Wednesday, August 3, 2022

My go-to vet clinic for my furbabies, Dr. Paws Veterinary Clinic (formerly Critter Care) located at the main road of Alta Tierra Village in Jaro district has just opened a bigger, brighter and and more comfortable space beside their old clinic. Designed in chartreuse, mint and white palette, the clinic is clean, spacious and definitely relaxing for furbabies and hoomans alike. Macchiato the cat approved!

At the helm is veterinarian Dr.Kenneth Posa who is known for his kind, compassionate and personal touch for animal patients. Dr. Posa's genuine care and love for animals is one reason that the clinic is wildly gaining popularity in Iloilo City.

You can also also purchase pet needs and supplies like premium  pet food, vitamins and other essentials from the clinic making it a truly one-stop vet clinic and shop.

The clinic is a few minutes away from the main entrance of Alta Tierra Village. As I live nearby, I normally would just walk when my furbabies are due for their check-up and vaccination.

Booking for consultation is convenient via Dr. Paws Veterinary Clinic facebook page
         






Macky the cat having his consultation and vaccination session








Dr. Paws Veterinary Clinic
5th Main Avenue, Phase 5
Alta Tierra Village, Jaro, Iloilo City
Clinic hours: 9 am-5 pm (M-F)
                8:30 am-6 pm (Saturdays and Sundays) 

Monday, August 1, 2022

I have been blogging (when Blogger was still with Pyra Labs) and journaling as far as I can remember. For me, bits and pieces of life are worth recording and the ephemera of thoughts are what gives meaning to our days and years. When thoughts, feelings and ideas are cemented into an understandable whole, patterns arise and life becomes a bit more predictable which is a good thing.  

Journaling takes many forms and is is both thematic in both digital and traditional formats. Topics and themes are usually compartmentalized as we delve deeper into a particular subject. Food. Religion. Relationships. K-drama. They all deserve their own own journal don't they?

I love the digital side of journaling- the write, edit and press publish or delete button. There's nothing more exhilarating than seeing your blog post go live and out of the 7.96 billion people out there, some sad soul might actually be reading your senseless thoughts in cyberspace. There is also the unexpected catharsis of writing a kilometric entry only to delete it afterwards. The human mind has never been so fickle.

On the other hand, the seduction of a paper journal still holds its allure. The warm feel of paper and the steady push of the pen as you navigate your thoughts on a blank page pushes you think more clearly as the option of having to erase your thoughts on paper is not an option unless you are using a Frixion pen. In between the doodles and the bad penmanship, a paper journal still holds its charm.

Recently, I had the luck of finding Skit Books, an online a shop that sells all the journals, logbooks and planners of my dreams! I'm especially thrilled that the journals cater to a wide variety of interests and subjects--from anime to mindfulness. A K-drama journal too! How sweet. 

Skit Books PH  journals have thematic prompts that will get you writing about your favorite subject in no time! Best of all, the shop ships nationwide. 

Skit Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skitbooksph/




Skit Books







Friday, July 15, 2022

After an energetic run or meditative walk along the scenic 9-kilometer Iloilo River Esplanade and soaking in the heady scent of lush flowering trees and foliage along the way, one would crave for cool drinks, light snacks or an uplifting cup of coffee while watching the river sparkle with life. Walking around the Esplanade is especially inviting in the early morning and late afternoon when the southern sun sets the river ablaze with muted iridescence or playful pastel colors. 


As the pandemic is easing down (or up!), the Esplanade is once again open to the public and cafes are sprouting up as people spend more time outdoors to  reconnect with self and friends. Iloilo City has had a cafe renaissance of sorts with coffee kiosks or hole-in the wall coffee beaneries setting shop in the  most strategic and loveliest of places.


At the entrance of Esplanade 2 (adjacent to Emmanuel Business Center, Benigno Aquino Highway), Café Augusto, an eclectic style cafe serving yummy brunch has recently opened to cater to joggers and runners looking for a sweet spot to unwind. Traditional Ilonggo pastries and heritage dishes are served with your favorite cup of brew. Of course, there are also takeaway goodies to bring home baked by Panaderia de Molo and Yvonne's Cakeworks that are distinctively charming and memorable to the tastebuds, just like the City of Love.  For the cosmopolitan inspired, there are fresh croissants and scones to go with your brew.

Drop by the river and Café Augusto can just be the reason for you to come back again and again.










Café Augusto
Esplanade 2, Benigno Aquino Highway, Iloilo City
Shop hours: 6 am-9 pm daily

Thursday, June 9, 2022

Next to the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art (ILOMOCA) is the Philippines' first Brandy Museum dedicated to showcasing the rich history and tradition in Spanish brandy making that dates back to 711 AD. Stepping inside the museum will give you a glimpse albeit in a nutshell  of how brandy is distilled from wine or fermented fruit mash.  The elegantly designed museum showcases vintage and antique wine making tools, interactive displays and samples of Spanish brandy from all over the globe.

If you're a brandy connoisseur,  the museum  is the place for you to partake of exclusively held brandy appreciation classes and even enjoy coffee brandy infused drinks and pastries like cupcakes and macarons from the Brandy Museum Cafe. 

I took home a bottle of Emperador Coffee Brandy which retails at P149. I don't drink but I'm sure it will come handy for coffee inspired baked goods and yes cocktails. Now let me fetch the recipes!















Emperador Brandy Museum
Festive Walk Mall, Iloilo Business Park 
Mandurriao, Iloilo City
Opens 10 am to 9 pm daily

Sunday, June 5, 2022

Local weekend markets are great places to scour for unique handmade items and artisanal finds. Small batch production and commitment to creating innovative products with as much handmade flair are what makes weekend markets very popular with discriminating Ilonggo shoppers.

The Tahum Weekend Market held last June 4, 2022 at the right wing of Festive Mall in Iloilo Business Park provided an easy like Saturday morning vibe to shoppers in the popular shopping strip. From quirky embroidered espadrilles to statement jewelry, there was something for everyone--the Titas of Iloilo and even the millennial crowd. 

These are the items that caught my eye!










Saturday, June 4, 2022

Thread, fabric and beads meld together to create tapestries of stories culled from personal experiences of hope and redemption. Dubbed Super Inday: Stitches and Stories Behind Bars, the art installation and exhibition features thick swathes of tapestry collage held together by a bold thematic crimson hue and  intermingled with stitched objects fashioned in bright colors and meticulous patterns. 

One of the striking features of this exhibition are the soft fabric sculptures that express a gentle ambiguity of the female silhouette, some anatomically incorrect. At closer look, the oversized dolls (that how lovingly I refer to them) seem to represent a state of consciousness that transcends the cold metal bars of a penitentiary. The mind and emotions cannot be chained and hence seek expression in handmade fabric avatars that represent unboundedness. This is when stories and emotions come to play and  soft sculptures or art dolls as they are called are elevated to an almost spiritual, ethereal significance. To the untrained eye, the art dolls resemble Caribbean inspired shamanic voodoo dolls but to those who seek  the story behind the fabric, the dolls are little alter egos created in whimsical, folklore  inspired form. To create is to seek freedom, healing, and resilience both for self and others.

The women prisoners who are behind this inspiring art installation and exhibition to some degree have achieved a defining sense of self and empowerment and fabric is the avenue they choose to express their desire for liberation. Art sets one's spirit free.

Discover the stories behind the fabric. Get inspired by your inner Super Inday at the Hulot Gallery of Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art. 











Hulot Gallery at Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art
Casa de Emperador, Iloilo Business Park
Mandurriao, Iloilo City
Gallery hours: Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 am to 5 pm
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