staycation Archives - Between Bites - Bites of Food, Travel and Lifestyle

April 16, 2014 by Janey

Summer is here and it’s the season to get some tan. Soak up the sun and get ready for a fun summer family bonding! Spend the day by the poolside or relax with the family in the luxurious confines of your room at Diamond Hotel Philippines.

Amp up your summer with Diamond Hotel’s Soakin’ Up Summer room package. For only Php 5,500 nett per night, get an overnight stay in a Deluxe room with buffet breakfast for 2 adults at Corniche, access to the swimming pool and Health Club and Spa, 3 hours free internet access per stay, discounts on massage and reflexology, discounts at the Poolside and Sky Lounge, and complimentary shuttle service to and from Mall of Asia or Robinson’s Place Manila.

If you are swimming or lounging by the poolside on a weekend, treat the whole brood to flavorful barbecue specialties, ice cold drinks and signature ice cream concoctions.

April 25, 2011 by Janey

Hello folks and kids at heart! 😉

I hope y’all had a wonderful Easter holiday. Some went to Boracay as usual while others went to other parts of the Philippines or went to HK or elsewhere. Various also stayed put and enjoyed the quiet Manila.

Stay-cation. That’s what I did.

Thursday, I spent the whole morning working on an article that had a deadline on the same day. I finished it in 2.5 hours and I was home-free!

HAPPY. HAPPY. HAPPY.

Spring cleaning! I spent 2 days cleaning my room and organizing my things. I was on my fours scrubbing the floor and rescrubbing the floor and arranging and rearranging. It was tiring, with my nails and fingers bruised and embattled… but it was perfect to relax and clear my mind. I had a blast. Now, I cannot get enough of my room.

This isn’t me but I was doing the same TWIRLING!

I also cleaned two other areas of the house. Next on my project list is to clean both my sisters’ rooms. I’d probably start with the smaller room, Joyce’s.

Other than cleaning and organizing, Bubba and I did DVD marathons that included Passion of the Christ (my 3^rd time to watch it), Break-up Club (starring Jaycee Chan, son of Jackie Chan) and Due Date. And mostly, I stayed offline to avoid getting the “evil eye” from him.

Bubba and I also drove to Tagaytay last Saturday for a short trip – more like a spontaneous lunch at Bawai’s (lucky that we were able to walk in even if it’s strictly by-reservation and they were fully packed except for a table for 2 -meant for US!) and headed back right after. He did a pitstop at Paseo de Sta. Rosa and checked out the outlet stores while I slept in the car since I didn’t want to do any shopping or window-shopping (plus I was still tired from Thursday and Friday cleaning).

It was great reconnecting with him. We also heard Service together during Pastor Jeff’s “Saturday Five.” The Worship just encapsulated the best of this week, in observance of the Holy Week, a THANKFUL heart.

Allow me to share a few passages here:

Mark 16:2-3

The women saw the stone has been rolled and the tomb is open. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, arrayed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said unto them, “Do not be alarmed.”

“You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen.”

We encounter unexplainable situations in our lives. The phrase, “do not be alarmed” was a Message of Peace. If it’s Jesus we seek, we need not be alarmed.

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.

Let us all enjoy the presence of the Risen Lord.

Psalm 34:8

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one WHO TAKES REFUGE IN HIM.

AMEN!

After Service, Saturday night, Bubba and I went to Shangri-la Rustan’s and bought lamb chops (Thanks Karen Z for the tip!) and some groceries. Bubba bought some meat for his family while I bought some to cook for my family.

Sunday, I wanted to strangle myself for not marinating the night before and it took me a while to defrost. I had no idea how to cook lamb, other than what I previously remember in cooking shows years ago.

Ta-da! Grilled lamb chops with baby carrots and asparagus.

Rosemary, thyme, steak spice, lemon, olive oil, parsley, white pepper and a secret ingredient! I just now need to learn how to grill it properly. It was tender right off the grill but after letting it “rest,” it’s harder to cut but still soft to chew.

Bubba, Mama (it’s hard to please my mom), Joyce and Joanne all gave a thumbs up!

It just makes me happy to serve family. I think next up is my family of friends. 🙂

Bubba and I spent the afternoon watching Ultimate Fighter (Team GSP v. Team Koscheck) marathon, in between me cleaning again. 1 and half glass of red wine relaxed me while cleaning.

Sunday evening, we went to Shangri-la again for final errands and bumped into Gelo, Issah and Brey at Cibo and spent dinner with them catching up.