Take a step

Sometimes you need to step outside, get some fresh air and remind yourself of who you are and who you want to be.

Now I've decided, I want to be a blessing.

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The Waiting Game

Things have been very stressful lately and it’s getting into me already. I’m pressured at work and it feels like the things that I want, the things that I worked hard for are not materializing. I’m getting frustrated already until a famous cliché popped into my head:

“Good things come to those who wait”

It got me thinking. They say patience is a virtue and you just have to wait for the right time for things to happen and materialize. I asked myself, “How long must one wait for it to be considered waiting?”

While I’m trying to convince myself that I should wait a little longer, I thought to myself, I can’t just sit here and wait for things to happen. If I really want something, I must work hard for it.

The good thing about waiting is that it allows us to exercise our patience and to contemplate if we really want what we thought we want and it helps us become open to other opportunities. Some people think that if we rush things, we just set ourselves up for a failure and no one would want a result that is half-cooked; we want the fruits of our labour be well-done that’s why we have to patiently wait. On the other hand, the downside of waiting for too long is that, we tend to become passive since we believe that if things are meant to be, it will be and it will come in its own time. We begin to stop working hard and just go with the flow until we realize that we’ve already wasted plenty of our time waiting.

Good things come to those who wait but better things come to those who want it so bad they can’t wait. I realized I’m in my 20’s now and if I am lucky, I can stay here on earth for another 60 years and 60 years is just 3,120 weeks. I can’t afford to waste a week just waiting for something to happen. If I really want it, I must think of other ways to make it into reality. And I’m only in my 20’s; I don’t have much to lose. I’m in my prime years and it’s the perfect time to take smart risks. If I fail, I can always get up and start over. At least I can say to myself that I tried my best and didn’t just wait. I won’t have any regrets because I took chances.

Not choosing to wait is not the same as rushing things. It’s just that often times, we should take our shot at destiny and make the most of the time we have. We don’t just have to wait for things to happen. While it’s not yet the right time, we should work harder, prepare ourselves and learn as much as we can. So when the right time comes, we can tell ourselves, “I wanted this and I deserve this. I worked hard for this and I didn’t just wait.”

Ask yourself, Am I gonna wait?

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Hard Rock Cafe's World Burger Tour 2

Pack your bags and bid Bon Voyage as we take a flight on Hard Rock Cafe's WORLD BURGER TOUR!

I'm a huge burger fan (to be honest) and I got really excited when I learned about Hard Rock Cafe's limited edition World Burger Tour menu.

This year, there are a total of four different burgers in their menu inspired by different Hard Rock Cafe locations throughout the world. From Barcelona to Belgium to Miami to Jamaica, your taste buds will go places!

Are you ready?

Let's go! Tara lets!

I did not realize that dining in Hard Rock Café Makati is quite expensive. To make it even more expensive, you have to pay a non-consumable door fee amounting to P300-400 per person. This covers only one free drink – Soda, Iced Tea, or Local Beer. Especially during Friday nights when there is a live band, you have to pay a cover fee just to eat dinner.  Good thing we were invited by Ms. Merian to try their new food offering so we were able to get in (and eat) for free. YEY!

Photo credits to http://www.hardrock.com/cafes/makati/

The cafe has a nice ambiance. As you enter, you will be welcomed by a center stage with live band performances which gives a cool nice vibes while you dine and chill.

If you want a more quiet ambiance, they also have a guitar bar where they play nice chill music while you order your martini.

Photo credits to www.tripadvisor.com.ph

Photo credits to www.tripadvisor.com.ph

They also have a play area where you can play billiards with your friends as you sip your drinks and relax after a long day's work.


Alright, enough of the bar. But before we travel the world full of delicious burgers, let's have a quick stop-over and get some drinks!

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Aside from the burgers, they also offer four cocktails inspired by Hard Rock's worldwide mixologists that will definitely take you to places.

Hard Rock Cafe offers four limited edition cocktail mixes from around the world- the Crisp Sipper, All Jacked Up, Melonpalooza and Sweet & Fiery.


Crisp Sipper

A refreshing crisp blend of Tanqueray Gin, cucumber, tonic, raspberry, orange and lime with a touch of rosemary and thyme. Perfect for summer nights!

