For Posterity's Sake

I know this is already way too late, but I want to write about how my December went just for posterity's sake.  After all, my last Christmas in the Philippines should be as well-documented as possible. 

Whew. When I typed the line "my last Christmas in the Philippines," my heart kinda stopped beating for a second. It has always been my dream to go to Europe, but now that I'm going there to work for good,  it feels oh so bittersweet. But I digress. 

December, as I've said in my post last year, is a month of celebrations. To begin with, there's Christmas, and then, there's also the boyfriend's birthday and our anniversary. But because he's already residing in Canada, we had to make do with Skype dates, choppy conversations, bad videos and all. Instead of feeling sad and deprived though, I concentrated on shopping for gifts!  Admittedly, that was really bad for my bank account, but hey, it was good for the heart! Heart wins over bank account anytime of the day, right?

UNO's Annual Christmas Dinner at Chili's Tomas Morato

My closest friends to date are those who I met from UP. Being healthcare professionals, it has always been quite a challenge to set a date. Different shifts, different hospitals and different days off... total chaos, I tell you! Surprisingly, we had perfect attendance for our annual UNO Christmas Dinner at Chili's Tomas Morato.

Look at us looking foolish with those eye masks and microfiber hair cloths around our heads! Childish, I know, but fun, fun, fun!  Looking at these photos makes me feel strangely sentimental. Some of us will be leaving the Philippines in the next few months, so it will be harder and harder each year to gather everyone around just to eat and be merry. 

Christmas Party with Workmates At Discovery Suites

I love seeing my colleagues looking all dolled up and fabulous! Clad in our boring scrubs day in and day out, it's refreshing to see them so classy and carefree, dancing to the tunes of Teach Me How to Dougie and Party Rock Anthem!  Oh, how we laughed and ate and danced that night!

If I might add, I also love our unit's Christmas parties because I always, always win the raffle. Yup, three years in a row, no cheating. I'm such a lucky, lucky girl!

Enjoying My Last Christmas in the Philippines with the People I Love the Most

I had a very unforgiving schedule last December. The first two weeks of the month, I had 12-hour shifts everyday due to staffing problems. In those two weeks alone, I filed for 48 hours of overtime work. Come the last two weeks of the month, I was on duty on the 24th, 25th, 30th and 31st. Yup, while everyone was enjoying the holidays, I was working like a donkey! I didn't let my lousy schedule ruin the season for me though! All my time off was spent dining out and gallivanting around the city with my family. Obviously, this was not good for both my bank account and my heart, but well, I really can't deny myself my sanity!

Skype Dates with Menard


I just have to say thank you to the brilliant people behind Skype for giving long distance relationships a fighting chance! His birthday, our anniversary, Christmas and the New Year were all celebrated via Skype --  not ideally my cup of tea, but well, still a blessing nevertheless! After all, there was a time when couples only had snail mail and telegrams as their means of communication. I really have no right to complain at all.

My December was pretty simple, but it was filled with little cupcakes of blessings here and there. I hope 2012 brings me not only cupcakes of blessings, but layers upon layers of sweet, moist and delectable blessing-filled cakes!

Happy 2012 everyone!:)

Chelsea with My Girls!

One day, I would like to pull a Carrie Bradshaw (minus the sleeping around and frustrating love life part) and write for a living in fabulous New York City. I already have the fantastic friends element covered, so all I really need to work on at this point is the writing career.

Source

Last Friday, we all got together at Chelsea to celebrate Kath's birthday. Celebrations with my girlfriends are all about only two things - good food and a whole lot of talking! Our topic for the night was travel, something I can talk, talk and talk endlessly about!

Meet my Sex and the City girls, minus Ja, who is currently living in OZ.

Chelsea is chic and comfortable, definitely a perfect place for gabbing girls! I wish I can say perfect for the food too, but to be quite a honest, the food wasn't anything remarkable. Homey and familiar, yes, but not really delicious or mind-blowing.

Complimentary focccia bread with olive oil and roasted garlic for dipping.
Nothing like warm, soft bread to start the meal right! 

Classic Beer-Battered Fish and Chips
Just your average fish and chips served with coleslaw, malt vinegar 
and tartar aioli. I've had better versions at more affordable prices.

