When do I usually write? I honestly write most of the time. It is just that when I experience extreme emotions, I write it on a piece of paper rather than type it. Think of it as saving myself from embarrassment and saving you from reading such things.
And maybe now you’re wondering what has happened to me these past months and why am I actually writing right now..
All I can say is that A LOT has happened. A LOT HAS CHANGED. From my college life to my social life to my bucket list, my travel experiences, my (love) life?? and even my haircut!!
These past months have been a roller coaster ride for me. I have experienced the most extreme emotions I have ever had EVER in my life. (I know, that’s redundant but I have to prove my point here!) These are not necessarily negative things but neither is everything positive.
It has been exactly 10 months since my last personal blog and though I cannot share with you everything that has happened because well.. I can’t remember everything or maybe I don’t want to remember everything? I’ll try and give you a jist of everything.
My views, values and morals have been challenged. My character was really tested because of the opportunities and situations that came my way. I am no superwoman but I believe that though that is the case, we still have the power to choose. It is important to never lose sight of yourself and the self that you want to be. At the end of the day, I think it will always boil down to “Did you do what you wanted to do but is within the “path” you want yourself to take? And while at it, did you not hurt any one with or without their knowledge?”. That’s a thought to ponder on.
Experience is the best teacher they say. But I believe too that prevention is better than cure. One need not experience everything for them to learn. It is best to learn from other’s mistakes to save yourself from the consequences.
I, too, have questioned myself a lot. I think this has got to be my biggest challenge. Admittedly, I still haven’t gotten over this hurdle until this point. I have been so reliant on how others think of me and it has made me over-think more than usual or more than what is “acceptable”. Because of over-thinking, my moods are sometimes unpredictable and there are times when I have tantrums and start petty fights with some people who I don’t think gives me enough attention. I become sarcastic, give them the silent treatment or just simply act cold to them. And well.. that is unfair for them. They don’t deserve that and I shouldn’t demand for anything since nothing is really official. Sometimes I just feel that I’m being put on reserve but there are no perks to being this kind of reserve.
Expectations lead to disappointments but there are times where I really can’t help but expect or at least hope for it. And when it doesn’t happen, of course, it affects me. I try not to get affected a lot and so far, it has worked a little for me. I know I have to work more on this.
Don’t get me wrong.. I know I can control it but before, when I do try to distance my self a bit, I actually end up totally pushing people away and I am tired of pushing people away. I am not used to controlled distances. I don’t pretend. I am my usual self when I’m with other people and I want them to be like that too. I dislike barriers.
When I want you in my life, I want you close. And if I start to believe that we have to have some distance and that this friendship or any other type of relationship needs that, I almost always end up too guarded to even want you close. I am a clingy person and a person of extremes. I don’t know if that is bad but.. I think I should learn to adjust. Or maybe distance myself if I feel like they don’t want me in their life? It’s hard to find out but I think I can act based on how they treat me and how they make me feel when with them or not.
Anyway I think this post is becoming too emotional
I have been going out a lot compared to before. I am used to going home straight after my classes just because I want to skip the traffic when going home at a later time. Now, I often go to school earlier to have lunch with friends. Or stay after class for dinner. Or even call them when I suddenly have breaks between classes. I have also been on a road trip Manila-Laguna-Tagaytay-Manila just because we wanted too. Also, because of one of my classes, I have been to Bohol with my classmates and it is just a different type of bonding for us. We learned so much about one another and ourselves too. It was unforgettable.
After 10 years of having long hair, I’ve decided to cut it short (not super short but 7-8 inches have been removed). I now sport a bob. Why? Well.. they say that women cut their hair when they’ve experienced something extreme that is out of the usual – and usually in a negative way and yea.. maybe that happened to me too? It is still fresh for me and there are times (often) that I still remember what happened but all I can say is that it worked somehow. I don’t know how to explain it but it really worked.
All of that plus more happened in a span of 10 months. I cannot describe how much these experiences have changed my outlook on life. But though I am far from perfect and from my ideal self, I am ready to continue changing for the better. Baby steps maybe but these are still steps.
Faith. Patience. Focus.
Lastly, I have made the OC organizer in me work too. I have been monitoring my finances again, trying to find opportunities to invest on, planning my future travels, updating my goals and planning on how to achieve them. I’m gonna let this stage of my life be about strengthening my character.