Crisp Sipper
Glass (16 oz) Php 330
Pint Php 380

Sweet and Fiery

If you're adventurous enough and craves a little more spice in your life, this one's perfect for you.
A mix of ABSOLUT peppar, Ginger liquer, blue curacao, Hard Rock Lemonade and ginger beer, topped with a red pepper.

Sweet and Fiery
Glass (16 oz) Php 330
Pint Php 380

Melonpalooza

A mix of Malibu rum, Midori Melon liqueur, pineapple juice and sweet and sour. Definitely a little taste of paradise!

All Jacked Up
Glass (16 oz) Php 330
Pint Php 380

All Jacked Up

A killer combo of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey, bourbon honey and captain morgan mixed with  pineapple juice and lime juice. This is my favorite among these four drinks as it has a balanced taste of refreshing pinepple with a kick. Perfect after a long day at work!

Now we're ready to taste Hard Rock Cafe's burgers from around the world.

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Fasten your seatbelts and we're ready to take off!

First stop:

WHEN IN ROME BURGER

When in Rome

Php 970

Inspired by Rome, Italy, this burger gives you an experience of dining as a roman with this half-pound beef burger patty with pancetta, garlic aioli, crisp arugula and ricotta cheese spiked with sun-dried tomatoes on a toasted bun. Served with golden crispy french fries and sriracha mayo, it feels like you're walking around Rome, visiting the famous Coliseo. Surreal!

second stop:

WHISKEY BURGER

Whiskey Burger
Php 890

Inspired by Brussels, Belgium, this burger gives you a real bite of beef patty soaked in whiskey marinade and stacked with bacon slices, crispy fried red onions, melted cheddar and jack cheese, garlic aioli, sliced tomato and arugula.

The combination of the juicy beef patty, crispy bacon slices and melted cheddar cheese makes this burger very tasty.

Detour:

TANGO SALSA BURGER

Tango Salsa Burger
Php 870

Hola! Inspired by Buenos Aires, Argentina, this burger will shake up your hips and make you wanna dance with its half-pound beef patty with andouille sausage, salsa criolla, garlic aioli, Monterey jack cheese, fresh arugula and a fried egg on top. Served with seasoned fries and sriracha mayo, this burger will make you go tango!



Final destination:

and last but definitely not the least, my favorite of the 4 burgers,

EL TORO BURGER

El Toro Burger
Php 860

Shout Viva España with this burger inspired by Barcelona, Spain. A half-pound beef patty with a fury of red peppered Romesco sauce, roasted vegetables with goat cheese crumbles and arugula dancing between roasted buns served with seasoned fries and sriracha mayo.

I really liked the taste of this burger especially the addition of goat cheese crumbles which balanced the taste of the peppered Romesco sauce and tasty beef patty. So delicious!

The burger itself is really tasty but I recommend you pair your burger with what they call the Ultimate Sidekick, the Pautine Fries. Crispy fries topped with cheese curds and poutine gravy which is available for an additional of Php 250. You can also order Hard Rock's famous savory Artisan Fries which is paired with signature dipping sauces. You can choose from Chili season fries with chipotle garlic ketchup, Parmesan Romano fries with garlic aioli and Herb & garlic fries with chimichurri mayo which is available for an additional Php 200.

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Of course, our trip wont be complete without having dessert!

Bananas topped with chocolate fudge, chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream, whipped cream sprinkled with caramelized nuts and chocolate sprinkles with cherry on top!

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CHECK POINT

Okay. Now it's time for our final verdict. Over-all, the burgers are really good! As well as the fries and the dipping sauce. What I loved about these World Tour Burgers is that, each burger has its own distinct taste. Some restaurants who offers a wide variety of burgers use the same patty and just change the other fillings, sauces and ingredients but Hard Rock Cafe's World Tour Burger patties are crafted uniquely using high grade spices to bring out the taste of the country the burger is inspired by. You can really differentiate the unique taste of  each burger representing the country it represents. Though, the food is kinda pricey, an order of burger costs around Php 800-900 but the serving is big enough for 2 persons.

