Year-end Beach Trip with the Core.

Another year-ender road trip, second year in a row. But this year, with a happy heart and more friends.

 

The view from where we were eating lunch.

Again, there was an original plan to this. But due to the holidays and everyone I guess was thinking of the same thing, of spending their break somewhere else, we were okay to settle for a Batangas beach trip instead of a colder Banaue trip.

 

We were lucky enough to book an overnight stay in La Luz Beach Resort, in Laiya, Batangas without hassle considering its a long weekend for most of the people and famlies. Good job, Mina for booking it! :) This was just going to be chill weekend at the beach, with good conversations and also have a good drink to come with it. Turned out to be a chilly weekend, though. Nevertheless, still a good one.

 

It was a chilly 27th of December and a chance of rain, as me and Jap commuted going to Las Piñas to go get Mina (and her car, Nella) and meet Keith before we begin the road trip. After a quick breakfast at Mina's house, we were off. Quick stopover to Starbucks at Petron SLEX to get our java fix and food for the trip, then the real road trip begins.

 

After 3 hours of Jap driving, us three singing our lungs out with all the songs that we have in our gadgets, endless selfies and groupies and doing what we can to stay awake, we reach our destination. Finally! Haha! There was an overcast when we got to the resort. But, that didn't dampen anything. We were ready to hit the beach and drink! But first, lunch! We were starving!

 

 

This is my first time in La Luz. Situated almost at the end of the Laiya stretch, it was surprising to note, that this was not a busy beach. By busy I mean, crowded. The place has a lot of guests, mostly families enjoying the least weekend of the year. As with what you know of the Laiya Beach, it is not Boracay quality, but the water is clear so you can still enjoy swimming in it. Just be careful of the strong current and the deep water.

La Luz does not boast of five-star amenities, but you get a good deal with the price you pay. Its a very decent place, with clean rooms and bathrooms (stylish too!). The overall feel of the place is just chill. There are water drinking stations situated almost everywhere for the guests. The staff are very attentive. They can provide towels for you if you ask, though, double check if there are additional fees.

 

You are not allowed to bring in food (except for chips and other things that they don't have) because they provide full board meals for a fee of Php1000.00 I think. Not bad. And their food is not bad either. It's buffet style so you can get to eat as much as you want as well. They also have a good selection of dishes every meal. I particularly loved the roasted pork with aligue sauce served during dinner. But if you're the type who is snacker, make sure to bring other food like chips or cookies or bread, since I think they don't serve ala carte, aside from the meals they provide. And oh, by the way, its CLAYGO (Clean as you go). A little bit of self service won't hurt.

 

They have spacious cabanas that you can use anytime you like if you just want to chill and enjoy the beach view. Beach lounge chairs are also spread across the beach, if you want to get a tan. A beach volleyball net, for those who want to sweat it out by playing volleyball, and other water activities that you normally enjoy, like beach kayaking, snorkeling, and a lot more. You can have your "me time" at the rocks at the end of the resort, if you want some alone time to reflect too.

 

They don't have corkage for hard drinks, but they do have for beer and also for softdrinks. You can order ice from them, which I guess is Php20.00 an order. Php100.00 worth of tube ice lasted us for a whole day (and night) of drinking.

 

I would definitely recommend this place (for those who haven't been on this resort in Laiya.) :)

 

This trip was just meant for us four to chill, and enjoy each other's company with good conversations over a bottle or two of hard drinks. Jack and Southern Comfort is in order to send away the year that was. Core Friends, as we fondly call this group, was one of my blessings this 2013. Thank you to Jap, for letting me meet Mina, Keith for joining the team last year and I forgot how we actually got close, but I remembered our one-on-one session in Cubao X. Haha!

 

The friendship got deeper when we went to Boracay last September to celebrate Jap and Keith's birthday. And from then on, the clingyness started. Haha! Kidding aside, these people are part of my sanity check, on a daily basis. Tried and tested when I was going through some tough time at the third quarter of the year. Of course alcohol, food trips, shopping are mostly what we do together, but more than that, we love our conversations. This is the group where the "vendo conversations" originated.

 

Vendo conversations = if God will give you a vendo machine, what are the 3 or 4 things you would want to be there? Things that you feel you lack, or you always need in your life. Thought provoking questions, right? I love that about this group. They always make me think, step back and pause. I have found another set of friends who will make sure I stay on track. They curse with me, laugh with me, celebrate with me and sometimes cry with me. These people made sure I stayed on track. Definitely God's blessing for me this year. Thank you!

 

I thank God everyday for you guys. You just didn't make sure I stayed on track, you made sure I am still grounded, made sure I hold on, made sure I know what I deserve. Thank you for always processing with me, be it about work, about our personal lives, or something mundane. Thank you! 2013 would have been a different year, if not for you guys. And I cannot thank you enough. Happy New Year!

