My New Love: Magboul Shawarma

Since I've set foot in Pangasinan, one of the best comfort food I've always had was Food Channel's beef shawarma with cheese.

Note the "was".

During my daily commute to work, I always pass by this cute stall near Dominican School selling shawarma. I was thinking one day I should drop by and try one. So imagine my delight when a colleague asked if I wanted to eat there one afternoon as we were all on our way home.

From our workplace, it's just one fast jeepney ride to Magboul Shawarma if you take the Downtown Loop rides. =)

The place is simple, a smattering of unpretentious monoblock chairs and tables welcomes you together with the smell of the beef cooking on the grill standing at one side. As we sit, I notice most of their customers are college students and a few professionals. Interesting. Maybe their shawarma really rocks.

And rock me, it did. We ordered beef shawarma with double cheese and double bread. We were famished! Haha! I think I finished mine in less than 10 minutes! (kasama na ang daldalan dyan ha =P) 

The beef was really tender, the bread absolutely to die for (it wasn't paper thin like with the other shawarmas I've had), and there was just enough cheese and onions and was it lettuce? to keep me going bite after bite. It was that good! 

I even ordered one to take home to my hubby.

Ever since then, hubby would always ask that I bring one home to him. And for just 50 bucks, who would complain, right? 

Need I say more?

Magboul Shawarma is located just around the corner past Dominican School, very accessible. =)

Yellow Tree Cafe

I was out a few weeks ago with a couple of my blogger friends to interview Pangasinan Vice Gov. Ferdinand Calimlim and Dagupan City Councilor Red Mejia for the first ever Bloggers Cafe and it just so happens that we decided to hold it at City de Luxe's Yellow Tree Cafe.


It's my first time to be there and try out their drinks, so of course, I just have to blog about it. =)


At first inspection, the ambiance was so cheerful and sunshiny, talk about monochromes of yellow on the walls, apt lighting fixtures, and quirky furniture. I think, more than anything, that their target market is the college crowd. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take any pictures as it was quite a sudden meet up.


 Let's move on to the most exciting part- the drinks. Ever since I tried drinking milk tea (since it's all the buzz nowadays), I'm constantly on the search for the best place to have my milk tea fix and enjoy it too. The flavor I had this time was Wintermelon with Black Pearl Sinkers. It was okay, given that it came in a big tumbler. What I absolutely loved about it was they put tons of sinkers in the drink. So I must say, it's sulit. =P


Another plus for me was the strong WiFi in the cafe. I did not have any problem at all when connecting to the Internet. I'm sure this will be a plus as well for people looking for a place to chill out and surf the net in this very technologically-advanced society we have now.


Last but not the least, Yellow Tree Cafe's location is very accessible to the public. It is situated at the 2nd floor of City de Luxe in Tapuac District, Dagupan City. 

Level Up!

It's been a while since my last post. I've been a bit busy for the past few weeks and I didn't really have the luxury to write or even compose my thoughts.


Anyway, as June rolled up, I got myself into a new job. Yours truly is now a college professor for Colegio de Dagupan, formerly Computronix College. I'm currently teaching English subjects as well as World and Philippine Literature. So far, so good. It's a long way from being an elementary teacher where I have to swat kids on their butts. Kidding! Haha!


I'm still doing events on the side, by the way, and I've got events lined up for the -ber months. A kiddie party, and two weddings to be exact. I feel really grateful that I am given these blessings. I think that when you get a bit older and a bit more mature, you learn how to appreciate the little things that get thrown your way.


So if you've got a party and you need somebody to host or coordinate it, call me up at 0916 205 5005. Let me help you out. =)

Mang Inasal at the Pangasinan Food & Trade Expo

Wala lang, we just went to have dinner at the stall of Mang Inasal at the trade expo in Lingayen. 


In fairness ha, first time ko kumain ng chicken nila, and I wasn't disappointed, masarap sya, juicy. 


My hubby tried their liempo and it was okay too, medyo maalat lang.


It was a bit pricey at 99 pesos per meal, but if you're into rice, sulit sya because they offer unlimited rice. Unlike Chic-Boy though, they don't offer unlimited drinks. Iced tea goes for 25 pesos per cup, hindi po refillable, then 30 pesos naman for a can of Coke. 


All in all, the experience was okay, I just wish na kasama na rin ang drinks sa 99-peso meal nila.

Zentea Dagupan: Perfect Ambiance

ambiance - look and feel of a place (mall, restaurant, tourist destination, etc.) that evokes a unique atmosphere or mood and makes it 'sticky' (compels people to come and stay around)


I feel this is the perfect word to use in describing the feeling I got when I first stepped foot in Zentea, Dagupan for a meeting with my fellow bloggers.


There were couches and comfy seats everywhere, the airconditioning was okay, and of course, as if we need it every minute, WiFi was readily available. =)

That's my sweet boy over there, sleeping in Zentea's comfy couch, see what I mean by "comfy", LOL

I arrived at about 3 pm, and the place was empty except for a small group of girls in the corner. What striked me most was that it was really neat, no unnecessary decorations whatsoever, maybe in keeping up with the supposed "zen" feel of the place. It was okay with me, I just needed a place to drink my milk tea anyway, haha.


At about 4 o'clock, the place started filling up. People would come and go with drinks in hand, and I felt like this is the time where it gets real busy around here. 


