retail therapy

(forever21 top, solemio shorts, rubi shoes)

shopping can be a fun way to release tension, but after 5 days of travelling and non stop shopping.. things can become overwhelming. and after walking high and low, a refreshing iced coffee from starbucks (it's the only place that had splenda) and a chocolate ensaymada, a famous filipino pastry, from Bizu in Alabang Town Center is the perfect "merienda" or snack to recharge.

 This shopping area attracts an upscale crowd that has a nice leisure environment and relaxing atmosphere compared to the chaos and busyness of most shopping centers in Manila. 

And to top it off, there's nothing like a good firm massage at such an affordable price that you get 2 in one day! :) Pampering myself and getting all my depilatory needs met at a fraction of what I'd pay back at home was a sure way to regroup and prepare for the long journey the next day.

there's no dog here.

We had lunch at Recipes by Cafe Metro, a delectable Filipino restaurant that offers homestyle cooking at it's finest. We ordered the gising-gising, an amazing vegetable dish in coconut milk, crispy tilapia with vinegar, general chicken, which is sweet and sour chicken with eggplant and garlic rice- wow, wow, wee.  ;) haha

manila sunset

(spiral girl shorts, solemio top, cotton shoes, forever 21 beanie)

The Philippines is famous for its beaches, beautiful sunset, and the plethora of shopping malls that you can spend literally all day in. This booming country is filled with malls left and right swarmed with people from all walks of life looking to hang out, shop, people watch, or escape from the intense heat and humidity outside and bask inside the air conditioned shops.

Anyway, some of my favorite spots for shopping are..

Greenhills- this place is a flea market style arena where you can bargain and find imitation goods, souvineres, clothes, shoes, jewelry; it has just about a little bit of everything.

Glorietta is a mall that fits my lifestyle since it's located  in the heart of Makati and is surrounded by 5 star hotels and carries a mix of high end fashion to well loved flea markets. It's divided into 4 sections, and Glorietta 2 carried the majority of my favorite shops in the Philippines until some bombing last year and Topshop is now no longer there. 

Fortunately, Greenbelt has one and is in the same area as Glorietta which caters to a more high end consumer, but offers numerous restaurants, bars, lounges, and gives a tranquil outdoor atmosphere for shopping.

And then there's the Mall of Asia,  which is the largest mall in the Philippines and the 3rd largest shopping center in the world.  It's huge and you can't cover this place in simply one day, with over 650 shops, a cinema complex, an ice skating rink, restaurants and a monstrous food court, you will not be disappointed or bored. You can view the Manila Bay Sunset and watch the spectacular fireworks show every Friday and Saturday at 7pm. 

the cure for a hangover

 

  

 

(mango royale salad, carrot coriander soup, baked NZ mussels, baked salmon, paella rice, mango bravo)

after partying in Hong Kong till 4am and a flight to catch for the Philippines at 6am, falling asleep wouldn't be the best idea so i pulled an all nighter and watched the sunrise.

with the flight being only an hour and a half, the deprivation of sleep began to kick in. 

fortunately i was welcomed to a hearty meal at one of my favorite restaurants in the Philippines called Conti's a delicious Filipino fusion cusine that has hands down the best Mango Dessert.

I then got a hot stone massage at Rodeo Spa for dirt cheap.

I was literally passed out by the time my massage started and my jetlag was finally kicking in and so i slept the whole night to catch up from all the travel and lack of rest.

of course I was awake before dawn, but I fell back to sleep by watching an excellent quality bootleg DVD (something you can easily find here) of The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons.