Tishie's Travels: Stripes, Stripes, Baby!

I think that, when it comes to clothes, I tend to have a theme when I travel. It makes it easier for me to narrow down my wardrobe choices! During one beach trip, I packed only black and/or white bikinis; on another, all floral bikinis.

During my NY trip, I loaded up on stripes! Stripes (especially black and white ones) seem to be everywhere this season. I like classic pieces and am not particularly trendy, but I don't think stripes will ever go out of style anyway. Stuff that made it into my luggage:

A black and white striped shirt from Amanda's Place, which I wore to work.

In the conference room, with a view of Hell's Kitchen

Paired it with black leggings from Greenhills, a long gray cardi from Candy, and black biker boots from Kate Moss by Topshop (got them on sale...from, like, P7,000--about $155--to P700--about $15!). I layered skinny jeans over the leggings and changed into a black rock n' roll jacket when I went to see Wicked that night--it was pretty cold, and we just walked from our apartment, so thicker clothes were a must.

Super cute, colorful socks which I got ages ago from Sock Shop in London.

A dress from Collezione (notice the Philippine map on one side!). Wore it to Central Park on a warm, sunny day.

It was relatively warm but had to wear the jacket to free up my hands--it took some effort to climb dem boulders! The things we do for photo ops.

Toe socks (no photo, sorry!) from...I don't even remember where I got those from, but my husband cracks up whenever he sees me wearing 'em.

Another shirt from Amanda's Place.

With my butterball Filipino-Italian-Puerto Rican nephew!

I put it together with a tan jacket, dark jeans, and these adorable Parisian flats from SM...

Aren't they the cutest? I'll be doing a post about my Parisian shoes next!

Family Matters

My fair family (I'm the tannest one of all): my niece Marga (who, in turn, is the fairest one of all), sister-in-law Rita, big brother Iggy, mom, nephew Diego, husband Hamil, dad, and big brother JC

My husband went up north to go surfing this weekend, and I had to stay behind because of work. Whenever he goes out of town without me, I sleep over at the family home. I get the feeling that my mom likes it when Hamil is away. She always answers with a chirpy "Sure!" when I ask if I could stay a night or two or three.

Last night, my brother Iggy came out of their room with a bottle of the family drink in hand--Asti Martini, our faux champagne every New Year's Eve. And since I've been having such a rough week, I decided to have a glass, allergies be damned. Mom took a few swigs as well. The three of us just sat around talking, my brother on the floor, my mom and I on the daybed. We chatted about work and family and life, threw around New Year's Eve ideas (it's about half a year away, but some tickets might need to be booked), and just spent a quiet, relaxing evening at home, the chilled bubbly adding to our good spirits.

It was a nice way to spend a Saturday night. I hit a certain age when I just couldn't party until sunrise anymore, and in fact would start yawning at 11:00 pm. And it was at about the same age when I started to find pleasure in just hanging out with my family.

Don't get me wrong--even when the going was tough (and oh, for a time, it was really tough) I've always loved my family, and have always been particularly close to my darling mom. But I didn't really have the warm, fuzzy feelings that some people associate with their kin. When I was younger, I used to envy my friends who would talk to their siblings or parents as if they were great friends--no angst, no irritation, no thoughts of "I'd rather be somewhere else." But somewhere along the way, I began to enjoy sitting around a dinner table, stuffing myself with good food while listening to my brother's anecdotes, my dad's random memories, my niece's expanding vocabulary (she gets extra points for cuteness). And I think that maybe, just maybe, we're lucky enough to have turned into the family I used to envy.

Ba Be Bi Bo Bu*

I sometimes read horoscopes at the end of the day to see if the Horoscope Gurus predicted my day right (and sometimes they are just so comically off!). Today, it read:

You may have pulled the rug out from under your own feet, but it was only because you needed it for a flying carpet. This brave move is going to take you to a whole new level.

It was strangely comforting. I've just been put in an overwhelming situation, and even though I've been so stressed out, deep down I know that this is my chance to fly. Time to defy gravity.

*For those who are wondering what the title is all about, that is the immortal chant of Manang Bola, a beloved fortune teller from Batibot (the Philippine version of Sesame Street). Allow me to introduce you to this classic 80s character (although I don't think she says those words in this clip)...

