Five Things About Circles

NO… NOT REALLY. THIS ENTRY HAS 5 THINGS ABOUT MY CIRCLES EXPERIENCE.

Circles Event Cafe in Shangri La Makatihas been around for years and (1) it was just my first time to go eat at  last month.

We didn’t know that we had to get a reservation. Good thing we arrived early (very early, actually), so they were able to find a way to get a table for us. (2) They asked if it was okay for us to be seated right in front of the singer. Wala namang kaso sa amin ni Enzo ‘yon as long as hindi judgmental ‘yung singer!  Masaya naman ‘yung thought na may sume-serenade sa amin habang nagpapaka-bundat kami. Nyahahaha! :))

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{some of the buffet sections}

We first checked all sections so that we can think of our individual strategies on how we can get our money’s worth. (Well, his money’s. Thanks for the treat, Mr. Trajano!) We went there for Saturday dinner, so the buffet rate is around 2k each.

Once we knew the dishes we wanted to get, we attacked. Shempre, deadma na sa mga dishes na madali lang mabili at maluto sa bahay.

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{more buffet sections}

I was too hungry to take pictures of all the buffet sections. Basta, if my memory serves me right, there sections are: Japanese (sushi, sashimi, maki), Seafood (crabs, oysters, mussels, scallops…), Grill (lamb, prime rib, pork, chicken), Mediteranean (make your own shawarma), Indian (sorry, I heavily dislike this cuisine so I didn’t bother to look), Pasta (they will cook it for you), Salads (super fresh veggies, fruits, dried fruits, nuts, cheeses), Dessert (cakes, chocolate fountain, pastries, cookies, fruits, ice cream, sorbet), Bread (didn’t bother to check this because I didn’t want to get full on carbs) and Drinks (iced tea, wine).

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{Enzo said I should have at least 5 plates, excluding dessert.}

(3) The 5 things that I liked the most were: lechon— with meat so succulent and tender and skin so crunchy/ salmon sashimi— buttery texture, very fresh/ the salad I made – romaine lettuce, arugula, pecans, dried apricots, smoked salmon, vinaigrette, and blue cheese/ angelhair pasta with fresh tomatoes and mushrooms and olives— very simple, but the sauce was simply superb/ raspberry sorbet— perfect mix of sweet and tart, refreshingly flavorful!

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{Circles rocked except for…}

I can’t think of anything negative to say. We were pretty full and satisfied from it. Si Enzo nga nauna pang nag-tapout kaysa sa akin. Mwahahaha! But wait! (4) Yeah… there’s one thing we didn’t like! Something that Circles should consider changing– the salt and pepper shakers! The colors are so close to the color of the tables that we didn’t notice them until we were already having dessert! HAHAHAHA. May masabi lang! :p Seriously, I couldn’t think of anything negative about my Circles buffet experience.

And what is (5) ?

My maxi dress.

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{one of the very rare moments that I wore a long dress}

It’s my first time to wear a maxi dress. Thanks to all those who liked that picture on Facebook, I am sure to wear more long dresses in the near future. Also, I am sure to go back to Circles. I wanna bring my parents there. Probably on their 33rd wedding anniversary this January 2013. 😉

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listening to: Casting Crowns – Lifesong

Urameshi-Ya? Hai!

Dave, my kabarkada fresh (?) from his Singapore vacay wanted to eat in Little Tokyo, so I accompanied him because of 3 reasons. 1) It’s been a while since I went to Little Tokyo even if it’s very near my place. 2) I wanted to get Toshi, the stuffed toy I bullied him into buying. Check the collage, Toshi is the cutie teddy bear from Sentosa. The other toys, the porndoll and the devil are unmistakabily Dave’s. Bwahaha! 3) I wanted beer and sashimi.

