[mayehreal]

Project Black Coffee & Tea

📍Antero Soriano Highway, Daang Amaya, Tanza, Cavite

What we ordered:

Iced Caramel Macchiato

Bacon and Ham Carbonara

Ultimate Burger

[mayehreal]

The Script Freedom Child Tour Live In Manila

I can’t really recall how and when I became a fan of this band. But I know that their songs strikes the heart and make you feel certain emotions.

The Script is an Irish Band consisting of lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O’Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power.

When they announced that they will have a new album, I knew that sometime soon they will again have a world tour. It has already been three years since their last concert and their last album. They had this habit to have a world tour to promote their latest album. And I wasn’t wrong. As soon as the tickets are already available for sale, I went to the nearest ticket outlet and bought us tickets. 

I have watched their first (The Script) and third (No Sound Without Silence Tour) concert in Manila. So I’m definitely not missing this one. I’ve waited three years for this.

This time, I went to the concert with my brother. CK also went to the concert but she was seated at the VIP area so..Di ko pa keri yung presyuhan ng VIP tickets. Haha! From Gen Ad to Upper Box. One step (and ipon) at a time.

Lights went out by 8:30 which meant the start of the show and the crowd was already going crazy.

They started off with Superheroes, Rock the World, Paint The Town Green. Danny, the lead vocalist, welcomed the fans before singing the ever The Script classic, The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.

Part of the set list was Arms Open, one of my favorite songs in their new album Freedom Child.  💚

“So when you feel like you can't take another round of being broken, my arms are open. And when you're losing faith and every door around you keeps on closing. My arms are open.”

During their concert last 2013, Danny asked the fans to call their ex. One fan reached her phone to Danny and he, along with the whole Mall of Asia Arena crowd, sang Nothing to him. Watch it here.

All through out their world tour, they have this habit of doing some crazy special things. There was a tour where they dressed up as sharks, and one where Danny literally crowd surfed using an inflatable. In Manila, they had Bamboo Bikes and rode it on stage before taking a photo with the whole crowd.

In the middle of singing No Man Is An Island, Danny approached Glen, the band’s drummer who is going crazy with his drums, and did what they called “Crowd Control”. 

In their 2015 tour, aside from main stage, they had another stage set up in the middle of the VIP section where they performed at least two songs. This time is much unexpected, especially for those seated in the Lower Box. They were really in for a surprise. The crew had set up keyboards in the middle of the Lower Box area. Here they sang Never Seen Anything from their album No Sound Without Silence.

This is what I also love about this band. Their fan service is just amazing. Kung sino man yung kaharap nila (or witihin the area) habang natugtog sila, YOU ARE ALL SO LUCKY! Para kayong hinaharana ni Danny 💙

Photo above not mine.

They also sang Energy Never Dies with Danny walking along the Lower Box. Look at their happy faces.

Photo above not mine.

Their last encore song was Hall of Fame. Danny gave the most touching speech before singing. He even told the crowd to open up their phone’s flashlights and raise it up. This made me feel goosebumps. Look at the see of lights.

‘A night like tonight you don’t forget. A night like tonight stays in the hearts, stays in the minds.’

“The only way that we can thank you guys for a night like tonight is to keep coming back again and again and again...You know that we are in this for the right reasons. We f***in love music. Thank you so much we’ll see you real soon.’

They only sang 3 songs from their newest album. I was expecting for their single Freedom Child to be part of the set list since it is The Freedom Child Tour, but nevertheless, they did not disappoint.

I HAD THE MOST AMAAAAAZING TIME.

What I love about this band is the fact that they make music with sincere messages and advocacies behind it. And talk about their incredible fan service. I’m so happy not just to be a fan, but to be part of The Script Family.

Much love for Danny, Mark and Glen 💖 You were amazing as always.

COME BACK SOOOOON LADS! 💚💚💚

Setlist:

1. Superheroes

2. Rock The World

3. Paint The Town Green

4. The Man Who Can’t Be Moved

5. Wonders

6. Arms Open

7. Nothing

8. No Man Is An Island

9. If You Could See Me Now

10. For The First Time

11. Seat Stage: If You Ever Come Back, Never Seen Anything

12. The Energy Never Dies

13. Rain

Encore:

14. No Good in Goodbye

15. Breakeven

16. Hall Of Fame

[theartidote]

“I understand that my friends don’t want to talk every day. I understand that my significant other doesn’t want to be lovey-dovey and super indulgent every day. Lots of people need rest from performative emotions. All people need rest in general. It’s okay. It doesn’t mean they don’t love me. It’s not a judgement or punishment. They deserve to take their rest, and they deserve for me to treat their needs with respect.” —chokkilissa-nahollos #NoteToSelf 🌸 artwork by Sean Lewis

[mayehreal]

[mayehreal]

