My birthday won't be until tomorrow but celebrations started early, jump-started with a mini party thrown for me by Cuba Libre care of Sabina!

It was the most colorful and fun and deliciosa birthday salubong ever!


I can't believe I'm turning 32 tomorrow but like I said, I think I'm done being 31.

*Goes on to research more about anti-aging products*

Anyway. We used to just pass by this area in Serendra when it was still boarded up and I am so happy it's now open because man, everything is delicious!

According to this Spot.PH article, owner Charlie Paw said locals in Cuba are not allowed to put up signages for their restaurant, thus the explosion of color in the walls - to entice visitors!

Now if the interiors don't entice you, the food definitely will!





You order cantina-style. Choose one main, one staple (or two half staples), and one side. Cocktails are also on the menu, led by the restaurant's namesake Cuba Libre.


I had the 2-pc Cuban Fried Chicken (but my boyfriend J got a piece), half Arroz Amarillo (Yellow Rice), half Arroz Blanco (White Oregano Rice, my favorite!), and Croquetas de Malanga (Taro and Pumpkin Fritters). My plate also shows one extra piece of Creole Meatball from J, heh.


Their Flan de Cafe Cubano (Espresso Coffee Leche Flan) is life-changing. Seriously.

I also had a Mojito de Piña (Pineapple Mojito). Looking forward to trying the Limonada con Yerbabuena (Minted Lemonade) next time!

When you're on a diet but you can't resist @cubalibreph's goodness (This is your fault @krissyfied char 😂) So much love for Ropa Vieja, Arroz Amarillo and Croquetas de Malanga 😍 #cubalibreph

A post shared by Michelle Tiongson (@themichelletoe) on Apr 4, 2018 at 7:18pm PDT

My gal Sabina. Thank you SOOO MUCH for throwing me this party!

I honestly felt the jitters hours before the party because I felt like I haven't been out and about in so long! Still, it was so nice to be surrounded by my close friends in this special day and not have to worry about anything because it wasn't a work event!


It also felt good to be surrounded by my dolls (who had a mini party of their own HAHA)!




Thank you for making time Paul, Ana, Ava, and Ruth! I really appreciate it!


My workaholic friends having a work meeting before the festivities.


Festivities! My beautiful friends/ officemates Jean, Alex, Michelle, and Hannah and our mini-mes!


Such a fun day I wouldn't have had any other way.

Thank you, Cuba Libre! And thank you, eveyone, for your presence in my life and my mini party, and for your thoughtful gifts! My heart and belly are bursting at the seams. ♡


I'm ready for you, 32!

Interrupting regular Currently postings because

My birthday won't actually be until Friday, April 6, but Cuba Libre in Serendra is hosting a party for me and I AM SO EXCITED!!

I don't know why I'm oddly chipper about this one, when I've always dreaded turning old.

I guess I'm done with 31.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, I'll save my cheesy post for my birthday itself. Right now I have a party to prepare for and people to see. Oh man I'm so excited to see people again after being cooped up in bed rest for six weeks!

We all have secrets, but not all of us have had the misfortune of having some of those secrets leaked and plastered all over the Internet for everyone to see, ready to be pulled up with just a few taps on the screen or keyboard, and making other people feel like they have the right to shame or humiliate us, like what happened to Iris Len-Larioca.

Iris is the heroine of Mina V. Esguerra's book, Iris After the Incident, that I finished reading today.

Which moment has defined your life so far?
Whether she likes it or not, Iris’s life has been divided into two: Before the Incident, and After the Incident. Something very private was made very public, and since then life has been about recovering from being shamed, discovering her true friends, and struggling to find a new normal.
Two years into this new life and she finally connects with a guy again. He lives in the apartment down the hall, he’s hot, and he doesn’t look at her that way. He doesn’t know what happened. But he also won’t give her his name, not right away—which has to mean he’s got something to hide too.
Iris wants to start over. Should she do that with the only person who will understand, or is this the same idiotic decision that got her in trouble in the first place?

