Good food, great company

Last night, we had an EB of blog friends from blogkadahan. It was an informal gathering arranged by Doc Emer (thanks Doc!).

We had dinner at Mannang's located at the lower ground floor of SM Megamall. They serve Filipino food with yummy twists, such as sinigang na corned beef and tofu sisig. We also had fish fillet in coconut sauce and spicy fried chicken. My stomach is grumbling just thinking about last night's dinner. It was great! The spicy chicken was crunchy and ... uh... spicy, the fish fillet divine, and the sinigang was delicious. You can't go wrong at Mannang's.



Dinner was even more fun as we shared stories of all sorts (from admirers to educational shows, immigration, past EBs, about people who weren't in this EB, hehehe). Picture picture here, picture picture there, and of course when the food showed up, more photos of the food!

The other tables were wondering if we were a celebrity bunch, what with all the flashes going off every now and then. Oh wait... yep, there was a celebrity indeed. Lifestyle blog awardee Toni of Wifely Steps!

The last time I was in a blog EB was in the Pinoyblog Christmas Party a couple of years ago. So I was excited to attend this one. It was great seeing Doc Emer, Tito Rolly (slim and fit!), Apol, and Ajay again. And meeting the tall and gracious Mari and Lara babes (the guest of honor) for the first time was a blast!

Thanks for the fun evening! Hope to see you again soon!

Additional great photos courtesy of Doc Emer:

Pico de Loro

We had our first trekking trip early this year, and it was in Pico de Loro located in Batangas. Pico de Loro is so named because the outcrop above looks like a parrot's head, hence the name which also means Parrot's Peak. Can you see the the parrot?

This trek was made possible by the Anino Mountaineering Club located in Baclaran. They have close ties with the Baclaran Church, and this was a benefit climb for the street children. A fun climb with a community awareness goal to it, both activities I like doing. So why not join? And join we did. A lot of people signed up for this activity, resulting in close to 80 participants. They rented two buses for the trip going there and back.

The trek going here was more difficult than the previous climbs we have done (and that's considering we stick to level 1's). An hour's trek from the magnetic road going to Caylabne Resort will lead you to the camping site.

Hold on... a magnetic road?
Yes, a magnetic road. The road goes uphill but if you turn off your car's engine and set it to neutral, your car will move upwards. Strange huh? Bit I can attest that it's true. We have done it years ago.

Back to the story
We were overjoyed when we saw the camping site. Yay! We haven't full broken out into sweat and we were already there! We later realized that we were just taking a break there and have our lunch. So while the organizers cooked lunch for the huge crowd, we whiled away the time taking photos, making small talk, playing cards, and goofing around.

Time for lunch!


After lunch was when the "fun" began. There were medics in the group (from the Philippine Red Cross) and when we broke off into groups, a couple were left with us. Soon my comrades were taking breaks more frequently (not that I needed it too... I realized then how badly out of shape I was) and the medics urging us on.

There were a lot of interesting things to see along the way. Nature tripping!

After about four hours we finally made it to the top. At first glance I didn't see the parrot resemblance. You actually have to be in a certain area to see it. After a few steps, the parrot emerged. Amazing. It was windy and fresh, and you feel like you're on top of the world! The view was spectacular, the company amusing.

This one goes here, that one goes there, right?

Breathtaking views

Here comes the sunset

That night, we had socials. We had a group prayer, and sang songs and had sharing of sorts about why we joined in this activity.

The Parrot worshippers of the morning after

We dropped by the falls in our descent. We were a bit disappointed to see it reduced to a trickle (which they said happens in the dry season) but we still took a shower here to cool off.

This was quite a long way down from the summit. We learned that this was where the organizers got the water that night and in the morning. I must say, I salute them for their dedication to the activity. This was really a long way from the campsite!

Thanks, Anino Mountaineering Club, for this memorable trek.

Slippers and Everyday Shoes

I don't collect shoes. I don't collect slippers either (or flipflops, as they're trendily called these days). So it was quite a surprise when I realized that I have three new pairs of footwear.

This pair of abaca slippers came from a colleague who went on a trip to Bicol last Holy Week. I use this in the pad. Thanks Gen!

This pair came all the way from Japan, Princess Em's pasalubong to me. Thanks Em! This pair is in the office, and is the most expensive pair of slippers I have ever had.
Oh, those are my pet rocks, wandering about on my office table.

Shall I call them flip flops to keep up with the times? Hmmm....

And then, there's my "everyday shoes".

The first time I saw Crocs was in Heart of Rachel . Many people swore by how comfortable it is. Many also told stories about its dangers in the hospitals and in elevators. That got me curious, not because I wanted to lead an endangered existence, but because of how comfortable it is. I sure can use a pair in my frequent trips to Baguio. My Sandugo trekking sandals are showing signs of wear and tear already because it's my favorite footwear for trips. But it doesn't protect much from the cold bus airconditioning, and it can get uncomfortable in the rain as the straps absorb water.

But when I learned how expensive it was, I fell off my seat and wondered if I need to buy shock absorbers for my aching behind instead.

Then lo and behold. Follen and I saw a magazine ad featuring Noosa which closely resembled the Crocs. I googled the name and came up with an online newspaper article. It was dubbed as made by a local company, cost-effective, but not sacrificing on comfort. It caught my attention. The catch is, it's only available in Robinsons Department Stores. For some reason, that article is no longer showing up in Google.

Anyway, we finally saw some in Galleria yesterday. Pauline bought a pair, but I did not find one my size. I saw mine that same afternoon at Robinsons Place Manila. The sales rep aid I have to get a pair that does not fit exactly, there has to be some allowance. So I bought a size 11. And then I bought a pair for my wife too. Mine's dark blue, hers is white. I hope she likes it. I wanted to buy a pair for Jo-Lo as well but the smallest (a size 5) is way too big for him. I'll be wearing mine this weekend when I go up to Baguio.

Happy weekend, everyone!