Life, Day by Day

Anyone who likes to shop (me) for bargains and other interesting but affordable stuff should be familiar with DAISO Japan store. When they opened in Robinson's Place Bacolod in December 2012, little did I know that it was a store that catered to my heart.  Obviously, I am a regular shopper and so when I saw that it closed, you can imagine my anxiety attack.  I was told however that they were undergoing some renovation and will reopen soon with a bigger and better store. What a relief!

I first heard of UNIQLO watching a news documentary about 2 or three years ago.  Back then, I thought it was just another retail store trying to make it big in the world market. When a branch opened in Manila and friends would rave about the clothing the store sells, I became curious.  Of course, not being fond of Manila, I never really got to shop in their branches there. Fast forward to June 15, 2016 when Negros Bloggers were invited for a press tour and VIP shopping as a preview to their grand opening on the 17th of June. Well, folks...it was love at first try !

Negros Occidental comprises one of the two provinces of the recently created Negros Island Region, the other being Negros Oriental. I have been to many provinces and cities around the country but I dare say that Negros Occidental is indeed the sweet spot in the Philippines.  Being a native of this place, people will say I am biased. Well, perhaps I am, but it is also a fact that in a country with wet and dry spells, with typhoons and heavy rains on one hand and drought on the other bringing havoc to everyone's life and property, Negros Occidental is blessed with relatively good weather the whole year round.  This is only one of the many reasons why it is consistently voted as one of the best places to live in the country. In fact, Bacolod City in Occidental Negros was voted the most livable city in the Philippines by MoneySense Magazine in 2008, while Dumaguete City, capital of Oriental Negros has been listed in 2015 by Huffington Post as one of the best places to retire...

I drive everyday and let me just say that driving in the Philippines (and Negros Occidental in particular) is enough to give any rational human being several ulcers! I believe that the following information when driving in the Philippines are important things to know. The Filipino driver as a rule (to be fair there are exceptions like me, for example) must be all or any the following:

Driving in the highways of Negros Occidental and in the streets of Bacolod City can make a person crazy or delusional. Take me for example…a perfectly rational, calm and collected person most of the time…but when I’m driving there are many moments that I would have this big urge of getting out of my vehicle and become a traffic enforcer or a policeman or an LTO officer even for just a day. Why? Because I want to be able to catch these traffic violators that cross my path!

photo taken from the Facebook page Celebrate the Chinese New Year at Vikings and enjoy their promo for those born in the Year of the Monkey. I am a Fire Monkey and this is my year!

A few months ago while waiting for my new tires to be mounted, I decided to bring my 81 year old mother to one of the newer restaurants in town, KUYA J, and surprise, surprise...she liked it!  This was great news because as she is getting on in years, my mom's taste buds have changed, and more often than not, eating has become like a chore for her. She was also very picky when it comes to eating out. And so it was a joy to see her enjoying the food and eating with gusto the dishes set before her.  I was so tempted to shout, Hurray for Kuya J !  This family oriented restaurant that serves authentic Filipino dishes, began in Cebu and is now one of the fastest growing chain of restaurants in the country.