Sagada Wine Night

You know how when you’re told not to do something  you itch to do just that? With this pregnancy I’ve been repeatedly told not to do and/or eat stuff that I’ve taken for granted back when I wasn’t pregrant and now I am craving for them!

One thing I didn’t think I’d miss is wine. No, I’m not really a wine connoisseur nor did I frequently drink wine pre-pregnancy but I’ve always liked the idea that I can just get a glass of it when I wanted to. I like having the option, you know? This craving actually makes me think back to a night when my friends and I downed a whole clay jar of wine and more! Yes, clay jar as in banga talaga! This is a good kwento.

We were in Mountain Province around this time last year for a project where we had to go around talking to and taking photos of random people. It was a blissful project! We went to Tinglayan first and then we traveled to Sagada to continue looking for subjects there for a few days. I knowwwrrrr, ang saya diba?

After days of exploring the place, we finally had enough photos and so we decided to spend our last night there without the camera and the clipboard that we’ve (mostly just Gelo and Don) been lugging around for the past week. It was, after all, our last dinner there and we just wanted to enjoy the meal and each other’s company. By this time ang daming taong nagdagsaan kasi it was a Friday night and fiesta pala doon that Saturday. Feeling nga namin na-break ang “spell” ng Sagada somehow. We liked it better when there were just a few tourists roaming around the magical town.

This is the gang!
L-R Me, our efficient Project Manager Ice, our wonderful client, Gelo,
and Direk/Photographer Don

This is the aforementioned clipboard. We, well mostly Gelo, carried
this around with him to wherever we went.
Kahit sa gitna pa ng palayan hahaha! 

Eto na, whilen the four of us were walking to the resto of our choice, we passed by a couple of middle-aged ladies selling wine by the shot. The wine was inside this banga and they were selling it at P20 for half a shot and P40 for a shot! Nice! We haven’t had dinner yet at the time so we promised to come back after. Eh ang tagal nung serving time ng food! Nagugutom na kami at naiinip kasi we were worrying na baka umalis na yung nagtitinda ng wine!! Yun talaga ang worry namin hahaha!

After dinner, which only lasted for 20mins but the waiting time was an hour kasi nga ang daming utaw, we hurried back to the Wine Ladies, that’s what I called them in my head anyway, hoping that they were still there! Buti na lang andun pa. So we each got half a shot muna. You know, pa-sweet muna, nakakahiya naman kung isang shot agad diba? We also wanted to get a taste of it first. Eh ang sarap!! So one more syempre. This time pati sina tita binilhan namin ng tig-iisang shot (P40 lang diba? Magpaka galante na, why not?). It was sweet and just perfect for the cold night.

Tuwang-tuwa naman sila sa amin, at dahil nga bihasa kami sa mga interviews ganyan, we asked them about the wine; who their supplier was, what are in it, etc. We found out that they actually made the wine. Aliw! It was called the Wild Berries Wine, I think. But it’s more popularly knows as Bugnay wine. Its main ingredient is wild berry but that's about what I can remember. I didn’t plan on blogging at the time kaya kulang ang info ko. Huhu!

Anyway, one of the ladies’ husband, a chemist named Egbert Dailay was the one who made the wine. He invited us into his “lab” seeing how enthused we were about their product. We went down to this cool hut made of recycled materials and it was super awesome! At this time we were kicking ourselves for not having our camera handy. It was kind of dark down there so photos from our phones just wouldn’t cut it. Hahy. I guess the best moments really can’t be captured on camera. Sir Egbert filled us in about the process, and you can see how passionate he is about what he does. I wouldn’t try to relay the whole procedure here because I won’t be able to tell it the way he does. He made chemistry sound sexy!

After that, we went back up into the side of the street drinking our wine. After we finish a couple of shots I was like, "One more round! On me!" Hahahaha! And then our PM followed suit and treated us to another round, by this time nagtatawanan na kami at close na kami nina Tita. At some point we called out to the passersby urging them to get each a shot for themselves! Dedma kung foreigners, mga Pinoy, or Sagada locals. Para kaming mga naging instant Push Girl and Boys (you know those people at grocery stores offering products to customers?) hahaha! At marami-rami din ang na-engganyo namin actually. Hanggang sa nagulat na lang kami naubos na ang laman nung banga! Nakakaloka!

