Goodbye Dog :(

Losing a pet is never easy. But I didn't expect it to be this difficult.

My 8-year-old dog died yesterday, August 27, 2016. A week ago, he wasn't feeling well, so I carried him on my arms, let him drink from my warm palms, and fed him. He isn't eating any, but he licked my hands to get a few drops of water. I'm sure there's something wrong with him. I told him to be strong; I knew we were getting old, but I wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet. He's been my pal for the past eight years. He has brought me pure joy and shown me loyalty that no human can provide. I have thousands of wonderful memories of Ginger.

I was so excited to get home last Saturday, but I got stuck in heavy traffic. My sister informed me via text message that Ginger had died. I was only 30 minutes away from home. 30mins! If I hadn't been stuck in traffic, I could have seen and hugged him one last time. I was heartbroken. My heart was broken, and I felt as if my soul had abandoned me. I sobbed. I sobbed uncontrollably. The pain cut deep. . The passenger next to me was intrigued but too shy to ask what was going on. He'll never understand me anyway. My eyes are swollen and red from crying. Ginger left while I was gone. How is this possible? I'm sure he waited for me. I know he was super excited to see me, but I was late. 

My dad buried him near the flower garden at the UCCP grounds. I had to say goodbye to a wonderful pet/family member. They say that pets should leave once their mission is completed. But accepting it is extremely difficult for me. I'm not ashamed to tell the world that I'm missing my pet. "Come on, he's just a dog, you can get another dog, and you already have Erwin (my brother's dog)," someone said. " He's more than a dog. He's a family member, a good companion, and he always made me happy when I was down. He's waiting for me to get home.  He loves me so much. He listens to me. You wouldn’t understand a pet lover’s heart unless you are one of us.

This will be a long process. But I’ll get through it.

*** Updated today, August 31, 2016.

Dear Ginger,

I haven’t had the chance to see you to say goodbye so I am writing this little love note for you.

I am missing you so much! I am sorry that I wasn’t there when you died. I know you waited for me that day. I knew because you tried to walk to see who arrived, but you were too weak to walk and too tired to stand. I still remember your face;  when I look into your eyes, I can see my soul. I wish I was there early. Your bud, Erwin cried, too. He’s really sad and I know that he misses you as much as we do.  

Ginger, remember that we all loved you with all of our hearts. You made our lives more special. You are such a wonderful dog. You were missed by the seniors as well. They missed you at the midweek prayer meeting. I had no idea you were a regular. Hah! You made me so proud! They said you were always present every Wednesday, and you'd just sit quietly under the long table. I'm curious if you pray. Maybe you do. You're the sweetest dog ever! You have never harmed anyone. You would rather be hurt than hurt someone. You have gentle eyes and a loving soul. We love you so much that I can't let you go easily.

We named you Ginger "Tuta" Bamba because you are more than just a pet to us; you are our newest family member. Despite your age, I called you tuta because you will always be my baby, our pup!

I'm not sure how long I'll be sad for you, but one thing is certain: I will love you forever! Don't worry, I'll look after Erwin as well.

We will be forever grateful because we once shared a wonderful life with you. Thank you kindly, Ginger. Ate adores and loves you big time!

Arf! Arf!

Ash xx  

posted from Bloggeroid

Feliz Compleano, self.

**** Disclaimer – This is a late birthday post, but it’s still August anyway :)

It has become an annual tradition for me to write about my birthday. I awoke around 3 a.m. because my alarm clock kept beeping. When I checked my phone, birthday messages had begun to pour in! My mother sent me birthday greetings with the question "When are you getting married?! ”. Great! Excellent! Hahaha. My sister came next, with all her well wishes and the ever-popular question, "When are you getting married?" Come on guys, are you in a hurry?!  

How quickly time passes. As I get older, I notice that each year passes faster and that life moves faster. I can say that despite my age, I still look young (hahahah), but I honestly feel old on the inside. As soon as I finish my work, I want to go home and lie down, read books, watch online movies, or surf the internet –  that sort of things.

Life is good, but I feel old – mentally, emotionally, and physically. My body felt different – I gained weight, my blood pressure slightly increased, and I had back and shoulder pain. Don't laugh or roll your eyes; it's true! Now that I'm a year older, I'm ready to face new challenges. I've experienced life's highs and lows. I overthink. I get nervous. I compared myself to others. I cried. I laughed.  I fell in and out of love. With all of this happening to me, I decided to treat myself - not by buying anything fancy for my birthday, but by giving myself a break.

While travelling to La Union, I'm scribbling a "what I've learned" list on a purple post-it note, and here's a portion of it.

You cant please everybody, so do your thing.

I used to be a people pleaser. I don't want people to be upset with me just because I didn't give or do what they wanted. But as I've gotten older, I've realized that it's not the case! You can't please everyone. Whatever you do in life will still be criticized, so do what makes you happy. Don't let them deter you. If you listen to every negative comment from those people, you'll end up feeling sorry for yourself. Smile.

