru natsu Tokenai mahou kakerareru netsuryou SOS Todokanai mama no kimi wo sagashiteru situation
Betsu ni iissho minna mo kimochi kouyou shi Sore dake demou ii katte kibun ni natteku
Nagasu no wa kyuujitsu mo holiday Sore to mo kono kyoku chikazuku hodo ni tooku natte Toki no nagare no hayasa ni odoroite Kurikaesu hibi maru de sazanami Batsu ga warusou ni warau kimi wo omoidasu
Summer situation tokeru natsu Tokenai mahou kakerareru netsuryou SOS Todokanai mama no kimi wo sagashiteru situation Summer situation tokeru natsu Tokenai mahou kakerareru netsuryou SOS Todokanai mama no kimi wo sagashiteru situation
Chikazuku hodo ni tooku ni natte tooku naru hodo chikazuku nante Fushigi na koto mo aru no ga seikatsu Summer Situation Amari aru keikaku yeah yeah yeah
Summer Situation (Official Video)
Singapore Eats
One of the best things to do when in Singapore is to eat. In our short weekend trip last March, I had to suspend my Ketogenic diet because how can one resist all of the amazing food this country has to offer? Just like the Philippines, Singapore’s cuisine is a influenced by the many cultures that shaped the country in the past and up to today. Unlike the Philippines, though, the taste and palette is a bit different, so some of these food I am craving right now, and would not mind having to fly to Singapore to eat them again!
Here’s a rundown of the food (and drinks) we devoured in Singapore!
Song Fa’s Bak kut teh
My mouth is watering at the thought of this right now. This pork rib soup is very similar to our Filipino Nilaga, but with a lot more punch of garlic and pepper, minus the other ingredients. It’s quite simple to make really, and I would love to try and replicate this in the future. The meat is so tender that it falls off the bone, and the soup is so perfect, you’d be super grateful that it’s refillable!
Bak kut teh on my mind right now
This braised pork belly is super good, too!
I have yet to try other bak kut teh places in Singapore, but Song Fa has always been the go-to recommendation by my friends.
Chili Crab is perhaps one of the top food you think of when someone mentions Singapore. After meeting up with Kristi, she treated us to a generous serving of not one, but two giant crabs for dinner. I could not remember the last time I was this full! I normally don’t eat crab because of the effort it takes to take the meat out, but I got my hands dirty this evening. Not a crab meat went to waste!
It’s a Friday night so we had to go out for drinks, right? Kristi recommended we try out a Michelin recommended bar called Tippling Club. They offer curated cocktails and their theme for that night was Perfume. I seriously don’t remember what we ordered but suffice to say, they were all good – and they were also quite strong! We got tipsy after three drinks each!
I’m not sure if they have a dress code, but we got in wearing shorts and even carrying a plastic bag of instant noodles. We were ready to play the foreigner card if they didn’t let us in!
Perfume – choose your poison!
First of many drinks
This drink has bay leaf in it.
This drink has sour cream in it…I think.
This drink has a burnt twig that you can eat.
My third drink and I forgot what’s in it
The place was already closing up and we were one of the last ones left so we continued drinking at another place before finally calling it a night. It was a good night!
The next day, we left the house a bit late so we met up with Kristi for brunch at One Man Coffee. We were initially supposed to go to another coffee place beside this (can’t remember the name right now) but there was a queue and we were already hungry.
If I were not trying to lose weight, I would love to have this kind of food every morning!
Brunch!
My Avocado Toast
Coffee is life, wherever you are in the world.
I seriously want to try the rest of the other food on their menu. But let’s leave that for my next visit, whenever it will be!
Wee Nam Kee is not something new to Filipinos since they have a branch in the Philippines for a long while now. However, we wanted to try the authentic thing in Singapore. Wee Nam Kee in the Philippines is a little bit on the upscale, but in Singapore, it is like a neighborhood family restaurant you go to eat to on Sundays, no frills, no fuss – just real good steamed chicken!