We ended up buying a couple of bottles “for the road” hahaha! We wrapped the sesh up in our hotel room later that evening. Don’t worry, mababa lang ang alcohol content per bottle so we didn’t really get drunk. We are responsible adults naman. I think we are just a bunch of innately giddy and naturally crazy people talaga! I remember that when we were heading back, we could barely walk straight but not because we were drunk but because we were laughing so hard! Hahaha! Just thinking back on it now makes me laugh!

We slept soundly that night and thankfully with no hangover the following morning. I think that night was one of the most fun and unforgettable. Masarap yung wine, masarap kasama yung mga kaibigan ko, masarap kausap yung mga bago naming nakilala. Couldn’t have had a better last night in Sagada. In a way, it was like one of my last hurrahs as a single lady hihi!

When you go up there, just look for the Wild Berries Wine, it’s a small town so I'm sure you’ll find it. When you walk towards the Lemon Pie House, it’s before you get there but to the left side. There are no landmarks kasi they just put up a small table with the banga of wine on it during nights but they have a tarp right outside their house which is hard to miss and since it’s a town where everyone knows about everyone, maybe you can ask around. I hope you’ll have as great and fun an experience as we did!

Meanwhile, I have to go and get myself a glass of milk. Not as tasty but the boss baby needs it and she comes first now, you know. *wink*

Note: There is one photo we took with us around the wine jar but I couldn't find it anymore :( :( Will continue looking for it so I can post it here soon!

  

Why I love Belle

Emma Watson caught my heart when she brought Hermione to life, like, on point. Now, she is playing as Belle for Beauty and the Beast and I'm psyched!

Growing up, Belle has always been my favorite Disney Princess and, apparently, I am not the only one. Buzzfeed asked their readers to rank their Disney Princesses and Belle "beasted the rest"! You can check here for yourself. :)

I grew up in the time of 2D animation, but even when there are new animated wonders now like Frozen, Happy Feet, Shrek etc. Beauty and the Beast still has a special spot in my heart and Belle, too! Let me tell you why:

She's a hard-worker and a dreamer. Yeah, yeah, the other princesses were hard-working too, but Belle bad big dreams! She wasn't working hard because she had a mean stepmom, she worked hard because she wanted to pursue her dreams; a life outside of their little town, a better life for her and her dad.

She reads! Nobody could tear Belle away from her books, not her nosy neighbors who thought girls need not have any big ideas in their pretty little heads, not even the macho Gaston. Belle was smart. No one could ever fool a reader.

She didn't need saving. She was the one who saved her dad from the ghastly beast. Yas! She bravely went to the dark palace and confronted her own fears to save her father. Attagirl!

She stood her ground even in front of a big, ugly, smelly, growling Beast. She was obviously scared but that didn't stop her from fighting back. She made it clear with the Beast that she was no sissy and that she wouldn't easily back down. Rockstar, I tell you.

There was no love-at-first-sight for Belle. It didn't happen fast. I KNOW Beast wasn't really the love-at-first-sight kind of guy, but still, while other Disney Princesses were falling head-over-heels in love with men they've met for the first time (this was before Elsa, okay?) Belle took her time.

Her love for Beast wasn't based on his appearance, like, AT ALL. I mean how would it be possible, right? But she still loved him because she chose to see beyond his frightening exterior. Gaston was macho and handsome but she couldn't be fooled because she saw past appearances. She was rewarded in the end but I bet that was just a bonus for her because having Beast stay alive would have been enough and when it turned out that he was a handsome prince, oh boy!

You could tell I can't wait for the new Beauty and the Beast movie! For now, here's the teaser trailer I love watching over and over. Click on the picture.

Honeymoon soon, please!

