Nicholas Alexander

Nicholas Alexander - Born on November 11, 2013, on his Great Grandma's 90th Birthday.

Welcome to the world Nicholas. Tita Janey loves you to the moon and back!

Side Note: This was my second time in the delivery room and can I just say, 

I bow down, Beyonce to every female who has ever given birth. 

The Proposal ♥

Well of course Teddy would propose with Crave Cupcakes. We all know how much I love food!

Thank you to Philip, Dominic & Justin for setting everything up while we were at dinner.

Guardian Angel - A little luck from Teddy's Mom in Heaven ♥

I froze the Crave Cupcakes because they were too special to eat!

Something About Mary Grace

 Mary Grace Cafe - Greenbelt 2, Makati, Philippines

Cutest Kids Section 

 The Famous Cheese Roll 

 Ripe Mango Shake - my go to drink in the Philippines

 Pork Tocino with Eggs and Garlic Fried Rice

 Mango and Fresh Salsa

Mary Grace, located in Greenbelt 2, Makati,  is the cutest cafe. The decor, ambiance, staff and food were all just lovely. Oh and the Cheese Rolls were heaven! Make sure you order them "grilled" so the layers of cheese just melt in your mouth. Mmmm cheese, butter and sugar. Sobrang masarap that I just had to start speaking Tagalog to tell you how delicious these are. I actually flew back to Canada with a dozen Cheese Rolls in my carry-on. True story.
There really is something about Mary Grace.

Borough

 Borough - The Podium, Manila, Philippines

 After a night of watching Midget Boxing...

#itsmorefuninthePhilippines

 Popcorn Calamari - Popcorn crusted fried squid tossed with extra butter for good measure. Served with clarified chili butter.

 Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup - Grilled cheese in homemade brioche bread. Served with creamy tomato soup for dipping.

 Ever since I was a little girl, Grilled Cheese & Soup has always been my favorite comfort food.
Best part about this meal? They cut the Grilled Cheese into triangles just like my Grandma.

 Chile Chicken Burger - Homemade chicken burger topped with Monterey Jack, avocado and corn salsa.

Chocolate Chicken Wings - Baked wings coated in cocoa and cinnamon. Served with cilantro sour cream.

Borough is located in the Podium Mall in Manila. A restaurant named after the "boroughs" of New York, this place serves comfort food anytime of the day. Two items that stood out on the menu were the Popcorn Calamari and the Chocolate Chicken Wings. I thought the Popcorn Calamari would come out like KFC's Popcorn Chicken but it came out with actual popcorn. Interesting but it was good nonetheless. Oh and the Chocolate Chicken Wings were quite spicy, so if you like heat and you're the adventurous type, order away. But if you're looking for something exquisite, I would recommend the Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup. My Fiancee and his friends went to the Philippines last year and his Best Friend texted me just to rave about the Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup. Trust me, a great grilled cheese can change your life. 

Mesa

 Mesa - Greenbelt 5, Makati, Philippines

Great Service

Ripe Mango Shakes 

 Sigarilyas sa Gata 

 Baby Squid in Black Ink 

 Pork Belly & Eggplant

Garlic Fried Rice

Mesa Filpino Moderne is voted one of the best restaurants in the Philippines. Located in Greenbelt 5, Makati (basically the Rodeo Drive of the Philippines), this restaurant was absolutely delicious. I was arriving from Bataan (a province about 4 hours away from Manila) and I told my cousin that I was expecting an amazing first meal and Mesa definitely did not disappoint. Surprisingly, the best dish was a vegetable one. Weird, I know, I love my meat! But no joke, the Sigarilyas sa Gata (translates to Winged Beans cooked in Coconut Milk) was incredible! Oh and can we please just talk about the Ripe Mango Shakes? Is it me, or do mangoes just taste better in the Philippines? Insert #itsmorefuninthePhilippines here.

Super Typhoon Haiyan

"Typhoon Haiyan – one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded – tore through the Visayas region of central Philippines on Friday, November 8, with deadly force, making landfall five times in the provinces of Eastern Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Panay Island and Palawan. The combination of powerful winds and seawater has devastated buildings, communities and families. Over 618,000 people have been displaced and over 1,450 evacuation centres have been opened. Damage to critical infrastructure has made rapid assessment difficult, and authorities are still determining casualty figures, however, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, it is estimated that more than 5.4 million people have been affected by the storm across 40 provinces." -Canadian Red Cross

Sending all my love and prayers to everyone affected by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.
Thankful that my family members in the Philippines are safe and I'll be seeing them in December.
If you would like to help, the Government of Canada is matching every dollar donated to the Canadian Red Cross.

Click to Donate

Photo Credit: CNN



Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself

Chicago

New York

Eiffel Tower

Paris, France

The Louvre

The Colosseum

The Vatican

Spanish Steps

Rome, Italy

San Francisco

It's been a year since I last blogged, so allow me to reintroduce myself...