Sister braiding session at Abuelita's while kids egghunt in the background
I don't think we look alike. Do you?
poking around in a Korean store called Sing Sing Wellbing! (their receipt says Wellbeing)
so many goodies!
which ice lolly do I pick? :)
this strawberry apple popsicle is a yummy way to cool off!
went home with a box of green tea cereal
Hop on over to Sing Sing Wellb(e)ing Korean Mart at
20D Timog Avenue, Quezon City
Tel.: 3765883
Branch featured here is the newest one at Capitol Hills, Q.C.
Capitol GreenStreet Annex Bldg. Capitol Golf & Country Clubhouse
Old Balara, Quezon City
Location Map of Capitol Hills Branch
Tels.: +632-435-0114 +632-473-0455
+63915-3940789 +63917-8133457
hours: Mon-Thu 2-11PM
Fri-Sun 11AM-12MN
Needing some kneading (pun intended!) to be done on our weary bodies after a lot of stress filled weeks, Noel and I decided to check out the fairly new Blue Water Day Spa that opened near us.
First thing we noticed was the out-of-town feel it had. Tucked under the Capitol Hills country club, surrounded by greens, one has to go down a few steps to get there. I think I even remember hearing a few crickets singing! (of course this was at night) Upon entering the spa, instead of the usual strong eucalyptus scent wafting in the air, there seemed to be a hint of lavander. I wasn’t able to photograph the blue lighting in the hallway of the treatment rooms, giving it a bit of a sci-fi ultra modern feel.
Entrance of Blue Water
lobby with minimalist furniture
We opted for a couple’s room which had its own lockers and shower.
couple's treatment room (I think ours was called Luxury)
The shower had a nice stone lined floor but was a bit cramped even for just one person. Noel noted that the sheets on the massage beds were a bit scratchy, but I didn’t seem to notice. Not being too familiar with their massage list, I chose a medium priced one called the Oriental Massage- which turned out to be a very good choice. Priced at PhP 750.00, you get 1.5 hours of long strokes that are alternated with herbal heated packs put on your body. They anticipate the heat and put an extra layer of blanket to absorb this. Both Noel and I drifted in and out of sleep, something we don’t normally experience during massages. I highly recommend this massage if you need to de-stress and have a lot of kinks in your upper back. I would love to try their scrubs next time (they start at PhP 850.00), but I am especially intrigued by the chocolate slimming mud therapy. Who doesn’t love chocolate??? 
It supposedly diminishes the look of cellulite and what better time to try it but this summer? All Capitol Hills lacks is a large swimming pool to complete the feeling of being outside of the city.
Check out the different branches of Blue Water Day Spa at their website.
You might even win a free Swedish massage. Check out the details here.
I had eaten at this restaurant years before when it was still called Chef Ed. It was good back then, so I wanted Noel to try it under its new name and see if the quality of dishes stayed the same. So one Friday, we decided to head here for lunch, as it’s not too far from our offices. Fig & Olive has a very casual vibe. It even has an outdoor area with throw pillows surrounding cushioned benches in plums and blues and ceiling fans overhead. It has a very beach resto feel to it. It transforms to a bar at night with hookah pipes to boot!
We ate in the airconditioned part as the heat is really on this summer. We were served a bread basket with butter while we waited for our food to arrive.
Noel excited for his food
The menu is a bit pricey with dishes starting at about PhP 250.00 but well worth it. Everything was delish! And the best part about Mediterranean cuisine is it’s healthy too! Check out our scrumptious fare!
fish fillet with spicy citrus sauce and buttered veggies
eager to try my fish!
beef shawarma meal - Noely's
our fave: tomato rice!
Fig & Olive is located at 139 H.V. dela Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
Telefax: 8120016
Couple of weeks ago I was in a bit of a slump, thought a new haircut would help lift the blues. As my friend G put it, invite some change in. So I marched myself into Essensuals Toni & Guy at Trinoma.
Intrigued by Phoebe’s post when she wrote about her positive experience at the Crowne Plaza branch, I had been wanting to visit the place myself but found it a bit out of the way. Since they opened a Trinoma branch, I decided to check it out one weekend. The place was packed! The next appointment was in a hour’s time so I booked it right away. I was surprised to see so many many people in a salon that isn’t cheap.
before my treatment and cut
I didn’t know which stylist to pick and ended with Idyll. I explained that I wanted something a little different that would bring out my natural curls, but I was afraid of texturizing as it really gave me bad split ends before and irritated my face as a result. I liked that she gave her recommendation right away about my needing a treatment as my hair was very dry and my scalp was quite irritated. But what I liked even better was the massage I got while I was asked to wait for my stylist to get to me. Once she did though, and made her recommendations, she had someone give me a quotation first as to what the treatment and cut would cost. A cut with Idyll costs PhP 650.00 and the treatment she suggested for hair and scalp was this sea salt treatment from Japan called Mucarina. This came out to almost 3k because of my long hair, but they gave me a good discount which cost about PhP 2,200.00 - PhP 2,400.00.