After catching the lights show at the Gardens by the Bay, we walked all the way to Haji Lane for drinks/dinner. It wasn’t a short walk, and I could feel my friends becoming grumpy at this point (sorry, I made them walk haha) – so we settled for the first thing we saw that was open in Haji Lane. I’m not a fan of Mexican food, but I made an exception for tonight. I really just wanted to get some ice cold beer!
Mexican wraps
Beef Nachos!
Cheesy quesadillas, my fave!
I love how this area is so colorful and lively at night, with live music playing left and right, and people just having a good time without getting too rowdy. It’s a perfect way to spend a Saturday night!
Our last meal in Singapore was special. We ate at a Michelin restaurant named True Blue Cuisine, famous for their traditional Singaporean-Malay dishes. Stepping into that restaurant, I felt transported back to the Singapore before the skyscrapers went up. It’s like getting invited into someone’s home for an intimate feast. And the food is superb! You’ll realize how we’re really one and the same offspring of Malay people through food – there’s something familiar yet different about the taste and the presentation. It’s like coming back home except, it’s not your home, but you feel at home anyway.
This is like a makeshift vegetable lumpia with spicy sauce
A coconut milk-based curry/stew, tastes like our ginataan
This is literally our Ngohiong, and its name sounds the same, too! Looks different, but tastes very similar!
My favorite of the lot – reminds me of adobo, except there’s no vinegar. In its place is a local nut that adds a very unique texture to the taste.
The best Chendol I’ve tried. It’s shaved-ice based like our Halo-halo, but has a strong coconut/pandan taste, just like Buko Pandan, with arnibal (brown sugar syrup)
I was so happy we ate here. Yes, it was a bit on the expensive side, but I really recommend that you try it out for the experience of eating something so similar yet so different. Everything on our table was delicious and the staff were all very friendly, guiding us through each dish as it was served. I really can’t recommend this enough! It was not busy when we got there, but I suggest you give them a call before going as I heard that they’re usually fully booked too.
Address: 47/49 Armenian St, Singapore 179937. Contact: +65 6440 0449.
Even their menu is on point.
There you go! We’ve bought some snacks/drinks in between these main meals which were also good, but I recommend you try out the places I’ve mentioned above if you haven’t yet on your next visit to Singapore!
Time for the groufies!
Congratulations for making it this far! Here’s a series of photos of our faces as a reward! 🙂
Song Fa!
Mellben Signature
Tippling Club
One Man Coffee
Piedra Negra / Haji Lane
If you have other recommendations for my next visit, please let me know via the comments below!
The Art of Minimalism
Last March, we visited Kristi for a short but fun weekend in Singapore. This was already my fourth time in the country and so I didn’t have any specific place to see or thing to do – other than visit an exhibit on Minimalism as an art movement at the National Gallery.
How dark is dark?
The exhibit starts out with paintings that don’t have anything but the color black in them. I am no artist, nor do I have any details on the specifics (I’ve read about them during the visit but my memory isn’t so good). So naturally, the first reaction of a normal person would be to ask the question – “How is this art?”. Like I could literally paint a canvas in all black and sell that for thousands of dollars?!
But as you move along, you discover that perhaps the color black (and you could argue white) is the base and foundation of minimalism. It is in itself more like a philosophy – taking art away from art – and it’s still art!
Beyond the black canvases with different levels of darkness (some are actually quite impressive as you really feel like you are staring into an abyss, like your soul is getting sucked into the darkness the longer you stare into it), minimalism slowly takes its form through simple patterns, colors, and objects put thoughtfully by the artists to portray emotions with the least amount of “ingredients”.
So, without further ado, I will just be sharing some photos for those who did not get the chance to visit (it was a limited time exhibit from March to April 14, 2019).
Space
Mona Hatoum, Impenetrable
Concave/Convex mirror in one
Ai Weiwei, Sunflower Seeds
Light
Tatsuo Miyajima, Mega Death
Peter Kennedy, Neon Light Installations
Dan Flavin, Monument for V. Tatlin
Olafur Eliassonm, Room for One Colour
Object
When you think it’s just paper, but it isn’t.
