Gastronomic Escape: Nando's

It was the only weekend I have before my short trip to Manila and my suitcase still have nothing inside yet. Headed to Johor Bahru for some shopping for my family but ended up eating at Nando's.

We usually come to JB to eat steak at Stonegrill but we were very experimental and we wanted to add a new favorite on our list. When we saw Nando's, we were already attracted by the ambience, very-well presented marketing materials, and yes, good copy. Did I say I am so much enticed with something that is very well written and presented? The power of advertising really works for me, even if I've been breathing it all my life.

Nando's is a Portuguese restaurant which is a home to their flame-grilled peri-peri chicken. You can choose your chicken from herbs and lime, to mild, to hot, to extra hot! Their sidekicks are all looking good! We had three sides: Peri-peri chips, Mediterranean rice, and coleslaw. Their sauces range from your normal tomato ketchup to their very own garlic peri-peri, hot peri-peri, and extra hot peri-peri.

As I type this, I'm still thinking of how good it was. Definitely coming back! What diet? :P

Interiors

Interiors

Good advertising makes a lot of difference!

Sauce all you can!

Two thighs, Peri-peri chips, Mediterranean rice, coleslaw and drink-all-you-can iced lemon tea FTW!

True! Gotta try it for yourself!

You can take home some of these sauces too!

We should have ordered another chicken instead. This chocolate cake is blah!

Nando's

City Square Mall

Lot MB-07, B1, Johor Bahru City Square (Jalan Wong Ah Fook), Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia 80400

Changes

I called home last weekend, like most of OFWs usually do.

Mom told me that dad finally bought the house that they wanted to retire in. It was 250sqm big, with zen interiors, marble flooring, a nice garden, with a bath tub at the Master's T&B. The neighborhood is nice, and the subdivision is safe. Houses around the area are elegantly built.

I got so excited to finally see it. I was even telling mom that it is near the airport so whenever they pick me up, the travel time won't be too long. I can do my gardening. The kitchen will be just nice for my cooking and baking.

But after the phone call, I realized that it won't be OUR home. It will be THEIR home. Just for the two of them--the place they want to spend the rest of their lives with. Not with me. Not with my two other sisters.  I got a place in Caloocan, and might probably live there once I get tired of living in a foreign country. My sister got a condo in Mandaluyong and might live with my nephew since it will be near his school. My youngest sister might inherit the place in San Mateo which my mom and dad bought since we were young.

And that house, my childhood home who took care of me since I was born will soon be just a memory. It was that home which witnessed our growing years, our happy times and even sad ones. The laughters that echo in that little house will only be reminiscent of my younger years. I have yet to say goodbye to every nook of it. I am praying that I will have the privilege of seeing it for one more time.

Growing is tough. Accepting changes are tougher because it makes a person more attuned to reality.

Now that my sisters and I are all grown up, with different careers and responsibilities to take on, my mom and dad can finally think about themselves. After all these years of toiling for our good education and ample food on our table, they truly deserve a life that we took from them when they were still lovers.

It will take a lot of getting used to with these changes. Oh well. My parents are assured that they have my blessings. They can finally "settle down."

A Journey Inside

I never liked idle time. Whenever I am into one, I feel like I don't have purpose anymore, and I might as well die. So, I make sure I am doing something -- read a good book, browse through tutorials on how to properly sew a dress, or in this case, draw.

I have never held a pencil and a drawing book for the longest time. Whenever I do, I end up doodling and never finish an artwork. But yeah, my artworks are never finished. Even in my college years, whenever I see my finished paintings, I still dab a few strokes of my paintbrush. They are never finished even when everybody knows they are. It's always a work in progress.

Today, I bravely flipped a new page of my drawing book and started to draw myself. As far as I can remember, I've never tried drawing a self portrait. There's a kind of fear in me whenever I attempt to draw myself. But today, I wanted to conquer that fear. I drew myself.

During the whole drawing process, I learned to know myself more. Maybe it's true that whenever artists draw their self portraits, they are having a different kind of connection with themselves and they become more aware of their inner selves. I was able to succumb into that kind of feeling. I enjoyed every moment of it.

When you want to go into a journey, travel inside you. There are a multitude of things waiting to be explored and realized. It will surely be a memorable one.

I may have more of this kind of pilgrimage in the coming days. It feels good to know myself again.

Self Portrait

24 May 2012

A Sweet Weekend at Cameron Highlands

Even with my terribly busy schedule, I try to make time for myself to travel. Otherwise, I'd surely be feeling bad for not looking forward to anything at all.

I once closed a work-related deal with one of the group-buying sites in Singapore. It seems that their company is quite fine so I tried booking a travel deal which is relatively cheap.

So there, Cameron Highlands. It is located at the northern part of Malaysia, farther than Genting. It is quite relative to the Philippines' very own Baguio City. It's further up north, cold, with a very rich soil good for planting, thus, beautiful flowers that bloom all over, one of the biggest tea plantations, strawberries and lots of organic vegetables.

It's a 10-hour long coach ride from Singapore. Left Friday night, and reached Cameron Highlands the following morning. We went straight to the tour which includes visiting strawberry farms which allows strawberry picking, the awesome BOH tea plantation which we get to see the production of tea sold in the market with tea tasting in different flavors, Mount Brinchang, the highest peak of Cameron Highlands, 6666ft above sea level, flower and vegetable farms, watercress and open terraces plantations. Ended the day with  a buffet steam boat dinner, which serves organic and fresh vegetables together with fresh seafoods. It was truly the short break that I've always wanted, just enough to squeeze into my busy work schedule.

 Walking along the ginormous BOH tea plantation

Muddy nature trek

 

Picking my fresh broccoli to bring back home

Fresh lettuce which uses hydrophonic farming

 This is such a happy place for me! One punnet of strawberries to bring back home

(while another punnet is already inside my tummy just before we left the plantation)

Blooming

Dinner Time

Woke up to a beautiful sunrise

Enjoying my coffee overlooking the beautiful Cameron Highlands, basking in the very cold weather while writing love letters

Happiness

Happiness is chasing after the things you love -- like a fierce hairstyle.

On Love

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

-Kahlil Gibran

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