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The resto that Dave chose, Urameshi-Ya is known for serving excellent yakiniku. Sana lang diba kasi yung full name ng resto is Urameshi-Ya Yakiniku Japanese Restaurant! Hahaha! We got the Tarafuku-Set– with plates of beef and pork (including intestines!), a bowl of spicy mushroom and seaweed soup, a cup of kimchi, and a plate of salad. The sauce was soy sauce and a brown paste that I do not the name of. You can grill the meat yourself on the tabletop charcoal stove or you can ask one of their friendly waitstaff to do it for you.

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Urameshi-Ya doesn’t serve sashimi so we got ours (tuna and sashimi) from one of the other restos. Loved the sashimi because the pieces were big and fresh like Kikufuji’s! Same with the meats for yakiniku. They were also seasoned just right. But but but, unfortunately for me, the porkfat was overwhelming. I accidentally put one big piece in my mouth and tried to eat it coz sayang if I spit it out pa. Hehe. Wrong move. Nahilo ako. Much as I like grilled fatty parts, I can only eat really small portions. Too much makes my head ache like crazy. 😦 Good thing their salad and soup saved me from the curse of the fatty chunks. I didn’t touch the kimchi because I hate kimchi. In fact I hate all Korean food except for their barbecue and beef stew.

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We enjoyed the food with ice cold San Mig Light and Pale Pilsen. In case they serve you the new bottle of Pilsen, you can ask them to give you the classic one. ‘Yung short and stout. ‘Yung according to Dave, pang-Fernando Poe Jr. daw. Hahaha! A bottle of beer is 65php. The Tarafuku set is around 1,800php. The sashimi, probably around 300php. Food’s pricey. Beer’s cheap. Pwede. The food will definitely not disappoint and there’s always beer to make you happy!

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And we wanted to be happier so we went to Whistlestop in Jupiter for more beer because restos in Little Tokyo close at 12ish.Take note, walang FPJ bottles of Pale Pilsen in Whistlestop.

A little extra, in Japan, it’s polite to say itadakimasu before eating a meal and gochisōsama deshita after. You can also say this when you’re in Little Tokyo. 🙂

Urameshi-ya Yakiniku Restaurant
Little Tokyo Makati
2277 bet. Pasong Tamo and Amorsolo Street (beside Makati Cinema Square)
(02) 8132210

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listening to: Sak Noel – Loca People

Petra & Pilar (& Iya)

I am very lucky to be living in Makati. The roads may be headache-inducing but the places to eat (usually) make up for the migraine one gets from the traffic. I’m not even talking about restos in Rockwell or Greenbelt. There are many restos that serve great food without threatening your budget.

One of these restos is Petra & Pilar.

This “fancy carinderia” is owned by Ms. Katrina Ponce Enrile, daughter of the always-awesome Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile aka Manong Johnny. Petra is JPE’s mother and Pilar is his wife Cristina’s momma. 

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Shani and I had dinner there last night and we didn’t get to have the carinderia experience and make turo-turo the ulam served in chafing dishes, steel warmers or whatever they are called! :p We made turo-turo the yummy-sounding dishes in the menu instead.

Our nomnom picks were Tortang Talong at Kalabasa with Labahita Flakes (150php) and Croquetas de Bacalao (160php). Their bagoong rice is 35php a cup.

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We agreed that we picked a really good combo and we finished everything including the garnish. We were very satisfied with the food that we checked the menu for dishes we are going to order the next time we visit.  Crispy Kare-Kare and Baby Pusit Adobo? Sounds absolutely fantastic, right? Okay, tumutulo na ang laway ko dito sa table. Chos! :p

Anyway, going back… :p Shani had dandelion tea. Sago at gulaman for me. 40php for the tea and 45php for the sago me thinks.

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I can’t remember the price of the Leche Flan with Pudding but I do remember that it’s very creamy, rich and sweet that I wanted to cry because I couldn’t eat more than half a teaspoon. Damn sore throat and cough. 😦

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Aside from the great food, the things that I like about Petra & Pilar are:

Nice restrooms. Errr… I didn’t see the little boy’s room. Of course, I’m just assuming. :p The little girl’s room is clean kasi eh. :p

Fast wi-fi connection. I was able to play Restaurant Story and Bakery Story with ease last night, hehe. Kumakain na nga, pagkain pa rin ang nilalaro. :p

Courteous staff. Kudos to the waiters and kuya guard!

