The Sunday Agenda: Ice Cream

Yesterday, I promised to treat myself to a scoop of ice cream.

This fine Sunday, I found the Amorino shop at Goodge Street.

Amorino sells gluten-free gelatos and I think its huge selling point is the artful presentation of its gelato in rose-like petals. How lovely and unique, isn't it? You can have as many flavours as you like, too! I got mine in banana, pistachio, raspberry and hazelnut.

Gelato. Hmm, is it the same as ice cream? Well, it is Italian for ice cream. It's just that the Italians make their ice creams in a slightly different way. Usually there is more milk than cream, which is then slowly churned to keep the gelato as dense as possible. The gelatos don't easily melt and drip like regular ice cream. I finished my Amorino 'flower' leisurely in 15 minutes :)

The Saturday Agenda: Kenwood House & Hampstead Heath

Hello dear. Hope summer is treating you well, wherever you are now.
I went for a "little escape" this weekend.

Here's my quick Saturday agenda:

1. Kenwood House - This stately house and its estate is located at the northern part of Hampstead Heath. This was featured in films such as Notting Hill and Sense and Sensibility. It also houses a collection of paintings which includes a Rembrandt self-portrait.
2. Hampstead Heath - A really massive park that is more "countryside" than green spaces typical of London city parks. If you want to truly detach from urban life without going very far from the city, this is the 'heath' for you. Think hilly, sometimes forest-like, grassy trails and ponds (like the one pictured above).

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The Sunday Agenda: Changing of the Guards, Highgate & Flat Iron Steak

Hi there!
Need a dash of sunshine and a generous sprinkling of warmth? I'll try my best to brighten up your day in my own little way. Here's a slight variation to my usual TSA agenda - this time S is for Sunday :)

1. Changing of the Guards
2. Highgate: Waterlow Park and Highgate Cemetery
3. Flat Iron Steak

Click "Read more" to see my Sunday agenda.

The Weekend Agenda: Paris (also Hashtags 2017 ed. vol. 10)

#Paris #DearParis

 

 

Dear Paris,

By now, you may have gotten used to receiving notes admiring your beauty and charm, retelling in various versions how your cobblestoned streets, your food, your arts and culture, your architecture, your Eiffel Tower, your fashion and films, and your language truly embody romance, love and passion. Should I add any more? Aren't there enough travelogues, memoirs and poems about you? My own compilation of random thoughts will be the millionth verse to this epic ode to Paris.


It's just that I've always dreamt of visiting you, experiencing you --- the Parisian flair that many talked about. Until recently, Paris was a good idea, but only that, a good idea. Who would have guessed? I was presented the opportunity to move to the UK and I have found the perfect excuse. You're now literally just hours away --- a Eurostar train trip and a Schengen visa are the only things that keep us apart. Cheesy as it may sound, it felt like falling in love with someone from across the miles for so many years, with only literature and pictures to keep you inspired, and realising that finally you're meeting him in the flesh.


I was wary and guarded when I walked your streets for the first time, knowing that I do not speak French (at least conversationally) and that tourist traps and thieves are out and about (as in many cities in the world). In a way, you were still a stranger, beautiful and promising in paper --- like most men are, putting their best foot forward when they want to win you over.


I sampled the food from your brasserie and wondered what is it that sets your cuisine apart from the rest. It wasn't love at first sight (or taste), to be honest. It took some more buttery croissants for breakfast and a couple of glasses of wine for lunch AND dinner for me to finally make up my mind. Yes, you do excellent pastries and you've got the wine and food pairing down to a T. The baguette or any 'hard' bread is not something I fancy much though. I like my food less messy to eat, melt-in-your-mouth tender, and flavourful.


Despite all these, I love you still --- imperfections, quirks and all. It may be a one-way street, and you may not feel the same. I am after all another stranger, and we had less than three days together. Nonetheless, it was indeed an exciting and magical experience, and I will never forget this 'first time' in my lifetime. If you and the universe permit, I will see you again.


