Cristy in the City

ILOILO CITY WEATHER

Fly me to the moon (cake)

愿皎洁明月照亮你每一程，愿甜蜜幸福陪你每一程。

May the bright Mid-Autumn moon illuminate your every journey and sweet happiness accompany you on every journey.

Art by Vine Phan

It's that time of the year for mooncakes. Get yours at Iloilo Supermarket. Mid-autumn breads and pastries are also available at Tinapayan Bakeshop.

Still fumbling for loose change while commuting? Shift to tap to pay Panay Card!

Commuting in the City of Love is relatively easier compared to that of megacities. Despite a few traffic bottlenecks here and there you can still decently arrive to and from work in less than an hour if you live in the suburbs.The addition of modernized jeepneys or minibuses as I prefer to call them has indeed added a breath of comfort to an otherwise tiring commute. The buses are air-conditioned, have piped-in music (some even have TV) music and have fewer stops. Best of all, with the introduction of tap to pay Panay Card another layer of convenience and comfort has been unlocked. No more digging into your bag or pocket for loose change or taking out your wallet in a crowded ride. The last thing you'd want to happen if you're in a SRO situation is lose your wallet while on transit!

You can purchase a pre-loaded Panay Card for Php at the Festive Mall transport hub for Php 100. You can reload the card at the hub as well. It's easy to track your card balance as the receipt shows your remaining balance everytime you tap for payment. Easy huh?

For more info about Panay Card, visit their Facebook page. Tap the card. Take your seat. Enjoy the ride!

The Simple and Whole lifestyle

It's undeniably difficult to look for natural, organic, cruelty-free products in the local supermarkets. Most of the time, we are bombarded by ultra processed, over packaged goods that are not exactly environmentally friendly and good for our minds and body. Enter Simple and Whole, a beautiful place to find curated organic food, lifestyle and self-care products that cater to a healthful and more mindful consumption. If you visit SM City Iloilo, find time to visit this store which opened at the lower ground floor near Toby's Sports.

Here are some of the products worth checking out:

1. Buhay Ermitanyo's vegan cheese and spreads

2. Bach Remedy flower tinctures

3. Plant based milk

4. Besan and almond flour for baking

5. Eco-friendly stuff for kids

6. Four Sigmatic tea blends

7. Tsaa laya herbal teas

8. We Pure concentrated stevia drops for your coffee

9. Vegetable seasoning cubes and fresh herbs and spices

10. Lifestyle Gourmet snacks and chips

Too busy to visit the store? You can also shop online via Lazada and Shopee!

Live simply and truthfully. Stay simple and whole!

Lofi love

Don't you just love the warm sound of lofi music? The analog quality of this type of music always puts me into full on relaxation especially after a hard day's work. For the record, I do listen to select lofi channels on Youtube when I'm at work and it turns down the stress levels to oblivion. Aside from the embedded video on top, here are other lofi channels that I'm super addicted to:

Lofi Cat
Lofi for Life
Lofi Girl
Lofi boost your mood
Lofi keep you safe

Happy listening!

Quiet Sunday at Cafe Año

Iced Kapi ni Tomas (coffee named after St. Thomas), cream cheese bagel and a new book are all it takes to enjoy a quiet "me time" somewhere close to home. Located inside the famous Lizards mansion (now Angelicum School run by the Dominican Order in the Philippines), Cafe Año is a good place for a coffee run if you're visiting Iloilo City and have limited time to explore the city's heritage landmarks.

This is a quiet cafe for locals too enjoy some privacy (if you're not the "Starbucks type person"), good conversation and decent grub and coffee. A nice view of an elegant mansion is a bonus too.