Rosemary Grilled Chicken and Kalamata Confit Pizza.
It sounds really gourmet, but believe me when I say that it doesn't taste gourmet.  The 
crust wasn't as crispy and chewy as it ought to be and the chicken strips were just too
bland. The pizza also had this bitter aftertaste, which I hope, isn't because of the kalamata.
Kalamata is supposed to be delicious, like olives but with a meaty texture.

Roasted Clam and Sundried Tomato Vongole.  
As described on the menu, this was basically just pasta tossed with roasted garlic, anchovies, fresh tomatoes,basil and parsley in a light and "creamy" clam broth.  The pasta was cooked al dente and the
seafood and cheese portions were really generous. The sauce, although with the perfect
consistency,  lacked creaminess and was a bit too bland for my taste. 

A few cups of healthy desserts at Yogut Froz and some more animated conversations later , we were ready to say goodbye to Har, who was to go on a graveyard shift that evening (boo!).

Tart yogurt with fresh mangoes and cheesecake - the only success of the night! 

We didnt want to go home yet, so we had a photo opportunity with them Halloween creepies instead!

Happy Halloween!

Thank you, girls! I had so much fun as always! I wouldn't be including "Chelsea" in our circle of friends anytime soon, though. Haha.

Betcha by Gong Cha, Wow!

When the boyfriend and I went to Hong Kong a couple of years ago, we had milk tea everyday for five consecutive days. Instead of going straight to bed after a tiring day, we would stop by for some street food and a glass of milk tea every night. It was a little routine we had during our short vacation there.

That was, of course, way before the milk tea craze hit Manila! As you can imagine, I was craving  for milk tea like a lunatic when we came back. There was a Bubble Tea branch in Megamall, but it just wasn't the same. I missed milk tea so much that I just had to shout it out in Facebook! 

I guess the Facebook gods heard me because these days, milk tea shops are everyfreakingwhere in my beloved city! There's Teaology, Serenitea, Moonleaf, Cha Time, Sip and my super favorite so far, Gong Cha!

Have you ever tried the Wintermelon Milk Tea of Gong-Cha? It's one of their house specials and it's superb! Have them add some pudding instead of pearls, and it becomes a whole new level of awesome! I think the special milk cream on top does the trick. My mouth waters just thinking about it. Yum!

Source because I forget to take pictures when I'm too excited to eat or drink. Haha.

Oh, I just remembered that I also had this awesome Taro Milk Tea from a store near the Ruins of St Paul in Macau. I have no idea what the store's name was because everything was written in Chinese, but I hope it lands on Philippine shores soon! I think it was what got me hooked to milk teas in the first place! 

This was where we bought the best taro milk tea (ever!).
 Care to identify the name of the store for me?

As for Happy Lemon, no, I haven't forgotten all about it. The store has quite a following! Sadly though, I haven't tried any of their drinks. I hope they put up a branch near where I live because I am itching to try the Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese that everyone is raving about! 

So, what is your favorite milk tea store? Please do share so I can try as well!

Cyma is Sweeter the Second Time Around

In our family, we all have specific roles in the food department. My dad cooks, my mom manages the kitchen budget, my brother makes sure that no food goes to waste by eating everything at breakneck speed,  my sister complicates the menu by being the picky eater that she is, and I introduce new food discoveries to my family's very conservative palate.

So last Saturday, I took out my dilapidated but trusty credit card and decided to treat my family to a lovely dinner at the newly opened branch of Cyma in Robinson's Place Midtown. I admit, it was kind of out of the budget, but I just couldn't resist taking my family to a place where I have such fond food memories of. You can read about my first dining experience at Cyma here.

For starters, we had Spinach Artichoke Fondue, a mouthwatering combination of melted cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, spinach and artichoke. Served with grilled garlic bread and warm pita triangles, this delightfully cheesy and gooey dish was an instant hit at the table.

Spinach Artichoke Fondue 

Because my family is big on burgers, we couldn't resist trying out their take on Bifteka or Greek Wagyu Burger. The handmade Brahman beef patty was tender, juicy, beefy and oh so divine! It was served on a toasted bun and topped with peppered feta cheese, arugula leaves, lettuce, tomato slices and tzatziki sauce.

Bifteka

Our House in Canada

... is not really ours yet, but we are hoping and keeping our fingers crossed that it soon will be! The boyfriend and I were chatting a while ago, and he showed me a photo of the house that he is planning to buy for us once he saves up enough money.