Enchanté!


With love,
Genefel


Click "Read more" to see my #Paris weekend, as told in 35 snaps.

The Weekend Agenda: Budapest

 

Where do I begin?

 

I've previously travelled to some cities on my own but all of those were for work. Budapest was my first solo travel for leisure outside the Philippines (my home country), and I chose to do it on the week of my birthday!

 

 

 

After so much internal debate on the pros and cons of Budapest and travelling solo, I finally clicked the "Buy" button for the dates of the trip and accommodation. I remember feeling an indescribable rush afterwards - a combination of excitement, that sense of being daunted by the new challenge, and sheer happiness over the fact that I will soon be breaking away from another comfort zone. 

 

I posted my 35 #birthdayseries in Instagram (@genefel) during my Budapest trip. As mentioned in my captions, I don't usually post that many pictures in succession in any of my social media accounts. But I was so enthralled by the entire experience that I felt it justified to share these in Instagram (where I have comparably the smallest number of followers among my social media accounts so I thought it was most appropriate for such a meaningful  milestone in my life.) Why 35 posts? Well, that was because I turned 35 recently.

 



Happy 35th



 

In this blog post, I slightly reframed my #birthdayseries story to share with you my three-day Budapest itinerary. Hopefully, this inspires you to travel more (if Budapest is something you haven't visited yet or wants to revisit), to travel solo for leisure (if you were like me who mostly travel for work), and to view age more positively (if you tend to hide the years rather than count your blessings). ;)

 

 

 

I included a post-script on pre-travel basics at the end of this post. You may find these useful if you're traveling from London, or need some references on airport and hotel essentials.

 

Warning: Loads of pictures, i.e., probably more than twice my Instagram #birthdayseries, but hopefully with lesser text so I won't bore you with much details. Should you decide to validate these by taking the Budapest trip yourself, there are more stories left to uncover! :)

 

Now go on, click "Read more", but you've been warned ;)

The Weekend Agenda: No Agenda

My daily morning view from my bedroom

"Happiness is not having to set the alarm for the next day."

Agree. The happiness in Saturdays indeed! And Sundays. And long weekends :)

22-23 April

• Last week's Saturday was a no-agenda Saturday. I stayed in and cooked my lamb moussaka --- lovely brunch and dinner with the usual good helping of rice. Please check out my latest The Skinny Eats post and see how high this dish ranked in my list.
• Sunday came. It was the celebrated London Marathon, but I only craved for blueberry muffins, haha. I went out briefly to check out the marathoners who passed by Limehouse and headed to Lidl for my muffins.

Click "Read more" for the rest of my 'No Agenda' weekend.

The Saturday Agenda: Liverpool

Happy Easter my dear! I hope that you're making the best of this long weekend break.

 

 

• While most of London travelled further to warmer cities or countries, I opted for a short day trip and as such, had to contend with below fifteen-degree weather.

Click to "Read more".

The Sunday Agenda: Rambling Through Sunny London Part 2

It seemed like I didn't get enough Vitamin D even after yesterday's hours of rambling through sunny London. When Liza called me up at midday to join her in her random cravings for Filipino food, I obliged right away, complete with my beach mat for the 'walk in the park' expected after a hearty lunch. Burn calories, burn! LOL

• We had Filipino Lunch at Kamayan, Earl's Court...
• And more sun-bathing at the Holland Park :)

Found this tree of cherry blossoms, and thought, 'What better way to capture this sunny cheerful mood?'

Happy spring and good night!


XOXO,
Genefel

The Saturday Agenda: Rambling Through Sunny London Part 1

Hey there!! How was your week? I hope it went well at work or with whatever kept you busy for the past five days. Mine was exhausting physically and mentally. Two days into the work week, I was already looking forward to Saturday, lol.

Last night, I joined the girls (Liza and Verna) for Movie Friday. We saw Beauty and the Beast. I know, it was quite belated, but I guess that goes with age --- no rush to be ahead and join the premiere night bandwagon anymore. We are way past that stage and we often choose to enjoy things at our own pace.