Delimondo. I must come back and get corned beef and chili-garlic oil for my Mama and Daddy. Or for my foodie friends. Or just for myself.

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Acoustic night… we actually experienced this last Valentine’s. 🙂

Delivery. Wow-wow-wow! Ayos ito. Sana mabola ko ang boss ko na magpa-deliver kami soon! Hehehe. You can call 02-8875168.

If you’d rather go here… Petra & Pilar is located at the Ground Floor of the JAKA Center Building, Export Ave. corner Pasong Tamo. Remember that Export Ave is one-way. Ganito talaga kami sa Makati. You might have a hard time parking, but the food will be definitely worth it. 😀

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listening to: Morrissey – Now My Heart is Full

I love flowers(cape)!

Still very busy with work that I haven’t had time to blog about food food food and other stuff. *teehee* Stress has been really off the charts but I have been getting by because blessings are also oh-so many! 🙂

Anyway… wow, it’s already February and one of the things I love about this month is… Valentine’s Day. Front ko lang talaga (dati) ang pagiging emo at aggro. Those who really know me can attest how much of a big sap I am when it comes to romance. :p

And when I think of romance, first that comes to mind is…

Those are the flowers I received on my 30th birthday. FYI, I love roses. White, pink, and yellow! I also like daisies! And tulips! And wildflowers! I don’t like red ones that much even if I love the color red. Oh well, just one of the weird things about me.

Almost two months have passed and the flowers are still pretty.

I still have them displayed at the corner of my room. :p

Send flowers to your loved ones this Valentine’s Day! My favorite flowershop (where my friend ordered these lovely roses) is FLOWERSCAPE. Flowerspace is located at 7561 Bagtikan Street San Antonio Village, Makati, Philippines. Contact Flowerscape with telephone number 028996178 .

Advance happy heart’s day, everyone! 😉

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listening to: Gabrielle – Dreams

First Food Post of The Year: Hao Hong Kong Diner

Wednesday night, Joko invited me to attend the MSA (Manila Surfers Association) dinner at Hao Hong Kong Diner. Being the (plate)surfer that I am, of course I said yes! I love being with our surfer friends (lifestyling!) and I love trying out new restos. At shempre, alam naman ng nakakarami na matakaw ako.

I had no idea that Hao is just in Jupiter St. Very near my office. I googled Hao and found it odd that it’s been around since the last quarter of 2011 and I only found a couple of posts about it. The diner certainly deserves a blogpost. We were there last night and we all loved the place!

There are maybe 6 or 7 tables inside. The smoking area is almost as big as the non-smoking section. It’s tastefully decorated and the feel is very chill. Ideal for a casual date or a quiet dinner with friends. But with friends like mine, ewan ko lang yung quiet part. 😛 The place closes at 2am on weekdays and 3am on weekends.

The meals are affordable and there are a lot of choices. The servings are not that big though, but it’s okay because most of the food we had were really good. The waitstaff was also friendly and helpful. There is also free wi-fi. You can check out their menu here, here, here and here. :p

Shani enjoyed the crispy pork hoisin rice topping (148php) and century egg (58php). At dahil Chinese siya, naniwala ako sa kanya. I tried the egg and it was good indeed. I also liked the pechay rice (68php), dumplings (68php) and fried tofu (68php). I chose the special soy sauce. I think I would have liked it more if I paired it with the spicy mandarin.

