Memory Lane

Memory Lane at Tagaytay is one stop dine-shop-spa-salon place owned by the family of a local movie celebrity Jolina Magdangal. The Magdangal mom was even there during our visit, attending the cashier.

My girls fell in love with the vintage 50's/60's theme of the place. Memory Lane is seriously cottage-y /country home through and through. The girls took loads of photos of every corner.

The main house was full when we arrived at the place.

We were escorted to the annex house located at the back of the main house. I think this one is being used for private gatherings

The vintage cottage house vibe is liquefying up to here. The table linens reminded me of old country kitchen I've seen in the magazines. Foods laterlaterlater @ My 3rd & 7th Sense.




vintage hollywood posters on the walls




vintage trinkets corner with the family-owner portrait

mini shop found at the main house



selling cd collections of the celebrity-owner

the salon which looks like just another beauty parlor in a small town. . .

is actually very city-ish  according to their menu price tags.



I really thought_ the place looked so familiar and was pretty sure it wasn't my first visit. Until I found this photo taken a year or two ago. haha. Now I remember, we went there to eat breakfast but the place was still close. They are only serving lunch and dinner.


Valentine's day is up in the air, I know couples are busy googling for a place to dine. I would have had suggested this place if it's only all about  it's pretty vintage thematic ambiance. But the sad news is I'm ververyvery disappointed about the food which personally I think counts a lot in a date. Until Memory Lane hasn't step up in food category, I don't think this place deserves a romantic page down your memory lane.

Superstar Virgo

Welcome aboard the Superstar Virgo. One of the Star Cruise's  ships which sails from Singapore on to the seas of neighboring Asian countries.

If only we had this kind of cruise in our country I would have had done it earlier. Oops, just now I googled just to make sure and have to stand corrected, cos I gathered that we actually have cruise here that locally crossing our seas. It's like island hopping ( I'm personally proud of our island beaches here in the Philippines, so far they are still the best for me) only this time you get to board on a cruise ship. Maybe I'll try that one soon. 

From Manila, I had to fly to Singapore to avail this cruise. We boarded at the HarbourFront Centre in Sg.

I rarely board a ship. The last before this ( if my failing memory serves me right), and the only time I experienced one was decade ago going to one of the cities in Mindanao. It was a passenger ship. It had a pool on a roof deck and a ballroom. Then nothing else. It was huge thu'. 

But never as grand as this Superstar Virgo!!!!

If I would ignore the body of water surrounding this vessel, I would easily forget that I was on a ship but felt more like in one of the finest hotels instead. 

More so especially inside the ship. Everything looked so "landed". . by that I meant like really forgetting that I was afloat in the  middle of  an ocean somewhere.

We stayed in a balcony class cabin. Apart from the obvious comforts of the room, this cabin class also went with some privileges. Like we didn't have to stress ourselves with eternity long queue of  custom and check-in. 

The private balcony combats the usual claustrophobic tension during the cruise one would feel in a regular closed window cabin. It was also a big treat that I needed not to go out of the room and walk long  to an open deck just to breath some ocean fresh air. 

It didn't stop me thu' to take a walk  up in the uppermost deck.

Aside from the grand Parthenon Pool ( 2nd&3rd photos ), there was a kiddie pool for the littlest swimmers.

One could stay forever in a cruise like this and would never run out of things to do for entertainment. Duty free shopping, casino, spa, library, gym. .  . . endless dots of amenities.

We caught some dance and acrobatics shows at the theater.

foods at my food blog *laterlater*

Cruise fine dining required dressing up. You know me, I travel light and didn't bring appropriate get ups. So I tweaked some and somehow halfway able.

These random cutees were simply adorable. Couldn't resist but to snap on them (hope parents won't mind).

Ofcourse this cruise is not all about offshore. Later you can drop again cos I'll share to you some beautiful places_ off the ship, that went with this cruise.

see ya.

7th High

Another latest attraction that tickled my fancy in Singapore was a crystallized structure afloat the waters of Marina Bay.




At night, Avalon steals the clubbing scene in this side of the planet. Sorry me, I didn't make it inside. I had to rush to the airport for my next desti. Friends have only nothing but ohhs and ahhs about the high fashion interiors of this venue. If only to see the state of the arts interiors of Avalon, I would really want to get inside next time. First of all my motherhood status has long lamed my clubber's pass and that's to admit how rare as newyear I get to go clubbing. Second of all_ I'm already a rusty old cheese, already with acquired preference to soft ocean waves whispers over the raging club music, haha.

Back home, the only night life that blinks is some random food trips in a comedy bar with my husband. Yeah, how lame. I know right? haha. Or worser_ the nights are vigilantly spend watching some reality shows on t.v. haha.
About clubbing?_ get the good rid of me! I give the floors to my teens. But the dad thinks otherwise. He still thinks of them as kids.




So last month when my older teen was invited to her bf's party. .

. . the whole family went. haha. Don't get me wrong, we were all got invited anyway ( or was that only because the best friend well knew, daughter couldn't attend the party w/o us, haha). The host parents are actually good friends of ours.








Was glad thu' to join daughter. I was able to check the clubbing scene in the metro.

The venue was at Seventh High in Global City. The party was particularly held at The Lounge which was privately rented for the whole night by the host.








Interesting back draft by the bar_can you spot it?

The thirsty guest couldn't be happier, apart from the sumptuous buffet, it was an open bar 'till the end.









Next door was where the raging clubbing was happening. I could hear the sounds passed through the close walls when I passed by.








It was past midnight when we called it off. Outside, the night had just begun for many who was queuing to get in.

CNY 2012

I'm so fond of Chinese New Year. It's so full of many tiny bitty details which tickle my interest. But because I'm not really Chinese and no immediate family is one ( an aunt said some percentage run in our blood thu' ) I don't really celebrate it the way we do our own Jan. 1 new year. My Chinese friends keep me posted thu'. I would say I'm one of those annually loyal expectators of this grand event.
It's even bigger today (1/23/12) cos it's officially declared as a non-working holiday here in our country. Thanks to our President Noy who obviously favors his very own Chinese lineage.

As my take on this celebration, last night I took my family to a little dinner. Some Chinese inspired buffet, really cheap cos I bought it from an online voucher store, haha. With that super discounted deal, a table reserved for me was the least that I expected when we got to the place. I was actually prepared to eat without a table, even to eat standing in a corner, that kind of cheap, haha.

Apart from well accommodated table above, nothing else  to rave about the dinner, so that so it made me think twice  if I would share it in my food blog. If there's something to it_ it would be a post full of rants, haha. As always, best thing with my family, together we never failed to find ways to enjoy no matter how scarce resources are . We found our mini-est Chinese New Year laughters in fortune cookies.




For some mystic reason, why is that a fortune cookie always hits the one who cracks it? It never failed. Especially to my daughters who love every little word in it.

My youngest, a 12 year old adolescent got this one. It's so true of her. She's now, more than anytime, very conscious of her individuality. " Character is what you know you are not what others think you are".

My nearing debutant girl who always plays a role of a leader in her school got this cookie to say. " We teach little by what we say. We teach more by what we do but we teach most by what we are".

The dad got a push from his cookie. " A good intention that is not put into action will not achieve any good deed".

And yours truly. . your Ascertain Bliss friend here got this _ "You make people realize that there exists other beauties in the world".W the #?!! Was it coincidence or what? Don't ask my daughters. .cos that's exactly how they always describe me. and my blog.




How about you? What your cookie says? Happy CNY everyone!!!!