Reversed Bar – I found this very thought-provoking in that the bartenders will be outside, and the customers inside
Philippines represent – this foam art from a Filipino is one of the main pieces in the exhibit!
Wood in wood, cement in cement
Sopheap Pich, Cargo
There was a lot more to see in the exhibit. One could easily take half a day to fully immerse in each art piece. Going to places like these makes me ask myself why I did not pursue art (it was a passion of mine back in high school). Perhaps someday, when I’m older, and have more time (and resources), I can pick up that brush and start creating something.
For now, visiting exhibits like this with friends will do.
In the yellow room!
I may need to visit some local art museums next time!
Dicasalarin Cove
People normally go to Baler to surf. Sabang Beach, the main beach where people go to surf doesn’t exactly have the best sand quality in terms of color or texture. But, 8 kilometers away from Sabang is a cove with white sand beach and clear waters. There’s not a lot of people there, too! Dicasalarin Cove is for me, the highlight of this weekend. It was like discovering a hidden paradise.
But before we go there, let’s go back to the morning after we woke up from last night’s food coma.
Sabang Beach
After waking up, we went straight to the buffet breakfast at the hotel, which I personally enjoyed. I didn’t eat rice, but I had some oatmeal and pancakes.
Full!
Check out time was at 12 noon, so we decided to go back to the beach and swim. I didn’t swim, for sure. Only my brother ended up singing. Instead, we took photos, drank more beer, listened to music and just enjoyed the sun.
Good morning, beach!
LOL
Chilling by the beach
At around 10:30 AM, we headed back to our resort and took a quick dip at the pool before showering and checking out.
I wanted to swim more!
Secret Paradise
After checking out, it was time to head to Dicasalarin Cove. To be honest, I almost didn’t want to push through with going there because it was out of the way back to Manila, and part of me also wanted to get home as early as possible. But, since this was highly recommended by a friend, and Hannah also wanted to check it out, we decided to just go for it. Good thing we did because we could have missed out on this secret paradise.
Such a nice view!
The road to Dicasalarin cove is not easy. It’s a one way road so there are guards on the entrance and the exit to ensure only one vehicle passes at a time. You literally drive through a jungle and then come out of it to see a magnificent view of the cove.
At the end of the narrow road is this secluded white sand beach with a few cottages and a restaurant. There is an entrance fee of 300 pesos per person, plus 50 pesos per vehicle – but I swear, it’s worth it!
The color of the sand and the water got me excited!
No crowd!
Feels like you have the beach all to yourself!
Because we were already showered and everything, and this was already around 1PM where the sun is harsh, we didn’t swim anymore. We took some photos, then had our lunch at their restaurant. Food was really good and quite reasonable in terms of the price and serving.
Grilled Bangus, Chicharon Bulaklak, Calamares and Chicken Adobo
I loved everything we ordered!
A very clean river at the side of the restaurant
Since we had very limited time and had to start heading back before it got dark, we spent the last 30 minutes after eating taking photos while my brother had a bottle of beer (the rest of us all passed because we will be driving).
This is my blog, so I’m posting my photos
Portrait shots c/o Hannah
We left Dicasalarin Cove at around 3:30 PM feeling sad that we didn’t get to fully enjoy the place, but still grateful that we were able to visit and experience this hidden piece of heaven in Baler!
The end of the road trip
To be honest, it was such a short trip – two days is not enough to fully explore and experience Baler. But since we headed out with more of the journey in mind rather than the destination, we were happy and content with the things we were able to do in those two days. The road trip itself took up a total of 18 hours out of the 48 and it was equally memorable as the time we actually spent in Baler. Special thanks to Hannah for doing most of the driving, Mhealler for letting us use his car and free gas, and my brother for the entertainment (I could say that he’s the life of the party).
We got back to Manila safely at around 11:30 PM already, had dinner at Big Mama, rested a bit at home, before finally sending Hannah to the airport at 2:30 AM for her flight back to Cebu. It was a long and tiring weekend for sure, but it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed going to a place I’ve never been to before, and being carefree with college friends, just like the old days!
