More Tea Fever: Chatime is Now on Wilson Street, San Juan!

News Flash! Chatime is now open along Wilson Street in San Juan---as in they just opened this afternoon! As I blogged about before here, I discovered Chatime a few months ago and have come to love its authentic tea flavors. And now it's so nice to learn that a new branch of Chatime has opened in my neighborhood :)

And it's even better than the Banawe branch because the Wilson branch is way bigger, and with more seating. However, just like in the Banawe branch, parking is still limited though. :( At night, you can probably park in the bank right across the street.

Here's a shot of their menu as shown in the LCD screen (will still scan copy of menu & upload here). Please click to enlarge.
And here are their recommended drinks. We ordered the Matcha Tea Latte and the Pearl Milk Tea.

It was my first time to try the Matcha and I loved it!

As for my Splenda concerns, I was glad to learn that they will readily put Splenda in my drink. However, I have to bring my own Splenda though, which is fine by me :).

Looks like Chatime Wilson will give the Serenitea branch just around the corner (along J. Abad Santos) a run for its money. We will definitely watch out who will be crowned the winner of this standoff. The tea turf war in San Juan is on! :) Cheers! :)

If you're coming from Ortigas, Chatime Wilson is on the right side of the street. It's after McDonald's, which is on the left side.

Gong Cha in Mall of Asia

Since we were already in Mall of Asia (MOA) for dinner, we decided to try Gong Cha, the famous tea shop from Hong Kong, which has recently opened in MOA. I have read posts from Pinoy bloggers like Shoot First Eat Later raving about the tea from Gong Cha in Hong Kong. Let's see if it's really good.

Sunday Afternoons: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber

I love Sunday afternoons. They tend to bring interesting things, like going to a matinee show of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). It's not really a traditional musical but it showcases the well-loved hits from the great composer's fourteen musicals. His most popular musicals include Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Starlight Express, Evita, and Phantom of the Opera.

Old School Dinner with Friends

I had a lovely weekend! After spending an afternoon in bed watching DVDs and a two-hour nap, I spent Saturday night with my high school friends CBZ in where else, T.G.I. Friday's in Bonifacio High Street (because nothing can be more old school high school than that!). It was nice to share good food and good stories, and being able to catch up with each other's lives, instead of us seeing each other only during weddings and parties. Some more snaps:

Outfit Post
Vintage black blazer
Forever 21 V-neck tshirt
SM belt
Zara feather skirt
Vintage clutch
Gunmetal ballet flats bought in bazaar
Accessories from everywhere

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend :) Cheers! :)

I Really Love My Sperry Top-Siders!

I finally got my pair of Sperry Top-Siders :) I love how everything about it spells cool, casual chic. And I love the history of the brand too :)

Sperry Top-Sider is a boat shoe designed way back in 1935 by Paul Sperry. Being an avid boater, Sperry came up with the idea of designing the Top-Sider inspired by the patterns of grooves and cracks in his dog Prince's feet. The Top-Sider has a leather upper-shoe with a pattern of herringbone grooves on the sole of the shoes. And by designing it that way, he solved the problem of risking injury on his boat's slippery deck. There are now quite a few boat shoe brands but Sperry remains an enduring classic :)

But this doesn't mean that Top-Siders are just for people who sail or those who spend time on boats. For us city bound folks, that means they're great for the rainy season and in our tropical climate, it's perfect with casual weekend wear (especially with preppy polos) and serve as a good alternative to ultra casual flip-flops. For me, they can evoke nautical vibes and of course, cool preppy chic, like this picture here from Sperry's official site :)

The last time I checked, only men's styles and sizes of Sperry's are available here in the Philippines through Planet Sports. So since my dad was coming home from New York, he handcarried for me my pair :) I chose the Authentic Original 2-Eye Boat Shoe, the best selling and most classic style, in Navy Deerskin (US$74.95). The leather is super soft and it's a joy to walk in them.

All throughout my weekends, I've been wearing and depreciating my Top-Siders to death. I wear it for running errands, shopping, doing the groceries, and lunching with friends. And for the summer, my uniform was my Top-Siders with button down shirts and shorts.

Dockers button down shirt, Random shorts, SM woven belt, Charles & Keith bag, and Sperry Top-Siders

Weekend malling at Trinoma Mall
American Eagle Outfitters t-shirt, Old Navy seersucker blazer, Old Navy dark denim shorts, Charles & Keith bag, and Sperry Top-Siders

Lunch at Ayala Triangle Park
I ♥ NY T-shirt, Old Navy seersucker blazer, Old Navy denim shorts, Charles & Keith bag, and Sperry Top-Siders

After grocery shopping
Ralph Lauren boyfriend polo, Random white shorts, Chicify tote, and Sperry Top-Siders

You can buy Top-Siders in Sperry's official site or through Nordstrom, which accepts Philippine credit cards and even ships to the Philippines. Be sure to buy one half size down because the leather tends to expand. My Sperry Top-Siders will certainly be a classic pair that I will wear for years to come. And hopefully, this is just the start of a new shoe collection!

And because it's Father's Day today, here's a picture of me with my dad, who brought not just sartorial pieces like my Sperry Top-Siders to me but also a lot of unforgettable childhood stories, laughter, and a sense of perspective in my life :) Cheers! :)

Weekend Staycation

For the long weekend, I just stayed in the city, lounging at home, relaxing, and following up on long-planned errands.

I went to  Power Plant Mall for my errands,, including getting myself a paperback copy of Practicing the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle in Fully Booked. His Power of Now is one of my favorites and I can't wait to learn and re-learn the principles of that book in practical life. And I even saw this book, which will be definitely on my book list :)

My outfit post :) Super relaxed weekend wear is ♥. I also recently got hold of a some fitted V-neck cotton shirts, which I have been looking for since forever. And I can't believe I'd find them just in Forever 21, and at less than P250 :)

Forever 21 V-neck tshirt
Faded Glory cotton shorts
Blue sequined flats bought from bazaar
Forever 21 turquoise cuff
Aldo straw Panama hat
Vintage Gucci shoulder bag
Vintage Nina Ricci sunglasses

As I sit here, the rain is pouring and I'm drinking my afternoon brewed coffee, looking forward to DOING NOTHING tomorrow, which is the best since tomorrow is a MONDAY. Well, doing nothing except reading my Coastal Living and Vogue magazines and perhaps one or two DVDs :) I love long weekends.

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend! Cheers! :)