新年快乐 2014: Welcoming the Year of the Horse

The Year of the Horse is almost here. As you all know, we celebrate Chinese New Year here in the Philippines because most of us are either Chinese-Filipinos or have at least some drop of Chinese blood in our veins. Or because everything Chinese is just oh-so-good! So for those who love to celebrate the New Year with our fellow Chinese-Filipinos, let me share with you 10 Must-Try restaurants that serve Chinese in the metro, in no particular order of course. 

1. Tasty Dumplings

Tasty Dumplings is located along Ongpin Street in Binondo, Manila. They serve your usual noodles and dumplings, but their best-seller (at least for me) is their big Porkchop Rice. I'm not even sure if this is part of authentic Chinese cuisine but it's good, inexpensive, and really big. The kuchay dumplings are worth mentioning too. 

2. Suzhou

After visiting China in 2008 and trying my very first soup dumpling or what is now more popularly known as xiao long bao, I fell in love. One of the best xiao long baos I've ever tasted before Lugang and Shi Lin came along was from Suzhou. With a limited budget, I had to find a reasonable place to eat at in Promenade and guess what? I discovered Suzhou. Aside from their xiao long bao, they also serve delicious hot and sour soup. And the best part is, their products are priced reasonably and their servings, big. One serving of hot and sour soup will cost you P75 but it's big enough for two people (if you're hungry) or three (if you're having it as it is -- soup before dinner).

3. New Eastern Garden Restaurant

There's only one thing I can say about New Eastern -- LUMPIA! This is by far, the best source of fresh lumpia I have ever been to. The small serving is enough to satisfy any hungry person. It's full of vegetables, crushed peanuts, seaweed, and another ingredient unique to Amoy lumpias (I forget what they're called). The regular will cost you P40, P45 for the special; and P60-65 for the jumbo size.

4. Emperor's Dimsum and Tea House

Ah, my favorite xiao long bao place! Yes, I did mention Suzhou already but Emperor's has the perfect and closest xiao long bao to those that I had in 2008. Six pieces of those steamed, soupy dumplings for only P88. Yes, P88! My first serving of xiao long bao had 12 pieces and it only cost me 3 Yuan or roughly P18. It was so cheap and delicious that I started looking for it here in Manila, and Emperor's had the closest in price, flavor, and quantity. Their spareribs in taosi is also good. They actually have pretty good food for a relatively cheaper price (compared to the other Chinese restaurants along Wilson).

5. Lugang Cafe/Shi Lin

Two of the more popular restaurants that serve Taiwanese food (close enough to Chinese). I put them together because they pretty much serve the same dishes. Noodles in Spicy (or not) Peanut Sauce with Ground Meat. Yum! Lugang's Iced Pineapple Bubble Juice was so refreshing!

A Lipstick for An 80?

Law school has stolen so much of my time that I haven't been able to blog about anything.. Or shop! I haven't been able to eat out, discover new restaurants, or go shopping for more than half a year now and honestly, I kinda miss eating, and shopping (or at least window shopping) for make-up. Not being able to write reviews is one thing, but when I actually lose stuff to write about, that's a whole other thing. Thankfully, MAC's new collection just came out. Their newest collection was released last December 2013 in North America, and soon, in the Philippines. According to the sales executive I spoke with, they're just waiting for the delivery of the new collection, including the two (2) lip colours EXCLUSIVE to Asia.

Now, let me introduce to you MAC's latest collection -- the MAC Huggable Collection. According to their website, this new collection "provides a lasting glossy finish that leaves the lips smooth and sculpted." The new formula was inspired by latest Asian trends, and stays bright and luminous for up to six (6) hours. The best part is, the new collection comes in 12 shades ranging from nice pinks to cool peaches and hot reds.

And since I haven't been able to do some of the things I love doing, like eating and experimenting with make-up, I made a deal with myself. For every grade of 80 and above I get on my midterms, I will reward myself with one lipstick from the collection. Don't get me wrong. I love law school but I also miss doing these things. They're like an outlet from the piles of cases we're required to read everyday. 

What do you know? I actually owe myself one lipstick as of 28 January 2014. Now, the only question left unanswered is.. Which shade do I get first? :)

MAC's Huggable Collection will be available in the Philippines within the week or the first week of February 2014. Visit or call your nearest MAC store or booth to know more about the collection's launch date.

MAC Cosmetics

R1 Level, Power Plant Mall,

Rockwell Drive cor. Estrella St.

Makati City

Contact Number: (632) 898 2045

Photos and information courtesy of http://www.maccosmetics.com/whats_new/12189/New-Collections/Huggable-Lipcolour/index.tmpl

Hair No More!

A few days ago, I was invited to try out this new IPL service from a well-known waxing salon. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of IPL. I don't understand how it really works, I don't know IF it really does work, and I'm not a big fan of the hefty price tag (I'd rather go for the P200 wax I usually get.) Then again, I can't keep myself boxed in with things I'm used to. Sometimes, we have to go out of our comfort zones to discover the world. Or just experience something wonderful and new.

Last Saturday, I decided to give IPL a chance. Strip Ministry of Waxing, a well-known waxing salon introduced their latest IPL service -- the IPL Ace. So, what is IPL Ace? Before we get into it, let's start with the basics. What is IPL?

IPL or intense pulse light is a service offered by most beauty clinics that uses intense pulses of light to perform various skin treatments or to remove hair. It is a semi-permanent solution to women's (and men's) hair problems. It doesn't completely remove hair permanently, but it does make the hair on your various body parts grow thinner and lesser in number, to none. You might need to go back for a treatment after a year or two, but two years of not having to pluck or shave is better than having to do it every three weeks, right?

Now that we have a better understanding of what IPL is, let's go to Strip's newest service, the IPL Ace.