Meditating in Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple

I walked under the starless sky as
darkness completely clutched the holy place
with its razor-sharp claws.
The Master was nowhere to be found.
No guidance, no consolation
entered in my ears.
A faceless voice cascaded from the sky and said:
Listen to the universe and you'll find Him.
I heard the distant barking of the dogs,
the leaves slicing the damp mist,
the secrets of the crickets,
 and the belching of the road dragons.
I sat motionless silent as the fat moon.
A fire within me dampened my eyes.
In my isolation, I met the Master.

- Cristine Despares

Taste the Sweet Life at Presents and Such Tea Room and Cafe

A colleague of mine once asked me what's the best place for a foreign tourist to visit within the metropolis of Cebu. I told her that somewhere which translates the history and culture of the Cebuanos would be nice. My answer might be biased because I based them on my interests. My colleague didn't give any comment on my response partly because we might have the same answer if I were to ask her the same question. Right after I gave her my prompt response, she went ahead and asked me if I know somewhere good, but is not tainted by false popularity. I pondered deeply to give her an answer, but I couldn't think of any place at that time. 

Looking for a quiet place within a busy city might seem impossible, especially for millennials like me whose main source of information is the internet. That is why as much as I could, I'd like to observe places whenever I have to go out.

In the very occupied Gorordo Avenue, I discovered a whimsical place that sat humbly unmindful of the passing cars. I have introduced some of my favorite cafes in my blog before, but this one's the sweetest so far. Named Presents & Such, the family-owned gift shop turned cafe and tea room offers several services which will give their customers an idea of how sweet life can be. Regardless of its limited space, customers can shop, eat and read inside the quaint shop.

Presents & Such has only three tables with three-four chairs each.

Its overall facade will paint a picture of the modern English countryside inside your head without leaving Cebu.

Fanciful handmade gift items such as figurines, jewelry boxes, card holders, and tea cups are available at a very affordable price. Rare book collections by Cebuano writers are also available inside the shop. Some of the books were written by the cafe's owner who is also a writer.

Their menu changes from day to day except for their bestseller Apple Pie A la Mode which is available daily. What does the pie taste like? I want to try it, but it was already sold out when I visited the place. I hope there would be a slice left for me the next time I'd visit the cafe.

They don't have so many items on their menu as well, so if want to enjoy several food items for your gastronomical adventure, then the cafe won't be the best for you. Though I believe that their menu is enough for everybody to have a wonderful eating experience.

Let's take this time to appreciate the tea box where they store their tea bags.

A teapot of any flavor costs 75php, a little over a dollar. You get to choose whatever tea flavor suits your palate. I was hoping to have a pot of green tea, but since they didn't have one, I chose the Strawberry-Mango flavor. Luckily, it didn't disappoint. Girl, I feel so British drinking my tea. haha lelz

How cute are their teapot and tea cups? I wish to own a similar one, but they aren't for sale.

I didn't have my lunch yet when I visited the cafe, so I ordered their rice + dish menu of the day which is their Pork Stew. What they have is inspired by the traditional Callos recipe, but with an added twist which is a brainchild of the owner.

For my dessert, I had Presents & Such's very own Blitz Torte cake which tastes like a dream. Its equally lovely and light texture will satisfy anybody's sweet tooth. Its rich and creamy filling will also melt anybody's heart. It melted mine and I'm willing to have my heart melted by their fancy-looking yellow cake again and again. It felt like the time when I first fell in love. chaos! Since they do accept orders, I'm thinking of ordering a whole cake for my birthday next month. 

All my love in one photograph <3

As I have mentioned earlier in this post, one can also enjoy reading inside the cafe. The owner put up a bookshelf that houses some different books on different interests. I grabbed a health book about the art of aromatherapy, a delightful book that contains informative notes on how aroma therapy oils can help us improve our overall health.

A page in the book shows how to use oils as facial moisturizers. The book made me wanna buy oils!

Here's another page that shows different aphrodisiac oils. No, I'm looking for aphrodisiacs, I just find the page visually appealing because it has photographs and watercolor paintings of flowers.

Christmas is in the air at Presents & Such cafe!

Hi there!

Presents & Such Tea Room and Cafe...

• accepts food orders and reservations. If you love to enjoy any item from their menu, you may place an order or arrange reservations. Although the cafe isn't always fully occupied at all times, table reservations would be great if you want to visit the place during peak hours like lunch breaks.
• has a restroom available. 
• has impeccable service. You know how much I love it when a place offers really good service right? Presents & Such has a wonderful service person. They only have one person who will cater to your needs who is Ate Alwina (her nickname). She's a very wonderful woman and a great storyteller as well. She made me feel very comfortable throughout my entire stay in the cafe. She even shared with me some of her very interesting life experiences. It was raining when I was about to leave the cafe and she gladly offered me an umbrella. Though I didn't borrow their umbrella and decided to stay and wait for the rain to stop, I highly laud her sense of customer service. 
• sells gift items and offers personalization services such as the creation of wedding invitations, business cards, giveaways, and other services. 
• doesn't have FREE WiFi service. They have an internet connection, but they don't provide free WiFi service, which is good for anyone to declutter their mind from the digital world.
• accept reservations for photo shoots and private parties. Depending on the time that you wish to occupy the whole cafe, the management will charge a certain amount of money. Because of the cafe's limited space, they have to close the whole place if you want to use it for photo shoot sessions or private parties. You may contact the owner for the price. See contact details below.

