Friday, January 27, 2012

Metropolitan Museum of the Philippines: Exhibit Opening


You probably have walked in the hallways of a museum at least once in your life. It may be a field trip or a class trip during your childhood days, or it may be as recent as this year.It's also possible that you haven't visited one, or at least not yet. But a visit to a museum is always an opportunity to learn about exciting people and cultures.

That is why one of the things I wanted to do this year is to visit museums. I've always been fascinated by painters who have very artistic paintings. My father is an artist too and growing up, I've noticed that each painting he was able to finish was considered as his masterpiece. I love his paintings and I admire him for his works. I can still almost picture his smiles whenever somebody compliments his works. I'm a proud daughter. :)

So when I heard about the opening of an exhibit in Metropolitan Museum of the Philippines yesterday, I didn't think twice to go. 

Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manila exhibits the classical and the contemporary fine arts. The Museum was established in 1976 to showcase foreign art and in 1986 the exhibitions also included Philippine art with a bilingual approach. Every year at the Manila Metropolitan Museum of Art there are four major exhibitions by renowned Filipino and other foreign artists. Source
Here were some of the photographs, paintings and other artworks inside..


The photographs inside this area were taken in the city of Pasay.
Each of the photographs, although it may look simple, has a story behind.


   










There were also paintings by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, who is one of the great Filipino painters of the 19th century.




The paintings in this area were also amazing, but taking of pictures are prohibited.



The Ambassador of the Philippines to Spain, Mr. Joseph Delano M. Bernardo taking a look at the photographs together with the photographer behind some of the amazing pictures,Artur Nepomuceno.

My favorite were this colorful paintings by Vicky Faye B. Aquino. They're so artistic and colorful that I want to hang them all in our house! Hehe I wonder how old is she? :)






We also went upstairs but again, taking of pictures were prohibited. I enjoyed all of the artworks! :)

Art museums are not just buildings. They are monuments to what man has achieved and what he aspires to achieve. It is a house full artworks from people who has great minds and skills. :)

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES 
located at Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Boulevard, near Pablo Ocampo Street (formerly Vito Cruz)

Museum Hours 
Mondays to Saturdays: 9AM to 6PM
*cloed on Sundays, holidays and first Mondays of the month

Please visit their website. Click HERE











Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Happy Birthday Debsi!

This blog post is for my friend, Deborah Kaye Roxas. :D

Today is special for me because... It's Debsi's birthday!!! :D The one friend I know I can't live without :)


Happy birthday Debsi. Thanks for being a very good friend. I consider you like a bestfriend, a sister that's very close to my heart :) Thanks for all the memories we've shared together, from High school until College. Thanks for being there through good and bad times. (but most especially the "kalokohan times!" hahaha) For never leaving my side no matter what :) You're a true friend and I'm glad to have met and be friends with someone as kind-hearted (naks!) as you :) I love you and happy birthday! :)



And because it's not yet payday, consider this as my gift for you! Hope you like it! :) Sorry kung maikli lang, medyo rush kasi kulang na sa time. Haha Love yah!









Scandalous Chinese New Year party!

Last week, I was invited by my friend, Josephine (click here to see her blog) to attend an event called "Scandalous Chinese New Year Party" which will be held in Mango Tree Bistro in Trinoma on January 19, Thursday at 6pm. According to her, the dress code should be "red oriental chic". By the sound of it, what I though was that we should wear something red with a touch of Chinese on our outfit, just in time for the upcoming Chinese New Year on January 23, Monday. So days before the event, we tried to look for a blouse or dress or anything red with a touch of chinese design or embroidery. But unluckily, we couldn't find any with our tight budget (okay, we're self-confessed "kuripot" these past few days. he he) so we decided to stick with whatever red blouse we have in our closets.

