They say experience is the best teacher but they didn't add that the student chooses what to learn from the experience. 

What did you get from the experience? Did you focus on the pain? How about just being better next time? Did it make your understanding broader? Unearthed realizations from it? Like, sometimes, it really just happens. Things happen. And sometimes, prince charmings are far from perfect. 

When you think there are snakes everywhere, maybe you just spent a lot of time with snakes around you. Shutting off people from generalizing breaks hearts. Maybe this is it. Don't let go. 

Taiwan, Not Iwan!

A lot of things happened in March and I was just not able to write about it, much less, give time to reflect on it. It was the first time I cried because of a trip. WHY? One week prior to my Taiwan trip, I was fixing my visa and I just had this fever. The kind of fever that doesn't show up in work and doesn't get read in the thermometer whether that would be digital or the mercury kind. I just felt warm and weak with that warm feeling in your eyes. Maybe it's just the summer? It was March anyway. I feel okay in the morning, then a little restless in the afternoon (I thought I was just getting lazy in the office), and by nighttime, I am down with a fever.

I just got alarmed when my mom told me that I might not pass the heat scanners in the airport if ever I proceed to Taiwan. OMG Taiwan Iwan got into my mind. I might be detained if I push it, and then I will not be released to the Philippines immediately. Horror stories filled my active and untrustworthy imagination. My dad accompanied me to the diagnostic clinic at Promenade and the doctor recommended that I take almost all the tests possible. The doctor said I was really warm but it's not showing in the thermometer. (Spoiler: I thought this was my chance to be popular, I am a carrier of a very mysterious disease. Apparently not.) Countdown to Taiwan trip? 3 warm days.

I started getting chills with fever going up to 39.9 C that Saturday. And then it was Sunday and the same thing was still happening. Countdown: 2 crying days. That was when I finally accepted I won't be able to go to Taiwan. All the work and money and expectation... Down the drain. My yaya was still hopeful while my mom was thinking of re-booking my ticket.

Then results came in Monday morning. I took the first pill and didn't experience any of my previous predicaments. I was up and about by Wednesday morning. And my flight was Wednesday night.

That was about it. :| I crammed my recuperation.

Taiwan? Success!

Taiwan is probably one of the most underrated places that Filipinos visit. It's one of the listed destinations in Cebu Pacific (read: budget airlines) and yet people are going all around the world and somehow skipping Taiwan. Ask around and people will give you, "Ano nga ba meron sa Taiwan?"

Apparently, there's a lot of things going on in Taiwan. Cheap food, night markets everywhere, cheap transportation costs (look at Japan's and you'll know what I'm talking about), friendly folks, no/cheap entrance fees, shopping (both cheap and branded finds), cherry blossoms, Taipei 101 (it's a requirement), historical memorials, crystal cabins/ see-through cable car floors, tea, milk tea, more street food, more milk tea, and national parks.

It's leveled-up Hong Kong and you'll wonder why you haven't been thinking of visiting Taiwan.
Because you should be.
And you should really do it.

Ding Tai Fung! They have vegetarian xiao long bao!

We really came to Taiwan for the PingXi lantern festival. We took the subway and one bus ride to reach this place where a lot of people lighted lanterns and watched them fly away. I had mixed feelings about this, because really, where do dead lanterns go?

It was a magical moment, even though it's not really
environment-friendly.

Happy birth date! I'm now in my midlife! And I drank too much on a weekmornight! Whaddup!

The Clean Plate - UP Town Center

Organic food is the new trend that is catching fire slowly but surely. Our restos now have been more diverse than ever, providing specialized dishes instead of fusions. Today we have organic dishes promoting "clean and safe" food and are GMO and pesticide-free. Okay, there is no surefire way of ensuring that what they're serving is really organic food. I guess you just have to trust their brand on that and when you find out if they're not true to their words, you can always make a social stir and lambaste them.