 

 

For more information about La Luz Beach Resort or if you want to book, here is their website.

 

http://www.laluzresort.com/

 

 

Accidental Nasi Goreng

 

Late night dinner cravings and leftovers from the dinner table and fridge are actually two interesting things for me. It's actually a party waiting to happen. I have started eating brown rice, I think two months ago or so for health and fitness reasons. And to be completely honest, its not as appetizing as the white rice that we all love. So I learned to switch it up or I felt I needed to switch it up for my sanity's sake.

 

Other than spicy food, I also love fried rice.  If you mix those two together, you get spicy fried rice? Close. I got Nasi Goreng. It became an instant hit for me when we went to Jakarta last year. I wouldn't have imagined that I will be cooking this here. Well, it was an accident, and I didn't know that this is going to be the outcome of all these leftover food being cooked together, until I had my first bite. It was like a light bulb went up in my head. I swear I could've shouted Eureka! Hahaha

 

Enough of the mumblings.. This is how the accidental nasi goreng happened....

 

Coming home from the gym made me all hungry and seeing that we all have a lot of leftover food on the table and fridge, I decided to whip something up.

 

Nasi Goreng

 

Ingredients:

leftover chicken breast 

leftover tilapia

leftover spicy bagoong (shrimp paste)

leftover chili garlic oil

leftover brown rice.

bit of oil

chili powder

garlic, chopped

onion, chopped

1 egg

 

Just cook everything as you would fried rice. I want my Nasi Goreng a bit on the "toasted" side, so I made sure, it stuck a little to the pan.

 

They had bangus steaks that night, that's my viand, and I chopped up half a cucumber, tossed it in vinegar, sugar, salt and pinch of chili pepper for a side dish.

 

I have learn to love the unexpected, and delight on the joys and pains that come with it.

Spicy Tuna and Sausage on Whole Wheat Fusili

 

I live for everything spicy and really tasty. I can eat something spicy any time of the day and still crave for it, the next time. That's how I was raised, having a Bicolana mother and a Bisaya father who learned how to a whole green chili as if it's fried chicken. This is nothing new to me, and so this is how I want my food, hot and spicy.

 

 

It was another lunch quality time with Matt that I needed to prepare for. Being me, and not having all the time in the world for grocery shopping, I always live off of what we have available in our pantry and fridge at home. So for this "lunch QT", I found my whole wheat pasta, leftover spicy Hungarian sausage that I got from Wielan and my ever reliable can of spicy tuna in oil. And so the cooking begins. By the way, I don't measure my ingredients, that's why I'm a better cook than a baker.

 

 

 

 

Everytime I cook, I am in a completely different zone. A good one at that. It's like work, but on a much different level. The different tasks involved just to get one dish out, is actually very tiring. The prep portion I learned to love. I hated it initially, because it was tiring. The cleaning up part, I am also in the process of learning to love. But overall, cooking has been very therapeutic, like when I had a phase that cleaning the toilet calms my nerves and helps put things in perspective. This now, helps me do that, well aside from other things like, massages, hugs.. Haha!

 

I am no pro, and just like in running, I don't claim to know everything or claim to be really good at it. I am an enthusiast and a foodie, that's why I love to cook.

 

Spicy Tuna and Sausage on Whole Wheat Fusili

 

Ingredients:

1 can spicy tuna in oil

2 pcs spicy Hungarian sausage, cut into pieces

whole wheat fusili pasta, cooked according to package directions

olive oil

garlic, chopped

onions, chopped

green chili, chopped

salt and white pepper to taste

my homemade chili garlic oil (as a condiment/topping)

 

Sauteed the sausage first to let the oil out, then throw in the garlic, onions and chili. Sautee till the latter ingredients are cooked. Add in a bit of olive oil, then the drained tuna flakes. Lastly, add in the cooked pasta and mix well so that every bit is coated with the oil. Serve hot and with the chili garlic oil to add more zing. Make sure to have lots of water with you to drink, if it gets too spicy. :p

 

 

 

Homemade Chili Garlic Oil - A Kitchen Experiment

 

 

    

 

This post has been in my drafts for a month I think. That's what I do now. Procrastinate a lot. Though I must say, that I do that a lot in my free time. Yes, the last statement didn't make any sense.

 

When I made this, I was actually cooking lunch for me and Matt to share. The inspiration came from the chili garlic condiment from Nomnomnom when we ate there for dinner. Matt had a cream-based pasta with baked salmon and it was served with this chili garlic sauce or oil as a condiment. Pretty interesting. And it actually complimented the dish well.

 

And because I think I had a lot of time that morning and I was pretty keen on replicating it, because it tasted so good, I started chopping the garlic, red and green chilis and started cooking this, alongside my pasta dish (which I will also post as a next entry).