Source

Gorgeous, isn't it? It has a spacious front room punctuated with a cathedral ceiling, three bedrooms, walk-in closets and a basement, which we can use as a library. A library!

Soooooo excited! I wish I can get to Canada sooner so that I can help save up for our lovely home!

I'm Off to Seek a Great Perhaps

I need some advice, people! Please be kind. Commenting is free and fairly easy.

First, a short background on my dilemma. 

I am a Registered Nurse (Surprise, surprise! Who isn't these days?) and I am looking at my career options abroad because, well, I'm tired of working my ass off only to be one paycheck away from homelessness! It's not a fair game, going to the university and going through all the thingamajigs of getting licensed then living in poverty thereafter, I tell ya. (I know, I bring shame to my beloved UP!) So anyway, before I bore you to death with the drama, here are my options:

1. Australia. I am eligible to apply for registration, but I have to take the bridging course first to become a licensed nurse. The cost? A whopping Php 500,000 (around 12,000 USD)! Add the costs of transportation, food and accommodations to the mix and that's Php 700,000 I don't have! ) I can loan some money (with compounded interest, of course, as finance people are way too smart), but after computing everything in my head (I kid, lol), I figured I would have to pay the loaning company double the amount I borrowed from them in 18 months. That's roughly 1.4 million pesos if I did the math right.  After getting registered, I would have to begin searching for a job and a hospital that's willing to sponsor me. (Ah, screw whoever invented VISAS, the bane of my existence!) Therefore, the Php 700,000 is like a business investment. If I don't find a job that pays well fast enough, I would be six feet under the ground in debt before I turn 25. Had I only known that Nursing involved such risks, I would have taken Business Ad or Actuarial Science instead!

2. UK. I am currently in the manpower pool of Drake International/ASC along with many others who aspire to work in the land of the Balding Prince. Well, there really is  not much to the tale, except that I have to wait for the NHS to actually employ me and sponsor my visa and bridging course fee (Oh, screw the person who thought of expensive bridging courses, too! I'd rather take a bloody exam if that's gonna cost me less!). I don't know yet how long I have to wait, but last I heard, immigration policies in the UK have changed yet again, so the wait is probably gonna be a long one. 

3. Canada. I want to go to Canada for obvious reasons, such as the boyfriend being there and... the boyfriend being there. Kidding! I want to go to Canada because I can see myself settling there. The Healthcare System is amazing, at least, that's what I heard from a doctor friend who had her internship there last summer. Now, the only option I have to get there is to become an immigrant. Nursing is among the priority occupations listed by the Canadian Immigration so I am qualified to apply. The problem is, I don't have a million pesos in my account for the required settlement fund. (If you're a 24 year old working in the PH and you have a million pesos in your account, hands in the air, please! Really? Well, you must have robbed a bank or won the lottery or have really rich parents!)  Also, the average processing time is about 18 months. (I cry and moan and wail when I think about 18 more months of being a paycheck away from homelessness!) To my friends, please don't ask me to get married for sponsorship! The boyfriend is a student there. He cannot sponsor me or anything. Besides, who wants to get married for papers? I'm a hopeless romantic, though I don't look the part. (Again, I kid!)

4. Qatar. Well,  I already have an offer of employment. The salary is not that high, but way bigger compared to what I earn here. All I have to do is process the necessary documents and in a couple of months, I'll be off facing sandstorms and riding camels, extremely fascinating creatures they are. The thing is, Qatar doesn't feel right. The opportunity is within my grasp, yes, but my heart is elsewhere. When I think of Australia and the UK, I feel like I'm going off on an adventure. When I think of Canada, I think of home and family. Qatar doesn't make me feel any of those things. I know, screw these complicated feelings! Sometimes, I feel really guilty. A lot people at work wanted this post so much but didn't get it, and yet, here I am, very close to letting the opportunity slip from my fingers. Even I don't understand the inner workings of my brain. Should  I do something that doesn't feel right for whatever reason? 

Gosh, that was one long post! Soooo many things are going inside my head. It's one big mess, really, and I just can't decide. Should I grab what's right in front of me even if it doesn't feel right?

Help? Anyone?

Cash, pretty stuff and advice are most welcome! And oh, if you are willing to lend me money without much interest, that would be great, too.

DISCLAIMER: Please don't take me seriously. I was merely writing down my options because I want to see them on paper, or on screen, rather. Writing stuff down clears my head. That's just the way I roll.