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Lunch at Bourbon St. Bistro

Posted on by xerox

I know it’s been a long month of eerie silence here on blog. And it’s not because I’ve been lazy or I’ve completely forgotten about my blog and my readers…

It’s just because nothing much and too much has been happening at the same time. I don’t know if I’m making any sense but I’ll try to break it down for you ladies and gentlemen. 

First, I honestly haven’t been going out because I’ve been so consumed by the fact that I now earn much less than before. It concerns me to not have savings anymore. I’ve been endlessly hunting for another online job since June. To my dismay, I still haven’t found any. And as much as I wanted to go out and dine, I couldn’t. I was ill and I lost most of my funds to medication. To top that off, my dad was hospitalized and I had to take care of him.

Second, I offered my wardrobe styling skills for free in exchange for an all-expense paid mini-vacation for 3 days. I might get to this soon. 

But for now, I better stop my yapping and you guys better brace yourselves for some food porn RIGHT NOW! 

BAM! Just like that. 

Above were the bad boys my boyfriend and I had for lunch at Bourbon St. Bistro yesterday in celebration of our 14th month of togetherness. 

We were lucky enough to still catch them at Rosario Arcade. I heard that they will move to a different location some time this August.

So anyway, what I like about Bourbon St. Bistro is their AMAZING service. I love it when food servers are polite and attentive, know what’s on the menu, know what’s available or not on that day and make good food suggestions. Plus, they serve food really fast too!

This was our appetizer. A plateful of Beef Quesadillas (you can have it in chicken if you wish) with two different dips. I like the green one better. I believe that’s guacamole? I’m sorry. I’ve never had guacamole before, okay? Don’t shoot. My boyfriend liked the red one more. I don’t know what that was but I know it’s not chili sauce. But if it was, then why the hell was it not spicy? Oh, I must tell you that every bite of their quesadilla is a happy burst of cheesy flavor and that the dips go very well with them. Yum!

Cajun Spicy Wings. I just recently discovered that I love anything with cajun. And no, the wings weren’t spicy to me nor to my boyfriend at all. But the wings are really tender and good. I like that the wings came with a salad because I love salads!

A closer view of the dreamy looking wings with the salad right behind it.

Their I-don’t-know-what-you-call-this seafood pasta. Well, don’t blame me. The dish sounded very French to me and I can’t speak nor spell French. And this wasn’t even in their menu. This was a food server’s suggestion. Not bad. I liked it better than the Seafood Gambero from Pancake House. It’s just the parsley that I don’t like about this dish. I can’t explain why I don’t like parsley. I just don’t. But I realllly want to love it. And I am trying.

Here is a more delicious view of the seafood pasta. 

And I almost forgot to end this post with concrete evidence of us dining in the restaurant…

A candid shot.

Final verdict? NOMNOM. I highly recommend this restaurant and I want to sample all of their dishes. Bye for now!

Sanguinary

Posted on by xerox

Today, the Philippines commemorates its 114th year of independence from the Spanish colonial rule.

And all of the sudden I was reminded of my conceptual artwork back in 2008 about the history of the Philippines.

Many heroes of the past shed their blood to fight for the freedom and the independence of their generation and for future generations. 

Their blood is the seed of the nation.

The Philippine flag is the only flag in the world that has an official dual display. When the Philippine flag is flown with the red side on top, it indicates a state of war.

Revisiting the Majestic Maria Christina Falls

Posted on by xerox

As a native Iliganon, I take pride in the iconic landmark of Iligan City, that is, Maria Christina Falls. 

Did you know that Maria Christina Falls is actually the second highest waterfalls of the entire Philippine archipelago? 

If you want to read the legend of the creation of Maria Cristina Falls and how it got its name, read here. 

The staggering 320-foot high waterfalls is the main source for power (I’m talking about electricity here) not only for Iligan City but also for most parts of Mindanao.

The Maria Christina (Agus VI) hydroelectric plant which is being operated by National Power Corporation (NPC) has been generating power since the 1950s.

NPC just recently developed Nature’s Park, a family destination that offers fun activities such as tree top zipline and rock climbing.

They also have a botanical garden, a mini zoo, a trekking site and so much more. But much to my dismay, most of the sites were closed for renovation which explains why I don’t have much photos to share. 

Within the park are rows of cottages so you and your family can hang out and have a picnic.

A well where you can trade your peso for a wish.

A cafeteria with a viewing area that sits right at the side of the roaring Agus River. 

The viewing area of the cafeteria gives a glimpse of the falls as it drops to the meandering river below it. Say hello to Maria Falls. Christina was rather shy the moment this photo was taken.

But kidding aside, the water flow is actually controlled by NPC and the water gates are opened only on weekends for 5 minutes.

Just a random photo of a tunnel made to look like a real cave. Their sorcery tricked me into thinking that it really is an actual cave. Woe is me, such a gullible simpleton. 

This is a pathway that leads to a different viewing area. 

Finally, the falls on full blast! I don’t know why I like to touch and hold railings with my right hand so much. I digress. This is the best viewing area!

Maria Christina Falls, dubbed as the “Twin Falls”, is truly majestic in its natural state. As it plunges straight down to the mighty Agus river below, it creates a thin cloud of mist at its feet to complete that ethereal feel. I was simply transfixed by its splendorous beauty.

Sad to say, we weren’t able to stay as long as we liked and had to leave ASAP because the rest of the flock was getting hungry (my boyfriend and I were with my family and house helpers again). So till next time Maria Christina. I promise I will be back.

