Hello Baguio!

daily wake up call: 06:05 am

It's Baguio Before Nine Breakfast adventures part two!! 

I have gazillion stories to share but for now - pictures!! :)

all our love,

Alan & Tina

Breakfast Assignments

hello there!

While I would love to update this blog with several of our beautiful breakfast stories, I pause from worshiping the crispiness of bacon strips, the perfection of the 6-minute boiled egg and the glorious saltiness of tuyo with vinegar and tomatoes on the side for a simple post about my sidekick partner in 99% of my breakfast adventures. While I remain to be the queen designated writer of this blog, Alan has an equally important role as the photographer. It's challenging to be the photographer of a very important blog (nyahahaha!) not only because the writer-slash-editor-slash-visionary-slash-model is an intolerable nag but also, most of the breakfast adventures (restaurants) are in the northern part of the city (I live in Quezon City, that is why) and the poor guy lives in the faraway land of Las Piñas. To get up at the crack of dawn on a weekend morning to indulge in my breakfast cravings (although he swears breakfast is his thing too) is no easy feat. And I love him more for it. (cue music here, Jack Johnson's I got You.) Haha! :-) I have made it a habit too, to take pictures of him taking pictures for a little BTS (Behind the Scenes ;p) and also because I love to see him do what he does best.

This was taken just last Tuesday for our holiday breakfast in L.E.S. Bagels. Prior to this seemingly peaceful shot, I have gone childish and bratty with matching stomping of feet and tears only because we cannot find the restaurant in his map. "I trusted you!! How could you (do this to me)??!!" It was wild, man. Wild. He was all cool and patient with my outrage and calmly navigated us to this tiny heaven in Tuscany (McKinley). 

This was taken in Hatch 22 in Rockwell in the first quarter of the year. I felt all giddy to experience the restaurant of a celebrity (ang showbiz ko!), we were the first to arrive in the place (no surprise there) at 7:00 in the morning - on a Saturday! I was having a career-crisis at that time and was seriously thinking of changing companies for better opportunities. We talked a lot about the future that morning.

Same shirt as the first picture here! He told me his yellow striped polo is his official Before Nine uniform. Haha! This was taken in Harina Cafe (Monsee's in White Plains). We ordered (and ate) too much bread that morning, we even got to bring home some. The restaurant was right across plant/flower shops and Got Heart, a trailer transformed into a shop/store featuring  local products and organic produce. It drizzled a little so we squeezed under my blue and silver umbrella while waiting for a cab to get us home.

I look forward to beautiful mornings with him. :-)

All Sunshiny,

Tina

Summer Morning

time check: 06:30 am

Boracay

It was a toss between breakfast by the beach and an early morning swim but the boatman was insistent. "Ma'am, mas maganda mag island hopping ngayong umaga, di pa gaano maalon." We learned he is from Leyte and tried his luck in the country's most popular beach to earn a living. He shared sob tales while on the boat. I sympathized a bit and told myself to remember to give him a tip after. Is this how he is with most tourists? The teensy bit of drama was drowned by the beautiful blue sky, the beautiful blue-green sea and the unbelievably beautiful powder white sand. The Beautiful Boracay. I will never tire of it.

It was a needed break from the intoxicating corporate routine so we flew to the island on the tail end of summer. It was a refreshing break shared with my family and friends.

all photos by Alan David 

Cheers to Forever Summer Mornings,

Tina

One Saturday Morning

time check: 07:45 am

The thing I like most about living in Quezon City is that it has huge public parks where people can spend their mornings enjoying the sun, jogging, biking, eating and a whole lot of other activities - there's La Mesa Ecopark, the grounds of UP Diliman and of course, good ol' Quezon Memorial Circle. I am into succulent plants these days and knowing that Manila Seedling Bank closed to give way to a real estate development yet again and relocated in the Circle, I jumped right in one morning and embraced my inner lola-ness. Who else shops for plants in the morning except for our sweet grandmothers? :)

I bought three plants that morning - they all cost less than a Starbucks coffee. I like succulent plants because they do not need much caring - a little bit of sunshine, a little bit of water and then they can pretty much take care of themselves. Also, they're beautiful in small pots and cans and canisters and glasses and dishes. Hay. I cannot wait to have my own house abundant with greens and flowers and happy pets. :)

To lovely mornings!