I consider this invitation from her as a chance for me to really get into blogging. Before, I'm contented with just blog-hopping, but then I realized, why not create a blog of my own. I just consider this as a hobby and it feels good to type any interesting thing or event that happens to me so that someday, I have something to look back to. :)

The day of the event arrived. Jo and I decided to meet up in Trinoma 3 hours earlier so that we could stroll around the mall first. We met up at 3pm and because it's still early, we went to Landmark to look for some accessories. We liked a few of them and we're even about to buy it but as what I've mentioned earlier, we're being thrifty these past few days so we just placed them back on their respective places, with our sad faces.Ha ha. After that, we went to look for some clothes and even tried out a few. Both of us were not much of skirts or dresses. We prefer wearing pants and a simple blouse. But after trying out a nice top plus a skirt, we realized that we can pull it off. Ha ha ha. Well, I agree on her part, but I'm a bit not sure on mine> Hehehehe. :))

After an hour or two of walking around, we got tired. Not only did I feel tired but thirsty as well so I asked Jo if we could try Happy Lemon since I heard positive feed backs about it but haven't tried it yet. Good thing the line was not too long as compared during weekends. I was supposed to order Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese, since it was recommended by my friend, Ericka but to my dismay, it's not available. I just ordered the Milk Tea with Oreo Cookies and Cream and this is just so yummeeehh! I loved it. :) Good thing Jo found a seat and so we're just chilling and chatting and me feeling happy (I think I should coz I'm drinking HAPPY lemon. he he) because their milk tea tastes heavenly good, when suddenly, a guy ( I mean gay) showed up and started talking to us. He took the seat beside us and started talking in a sort of over-friendly way. Jo and I were just exchanging glances and not looking at his eyes because of how things are these days (Budol budol gand and all). He told us that he's a law student who supports for his studies by selling things and from that he opened his bag and took out what seemed like rosary bracelets with different images of Mama Mary and Jesus. It costs Php100 each. That's pricey. He also showed us his school ID, probably because he noticed that we were hesitant. So we bought one item and shared with the payment. It was  for a good cause and we were able to help him anyway.



Clock ticked to 6PM so we went to the venue. The Mango Tree Bistro which is a Thai restaurant.
It was an elegant looking restaurant. Inside, it was spacious and sophisticated with sleek decor. The interior design was very chic and stylish with use of black colors accented with purple chairs and lamps. I really loved it. It felt like I'm at the Sex and the City's posh bar. :) Indeed, it's a quiet and relaxed place from the busy city life.

Red paper lamps and dragon designs for a touch of Chinese New Year .


Jo and I took our seat on one of the cushioned ones with different colors of pillows. I noticed that there were still few people inside. 
Me and my friend Josephine. :)
Moments later, a waiter approached us and asked for our preferred drinks, a choice between lemon iced tea and lemon grass iced tea. Since I wanted to try something I haven't tasted before, I chose the latter.
Lemon grass iced tea, which tastes like a stork candy made into a drink.

 After a while, a couple also joined us in our table who I've learned the wife is a food and travel blogger. A guy then approached our table and introduced Mr. Stephen Sy, the son of Mr. Johnson Sy. Their family were the ones responsible for this event. He is friendly, professional and actually have lots of kwentos! :) We later learned that he is included on the top 10 professionals here in the Philippines. how awesome is that! His brother and parents were also introduced to us.

Then came what I've long been waiting for........ the FOOD!!! Decent Thai foods were served.
Click for my Mango Tree Bistro review :)

The program started and we had a game. Pens and papers were given to every table where we'll write our answers. Questions will be dictated twice and answers will be written. After each question answers will be raised to see if anyone got it correctly. So to cut it short, all of us enjoyed the game since our group were able to answer most of the questions, but one group got the highest score and they got the price! I wasn't able to see it though, but anyway what's important is we had FUN! :)

The event organizers then approached us and we were told that we have to think of a name for our group for later's game. The people on your table will serve as your group mates. Stephen asked us for suggestions and what came to my mind randomly was "Fierce Dragons" since we're fierce (as we would like to believe. haha) and dragon since it's the year of the water dragon. One of our group mates then modified it to "Fierce Dragonites", how cool is that? So we all agreed to that  as our final group name. 