P.S I have my own car already too! just 8 days ago 🙂 yay to more adventures and hole-in-the-wall places 🙂
—wanderrwithmee.xx
Travelling is something you owe yourself. You learned that there’s more to travelling than simply spending your hard-earned cash for some flamboyant pleasures of the world. You learned that you learn more of yourself as you travel. You learned that there’s a bigger world of possibilities outside your little space of comfort. You learned that you travel to have your mind and soul grow with you – that you have to do this as a spiritual, mental and emotional hibernation from everything that’s keeping you weighed down. You learned that you deserve it.
You are at the point in your life where and when you feel that you are 100% an adult. You earn your own money, you support your family, you pay your bills (and have consistently done it on time), you clean your own apartment, you buy your own groceries, you create life-changing thoughts and decisions in your shower (or in the loo, your choice), you do your laundry, you (try to) manage your schedule (juggling work, family, love and recreation) and you are 25.
And then there are moments in being in this quarter of a century that you understand you are at least a little wiser than yesterday and so much more than 365 days ago. You’ve learned that:
1. Family is everything. This is something you’ve heard countless times from your parents and other grownups when you were just a few feet old but you’ve really learned its…
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***This is not a sponsored post.
All photos are mine. Credit properly, thanks. ^^
*complete menu available at the bottom of this post*
The last time I wrote a foodie review was a long time ago.
Frankly, this review is not really planned.
What made me change my mind?
The establishment itself.
It is worth my time.
My eldest sister and her husband was the one who discovered the place first.
Last night, I went here to eat dinner with my two sisters.
The name of the restaurant is “Geni’s Cafe”/”Geni’s Fusion Cuisine”.
Location: Salem Complex, Domestic Road, Ninoy Aquino Airport Area, Pasay City
(Across NAIA Terminal 4, near Shakeys)
On their menu, you can find a brief background about the entrepreneur behind the cafe.
YES, she’s a former flight attendant!!
(My dream job :>) ❤
Moving on…
Let’s get physical!
This is the cafe from outside.
With what you can see from the photo, it looks like any other establishment here in Manila.
Nothing really special or catchy.
Having studied Marketing for 3 years, the power of Advertising should never be overlooked.
Though their servers say that they are full especially during lunch time, I suggest that they work on their branding a bit more.
As soon as you get in, look to your left and you’ll see this..
Across it is this:
Just a small showcase with three samples of fondant cakes that you can order from them.
Apart from the cafe being well lit, one thing I admire about the cafe is the color scheme!
The colors they used to design the place go very well with each other.
Here is a closer look at their table.
And now the best part.. the FOOD.
As you may have noticed in their name, they serve fusion cuisine.
It means that they don’t serve just one type of food – talk about flexibility!
*check out the bottom of this post for their complete menu*
For the appetizer, they served us Honey Brown Bread with butter – 5☆
OF ALL THE PLACES I’VE TRIED THAT HAS BREAD FORTHEIR APPETIZER, THIS IS MY FAVORITE.
I don’t know how they did it but even though the bread wasn’t newly baked, the texture of the bread was perfect.
It had a crunch that makes you want to eat and eat and eat the bread.
To add to this, the butter that comes with it is not tasteless!
Rather than the ordinary butter served at restaurants, theirs seem to have a rich taste in it.
Without a doubt, I gave their appetizer 5★.
Now for the main entrees..
Baked Salmon – 5☆
I don’t have anything negative to say about this dish. For me, it seems like it was delivered straight from heaven! 😛
On a more serious note..
Though you may not be able to identify it, the salmon is actually coated with mashed potato.
The salmon was perfectly cooked.
It is tender but not too tender that it feels undercooked.
The sprinkled paprika or chili powder (I’m not sure) gives the dish a hint of spiciness that complements the cream-based sauce very well.
For those on a diet, I highly recommend this!
Just ask the server to have the sauce separated so you can control the portion of the sauce.
Red Chicken Curry – 3☆
As you can see from the photo above, the sauce of this dish is not that opaque.
It is a bit thin for my liking.
As with the chicken pieces, it is cooked evenly.
The meat is tender and when you bite it, you can see from the meat that the sauce has penetrated the inside which makes it flavorful.
