I always take behind the scene shots during our photo shoots and so far, my favorites have been the ones from our shoot at Cubao Expo.

When I went up White Box Gallery’s storage place on the second floor (which we used as our makeshift dressing room), I nearly died and went to artist heaven.

I’ve always been a frustrated painter. And seeing all the artworks they’ve acquired reminded me of how much I miss painting. And this was exactly the kind of studio I wanted for myself. Plain white walls, high windows. Ganda ng ilaw!

I love this shot of the window.

And I love Cubao Expo. It’s a place I’d visit everyday if I lived near the area. Even if it’s just for the fried dilis at Mogwai. Hehe.

Some shots behind the scenes:

Lucky timing—this guy’s Lambretta we borrowed as a prop looked totally killer that we had to make it our fashion ed’s opening page.

My Breathing Space.

Psychedelic fridge.

Bubble wrap.

And, the group shot!

1. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

2. Machupicchu, Peru (No visa needed!)

3. Viva Espanol!

4. Kyoto, Japan

5. India!

Quiz brought to you by
Tripbase – Vacation Ideas

Every time I visit a restaurant, I have this mission to find that dish that everyone will ooh and aah over. I found a surefire way to achieve this—at least where one restaurant is concerned: Isshin, a cozy and rustic Japanese restaurant in Makati.

The trick is to order their bestselling okonomiyaki—a Japanese style pizza made of cabbage and flour, topped with Japanese Mayo, tonkatsu sauce, and—the culprit in question—dancing fish flakes. Also known as hanakatsuo, they’re the thinnest form of shaved dried katsuobushi (tuna) and when the steam rises from the cooking okonomiyaki (we were seated at one of Isshin’s teppanyaki areas), the paper-thin fish flakes twirled and danced as if they were alive!

That dish, showstopper that it is, may be quite hard to beat. But Isshin’s menu offers plenty of culinary pleasures just as delectable. When it comes to gyoza, for one, Isshin’s succulent Japanese dumplings are the best I’ve tasted—and believe me, I’ve tasted plenty.

Then there was the mixed sunomono, which featured pickled cucumbers with seaweed, squid, crabmeat, and octopus—so fresh, I had to sample each one.

Their Dynamite Roll (maki with sweetened egg, mango, and shrimp tempura) was pleasing to the palate as well and it served as the perfect prelude to the hearty meal that was to come. Yes, sa lagay na to, prelude pa lang mga yan…

…because “Hearty” does not even begin to describe the amount of eating that took place. That night, I thought I’d died and gone to Teppanyaki Heaven—we sampled practically everything their teppanyaki menu had to offer: from hotate (scallops), fish, ika (squid) and prawns to Australian rib eye paired with moyashi (bean sprouts) to that blissful lobster teppanyaki with miso soup. I particularly loved how they boiled the lobster’s head with the miso, which helped in enhancing its flavor.

I couldn’t get enough of it, but I had to stop as I only had little room for dessert, which is, of course, a non-negotiable. Much to my delight, Isshin offers complimentary dessert for every meal you order. You get to choose between a scoop of Japanese ice cream, nata de coco, or coffee.

Its lip-smackin’ and show-stopping fares aside, what I loved the most about Isshin was how accommodating the owners were, which translates down to the staff. Every customer’s need is seen to with utmost attention to even the tiniest of details. The restaurant has this cozy, homey feel—the décor has a Zen-like, nature vibe that’s utterly relaxing—and it’s no wonder this is the destination of choice among Japanese expats in the city—it’s as close to home as they can get.

Isshin is located at 1024 Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road), Makati City. Open 24 hours daily. Substantial meal costs P4000 for four to five people. For inquiries and reservations, call (2) 844 1512 or 817 2548.

In Umu, Hotel Dusit Thani Manila’s claim to Japanese fame, every piece of art, furniture and woodwork is clearly designed with the menu in mind.

Umu, which means “born of nature” in Japanese, definitely lives up to its translation. You feel it the moment you step into the restaurant, with its walls lined with wooden tiles bearing the carved names of fish in Japanese calligraphy and with every corner of the sprawling venue given a tranquil view of the garden and koi fishpond. If that isn’t enough ambience for you, then Umu’s many dining experiences will surely overwhelm—guests can opt to eat either in the robata and sushi area, the main dining hall, in one of the three pavilion private rooms facing the garden, one of the three tatami rooms, alfresco at the terrace by the koi pond or teppanyaki style in one of its four teppanyaki tables. You wanted authentic Japanese? Umu’s got every option covered.

Of course, the atmosphere is nothing compared to the food. It only serves to enhance the exquisite array of dishes prepared by the team of Japanese Chef Kenichi Kanauchi.

Uh, that’s not him in the picture. Hehe

Anyway.