After that, a speaker discussed about the Rotavirus vaccine for Rotavirus related-diarrhea which will be included in the EPI (Expanded Program on Immunization).

To read more regarding my blog about Rotavirus vaccine click HERE!

It was really informative and helpful for a nurse like me.

The event ended about 9:30pm or so. I was somehow tired yet happy. They even gave us.. I don't know how to call it. Giveaways? PR kits? Hehe It contains Tikoy plus facial products (just what I needed!). I hope I could soon attend an event like this. :)

PS
I later learned that the Sy family weren't a real family. They were simply acting as part of the event. My speculation was that they were friends and were part of an acting group. Hehe I was surprised and amazed because they were really convincing. :)








Mango Tree Bistro, Trinoma

I’ve never been to a Thai restaurant before, and to tell you honestly, I have no idea about Thai food. So when I was invited by a friend to an event last Thursday (January 19) that will be held in a restaurant called Mango Tree Bistro in Trinoma Mall, I didn’t know what to expect.



As soon as we entered the restaurant, I noticed that it was a bit dark. The interior design was very chic and stylish. For me, it actually looks elegant and sophisticated. It has heavy use of black colors with a combination of purple and yellow because of the lights. There are also cushioned seats lining in one corner with pillow seats of different colors, such as orange and blue which makes it more lively.


The design is mostly black, with touches of purple seats and lamps.

Before the food is served, the waiter came and asked us for a choice of drink between lemon iced tea and lemon grass iced tea. Since I’ve already tasted lemon iced tea, I decided to choose the latter out of curiosity.


Then the much awaited food is served. I’m quite excited to taste almost every dish. :D
Yum Som O Goong (Php320)

Fresh prawns with pomelo salad and roasted grated coconut
*I’m not a fan of prawns but the combination of coconut and pomelo is actually good. :)

Pla Meuk Gratiem (Php250)

Stir fried squid with garlic pepper sauce
I actually loved the garlic pepper sauce! It tastes really good. Plus I love squids, period.
Tom Yun Goong (Php280)
Spicy Thai prawn soup with lemongrass, mushrooms, lime and chilies
It is okay for me. It has a bit of a sour taste and spicy as well.
Gaeng Kiew Wan Nova (Php380)
Beef fillet with eggplant in green curry
                                      
Gai Thai Krai Yang (Php280)

Grilled Thai herb chicken with lemon grass served with Northeastern Thai dipping sauce
I love this! The chicken is really soft and tender and juicy as well. :)
Pad Thai Goong (Php350)
Stir fried noodles with prawns in Phad Thai sauce
My favorite from all the dishes served. This is just so yummeehh! At first I thought it was cheese on top but it was actually an egg omelette. I actually planned on saving this one for last, but I couldn’t resist that I ate it all up too fast. He he Two thumbs up for this! :D
Tod Mun Goong (Php350)

Deep fried shrimp cakes served with sweet chili dipping sauce
Okay, this is my number 2 favorite! The shrimp filling inside is very juicy while outside it’s crispy. A dip into the sweet chili sauce gives it a different layer of taste. I actually saved this one for last. :)
And for the dessert..
Tub Tim grub (Php150)
Coconut milk with red ruby chest nuts and ice cubes
Red ruby chestnut is like jelly but when bitten, it actually has a crunch to it.
Mango Tree Bistro has a great ambiance and decent Thai food. This restaurant is actually a good try for me since I’m a first-timer to Thai food. Phad Thai, I definitely want to try you again…. SOON! :)
Mango Tree Bistro has branches in Bangkok, Tokyo, Dubai, Macau, London and here in Manila.
It is located in 3rd floor of Trinoma Mall, beside Power Books. Restaurant operating hours are 11AM to 10PM Sundays to Thursdays, and 11AM to 11Pm Fridays & Saturdays.
Contact details:
Mango Tree Bistro 
3rd Level, Trinoma Mall
EDSA cor. North Ave.
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Phone Number:  (+632) 585-5460








 

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