Photos: Cagayan de Oro 2012

Less than 2 weeks before my licensure exams, I boarded a plane and went to Cagayan de Oro for my Lola's 1st death anniversary, and stayed there for six days. Because that's how I roll. Hahaha. Thank heavens I passed or I'd be feeling pretty stupid about taking this trip. :]

We didn't go sight seeing anymore (because I was just there last October, yo), mostly just spent the time hanging out with my cousins and pretending to study while watching horror movies. Here are the very few photos from this trip:

Weeks Before the Boards, Mostly in Food Photos

With the medical boards so very very near, last week I decided to pick up my lazy ass and haul myself and my medical reviewers to Manila for some serious studying. There were times I wished I could do a Sheldon-Cooper-Flash-moment -- go to the Grand Canyons, scream my head off, and go back as zen as the Dalai Lama -- because putting on a show of calm and serenity when I'm really a bunch of nerves inside was driving me over the edge, but I'm better now hahaha. Thank you I Wrote This For You for averting a near-psychotic-break. ;)

Anyway, let's move on to happier things, i.e., what I ate last week. Haha.

Monday Snack

Potato Corner's Wasabi Fries
Yes it's a hideous shade of green, that's really how it looks like.

Tuesday Dinner

Army Navy Steak Tacos
Because it's Taco Tuesday!!!

Wednesday Brunch

Beef Brisket Sandwich + Full Leaf Brewed English Breakfast
I actually liked this sandwich :D

Wednesday Post-Dinner

CBTL's Iced Chai Tea Latte
I still think Seattle's Best has the best chai. ;)

Friday Brunch

Turkey and Chicken Ham with Egg White and Emmenthal Cheese
That's not even the full name, that's just what I remember.

Friday Dinner

I went back to Mercato for the first time this year! 

My last was during Ultimate Taste Test 7.0 and it feels like eons ago. 

Eating on the sidewalk. Because all the chairs were
taken. Even the sidewalk was full! Grabe lang.

Wagyu Paella + Cheesestick Dynamite + My Thighs. Lol.

Day-old chick.
First time to eat these. Haha. Not bad, but not really my thing either.
I don't even eat balut because I can see the form of the chick.

For dessert! HAHAHA.

Papa Roti's Phrata with Condensed Milk
Huge serving of roti, I hope it came with a larger serving of milk. :D

The only photo with my face in it was lomo-fied to give my face a bit of color, people have been telling me I look sick. I am not. Haha I just don't have my time out in the sun, and I don't feel like putting on makeup most of the time, because prettifying for a book feels a bit sad hahaha. :P

Photos from the Holidays

Aaand I'm back. To my loyal readers (all three of you hahaha) sorry for the absence! I misplaced my camera cable, and the rest of my life wasn't very interesting anyway. I spent most of my time either reviewing, buying/ wrapping presents, eating, sleeping or watching reality TV. (I have been sucked-in by the bobo-tube! I am so addicted to Survivor Philippines, Hell's Kitchen, and Junior Masterchef Australia!)

Here are a few photos from the holidays, mostly of food! Haha. As they say: new year, old habits. :)

Photoblog: The Board Review Chronicles

Because nothing interesting is happening in my life right now, and my brain is too exhausted to come up with anything creative, witty, funny or touching. All I can manage is sarcasm and that has no place in this blog, because I once swore that this would remain a place exclusively for rainbows and unicorns and other glittery sh..things. Lol.

My favorite pen right now. Because it writes well, and just seeing
 "Phi Lambda Delta" on my pen makes me feel warm inside. :)

Yesterday's dinner. Turkey and Chicken with Apple Stuffing on
Whole Wheat and Walnut. Not so good.

I was in such a rush to leave the house that I forgot my First Aid!
Say hello to my emergency Booksale purchase, 250php. :P

Trips to the bookstore always make me feel better. :)
Almost bought more highlighters and post-its but I already have
a buttload of those and I really don't use them anymore. I also have
too many pens and a new box of Mongol #2s. Hence, an eraser.

Iced Green Tea Latte because I needed a morale boost.
 Matcha is love. ♥

Totally unrelated to my studying "adventures"
but these were really pretty. :)

Aah neurons please don't die just yet. Stay with me until February!!! Also please allow me to write in coherent paragraphs soon because I still have to do that magazine article about the health benefits of {guess what activity} hahaha! 

Elbi Eats: Mi Bonitos Restaurant

Because the goal of this blog is really to make all of you hungryyyy. Hahaha. If the photos look familiar, that's because this was my birthday dinner. :D

This is a lazy post, so mostly just photos. In the words of Ayla, this is a Mema Monday: mema-post lang. Hahaha.

Let's get your stomach rumbling, shall we?

Bacon Croquettes
I couldn't really taste the bacon, but it's potato,
and potatoes are looove. 

Chili Wings.
My order! Yes, again. I have food loyalty. Haha.

Grilled Squid
I was surprised to find several small pieces of squid instead of a
single huge squid.

Grilled Tenderloin Steak

Everything On It Pizza
Talk about topping overload! It even has eggplant.

Buffalo Wings

Spaghetti with Meatballs
Last minute order, because no birthday dinner is complete
without noodlez. For long life. Except the noodles
were kinda short. Hahahaha!

That is all. Thank you. Bow. Goodbye. :D

--

For more about Bonitos, refer to my previous post or visit their Facebook page. :)

Elbi Eats: Faustina's

Mom took me out for lunch at Faustina's today and fell in love the moment I laid eyes on the menu.

Photoblog: Christmas is in the Air

I love spending Christmas in UPLB, because the campus is very pretty this time of the year.

Presenting some of the first few photos taken with my new Sony Cybershot DSC TX55 which I won in a giveaway/ contest. :D It's in "red rouge" so I'm naming it Scarlet hihihi.

I wanted to take nighttime photos to see the lights better, but I was rushing home. I'll just take another photoset at night. :)

11-11-11

Banchetto's lantern event got cancelled, but we still celebrated 11-11-11. I know it's just a date, but you have to take every opportunity to celebrate! :)

View of Panagatan Restaurant and Other Seascapes

I love taking pictures of the sea, because they always come out pretty even with a crappy camera.

On our fifth day in Cagayan de Oro we went to a beach in Opol (about a half-hour drive from the city) for a Sunday afternoon swim and picnic. Apple Tree Beach Resort is the popular beach destination for tourists, but since we weren't staying for the night and there were around fifty of us, we just went to the next-door Marvilla Beach Resort, where the entrance fee was a meager 20php per person, half of which was consumable! We got there late in the afternoon so we only had a few minutes to take pictures.

Not my favorite shots because the lighting was poor and the skies were gray. :/ (My point and shoot doesn't take the best photos so it needs all the help it can get from Mother Nature!)

Gray skies. It rained after sundown.

Kids. :)

My brother.

The following day, my uncle took us to Panagatan (a seafood restaurant, also in Opol) for lunch. It overlooked the same sea, and under a bright and clear sky, it was gorgeous. The restaurant extended far into the water and had no walls, which assured a good view of the sea on all sides. And even though it was a very hot day, the sea breeze made it very presko. I forgot to take pictures of the food because I was too busy either taking pictures of the view or gorging on the scrumptious fare of seafood, sisig and crispy pata. Rawr.

There's a viewdeck, but it was too hot!

If you find yourself in Cagayan de Oro, you should go the extra mile and visit this place for lunch.  The cab ride from the city proper cost around 160 pesos, and the food was cheap and good! You'll have a great backround for your photos too, something we clearly took advantage of.

Hrhrhr.