Cristy in the City

Cat in the City

Cat near Regional Museum, Bonifacio Drive, Iloilo City

"The city of cats and the city of men exists one inside the other, but they are not the same city."

-Italo Calvino

Iloilo City is for coffee lovers

Dropped by the fountain area of Festive Mall to catch the last day of Iloilo Coffee Festival. With the city becoming a burgeoning coffee shop haven, the festival further reinforced the support of the Iloilo City government, partners and stakeholders in promoting indigenous coffee varieties and homegrown coffee shops and brands.

Teh, ano sa imo? Kape ta anay!

Happy at work (as long as there is coffee)

I love cofee. At home I love preparing my own brew via my retro style Baumann espresso machine or through my Rilakkuma themed drip coffee set. Any which way, coffee makes my day! At work when things get busy and I want a cup of caffeinated goodness iced coffee is the way to go! As much as possible, l always want my iced coffee sugar free and I ditch the dairy for almond or soy milk.

I don't have a particular/singular coffee house that I patronize. As there are a lot of coffee shops offering take-away and pick-up, it's fun to try them all out! Here are some of the must-try coffee shops to call for that instant caffeine pic-me-up:

1. Coffee Brewtherhood

2. Monkey Grounds Coffee

3. Starbucks

4. Neighbor Coffee

5. But First, Coffee

What about you? Do you have any particular local coffee brand that you enjoy at work. Tell us about it!

The art of Alima Embroidery

“That's the thing with handmade items. They still have the person's mark on them, and when you hold them, you feel less alone.”

― Aimee Bender, The Color Master: Stories

The handmade movement is making its way to local Ilonggo weekend markets and bazaars. In today's hectic world where everything is mass produced and impersonal, the slow life philosophy is creating a space for makers and artisans to express their creativity through one-of-a-kind handcrafted gifts, meticulously fashioned by hand and heart. Unlike mass produced items, what makes handmade pieces special is the investment of time, quality materials and talent to create unique, one-of-a-kind items to be appreciated for years to come. Steeped in tradition and heritage, handmade crafts bring back warm memories of the past when almost everything was made by hand.

One of the purveyors of the handmade movement in Iloilo is Alima Embroidery. "Alima" is a Hiligaynon word for hand that symbolizes the artist's craft. Van, the artist behind the handmade brand is inspired to create motifs such as Iloilo City landmarks, Philippine botanicals and wildlife, Filipiniana, stylized portraits as well as woodland and landscapes.

Alima Emroidery showcases its embroidery portfolio for rehoming and commissioning on its Instagram page as well as on its Facebook page. Bakal Lokal, a local digital e-commerce platform with brick and mortar shop located at Produkto Lokal Hub, AAMC Barbo Building ,Jalandoni St. In Jaro district also features some Alima Embroidery items for sale.

Aside from offering custom made embroidery works, Alima Embroidery is also spreading the love of handmade by selling embroidery beginner's kit featuring select Philippine blooms such as the exotic Waling-Waling orchid and Ylang Ylang. This kit is perfect for those who want to try embroidery but do not have time to gather materials. It makes a great weekend project or gift for a budding thread artist. Customers can order by sending a DM to Alima Embrroidery's FB or Instagram page.

The new Dr. Paws vet clinic is now open

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.