I personally think Zentea will be around for a long time if it's got customers buzzing around like this every day.


And oh, before I forget, their milk teas are a-okay! They have a really wide variety of milk tea flavors to choose from. I have this penchant for all things caramel-ish, so I obviously went for the caramel milk tea (loaded with pearls), but I also got to try the chocolate milk tea and it wasn't so bad. My son loved it though.
He also loved rummaging around the cup for the pearls, haha. Prices range from Php 65-70 and then Php 10 for additional pearls, etc.


The only thing that bugged me: they didn't have a comfort room.


Bottomline is, if you're looking for a place to hold a meet-up with your friends, or if you just want to unwind after a long day, head on to Zentea Dagupan and you will instantly feel refreshed. 


Zentea is located at Arellano St., Dagupan City, just across Region 1 Medical Center. 
Visit Zentea on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002451674798

OVERPROTECTIVE

I've forever been protective of the people I come in contact with- colleagues, classmates, family, people I work with. I have this very strong sense of responsibility and respect for these people, and if somebody even dishes out a word that's quite offending, I will surely get your ass for it and I will not make you forget it.


I joined the Asinan Bloggers because of two factors:

1.) For friendship- I am a new resident here in Lingayen and know practically nobody except for my husband's relatives. I thought that if I joined, I would ultimately gain new friends. And I did. =)


2.) For the experience- I have always loved writing, and talking to people and going places. That's why I just know I'd get to do all of these if I join the group. I'm a newbie blogger, so I know I joined the perfect group because some of them, especially our mentor, Vanj Padilla, are expert bloggers. They know the ins and outs of the blogging world, whereas poor me don't know a thing except to write.


The Asinan Bloggers is like my new home away from home. They're all very down to earth people, hardworking, tech-savvy. No matter what our differences in age and stature in life might be, we continue to talk in a very familial level, and that's what's fun about it.


So if you want to join us, just ask our mentor/moderator Vanj Padilla. I know she's looking for fresh bloggers for the group. But make sure you get a certain sense of respect first. We welcome anybody in the group as long as you're willing to contribute your time and effort, but we all need respect. In the end, respect begets respect. If you show us that you're respectful of authority and of other people, then we'll also respect you for it and accept you wholeheartedly. I mean, hey, we're in a democratic country, we're practically free to do anything we wish, but we must make sure we still have our values. =)

Cheapipay

I was out and about doing errands yesterday for this party I'm organizing, when I realized, ang dami palang mapupuntahan dito at mabibilhan ng stuff, I just didn't know where to look when I first came here.


My first stop was at CO-EN, more popularly known as NOVO. It's a huge shop located at the ground floor of Columban Plaza in Lingayen with tons of stuff from kitchenware, electrical thingies, baby stuff, school stuff, storage solutions, beauty products, clothes and a whole lot more, all at very affordable prices. Prices range from Php 3-Php 500! I don't think I've seen anything there that's worth more than 500 bucks. It's worth a look-see if you plan to buy anything from the mall as they offer practically everything.

Talk about cheap! A Cake Decorator retails for only Php 30 at NOVO! Notice the spelling? LOL

Next stop was at the 100 Peso Store, it's near Jollibee Lingayen. It's a 2-storey boutique and, like NOVO, they sell almost everything but mainly focuses on apparel and shoes. You can buy really cute lingerie there for as low as 30 bucks. They also have perfumes and makeup. Most of their items don't really retail at 100 pesos, more like 130 or something, but they're still a steal. They've got a really nice selection this summer so you might want to check that out.


Another stop I made was at the J&C Lucky 99 Store. Like NOVO and 100 Peso Store, dito mura rin talaga. I even bought these cute summery boardshorts for my toddler for only Php 25 each!

Shorts are available in a rainbow of colors. =)

Last stop I made before heading home (Napaka-init naman kasi sa labas di ba? Nagpapaka-Dora the Explorer na naman kasi ako, tanghaling tapat, haha) was this ukay place I've been frequenting lately. I don't know the name but it's located at the back, back, back of Chowking Lingayen, there's gotta be a drugstore first, then BHF, then you'll see a decrepit building. The ukay is at the ground floor of that building. It's fairly easy to spot since they peddle their stuff way out in front of their shop. What's really nice about them is they sell branded stuff from places all over the world, I guess. I was able to buy a Belo summer bag from them a few months back, and it's in perfectly good condition. Yesterday when I went there, I spotted this nice pair of grey denim shorts from WAREHOUSE. It's a brand from the UK. Check their online shop here:  http://www.warehouse.co.uk/ and it's in good condition. It's really soft, all the buttons are still intact, the zipper's working well, and it's just Php 60! Ang saya 'no?!

I'm not really a fan of ukay-ukay (Segunda Mano anyone?! LOL), but when I discovered the Saturday ukay here in Lingayen, I got hooked. I've "unearthed" clothes from GAP, Carter's, H&M and lots more during my weekly rummage there. And it's really fun when you get to see branded stuff like that. I mean hey, it only takes a day in the washer to get the dirt off those clothes, come on. And sabi nga nila, nasa taong nagdadala yan, wala sa presyo ng damit. You can  buy a 1k peso blouse pero kung di mo carry, waley pa rin, hahaha!