The hot and sour soup became Joko’s instant favorite. I also ordered it because inggitera ako. It was served piping hot and tasted quite spicy. I ate it with the lobster balls (68php). Good combo! The only food I didn’t dare touch was the Chinese chorizo pao because I do not like chorizo. It’s still part of my food hatelist, which also includes curry, macaroons and rootbeer. ^_^

Dessert was Kefir scoop with glazed pao (108php). Delish pao but the kefir was a bit disappointing. Aside from the desserts in their menu, there are also jars that have “sari-sari store” sweets like Stork, Hawhaw Milk Candy, gold coins, jelly and Flat Tops. I love that the bottles of liquor are just right behind it. Treats for the young and young at heart! :))

They have quite a selction of alcoholic beverages and I’m disappointed I only found out about this place yesterday. Had I known about Hao early December, I would have celebrated my birthday here! Our other friends arrived and I did not take note of what they ate because I was too busy Facebook-ing. :p

Lastly, I noticed all of the prices end in 8. Lucky number!!! Advance Happy Chinese New Year to all! 😀 I am very sure that I will go to Hao again. I hope to see you guys there. But I warn you, what happens in Hao never happened! Haha, this is just me quoting one of items from Hao’s Rules. You can find it on every table.

Thanks for reading my very 1st food post this 2012! Or as they say in Mandarin… xie xie! 🙂

HAO HONG KONG DINER
27 Canopus St cor Jupiter St, Makati City
(02) 478-3927

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listening to: Calvin Harris – Feels So Close

DISTRITO: The Newest Foodie Happy Place in Makati!

Because it took me almost a year to experience Mercato Centrale, I vowed (naks, how serious) that the same thing will not happen to me with Distrito. And so I attended its opening night last Friday, November 25. 🙂

Distrito is located at the Amorsolo Open Parking lot (beside Makati Med). It has food, fashion and wellness stalls but I did not see much of the last 2 in their first night of business. There were lots of food stalls that serve tacos, steaks, bibingka, dimsum, cakes, pizza and other omnomnoms but only a few that sell clothes and accessories. I actually did not notice any wellness stalls but because Ms. Cory Quirino was there, I assumed that there was one. After all, she is the queen of the World of Wellness!

Distrito opens at 9pm and closes at 3am, Wednesdays-Fridays. Shani, Vlad and I got there even before 9 and we were surprised that there were already a lot of people. Took around 15minutes before we found seats. To my left were call center looking folks. I work in a call center/BPO so trust me, I know my kind. Hehe! It’s also very likely because Distrito is very near contact centers such as People Support, Convergys and Sykes. Our company, ePerformax is 10 minutes away. To my right were college kids who prolly go to La Salle, UA&P or Endurun (or the likes). I just based my guess on how they spoke– in semi-maarte English. Semi lang. If it’s super, you know na from what school! :p I kid!!!!

Ok. Food. The orig plan was to buy from the Filipino-Mexican food truck because ever since I heard about Manila Machine from Jun Belen, I’ve always wanted to eat at a sosyal version of a Jolly Jeep! But I dunno. I didn’t feel like having a burrito or taco that night so I went around twice thrice before I deciding on pizza! And macaron for dessert! (And be a PG [patay gutom] and get some of Shani’s dimsum and Vlad’s bibingka!)

The Fire Escape Pizza Burger. I wasn’t also in the mood to eat pizza, but I liked the idea of eating something as rich and sinful as Offbeat’s Krispy Kreme Burger. Their pizzaburger I chose was The Rookie with 3 cheeses (I think, one of which was feta). I was asked if I wanted it spicy and I said, just a little. The spiciness was perfect with the cheeses. Don’t let the look of the pizzaburger fool you. It’s not a light meal. The pattie’s thick and heavy. It’s also juicy and flavorful. I didn’t really count much on this pizzaburger to wow me but it did! Kudos to the guys who started off with this as their thesis. Overheard one of them saying this to another customer! I think I’ll try the one with the mushrooms next time!