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The Sunday Agenda: Afternoon Tea

This was officially my first British afternoon tea!


Liza joined me in experiencing this must-do-while-in-Britain. We took advantage of the Groupon discount and booked our Sunday 3pm tea break at the British Musuem's Great Court Restaurant.

I chose Sencha tea, a type of green tea which is most popular in Japan. We were served three layers of finger sandwiches, cakes, scones, teacakes, buns and biscuits. I loved the scones most of all. I felt that putting on the very rich cream and jam was just so quintessentially British! 

The Saturday Agenda: Going Through My TSA @ A+I Routine and Trying Something New

It seems that I now have an Angel+Islington routine. It became a pinned, default agenda in my Saturday afternoon for these past weeks. You might be thinking, 'Doesn't she do anything else other than go to Islington on Saturdays?' Hahaha. Surely, I don't want to bore you with my routine by posting the same set of pictures and captions every week. Please bear with me as I post this for maybe the last time --- my typical Saturday at Angel+Islington. The next time I mention TSA @ A+I, you can just go back and re-read this post :)

Don't worry, it looks like I will be doing something different in the coming weekends, and I sure did something different this Saturday (read on to the end of this post)!! But it doesn't take away my hunch that there must be something special and addictive about Angel+Islington for this place to bore itself into me, quite literally, (-;) and stamp its own agenda in my Saturday afternoon. 

The typical TSA @ A+I goes like this:

• Buy flowers. I have a favourite. There's this lovely stall near The York and Toni & Guy, along Upper Street. I think it's called Angelic Flower. I usually buy the hand-tied bouquet because this includes a good mix of vibrant colours - greens, roses and tulips. Its height and hand-tied size is just perfect for my vase, too.

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The Saturday Agenda: Prepping for British Summer Time

The clocks are moving forward tomorrow! British Summer Time, am I ready for you? For those who live outside UK, British Summer Time or BST is when UK time is advanced one hour forward of Greenwich Mean Time, so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less.

Shot near Mile End

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The Saturday Agenda: Okonomi-yaki and Fresh Picks

Hey there! How did this week go for you? Pleasantly blah at work? Or another challenging rollercoaster ride? Either way, I hope this weekend is treating you well :) Sharing with you again my Saturday agenda. Here goes...




1:00 p.m.
Okonomi-yaki lunch

• @ Abeno with Liza
• Abeno claims to be the only one offering the authentic Okonomi-yaki experience in Europe.
• We dined in the Bloomsbury restaurant at 47 Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY. There's also another Abeno in Covent Garden, a.k.a. Abeno Too. Check out its website and book a table in advance.
• We ordered a deluxe Tokyo mix (pork, squid and prawn) to share, and requested for a gluten-free dough.
• For our side dish, we chose one from the Spring Menu - Kakiage Tempura, with scallops, asparagus, carrots and onions.

Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Why I Keep Coming Back to Angel and Islington

Hey there, sweetie! How well have you spent your weekend?
It is rarely warm and sunny in London that whilst I originally planned to stay in my flat this Saturday (no Saturday agenda with friends this weekend), I wasn't able to help it but I just had to go out and bask in the precious warmth and sunshine!! Is spring coming soon? Please do come already :)


Hmm, what's my default weekend place? Angel and Islington. I never quite understand why this place seems to beckon to me whenever I need somewhere else to just be. Just be. Quiet. By myself. Mindless and mindful of solitude all at once.


As I have mentioned in previous posts here and in Instagram, this all started when I was looking for a butcher shop after finding the frozen meat at supermarkets too bland and quite tasteless. I found Turner and George and went there almost every Saturday to buy my fresh meat, and then sort of fell in love with Angel and Islington in the process.


2017 came and I decided on a (mostly) pescetarian diet. I had no excuse to go back to Islington anymore. :( Until now.