        Let loose.

Stop worrying so much. It gets you nowhere. Stop overthinking. Worrying is pointless and, yes, stupid! Try to take a deep breath and appreciate the wonders of the world. Cry if you have been hurt by someone. But don't stop there. Give yourself a break. Have fun.

Be nice. Don’t be a bitch.

I understand that we all have those moments when we are grumpy, cranky, and annoyed – and those around us suffer as a result. That is normal. We all have those moments, but don't let it become a habit. You can't be a jerk all the time. Be pleasant and smile. You had no idea what the other person was going through. He may have needed a hug or a simple smile, but you yelled at him or rolled your eyes at her. Being a bitch is the most horrific thing in the world. Let us spread love and positive energy.

 Give yourself a “me time”.

As the saying goes, "all work and no play makes John a dull boy." You deserve some me time at least once a month. Get a relaxing foot spa or a body massage. Get a new look. Paint your toes red. Get that hot red lipstick. Doing these things is extremely therapeutic for me. Believe me, it is!

Love never fails. People Do.

We all get hurt. We all feel bad after a failed relationship, don’t  be bitter about life and about love. Love’s one of the best gifts given to us. People are not perfect so don’t look for a perfect love story. But hey, there’s one best love story I knew – John 3:16.

Those are the top five items on my list. I have a few more, but I'll save those for my next post. Anyway, my life has been bumpy, and it isn't as #flawless as it appears on my social media accounts. I simply choose to post positive things about myself in order to spread positive energy. I, for one, do not want to see negative content in my newsfeed, so why should I post it? But, hey, the hashtag #blessed is real, because I am and always will be blessed

Oh, by the way, let me share you my birthday experience, up north! 



Day 1 La Union.

• Gapuz farm
•  Ma-cho Temple
• Halo-halo de Iloko
• China Sea beach Resort

Grape picking is now off my bucket list, yay! We had a fantastic time at Gapuz Farm. Our next stop is at Ma-cho Temple. You can say a prayer and light the incense sticks for free (you can donate btw). We had lunch at Halo-halo de Iloko, where we ordered papaitan, pork binagoongan, and their famous fiesta halo halo. We arrived at China Sea Beach resort in the late afternoon. We haven't been able to enjoy the beach because the weather has been extremely bad and swimming is unsafe. But we had a great time swimming at the pool.

Day 2 Baguio.

• Naguilan Road View Deck
• Café in The Sky

This is our first trip down Naguilan Road. I was nervous and tense because the road to Baguio is narrow and steep. We finally saw this magnificent view after more than an hour! Wow! It's absolutely breathtaking! It piqued our interest, so we pulled over and took a few photos. I'll always love Baguio - the cool breeze, the scent of vanilla and pines, and this panoramic view.

After a few minutes, we took Mt Cabuyao Road and arrived at Café in the Sky around 3 or 4 p.m. The area was covered in fog, and it was raining! Hahaha. It could have been more beautiful if it hadn't been raining. I had visions of a sea of cotton clouds – haha. But it's not what I expected. Nonetheless, the experience is priceless. We left at 6 p.m. and returned to Manila.

My takeaway - I'm sure life will throw me a lot of challenges; I'll still have ups and downs, but isn't that the grand traverse of life? I'm confident that as I get older, age will be just a number. Cheers to living for today, without regrets, comparisons, or insecurities. Thank you for making my life so wonderful.

Love,

Ash xx

Watermelon Jelly

My cute and super sweet nieces made lambing and asked me to make "watermelon jelly" they saw in facebook. So, my sister, Hazel, bought a small size watermelon and i invaded the kitchen. Let me share my simple watermelon recipe.

What you need:
- 1 pack of red gelatin ( i used mr gulaman, strawberry flavor)
- Sugar
- cups of water
- Watermelon
- Raisins (ugh, i forgot this one!)

Instructions :
1. Cut the watermelon into half. Scrape/ remove the meat and set aside.
2. In a pan, disolve the jelly powder and add the sugar in warm water . Stir until the jelly powder and sugar are completely mixed and disolved. Once disolved, turn your stove on and start cooking. Stir constantly and let it boil.
3. Transfer the jelly into the watermelon cups and let it cool.
4. Add the raisins before it completely cool down.
5. Serve cold and enjoy!



They loved and enjoyed eating thier watermelon jelly, and requested to make "orange jelly" next week. That's challenging, kids. Really! Let's see if i can do that :)

Btw my niece isnt feeling really well, but still tried to look better in this picture.  Love you Eli 💕


Cheers xx
Ash

posted from Bloggeroid

Kanin Club - Ayala Triangle

Today is my sister's birthday, so we decided to have another buffet. We had to cancel the plan  however, due to the constant rain.  We decided to check restos in Ayala Triangle and since my sister is huge fan of Pinoy dishes we opted to try Kanin Club. 