Empire Macarons. There were around 10 flavors to choose from and I chose the one with the prettiest c0lor. LEMON! That and I really like lemon! 😀 This one’s not bad at all for 35php. The texture is great and melts in your mouth. The lemon-y taste isn’t so strong too. I think it will be perfect with milk tea or black coffee or I don’t know… just not with a buco-pandan drink! Haha, I know ‘coz that’s what I had with it! :)) Other flavors of Empire Macaron according to their website are: Cookies and Cream, Chili Chocolate (ohmigosh I have to get some of these), Candied Rose and Salted Caramel.

The Taiwanese dimsums that Shani had were ok, but a little too salty. :\ Shani couldn’t finish hers so I gladly gobbled the leftovers. 😀 Buti na lang, mahilig ako sa sodium! :))

I can’t remember the name of this minced pork rice something in a Chinese take out box that Vlad bought. It’s also from the stall that they got the deep fried kuchay dumplings. Verdict: it’s ok for a hundred bucks.

The bibingka. The ricecake (small one for 65php) that Vlad waited for 15minutes was not cooked well. When I cut it, some batter oozed out. But I still liked it because the sweetness was just right. And well, the uncooked mix didn’t give me a tummy ache anyway. :p

We stayed for a bit and listened to an acoustic duo play alternative songs such as DMB’s Crash Into Me and Duncan Sheik’s Barely Breathing. More people were at Distrito by this time. Even when I got home and checked my Facebook, at least a dozen of my friends updates were about their trip to Distrito. 🙂

I’ve already told them this in person but I want to repeat it here just because.

Mr. Anton Diaz and Mr. RJ Ledesma, congratulations and thank you for Distrito. You guys are one more step close to your goal of making us all fat. 😀

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listening to: Duncan Sheik – Barely Breathing

Bagnet and Fete

8065 Bagnet is just a 5minute-walk from where I live and it took me almost 2 years to eat there. No particular reason for the delay. Baka, it was just meant to be. Hehe!

Anyway, Joko and I, before heading to Fete de la Musique, went to the hole in the wall alledgedly serving rave-worthy Ilocano deep-fried pork belly dishes.

Both of us decided on getting from the budget meal section. All budget meals come with rice and soup. The soup was plain broth with some pechay baguio, and maybe some magic because Joko kept on saying how good it was, hehe. Didn’t get to mind the soup, because I was too busy texting Eunice about what’s happening in Fete. That time, Cynthia Alexander was on stage. Tsk.

This was Joko’s Bagnet meal of choice: Original Bagnet with rice (plain upgraded to bagoong) and manggang hilaw and bagoong. 100php for the Original Bagnet meal. Cannot remember how much Joko had to add for the rice upgrade. Sola iced tea for 45php. 

105php for my Bagnet Sisig Meal and 25php for my Coke 12oz

Both of us were satisfied with our meals. The bagnet’s meat  was flavorul and not tough at all, the skin was very crunchy. I didn’t even need to get a dipping sauce of soy sauce-calamansi-chili for the sisig. It was cooked and seasoned perfectly.

Their other dishes seem golden, too. Now, if I don’t feel like getting food from Phines, Katvanria or Mang Rudy’s, I will get my lazy ass and hungry tummy to the next street and probably get their Kare Kareng Bagnet and Tortang Talong. Or their Steamed Fish in Spicy Gata (yesss they have fish and chicken dishes as well!!!). And I will have their Frozen Buco Pandan. 

And wait! Another good thing about 8065 bagnet is that they have free wi-fi! 😉 So you can easily update your Twitter, FB and Foursquare where you are and what you’re eating! :p I know, I did!

Needless to say, the trip to 8065 was a win.

Fail for the 2011 Fete.

It was hellish to get to the 7 stages because they were contained in restobars (Keg, Scarlet, Craft, Amber, Draft, Katsu, and Trio). Joko and our other friends, after skating went to Craft for the Franco set. Much as I wanted to catch the band, I opted to drink at Roadhouse with Jeeves after swearing that I will see Franco in a more pleasant venue. The only stage where I got to reminisce the joys of oldskool Fete was the one held at Arts in the City. I enjoyed the performances of Escola de Samba de Manila  and Merzhine as much as I enjoyed staying in the airconditioned VIP area faaaaaaaarrr from the not-so-fun crowd of mostly artsy yuppies and some pretentious kids.