Until the next trip!
Baler Road Trip
Baler – known for its waves and as one of the 3 top surfing sites in Luzon (coming from a non-surfer) – was our destination for last weekend’s quick road trip. Hannah came to visit us from Cebu and it has been a while since she’s visited Manila. She wanted to go on a road trip, and it was the perfect time to kick-off summer, especially in this heat – I just had to be on the beach! We were initially planning to go to La Union, but the resorts were all fully booked (this was kind of planned very last minute). So, we ended up in Baler. Good bye West Philippine Sea, hello Pacific Ocean!
A long drive
The start of a long drive!
We left Manila at around 5 am already, after picking up Hannah from the airport, with barely 2-3 hours of sleep. Good thing I was not an assigned driver for today because we used Mhealler’s car instead of mine. I used to love long drives, but I realized I now prefer being a passenger and just chilling at the back seat. It was also Mhealler’s first time to drive outside the city, which was a perfect opportunity for him to practice (and an excuse for me not to drive).
Up until we stopped over for breakfast at one of the gas stations in NLEX, the drive was uneventful and was pretty chill. When we left the parking though, we had an unfortunate encounter with the parking ledge and let’s just say the car experienced a minor injury which had everyone worried. Fortunately, that was the only mishap for the entire trip. We passed by several accidents along the expressway (nothing new for NLEX and its over speeding drivers), so when you go on road trips, please prioritize safety over getting to your destinations as fast as you can!
Not even half-way there. Not even 1/3s there.
24/7
So, we were looking for a place to eat lunch and wanted to try out a local restaurant along the road. We spotted a sign for a restaurant called 24/7 which offered unlimited lechon, bulalo, goto, clean toilets – and we were excited! When we got there, there was no unlimited lechon available yet so we ended up ordering just the bulalo and some pancit/vegetables on the side. Food was OK, but the biggest issue we had with the place was the swarm of flies! Like, seriously – we couldn’t eat properly because flies were attacking our food and it all just felt so disgusting and stressful.
Before we got attacked by the flies
So yes, we didn’t get the unlimited lechon – we got unlimited flies instead.
Picturesque drive
Aside from that horrible experience, the rest of the drive was pleasant to the eyes. This was landscape that I didn’t know Luzon offered. Seeing the Sierra Madre mountain ranges from afar reminded me of New Zealand. The green rice fields along with the blue skies and white clouds make for picture-perfect backdrops.
Look at that view!
Wide skies make for a good backdrop
I had to had my photo taken, too (sorry!)
After a total of 9 hours travel time (including stops), we finally arrived in Baler! Thanks to Hannah and Mhealler for driving us safely! Road trips are a lot of fun especially if you’re with friends you can make jokes and laugh with. You also need good music to listen and sing to in order to fight the sleepiness away. I used to hate long drives, but because of this Baler road trip, I realized it’s actually fun – especially if you’re going to new places because you really discover new things, new sights along the way that make you realize the world is so big and there’s so many more things to explore!
The Cube, Baler
For this weekend, we stayed at The Cube, Baler, which I found at Agoda. What convinced me to book this place was the big pool in the photos, and how unique the rooms looked. I initially booked a room for three (before my brother decided to join the trip), so when we got there, we had to switch to a room that could accommodate four people and I just paid for the price difference. Buffet breakfast for four included, we spent around PHP7,000 for our accommodation.
The Cube, has, well, cubed rooms.
The pool is not deep but big enough to swim around comfortably
I prefer swimming in the pool over the sea (because allergies) so the pool really was a big factor in my decision to book this place.
Aliya Surf Resort
After checking in at the Cube and resting up for a bit, it was time to see the beach! The Cube is not exactly beach front so we headed to the nearby Aliya Surf Resort to spend the rest of the afternoon with a couple of drinks, some food, and a view of the sea!
Even if you’re not checked in at Aliya Surf Resort, you can stay at their restaurant which is right in front of the beach. Sitting here that afternoon, it really made me feel all sorts of feeling – summer is here and life is good!