We started off by checking out the sushi and robata bar, wherein assorted sushi—tuna, lapu-lapu, prawns, salmon, konbu (kelp seaweed), mentaiko (noodle with fish roe sauce), maki (sushi roll), California roll, and tamago (egg maki)—and selected robata items—lapu-lapu and salmon head, yakitori (chicken), ika (squid), pork belly block, and koebi karaage (deep-fried fresh shrimps)—are served.

If you happen to be in the area around 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and are a fan of sake, avail of their Happiest Hour promo wherein for only P850, you can enjoy unlimited beer, a selection of sake, and everything you can get your hands (and mouths) on at the sushi and robata bar.

If you like your food HOT (as in appetite-whetting  hot), make sure you do not leave the place without a sampling of their Spicy Tempura Maki—shrimp tempura rice roll with spicy tobanjan sauce (straight from Japan!). It is an explosion of flavor in the mouth.

Their bestselling Unagi Maki Tamago comes a close lip-smacking second: pan-fried Japanese omelette stuffed with eel.

Of course, I am not one to pass up the opportunity for Teppanyaki, a personal must-try-or-die every time I visit a Japanese restaurant. Umu’s Wagyu Beef Teppanyaki did not disappoint. It was impossibly tender, seasoned well with red peppercorn and the best teppanyaki sauce…it haunts me to this day—pair it with Japanese fried rice and you are sure to sport the same dreamy, content smile that I did.

If anything, no other restaurant will ever top my experience at Umu, for the sole reason that it got me to do what I painstakingly avoided doing for the longest time—eat sashimi. It had to happen inevitably, and, apparently, my fate was sealed that day. They have this dish called Sashimi Gosyumori, which serves a selection of five different sashimi, and it is so amazingly presented (“smokin’” is the word that comes to mind—order it and you’ll see what I mean) that I couldn’t resist sampling the salmon and squid sashimi.

It definitely changed my perception of eating raw food—it wasn’t as bad as I once thought. It was actually quite good, probably because of how fresh Umu’s fares were. Definitely a dining experience that’s one for the books.

Oh, and don’t forget to try their Japanese Ice Cream for dessert. I recommend the Red Bean flavor (below, the one above is Black Sesame which is sort of bitter). Yum.

Umu is located at the Lobby Level, Hotel Dusit Thani Manila, Ayala Center, Makati City. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and 6 to 10 p.m. For inquiries and reservations, call (2) 867 3333 ext 3343/3344.

LIVE. LIVE. LIVE. Seize the day, seize the night, seize what you can and suck the marrow out of life. We may not be Indiana Jones, Mother Teresa, Don Juan, Jack Kerouac, Henry Miller or the Vampire Lestat every day of our lives but you get the idea. Just LIVE. Feel. Move. Dance. Jump. Fly. Walk. Run. Travel. Shout. Explore. Kiss someone. Risk a little. Laugh. Cry. Volunteer. GO INSANE. MAKE A DENT IN THE WORLD. WHATEVER. -Karen Kunawicz

Make a dent in the world—finally managed to insert this line in HIPP, the magazine I currently work for. Ever since I got this quote from my best friend Au, I always see to it that ‘making a dent in the world’ is always the approach I make when it comes to the way I live my life. And so far, I think it has worked for me.

It has also opened a lot of opportunities, one of them being able to attend the launch of Hands On Manila’s Volunteer Vacations. I’ve always had a passion for traveling and every time I travel, the best part about it is really when I get a feel of what it’s like to be part of the local community. Yes, it’s fun exploring all the touristy sites, but when I travel, I always look for something more meaningful. An experience that will impact me, change or enhance the way I view things, and I think that is why the idea of Volunteer Vacations appeals so much.

I haven’t tried it yet (still need to come up with the money) but it’s something I definitely plan on doing. Right now, Hands On Manila has the following Philippine sites (and volunteer opportunities) included in their program’s first year of operations:

• Mangrove planting in Bakhawan Eco Park in Aklan
• Environmental cleanups in one of the seven basins of Jawili Falls in Aklan
• Biodiversity studies and tree planting in Mt. Halcon in Mindoro
• Evaluation of marine biodiversity in Bohol
• Organic farming in Alaminos, Laguna

They also have other heritage sites open for volunteer vacations in Tagaytay and Laguna. A lot of foreign travelers have actually volunteered in these sites and I hope more Filipinos will do so also. This is, after all, our homeland and I think we ought to be proactive in preserving our country’s heritage sites. And, well, I am a firm believer of exploring one’s roots first before actually going out and exploring the world. So there

For more information about Hands On Volunteer Vacations, visit the Hands On Manila website.

Haven’t been posting much here, mainly because I haven’t really gone out of Manila lately. But last April, my office had our editorial planning in Tagaytay and while we spent the entire time hanging out at our hotel and not so much exploring Tagaytay (most of us have been there tons of times), the trip is definitely blog-worthy.

