Baguio has always been my safe haven. It may be popular to a lot of people nowadays because, duh, it's the summer capital of the Philippines. Add to that the growing number of tourists who visits it to have a view of La Presa, which, for fuck's sake, is made-up name for the place. I'm mad at these people because just like Sagada, tourists lately seem to visit such places due to their association to movies or TV shows, not because they want to be immersed in the culture. I'm not saying everyone does that as there are still a lot of tourists who go to such places to appreciate and experience the culture, and for them, I'm very thankful. 

I love Baguio to bits. If I were to put it in a song, it would be All of Me by John Legend. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections. I admit, Baguio is not perfect because it's now too crowded with people and filled with high-rise buildings, but it is perfect for me. Cold or not, it will always be my safe place. One of the things that made me fall in love with Baguio is the cost of living. I can live there for a week with only a thousand bucks, and I'll still have money left for drinks. In comparison to Manila, which is a hell hole when we talk about cost of living, you do get your money's worth. Especially when it comes to food. Again, I'm not saying this goes for all the restaurants in Baguio because there are some that aren't worthwhile. Which is why I'll be sharing one of my favorites, which will be worth your time and money. Guise, say hello to Canto. One of the restaurants from the amazing Ketchup Food Community. 

I've talked about change on this blog more than I can imagine. I like talking about stuff I'm not very comfortable with, it takes away the nerves and all the irrelevant shit that comes with facing one's fears. In line with welcoming the new month, I also plan to implement minor changes in my life. Baby steps! For one, I vow (naks!) to update this blog's content as often as I can! I have a ton of backlogged entries on my recent travels, recipes and whatnots that I haven't gotten into yet. Starting next month, no procrastinating! That goes for work, too. I've already started several projects to give me a good head start for the year, and they're doing great, if I do say so myself. I just hope I get to sustain this level of positive energy, as I'm not a very optimistic person, all throughout the year. 

Since I was hospitalized last year, I also had to make drastic changes on my diet and my sleeping habits. Can you believe I'm a morning person now? I've been eating three times a day and I also make sure that I drink lots of water, ack! I hate water because it's boring. But what can I do, I'm supposed to take in 8 glasses a day, huhu. I also want to take more photos of myself so if I ever become ugly one day because of all the smoking and binge drinking, I get to look at old photos and show them to friends as proof that I was once pretty, lol. PS, I'm going easy on the ciggies, too. The drinking? Maybe next year. 

If you were to eat only three cuisines in your life, what would they be? A lot of people ask me this question all the time, and for the most part, I've always answered : Filipino, Japanese and Persian. I think at some point I thought of replacing Persian with Italian cuisine, but no, can't let go of my beloved Persian addiction. Though I was wondering if I had cheat days, I would definitely go for Italian.

When I was still lurking at the bottom of the pit called the corporate world, my friends and I would frequent this Persian place along E. Rodriguez because of the price and the food. That was before I discovered there's a whole different planet of Persian restaurants out there. Aaaand, that was about 4 years ago. I think my palate has matured since then. Even if the food seems mediocre at best, I still have a certain affinity for this place because of the memories built around it. Even if I say the food is mediocre, it surely is worth the mediocre amount of money you'll spend.