The Aviatrix

Posted on by xerox

The Aviatrix is a project that is inspired by the legendary Amelia Earhart. It is a collaboration that I have done with Jed Reyes, Jims Oga and Gio Atinen. 

To say that I am honored to have worked with such amazing people is an understatement. 

Before anything else, I would just like to disclose that I am by no means a professional model nor am I making claims that I am even close to being one.

It is only upon the request of my friends that I will pose for photos and this is something that I have been doing for FUN since I was a college sophomore.

Please click on the photos for a higher resolution and enjoy!

Concept, Photography and Post-processing
Jed Reyes is an MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) graduate (MSU-IIT is one of the top universities of the Philippines) and is a graphic designer by profession. Even with only over a year of experience in photography, he is already starting to make a name for himself both in Iligan City and his hometown General Santos City. His strengths are street, glamour and fashion photography.

Hair and Makeup
Jims Oga is one of the most sought-out freelance hair and makeup artists in Iligan City. He is also the image stylist of Dance Impulse Production (DIP).

Photo Assistant
Gio Atinen is an art enthusiast from Iligan City who is into sketching, drawing, graphic designing and, just recently, photography. He was also a part of the prestigious Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) as a musician and has toured all over the Philippines.

Model and Stylist
Yours truly

The Niagara Falls of Mindanao: Santa Cruz Falls

Posted on by xerox

After the Cathedral Falls trip with my boyfriend, my father was talking about the mysterious Santa Cruz Falls incessantly.

And so last weekend, we embarked on a family (mis)adventure to Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte. Yes, my boyfriend and I was back to Kapatagan much sooner than we originally expected.

Totally unprepared for what we were about to get ourselves into, we braved practically into the middle of nowhere (Santa Cruz cannot be found on Google maps mind you) with nothing but ourselves.

And when I say nothing, I mean no water, nosh nor sunscreen. And that’s because our house helpers and “habal-habal” drivers (who served as our guides) said that the falls was just “near”.

On that day I learned that the meaning of the word “near” is only relative to the speaker. And so if you come from the city, please don’t trust anybody coming from a rural area telling you that this certain place is “near” because…

To get to the mysterious waterfalls, we had to climb up and down a series of boondocks…

We had to take off our footwear and walk barefoot to cross river bends…

Okay, we had a quick break here from hopping from one fiery hot stone to the other…

Carrying on, we had to trek “for days” through very dense native flora until…

Finally! The mysterious Santa Cruz Falls is a mystery no more! It was an adventure definitely worth my severe t-shirt patterned tan line.

And to cap off this post is a closer view of this beauty dubbed as the Niagara Falls of Mindanao. Be at awe with another marvelous God-made creation!

Kagay-anon Restaurant – A Sooo Pinoy Search for the Ultimate Food Blogger Round 2 Entry

Posted on by xerox

This beautiful solid wooden staircase directly leads up to Kagay-anon Restaurant, a restaurant that serves great and delicious Filipino dishes. It is located at Rosario Strip, Lim Ket Kai Complex, Cagayan de Oro City.

This restaurant was actually selected as one of the top ten restaurants in the Philippines with the best “Pinakbet”.

Naturally, my boyfriend and I don’t want to miss out on any of the best foods that the Philippines has to offer and so we really had to scurry on our way there to see it for ourselves.

Because of the vibrant colors of the vegetables, I can absolutely tell that only the freshest ingredients were used for this “pinakbet” .  

The presentation of the “pinakbet” was definitely something new to me. I love how this dish of mixed vegetables with bits of pork meat and a decent amount of “bagoong” was carefully and uniquely presented inside of a fresh squash gourd. 

And for someone who isn’t really a big fan of vegetables, I am surprised that I like it. It’s really good actually. No wonder why it’s the best!

Another item that we picked out from the menu was sizzling “sisig”. 

Oh my goodness… I’ll tell you what, this is the BEST “sisig” I have ever had!

I don’t know how they managed to elevate the taste of what seems to be just an ordinary dish (popularly known as a “pulutan”) but this is certainly how “sisig” should be done! 

Notice that even after we mixed the egg in, you can tell from the photo that the “sisig” still had that creamy texture even after the carryover cooking was done. Really a delight!

A plate of grilled prawns with lemon-butter sauce was another thing on our table. I was absolutely guilty of having most of the prawns. I wasn’t able to stop myself.

And finally to top off this feast for two, we had this stellar “halo-halo” for dessert. Served in a carved coconut shell, without a doubt, this monster is a head turner. This had almost everything that a “halo-halo” should have; The cherry on top was just a bonus. Absolutely irresistibly stunning!

I do recommend this place and I can’t wait to go back there to try all of the good stuff that I missed!

Serena the Moon

Posted on by Leia Bartolome

Hello. Do you still remember me?

Well, I do hope you do. I know I have been very quiet for awhile; It’s plainly because I have been preparing for something really grand and I have been out and about for some Christmas gift shopping.

I promise to make up for all the days that I have been hiding.
But for now…  An intermission.

Here was how serene the moon looked tonight.

Oh look! What’s that?

A shadow is slowly consuming the moon?

It’s going… and going… and…

Heyyy… Now, where did the moon go? And is that Mars?

Apparently not. It’s just some weird transitional phase where the moon turns bloody red during a lunar eclipse.

Yup. Lunar eclipse. It was my very first time to actually witness and document a spectacular celestial show. A personal milestone.

Hope you enjoyed this very short post! I will get back to you with something awesome in a number of days.