Everyone’s enjoying their time at the beach
Four-cheese pizza and beer time!
I’ve already decided to take a break from Keto this weekend so I indulged myself to all the good-tasting carbs I could get. We had too much fun eating, drinking and talking that we didn’t get to go to the beach as of this time. We were satisfied with just looking at it until it got dark and everything turned into an amazing bluish hue.
Something about two palm (coconut) trees
My brother, however, went down to the beach and took some photos so I’m posting them here!
Baler is famous for surfing (but we didn’t surf haha)
Sunset not necessary
Chatting and drinking until dark
At around 7PM, it was time to look for a place to eat dinner – something unique to Baler that will be memorable since we’re only here for a night.
Kusina Luntian
After walking around searching for restaurants to eat in (with Google’s help), we finally decided on Kusina Luntian. This restaurant is unique in the sense that everything is self-service, they don’t provide utensils or straws so you have to eat with your hands, and food is served on banana leaves and not on actual plates. The experience itself is already unique. The food was also quite good, although to be honest, we were still a bit full from the snacks and drinks at Aliya Surf.
Dried squid over rice, with Paco, and salted egg/tomato
Baler is famous for this weed-like leaf/fern called Paco, which they serve as a salad or a side dish. This went well with the salty dried squid as it was a bit sweet. I also ordered a coconut to go with the meal. Then the lights went off from a power outage, so they gave us candles so we could see what we were eating. I guess that takes the whole eating like the way old Filipinos do to the next level. This brought me back to summers of my childhood where we’d stay at my grandmother’s house, no electricity because it’s on top of the mountains, and we’d eat just like this – with our hands, and a candle!
Candle-lit dinner, anyone?
And then, sleep.
So, because we were all too full – we wanted to return to the resort to empty our stomachs (you know what I mean). I wanted to head out and continue drinking until we got drunk, but that didn’t happen. When we got to our room, and after taking turns at the toilet, we all fell asleep one by one.
It has been a long day after all – from waking up at 3AM (and even longer for Hannah who came all the way from Cebu), to driving for 9 hours – we were tired. No regrets, though. We had no specific itinerary, and we really just wanted to chill without any major expectations. I’m glad that we got to sleep early because the next day was packed, including another 9-hour travel time back to Manila.
Ending this post here for now, I will continue Day 2 in the next one!
Star City is actually fun
After having lived in the metro for 11 years now, I’ve never really paid attention to its only amusement park – Star City. I have been to Enchanted Kingdom, which I always thought of as our country’s only decent amusement park, although still not comparable to the Disneylands or Universal Studios of other countries. It never crossed my mind to visit until our company decided to hold its first ever family day there!
So, in a span of a month, I went to Star City twice – the first was for an ocular visit, and also to create a video teaser that will be used to promote the Family Day event at work. The second was on the actual Family Day, where I still went despite not having my family with me. In these visits, I realized that Star City is actually fun.
Surf Dance
My favorite ride is the Surf Dance. True to its name, this ride simulates the motion of a wave so prepare to be spun around and have your insides be mixed up for a few minutes. This isn’t as life-threatening though, so I highly recommend this for people who are not used to rides as a stepping stone, in preparation for the more intense ones.
Put your hands up for a better experience!
Viking
This is a ride I both hate and love. It’s fun until the boat goes on full swing – you’ll really feel like your spirit is removed from your body. And it does that for a long time, I almost felt dizzy towards the end. I can only remember wanting the ride to end already because I was almost passing out. It’s not a scary ride, and you’re actually safe in your seat, but it’s just the dizzying factor that makes me hate this.
Before the scary part began
Star Flyer
The Star Flyer is the 2nd scariest ride in Star City. This is their infamous roller coaster where your feet dangle from your seats, and you get reversed at least twice. It is fun but I’m actually concerned about the safety of the ride. I felt my seatbelt loosen up the first time so I got really scared – but there hasn’t been any incident on this ride since 2006 so I’m sure it’s safe. But this one is not for the faint of heart.
Legs up!