We have Green Pastures over at Shang now branching out to Eastwood, Earth Kitchen along White Plains, The Wholesome Table at BHS Central, and now The Clean Plate at UP Town Center. 

I have yet to try Earth Kitchen and my experience with Green Pastures was not really a good one. It was memorable but in a wrong way, so enough about that. It's making me cringe. 

The Clean Plate at UP Town is located at the 2nd Floor of the "newer" building. It does not boast a huge floor area but it adorns its place well with faux grass on the outside, new and colorful cutleries on the inside, as well as varied bottled food and other items for sale. My friend thought it was cute and annoying at the same time. I was just hungry. 

One thing you'll notice here is that their menu is very similar to Green Pastures except on the major difference: price. Green Pastures is more if not twice the price and serving size of The Clean Plate. There, with lesser price comes lesser serving but that's not an issue. It allows you to taste more of the variety in their menu and you won't leave the place with a hand on your tummy - because you're that full. You're supposed to eat healthy, not eat like a glutton. 

We ordered drinks first. I had their hibiscus drink and my friend got their lemongrass drink. Refreshing and pleasing to the eye, I still prefer Green Pastures' hibiscus+pandan mix though. They play Postmodern Jukebox in their resto, too, which gives it plus points for me. Haha.

It was a good experience but their Gulay Burger (veggie burger) doesn't taste like anything until you flood it with their sauce which made the dish fantabulous. Then came the arugula salad. It was nice, with vinaigrette, shaved parmesan, and some kesong puti. Or maybe I'm just biased with vinaigrettes and cheese combination. 

Lastly was the pasta. It had a huge river prawn, one mussel, pomodoro, chorizo, and wheat angel hair pasta. As expected, wheat pasta tastes like... wheat. :| I used to always just eat wheat pasta and even wheat pancakes. I used to describe it as lasang lupa but I've grown much more mature now and just shut up. 

They say when you find the love of your life, never let this person go.

Tell me what is to happen, when this person decides to let you go.

"You were never meant to be," is bull. Keep that away from an aching heart. 

Life is Like A Tire - It's Dirty

A car.

I have experienced a dead battery and a flat tire. I have experienced being hit by an elf truck (sorry, Nono) and giving scratches (sorry, Noah), too. 

You know how much tires cost? A lot. Especially if you have different priorities, like eating out instead of buying tires and doing preventive maintenance. Like choosing to buy coffee instead of having a proper carwash. Okay, enough. It's already painful as it is. I'll take care of my car more. 

Then fastforward to a few days and my friend had a serious damage to her car. All for the love of french fricking fries. I won't elaborate as she probably doesn't want to broadcast what happened but her car, Dungis, doesn't look so happy about it either. And probably her wallet. Or bank account. Yes, it's that much. 

A topic on the radio earlier was "what bad event happened to you that you don't want others to experience?"

First caller mentioned his experience of being robbed and held hostage at a tattoo parlor while having his phoenix tattoo. 

Another called mentioned having a bipolar sister. 

And the caller who trumped them all?

In her shaky voice, this distraught caller said, "Fall in love with someone stupid."

I think that beats all callers.

Promises spoken from a lover's mouth are true only at the time the words came out. Don't hold on to them. 

A New Year, A New Calendar to Flip

Oh why hello there, 2015! 2014 sure has gone by too fast, way too fast with me just holding on to a rope for support. This won't be a time to recount what has happened for the year - I have written moments here and there, posted photos and tweets of events and feelings (I have feelings, a lot), and I have etched in my mind hundreds and hundreds of memories. I have invested around and I'm picking up the yields of experience, tears, laughter, love, knowledge, and wisdom.

They say it comes in threes. 2013 gave me new people and a new environment to adapt to. It showed me there are still a lot to see and feel. It opened the walls. 2014 was the chance for me to make them flourish. So, what about 2015? Will there be a change in direction or would I just hang on for dear life or continue building what I have started?

Cheers even without beers, 2015. May you be better, so much better than 2014.