Still on a high from silent sanctuary and Manila Symphony Orhestra's mini concert last night. 🎼 MSO never fails to amaze their audience. This was the second time I have watched them since college days. As for Silent Sanctuary, I became a fan of them since 2006. (Fun facts: 2 of them are members of the MSO and Sarkie's a Scholastican #ProudKulasa) There's something with their songs that really touches the heart. Yung kada kanta nila, may mahuhugot na feels palagi. I was already teary and having the moment when they played Sa'yo and Malayo na tayo. Damang-dama ko. Good thing they played Bumalik ka na sa'kin next, medyo bumalik ako sa mundo. Haha! But when they performed Kundiman, my favorite song ever, as encore, wala na. Binuo na nila yung gabi ko 😍 Plus, this is the first time I heard them play this song live. So this was really special.

[mayehreal]

Tokyo 2017 | Asakusa

April 9, 2017

Attended Palm Sunday English mass

ASakusa

711 for dinner

✈  Japan 2017: MNL to NRT // Smile House // A Tour of Shinjuku // Asakusa // Tsukiji Fish Market // Search for Ichiran

[mayehreal]

Tokyo 2017 | Smile House

AWhenever we go out of town / out of the country, we rarely book a hotel. We usually look up for available rooms or apartment for rent. And since we had great experiences with AirBnB, we booked for an AirBnB room again.

Our apartment was located in Shin-Okubo, most commonly known as Korea Town of Tokyo. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone - touring Japan and Korea at the same time. The apartment was just a 5-minute walk from Shin-Okubo train station.

Our unit was located at the 6th floor. What’s distinctive in this apartment is that it has a teal-colored elevator (Forgot to save my snapchat that day. Boo.) I remember that the one where we stayed at in Fukuoka has this bright pink elevator.

The apartment unit has 2 bedrooms with 2 double deck beds in each room. See the blue comforter-like thing on the bed? Underneath it is actually a heater. Cool.

Terrace with a view of Shin-Okubo.

See those pink towels hanged at the terrace? Those were the towels that were provided by the owner. His mother usually comes by the apartment, while we are out, to clean out the garbage, clean the comfort room, and wash the rags and towels. Talk about housekeeping.

2 double deck beds in the other room.

Both rooms have split type air-conditioning which we rarely used because the weather is already enough to keep us cold.

The dining / tv / kitchen area. TV Area : We rarely used the TV since all channels are Japanese. Dining / Kitchen Area : The thing on the left side of the TV is a hot and cold water dispenser. They also have toaster, microwave, and refrigerator with freezer. A plus point in this apartment is that they provided us 2 packs of loaf bread, strawberry jam and 2 cartons of juice - for free. And this was replenished on our third day. I remembered when the caretaker led us into the room, he kept on saying that we can toast the bread and put some strawberry jam. He even acted it out. Funny thing is that, the fact that I didn’t understand much of what he says, I am much distracted as he looked like Jackie Chan. Haha! The kitchen also has complete cooking appliances.

Their 

Should you wish to see more photos and reviews, you may visit their AirBnb page.

✈  Japan 2017: MNL to NRT // Smile House // A Tour of Shinjuku

[mayehreal]

"The problem lies within believing that everyone around you has his or her life together and in perfect order. We must stop thinking that everyone else has it all together. Comparison is the thief of joy after all."

[mayehreal]

Japan 2017 | A tour of Shinjuku

We took a train and got off at Shinjuku Station. From there, we walked our way going to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

Shibuya Crossing - The busiest intersection.

Hachiko statue

Dinner at Yoshinoya

1st round of shopping at Don Quixote, Shinjuku

midnight snacking - Takoyaki!

[mayehreal]

Mendokoro Ramenba 

V Corporate Center, Soliman, Salcedo Village, Makati 

What I ordered: Tantanmen Ramen and Gyoza 

[mayehreal]

Tokyo 2017 | MNL to NRT

Our flight was at 5:00 am on April 7th. And in the usual course, you should be at the airport 3 hours before your scheduled international flight. Unfortunately, there was news circulating that there will be longer queues in the immigration so people should be at the airport a minimum of 5 hours before the flight. So this meant that we should already be bound to the airport by 11:30 pm the night before, considering that we came home from work by almost 10:000 pm since we fetched James from Manila. 

Arrived at the airport by 12:30 and was waiting for the check-in counters to open. Despite the alleged long queues, we got pass the immigration I think for a good 20 minutes. I guess this was an advantage of having the first flight of the day.

After 4 hours, Touchdown Japan!

This was not my first time in Japan (first trip was in Fukuoka), but this was my first in Narita Airport.

We rode the Narita express going to Shinjuku. And then got on another train going to Shin-Okubo. One thing I like in a country is a good transport system. From the airport, the train was already readily accessible. Also, their train stations are all connected.

It took us almost an hour to reach Shin-Okubo.

