I've been sporting either a short or long straight hair for years and I want to try a new look this time. When digiperm became a hit a few years ago, I really wanted to get into the craze badly if not for my super short hair that time. Good thing my hair is now long enough and I finally got the time, so I got the chance to have my hair perm-ed at Tony & Jackey a day before my birthday. :D

Was greeted by a bunch of friendly staff the moment I entered the salon. After speaking with the receptionist, I was ushered inside and was introduced to Angel, my Korean stylist. She had my hair assessed first before the digital perming. After the assessment, my transformation began haha! :p

I first had my hair colored, then trimmed, then rebonded, with shampooing in between, which took roughly 4 hours to finish.

L'oreal Hair Color - Php 3500.00
Half Rebonding (Top Part) - Php 1,500.00

Afterwards my hair went through this machine for the 15-minute digital perming. Angel suggested that I have the medium curls since the big curls would only last for a week.

Went out on a 'Saturdate' with Mark a few weeks back. :p We first went to the Gateway Mall to buy a father's day gift and then headed to SM City North EDSA for lunch.

We went to The Annex to buy a few more stuff for my dad and then went to The Block to have our lunch. It was quite a long walk from the annex to the block and so we both agreed to dine in the first restaurant that we'll see (that we haven't tried yet). We saw Tender Bob's and decided to have our lunch there.

We both had rice for breakfast at home so we decided to do away with it during lunch. Mark wanted something hot for the stomach so he ordered the clam chowder.

I love that the clam chowder was served in a bread bowl. The crumbs melt with the hot soup which made the soup a lot creamier. I think the bread also added that sweet kick to the well seasoned soup. The soup also had a generous amount of clams and potato chunks. The best way to eat it is by scooping the sides of the bread bowl along with the hot creamy soup.

Clam Chowder - Php 175.00

Tender Bob's menu claims that their clam chowder is "The best this side of the globe." And our verdict? It sure is! :D

Went out on a dinner and movie date with Mark last Saturday. We brought Imax tickets for The Amazing Spider-Man movie, but since we were still too early for the 7pm showing, we both agreed to have an early dinner.

We were still thinking of were to dine, but I already got Yakimix in my head. Haha! I first got to try dining at Yakimix at SM City Masinag with my family and we all enjoyed our dining experience, and I thought that Mark would also feel the same.

We actually planned of pigging out at Yakimix months back but his numerous body building competitions didn't permit. There was also one time when we decided to try Yakimix out but we came just in time for the restaurants 3pm closing and we're really hungry that we couldn't wait anymore for their 5pm re-opening.

Since we still haven't figured where to eat, and since it was Mark's last day in being off season from his workouts and diets, I finally suggested that we have our dinner at Yakimix. :p

We were greeted by a lovely waiting staff who also ushered us to our seats. After placing our orders for the drinks, Mark and I went off to the buffet area. Mark tasked me to take charge of the grilling while he took care of the cooked ones. And so I went to the raw food station and started to pick out some food keeping in mind Mark's instruction to get everything that I think he will love. And so here are what I got! Haha!

Barbecue Beef Stick, HK Spicy Chicken,
Shrimps, Golden Mushroom Beef Rolls, US Fat Beef with Sauce,
Spicy Bacon, US Fat Beef with Black Pepper

I love to pair grilled food with vinegar and garlic and so that was the sauce that I got. The shrimps, bacon, and beef with black pepper for me lacked flavor, but it tasted okay when dipped in the garlic vinegar. The beef with sauce, spicy chicken, and barbecue beef stick tasted good had that distinct sweet and tangy barbecue taste. What I enjoyed and loved the most were the golden mushroom beef rolls. The sweet and juicy taste of the mushrooms balanced out the saltiness of the tender beef roll.

I hate that my medicines are making me crave for sweets like crazy. :p

Unfortunately I have no choice but to resist the cravings. :p Saw these tempting cheese roll pictures in my files and I'm craving for them right now!


I was lucky enough to get to taste this yummy treat days before I was advised to cut out on my sweets intake.


Aside from the generous amount of sugar sprinkled on top of the very soft bread, what I loved most is it's cheesy core.

If you're the type who loves cheeses you'll definitely love Mary Grace's Cheese Rolls!

It actually tasted very much like Hizon's Ensaymada, but a lot cheesier because of its core which I fell in love with!

Mary Grace Cheese Rolls - Php 420 (box of 12)

MARY GRACE Kiosk
2nd Floor SM City North EDSA
(in between SM Appliance Center and Our Home)
Tel: 666-3138

         

Watched the Pacquiao-Clottey fight last Sunday at SM North Edsa with Mark and his mom. The not-so-exciting fight ended past lunch which got us all hungry.

I believe Mark was craving for Chinese food that time so we headed to President Tea House.

Mark ordered the Asado Pao for appetizer, which his mom immediately ate even before I could get a shot of it. :P

Mark and I both loved North Park's Boneless Honey Lemon Chicken and so we decided to try out President Tea House's version. Plus it was indicated in the menu that it's one of their specialties.

The Lemon Chicken was a lot different from any other lemon chicken dishes that I've tried. The chicken fillet strips were served plain fried and the dish just comes with a small bowl of lemon sauce. The chicken itself was bland and the sauce didn't really make any difference at all. Though the serving was generous, it was still a big disappointment for Mark and I.

Mark's mom was craving for shrimp so she ordered the Buttered Garlic Shrimp.  This was one good, it's just that the shrimps were somewhat overcooked because the shell was sticking to the meat and it was hard to take it off from the shrimp.

