i came across this food stall at the 2nd level old wing of SM Cebu named "Kuy'as special lumpiang sariwa"... i super love fresh lumpia. i can eat 3 to four pcs. of this in one sitting. hahaha! i'm very curious how good really this is coz i remember this stall featured on tv before. there was a rave on this. its time to put this on a test to my  palette.

the attendant picked on the wrapper that's colored green. immediately, i reacted! hahaha... i asked, why is it green? the attendant said, it's pandan flavored wrapper... then i asked, why is it not fresh? the attendant answered, this is what they really use, even in manila. i was expecting that they will bake in front of me the fresh wrapper but it wasn't the case. i knew right then and there that it was a let down. when we say fresh, it should be fresh. hello! thumbs down on this. then she placed lettuce in the wrapper, then added cooked carrots, turnip and palm heart (ubod). she also sprinkled it with thai lemon grass and moroccan nuts. then, she rolled the wrapper and spread the sauce on top of it.

now for the taste test! from a scale of 1 to 10, i'll rate this a 6. first, they dont use freshly baked wrapper. i don't like flaky wrapper such as this. second, i couldn't taste the palm heart (ubod) in it. i have a feeling that what was used was more on the turnip. the taste was almost close to bland. i dont like the morocccan nuts, plain roasted peanuts would have made a big difference in terms adding crunch and taste. on the other hand, this is a vegetarian dish but considering that this is a vegetarian dish, it doesn't mean that the taste should  be bland. i've tasted vegetarian dish that is very flavorful but not this bland. in all fairness, their garlic sauce was good. the sauce was the only one i liked. it seems that i was eating with only the sauce giving a flavor to it which is very plain. fresh lumpia should be a mix of different flavors because of the many combinations to it. i grew up eating fresh lumpia and this one is really far from what I've grown to like. sorry, in my opinion, this is a not so well thought of dish.

i don't suggest that you try this but out of curiosity try them for yourself. maybe you'll like it. :)

tight hugs,
AC

i came across a stall at the 2nd level of SM Cebu north wing where people were falling in line to have a taste of belgian waffles. the people lining was not exag naman in terms of numbers. i can see around 5 to 6 people falling in line and others are waiting at the tables for their orders. this is basically pancake, added with filling and then folded. i remember a good friend of mine sharing me that this type of waffle would easily melt in your mouth and really tastes good. since i had the opportunity to bump into this, i might as well give it a try though i'm really not a fan of waffles or pancakes.

i ordered the original waffle with belgian chocolate filling. i asked the attendant what else is their best seller and the attendant recommended the blueberry filling. so, i ordered it as well. then, the attendant told me that it would take 40 minutes to get my order! i was shocked in disbelief. i told her, why that looooong? she said that they have bulk orders that day. i let out a sigh and told her that this better be good for me to wait that loooong. i then went to attend my other purpose in the mall.

after 40 minutes, i went back to get my ordered waffles. first, i tried the waffle with belgian chocolate filling. in all fairness, the crust of the waffle is really soft. belgian chocolate is a bitter sweet chocolate and it complimented well with  the waffle. from a scale of 1 to 10, i'll rate this a 7. i find the combination  ordinary.  it doesn't have a WOW factor but its good but not really really good. let me put it this way, try to buy a really good gourmet loaf bread, spread it with your favorite hazelnut chocolate spread, and there you go. i'm pretty sure, your own choice of concoction of gourmet bread and chocolate spread will be better than this.  just my opinion. :)

next, i tried the waffle with blueberry filling. gosh, it was hard for me to finish it. i grossed out eating it. nakakaumay! i love blueberry spread (smuckers blueberry), mind me. i dont know what brand of blueberry they were using but for me, it doesn't blend well with the waffle, its eeewww. personally, i didn't like the combination. i didn't finish eating this one, sorry. super nakakaumay. :(

they still have a lot of filling combinations to choose from. make sure to pick something that you really love or if you're very adventurous, try something that is not within your palettes comfort zone and evaluate after. the price of their waffles is less than 50 pesos. try to check them out, their different waffle fillings/combination may end up to your liking. :)