Mr. L and I haven't been on our honeymoon yet. Since we just started a little business, our funds mostly go into it. We do, however, already have some cities in mind as early as now hihi! When we finally have enough moolah, we'll definitely up and leave even just for a few days.

Although my husband and I haven't really discussed where to go exactly, these are the few things to be considered:

First, we want to go somewhere beautiful and romantic. Of course! We want to make the trip memorable. After all, it will be our honeymoon.

Second, since it is our first trip with just the two of us, we want to travel out of the country. Somewhere both of us have never been. However, we don't want to waste a lot of hours of Mr. L's Vacation Leaves in transit so it should be within Southeast Asia.

Third, it should be economical. We're not rich. We are right smack in the middle of middle-class so much as we want to traipse around Paris or Japan, we don't have much extra for visa applications, shopping, and extravagant travel. We just want to go somewhere beautiful where we can enjoy each other's company.

With these in mind, I have picked out my top three destinations. Hindi niya alam 'to so we'll discuss this some more when the money is there lelz.

1. Bangkok, Thailand

photo found from the web

Thailand has always been interesting for me. Bangkok, in itself, is rich in cultural heritage and is a suitable mix of old-fashioned and modern. It would probably be a good experience for us to explore this colorful city, ride the tuktuk, and taste their world-famous street food.


2. Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, Cambodia

photo found from the web

Just looking at photos from the web, Angkor Wat is like a different world! It looks right out of a computer game or a story book! I can just imagine how magical it would be to hhww around those larger-than-life temples with my husband.


3. Singapore

How awesome would it be to travel to a country that is so small yet so progressive? Imagine all the travel time we'll save since Singapore has everything there is to see within just a few minutes worth of train rides away from each other! Plus, we both have friends there we can meet for a bit of catching up.

Sigh! How I wish we have enough money to be one of those couples who can travel the world together. Sigh. Di bale, wherever I am as long as Mr. L is with me, I'm happy na. Eme! Anyway, there! I hope we'll get to go veeeeery soon!

Movie Review: Blue is the warmest color

My gosh, this film! I'm going to go and say right out that it is not for everyone. After I've watched it, I went on Google and found out that there were a lot of controversies surrounding the film because of the "raw sexual scenes" and of the poor treatment of the cast and crew during production.

Nevertheless, it just blew me away. Originally titled "La Vie d'Adele (The Life of Adele)", it's about the coming-of-age of a Junior High student in France, Adele. How she fell madly in love with a woman named Emma and had her life revolve around her. How they were so wildly into each other in the beginning and how their relationship changed over the years. Just like all relationships. It is about the highs of first love and the lows of being in a relationship that's about to fall apart.

The screenplay is first-rate, it's the kind of film that made me feel like I know the people in it, that their conversations were also my conversations IRL, and that what happened in the movie was something that I have witnessed first-hand, ganun siya, hindi ko siya na-feel na nanonood lang ako, feeling ko nasaksihan ko talaga ang mga pangyayari. Eme!!

Anyway, I know this is not everyone's cup of tea but oh boy, if you love films and if you love French films, this should be at the top of your list.

Book Recommendations: Second

Finished with the three books I wrote a month ago? No worries, let me recommend some more. What I did this time is glance quickly at my bookshelf and wrote down the first three books that jumped at me. Here goes:

Photo from the web

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Ah this has got to be one of my all-time favorites! It's a story about the coming-of-age of two girls, Lily and Snow Flower, in Ancient China; how they blossomed from girls into women, enduring life's milestones together like foot-binding, betrothal, marriage. It's a story of love and how it can make you and, also, break you. How it can bring people together but also tear them apart. How love can make your heart full and also wreck it beyond repair.

This book stayed with me years after I read it. It's beautifully written and wonderfully crafted.

P.S. May movie na pala ito but I haven't seen it! :'(

Photo from the web

Carry the One. I found this from Booksale and I didn't really have much expectations but I was pleasantly surprised. It's about how one event tied a group of friends together long after it happened. One event that changed the course of their lives.