So, here's our rating:

Quality of Food: 9/10
Quality of Service: 9/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Value for Money: 7/10

Over-all rating: 8.5/10

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Visit Hard Rock Cafe Makati at
Levels 3 & 4, Glorietta III Ayala Center, Makati City, Philippines
Contact number/s: +63-2-893-4661 to 64
Website: http://www.hardrock.com/cafes/makati/

Follow them on:
Facebook: hardrockcafemakati
Twitter: @hrcmakati
Instagram: @hardrockcafemakati

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Isla Una : Food review

This is my first time to write a food review and it is for Isla “Una”. How cool is that? Haha!

I’m not a food critique but here’s what I think:

If you’re craving for traditional Filipino food, but you don’t wanna get down and dirty in a dampa setting, ISLA UNA a place that has the perfect balance of class and taste of familiar Filipino dishes.

Isla Una is located at City Golf, Ortigas. It is a 3-storey building in the middle of City golf’s parking lot.

First Impression

When you enter Isla Una, a quiet, cozy seating area will welcome you. It is perfect for dates or family gatherings. The interiors are eccentric and not too modern—white stone walls, comfy leather couches, plants on the walls, and wooden napkin holders for an indigenous touch.



(Photo credits: Isla Una’s facebook page)



Move up to the second floor and you’re welcomed by dimmer lighting and a peek of the city from the comfort of the air-conditioned indoors while listening to cozy music. On one side, they installed a mini bar that serves a wide variety of cocktails and drinks.  When you move up to the third floor, you exit onto a covered roof deck turf, with high chairs and a bar vibe. The ambiance is perfect if you want to dine and chill while looking at the city’s skyline.



(Photo credits: Isla Una’s facebook page)

The Food 

Isla Una’s menu offers an impressive variety of pork, beef, chicken, and seafood dishes, appetizers, and desserts.

Since it is their grand opening, they offered us their best-seller dishes.

We had Kare-kare (Very indulgent! sarsa pa lang ulam na!), Crispy Pata (crispy talaga! It’s so crispy that I even lost a bracket off my braces. LOL), Prawn Aligue (very malinamnam and is highly recommended by the staff), Lamang Dagat (shrimp, tahong and pusit in gata) and Sizzling Bulalo (my favorite among the dishes we tried. Sobrang lambot and masarap!).

Of course, Traditional Filipino meal wouldn’t be complete without kanin. I’m not a fan of Iced tea but their house blend Iced tea is very good. There are also a wide variety of refreshing drinks to choose from.

Lamang Dagat

Crispy Pata (Php 650)

 They also cater Ihaw meals such as Inihaw na Pusit, Chicken Inasal, Sinugba, Isaw, and Tuhog with choices of balunbalunan, tenga, or chicharon bulaklak. I would definitely try these the next time I go here.

Sizzling Bulalo (Php 490)



Prawn Aligue (Php 280)



We’re so full already that our tummys could no longer accommodate dessert but they offer a variety of Filipino paghimagas like Leche flan and Yema Palitaw – which, I’m sure, are also very good. I could say because people from other tables seem to love it.

If you want to have a few drinks, they also serve a wide range of inumin from beers to cocktails such as Guapa (guava and pinya mix), Alamat ng pinya (pinoy tapuey pinnacollada), Mariposa (pinoy margarita) and other cocktails with a pinoy twist. They also have local wines such as Bugnay and Tapuey.

For a complete list of their menu, click here

The Price

The food is of reasonable price. Ihaw meals range from 50 to 300. Seafood meals can be from 250 to 400, and Beef meals range from 250 to 490.

Click here for the list of their menu.

Approximate price of meal for 2 pax is Php 800-1000.

The Verdict

Isla Una’s tasty food and relaxed vibe bring together fresh, honest-to-goodness familiar taste of Filipino food like it is “lutong bahay”, and the beautiful city view of the Ortigas CBD. So, when you’re longing for the comfort of authentic Filipino food but you don’t want to leave the urban cityscape, Isla Una is a great place to be.

Isla Una

is located at City Golf Plaza, Julia Vargas Ave., Ortigas, Pasig City

Contact no:
09151338091 / (02) 6502153

or

Visit their facebook page

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02.04.16

I can’t hold the tears whenever I think of him, not because it hurts but because I love him so much and it’s overwhelming. He loves me so much that it overflows, making me want to love him even more. Yes, I miss him but even if we’re not together, I can still feel he’s beside me. I can feel his love even from miles away. I can’t wait for him to come home.

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