tight hugs,
AC

welcome the spa experience into your home with Oryspa products. locally made and is made of organic raw materials. i personally support locally made products for as long as quality is not compromised. after personally using Oryspa products for a week now, i definitely recommend this product to everyone. i stumbled upon Oryspa while I was in SM Cebu. this is the first branch of Oryspa in Cebu. the sales lady was very accommodating and she let me try each of their sample products. i was easily convinced and here's what i've bought from them. :)

allow me to discuss each product from left to right. their shampoo smells so naturally good and has a hint of menthol when applied to scalp when shampoo-ing. gosh, its so relaxing! next, their green tea cologne has a refreshing citrus smell that leaves a refreshing scent. a friend of mine commented that she loved my scent when i used this cologne. the other one is the foot spray, again it has a mint feel which is very soothing to the feet. it also deodorizes the feet. i love the thought that my feet is cool all the time, and smells good as well. lastly, the meditation balm, my gosh, this one is a must have! minty that is not so harsh, without that strong smell. instead, it has a very calming and relaxing scent. before i go to sleep, i apply the meditation balm on the temples of my head and spray the foot spray. oh my, how easily i doze off. lol ... i will really rave about this product because aside from being organic, the effects are really wonderful. your room will really be filled with a lingering spa scent, as in! try it now! :)

their location in SM Cebu:
Upper Ground Floor SM City Cebu (across Krispy Kreme/Krua Thai)
Mobile Numbers:
Globe : 0917-623-2126
Sun : 0922-839-9199
Landline : 316-2929
email add: [email protected]

to know more about Oryspa, here's their website: http://oryspa.com/blog/
their website is currently under construction. just check it out from time to time. :)

tight hugs,
AC

sorry for not having been active lately with blogging. corporate demands are high these days. anyways, just had my first summer escapade for 2013. the best way to start it with, island hopping at the  islets of mactan, cebu. here's our ganap!

in this "sea urchin" islet, i met this couple who is selling fresh sea urchin meat called "swaki". they let me taste it and it was ok naman. i bought a bottle of it for Php 50. hehe... im so adventurous when it comes to food noh? before they could let me taste the meat of the sea urchin, this lady had to break it in front of me, and scooped the meat out from the thorny shell of the urchin. the color of the meat is yellow and its texture is like jelly. its not malansa coz maybe its super fresh. ok sya, masarap, kaya i bought, and to extend help na din to their means of livelihood. :)

on our way to the sea urchin islet, of course, pose muna sa dulo ng motor boat. hehe... i don't have a very toned body but getting there, charot! hahaha... and i have yoga to thank for with the current physical attribute that i have, chos! hehe :) but yes, there's a big improvement how i was back then, and the now. :)

i was with this group of guys who are also very accommodating and have so much sense of humor. there was so much laughter aboard our vessel. here's some of our ganap. :)

summer 2013 is just starting, and i'm very sure, i have a lot to share with you guys. so, abangan! :)

tight  hugs,
AC

last january 10, i attended a yoga inversion workshop, facilitated by Joan Hyman. venue is at cebu country club. sosyal! but then, we were like canned sardines in the venue. i find the place too small with the number of participants who attended this workshop. however, that didn't stop me and the rest of my friends to enjoy the event. Joan Hyman was very cool as an instructor. you know me, very mareklamo with non-stop side comments, and Joan will just wink at me if she sees me struggling with a pose, and i just wink back at her. hahaha! here's our kembot during this event.

honestly, i still cant do any inversion on my own. hahahaha! but this didn't stop me from trying during this event, oh diba? 'Be Brave' is one of my mantra for 2013, charot! :)

i made a lot of friends by just merely smiling at my colleagues during this workshop. i'm telling you, yoga makes you a better person, charot! nakakabait ang yoga, promise! hahaha...

during this workshop, i was literally bathing on my own sweat. every part of my body is sweating which makes everything that i'm wearing totally wet! lol... but the good thing, i had a good time with the instructor and everybody else. i was brave enough to do the poses that i thought i'm not capable of doing. it was also nice to see friends progress in their practice of yoga. here's more of our kembot.