All Sunshiny ,

(even if it's all rainy and I'm cooped up in the house with a nose that's runny :p)

Tina

Black Saturday Morning

time check: 05:30 am

The 12 long hours from Manila (my current home) to Cagayan Valley (my forever home) most of the time discourage me from spending long holidays in my forever home but my current home needs escaping from and I haven't seen my family since Christmas so I braved the 12-hour stretch. I am so glad I did. There's nothing like spending quality time with the family. 

Mornings are most beautiful in the province and everyday, we wake up even before the sun rises for our morning jog with our cousins and aunt. We run and jog and walk until the end of the concrete pavement (the Department of Public Works and Highways has a habit of not finishing projects here, i think, haha) and then back to our house. Our morning jogs are all about exchanges of childhood stories, carabao poos, a carabao with a heron on it (reminds me of grade school science class, mutualism, remember), goats, ducks on parade, kids crawling on the grass, families in their lawns, old ladies sweeping their backyard, farmers on motorbikes checking on their farm, dogs who are out to chase us - best of all, all these provincial morning magic usually end up with a hearty breakfast. <3

My long list of dreams now include "owning a farm". 

May all our dreams come true.

All Sunshiny,

Tina

Sampaguita, Solana

Cagayan Valley

Breakfast Date

Describe your ideal breakfast Date

Simple.

1. Loves Mornings

2. Loves Food

3. Loves Me 

Cheers!

 

I treated this little man and his sister on a breakfast date today. He gave me this look when the salted caramel pancakes and his choice of drink, mocha milkshake topped with marshmallows were served.

Oh kids! :)

Farmer's Market

time check: 06:14 am

Yesterday, we prepared our own breakfast! We took a break from scouting breakfast spots and decided to create our own "breakfast spot" in our Quezon City apartment. Oh, I cannot believe we haven't tried this sooner. You see, I am lousy with things which involve the hands (except for typing, haha!) - cutting, drawing, sewing, cooking, etc.; I think I am crafty in thoughts but not in deeds. :p Preparation of food and then the actual cooking intimidate me thus I'd much rather be the recipient of this beautiful process than be involved in it. But yesterday, I decided to finally get over this lousiness and weakness and face my fears. It's now or never. Do or die. Make or break. Haha! The next step after finally deciding which recipe to execute is of course, to shop for ingredients. I am tired of air conditioned groceries and pre-packed goodies thus we went to the real thing - the market! And because I live near Cubao, the obvious choice is the grandfather of all markets in Quezon City, the Farmer's Market.

My fascination with markets started with Neil Oshima's photos of all the markets in the world featured in a magazine (I can't remember if it's Rogue or Esquire). In the write up showcasing Oshima's photography, markets were described to be the microcosm of a particular country. You want to soak in all the culture of a place? Get a quick fix from its market. I have been to the souks in Dubai and I affirm this claim on markets. They are fascinating. The most alive "place" in the world. A mix of noise, smell, aroma, taste, feelings, commerce, routine and... - you can think of just about any word and for sure, it will find its perfect place in the basket of words to describe markets. Another wonderful thing about markets? They are at their best in the MORNING (except for night markets of course, haha, ang pilosospo). Products are freshest. Sellers gentler and kinder. Consumers have more bargaining power employing the buena mano magic. We woke up before 6:00 am, splashed cold water on our faces and went straight to Farmer's Market. People around me may think I am crazy jumping and clapping my hands. I was that excited. Seriously.

When the alarm sounded that Saturday morning, 5:30 am to be exact, my willpower was weakened due to the "luxury" of a soft mattress, a chilly morning comforted by a blanket, a body too tired from the five-day work week thus deserving of a longer snooze time. It is not fair to wake up this early on a Saturday, I thought. Being in the market erased all that thought, not only because of the excitement I felt with spending my morning in a place so alive even when the sun has barely risen but more so, the industry and perseverance of the people whose main source of income is anchored in the presence of a community market are infectious. This is not something a grocery and air-conditioned retailers can ever EVER replace. I think I learned a lot from my short trip to Farmer's. That Filipinos are industrious. That markets are indeed colorful. And aromatic. That we should be more vigilant with the people running this country (MOST people need to work hard for their everyday living - I think those in the senate and in the congress need this kind of field trip). You know the petition to make the public officials take public transport? Let's do another petition to make them work in wet markets, GARDEMET*! That asparagus is a pretty vegetable. :D

Hey you, good morning!

*Gar-de-met (expression): ilocano version of "God, damn it" as popularized by my dearest father. haha!