El Chupacabra + Scout's Honor + Mr Kurosawa

The best nights are the unplanned ones. Though we all planned to go to Resorts World Manila at first, what wasn't planned was a food trip around Makati. The night started out in El Chupacabra, a Mexican resto known for their street tacos, hidden somewhere in Makati near Polaris St.. It's not very easy to find, but it's not impossible either.

How I got there: I took Kalayaan going to Rockwell, I stopped right in front of Iglesia ni Cristo, got off the sidewalk. Facing Iglesia from Kalayaan, enter the street on the right. Keep walking and you'll see El Chupacabra on the left. You can't miss it.

When we arrived, we were listed on the queue, but we didn't wait very long, and in no time, a table was vacant on a Friday night! Lucky for our tummies!

We were seated in the air-conditioned area all the way inside.

Rina, Zoe, and Amaya waiting for our orders while Gabby and I sat on the opposite side. 

When the food arrived, my sister was a bit sad to find that the serving was so small, but what she didn't know was that she'd be really full afterwards. It was worth every bite!

If you're going with your friends, you'll be saving more by ordering a margarita pitcher, which we did. But I don't like drinking that much, so the girls had all the fun that night.

When Gabby and I ordered Calamares, we expected it to be fried, but it was a full grilled squid haha it was still really tasty though :)

A piece of advice if you're going to have a girl's night out in El Chupacabra, chicken skin goes great with your orders, so you should definitely get a serving of that for everyone to share too. 

After El Chupacabra, we went to Century City Mall's "Hole in the Wall" on the 4th floor. It's a new food court concept with several new and innovative food choices available. We went there just for "Scout's Honor" to build our own cookies. 

Every single one of us here are cookie / pastry / dairy lovers, so you could only imagine our excitement. Especially Amaya & Zoe whose reactions probably scared off other customers.

It was a full bar of dough and topping options. It's usually 3 toppings + 1 dough of choice. And the options are endless! Speaking of options, if you're too overwhelmed by the amount of dough and topping options, you could always order their ready-made goodies!

I wonder if you would be as overwhelmed as Gabby. She was nearly moved to tears. 

Well, wouldn't you be moved to tears too with this kind of menu and all these options for building your cookie?

While waiting, I decided to look around the food court. It was 10pm by this time, so I didn't expect anyone to be there, but there were still a couple of folks who were just getting started!

When the cookie is being built, they roll up your dough and flatten it on a pan with a baking sheet. Then comes a tower of your three choice toppings. I got Reese's Cups, Oreos, and Marshmallows.

The wait is about 10-15 minutes. They're cooking it to perfection, I told my Rina and Gabby, but they shushed me, focused and waiting for the hockey-puck thing to vibrate.

Zoe ordered two cookies and they arrived first because she ordered before me. Yes, that other cookie there in the background is hers. 

Zoe's reaction after her first bite: tears of joy.

Amaya was also waiting for her cookies, but somehow, the almond milk Gabby bought was keeping her occupied. I can't quite remember what she was furrowing her eyebrows over.

MY PERFECT COOKIE ARRIVED AND I CRIED: Dark chocolate dough, crunchy and toasty marshmallows, Oreo bits, and Reese's cups. 

Soon after, it was time for Zoe & Gabby to call it a night since they had to head back to Kapitolyo (which, by the way, is on my list for the next food trip). And it was time for Amaya, Rina, and I to head on over to Resorts World Manila.

We scheduled to meet Eman & Micah, but something came up for Micah and we met up with my home girl Eman. 

I was so happy my hair cooperated for this photo hahaha rarely happens!

Well, the plan was to go to Universe, and we did, for a bit, but it was already a long day (coming from rehearsals that afternoon, to a food trip that night). By around 12mn when we met Eman, we had unanimously decided to sit ourselves down at Mr. Kurosawa. We were beat and just wanted drinks!

My girls, Rina and Amaya!

Eman and I had a lot of catching up to do :) I always get really excited when she's around! 

Someone's cosmo is kicking in.

As for me, I don't always feel like drinking alcohol, and I try my best not to, so I ordered a Choco Crocodile which was Mr Kurosawa's version of a Milo Dinosaur. This really completed the night. It was so darn good! 

And that was it! We didn't plan the food trips, but when you're in good company, the plan doesn't always matter. I'm really hoping for more of these :) 

I would love for my other girls to come with next time too! 

How about you? What unplanned adventures have you had recently?

Cheers!

MIEL

{ Fashion & Beauty } Ash Blonde

The last time I had blonde hair, it was a simple 2-phase bleaching for a character I played in early 2013. Then I went to work and went brunette so as not to shock clients. Finally, after months of craving light hair, I got it back! But this time, I toned it with ash blonde and it came out just right :)

This was really quite a spur-of-the-moment thing because I originally planned for red-purple hair. Then I told my stylist I wanted bright red hair. And then just when I was about to rinse off the bleach, I said I wanted it ash. You can say I'm quite happy with the decision I made ^_^

The next step? A new hair cut and some treatment to keep myself from going bald!

Cheers and here's to hoping your summer will have lots of colour!

Miel

{ Thought Bubble } The Addiction to Thrifting

Lately, I've been doing a lot of research on Metro Manila thrift shops, mainly because Rina and I are quite worn out with the usual Makati Cinema Square. Don't worry, a quick stop there brightens any thrift-lovers' day considering it's so close to where we both currently work. However, the thirst for more adventure is very real.

The reason why we're so in love with thrift shops is because the finds have so much character and so much to tell you. That, and it's great to own something that you won't see on someone else at the same time as you're wearing it-- trust me, this happened countless of times.

Part of loving thrift shopping is the hunt. It's an adventure in itself to learn how to haggle, to happily stumble upon designer finds, to purchase winter clothing on a budget, and to get creative.

Before I started getting into thrift shopping, I had my doubts. I thought it was gross to wear what strangers have worn, let alone pay for it. However, that can be fixed. It's not like I'd purchase a stain with a shirt on it. Yes, you heard me right: "stain with a shirt on it". Of course, everything goes through quality control and I'm quite the OCD freak myself. It's just that my inner artist can't help but look for inspiration in the past.

Though I have my baggy-event-tshirt-and-basketball-shorts days, I'm very much in love with figuring out what to wear. The whole process of styling, accessorising, and choosing my outfit dispenses a healthy and generous amount of creative energy. And if there's anything I need, it's a continuous use of my creative energy. Yes, I have my breaks and sometimes I channel my energy elsewhere, but one of the easiest ways to channel it is through dressing up.

Granted, I'm a lot more on the costume-side than most people, but that's the whole fun of it! Sometimes you just might want to blend into the crowd and forget where you are, but when inspiration hits to dress a certain way, it hits hard.

Thrifting also made me realise how many styles I have. I'm not only into preppy, or elegant, or costume-y. I'm into whatever my mood or current taste offers. By giving in to those offers and saying 'yes' to them, I'm able to become more versatile. As an actress, thrift shopping helps me a lot. When I begin a role, I thrift shop to find clothes I could rehearse in that make me feel like my character. In my opinion, clothes are a door to finding the character I need to be.

To be an artist, you don't have to only have one medium, there are times when most or all of the media you encounter will work hand-in-hand to bring to life what you envisioned. Basically, it's all about play, and thrift shopping is my way of playing dress up.