The book follows multiple characters throughout their lives that after you read it, it's like you just watched five seasons of your favorite series! It's a good read, yes, but I'm afraid if you want to feel good, this isn't the one for you.

Photo from the web

Cell. I'm not much of a Stephen King fan, what I am, though, is a fan of zombie movies and series. That's why I enjoyed this book. If you're one of the millions who follow The Walking Dead and think World War Z is awesome, you will appreciate this piece of literature.

There! Happy reading and until the next book recommendations post!

Note: I got the photo covers from the web but these are the covers that I also have. Wala lang, mema lang lelz!

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!

I would like to thank my sponsor, Mr. L, for this shirt. :)

Anybody who is a fan of the Harry Potter series knows what today means, Harry Potter’s (and JK Rowling’s) birthday! Today is also the release of the eighth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Being a fan myself, it is pretty sad that I wasn’t able to get one this very day. It’s okay though, because I went to a fundraiser that is Harry Potter-themed. It was so cool!

Due to the gentle prodding of my friend, and probably the sole reader of this blog, GemYoo, I had to suppress my lazy-Sunday-mode and strut to the venue, and boy was I glad!

If you're like me who lives under a rock, here's a short description of the Booklat Fundraiser from their Facebook page.

BOOKLAT: A Fundraiser for the Young Focus Center Library.

Under JCI Ortigas' flagship project PLEASE (Project Library Education and Skills Enhancement), we believe in the powerful role of books in a child’s education. It is a program that focuses on the improvement and renovation of public school libraries helping create an environment more conducive to learning and development. Moreover, we further commit our time and resources to our beneficiary schools by conducting seminars and tutorials in those libraries.

Young Focus, is a non-government organization that works towards making education accessible to the young people living on and around Smokey Mountain. You can learn more about them at: http://www.youngfocus.org/

The Young Focus team wants to create more inviting place to encourage the children to read, as well as update their book selection. More than it being a fundraiser, we also aim to advocate literacy awareness among the youth. Through reading, we learn about people, places and events outside our own experiences. We are exposed to different ideas and beliefs; that broaden our knowledge about the world.

Gate pa lang, artsy na haha!

Slytherin at heart

I especially like that the event is about giving opportunities to learn and sharing the love of reading to children. What an awesome advocacy! It was also a great platform for artists to showcase their artworks. There were a lot of trinkets here and there but it was Gemyoo who took all the photos hehe.

Let me show you what I got though: a couple of Harry Potter House Notes. I got 'em at a discounted rate too. :)

I love this gurl!

Sigh, what a happily nerdy Sunday! Happy Birthday again, Harry and JK!

Thanks for the photos Gemyoo

Book / Movie Review: Me Before You

Because I read a lot, I tend to wind up reading books waaaay before they are made into blockbuster movies and, more often than not, the film adaptations disappoint me. Me Before You, however, is a different story.

To be honest, it wasn't the kind of book that I was excited to get to every chance I get but more of just something I'd get back to every "down time" I had, as in while waiting for someone at a meeting place, while at the bank waiting for my turn, before bed while waiting to fall asleep. Ganun lang. I think it started slow and there wasn't anything new about the plot; chatty poor girl and an obnoxious rich quadriplegic bound to fall in love in the end. It wasn't until the second half of the book when it started to become interesting for me.

The movie, however, was wow! It wasn't what I had expected. In my opinion, it was better than the book. There weren't unnecessary chit-chats, corny three-seconds-longer-than-necessary-eyeballing-moments, and cringe-worthy scenes. I prepared for them but there were none of that!

Eto pa, I already knew what would happen but I still cried my eyes out! Like all-out bawled and I didn't even do that for the book! While I was reading it I teared up a bit, okay, pero sa movie may hikbi levels and all my friends can attest to the fact that I RARELY CRY in movies so that's saying something. Ganda pa ng soundtrack. Sigh.

Anyway, I don't know if it's still in theaters kasi medyo late itong post ko but rarely do love story movies affect me so I just think it's noteworthy.

Sharing with you some notable scenes care of Google.

