Photo Love {Inspiration}: Holiday lights in Manila

Let the holiday lights fill you with a lighter, brighter spirit!

Chic 'n Cheap Living

Tri Noma Mall, Manila, Philippines

Welcome to the last week of the year!  I just stepped off the plane about an hour ago and am glad to have internet access,  (much needed) opportunity to get to my gym, and a chance to relax at home.

It was great to see family, walk around a few new malls, and see the sights.  There is something about holiday lights that instantly put me in a better mood.  I think they appeal to my inner child and make me appreciate the simple, beautiful things in life.

How was your holiday weekend?

Have a great week lovelies!

CnC Living Travel Log: Manila Styles, part 3 of 3 - food and a road trip to Baguio

Finally onto the food - one of my tops reasons for traveling.  Filipino cuisine is somewhat of a mixture between Chinese and Spanish foods so you can get a nice mix of tastes that incorporate everything from soy sauce to adobo (or actually vinegar).  There is also great seafood cooked in a variety of ways as well (grilled, marinated in vinegar, fried.).

Snacking is also popular, in fact so popular that Merienda, or a late afternoon snack, is an expected part of the day and a great time to meet up with friends or family.  So we had a lot of opportunities to eat our way through Manila. A. LOT.

Hmm, wonder where my holiday weight gain came from...

First up, my favorite snack - halo halo.  Shaved ice, jackfruit, cereal, random colored jelly, ice cream, sometimes flan or corn.  It's crazy, colorful deliciousness, especially at Iceberg restaurant.

Chicharron (fried pork rinds eaten by dipping in vinegar) is a popular snack. Tasty but I couldn't bring any back because we're trying to eat more healthily and fried pork fat doesn't rate too highly on the food pyramid.

I took a few pictures of some recommended restaurants:
O'sonho is a Portugese restaurant in the Eastwood Mall complex.  They had excellent food incorporating the peri peri pepper.  Million dollar peri peri chicken dreams for under $5 (or whatever other food "dreams" they served). 

At TriNoma, we had some fantastic dessert at Five Cows.  They have savory snacks and lots of dessert options that combined pastries with ice cream like our apple crumble for less than $3.  Yum!

I would also recommend "Little Tokyo".  It was a hidden treasure near Green Belt mall.  It is an open area of a mix of Japanese restaurants that allow you to seamlessly order sushi from 1 restaurant and wagyu beef from another.  It was pricier at $20-$30 but authentic and delicious.

We also went on a road trip to Baguio which is a historic city North of Manila.  It is known for its mild climate and is the "Summer capital of the Philippines"

There were lovely mountain views and the corresponding cool weather (ahh so necessary after experiencing the 80+ degree weather in Manila). 

  

It is a long drive up the mountain but vendors sell grilled coconut wrapped in banana leaves on the roads.  Mmmm, eating a few of these was definitely a good way to pass the time.

 

It's a lovely city.  There are however touches of commercialism though that contrast with the serene mountains. E.g. the country's most famous fried chicken chain, Jollibee, proudly displays its sign as you wind your way up the mountains. 

But of course there was also the familiar nods to religion.  The simple and beautiful Pink Sister Convent is also nearby and the country's current president is said to visit when she is in the area (the presidential summer mansion is there and they were holding a cabinet meeting when we visited!)

After a few days in Baguio, we were back to Manila.  I loved going up North and experiencing the weather and sites from a different region.  The Philippines has such diversity and I hope to see more of it next time.

Until then, I'll have to plug in my USB tranquility fountain, relax, and dream of my next vacation.

CnCLiving Travel Log :Manila Styles, part 2 of 3 - Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories

Welcome to another edition of Manila mall reports and a peek into Manila style.

I tried to capture some styles that were particularly Filipino - tropical and laid-back with that particular Pinoy flair.  Of course there were quite a few warm weather options in terms of clothing and shoes.  They had some interesting options.  Definitely fun though perhaps not for everyone.

 

Then there are brands that offer clothing with a very patriotic flair.

This one was interesting because it combined the national pride with a nod to their devout ways as well.

 There are also several  brands that have use the Filipino map as a logo.

Then there are nods to some familiar American and European brands.

The Filipino version of Celine has handbags as well but is not the same as the French design house (font is not that far off though so it can be confusing); this Celine is more of a mid-range brand.

Then did you know that Monique Lhuillier's family is well-established in Cebu and known for their businesses? This is one of them - a pawnshop chain.

Green Belt mall also has a floor dedicated to high-end Filipino designers.

 

Finally, if you're in the Philippines and looking for pearls (my blogger buddy Thirty-Something Bride got her pearl necklace and bracelet for her wedding here), go to Green Hills Mall.  The first level has a section of dozens of vendors devoted to sea pearls.  The larger, rounder, more lustrous pearls can set you back $30-$40 for a necklace.  But you can also get a great necklace with smaller pearls for the price Louise paid - closer to $20.