The treatment itself felt cold and soothing on my scalp which is prone to irritation. Idyll said this is aggravated by stress. 
I was given another very relaxing massage to help my hair absorb the Mucarina. To seal it in more, it was steamed directly using this contraption. Of course I was told that I would need more than one treatment to bring my hair’s original lustre and softness back.
steamer
I felt like I was in a carwash. Hahaha! Then it was time for my cut. To my dismay, Idyll decided she was going to texturize my hair after all, even if I had already explained what had happened before. She reasoned that the stylist probably didn’t know what he/she was doing. I’m still on the fence about my new haircut and may go back for another treatment, but have to accept that my hair can’t really swing high layers and has to be cut more or less the same way by my usual stylists at Basement. For maintenance I was told to blow dry only the bangs (a sideswept fringe) which I attempted to do but failed miserably. It felt like another episode out of Betty&Veronica comics where Betty tries to replicate a fab new do on her own but just gets frustrated.
what do you think of my new haircut? yay or nay?
Toni & Guy is located at:
3/L Trinoma North Avenue Corner Edsa Quezon City Metro Manila
Phone: +63(2)9007168
Noel and I have made a more conscious effort to eat healthy since early this year so it’s difficult to find healthy snacks. With the mushrooming of frozen yogurt around the metro, it’s not so hard to indulge and still feel guilt-free as frozen yogurt is quite low calorie as long as you watch what toppings you add on. We’ve come to love it so much, here’s a compiled list of our favorites according to how much we like them.
Problem is, when I first started this post, it was way back in February. Things have changed a bit for me in terms of preference. I now prefer the hint of Yakult in I Love Berries and have grown a bit tired of the creaminess of Red Mango and the long wait. (They’re also not too generous with their toppings and have a very poor selection of them) Fro Yo is quite the opposite, in that it’s as if they’ll never run out of stuff and they just give you a lot more. So keep this paragraph in mind when you read what I’ve written below:
1. Red Mango - this is located on the 3rd floor of Trinoma across Toys R’ Us and Fitness First. I love their slogan: “Treat Yourself Well” It has the right combination of sweetness and sourness and is served in really cute white ceramic bowls that look like huge oyster shell halves. What we didn’t like though was during one visit, we were being asked to order green tea since they were running out of the regular flavor. They also just opened at the 2F of the new Eastwood Mall and at MegamallA ground flr. I wonder if they’ll introduce pomegranate here too?
2. White Hat - this is what first got us hooked on frozen yogurt. It’s probably one of the sweeter ones out there. With branches in Mall of Asia, Robinson’s Midtown, SM North Edsa and one just opened in Rustan’s Glorietta, it probably has the widest reach today. We didn’t know what the big deal was, till we tried this brand a couple of times before getting hooked.
White Hat Store Front at Rustan's Makati (outside grocery)
3. Fro Yo - this is what Noel and I would visit inside Hobbes Universe at High Street when we were too lazy to make the effort to visit the less accessible White Hat branches. The thing is though, the staff always seems to be a little bit dazed and confused. But this is one of the few branches that serves candy sprinkles as a topping which I love. They also have a branch in Thomas Morato in a place called Thompson’s Square. Here are photos:
excited to go in! ( I seem to match the colors!)
So many things to choose from. Must try the smoothies next time
to the left: Noel's cherry cheescake, mine: strawberries, rice krispies and candy sprinkles
4. I Love Berries - everyone kept saying this tasted just like frozen yakult. I was a skeptic but enjoyed the retro treatment that they did to their first store which opened in the level1 entertainment area of Mall of Asia.
retro-ish interiors
almost all gone!
Upon trying it again at Rockwell’s recent Urban Bazaar, I noticed that it did taste a bit like frozen yakult. But it wasn’t too creamy.
5. Lullubelle - the prettiest interiors by far! Just love the hot pink and orange combo and all the little cows. I should be getting my free gift from them soon, having filled up all the stamps on my loyalty card. Their green tea flavor is my fave when paired with candle sprinkles and mini marshmallows.
both green tea for my sis and me
my sister matches the store! Isn't she the cutest thing? :)
cute cows by the cashier
And it’s right in Rockwell near the new kids’ area on the 3rd floor.
6. California Berry - first tried this at Silver City across SM Hypermart in Ortigas but wasn’t too impressed. I guess I find it quite tart. This might be the most tart of the frozen yogurts we’ve tried. Noel wasn’t too impressed either. Maybe because we were in bad moods also by the time we got there since Noel had forgotten I wanted to try it on our way home from many errands. It just recently opened at Paseo Center which is quite close to our offices. Discovered it by accident with two of my friends months ago.
Angela and Tebs posing by the toppings counter
strawberries with rice krispies (gotta try other things)