A 14 Four Cafe Valentine

A very much delayed post-Valentine post. Teehee. :)

I love quirky places. They're heartfelt, personal, warm spaces of someone else's creativity and passion, but instead of feeling intrusive, you feel so welcome and so happy to have chanced upon such a unique little spot in the city.

My boyfriend brought me to 14 Four Cafe in Taytay, Rizal for a post-Valentine's and pre-anniversary treat this year. Admittedly, I was whining the whole time that it was just so far away from my comfort zone (Taytay, all the way from Alabang!), but by the time we got there, the birdnest-like gate of this house-turned-cafe-and-showroom was enough to perk my interest. And, ah! What a lovely, lovely surprise this turned out to be! I really should have brought Duccio home along, because all I have to show for this awesome date are pictures from my phone!

While the food was just so-so, I suppose I'd go back just for the really nice ambience of the place. It's one of the reasons why cafes are my favorite spots to hang out in instead of bars; cafes are relaxed and laid back, and you can people-watch in peace over tea and good conversation. The furniture differed per table and bulbs hung exposed from trees and the lamps were beautifully mismatched. And because it was a Valentine's weekend when we went, they had a whole gig where they took an Instax photo of us and stuck it inside this adorable card with washi and fabric tapes and a cute animal paper clip -- my kind of thing! Suffice it to say that my boyfriend did well in bringing me to a place he knew I'd love! :D

Do visit for the experience, if you're one of those quirky old souls who love eclectic things, furniture and generally unique cafes. You'll probably love it as much as I did!

14 Four Cafe is located in

144 Magnolia Lane, Barangay San Isidro,

Gregoria Heights Subdivision,

Taytay, Rizal, Philippines 1920

Fridays and Saturdays 10am-10pm

Sundays 10am-9pm

Little Tokyo

Let's just say that this is the best precursor to a real Tokyo visit. Heh.

Little Tokyo's quite the institution in Makati, having been there probably even longer than when my parents started working in the city, and is still the most authentic place to go to when you want real Japanese food in Manila. Based on other blogs, it's most alive at night, but when we went there, we came for lunch, and while most restaurants and stalls were closed at that time (maybe that day being New Year's Eve was to blame), there were still some that remained open to customers dropping by. 

It's not just the food that you have to go there for, I think, but the quaint charm that the whole alleyway has. It's got the red paper lanterns with kanji in black ink, plastic sakura, the old street-like features that make me think of Rurouni Kenshin, the tininess of the restaurant and wooden sliding doors, the bonsai and the zen gardens, and, well, the fact that so many Japanese people frequent that place that probably remind them  most of home. 

Little Tokyo is located in Pasong Tamo, Makati City. 

You can't miss it; it's got this imperial arch in red with embossed silver letters that say Little Tokyo. 

Heh. Worth a visit indeed!

Some Good Things

The courier finally got my three rolls of film developed, all taken with Pierre, my new Superheadz Super Fat Lens camera. Happy, happy! I'm posting random picks from the rolls - some from the beach trip with my college mates, some from around the house, some in Singapore lah, etc.

See the full set here. 

There is a lot to be thankful for.
Where shall I be this June? Fingers crossed.

When You Move Like a Jellyfish

Joseph finally brought me to Manila Ocean Park today after about a year or so of badgering him to do so. Yay for this getting crossed off my bucket list! :) If there was any regret, it was leaving Duccio behind because I was too lazy to lug him around in my bag.

I initially planned on generalizing one post for this visit, but ah, I decided instead to focus on the jellyfish exhibit. If there's anything to see there and to go back for, it would have to be the jellyfish. Simply put, they were beautiful - translucent and forever floating, floating, floating... 

Fourteen Stations, Seven Churches

It's Holy Week again. Holy Thursday was spent going about the city for Bisita Iglesia - that tradition of praying the fourteen stations of the Cross, ideally doing one station for every church visit. My family usually prays two for every church that we visit, so that makes the trip somewhat easier because that would simplify things for us and trim down fourteen visits to seven. It's not my favorite thing to do, but it's one of the consistent sacrificial traditions we undertake every year; with that in mind, I've been in the process of learning not to be such a complainer since the first time we did this as a family.

This year, we visited the St. Joseph Parish Church (most famous for the Bamboo Organ in Las Pinas), St. Andrew's Cathedral in Paranaque, the Shrine for St. Therese near Resorts World, a teensy chapel my parents used to frequent when they used to live in Tambo, the church of Pateros, the Presentation Parish in BF Homes, and another church in the Fort. It was the most tiring bisita we did in years (usually we do it later in the day bordering on early evening), and it definitely took a toll on my temper. Huhu. I was grumpy for about half the trip because of the heat, mainly, and the fact that all I really wanted to do was relax in bed. But like I said, it's just one of the sacrifices we have to do for God. And I did get to see some of the loveliest churches in Manila (St. Joseph was just such a beauty with all the centuries-old stone), so that was just awesome. :)

Hope you're having a wonderful Holy Week. Whether or not you're at home or out of town, do remember to spare a minute or two for a bit of prayer! An advanced Happy Easter and God bless. :)

Vivere, Part 2/2

Joseph and I went out for dinner at Vivere's Sky Lounge last Saturday in Filinvest, Alabang. He researched on noteworthy places to go to in the area (particularly those with a great view) and reserved a table for us  in this restaurant early on. This was, after all, in celebration of The Big Day. :)

Aside from Mona Lisa, this was probably the fanciest place we'd ever gone to; normally, we like simple places (fast-food chains, for example), and if not simple, anonymous places that offered sort-of-exotic cuisines like Indian (Raaz Mahal in BF) and Korean (Bulgogi Brothers being our most recent favorite!). 

We had a table right by the view, where you could see the expanse of Alabang and the Makati skyline in the distance. You could see a picturesque scene of Laguna de Bay, and the silhouettes of the Antipolo mountains across the water. There was a defunct infinity pool by the al fresco dining - I say defunct because it really used to be a swimming pool, but because of the wind, there was that risk of slipping and other hazards.

The wind was exceptionally strong so we made the right decision of having ourselves relocated to a table indoors. Otherwise, dinner may have been a disaster, what with all that crazy wind!

The food was very good. It was undoubtedly expensive, but we agreed that what we were generally paying for were the view and the fact that this was still a restaurant in a hotel. We didn't necessarily order the chef's recommendations apart from the wonderful minestrone soup, but oh, the gambas was just delicious (that, or I really just love gambas in general) and the salpicao was juicy. :3 The complementary bread came with dried pita crackers and a garlic mayo dip, and that managed to satiate our appetites while waiting for the entrees to come. 

At the end of the night we were happy and full, and while we aren't going to go back anytime soon (the woes of we who stick to affordability), it was definitely a most wonderful treat for ourselves. :)

The Sky Lounge is located on the 31st floor of Vivere Suites, 5102 Bridgeway Avenue, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa, Metro Manila. To reserve tables in advance, call  771-7777.