Start the New Year Right (and Healthy) with Juju Eats!

The start of a new year often means new resolutions, and a lot of holiday weight gained over the last month of the previous year. Nothing quite disproves the saying "past is past" like the holiday weight that spills over your jeans and threatens to tear apart your shirt sleeves after Christmas. Clearly, you did not leave your family's noche buena in the past.

Fortunately, many helpful souls (and enterprising individuals) have made it easier for people to start the year right. Detoxing is all the rage in Manila now, because it's a quick way to kick start a healthy new year and to lose a bit of weight.

Located along Pasong Tamo extension in Makati is a dieter's heaven - Juju Eats. They serve fresh, healthy food and juices that taste pretty good, making it a lot easier (and enjoyable) to eat healthy. 

Spending Saturday Night in Makati, Philippines: El Chupacabra, Tonkatsuya, The Exit, The Curator, Blind Pig

I live in Ortigas and work in The Fort, so coming to Makati isn't a very common occurence. I hadn't spent a Saturday night in Makati in ages, but a few weekends back and just this weekend, my friends and I decided to change things up a bit and check out a few places that you couldn't find anywhere else but in Makati. From street tacos to bespoke cocktails to some awesome katsu, check out these only-in-Makati joints!

Finding The Exit, the New "Secret" Speakeasy in Makati, Philippines

This week at the office, a co-worker tipped us off about The Exit, a month-old, speakeasy-style joint right in the heart of Makati. In existence within its winding veins and traffic-clogged arteries. Somewhere in there.

Part of the fun is finding it on your own, as I did one night when I realized I had time to kill after work. I love my new job.

So let's not talk about where The Exit is exactly. But across Greenbelt 1, around the area of the Rolex Building would be a good place to start, if you're keen on finding it. The pictures below might help too.

If you ever find it, sit by the bar. The staff are friendly, will introduce themselves and will ask for your name. Order the De Rigeur - bourbon, grapefruit, honey. Or better yet, get a classic Black Label with a dash of sparkling water or soda (now you know where my loyalties lie).

You know what? It's bound to turn up in Foursquare one of these days. But wouldn't you want to find it for yourself before everyone else does?


P.S. Is my title for this redundant? Aren't all speakeasies secret by default?

Life in Flip Flops: Girly, Pretty Things at Heima and Vanilla Cupcake Bakery

When I'm not traveling I long for other sources of inspiration, and in the past few days, rather serendipitously, I chanced upon two places in the city that have given me just that. I love very feminine lifestyle and design blogs like A Field Journal and A Beautiful Mess (thanks for the tip on the latter Eds!), and these places are like those blogs coming to life! I'll write more about them soon, but for now I'm spamming you with photos. Enjoy!

Snapshots: Tom Yum, DeKa Restaurant

It's been rainy and gloomy in Manila the past few days, so a warm bowl of spicy Tom Yun sounds like a good idea for a late Sunday lunch.

Snapshots: Early Morning Makati, Philippines

The lovely view from Rissee's place. This is why I don't mind crashing at her couch even if she so generously offers the guest bedroom every time we have one of our Kinect nights - the view from the living room in the morning is just breathtaking. I'm Manila-bound again! Back to the real world. Le sigh.

Snapshots: Of Thai Milk Tea and Anniversaries

If you're still reeling from the weekend and it's putting a damper on your productivity (on Monday, of all days), why not visit DekA for lunch? Their Thai Milk Tea is refreshing and energizing - it will definitely give you the energy (and happiness!) boost you need to start the week right.

Also! This is unrelated, but yesterday was my grandparents' 52nd wedding anniversary and we took them out for a long and leisurely lunch. Nanay and Tatay, congratulations! Tatay is quite the adventurer himself, if I may share. In fact, I probably got my love for travel and adventure from him. He is a known "hunter" in our town, always going off with his friends wearing his camouflage outfits and wielding his gun to go hunting. Don't worry, he doesn't do it often enough to wipe out bird and bat populations, and of late, I believe he's been quite content to do practice shooting on non-living targets in our backyard. I do remember having tasted grilled bat and bird when I was a child, the fruit of one of his hunting trips.

My lola, on the other hand, is an amazingly beautiful woman, and an equally amazing cook. I remember spending many a summer afternoon as a child, looking through her old photographs. She remains as beautiful, radiant and elegant as ever. And her unique lasagna, Filipino-style! There are no words for her unique lasagna, Filipino-style. I guess I have her cooking to thank for my love of good food.

They have been together for 52 years and it amazes me how loving and sweet and happy they still are. I've written about this before, but it's worth mentioning again - one of my favorite childhood memories. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and we were at my grandparents' house. My lolo and lola were listening to this station that played oldies music - Nat King Cole, Sinatra, the works - and this "dance" song came on. My lolo stood in the center of the living room and casually held out his hand to my lola, and they started dancing. Graceful, nonchalant dancing, as if they'd been dancing for years (which they have, and still do!). Everyone was silent, watching them. If I get to have at least half of what my grandparents have in one of my future relationships, I'd be extremely grateful and happy. And I am always grateful for the love that they have shared with us younger generations that have come after them - my cousins and I are happy, well-rounded individuals because we are a product of a wonderful, loving family.

Happy 52nd Anniversary Nanay and Tatay! :)