I was cursed with short lashes and this is one of my many firsts in life. The first attempt was on my debut but it was a failure. My stylist couldn't put the fake lashes on me to the point of losing my patience and giving up. I was getting late for my party. And that's when I started to distance myself from them.
But when the day came for my trial bridal make-up, it would be my second encounter with false eyelashes. It was Paul and Carol's wedding and it was my chance to experiment on the look that I want for our big day. And that is why my stylist suggested to put fake eyelashes. I was apprehensive at first. I can still remember how uncomfortable it felt, like the adhesive was made of epoxy and the material of the lashes was made of hard plastic. But he assured me that what he would put on me would be lighter than before and putting it on would be easy. He was right. Though there was still a slight feeling of uneasiness, it was bearable. And I never knew how fake eyelashes could brighten up one's eyes especially for someone like me with "chinky" eyes. Somehow my Chinese roots were lost in those faked wide eyes. The whole trial make-up was a great success. I absolutely loved how I looked the entire day. Yes, I was made-up at 10:00AM, done by 11:00AM, was at the wedding ceremony by 1:00PM and on I went to the reception until it was time to go home at 11:00PM. My make-up was still intact. Super cool. For the first time, I loved make-up.
When I arrived home, I didn't want to clean my face just yet. And I forgot to ask my stylist on how to remove the fake eyelashes. It was my first time by the way. A lot of concerns crossed my mind, "How will I remove them?", "Should I just pull them out?","What if I pull out my eyelashes in the process?","Would it hurt?". These are some of the things that bothered me 'cause I failed to ask my stylist on how to remove them. And so, I braved the consequences and pulled them out slowly but surely. Nothing tragic happened--there wasn't a single eyelash out of place.
I couldn't part with the fake eyelashes right away. I caught myself examining them like a curious toddler. I decided to play with them for a while. And here's what I came up with. 
Pretty, right? Hahaha... This Saturday, I'll be having another trial bridal make-up with another stylist. I'm looking forward to it. 'Til my next update... my fake eyelashes are signing off.
After a birthday snack at our good friend Jeffrey's party, we made our way to Duterte Street for dinner at Grub Resto-Cafe. Louie, me and six of our other guy friends, wanted to find out what delicious grub this restaurant has to offer. Once we stepped inside the place, I couldn't help but notice the crisp and clean ambience and concentrate on that for a second. It gives a homey feeling and a warm sense of comfortable dining.
Looking around, I see a number of wooden tables and wooden benches, all of which, were almost filled up with customers. There are also dining tables and chairs where families eat together and share food on the table. We finally settled for a long table near the entrance. It's the biggest available space they have at that moment.
Our waitress was accommodating. When asked what is the restaurant's specialties, she confidently said the Dino Chops is a favorite and so is the Crispy Spring Chicken. It didn't take much persistence from her to order Dino Chops and Fish and Chips in Supersizes. These entrees are served with a cup of brown rice each.
When the Dino Chops arrived, it wasn't that supersized. It was barely enough for 7 hungry guys and a gal. We ordered a second serving, of course. The Dino Chops was alright. It's priced at Php300.00 which for me, is enough for an entree that can be shared by 5 (if all male) and 6 or 7 (if all female). The Fish and Chips on the other hand, is not impressive. For one, there's no distinct taste and the dip of ketchup and mayonnaise is ordinary. I was impressed though, that they use brown rice. It was my first time to eat such although it wasn't a giant leap of a difference from the kind of rice that we eat at home.
They also have homemade goodies such as atchara, wild berry preserve and banana muffin. I ordered take-out for banana muffins and to eat for breakfast.
Grub Resto-Cafe has good food for group gatherings especially families. Although it's a bit pricey, I would like to eat there again 'cause it's a great place to do some catching up.
Last night, we had our late dinner at a new restaurant. It has nice interiors, cozy ambience and well-lit dining areas. We came to Kusina Selera found in Legaspi Suites at Legaspi Street. We left full and satisfied but not so impressed with the food. Well, I think they're still at a hit-and-miss stage.
They serve Filipino dishes. Food that you would also enjoy at home but is just much more comforting to eat at their restaurant. Our appetizer was the pomelo salad. It's a toss of chunks of pomelo, slices of tomatoes, unripened papaya and nuts on top swimming in a boat dish of fish sauce (patis). My first impression is that the tangy-ness of the pomelo is overpowering and made the other ingredients useless. But the nuts makes it interesting and I like that the fish sauce isn't so overpowering. You'll hardly even notice that it is what it is.
Our entrees are Bistek Selera and Boneless Crispy Chicken. My sister also ordered the Steak Rice. To start with, Bistek Selera was my order. This dish is good for two. It is like Bistek Tagalog but the catch is there are breaded onion rings on top. Well, that's what the description said but we didn't get the breaded ones, only the usual onion rings. This, however, I realized after we have finished eating it and found it too late to bring to their attention. Next is the Boneless Crispy Chicken. According to our waiter, it's a favorite among their customers and I agree. It's delicious. My only concern was that it's a bit pricey to pay for a half fried chicken on a sizzling plate with gravy. I don't think it can be shared by two. It's like Bigby's Chix Ahoy but I must say, Kusina Selera's tastes better. And finally, the Steak Rice was my sister's order. It's literally sauteed rice with tenderloin tips. This dish is so-so. Although unique in its taste, I wasn't blown away. And the price again, in my opinion, is not worth it even if it has tenderloin tips. However, this can be shared by two but it wouldn't change my opinion on the pricing. It's still expensive.
I think the Dabawenyos' taste have evolved through the years. You'll see classy restaurants popping here and there. They are flanked by Dabawenyos at first but then die down after a while. That's our culture. We try something new but we almost always go back to the familiar taste. But I still do hope that Kusina Selera will eventually turn into a go-to place, somewhere we can all be familiar with. And I would most definitely eat there again because there are many dishes I haven't tried yet. My taste buds are craving for their desserts.
