Because life begins ...

It's July 2014 and it has been awhile since I posted anything in this blog. Must be two years since ... but I feel like re-starting once again with writing about a lot of topics on Cebu, VisMin, life as a career woman or a salesman, married life, kids, family ...

So life begins anew with this blog, let's see where this will take us!

Lazy Monday at Simply J's

I really think we need three days to call it a weekend! So on rare occasions when Mondays are declared holidays ... I just feel like lazing around and do nothing. Do nothing? What a perfect time to bond with the girls, eat, have coffee and just chat the time away ...

Bem is our food trip expert so already asked where best to have lunch. We all wanted a nice, quiet place so we can have time talking and just talking. It must come with age I guess. When we were younger, we wanted to be seen, to do boy-watching, to be with the boys and our crushes. Now we just want to be together, to talk about our lives, our families, children, a bit on work and our "dreams".

Bem picked the perfect place at Escario St. right across Parklane Hotel. The place is a small cafe, homey and bright! We tried their salad, their fish dish, their Hungarian sausage and because we're in Cebu, we had their kaldereta. Just a Cebu tidbit, kaldereta here is always made of goat's meat. It was only in Manila when I realized it could be beef or pork. Crazy! Hahaha!

The food at Simply J's was as light as the place, and I was truly glad we all went out to meet up and catch up!

Truly a lazy Monday, so different from the usual manic way we live our Mondays!

Mrs. Jane B.

watch out for the new mrs jane b blog

Well just wanted to inform everyone to watch out for this space as Mrs Jane B relocates back to beautiful and sunny Cebu!

I will take you to shopping places and places of interest from a local who came back home after more than 10 yrs in Manila!


Mrs Jane B

New Year's Resolution : Welcome 2011

2010 has ended and now we welcome 2011 with open arms, full of hopes and armed with a new set of "new year's resolution"! YEY!



I've kept mine simple and S.M.A.R.T., yep, I have been very happy with myself last 2010 as I have sort of achieved 2/3 of my resolutions. So here it goes ...

Be healthy, eat healthy ... no COKE unless I exercise, exercise every other day!

Love self, develop self ... read fiction, continue to write... start writing that book on 'single living in mandaluyong', who knows I can publish it in the future!

Save for a rainy day ... save enough (Pxxx) to travel to EUROPE or somewhere with Mr B! Renovate house ...!

I just love the new year ... new beginnings, new hope ... and yes, my friend and I started to work on our new year's resolution last Sunday but it rained so we ate a hearty bfast first at Chocolate Kiss before hitting the sunken garden for some walking (you know, one should start small and work up the ladder! walking, jogging then running) but of course with our full gear. Ha ha ha! And how else to cap our Sunday fun but coffee at Figaro in UP Ayala Techno HuB.




Until next weekend!



Mrs Jane B.

Of Traditions and Holidays

Been a while since I've written in this blog ... a good year and how best to revive this blog by talking about the recent Christmas holidays and our own family traditions ...

Christmas for me has always been a time to be with family. And this season is usually capped with a family luncheon or dinner at our house in Sacred Heart Village, Talisay City. When we were kids, I remembered we have Romeo, a hired "kusinero" who would come to the house and cook the whole night just to prep for lunch of 40 or so people! Our small house would have relatives coming from different places and all rooms will be bursting with cousins, aunts, uncles, friends. I even remembered my sister having a pet "kambing" cooked for this holiday feast.

By tradition, the lunch party will also be our gift giving day and will be filled with games and special performances of the COUSINS Inc. When we were young, our parents want to show off our talents so we had to really perform. Ha ha ha! Oh I remembered how Ranie used to really sing for us and Ate Shawi showing off her dancing powers! The whole year, my sis and I would save money so we can have gifts for everyone. No cousin was left without a gift. Mom used to augment our gift giving budget just so we can give to everyone!

As the years passed, this tradition evolved. Our small house was still the same but we grew up. My sis and I had our own money, and my parents didn't have to augment our gift giving budget anymore. Our cousins too, grew up! But of course! And they have started to bring in their own gifts for everyone! What a truly wonderful day it was as we received gifts from each other. We stopped having Meo cook for the lunch party as we move on to having our lunch catered ... we didn't want to wash dishes and worry about the menu. So our reliable Ma Lina Catering Service was our best friend and lechon was delivered by Boy (dad's suki) every time!

This year, we had our traditional lunch once again. This time, we had a record breaking ninety-plus attendees ... oh how our family have grown! Thanks so much to Ate Shawi, my partner in the games, to Jona who helped me with the big LAPUS clan and to Brian, who organized and bought the gifts while I was away! Oh mom, I'm sure you enjoyed it!

Merry Christmas to all! And probably it's time to start your own family traditions ...

Mrs Jane B.

Going Home for the HOLIDAYS ...

It's the holidays once again and the airport will become our friend or foe? The last time I went home was a total disaster ... attaching the pics c/o my new found friend Taiwanese Ken Chien who was Cebu-bound as well ...

Goodluck to everyone who's flying for the holidays ...

Mrs Jane B.

Food trip at the Manila Ocean Park

It's my fourth time here, no, not to visit the aquatic life at the Manila Ocean Park, but to eat at the MAKANSUTRA, Asian Food Village. My officemate introduced me to this place last September and we even brought our teams over for lunch.

The place is sorta like a nice looking hawker place in Singapore. The food varies from your usual dimsum, Filipino "sinigang" and "inhaw", also boasts of authentic tasting Singaporean, Indonesian, Thai and some Indian dishes. Of course, the place not only has Asian but it has its Western Counter as well that features pasta, fish & chips and steak. And note that food is cooked right there and then! So expect some waiting time.

They also feature some original sounding bev like Michael Jackson (soy milk with black gulaman). Oh no, am not adventurous so I stick to my good 'ol Coke! So far, the ones I've tasted are great given the price of each dish (really value for money), try their Laksah, Hainanese Chicken, Roti Prata and Spaghetti Vongole (Western Counter) ... if you're adventurous and like it HOT, there's lots to choose from!

Of course, I just go there for the food. Never been inside the Manila Ocean Park ... maybe you can visit and bring some kids along!

Mrs Jane B.