Giant Star Wheel
After the high intensity Star Flyer, I suggest you take a break by going on the Giant Star Wheel – Star City’s iconic Ferris Wheel. The cabins are airconditioned and can fit up to 6 people I think. But then again, even if this is chill, those with fear of heights might not be able to relax since the ride is slow! The view from above, especially at night, is spectacular so conquer that fear for a few minutes and enjoy!
Giant Star Wheel – best to go at night!
Star Frisbee
This is probably the scariest ride in Star City and I didn’t even dare get on it. I almost did – but none of my friends wanted to and I couldn’t do it alone – so yes, I settled with a photo, pardon the selfie.
Pardon the face, this is the only photo I got of the ride
Snow World
My absolute favorite, and a waste because I don’t have a photo of it – is the Snow World attraction. So basically, it’s a sub-zero room that lets you experience winter in a tropical country. Just this room alone makes the visit to Star City worth it for me, especially in this heat that we’re experiencing now. There’s an ice slide inside, some ice sculptures, and you can also enjoy a cup of warm coffee or chocolate drink for just PHP 40. If you’re going, I recommend you bring your own jackets since their jackets are thin and have been used by several people already during the day (if you get what I mean).
Art Alive
There’s also a trick eye museum inside, which is fun if it’s your first time, and you have a lot of friends to take cool photos with. It’s not as good as the other trick eye museums I’ve been to (in Korea and Singapore), but it’s not bad either. In fact, it’s a good addition to the attractions within the park.
LOL
Yes, the facial reactions matter
For the Gram
And, if you’re tired of all of the rides, you can check out the many stores and stalls that sell all sorts of things (cheap, too) as well as snack bars that are spread across the entire venue. If you’re into Instagram, you can also take photos that would look good in your feed, because who really goes to amusement parks in this country that often?
Posted on Instagram – @jekert (please follow haha)
A Summer Alternative
So, yes – Star City is fun! It’s right in the heart of Metro Manila, accessible, cheap (490 PHP for ride all you can tickets), and is a great alternative to the beach or the malls. Go with your friends or family, not alone (but hey, if that’s your thing, go ahead), so that you can build fun memories. If you want to learn more, you can visit their website. What I mentioned here are just a few of the many rides and attractions – you can easily spend an entire day there.
2019.04.02 – A day in the life
I’ve purposely entitled this site as “Boku no Nichijou” which (roughly) translates to My Ordinary Life, inspired by the anime Nichijou. Unlike the anime, though, my ordinary life isn’t as fun – there’s barely anything worth sharing. The goal is to do something interesting that’s worth talking about, but for today, I will lay out my typical day so that I will not be repeating it in future posts.
Morning
I normally wake up at around 8-9 AM, although that also depends on what time I get to bed the night before. I take a shower, spend a couple of minutes on social media while having coffee, and then head to work at around 10. I try to skip breakfast because of intermittent fasting – to supplement my ketogenic diet and lose more weight.
I used to work the morning shift but since February, my official working hours are now from 1PM to 10PM, although I do try to go to work earlier if I have meetings, or if I have a lot of things to do for the day.
Lunch
I normally have salad for lunch (delivery), but if I’m not able to order, I just buy fried chicken from Ministop (a convenience store). Sometimes, I go out for lunch with friends, depending on their availability and if there’s no meeting to rush to afterwards.
Today’s lunch – Greek Salad at Whistlestop
My usual lunch buddies – Ivan and Kathi
Afternoon
The afternoon is usually filled with meetings and serious work. Although I try to stop the habit, I can’t help but get coffee from Starbucks on hectic days, or when I just can’t fight the sleepiness.
Usual order: Hot Venti Breve Latte
Two weeks ago, I bought an Aeropress so that I could make my own good tasting coffee at the office while saving money in the long run. I can already live on this (as a coffee addict), but when friends invite me to get coffee outside, I find it hard to say no. Also, I really love Starbucks’ Breve Latte. There are also days when I’m craving for Arabica’s Soy Latte, which is my favorite – but it’s a bit pricier and also the store is a lot further from the office.
