29 May 2012

Philippine Fashion Week : Grand Allure



I actually attended two shows during the Philippine Fashion Week but I failed to take photos of the first show cause my sisters had the camera with them. :( The first show I watched was with co-blogger, Apple, whom I met for the first time! :) The second show I watched was with my sisters and their friends.

Chris Jasler's show was dare devil. All of the models (including men!) were wearing studded heel less platforms. Also loved, Veejay Floresca's take on his Barong Tagalog pieces. Photos of those shows can be found at http://holiday.philippinefashionweeklive.com/2012/
So here are the photos my sisters and I took from the Grand Allure show:

The place was packed!
Aris Pico
Boyet Dysangco
Boyet Dysancgco
Absolutely love the back of this dress!
Cherry Veric
Fanny Serrano
Gil Macaibay
Gil Macaibay
June Pugat
Mitzi Quilendrino-Bustos
This piece is breathtaking!
Popo Go
Love his pieces especially the cocktail dresses
The awesome designers!
Last walk down the runway
Fanny Serrano's great pieces


The Grand Allure collection is absolutely elegant and breathtaking! Good thing I brought my glasses cause we were seated quite far from the stage area. Nonetheless, we had so much fun! Anyway, we're no professional photographers, but I hope you enjoyed the photos!
XO, Mish


18 May 2012

Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs - Mother's Day Part 2

After feasting at Balaw Balaw Restaurant, we headed to Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs as suggested by my dad. He saw it on TV as it was featured by Jay Taruc in one of his shows. We weren't really thrilled with the idea. But we gladly gave in anyway. Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs is a 5 minute drive from the Balaw Balaw Restaurant (around an hour drive from Manila if without traffic.) The road to Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs is paved and very car friendly as you have to pass through Thunderbird Resorts along the way. Although you have to walk a good 300 meters and pass through a mini cave from the parking area to the Petroglyphs itself. 

Nice view of the city from Binangonan!
This is the new Tagaytay.
The Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs is being handled by the National Museum. By the way, there's an entrance fee of 20 pesos per head. I assume they use it for maintenance of the place. According to Wikipedia, it is the oldest work of art in the Philippines. I've never really heard of the place before. I didn't even know it existed. I guess they should teach about this in schools cause important artworks such as this must not be forgotten.


inside the museum
The Petroglyphs or rock engravings are actually in the form of alibata, an ancient alphabet used in the country. They usually narrate the life of our ancestors before.





They created a view deck because some of the visitors vandalize the area., but the view deck is already old and needs repair.  I hope the government makes more measures to protect historical areas such as this. 

Here's one of the three owls that lives in the area.
I'm not really a fan of historical sites but I really appreciate it whenever I encounter one. It's nice to witness something that existed hundreds and thousands of years ago.

My baby enjoying our trip. :)
How did you celebrate Mother's day?

XO, Mish

Balaw Balaw Restaurant - Mother's Day Part 1

Balaw Balaw actually means fermented shrimp and rice in Ilokano. I grew up eating this as my parents are Ilokanos.
Their place looks more like a house than a restaurant. :)

Nope, this is not a restaurant review. I'm really not good with critiquing food cause I can't cook. I practically eat anything that looks and smell good. :) For Mother's day, me and my family went to Balaw Balaw Restaurant in Angono, Rizal. It is a two hour drive from our place in Bulacan, probably around 1 hour from Quezon City. The place is not really hard to find. You could ask locals for directions as everyone seems to know it. The restaurant is actually quite popular as some TV shows have featured it. Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods even went there to try their Soup Number 5 (which we didn't dare eat.) 

Crispy Shrimp
No Filipino meal is complete without soup or sabaw.
Dig in!
The dreaded Uok
We were served complimentary crispy shrimps which I absolutely love eating. That platter above (which is more of a bilao) is actually good for 6 people. It contains salted eggs, crabs, shrimps, grilled pork, grilled fish, mussels, and lots of veggies. There were 9 of us and that was more than enough! By the way, the rice (yellow or Java) was so good! The restaurant is famous for their exotic dishes. They offer worms, frog legs, crickets and the like. My sisters had uok (or larvae of beetles cooked adobo style) which I didn't dare try. 









If Angono is popular for anything, it is definitely their great artwork. May it be paintings, sculptures, or any form of artwork. Balaw Balaw Restaurant hosts to many great artworks of local artists as it doubles as an art gallery.

Visit them at:
16 Don Justo, Dona Justa Village, Angono, Rizal
651-0110


Have you tried any exotic dishes yet? :)

XO, Mish