Tishie's Travels: What Else I Ate

I'm taking the tamad (lazy) route. I'm doing a phlog of stuff I ate in New York (or the New York area...which includes Hoboken) instead of going all food critic-y. Aside from not listing everything down (let's blame it on jet lag, shall we?), I was also kind of on vacation mode and just wanted to enjoy what I ate!

Flor de Sol
361 Greenwich Street, NYC
www.flordesolnyc.com

JC really likes the interiors. Dark and moody and sophisticated and kind of sexy. Kinda funny how you could look at another table and guess if people were on their first date!

Light dinner with my brother JC at this Spanish-Mediterranean place. One of JC's favorite tapas places.

Tapas mixta a la chef, $24. I especially liked the chorizo.

Shrimp on some kind of pastry shell.

The Melting Pot
100 Sinatra Drive, Hoboken, NJ
www.themeltingpot.com

Dessert. I used to hang out a lot at the Old Swiss Inn with my family, and the fondue was usually on our to-order list. So this place was right up my alley.

Yin and Yang fondue (dark and white chocolate with bananas, marshmallows, strawberries, rice crispies, and cheesecake!), $20 for a small serving.

The Hoboken Gourmet Company
423 Washington Street, Hoboken NJ
hobokengourmet.net

I wanted waffles but the waffle place was full, and Turning Point (which I absolutely fell in love with last time I was there) was a little out of the way. So JC and I ended up here, where I had steak for breakfast.

Me want meat.

Big brother had an omelette.

Lombardi's
32 Spring Street, NYC
www.firstpizza.com

Snack with my East Coast-based teammates Lawrence, Mavs, and Greg (who flew in from Virginia just to hang one weekend!). This place in Little Italy is supposedly the first American pizzeria. To be honest, I thought the pizza was just alright. Maybe I just had such high expectations?

Il Laboratorio del Gelato
95 Orchard Street, NYC
www.laboratoriodelgelato.com

Post-snack dessert. Finally! A friend asked me to swing by this place a year and a half ago. I went, but it seemed closed, and I figured it was because it was the beginning of winter! On my last visit, I realized that it may have been open but I didn't notice. I expected an ice cream parlor or something. Instead it was a hole-in-the-wall stall. No dine-in tables or anything.

Mine is the greenish gunk with caramel. The others got less experimental flavors like chocolate amaretto crunch.

My teammates and I were laughing at how we were having ice cream in around 40F weather. But we had nothing better to do, and we were in the area anyway. Loads of interesting flavors. I got basil! It tasted like pesto. In a good way! The aftertaste is even better. And the hot caramel I had drizzled on mine gave it a nice, sweet, warm kick!

Roxy Delicatessen
1565 Broadway, NYC

Post-dessert dessert. We dragged NYC first-timer Greg to Times Square for a token turista shot. (True to form, he was content just seeing Wall Street.) Mavs was itching to have cheesecake at this tourist favorite.

This thing had toffee in it.

Trattoria dell'Arte
900 Seventh Ave. between 56th and 57th, NYC
www.trattoriadellarte.com

Lunch with Carl and our Hearst hosts/"co-workers" Aryanna and Peter.

Spaghetti alla chitarra lump crabmeat and shrimp with sea urchin butter sauce, $24 for a full serving.

Dessert selection

My choice: Tartufo

La Bonne Soupe
48 W55th between 5th and 6th Aves., NYC
www.labonnesoupe.com

Dinner with Ninang Tere (my baptismal godmother and one of the principal sponsors at our wedding) at this cozy little place. Little girl at next table: "Mommy, why is she taking pictures of her food?" Apparently, food blogging isn't as prevalent in dem shores.

Omelettes are $12.95.

Fondue au Fromage, $22.95

Yes, even after polishing off that tartufo a couple of hours before, I still wanted ice cream. With chocolate sauce please.

LUA
1300 Sinatra Drive, Hoboken, NJ
www.luarestaurant.com

The view from LUA

Dinner with JC, our cousin Ate Lorie, and JC's friend. This trendy Latin-inspired restaurant is located right by the Hudson, hence the snap-worthy view of the NYC skyline.

Beef skewers


Chorizo skewers


Paella


Something we described as Cuban crispy pata, sans the crrrrrunchy skin (the best part!!!).

Stacks Pancake House & Cafe
506 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ
www.stacksofhoboken.com

Breakfast with JC. Finally got my waffle fix.

Yummy cornbread--on the house!