Checked-in and left our baggage at the apartment and had our lunch at a nearby restaurant before heading to Harajuku.

The famous Takeshita Street.

For dinner, Tita Alice’s relative treated us for a round of conveyor belt sushi. Yay!

[mayehreal]

[mayehreal]

Dubai 2017 | How we spent Valentine’s Day

e don’t usually celebrate Valentine’s Day on the day itself as you know there would be long queues in restaurants.

This year, Valentine’s Day is quite special since I get to celebrate it with him in Dubai. Sadly, he has work that day and I have to wait for him to get home before we can do something.

While he’s at work, I went to the nearest mall and chilled at Starbucks and have my own moment.

Rey loves carbonara. And to make this Valentine’s Day a lot more special, I decided to cook this dish for him. Oh, by the way, this would be my first time ever to cook for him. 

Cooking the carbonara sauce.

The finished product. So far it got good reviews from him and his roommates. Good job self!

[mayehreal]

Das Raum / Beauty Brick Experience

This would be my second visit at Beauty Brick Salon since 2012. The first time I availed of their service I had my hair rebonded. See my korean-looking peg after the treatment.

I arrived at the salon at around 8:50 am and I saw Mr. Shin was standing outside. As I enter the salon, all employees greeted me a good morning. This is similar to the shouts whenever you enter a Japanese restaurant. Well, Mr. Shin is Japanese, that’s why.

When I went inside, they asked for my name since I had my reservation. It was not even 2 minutes when I was seated when they said that we will already start with the shampoo.

After shampooing your hair and you are already seated, Mr. Shin along with his assistant (who also serves as his translator) would have the consultation. You will discuss about your hair history, what kind of treatments you have done. Since I had my hair relaxed over a year already and had my hair colored before 2016 ended, the ends already became dry. Mr. Shin insists that he cut at least 2 inches as to remove the damaged part of my hair. I was bargaining with Mr. Shin with the length of the cut  but still he won the argument. Haha! My original plan was to have a volume rebond, but he recommended that I have the volume rebond with bubble curls. It seems that he knows best, so I let him to the magic with my hair. Once agreed, Mr. Shin will call the attention of his assistants then start procedure. They will show you ALL the treatments to be put on hair (keratin, collagen, rebond creams)

Now with the haircut. I was surprised that the cut wasn’t as short as I was expecting. Then they applies the cream for rebonding on half my hair since the ends will be curled. Afterwhich they applied medicine at the ends of my hair. A good thing about this salon is that they are specific with time. They timed the application of medicine for 2 minutes - and 2 minutes it is. This already included the rinsing of my hair.

Then after they blow dried my hair and used a flat iron to straighten it - the usual rebond process.

They now put the ends of my hair into curlers, the sizes specifically instructed by Mr. Shin. And attached it to “the machine” The curlers become hot for a good 15 minutes.

After almost 5 hours, this is the end result. (Excuse my peeling face. Haha!)

2 days after.

Das Raum / Beauty Brick Salon

Unit 103 Doña Consolacion Bldg., 122 Jupiter St., Bel-Air, Makati City

📱 0917-520-0044 / 0977-452-9678

☎️ [phone]

⌚ Monday to Friday 10am - 8pm / Saturday 8am - 8pm / Sunday Closed

[mayehreal]

That there will be times when you feel tossed around by the tempests of your emotions.

When this happens, look for that still sacred space within you. Take some time to rest in that space. After a time, when you are ready, come out to face the world again.

[mayehreal]

This was one of the moments where I just wish I was seated by the window seat. I can’t help but be amazed of how wonderful the sunset can be from the skies.

Truly a wonderful end to a good day.

Back story: Since this was a loooong flight, I decided to sleep to kill time. And then I woke up to this. I was like a little kid wandering my head just to see a much clearer viee of the sunset (I was seated by the aisle). My seatmates were asleep at that time so I didn’t hesitate to take out my camera and capture this masterpiece.

📷 Nikon 3100 AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1.8G

[mayehreal]

Dubai 2017 | Kids and kids at heart

Months before my scheduled flight we were already fixing our itinerary for my 10-day stay. He also asked his manager if he could have his leave for the whole length of my stay. He even had this excuse that his fiance will come to Dubai for wedding preparations. Sadly, they don't really understand what fiance means. Haha! Instead, he was allowed to have 4 days of leave staggered. And 2 days of sick leave. Maparaan si manager. Haha!

On my first day in Dubai, the plan was to visit my cousins at Discovery Gardens Jebel Ali since they are also flying to Philippines the day after. We left Al Qusais by noon and had lunch at Ibn Battuta.

Before heading to our next destination, we spent more time taking pictures in Ibn Battuta.

We went to The Beach At Jumeirah for some sight seeing. We also rode the water taxi which took us at the other side of he canal