Since this is mainly an Indian dish, it was a bit spicy.
The base of the sauce is cream and for me, it lacked a bit of the “oomph” factor.
On the flip side, my sister liked their eggplant so much.
Beef Masala – 4.5☆
Beef is one type of meat which is hard to cook.
If it is undercooked, it is tough – like your chewing rubber.
When overcooked, it’ll feel like your eating chicken flakes.
BUT.. this dish?
It seems like they had zero problem in cooking the meat!
If you look closely at the dish, you will see that there are a lot of different herbs & spices in it!
They are generous with the ingredients they added to this dish and because of that, it became really flavorful.
One thing I noticed though is that because it is a bit too flavorful, it is best eaten with rice.
So for those who try to stay away from carbohydrates, I suggest you pick another dish.
Nevertheless, this dish is delicious and worth a try!
Few carbs wouldn’t hurt.
Sweets it is!
Red Velvet Cheesecake – 3.5☆
The first thing I noticed?
The generous serving size.
With this slice, one to three people can actually share!
If you try and have a taste of all the layers together, the flavor just explodes in your mouth.
The cake base complements the cheesecake so well.
Since I am not a fan of too (“too” is subjective) sweet desserts, I’d prefer the dessert to have more red velvet cake.
But then again.. we ordered a cheesecake so it is a bit expected that the cheesecake part of the dessert should be the main base. 😛
Blueberry Cheesecake – 3.0☆
It could’ve been better.
Sorry for the straight forward remark but I honestly am a big fan of blueberry cheesecakes.
Don’t get me wrong..
The dish was yummy but there is something – I’m not sure what – that is lacking.
Compared to the red velvet cheeecake, this is creamier.
Also, the dessert has strong flavors which makes the blueberry and the cheesecake fight for the attention of the one eating.
A softer crust would make the dessert better in my opinion.
Below is a picture of me with my two sisters before eating our dessert ^^
All in all, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend that you try eating here.
Definitely a hole-in-the-wall.
One for the books!
—wanderrwithmee
*********************************************************************************************************************
Rating:
Ambiance – 5/5
Servers – 5/5
Price – 4.5/5
Food – 4/5
Satisfaction – 9/10
Recommend: Definitely YES.
Here is their menu:
P.S. I saw in one of their posters that they have lunch sets as well. 😛
Again, please please credit properly. All photos above are mine.
***This is not a sponsored post.
This is a quote from my favorite book, Everyday.
A’s POV
“I am a drifter, and as lonely as that can be, it is also remarkably freeing. I will never define myself in terms of anyone else. I will never feel the pressure of peers or the burden of parental expectation. I can view everyone as pieces of a whole, and focus on the whole, not the pieces. I have learned to observe, far better than most people observe. I am not blinded by the past or motivated by the future. I focus on the present because that is where I am destined to live.” – David Levithan, Everyday
I recommend you to read it!
Such a selfless book ❤
—wanderrwithmee
Finally bought one!
Scratch map travel edition (world map) 🙂
Will be writing about it soon!
—wanderrwithmee
안녕하세요!
Finding time to write lately has been a challenge.
I usually leave the house early and get home late because of school.
Luckily today, I arrived a little more than an hour before my class and because I wasn’t able to eat breakfast at home, I went straight to Kenny Rogers – a minute or two from the entrance of my school.
Here is my breakfast:
I know it isn’t the healthiest out there but trust me, it is better than my breakfast for most days which usually consists of rice, fried egg, fried hotdog/spam, etc.
Lately, I’ve been trying to fix my fitness routine and diet.
Last Wednesday, I tried boxing for the first time.
It was better than expected.
My sister and I arrived at around 8:30 in the morning at the gym (but started at around 9:00).
Our training finished at around 12NN.
Without the breaks, I think we trained for at least 1 hour and 45 minutes which by the way is a BIG leap for me cause I’m not really a fan of strenuous activities.
I even hate jogging! —Our warm up was a 15 minute jog.
THE HORROR.
But yes, though it was hard for me and especially for my legs, I did it without cheating 😛
The day after the trial session, my body was a bit sore.
Yesterday (Monday), I had another boxing session.
This time, it was my first training as an official member.
