I Adore - Alexandre..Farewell

Some call it maturity, others term it mellow...It's that point in your life when you prefer a quiet environment to unwind, rather than going to clubs. This I call -ME time. And Alexandre-French Bakery Bistro and Lounge in The Fort gives me just that.

My love for Paris, and the Eiffel tower outside the cafe is reason enough to draw me inside the lounge, its' homey feel was too hard to resist...


I ordered the succulent pistachios macaroons and a croissant..

paired with a cup of my favorite coffee, in a mug that says...

Lounging in this place, is too relaxing, you could forget that you've been staying there for hours. That's why it pains me when I heard that the cafe has finally made its' curtain call and said goodbye to its' clients.

Thank you, Alexandre, for giving me a taste of Paris...

Mercato Centrale

After it's opening late last year, Mercato Centrale has now become a famous destination for foodies all over the metro.. I headed off to Mercato a day after it was launched and I keep coming back on every weekends that I could, and it never cease to impress me with its' wide spread of food and even organic stuff to suit any one's needs. It has moved into a new location, still in The Fort, just at the back of St.Lukes near MC Home Depot and S&R.

Different food stalls, so foodies and clients would have a wide array of choices.

While going around and checking out the stalls, you can sample the food products, because each food stall offer food tasting.

Tables and chairs are provided for customers to relax and dine at the same time. You can even share your table with a fellow foodie and gain friends.

Oh and this is where I got a sampling of my personal favorite-DQ Ice Cream. The day I was there was the day that they brought back their Dive Bar.

And these mochi's are sooo good :)

Mercato now has it's counterpart in the South, it's called Soderno. Check it as well.

HOME IS.....

HOME is where BOKLAN chicken,pancit and siomai can be found...

This was what the status on my Facebook wall was, right before New Year. Posted this along with this picture...

...and truly a vacation in my hometown, in Bicol won't be complete without a visit to this restaurant aptly named BOKLAN, the meaning of which I don't know, but for sure their owned by a Chinese family and they serve all these three famous Chinese staple. The food is prepared and cooked upon order,for guaranteed freshness...

Summing Up My Daily Grind

This somehow sums up my daily grind....Being with kids, helping them read or at least make them say the letter sound correctly....sing with them, hug them...and revel at every big school entrance exams that they pass....

Daycare Provider Poem

Author: unknown

Although you’re not their mother,

You care for them each day

You cuddle, sing, and read to them

And watch them as they play.

You see each new accomplishment

You help them grow and learn

You understand their language

And you listen with concern.

They come to you for comfort

And you kiss away their tears

They proudly show their work to you

You give the loudest cheers!

No, you are not their mother

But your role is just as strong

You nurture them and keep them safe

Though maybe not for long --

You know someday the time will come

When you will have to part

But you know each child you’ve cared for

Is forever in your heart!

When children come home at the end of the day,

The question they're asked as they scurry to play

is, "Tell me what you did today?"

And the answer they give makes you sigh with dismay.

"Nothing, I did nothing today!"

Perhaps nothing means that I played with blocks,

Or counted to ten, or sorted some rocks.

Maybe I painted a picture of red and blue

Or heard a story of a mouse that flew.

Maybe I watched the gerbils eat today,

Or went outside on the swings to play.

Maybe today was the very first time

That my scissors followed a very straight line

Maybe I lead a song from beginning to end,

Or played with a special brand new friend.

When you're in pre-school

And your heart has wings,

"Nothing" can mean so many things!!

Independence Day

June 12 is the country's Independence Day but it's even more special for me because it's my birthday. 2009 and 2010 have been quite a wonderful year for me and for that I am truly greatful. I am blessed to have a very busy tutorial schedule something that I haven't experienced in a while, doubly happy that my student again made it to the Outstanding Students List and so I felt I should at least celebrate....and celebrate I did (with my sis' and our friend Boy who followed at the karaoke night) even if I had work in the morning of my birthday..

Met up with my sisters and had a sumptuous lunch of Barbecue Platter...

and I had this cute birthday cake called Strawberry Fields...
then we head off for some karaoke fun....

CAPTURED: Churches that Captured Me

On Maundy Thursday, I was able to complete Visita Iglesia and three of the seven churches I went to were the churches that strike me the most. Location was not an issue..I just had to get there...and all these churches I was able to capture.

This imposing church right across the new NAIA Terminal 3 called Shrine of St. Therese is simply breathtaking.

St. Alphonsus Mary De Liguori Church in Magallanes has really nice structural designs, I can't help but take pictures..Nice for intimate weddings...

Our Lady of Victories Church is another sight to behold. For someone who loves big, long aisle churches, this has got to be an exception to the rule. I instantly fell in love with this church the moment I reached it's location. It looked like Don Bosco's Chapel on the Hill in Batangas only this one is in the city. As I wrote on my other site, this church captivated me. This is a traditional catholic church and all masses are in Latin..


going up the church which was situated on an elevated area

at the church entrance

AltarThe church facade

Back to Writing..

The one's who are following me on twitter already know why I am on semi-hiatus on blogging since the second week of march..It was my tutorial student's trimestral exams so I have been too busy doing reviewers for them..Both of them are honor students so the pressure's on me..I had to make sure they maintain their grades..Their grades are yet to be given but I know they got good grades...hehehe

So now that they are already on vacation, I got more time to blog..I'll post something about my tutees later...

"Tikes" got Talent

My tutorial kids were quite busy this January practicing performances for their family day...Two of them were her n this video and I couldn't be more proud. Their group won first place...


Congratulations girls!!!

15 Years Baby....

I missed out posting about the reunion of my high school batch last December 30, and so here I am scribbling whatever I remembered from the event..The affair was originally set at 8:00 am I arrived there about 9am, surprised to see that they haven't started yet. some batch mates were just starting to set up the tables and chairs.Had some chit-chat with Fr. Marlon, Sansue and Rommel. Our teachers started arriving and we were almost outnumbered by our teachers. We thought there was a faculty meeting...hahaha..But then shortly before lunch more batch mates started to arrive and we had a blast. I tweeted about it and said "the batch reunion was a blast and hilarious"..and hilarious it was...Oh i won't say much, just take a look at these photos...I'd say we haven't changed a lot even if it had been 15 years....

[mass]
[some 0f our former teachers]
[the Boys of the Batch]
[more pics of the boys with our batch mate and officiating priest FR. Marlon]
[getting cozy with Atty. Dona and Cathy]
[the EARLY BIRDS..batch mates Jen and Jack came home from UAE just for the reunion]
[posing with two of our former high school teachers]
[and of course the BOYS just about to start the drinking session]

Has it really been that long????? And now we're starting to plan for our 20th year REUNION in 2014. Wow! Time flies really fast....