Happenings After Graduation

Our Sablay and Diploma Jacket

DISCLAIMER: This post will contain a lot of photos. Prepare to scroll down some more.

Clearly, I still couldn’t get a hang of our graduation ceremonies which I blogged about last week. I can’t stop thinking of writing about it again, because it feels like I still have a lot of things to share. The problem is, I couldn’t put them in words. Blame it on the post-graduation jitters that’s been bugging me for more than a week now. My mind’s still on a haze, so I’m saving all those thoughts about the joy of finally completing a bachelor’s degree for next time.

After graduation, I kept myself busy looking for available jobs at JobStreet. Fortunately, I found some that I deem are suitable to what I usually do best; the downside is, their offices are located somewhere far from my hometown. I’m still not ready to leave my peaceful and comfortable life here in Davao City. So friends, I beg you to stop flustering me with the great opportunities Makati City has to offer until I’m emotionally and financially prepared. LOL!

I choose to stay here in Davao City until such time that I’ll realize my calling of working in an advertising firm, which has been my ultimate dream ever since I started studying Communication Arts. But until that happens, I’m going to set myself up for any adventure life may throw my way. Anyhow, I got an offer to play guest host for a TV show with three others. I actually find it weird that I’m one of the chosen ones given my shy and delicate sensibilities. Despite that, I agreed to do it and I’m quite excited to work on cam ‘cause I know it’s going to be a great experience.

Enough about work and stuff, so now I’m going to talk about the highlight of my week. My true friends Regine, Lerr and I reunited after four months last Wednesday. The last time we saw each other was when they visited me here at home last Christmas. I missed them big time and it’s sad to know that we’re going be apart again soon (tears), but of course that didn’t hinder us from having fun. Here are our photos to suffice our celebration of food and friendship.

Waiting for Lerr to arrive.

Lerr finally arrived after 30 minutes.

This is our only photo together. 

I will never stop loving Ramadeey.

Regine says this is going to be her Facebook DP.

Regine and Lerr’s photo opp at Zabadani’s façade.

Off to our next food destination.

Tunisian Whole Breast (My order)

Beef Kabsa (Regine’s Order)

Lemony Chicken (Lerr’s Order)

Isn’t it odd that I’m such a huge fan of Zabadani Café? I always suggest going there when my friends and I find time to pig out, and I thank them for considering my opinion when it comes to food. I will never get tired of feeding myself with Zab’s Middle-Eastern delights. This food spot is definitely one of Davao City’s pride. Now that I mentioned Zab, they just opened their newest branch at Gaisano Mall’s The Peak yesterday. Anyway, after having our lunch there, we went strolling to find somewhere else (with wifi) to stay. We had a hard time deciding where, and finally we chose to head over at Café Demitasse for our frappe and pizza fix.

18 oz. worth of brain freeze. Almond Praline frappe (my order), Strawberry Smoothie (Lerr’s) and Mudslide Frappe (Regine’s).

Pepperoni Pizza

That was my second time to be at Café Demitasse. The last time was over a year ago with my boyfriend. I remember blogging my review about it. In case you haven’t read it, here’s the link. I love this place because it’s very feminine. I love the colors of the chairs, wall and the chandeliers. They’re very pretty! I will never say no to something that pleases my eyes. Another thing that I love about Café Demitasse is their fast internet connection. I could have finished downloading five movies, if it weren’t for my laptop that’s running out of power.

Before I forget, I also would like to share that after a very long stretch, I finally had a good dose of spiritual knowledge once again this week. It really feels so great to stay in tune with the Lord. I'm going to give that a separate blog post so that I can talk about it more. Another thing, I also just finished watching Season 1 of The Lying Game. The finale was epic! I am totally stoked for Season 2. I heard production will start this summer, and the show will start this winter. That’s it for now folks. Much love!

PS: One last thing, I apologize for not posting much and for not blog-hopping much lately. I'm quite busy looking for a job. I hope you understand.

One True Love

Before anything else, let me just say I had a hard time thinking of a good title for this post.I got tired of squeezing my brain for some creative juice, so I just settled for One True Love. It sounds too mushy and cliché, but hey, it’s love month; and love has always been both mushy and cliché. Pardon me for my defensiveness.

February 14, 2012 is a very special day for me, because it was the first time for me and my boyfriend Ciovic to be together on a Valentine's Day after four years and five months of being a couple. We didn’t have the chance to see each other in the past Heart’s Days because of some constraints like parental and academic stuff.

It was also my first time to receive a flower bouquet from him and from anyone, and it was really romantic. When we arrived at Zabadani Café, he asked if he could go out to buy something to chew while waiting for our order. When he came back, I got so surprised when he handed me the pink roses instead. I wasn’t expecting it!