Dinner
For dinner, I usually eat with my teammates – we either buy fried chicken (again) from Ministop, or buy takeaway from Rustan’s (my fave is their DIY salad bar) or from Mercato (the nearby food park). This depends on what I had for lunch. Sometimes, my older set of friends from my previous team would invite me to eat as well, which is what happened today. We ended up at Jollibee where surprise, I ordered fried chicken yet again.
Jollibee Chicken Joy
After dinner, it’s back to work until the end of the shift. Depending on the work day, sometimes I extend past 10PM, especially during month-end close or reconciliation period, but I also try to go home on time.
Also, depending on the mood of the team, we sometimes go out after work to de-stress, enjoy a couple (or more) of drinks, and even hit the karaoke bar in the middle of the week. This also depends on how busy the next day will be because when we go out, we go all out! If you know what I mean.
Home
When I get home on a normal day, depending on how tired I am, I spend a few hours watching Netflix (mostly Japanese series/anime) or YouTube. I try to squeeze studying into my after work to-do’s but it’s been difficult for me to religiously keep this up – same with blogging. Hopefully, I will be able to build the routine and be consistent with at least blogging, and then studying can follow.
There you go, that’s how my nichijou is on the weekdays. I will look for something interesting to post each day. This will be a challenge but this would also help make my daily life a bit more fun than usual. Hopefully.
That’s all for now! What’s your nichijou like?
2019.04.01 – Happy April Fool’s!
Alright, let’s do this. I want to get back to daily blogging again, even if my posts don’t make any sense on most days – because really, my life is not as exciting as I want it to be. As an office worker, my routine is all about waking up to go to work, and coming home to sleep. I talked about it before and part of why I want to blog more regularly is that it forces me to look for something interesting to do, so that I have something to write about. And I’ll try to do just that.
For now, all I know is that I want to post something on a daily basis.
The first of April is notorious for being the day when you just have to stop trusting in people. There were times when I engaged in elaborate attempts to trick or fool friends, but gone are those days. I don’t even see people making an effort on this day anymore. These tricks or jokes mostly happen just on the Internet nowadays, not so much in real life, at least not around me. So yes, despite the title, there is no fooling around involved in this post. And no, my attempt to blog daily again isn’t a joke either.
April Full’s
Today was pretty normal. We had dinner outside with my teammates and it still amazes me how big our team (in terms of # of members, and not in terms of actual size per human being) is compared to when there was just 6 of us. There were 16 of us at dinner tonight, that we had to wait in line until a huge table was available for our group. We ate at Din Tai Fung, which is a challenge for someone following a Ketogenic way of life so I obviously failed – I probably had around 5 pieces of Xiao Long Bao and a bite or two of a steamed bun. Not to be too hard on myself, but I have been slacking off the past month and I need to get back on track. As usual, I will try again tomorrow.
Here’s a photo of our big team!
So yeah, my first of April was more like April Full’s (may lightning strike me for my corny ass joke) because I ate too much. To be fair though, I did not have lunch.
Anyhow, there’s a lot of catching up to do on this blog. And I really mean a lot. Until now, as has been my problem for the past xx years, I can never decide on a niche or a specific topic that I want to focus on so a random daily journal works best for me. I’ll be posting about my Singapore trip last month in the next few days so please look out for those.
For now, sleep – because the coffee I drank at 12 midnight is finally wearing off. Oyasumi!
Lazy Saturday Galbitang
I haven’t had a free Saturday in a while (where I wasn’t nursing a hangover). My plan was to wake up early, clean the house and maybe get back to studying – but I overslept and woke up past noon. I normally browse through YouTube on my phone when I don’t want to get up and I ended up rewatching old 2NE1 music videos. So basically, I woke up today full-on Korean mode.
I’m fortunate to be living just a few steps away from one of Manila’s unofficial Korean town in Poblacion, Makati. With Spotify’s Korean Daily Mix plugged to my ears, I took a leisurely walk to KTown, making sure I was still aware of the cars behind me (these AKG earphones are good at cancelling noise, ISTG).