So why do I keep coming back to Angel and Islington? I tried to find answers to this question this Saturday.


Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Making Handmade Soaps + Persian Lunch

Why do I share my Saturday agenda with you? Good question. My two cents on this:

1. Currently, it is my only "free time" when non-work events of interest actually happen. Other than these, I'd most likely bore you with a lecture on audit, risk and controls, hahaha. And on a Saturday, no thanks.
2. I want to encourage you to go out, get out of your comfort zone (which will most likely be your very comfortable, warm and cosy bed) and LIVE OUT LIFE!! Don't get me wrong. I am an introvert myself and staying indoors with a cup of hot cocoa and immersing myself in the world of books are my closest to heaven. However, I've made a pact with this introvert self of mine that I will go out more and see the "outside world" every now and then. Why? Life is short. We are here for the journey - THE experience. :)

So here goes my agenda for this Saturday...


Click to "Read more".

Hashtags 2017 ed. vol. 7

#Edinburgh #outtakes

Outtakes: A short part of a film or television programme or music recording that was removed and not included usually because it contains mistakes --- according to the Cambridge dictionary.

Do they refer to bloopers as well? Hmm, not really sure. However, I'm going to use this term to headline the photos from my Edinburgh trip that just won't fit in my Day 1 and Day 2 posts and which I felt deserve their own post :) Allow me some 'blogger license' here please :)

#stairways
I know I like a backdrop when I see one. There is something about a stairway which fascinates me. First, I grew up in  a house without one and thus, I've always stared in awe at houses with second floors. Secondly, climbing one makes me feel like a princess (thank you Disney and fairy tales).



This stairway leads to the Edinburgh Castle.

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The Weekend Agenda: Edinburgh - Day 2

Continuing on from my earlier post, here's the rest of our Edinburgh weekend agenda.


Sunday 19 February

• Breakfast:  At Starbucks.

I had the super-scrambled eggs + flat white.

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The Weekend Agenda: Edinburgh - Day 1

Hello there Miss / Mister Spontaneity! 

Have you had those tough days when you thought you've had enough of these and you made lightning-quick decisions? Those spontaneous ones which surprised your normally plan-well-in-advance nature?

One stressful Tuesday, my teammate Mani declared that we are now going to Edinburgh this weekend. No, not 'considered' but 'declared', mind you, since she sounded so certain about this. Before this, we were thinking (yes, only considering; we were not sure yet) about going to Bath. But Edinburgh!!!


I was game for a spontaneously thought-out escapade. I thought I needed it as much as she did. A well-deserved break after the really long work hours for the past three weeks or so. Also, since she is going back to India next week, I thought that she should really go since she had been spending her weekends working!! ***shakes head*** We booked the tickets and accommodation on Thursday and Mani came up with a rough Edinburgh itinerary albeit a really concise one given the brief time that we have.


Click to "Read more".

The Saturday Agenda: Udon Lunch

It was one of those rare days when it actually snowed in London! As I queued outside the British Museum, I took a video (for my personal memoir) of the baby snow flakes floating and falling around me. What an amazing moment!

British Museum

I met Liza for our dose of eye-opener tours at the British Museum. These are free 30-40 minute tours held throughout the day where a guide tells the story of the selected region or country as he/she walks you through the art gallery. We picked Greece and Mexico for our tours.



Ichiryu

Afterwards, we came to the heart of our Saturday Agenda. As always, food!

Ichiryu's specialty is the Hakata Udon which consists of dashi broth and udon noodles handmade from scratch everyday using Japan-sourced ingredients. The founder, Tak Tokumine, hails from Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan.



Yaki Udon: Stir-fried noodles with pork, prawn, cabbage, onion, carrot, beansprout, and fish cake

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The Saturday Agenda: Pie & Mash + Greenwich Park

Someone craved for pie and mash...
Who else? The weekend getaway warrior, the advance planner, my almost-regular partner-in-crime for The Saturday Agenda here in London? Hahaha! Liza :)


Goodards at Greenwich

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