 

Finally a beauty tip:

If you have a local friend who can speak tagalog, I'd recommend calling up an at-home manicurist.  My new aunt called one for us and it was awesome - $5 for a manicure and pedicure and $5 for a foot scrub and she comes to you!  She had a range of so-so brands from cheap drugstore brands to OPI so you might want your own color.  But the scrub was awesome (I'll pass her phone number to you if you need it).

Unfortunately I didn't really get to take pictures Sartorialist style (someday with an SLR camera!)  But it would have been awesome to catch someone like this in Manila - rocking a pareo with a Hermes bag.  Some day that will be me!

CnCLiving Travel Log: Manila Styles, part 1 of 3 - malls and churches

Since I lived the Pinoy lifestyle the last few weeks, I wanted to share some of my recent life in pictures. I was mainly in Manila save a few days in Baguio.  Our trip to Cebu got canceled because of my illness.  Sigh, pretty bummed because it was like a mini-moon for us since we never really had a honeymoon.  It's ok, I know we'll eventually take that trip.

When you visit Manila, 2 things strike you about the lifestyle: malls and a sense of spiritualism (specifically Catholicism). 

We reached our family in Manila close to 4 am and saw twinkling lights and the church lit up.  I asked my new uncle why so many people were out.  He explained that there were 4 am masses closer to Christmas.  Wow, that is devotion.  It was somewhat beautiful and special to see people so dedicated in their faith.

How can you tell the churches are truly an integral part of the Pinoy lifestyle?

Churches in malls.  Yep.  You heard me - go to the Gap, get a smoothie, go to mass.

Here are a few examples of the churches I saw in malls:

(at the left with the angel in Green Hills Mall)

 

At a Tri-Noma mall in Eastwood, I think

There were also more commercial and cute examples of Christmas cheer.
At Eastwood mall again and Greenbelt

There are malls for every demographic from Shoe Mart to Greenbelt.

LUXE ALERT

There was a very tempting Marc By Marc Jacobs store and an Escada store at Greenbelt - nicest or at least highest end mall we visited.  You can certainly tell how high-end the mall is by the shops that inhabit each mall - Balenciaga may be featured at one mall while another may have local shops.

Mr. Gadget theorizes that malls are prevalent in the Philippines because 1) it's a warm country and a centralized place with air-conditioning would appeal to the masses and 2) it is somewhat of a homage of sorts to American consumerism.  Interestingly enough, I didn't actually recall too many shoppers with bags and wondered how profitable the malls actually were.   But I can see malls as a meeting point, shop windows as an aspirational escape, and the act of shopping as a family activity.  It seems natural then to have churches centrally located so families can pray together in the midst of doing shopping or eating.

Thus my little observations on malls and churches in Manila.  Onto food and styles in parts 2 and 3 ...

Merry Christmas from Manila!

Hello blogger buddies, it's been WAY too long!  Oh I have so many stories to share but couldn't do it from Taiwan because there was limited internet access where I was staying.  That and Taiwan is unseasonably cold so I developed a nasty cough and headache.  Ugh.

But we flew back to Manila today and I wanted to share with you some holiday cheer Filipino style.  From the decorated churches...

to the malls, Christmas cheer is everywhere.

Ok hoping to catch up on your blogs soon and really hoping Robitussin can truly be my friend.

Photo Love: Tropical daydreams...Manila and a flora sanctuary at home

Baby it's cold outside.  Oh yes and rainy too here in Londontown.  Yep, it's the oh-rather-stay-in-turn-up-the heat-and-drink-soup kinda weather.

That's why I'm ECSTATIC to be escaping to two warm countries.  I think Manila will be particularly fun because it will be my first time there.  I can't wait to bask in the sun, explore the sites, and have lots of icy treats (Mr. Gadget tells me halo-halo is yummm).  Of course there's the excitement of meeting a few of Mr. Gadget's relatives for the first time.  Like me because I bring you English chocolates!!!

Umm, how fun and neon colored is that dessert?  Image from here.

Note: Lovely readers, would really appreciate if you had any recommendations for local designers and must-see places in Manila or Cebu (or Taipei for that matter since I'm not super familiar with it).

Thanks!

Dear Monica of Ciao Chessa posted about having a favorite place or image that you can turn to for a mental escape.  I think this may be my new image.

Image from here.

We all have rough patches in our lives and it's great to think of good time or places that truly makes us serene or brings us to a time and place of pure contentment.

I love the concept of creating a space for yourself at home.  I saw this image and was instantly captivated (I'd have couches or day beds in there though).  Oh if I had the room and energy to maintain an indoor flora sanctuary, it would be so amazing.  I'm um not so good with maintaining plants myself so I'd have to discipline myself.  But man, I love the indoor jungle feel of it.

Where do you relax at home or what is your favorite place to relax in general?