The act may not be special for you anymore, but for me it is. It was like the memories of our courtship stage came flooding back in my mind. I almost cried for joy, but I controlled my kilig emotions because the coffee shop was jam-packed with customers that time. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I recall that very moment.

 Zabadani Café

Keepsakes (Matina Town Square)

What I Wore (Black & White w/ a Hint of Red)

Top – G.F. Fashion Collection

Inner Tank – New Look

Pants: Egoist

Bag: Secosana

Tassle Dangle: FashionConvict

Bangles: Thrifted

Belt: Thrifted

Rubber Shoes: Advan

We both ordered Kebabs at Zabadani Café. This is one of my favorite dishes there, but it didn’t suffice my hunger. We couldn’t order some more because there were a lot of people, and the owner was already so busy. We didn’t want to bother him anymore, so we just went to Matina Town Square’s Keepsakes for a rice meal.

We had Crispy Fried Chicken and Spicy Buffalo Wings at Keepsakes. I only like the first dish, because the latter is so awful. It’s just too sour and chilly I couldn’t handle it. I love the place because it’s private and for me, that meant I could take pictures anytime I want without worrying about what people might think about me.

What I like about Keepsakes is the interior design. I love the bright paint colors they used which actually made the place look like a huge toy house. The prices on their menu is also very student-friendly, since it’s located near Ateneo de Davao University (High School & Elementary) and University of Mindanao (College).

Enough said. Now, let me thank Ciovic for making this year’s Valentine so memorable for me. Thanks for the treat and of course, for the lovely flowers. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save up for a gift for you. I will make it up to you soon, and that’s a promise I’m sure to keep. I love you so much, and you will be my man forever.

Gastronomy: Food and Friends

My new girl buddies (Jael and Maicie) and I had our sort of "sem-ender activity" last week. I’ve got to know them just months ago, and it felt like our friendship has already existed for such a long time. I can be my bizarre self when I’m with them, and I’m glad that they always make me feel like I belong since I’m new to their group. If not for them, I would have become a loner in my last sem in UP Min. We have so many things in common, and as we mulled over our similarities, we found out that the three of us consider FOOD as our top de-stresser.

We went to Abreeza Ayala Mall, because Maicie insisted. It was her first time there so we gave her a chance to see the much-talked about mall in Davao. LOL! We searched for a nice place to feed our starving stomachs, and decided to dine at Pancake House instead. I ordered their Jumbo House Burger, Maicie had their Blueberry Pancake and Jael tried their Spaghetti Set with Mushroom Soup. There was nothing special with the ambience of the joint, but I honestly think that the Abreeza branch was better than their branches from other malls.

The Jumbo House Burger

It looks small in the photo, but it was really big. I needed help from my girls to gobble this all up. I could say this was one of the best-tasting burgers I’ve had. The cheese, beef patty and bacon were so delicious. I was also very delighted with the generous amount veggies and French fries. Two thumbs up for this dish!

Special Spaghetti Set with Cream of Mushroom Soup

This was Ate Jael’s order. I didn’t like the spaghetti, because it was not that saucy. I loved the sandwich and the mushroom soup though. That’s what friends are for. We have conjugal properties even on food! Haha.

Maicie’s Blueberry Pancake

After Pancake House, we had another food indulgence at my beloved spot… at Zabadani Café. We totally had carbo overload that day, but we didn’t mind it at all. We thought we needed that a lot. I wanted to spoil myself since I've been really beat the whole semester, though I’ve never really tucked myself away from my ultimate stress reliever despite my busy scholastic life. At Zab, we order Grilled Cheese Oreganao (for me), Bubble Milk Tea (for me and ate Jael), Beef Kabsa (for ate Jael), Beef Squares and Mochaccino (for Maicie). Here are our shots…

Ate Jael’s Beef Kabsa.

Maicie’s Beef Squares.

My Grilled Cheese Oregano. I wasn’t able to take another shot of this because the camera ran out of battery. We weren’t able to take photos of our beverages.

Because we love food big time, we came up with an idea of setting up a gastronomic meet every month. We kicked off our plan that day, and our next stop would be at TGIF! It’s time for me to save some moolah (Off topic and weird, but I can imagine myself singing this line like Jessy from New Girl). Before I let out my over excitement on that matter, let me show you the rest of the photos we took.

We couldn’t get enough of Sophia (the little girl from Zab) and Ramadeey’s (the uber adorable Persian cat from Zab) extreme cuteness! Pia was such a sweet kiddo because she loved hugging Ate Jael and brushing my hair. It was like she knew us quite well that she ran straight to us the moment we went in. One thing we noticed with her was that she tend to hit us, and one thing she doesn’t know is that I get so scared with tantrum kids. Maybe she just felt that comfortable with our presence. But nevertheless, she’s still very charming! I hope to see her again next time.