here's another pic of me and my friends with Joan Hyman. its nice to do yoga with friends. it can be said that friends are your support group. :)

and here's Joan Hyman demonstrating the death defying inversion poses! nakakaloka! :)

this was indeed an unforgettable experience with Joan Hyman. it wasn't easy but it was FUN! :)

to know more about Joan Hyman and her other workshops, visit her site. click here

tight hugs,
AC

last dec 15, burnz invited me to join the foundations vinyasa class at yoga hub, conducted by the owners of urban ashram, lasse and maricar. its a workshop where they showcased the yogaworks method of teaching yoga. you'll definitely be inspired by this couple when they talk about yoga and how it changed their lives for the better. aside from conducting workshop with us, they are also inviting those who are interested to teach yoga to enroll with them.  by the way, burnz and jennifer (owner of yoga hub) are graduates of urban ashram, where they took their yogaworks teacher training course for a month. here's our ganap during this session. :)

this particular class is composed of seasoned yoga practitioners and teachers. this is one tough class. definitely, there's pressure to do each pose correctly. also, its my first time to be in a 1 hour and 30 minute yoga class, my gad! hahaha... thank God, i was able to finish the whole session successfully. whew! of course, with a little bit of side comments. hahaha! di ko kinaya ang half moon pose! but wait, hindi ako nag-iisa na naout-of-balance, so ok lang. lol :) i was sweating all over after the class, pati ang leggings ko, super basa sa pawis, sobra! i was bathing with my own sweat, literally! it was one very good class.. ang gaan ng feeling ko after, feeling ko bumait ako.. hahaha :) here's the rest of our kembot during the workshop. :)

here's more of my bonding session with my yogamates. alam nyo, feeling ko, mabait lahat ng tao na nandito sa class na ito. they were not selfish to share smiles with me and the rest. :)

ui, etong nakablack nike shirt on some of the photos above, crush ko siya! his name is francis. i find him cute and i can sense that he has a nice aura and disposition in life... if he reads this, he'll know! well, prangkahan na! its almost 2013 na! hahaha :) during our warrior pose, i noticed that his arm is not straight. since our hands are both in reach due to the tight positioning of our mats, i assisted his arm by touching his hands and lifting it a bit. ay, he grabbed my hands din and he smiled. oh diba, so kilig?!! hahaha! wala lang, cute lang i-recall ang mga pangyayari. hahaha :)

anyways, to know more about yogaworks teacher training and urban ashram, visit their website : http://www.urbanashrammanila.com/

tight hugs,
AC

last dec 12, burnz invited me to her yoga class at citigym, waterfront hotel. she teaches yoga there every wednesday. the space is airconditioned. i was a member of citigym before but due to a harrassment incident that i've encountered before from a maniac, i didn't renew my membership. and now, im back! what i love about hotel gyms is because of the fact that they have hot and cold shower. they really have decent amenities that you can take advantage of that is beneficial to your health. one of which is the sauna. i love sauna! :)... anyways, a beautiful view of the hotel's greenery can be seen outside of the studio. here, i met some yoga enthusiasts as well. sorry, wasn't able to take pics of my classmates during this session. im still feeling their aura! hahaha... here's our kembot during this session. :)

going to yoga studios allows me to widen my social network. charot! really, it does. like this time, when i visited my yogi's mother yoga studio, Ananda Marga Yoga Center. this yoga studio is located at Ramos St., Cebu City. what i like about this place is that they use open air when doing yoga. its not an air-conditioned studio, which is really ideal for yoga. here, i was able to meet and mingle with fellow yoga practitioners. my apologies but i wasn't able to take pix during our yoga routine. the only pose we did that was captured by my digi cam was during our savasana pose (corpse pose), and its the last pose prior to ending our yoga routine! hahahaha... anyways, here's our kembot during that day. :)