Shunned by most of her family yet blessed with supportive employers, Iris mostly kept to herself as her way of coping. But as Alanis Morissette sings, "Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you..." Life threw her a curve-ball in the form of Gio Mella.

And what a complex curve-ball he was.

What I love about Mina's Main Characters is that they are never damsels-in-distress. Although Iris had a few doubts because of her Questionable Decisions from the past, she knew what she wanted and damned if she didn't go after it. On the other hand, Gio as the Love Interest was not without issues yet he coped with them the way he knew how. Add fleshed out supporting characters, intense families (and those sex scenes! *fans self*), and Easter eggs from Mina's other well-loved books into the mix and you have one of my top favorite books of hers that I have read. Tall order, you say? Well, aside from the story and further exploration of the NV Park universe that Mina created and I loved, I also got to see a glimpse on my favorite Kimmy Domingo (from Love Your Frenemies) after her happily-ever-after with Manolo on their book!

There are no real, tangible villains in this book aside from judgmental anonymous and faceless Internet commenters.

I have to admit, it took a little bit longer for me to finish this because it felt too dark and unnerving and real at times, not because I had a similar Incident, but mostly because violation of people's privacy and women's rights are hot topics right now. Out of all Mina's books that I have read, Iris and Gio seem to have the issues that are most relevant, what with gossip blogs and social media in full swing whenever one's privacy is maliciously exposed. When it felt like it was just easier for Iris and Gio to give up and revert back to the new normal they were used to before they met each other, what gave me hope is that I was reading a romance book, and [this is not a spoiler, mind you] romance books always have happy endings!

"You, me, falling. Everything."

Ugh. I am swept off my feet. Thanks for another great read, Mina! ♡ (You can contact Mina for copies or you can also 1-Click it on Amazon, OR attend #AprilFeelsDay on April 28!)

PS: Dear Mina, I need a book with Matilda's story, TIA!

It has been five weeks since my operation and I am healing much better. My wounds still hurt if I stay standing on my feet for too long or walk far distances, but generally I can say I am on my way to complete recovery. If there's anything this ordeal has taught me, it is patience, especially on times I want nothing more than for my body to hurry up and heal.

This past week has been productive because aside from the John Legend concert, I also got to do other things I've been wanting to do, like learn how to crochet.

... And I failed. Spectacularly.

I have seriously never felt dumber in my life than when I was trying (and failing) to imitate what Miss Monina of All About Crochet was teaching us during the Workshops part of the Women's Summit held in ManilaMed (the hospital where I had my operation).

The Summit was organized by my doctor (and my boyfriend's aunt), Dr. Luisa Mangubat, and it was a lot of fun because I learned a lot from the speakers and teachers of the Workshop proper. Still, my attempts to learn how to crochet was terribly executed because my brain seemingly didn't want to cooperate with my hands.

I refuse to give up, though. I even got more yarn and I intend to use them when I'm more adept at it. At least I have my double-ended crochet needle and yarns now so I can watch tutorials online and try it again and again and again.

Wish me luck!

CURRENTLY

READING

Mina V. Esguerra's Iris After the Incident.

WRITING

Plans for my birthday! It's next week already! Eeep!

LISTENING TO

The Music of Haruki Murakami. J took me to the Listen to Haruki Murakami jazz concert last Friday at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater.




I didn't think I would enjoy a jazz concert that much but it was so beautiful and intense and delicate and creative and inspiring.

The hardest part of attending a concert after being operated on is not being able to clap because the movement hurts my wounds.

SMELLING

Lavender.

Just kidding.

J surprised me with a lavender plant last Saturday and I potted the seeds today.




My Mother and Grandma didn't pass on their green thumbs to me but the "100% Natural Seeds Guaranteed to Grow" blurb gives me hope that I will be able to grow these.

Wish us luck!

WEARING

The new Althea Korea Bare Essentials Fixer Cream.


The new Althea Korea Bare Essentials line hopes to strip down your skincare needs and go back to basics: a 3-step routine instead of the more complicated 10 to 15-step Korean skincare routine we have become more familiar with. I started this new skincare routine today and will let you know how it fares and how my skin reacts to it in the coming weeks!