Address/Location: 
Presents & Such is located at 122 Gorordo Avenue, Camputhaw, Cebu City. The establishment is right across Tonros Apartelle and a few meters away from Handuraw Pizza House.

Business hours: 
The cafe is open from Mondays to Saturdays from 10:00 Am to 7:00 PM.

Contact details:
The cafe doesn't have a website yet, but you can visit their official Facebook account for more details or contact them at 09324171963 or email them at presentsnsuch@yahoo.com

Presents & Such Tearoom and Cafe is a sweet place that enables everyone to experience how sweet life can be as one enjoys reading, shopping, and eating. If you're feeling down and bitter from all of the worries brought by this pragmatic world, go ahead and visit the cafe. I'm not feeling blue right now, but I can't wait to visit the cafe again. See you there! :)

love lots,

Tin

*Note:

This is not a sponsored post. I am not in any way paid by the cafe to write about them. Neither do I work for them? All photos above are taken by me using my cellphone's camera. Pardon their qualities. Thanks!

3 Smart Alternatives to LBD

Our classic little black dress or LBD is one sure way to look instantly chic and classy. Regardless of our individual style and sense of fashion, we can all agree that black is one (if not the most) sophisticated color. With that in mind, I bet we can always find an LBD in any section of women's dresses in online stores everywhere or in any girl's wardrobe. I personally have two which are some of my favorite items in my closet. 

A black dress is truly a wardrobe must-have, but what if you would like to spice up your wardrobe a bit by adding some colors to it? Choosing a colored clothing is a little taxing for some of us, but there are really good colors which you can easily slip on just as how you choose your LBD. There are a lot of colors out there, but here are just three of the smartest alternative to LBD that I can cross my fingers with.

White Dress

Don't have an available black dress as of the moment? Grab your white dress! While some people think that white can be too plain or boring, it doesn't have to be. The key is in finding the one which has a good cut, style, and patterns. The white colored cocktail dress above is an example. It's white, sexy and definitely perfect for a special day on a beach.

Army Green Tunic Dress

Neutral outfits are also good alternatives for the black colored ones. You may opt for a coffee colored dress, or go ahead and choose a stronger and more appealing piece like the army green colored dress above. The dress is perfect for any casual date. Who would have thought that a tunic dress would look so fab? It also goes perfectly with knee length boots. It's no wonder why even popular celebrities like the Kardashians/Jenners wear it all the time! And nope, not a fan of them, but let's admit it, they look good! And so are you! ;)

Rose Nude Bodycon-Dress

LBDs are perfect for romantic dates. Many girls would opt to wear them with their minimal accessories because it translates elegance and beauty. Think about Audrey Hepburn. How stunning is she in her LBD and pearl earrings! 

You can look stunning as well in a rose nude bodycon dress. The bodycon dress is great ways to look sexy and preppy. One of the trendiest clothing materials these days are suede. On the other hand, rose nude color is also shaking the fashion industry. The color is perfect for girls who are pretty much into pink and neutrals. It reflects sweetness, but at the same time, class. Footwear such as ankle strap heels would be perfect for them.

This digital age of ours' doesn't limit us from various sources where we can avail different women clothing online whether we want something that is made for formal occasions or cute dresses for casual situations. I usually buy some of my clothes online now, though I still prefer buying from physical stores within the city that I am living in. However, there are just some women clothing which is exclusively available on online fashion stores like FashionMia.

How about you guys, where do you usually buy your clothes? Of course, there are countless women clothing online where we can get our desired items, but the most important thing is that we are happy about its quality and that the fit is right. I hope you'll always find what's best for you!

love lots,

Tin

Day of the Dead Makeup

I know it's a little late for me to say this, but let me greet you a Happy Halloween! I hope you had a wonderful and a meaningful one whichever way you celebrated it. In our country, most of us relate it to our religious practices and beliefs. However, there are of course some people who celebrate it by attending or organizing a Halloween party.

Though I wasn't able to attend a Halloween party, I had a good time with my family. We spent the day praying for our dead loved ones and visiting their graves.  My younger brother loves to join Halloween Party, but our mom didn't allow us. Nevertheless, my brother had fun because I gave him a sugar skulls makeup look which was inspired by the Day of the Dead celebration.

Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout the Central and Southern part of Mexico in honor of the dead. We don't have such holiday here in the Philippines, but I believe that we do share some of the practices done during the Day of the Dead holiday.

One particular symbol during the holiday is the calavera which means skull. It is commonly reflected during the holiday and one of the most popular ways of representing it is by using makeup. 

Here are some shots of my brother wearing the makeup look:

My baby brother is so game when I asked him to vary his looks and translate a specific emotion. I asked him to give me an angry face in the last photo. Seriously, he could be an actor someday! hahaha

When it comes to Halloween makeup, the look inspired by the Day of the Dead is my favorite look to recreate simply because it looks charming and easy to recreate. Moreover, it doesn't require so many makeup products and allows everyone to be creative on the looks that they want to achieve. 

Here's a shameless photo of me doing another version of a Day of the Dead Makeup Look:

For my look, I used jewel stickers and I added more colors instead of the regular black and red combination. Excuse me for the very awkward look. Takes a lot of courage for me to upload that photo! lelz

I do hope you like the makeup looks I created last Halloween. How about you guys, what makeup looks did you go for last Halloween? I would really love to see your makeup looks! hehe I'll try to be more experimental with my Halloween makeup next year. 

love lots,

Tin