Upon entering, the staff grabbed our dripping wet umbrella and led us to our table, all of them are beaming ear to ear. You'll feel at home despite the bad weather.  Before we were seated, something happened (insert embarrassing moment here); it wasn't really their fault, but the waiter who was assigned to us apologized nonetheless. Wow. 

Food - a traditional Filipino dish with a modern twist. We ordered sinigang na hipon (perfect for a cold Friday night), tinapa rice, crispy liempo, the ever-popular crispy dinuguan, ripe mango shake, and pineapple juice. The sinigang, in my opinion, is a must-try. I like how the soup is sour but not overpowering, just like our mother's recipe. The dinuguan will astound you, especially if you are not a fan of dinuguan but are brave enough to try it. Crispy liempo is also a good option, with three different dips. You'll enjoy the food.

Location - Makati CBD. A good place to relax your mind coz it's in Ayala Triangle.

Staff - very accommodating and attentive. We don't need to call them twice. Served our food in no time with a smile on their faces.

I highly recommend Kanin club especially if you're craving for your mom's cooking.

Photos: Mine

Disclaimer: My review is based on a hundred percent transparent hands on / tasting experience and personal views.

posted from Bloggeroid

Friends Here and There

It’s inexorably raining today. I am sopping wet when I arrived at the office. August is indeed a wet season. While waiting for some emails and possible phone calls from our clients, Iara called me and asked me to come to her desk. She asked few questions regarding our new consultant. Little did I know, it’s part of their plan. I went back to my desk and saw this goodies – my favorite banoffee pie. Yey 😇 Not a fan of cold drinks anyway but so happy that they remembered tricked me. Hahaha. You guys! But seriously thanks ERM folks, I appreciate it a lot. Thank you Kat as well for this cute little gift of yours. I am touched. Indeed, it's the thought that counts. 💋



I have the loveliest friends. I am so lucky. Blessed actually. I’ve got different sets of friends. Some who give pep-talks and listen patiently. Friends who makes me cry and laugh in the span of a breath. Friends who bring flowers and invite me to a last minute dinner just because he cooked beef steak or pork sinigang. Friends who remembers even you’re miles apart and haven’t seen each other in ages. Friends who remind me that the best is yet to come. Friends who’d tell me how beautiful I am. Friends who share the same faith and belief and whom you can chat anytime without thinking twice coz you’re not afraid of being judged or neglected. New friends whom you’ve met at the office who adds a little spice on your boring travel booking routine. Friends who make my existence rich in immeasurable ways. It’s always good to surround yourself with people who can mold you in becoming a better person.

I have met different types of people who became my friends, some stay, some left. Some made me sad, some made me thank God for not keeping them (if you know what I mean. Lol). I have learned a lot from them and I am eternally grateful for having them by my side. To all my beautiful friends inside and out, thank you for adding a livelier dimension in my life. You guys rock.

Cheers! 🍷 🍹 🍻 

Ash xx 💋

My Grape Picking experience in La Union

A day before my birthday, I decided to visit La Union. I have checked several blogs on what to do and where to go in La Union. Most of them wrote about surfing of course.  One of the blogs mentioned Grape Farm, and I was like, what the heck, there's a vineyard in La Union? I had no idea there was a Grape Capital in the Philippines, so I read through it and researched.

We arrived in La Union at half past ten o'clock in the morning. We went straight to Gapuz Farm, and while the vines were all dried and withered, our instant tour guide showed us the section where we could pick fresh grapes. 

Look at how happy and excited my face is. This may be too childish for some, but trust me when I say I can't stop smiling. Grape picking has been removed from my bucket list. Yay:)

I received two baskets of freshly harvested grapes. Each kilo costs 300 PHP. I bought a bottle of grape wine and 4kgs of grapes for only 100php. There is also dragonfruit and bugnay wine.

I'll be posting more about my trip to La Union soon. In the meantime, I'm going to take a quick dip in the pool (the beach is at high tide, ugh). Ciao!

xx Ash 

posted from Bloggeroid

Apple Bee's Grill and Bar - BGC

On a rainy Wednesday late afternoon, we headed to Apple Bee’s in BGC for a little catch up. We normally joke about  this -  “ what’s your favorite restaurant” when we’re still in CVG, and we will answer in chorus “APPLE BEES”. Folks from Uverse would know why. Lol 

The place is a little jam-packed when we arrived – couples dating, family celebrating birthdays, yuppies having good times, and us, quiet yet giggling while checking the menu.

Of course, I ordered my favorite frozen margarita. We have had :

#brewkettle, bro! 🍻 #AppleBees #BGC #Beer

A photo posted by Orange (@_adashofash) on Jun 24, 2016 at 4:41am PDT

Triple bacon burger. #AppleBees #Bacon #Burger

A photo posted by Orange (@_adashofash) on Jun 4, 2016 at 10:20am PDT

We left the place around 9pm when the rain has finally stopped. It was a great dining experience on our “favorite restaurant” hahaha J

Note: This post is not sponsored and is based on my hands on / tasting experience and personal views.