A Quick Escape

Stop and smell the roses. That's what I've been telling myself. Sure I'm always 'busy' and my mind is always preoccupied with a lot of things. Sometimes I can't think straight or my mind is flying somewhere else when it shouldn't be. I'm guilty of over-thinking, and I end up stressing myself out. So I booked a day to spend more time with my family. I dropped everything and just went out to have a good time. 

We all need these kinds of little breaks to clear our minds, to recharge, to be inspired and appreciate the little things that matter. These moments when you wish that everyday would be like that and you don't want to go back to reality, when everything seemed perfect and you feel like it's all a dream.    

(Had Bulalo at Leslie's and bought snacks at Good Shepherd) -- Good Shepherd now has fruit shakes and other snacks for takeout =)

Location: Tagaytay Highlands

Enjoying the pool to beat the burning weather. =P

As the famous comedian Kevin James said "There's no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box on your lap". (Pizza Quattro Stagioni at Highlands)

One should not miss the beautiful view of Taal. From afar the water looked calm and steady, but you'll see the waves when you get closer - I think it's just like me =P

To make your sight-seeing more relaxing, why not have some good coffee while enjoying the cold breeze? I checked out Filibeans which is located at the back of Leslie's. I tried Kapeng Nakakamocha if I remember it right =)

Bought lots of fruits on our way home. =)

Boohoo end of my quick vacation. =( If you're also into the point of exploding, go and take a break. 

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking - Earl Wilson. 

If you're just too busy and couldn't spare a day, I hope you could at least have some seconds for laughter because that's already the shortest vacation you'll have =) Enjoy your weekend everyone!!=)

Yap-Sandiego House

In my last trip to Cebu (which I only had 2days) I visited a lot of historical landmarks such as Fort San Pedro, Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino and Magellan's cross .

One of my favorite spots is this old house near the Cebu Heritage Monument which is known as the Yap-Sandiego House. We all know that Cebu has now progressed to a very modern city but the owner of this house maintained this home just how it was built in 17th century.

I’m sure you’ve seen old houses in history books or in movies but not the furniture and interiors in full detail. I was amazed to see how they were able to maintain the old structures and that they still have century old pieces.

Just like in our own home, they also have this open lanai in the middle of the house.

Since Christianity was introduced in Cebu, religious statues and altars became an important part of every home.

You will notice in their furniture how carved wood was a prevalent design. Also, back in the days when there were no faucets or water outlets, they kept big jars and bottles to store their water which I think conserved more energy.

They have huge chairs by the window and they even have a harp.They have huge windows to get more light and air.

 

They kept the old design of the "Tisa" clay roof and Balayong wood. Since it was raining that time, I think I didn't see any leaks so I think the one who restored it did a great job.

They have "sungka" which is a known game back in the days (and which I'm terrible at). Their lamps and lightings were all huge and fragile.

This is their beautiful garden on one rainy Saturday morning.

My ghostly image in their old mirror with the sun's reflection.Good thing I'm not wearing white=P

Their vintage dining set is still in place.

I was surprised that most of their religious statues were also in the bedroom. Since it was quite dark inside the room, this creeped me out a little bit. =P

I had a few moments to reminisce, relax and breathe while waiting for the rain to subside.

This ancestral house is located at 155-Lopez Jaena corner Mabini Street, Parian District in Cebu, Phil.

Watch out since I'll be posting my favorite Cebu food stops soon =)

Modern Toilet

Modern Toilet 

by Allei for Discovgraphies

I’ve recently visited Shenzhen, China and found this very interesting restaurant called “Modern Toilet”. I never imagined that the word 'toilet' would be associated with food. My imagination went wild just thinking about what kind of food they serve. I wondered if everything in their menu stinks but tastes good? =P When we arrived at our hotel we hurriedly left all our stuff and started our search for this place (which I have to say was not easy). First, it was hard asking for directions because of the language barrier and the locals pointed us to different directions. Even though we had to figure it out by ourselves, I appreciated the fact that they were really nice and they made an effort to assist us. Another issue was that, we can’t understand the street signs since they were written in Chinese.=( We already lost hope in finding the place. But on our last day in China, we accidentally found it! It was just near our hotel and so near to the stalls we have asked. To our excitement, we just ran upstairs since it was on the second floor of a building in Dongmen=P

   

  

Every table has different centerpieces underneath a glass and all their seats are made of toilet bowls. (Don’t worry the seat is covered so your butt won’t have to feel stingy after) hahaha! I also loved their unique displays. It was like dining in a very posh and hygienic comfort room/store haha!

We had the Toilet Bowl No. 5 which was Chocolate Ice cream. We were really full after eating at Yoshinoya so there was only a space left in my tummy for dessert. If we had seen this earlier that day, we would surely have tried their meals and main entrees since they all look so appetizing.

Knowing what it looks like, it still looked appetizing =P

(Looking across our table) - I was so amazed how all their meals are served in toilet bowls =)

Rating:

Price: 4/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Taste: 4/5

I liked my dessert. It wasn't the best ice cream but for the price it was good. It was definitely an unforgettable experience having dessert while sitting on the 'throne'. 

When I go back in Shenzhen, I’m sure to visit this place again and try out their other food in their menu. Can’t wait for my next trip! =)

Location: 2nd Floor, JieFanlu 1004# Dongmen BuxingJie Shenzhen