Friday, August 30, 2013

i ❤ dumaguete | i ❤ silliman

Dumaguete City is a small coastal town in Negros Oriental in the Philippines. The very first thing you see if you travel by boat is of course, Dumaguete's pier; but right beside it is THE Rizal Boulevard. It stretches to several blocks and a lot of Dumaguetenos jog there early in the morning and late in the afternoon. There are also a lot of restaurants, coffee shops and restobars and the place is alive from morning to night.

Let me show you the place...






Beautiful, non? Specially that third photo which looks like it came straight out of a cartoon, but was just really taken from my iPad.

Now a Dumaguete introduction would not be complete without talking about my alma mater, Silliman University. If you're reading this and thinking about attending a good university, don't hesitate to head straight to SU. It would be an experience like no other.


Amphitheater and Silliman Church

In front of Hibbard Hall

Going to Luce Auditorium

Oriental Hall

Silliman Church

Silliman Library

Villareal Hall

I could never really take pictures of all the places in Silliman as I was too busy reminiscing my college years, and pointing to baby boy where mommy used to study. I love how there's a lot of space here to walk around and it's soooo green! I never really appreciated it back then. 

We also dropped by the booth area where different student organizations, sororities, and fraternities had booths/tents laid out for founder's week. I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures, but we had a really great time. xx

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Skydreamer Dines in Dumaguete: Gabby's Bistro

Remember high school when everything was all about friends, school, shopping, the latest boybands, gossip and all things that are actually (sorry for the term) shallow, but we all felt so passionate about? Remember the best time of our lives when our biggest problems were allowances, homeworks, and crushes? And you must have your own bestfriends too, right?

Well, what happened to your mates now? Do you still keep in touch? I do with mine, though not constantly. I must admit that when life happens, it takes away a lot of your time from your old friends. But that doesn't mean you no longer are - in fact, that's how you know who's true. Those who remain real and stick with you and are still around.

Let me show you around one of the best places to stay in Dumaguete, Florentina Homes. When your friends are no longer living in the city and have migrated somewhere else, this is the best place for them to stay to make them feel right at home.



Spot the man-made gecko!



Everything is so colorful, and lush with plants and flowers!

Come on, let me show you their pool!




Looks great, right? But wait, you really do need to check out their restaurant, Gabby's Bistro. They may not have the best food, but they're certainly something else.

Tower of Rings - Beer-battered and breaded
white onion rings with honey mustard - P99

Pesto Chicken Pasta - basil, pine nuts, garlic,
cream, spaghetti - P175 (must try)

Gabby Patties - Mini gabburgers P135 - simple yet tasty
(I don't know why there's a Canadian flag)

Cajun Chicken Pizza - crisp cajun chicken slices,
honey-mustard dressing, cajun spices - P365
Quite an experience. Really something.

Chicken Parmegiana - Breaded chicken, spaghetti,
pomodoro - P175 (this was disappointing)

Banana Cream Pie - creamed banana filling topped with
cookie crumbles and fresh bananas - P85
Surprisingly good! Don't be fooled by its looks
We were so full after our "merienda" that was really more like a hearty meal. We decided to lounge around in the pool area. We took some pictures, talked some more, then headed to Rana Verde, their ice cream shop.




Fruits in Ice Cream (FIC) - Bubblegum

Fruits in Ice Cream (FIC) - Caramelo
We finally bid goodbye after a great afternoon of friends, laughter, gossip, and a lot of food! xx

Momma's Banana Cake like no other!

I mentioned in previous posts that my mom is a very good baker. I grew up eating her cakes, pastries, and so much more! Since I'm home with my mini-family, mom decided to cook her own banana cake with sunflower seeds and coconut candy and with very minimal sugar.

Here's the result:

Fresh from the oven!

Second Batch!

Chewy Banana Bars!

Playing Jenga with our desserts
It's chewy, just the way I like it. Plus, it has just the right amount of sweetness for me to handle with the right crunch with sunflower seeds, and tastes amazing with chocolate ice cream!

Thanks Momsy! xx

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Where to get foodspiration?

Now, speaking of Pinterest, as a food blogger, I naturally have a board titled Food-venture! Foodspiration! This is where I mostly get ideas (aside from my favorite bloggers like Rosie and Joann) for out of this world recipes. In this board, you'll mostly see recipes about pasta, pizza, anything with cheese, a lot of sweets, healthy Mediterranean salads, and fruits!

Here are my favorite pictures:

Grilled Asparagus Tartines
with scallions and ricotta

Grilled Avocado and Tzatziki Sandwich

Caprese Grilled Chicken

Grilled Corn

Lemon Parmesan Angel Hair Pasta with Fried Egg

Salad in a Mason Jar

Pesto Chicken Sandwich

Ricotta Crostini

Salted Caramel Sauce

S'mores Mug Cake
All these and so much more!
Bring on the Pinterest addiction! xx

Monday, August 26, 2013

Boho-chic, Glam and Summer...

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I am on vacation and will still be on vacation for a few more days. Since I'm having challenges with wifi at the moment, I'm sharing some of my favorite Pinterest pictures from one of my boards, Project: Style. So, what would you see inside this board? It's a mixture of sugar and spice and everything nice with a dash of boho-chic, glam and a lot of summer.

Here you go:












Yes, I'm a Pinterest addict. How 'bout you?
Follow me by clicking the Pinterest button on the upper right hand corner of this page. xx