THINKING


Should I have more cake?

Seeing double with Coraline on the screen and my NECA Coraline bendable doll.

And yes, I had cake!


Guiltless desserts c/o Tita Judy and her new creation: a keto lemon cake.

FEELING

Anxious because the days are passing quickly and my vacation is almost over.

Excited for my birthday.

Apprehensive for my birthday because, in the words of my friend Anne, "it's all going downhill from here."

Sad and worried for my Grandpa who has been in the hospital for two weeks now.

Happy for and proud of my cousins who are graduating today.

I'm a small girl with too many emotions inside me that it's a wonder I haven't spontaneously combusted.

LOVING


Sleepy Hugo.

WANTING

To meet more friends in the doll collecting community. I went to my second doll meet-up last Sunday and it was my first time to meet most of them.


It's always nice to meet more friends with similar interests.

NEEDING

To think of themes for my mini pre-birthday celebration happening next week. I wasn't supposed to have a theme but Ruth asked me so now I am thinking of possible themes to choose from.

WISHING

For a collection of precious and priceless Barbies.


One of the highlights of my week was being invited by Richprime Global Inc. to come visit their office. I saw the huge collection of their CEO Myrna Yao and my jaw almost dropped. I will blog more about this visit on my next post and I hope you can check that out.

Until then! Thank you for reading. ♡

My boyfriend and I just got home from Araneta Coliseum for the Manila leg of John Legend's Darkness and Light tour. I need to wake up early tomorrow for a morning appointment but I need to write this so I may process my emotions better.

I have not recovered completely from my operation yet but there was no way we were going to miss this concert. We purchased our tickets the moment they became available for sale on November 30, and I counted down the days. Ready or not, we just had to be there.

And it was worth it. I may not get over it for a long, long time.

I started crying the moment John crooned his first notes on stage, but I totally lost it at the Like I'm Gonna Lose You - Save Room - PDA triumvirate.

The man is phenomenal! We were seated at the Upper Box section but even from afar it is obvious that passion and talent seep from every pore. He knows he's sexy and he knows how to work the crowd. He has such a silky voice perfect for serenading the entire coliseum, and everyone fell in love. 

I also loved how he inserted personal anecdotes before most of his songs. My favorite was the part where he talked about how the birth of his daughter Luna is one of the most unforgettable moments of his life. I guess I should also admit here that I am a huge Chrissy Teigen fan and one of the many reasons why I cried so much tonight is because I was thinking about how perfect they are together. ♡



I know I say this almost every time I go to a concert, but seriously you guys, John Legend's Darkness and Light tour is up there on my list of favorite concerts of all time. I am already looking forward for his next visit here.


My favorite favorite part was when he asked us to tell the people we love that we love them, and My Love was right there sitting right beside me. So I'm gonna love him like I'm gonna lose him. I'm gonna hold him like I'm saying goodbye. Wherever we're standing I won't take him for granted 'cause I'll never when, when we'll run out of time. ♬♫♪♡ 

I was supposed to go somewhere very exciting today. I was actually dressed and almost prepared to leave, until my wounds started hurting. I didn't want to force it and deal with harsher consequences after, so I just decided to cancel my plans and go another day. 

I will just stay home and sulk, but at least I get to sulk with Coraline.

This is a NECA Coraline bendy doll with her yellow raincoat, denim jeans, and yellow rain boots.

She looks exactly like Coraline from the movie, and I love her bendy and pose-able body although my favorite feature of hers is her blue hair. She also comes with a stand.

I hope I can make an orange sweater for her when I learn how to knit.

My boyfriend got her from Collector's Toy Box. I'm her Other Mother now. ;)

CURRENTLY

READING

I haven't started with it yet, but I just bought the Kindle edition of Mina V. Esguerra's Iris After the Incident from Amazon.

LISTENING TO

John Legend. We're going to the Manila leg of his Darkness and Light tour tonight! Please please please body please please please feel well enough.

WEARING

My pajamas again but I'm going to prepare to leave for the concert in a bit.

FEELING

A little better than earlier.

WISHING

That everything goes well. <3 p="">