I didn’t want to eat something greasy, so KBBQ was not an option. I also still wanted something keto-friendly because I have been cheating a lot recently (I had a donut yesterday, too). I ended up choosing Galbitang (Beef ribs soup) at a neighborhood restaurant called Jumong.
Jumong Korean BBQ Restaurant
This was way past lunch time so the place was not crowded (it usually is)
Their Galbitang is at 350 pesos but it already comes with a complete set of side dishes. An advantage of eating alone is that you have all of those for yourself, and they’re refillable, too!
All for me!
Galbitang – the tender beef is under the egg!
The Galbitang was perfect. The beef falls off the ribs and it wasn’t tough to bite at all. This would have been perfect for a hangover, too! The serving is already quite generous for one person. I skipped on the rice, but had a few refills of the side dishes. I took my time, there was no reason to rush on a Saturday afternoon like this.
While eating, I was listening to my old KPOP favorites from back when I was super into it (this was around 2008 to 2014). I tweeted some of my recommended songs so check my Twitter out for those. The music definitely added to the experience of feeling like actually eating at a neighborhood restaurant in Seoul. I didn’t want to leave the restaurant because it was so hot outside. I almost ordered a bottle of soju, too.
Jumong is at the corner of General Luna and Don Pedro Streets, in Poblacion, Makati. I advise you visit during off-peak hours because they’re usually full during dinner.
February 2019 Rundown
Because I am truly failing at making this a daily blog, here’s a rundown of my highlights for the month of February.
1st week
The first week of February was busy but fun. Our manager who is based in the US was here for a business trip and while our days were packed with meetings and working sessions, we also had a lot of team lunches and dinners! Our team has grown exponentially (there used to be only 6 of us) with all the new work coming in – but the more, the merrier, right?
We capped off the week with an offsite team building where we walked on ropes, ran a tough obstacle course, and spent four hours singing our hearts out in karaoke!
Our team has grown! New Hires’ Welcome Lunch at Mango Tree
Team building offsite at Camp N in Nuvali.
2nd week
At the end of the first week, I flew to Cebu to attend the baptism of a friend’s first baby! I’m not a religious person so I don’t know why people are getting me to be a godparent to their kids – but I make exceptions for close friends. It was good to see my college friends and I also got to catch up with my old Bisdak family who are now all back in Cebu for good.
College friends! Azure Society after 12 years!
Catch-up with ex-P&G Bisdaks / Mahjong Association friends.
I actually got sick while in Cebu and took that with me back to Manila. I had fever and chills, unending cough, no voice because my throat couldn’t take all the coughing – but still went to work. The virus was all over the office, too – so a lot of people were sick, it wasn’t just me. I did not spread it around!
Never ending fever!
3rd week
I was feeling a bit better on the third week after taking a few days off work to really rest. I just stayed in bed for 3 days straight from the weekend so that helped a lot. Work continues to be busy so I tried to balance that out by hanging out with friends, both old and new!
Catch-up with FR friends!
Friday night out with the new hires!
The weekend that followed was a long weekend (Monday was a holiday) – but I did not go anywhere or do anything special. I just stayed at home, slept for half the time, and caught up on my Netflix shows (finished The Umbrella Academy and Violet Evergarden).
4th week
The last week of February was hectic. It was our first month-end closing as a team, and since February is a couple of days short from the other months, tasks where we would normally have 5 days to complete were crammed into 1-2 days. We did it anyway!
Our first month-end close as a team! Time check: 2 AM!
And that’s how February ended for me! It felt like a short month because there were so many things to do and so little time to do them – but at the same time, I agonized a lot because I got really sick and for a long time too (almost 2 weeks). Anyhow, glad that’s all over and done! There are busier days ahead, but there are weekends to look forward to. I have some travels lined up in each month, starting in March so I hope to blog more often, more timely, and go from monthly updates, to maybe weekly updates – until I get to my goal of daily blogging.
As I always say – we’ll see!
P.S. As you may have noticed, no Valentines whatsoever for me!