Another dish was the Fish Fillet in Thailand Sauce. I was hesitant in trying out this one because, first, I don't any idea of what the Thailand sauce (and well Thai cuisine in general) tastes like, and next, I just got frustrated with the first two dishes that we had and don't want to add some more. But this turned out to be the best tasting from all our orders. The generous serving of tender fish fillet goes well with the tangy Thailand sauce. Definitely a must-try! :)

And who would forget the Yang Chow Fried Rice and Pork Siomai? These two will never be out of the list when it comes to Chinese cuisine. And it's guaranteed that you'll never go wrong with these dishes. :D

For the drinks, Mark got the Fresh Buko Juice...

...while I got the Buko Lychee Shake.

We were all done eating when I noticed the Mango Banana Shake which comes with a cute teddy bear. I really didn't want it since I was already full plus there were only blue, beige, and brown teddies in their display haha!

But just as when Mark's mom was about to pay the bill, she ordered the shake and specified that I want a pink bear. And I was surprised when the waiting staff obliged. They do really have a pink bear haha!

We just had to take the shake home because were all really full. Thanks for the treat Tita Juliet! ^_^

PRESIDENT TEA HOUSE
2F SM North EDSA Annex
Quezon City

I had a lunch date with Mark on my birthday last January 3. I didn't really have any restaurant in mind so I thought of leaving it all up to Mark. But when I asked him where he wanted to eat, he immediately said "World Chicken!" and before I could even say a thing, he started laughing! Whew! I really thought he was serious haha!

Since we're always in the Araneta Center, I suggested that we try it out in some restaurants at The Block - SM North. We both had a hard time in choosing where to eat. We've passed by almost every restaurant but we still can't figure out where to eat. Haha! We then got into the Sky Garden and were both captivated by the charm of the Persia Grill. It's a floating (in water) restaurant stationed at the center of the Sky Garden.

We both haven't tried out any Persian dish so we both agreed to try it out this time. It took us a while to decide what to order because all the dishes in the menu looked really yummy. I ordered Beef Biryani and Mark got Grilled Lamb Chops with Dolmeh. We also ordered Must O'Khiar as appetizer. We were supposed to have their house shakes and juices but unfortunately they were unavailable that time so we just opted for a pitcher of their raspberry iced tea.

We got so hooked in taking pictures that we didn't notice that our orders haven't arrived yet. I was starting to get annoyed because we had to call the waiter's attention and follow up our orders a lot of times.

The drinks were served first. I was expecting something special since it was a little costly, but this is what we got. It didn't even come in stylish glasses! Hmp! :p

Raspberry Iced Tea

Mark's order came next. At first I thought we were given the wrong dish, but the staff confirmed that it was ours. I just can't see any resemblance of it from the one in the menu.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Dolmeh (Persian-style-rice-stuffed Bell Pepper)

Then came my order. And again, it looked very much different from the one in the menu. It looked like buttered rice with yogurt and Persian sauce on the side.

Beef Biryani

Wondering where the Beef is? You just have to into the buttered rice!

Beef Biryani (after digging into the hill of buttered rice!)

And oh, didn't I mention that we ordered some appetizers? It arrived last! The waiter must have forgotten what appetizers are for! I was trying to control my temper so as not to ruin the lunch but honestly, I am starting to get annoyed and I'm starting lose my appetite, I swear! Especially when another plain looking dish is right in front of you...

Must O'Khiar (Pita Bread with Cucumber, Garlic, and Persian Yogurt Dip)

Oh, so that's what Must O'Khiar means..I thought it meant "not so appetizing appetizer!" :|

Well fine, I said to myself, I shouldn't be judging this early..as I still haven't tasted the food yet. And guess what? The food didn't really look good, and it didn't even taste good at all!

The spices in the Persian sauce in my Beef Biryani were too overpowering and the rice was not well cooked. Mark was kind of enjoying his food, and seeing how disappointed I was, he offered that we switch dishes. But oh well, I didn't like his food too! The bell pepper rice was a major no no for me! And the lamb chops, ugh!, it still had some fresh blood, even if Mark requested for it to be cooked well done. I also didn't like the appetizer but I had no choice because I still haven't eaten that day. I finished all the small pita bread slices but I am still not full so I ordered for their classic shawarma, hoping that this would save my day..but no, it just added up to all the dismay!

What a wrong move! I should have just gave in to Mark's first suggestion! Good thing there's still merienda and dinner. World Chicken really saved our day! ^_^

Persia Grill
Sky Garden at The Block
SM City North Edsa

It was 6 in the morning and I was already getting ready to meet with Mark and his mom to watch Pacquiao and Hatton's Fight at SM North. I got there a bit early so I had to wait for them for almost an hour. After eating breakfast, we went straight to Cinema 3.

I got a little bored watching the other fights, that I almost fell asleep haha! :-P And then came the main event, Pacquiao and Hatton's fight. It was really funny because Mark kept on teasing his Mom, who placed a P3000 bet on Hatton because she is not really a Pacquiao fan haha! It was fun hearing everyone shout and cheer, while hearing curses from Mark's mom, each time Pacquiao lands a punch at Hatton. :-P I'm not really a fan of boxing, but I found myself cheering and rejoicing after Manny won! Everyone in the cinema was very happy when Manny won, except of course for Mark's mom hehe..

Mark's mom insisted that she wants to have steak for lunch and kept on saying "daanin ko na lang sa kain para sumaya naman ako", so we had lunch at Burgoo. Mark ordered spinach grilled salmon, fish 'n chips, raspberry cheesecake, and steak for her mom. :-P After lunch, I accompanied them in their sunday grocery routine. :)



I really had a fun Sunday with Mark and his mom. I enjoyed watching the fight, eating tasty food, and laughing with Mark because her mom can't seem to get over the fight haha!