after sweating a lot from our yoga session that day, we then are treated with food! this is the only yoga studio that offers free food every after yoga session! and the dish served that day was arrozcaldo. in ananda, they dont use garlic and onions when cooking any dish! kakaloka! hahaha... they say that these spices lessens memory retention. im not so sure if there's a scientific study to support this claim. anyways, even without the garlic and onion, the arrozcaldo still tastes great, as in! here's our lafangan ganap. :)

its the first time i did yoga on a saturday morning! it was indeed refreshing. as a colleague of mine said, yoga makes you mabait! hahaha... i agree! lol ... so, tara na, mag-yoga na tayo! try it and feel the difference. :)

tight hugs,
AC

yoga is the only form of exercise that i'm so into for a year now. burnz, my friend, who recently got her certification as a yoga instructor, invited me to one of her yoga sessions in Yoga Hub at Banilad Town Center, Cebu. believe me, for the longest time that burnz and i have been practicing yoga, this will be the first time that we'll do yoga together, and she will be my yoga instructor! hahaha! when we were still yoga students, we haven't done yoga together, weird! anyways, here's our ganap at Yoga Hub! 

this yoga studio also sells yoga stuffs, like lulu lemon, a canadian brand. yoga enthusiasts are so into this brand, and i must say that its really pricey, grabeh! if you ask me if i also have lulu lemons, well, i dont, coz i can't afford it! hahaha! im ok with leotards, shorts and shirt. idadaan ko na lang sa ganda, charot! hahaha! :)

when i entered the studio, i was very impressed! its architecture was well thought of. and im a fan of green tones! lol... i was a bit bothered that there was no airconditioner coz im used to doing yoga in an airconditioned space, unlike this one which only have ceiling fans. i told burnz that i might faint due to suffocation. hahahha... burnz told me that practicing yoga should be in this type of space. i just said, "ok". hehe :) here's our ganap before the actual yoga session. :)

i was surprised at burnz because she's really good at what she does. it shows how passionate she is about yoga. it emanates by the way she teaches it. bravo and i salute you, ses! :) she corrected me at my three-legged pose, which i truly appreciate. my hips should be square and its not how high you can raise your legs but on how  you align your body correctly. oh diba, very pro kung maka-advise ang lola mo! hahaha... ako naman, feeling ballerina kung makaangat ng aking mga legs! hahahaha! me, the student, of course, ako pa rin ang may pinakamaraming complain during the session. ang dami kong side comments na ikinatuwa ng iba, as usual. hahaha! :) it was also nice meeting other yoga enthusiasts here at yoga hub. :)

i was also able to meet the owner of yoga hub, jennifer martinez. she was really nice and has a modelesque aura and figure. not to mention, pretty too! ka-level lang kami sa ganda, charot! hahaha... we had small talks and she was sharing to everybody the sassy water, which flattens your stomach. its a type of drink where you mix water and lemon and other herbs which you need to consume everyday. its like making it your water for the whole day. this sassy water can be googled. if you're interested, try it.

when you come here to try yoga, bring your own mat. read between the lines na lang. hahaha :) other than this, the best yoga studio i've ever been. definitely a must try and i really recommend it. :)

tight hugs,
AC

burnz's cousin from canada, ate Zar, wanted to give Burnz a birthday surprise, and i was chosen to be an accomplice to mount this surprise for her here in cebu. my gad, i realized that to mount such an event would really stress me out! nakakaloka! everything has to be coordinated, and i must say, i did a great job! hahaha!

my resto of choice for this surprise was at La Tegola, Ayala branch. La Tegola is an italian restaurant. i coordinated with the in-charge of the resto, and was so happy to know that they'll sing a happy birthday song for burnz. hahaha! here's our ganap! :)

before this birthday surprise, i had to lie that i have a problem that i badly need her advise just to squeeze into her schedule that day, sobra! burnz arrived at the venue a bit pissed off at me coz she want's to eat at another resto, but i was able to convince her to join me at La Tegola... her entrance speech at me upon arriving - "ses, na-hassle mo talaga ako, grabe!" ... hahahaha! in the end, the hassle turn into all smiles! :)

P.S. - ate zar and lloyd - mission accomplished! :)

tight hugs,
AC