For one, the place we stayed in was none other than Discovery Country Suites. If you’re looking for a relaxing weekend escape from Manila, head up to Tagaytay and go book a suite here.

It has a nice country manor feel to it. I loved how they spruced up the place using juicy red tomatoes and sunflowers as home accents.

The room we stayed in was called The Siam, and true to its name, it was definitely Thai-inspired.

You know how hotel guests usually take souvenirs with them? I wanted to take the room key with me. Too bad it didn’t qualify as one of the usual freebie giveaway items, so I took a picture of it instead.

The best part about the room? It opens up to the outdoor jacuzzi.

We didn’t get to try it because it was really cold when we went up. And too much planning had to be done. Hehe

Best part about our stay there? Verbena Restaurant’s complimentary full-course meals.

Food that taste as good as they sound:

Creamy Oysters Fricassee

Herb-Marinated Mushroom and Organic Arugula Salad

Verbena’s Sampler Plate – BBQ Lamb Baby Back Ribs, Grilled Norwegian Salmon, and Osso Buco.

Fluffy Pancakes with Sausage, Scrambled Eggs, and Bacon

And, for our sweet finales—

Panna Cotta Heaven – Saffron & Caramel Oranges, Blackpepper & Raspberries, and Lemon Balm & Pistacchio

Can’t wait to come back here! Hopefully next time it’ll be purely pleasure!

—

EDIT: Check out my full story for HIPP MAG on Discovery Country Suites here.

Holy week was spent in Davao and the best thing about Davao is the beach. One resort along the Samal strip facing Davao, in particular, I was really looking forward to visiting because I’ve never been there. It’s called Chema’s By The Sea and the place is as whimsical as its name.

It is beautifully landscaped using materials like dead coral, hardwood, and ornate art items.

And they have this trellis-covered walkway leading up to the cottages and open cabanas.

Cottages and cabanas have a nature-inspired theme. Cottages for two cost around P3500 a night while open cabanas (with beds adorned with fancy-looking mosquito nets) are at P2500, if I’m not mistaken.

The restaurant is located on top of the hill, with a great view of the sea should you decide to eat at its outdoor deck. The food is really cheap too! At around P95 to P150 per head. The food is great—I especially loved their sinigang na hipon and chicken barbeque!

The best part about the resort, and I didn’t get to try it because it was quite full that day, is the Infinity Pool. I absolutely love it. This photo was taken last year when my sister and her boyfriend went to Chema’s on a weekday. So calm and relaxing, don’t you think?

I could spend an entire day here! Sigh…and I wouldn’t get sunburn because it has a net overhead that keeps swimmers protected from the sun’s UV rays.

I can’t wait to go back to Chema’s. Next time around, I’ll go on a weekday so it won’t be so crowded like when we went on Black Saturday. But, in fairness to the resort, crowded meant around 100 people. The best thing about it is that they don’t allow walkins. So you really have to reserve ahead because this is how they maintain their guests’ privacy. It’s on a first come, first serve basis so best to plan ahead.

For reservations and other inquiries about the resort, call (082) 303-0235 or (0917) 814-0814.

I was “rummaging” through my old multiply photos and I totally forgot about my last trip to Manila Zoo with my friend Alet. It was, I think, almost four years ago and I was around ten pounds heavier. Haha. Anyway, Alet’s never been to the zoo in her life so I thought I’d tag along to witness her first one.

We went to Manila Zoo and my memories of the place before coming back were good. But when I got there and I found out that the old Giraffe had passed away and upon seeing the (sorry but) sorry state the zoo and its animals were in…I don’t know, I guess the next time I feel like seeing some animals, I’ll check out the newer and cleaner ones we have here.

Anyway, some photos of Alet’s local safari. In fairness to Manila Zoo, Alet DID enjoy our trip to the place. And she’s not exactly three years old. Haha so that should count for a lot. LOL

Here’s Letski with an owl.

A giant lizard.

A snake.

And hanging out behind an elephant’s butt.

Hehe the elephant is fake. That’s one of the statues they built in the plaza.

Sigh.

I hope the next time I see wild animals, it’ll be on an African safari!

My first day in Sagada ended with this breathtaking sunset.

Tracey, Zeph and I had just retired to our room at the Sagada Guest House and while the boyfriend played with his DS, Trace and I went out to the terrace to watch the sun make its way down behind the mountains. It was a good space-out moment.

The air was chilly as the clouds were just looming overhead but the view was worth the subzero temperature.

Another noteworthy Sagada sunset was the one we got to watch when we went to the very redundant Lake Danom (danom means water). The lake is manmade but the sunset was definitely authentic!

Sublime.