For some reason, I tend to have strawberries when I'm in the US. Maybe because they're readily available, and cheap! Had this with scrambled eggs and a side of Canadian bacon. (And a "side" means four or five slices!)

Wild Fig
167 Glen Street, Glen Cove, NY
wildfigonline.com

Dinner with family.

Greek salad (greens, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, feta cheese)


Moussaka, $13.99. It's supposedly been called "the best moussaka I've ever had." I don't really know who "I" is in this quote. I enjoyed it, but I don't know about it being the best ever...


Sirloin steak (I think) and shrimp shish kebab, $14.99

I missed a few things because I didn't have my cam with me. Would have wanted to take pictures of our awesome office cafeteria! The salad bar alone was enough to make me cry. And salivate. And there was a sushi bar, a sandwich bar, a dessert bar...and there's a different chef each day whipping up a chef's special! I would kill to have that cafeteria in our Manila office.

So much food, so little time. This is a major reason I heart and miss NY!

I Won! I Won!

A couple of years ago, I won a vacuum cleaner at an Electrolux event, but it has strangely, mysteriously disappeared. Today, I was at another Electrolux event and went home with...

...an even more bad-ass vacuum cleaner, the 75 Tornado!

Hamil and I had been meaning to get a vacuum cleaner to give our black shag rug a thorough cleaning. (Our customized couch, upholstered in a textured mocha fabric to keep it from looking all funky and dusty, would benefit from a good vacuuming too!) Today, Electrolux had Trivia Day, and my team emerged victorious. We had to answer three rounds' worth of questions about the brand, appliances in general, and Scandinavia. I was happy that we won, but was ecstatic when I found out what the prize was!

Hurray for free stuff! And a double hurray for free stuff that I actually need!

Back at the Barre

I was bored the other night and wanted to give my (relatively) sedentary body a little shake. Plus, I wanted to hang out with Marie, one of my most favorite people in the world. So I decided to attend a barre3 class again after months. (The third Charmed One, Tata, joined us for dinner and drinks after class.)

Photo from here.

As I explained in my old blog, barre3 is a mix of Pilates, yoga, and the ballet barre. The first time I tried it, I found it a bit challenging, but it seems Teacher Marie has upped the level of difficulty. That, plus my decreased endurance and flexibility equals pain two days later. My core (under the omnipresent layer of flab) is feelin' the burn! I wonder how the lone dude in the class is feeling though. I could see him struggling, but I was so rooting for him because he just soldiered on!

Even though I faltered during some poses or reps, I felt like such a star in class because Marie kept saying, "Nice one, Tish!" Unbeknownst to the rest of the class, it was probably just because our teacher knew my name. Har.

I've got a short checklist of new sporty things to try for this year. I'm aiming for one new thing a month, but so far, I only have three things on my list. Well, five, but I'm iffy about the last two I just thought of. Keep y'all posted!


barre3 classes are held at The Spa, Bonifacio High Street, Fort Bonifacio, and at Alabang Town Center. Get more info, including class schedules, here.

Tishie's Travels: My Best Friend's Wedding!

My darling, darling best friend Madhuri got married over the weekend!

Photo by Jamie Lihan for Imagine Nation

Will have a more detailed post about the lovely, fun-filled occasion in Cebu. For now, I just wanted to share how incredibly happy I am for her and her husband Mukesh! (Eep! I can't believe she has a husband!) Mads is one of the people I love the most. She deserves every happiness this world has to offer, and the best man that there is out there. I'm beyond thrilled that she ended up with Muks, who is such a great guy!

Mads has one of the kindest hearts, and she has this amazing talent of making each person feel special. She is smart and generous and she's always making pretty dresses for me! Haha. (Seriously, at events where I'm wearing something she made me, people always ask about my dress!) I think she got so stressed over wedding preparations because, well, aside from it being a logistical nightmare (people flying in from six continents for a destination wedding!), she seemingly couldn't shake the need to take care of every little detail herself. This isn't because she's an absolute control freak! Over the weekend, I realized that she takes on so much because she hates hassling other people. She hates it so much that she'd rather be hassled herself!

With gorgeous Mads at their sangeet

Exquisite as she is on the outside, she is even more dazzling on the inside! All the bling in the world (and at Indian weddings, there is LOTS of bling!) can't compare to her stellar personality! Congrats and best wishes, Madhuri (Rania) and Mukesh! I have a new brother! Yay!:)