I acquired a membership because aside from having discounts, I’d like it to be another pushing force for me to achieve my fitness goals.
I’m not sure what the difference was (aside for the increase in intensity) but I felt like I liked the sport even more.
It is tiring, yes.
But for some reason, I’d like the idea of me sweating because of working out.
There is this unexplainable feeling of accomplishment after the training and I actually don’t feel bad eating lunch afterwards.
Mind you, I didn’t binge eat!
I think that aside from being a physical workout, boxing also is a form of disipline.
Frankly, my right shoulder is a bit sore since yesterday.
I think it is because of my wrong form when punching or because I exerted a little too much effort.
Anyway, I know this will pass.
The pain doesn’t bother me because I believe in the saying that soreness due to exercise is a reward and not a punishment.
I plan to go boxing twice a week.
(Mondays & Wednesdays – or maybe even Saturdays)
I am slowly progressing and watching what I eat slowly.
How about you? Have you found or do you have a sport or fitness routine? 🙂
Trust me, it feels great afterwards!
—wanderrwithmee
It is already known to my old readers about my passion for travel and my dream job – to be a cabin crew.
Recently, I made a step towards that dream.
The change in course (and school) that I’ve been deciding on for months have been given action.
Yes, I feel a little guilty for leaving my former school.
I can’t say anything bad about the school, professors, students and the other school personnel there.
They have all been nice to me.
Even though it was risky transferring schools even if I transferred to a sister school (it isn’t guaranteed that the same treatment will be given to me as what my former school have), I still pushed through with the transfer.
Why?
Because I value myself.
I want to do what I think will make me a better individual and do what I think will help me to achieve my dreams.
If making that move entails risking my study environment, extending my school years and be forced to not spend as much time with my friends from my former school, then so be it.
Being in a university, the main purpose is for the student to learn, build character and build relationships.
One needs to focus on that.
What students sometimes don’t understand about university life is that it isn’t an escape from secondary school.
Your student life will NOT be easier.
Sometimes it will seem like it but it isn’t and though that is the case, it should not be the focus.
Self-improvement should be.
School started last week and it marks a new chapter in my life.
I am now officially a HRIM – Travel and Tourism Management student.
(Hotel, Restaurant & Institution Management)
Finally ♡
—wanderrwithmee
It has been awhile since I last wrote here.
Frankly, I still don’t know what to write.
There are so much things in my mind that I want to say but for some unknown reason, I just couldn’t get my hands to type the words.
I know that my writing ”skills” are a bit rusty right now but I promise to make it up to you through a post within this week – or next.
It’ll be a short update on as to what has happened with my dream job, what I am doing to achieve it and my realizations on some things.
Another reason on as to why I can’t write a lengthy post tonight is because I need to sleep early.
I have an 8 AM class tomorrow which means that I have to get up at 5:45 AM.
Also, after my class, it’ll be the first time that I’ll try the sport, boxing.
Please anticipate my ”path to fitness”. HAHAHA.
Seriously though.. I have been binge eating a lot lately.
Or when I’m not, the food I eat are not necessarily ”healthy” per se.
I feel so guilty which is why I’ll start (IN ALL SERIOUSNESS) my fitness plan.
I don’t actually have a fixed plan yet but I’ll definitely cut down my carbohydrate intake, choose healthier food options and do boxing or other form of exercise at least twice a week.
I need to do this for myself, for my dream job and for my future.
I know that does sound a bit selfish but who else will love you and take care of you but yourself, right?
You should always value yourself. 🙂
This is it for now.
Ciao!
—wanderrwithmee
I have always loved rankings of world beaches but when no Philippine beach appears on the lists, I would surely get disheartened. How could someone produce the list of the top 10 beaches in the world when in fact they have not seen all! They could have just came up with the title, “The best beaches we have seen so far!” Sometimes, you cannot fathom why a beach in filthy Kho Phangan in Thailand is ranked higher than the immaculate beach in Playa del Carmen in Mexico. CNN produced a list of the world’s 50 best beaches and it created overwhelming disapproval when beaches in the Greek Islands, in Bermuda and in the Philippines’ Palawan were missed out. Also, Yahoo Travel featured an article ranking the Philippines’ best beaches and I thought it was not so properly done, placing El Nido at the top without even singling out any of…
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wanderrwithmee 