Slowly but surely

Photo by ze awesome Gelo Concepcion

At the start of this year, I found myself traveling to the Mountain Province with three other marvelous individuals for an incredible project. 

We hopped on a bus and traveled for about eight hours to Tabuk, Kalinga then got on a four-hour van ride to Tinglayan. We got off the van mid-afternoon and the view was incredible! The fresh air and the panoramic view of the mountains made me feel energized. When I was told we had to walk for an hour, it didn't taunt me one bit. I love walking and with a view like that, I could not complain! 

It turned out, we had to hike on narrow pathways carved from the side of mountains, cross a couple of bridges (with NO HANDRAILS) over cliffs, and trekked on walkways along steep rice terraces. You see, I just injured my knee a few months before the trip due to a bicycle accident and it never really fully healed so I was nervous terrified the whole time. I even regretted not having been able to call (wala nang signal when we got to Tinglayan) my loved ones to say, um, goodbye just in case. Hahaha ang morbid!

Look at that pathway! It goes steeply down then curves to the left
as in matisod ka lang derecho ka na sa after life, if there is one.
That's my awesome friend Ice on the photo.

As a result, I took my time in that journey. I wanted to secure my footing, be sure of every step because I dreaded to think of the alternative. I was surrounded by such breathtaking beauty but at the same time I knew that a little miscalculation could lead to perilous results. 

That's Direk Don who got tired of waiting for me lelz.
Konting usog pa niya to his right oblivion na but look at that view behind him!
Sorry my camera doesn't do the mountains justice.

This was when I finally caught up with the others. I demanded a group photo
kasi sabi ko baka last ko na hahaha!
L-R Direk Don, our incredible guide Kuya Ibut, Prod Coordinator Ice, me, and client Gelo

Thinking back, I treaded that road pretty much the same way as I do my life, my career, and even in falling in love. Slowly but surely. I was never a fast-learner when I was in school, never the fastest runner, never the first one to finish. I took my time in pursuing my dreams, in falling in love, in learning, and in making major decisions.

It may be a competition for others but for me it never is. For me, everyone has their own journey. I will get to my destination my own way and with a different story to tell. Perhaps yours is about how fast you finish. For others it may be how they are always the best. Mine is about how much I enjoy the view, how much I sometimes feel I could not go on but nevertheless put one foot before the other. I might take my time and that's okay, we each have our own story to tell and eventually, we all get to where we deserve to be. Surely.

The view right outside our transient home.
Photo by Gelo Concepcion

The view right outside our transient home.
Photo by Gelo Concepcion

Book Recommendations: First

So one of the favorite things I absolutely loooove to do is read. I like rainy days because they give me an excuse to just curl up with a good book. No matter how busy, it makes me feel relaxed to be able to sneak in some time to read.

Here are three recommendations based on the books that first came to mind as I was writing this post (that's sort of the plan). Don't worry, no spoilers here.

photo from the web

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. It falls under Young Adult (YA) category which I'm sort of a newbie reader at. It's about being comfortable in your own skin and embracing your eccentricities, and of those you love. That your crazy can be what would make people love you, and that it really doesn't matter whether they do or not. I really liked it! I recommended it to my eleven-year old niece and would also recommend it to thirty-somethings for a good read.

Kind of reminds me of Phoebe Buffay of FRIENDS.

photo from the web

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. Although also a YA book, this one dwells on heavier and more grownup problems. Don't be fooled by the title, that promising "plurk" and the colorful cover, this book is about that dark place in your mind that makes you different from other people. It reminds readers that if you know you need help, or you know someone who does, ASK for it. Now. Don't ever delay. It talks about a whole different kind of crazy than Stargirl. It's a dark and insightful book.

photo from the web

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins. I love people-watching and I think trains are romantic. The people-watching in this book, however, is taken to another level by the character. I like how this book revolves around the character (ano'ng title beh? hahah); how it takes you to her head with all her tumultuous thoughts and self-harming decisions. You can't help but hate her and root for her at the same time.

There, will post three books that first-came-to-mind-while-writing-a-book-recommendations-post again soon! Enjoy!