For me, sweater weather calls for a cup of coffee and a really good book. Last Monday afternoon, I was caught in heavy rain while I was going home from a special appointment. I had no choice but to stop by somewhere while I wait for the weather to calm down. Fortunately, I found Abaca Bakery/Cafe at Robinson's Cybergate. The creative and cozy ambiance of the place immediately captured my heart so I decided to stay at the place and get myself a hot cup of coffee.

      There a number of things to fell in love with about the cafe so I know I just have to blog about the place the moment I went inside it. After deep thought, I've round up the things that I love about the cafe. By the way, pardon the low quality of the photos. I wasn't able to bring my go-to camera with me as I didn't plan to visit the place. Hence, I took the photos using my phone's camera.
The first thing that I love the most about the place is its cozy interior. Everything about the place just makes it very homely. Just check out the beautiful lights inside the cafe's ceiling! It's so pretty and yes, it made me think of my dreams!
Who wouldn't fall in love with the chairs in Abaca? like seriously, I don't mind sitting in these chairs for days! ahahha They are just so cool and I'm actually thinking of re-creating them for my bedroom!
     Abaca serves the yummiest desserts and probably the most delicious foods. I ordered a cafe latte (130php) for myself and a chocolate cupcake called Trash Trailer (75php) which is a perfect treat for all chocolate lovers out there.

      And hey, look how amazing is their paper cup? I love it! Probably the artsiest paper cup I've ever seen!
A relaxing place to dine in, Abaca Cafe is best for everyone who loves the art and food! If you wanna chill alone or with some friends, Abaca cafe is the best.

     Hello everyone! Belated merry Christmas and advance happy new year! I hope you are all doing great this holiday season. Whenever and however you celebrate your holiday, I also pray that you had all the happiness that you deserve and that you had all your heart's desires.

     Few days from now, we will welcome a brand new year ahead. Which means we will once again have another year to live life to the fullest and to look forward to new beginnings. What comes with that is hoping for new joys and challenges in our lives. I am very glad that I was able to receive love and happiness last Christmas and I couldn't wait to feel more of it for the new year to come.

     I was ecstatic that I was able to got some of the things that I have wish for last Christmas and hopefully, I will also get my hands on the things that I wish for the new year to come. I wasn't able to blog about my Christmas wish list this year, and for that, I will be sharing to your today some of the items on my new year's wish list!

1. Makeup Brush Set Kit with Pouch
 

    Hey guys! I am so blessed to be given the chance to visit the southern part of Cebu again this year. My workmates and I went to Oslob,Cebu to see their very own whale sharks as a part of our team building trip. Big thanks of course to our school who paid everything for us to be able to experience such a wonderful journey.

    First thing first, if you haven't been to Cebu, or if you are not a resident of the Philippines, Oslob is located in the southern part of the Cebu province. It would be a pretty long journey to get there, but it's easy to get into the place. You just need to ride in a bus going to Oslob at the South Terminal Bus in Cebu City.

     We stayed at a Club Fort Med Resort in Bolhoon which is located before Oslob. The school rent a v-hire for all of us to use going to our adventure with the whales in Oslob. Here are some photographs of Club Fort Med in Bolhoon where we stayed for two days. Club Fort Med is a pretty decent resort and their staff are very friendly,so if you are looking for somewhere to stay in in the south, you may take the resort as one of your options.





































My co-worker Berta and I in our 6AM faces before going to Oslob. lol. No judging please!!! hahaha

     And our adventure begun as we rode in our designated v-hire. During our ride going to Oslob, I've found out that there are a number of treasures in Bolhoon. Then I remembered, I saw some of those in coffee table books displayed in some museums that I have visited in the city. Having seen the beautiful church of Bolhoon in our v-hire's window, my heart decided to visit and explore the south again! I probably cannot do that this year, so I guess I will be doing that in summer. Alone! para char! hahaha

      Before we went swimming with the whale sharks aka Butandings of Oslob, we attended a short lecture about the guidelines in interacting with the whale sharks. It lecture included the do's and don'ts that we must follow to protect the gentle giants.


    Photographed above is a photo of the rates for all of the activities. In the whale shark watching, you can choose if you want to go in the water or stay in the boat. Either way you have to pay 500php, that's a little more than ten US dollars. So if I were you, carpe diem! Who knows in the next decade there will be no more whale sharks for you to watch. Tilapia nalang :( #sadlife lol























   Why so dark and gloomy? It was really sad and gloomy when we arrived because we were told that we need to go there veery early. Why? because if we have to get there during the "breakfast time" of the whale sharks which is usually from 5:30-7:00 AM. If you will get there at 9 or 10, uwi ka nalang day kasi wala ng shark lol. I mean visit the place again since you won't be able to see any sharks anymore. The sharks have to go back to the deeper part of the sea after their #breakfasttime :)

    Of course, I chose to swim to get a clearer view of the whale sharks! No need to worry though, because if you will be swimming, the tour guides will hand you a life jacket and a water googles if you wish to. Alight, here are our under water photos taken by my co-teacher/roommate Teacher Reyshelle.
 Me!!!! ahahha I decided to do the peace sign in all of our underwater photos just so I can easily recognize myself hahaha lol

































     I definitely had a blast on my adventure in Oslob. I didn't only enjoy swimming with the sharks and being able to witness their grandeur, but I also learned so many things. Probably the best thing that I have learned from my trip with my co-workers is that, what makes a travel more memorable is when you travel with someone you truly love. Be it yourself or someone special to you. Otherwise, your travel wouldn't be something beautiful but stressful.

     I hope you enjoy this post. P.S I was hesitant to swim with the whale sharks because I have read and heard fromt he news that it wasn't a good idea to swim with them as they aren't naturally acquainted with humans and human interaction causes stress to them, but, well, what can I do? Carpe diem!

      I can't remember the last I posted a recipe here on my blog so here's one for all of you! For my recipes and DIY's, I only want to share something easy, quick and functional so this recipe is something that you can easily follow. I'm also trying to change my lifestyle bit by bit now, so what I'm sharing in this post isn't only easy to follow but also healthy.

       My mother loves salad so much especially the one that has macaroni. I, on the other hand despise macaroni, so when she asked me to make her a salad, instead of using macaroni, I choose more vegetables that we both love.

       I don't have the luxury of time while I'm writing this post so I'd stop talking about me and my mom and let's start this recipe with the ingredients that you will need.

For this chicken salad recipe, you will need the following:
 Follow the photo guide below in preparing your salad.
This Chicken Salad recipe is perfect for lunch. I guarantee that this can satisfy your palette as well as your appetite. Of course, any food is best enjoyed with your family. Let me know what's your favorite salad recipe below. If you are making this recipe, feel free to let me know also. I would love to see your creations too.

Good luck!