 

Word of warning, the chilis are very dangerous and spicy, be careful in handling them as it may get to your eyes or wherever in your body that you may not like to be.

 

Homemade Chili Garlic Sauce/Oil

 

Ingredients:

red and green chilis (as much as you like)

garlic (as much or as little you want)

chili powder

oil

 

Just sautee everything in low to medium heat in a pan, until everything is cooked down. I think you can let this sit for a few days to let the garlic and chilis soften and it can be made into a paste or something like that.

 

Apologies for the poor quality of photos, I only use my iPad's camera for my food postings.

 

If you like your chili garlic or spicy stuff, you may want to try making your own spicy condiment to top any food you like. :)

 

My Adidas KOTR 2013 Experience

After conquering Skyway, I found myself signing up for the 16.8K of the Adidas King of the Road 2013 last July 7, 2013. Another running bucket list entry crossed out. To run the Kalayaan Flyover and try to run this distance.

 

I must admit, I am a running enthusiast, but I am not the type who signs up in every run possible. I sign up for a run, which I feel meets my needs or self-challenge at that point in time. But as an enthusiast, I try my best to also train hard for the races I join.

 

The view going up the Kalayaan Flyover from the Gil Puyat

This is my first time to run this distance. I ran with my 2 long time friends, husband and wife, Mildred and Earl who also share the enthusiasm for running and met a new friend, Jeff. The goal for that we have in mind is just to finish the race and not for PR. Perfect interval pacing by Milds, I got to enjoy the run more. And I finished the race still with energy. Great advise as well given by Milds and Earl to bring energy gels. :)
 

  

 

Though I finished the race in more than 2 hours, I'm glad I did it. The blisters on my right foot and that ache on my left foot made it harder to really push hard in running, but it was really an experience that was worth it. Also a first time to experience both my legs cramping.

This was a fun day, since I get to enjoy a day of bonding with my friends on a different setting. I don't have very good photos while running. Haha! Thanks to Matt for meeting me this day and sharing the last kilometer with me. :p


With my friend Milds, who's really an inspiration. Doing a 21K again this coming month of Sept.

Overall, the race experience for me is okay. Nothing majorly disappointing or something. Pretty organized since I didn't stay for long to try the booths and line up for the other freebies. I didn't experience the hassle of getting my race kit since Matt got it for me. :p

Now looking for another race to sign up next. :)

Isabelo Garden Restaurant

For those who are in search of something quirky but sweet and somewhere private for a celebration, please try Gardens by Isabelo. I have heard of their breakfast cafe, Rustic Mornings from my officemate and it was something that's already part of our foodie list to go through.
 
This dinner was a pleasant surprise from Matt for our first month. Haha! An intimate dinner. This is a first! :p

 

 
The place is quirky, quiet and homey. Perfect for those ocassions where you just need to enjoy each others company with the addition of great food. Perfect venue also for people like us who enjoy good conversations. I appreciated that you can see a glimpse of the owners' family by just being here and looking at the artworks and interiors.
 
I think its mandatory to pre-order so that they can have your food ready and you don't have to wait for a long time for it to be ready. Reservations for dinner is also required plus, an initial deposit. Makes sense since they will be prepping your food in advance.


Spinach Artichoke Dip

Clam Chowder

Grilled Salmon Steak



4-Hour Pugon Baked Osso Bucco



Since this is Matt's idea, I was only required to show up and be girly. Haha! I have never been asked by a boy to a date and specifically asked me to be girly. That's also a first. :p He already ordered for us. I must say, I'm impressed with the choices he made. He ordered the Spinach Artichoke Dip (Php350) for appetizer and the Clam Chowder for soup. Then came the entrees, he got the 4-Hour Pugon-Baked Osso Bucco (Php750) and the Grilled Salmon Steak (Php350/steak).

Key Lime Pie

My personal favorite was the Spinach Artichoke Dip. I am actually plannin on replicating it. :)
The osso bucco, as I can remember it, was very tender, literally falling off the bone. Very rich and tasty! The fish, very fresh as should be. It was a hearty meal, finished with the perfect dessert. The Key Lime Pie is the perfect mix of sweet and tangy. A good way to cut the richness of all the food we ate.

 

 

I would rate this experience as a 10. Not even getting lost in Marikina finding this place dampened the experience. Great food by Chef Portia Dee Baluyut, whom I recognized from a TV show in Lifestyle Network. I would love to try the Rustic Mornings by Isabelo soon for brunch. Thanks to Matt, this has been very memorable for me.

 

 

For more information on this, you can check out their website. I highly recommend this place. Two thumbs up for great food and place that this family has.

 

http://www.isabelogarden.com

http://www.rusticmorningsbyisabelo.com/