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Thanks to Joko for the pics! 🙂

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Bagnet 8065
8065 Estrella St.,
San Antonio Village,
Makati
Tel. No. 5196511
Open Mon-Thu, Sat: 11am – 12mn; Fri & Sun: 11am – 1am

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listening to: Milburn – Cheshire Cat Smile

LOOP: What’s new on the menu?

LOOP, sister company of FEU’s Institute of Culinary Arts and Food Service just rolled out its new menu.

Here are some of the restaurant’s new dishes.

There’s Watermelon Gazpacho, Grilled Adobo Blood Sausage, Seared Tuna Japanicoise, anchovies with arugula wraps (can’t remember what it’s called, sorry),  Quesong Puti Phyllo Triangles,  and some kind of banana cake.

Creative names of dishes, so-so taste.  I think I didn’t find it spectacular because the food was already cold when I got there. Hm. The gazpacho, which was supposed to be cold, wasn’t. Didn’t work for me either. But I really liked the blood sausage and I liked that they have Sinigang Wings on the menu. Too bad, it wasn’t there when I was. Hehe. I will go there one of these days to try the wings  and *gulp* the Foie Gras Creme Brulee. The look and feel of the resto is also another reason to go back. 🙂

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Loop
FEU-Makati Building,
Gil Puyat cor Malugay St
8927970

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listening to: Enrique Iglesias – I Like It

Bunny Night + Iyayo Night

Last weekend was a trying time for me, but despite the moments of wanting to cry my eyes out and wanting to hit someone’s head with a sledgehammer, I still had moments of laughing from my friends’ crazy antics and smiling from their unmistakable love and support for me. 🙂

FRIDAY: THE BUNNY FAMILY NIGHT

I had 30mins of sleep but I couldn’t trade seeing my bunny children, Joko and Kwe for zzzz’s. We had (our second) dinner in Offbeat Cafe (with the special participation of Marie :))

I had some Bacon Fries (yes, bacon fries… sorry, I didn’t get to take a picture, na-excite ako masyado eh hahaha) and Croquettes.

Our poison of choice: Strawberry Beer, which according to Joko, “Packs a punch” and according to me, “Pucks a panch.” LOL

Kwe had the Offbeat Burger aka the Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger. Takaw mo, Baby Bunny!

More drinking at Wingman!

Mojito for me.

Blue Lemonade for Joko.

Beer for Kwe.

Also had their Deep Fried Snickers.

Our friend JR had a special participation. He’s a sign from God. LOLOLOLOL!

SATURDAY: IYAYO NIGHT

I wasn’t in the mood to eat, so I accompanied Yo to KopiRoti because she badly wanted to eat their Kaya toast.

It was my first time to try KopiRoti. So fine, I had to try something, too.

Soooo… for me, their coffee was so-so. The soft-boiled eggs tasted ok, but I really don’t like gooey eggs. Errrr…uhhhmmm… LOL. Anyhoo, I liked their Kaya toasts. 🙂 Kopi Bun next time. 🙂

No IyaYo night can be complete without alcohol. Well, except last Thursday when we went to wee Nam Kee to see out Twitter friends… Hello @pinoygossipboy! Loved spending time with you in Starbucks! Mwah!) Went to Central to see our friends Kiwi and Delight and their other friends. 🙂

Transferred to 7-11 right after Central called it a night. I didn’t want to go home until Haring Araw called it a day. :p

That’s me with Kiwi. We’ve been friends since 2003.

That’s Eunice, my FBFF (Former BFF hahaha) and Neil, our newest boybud.

And of course, I am Iya and she is Eunice aka Yo. Together, we are IyaYo! DUH. Lol.

I love my friends!!!! Thank you God for my friends. They are my constant. 🙂

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listening to: O.A.R. – Any Time Now

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