along the Laguna Lake



Laguna Lake on road coming from Paete, Pila and Caliraya

     Laguna province is large, and there is so much to see and visit.  We visited Pila for the first time, and Paete for a third in over a decade.  Paete was sad. More on that on another post.

My Provincial Life

   ...really ísn't very "provincial" anymore.  It's just that "parang probinsiya" is what we, family and friends used to sigh when we first started out here a mere two years ago.  Recalling how we spent the first six years of our married lives with the black soot of Makati near EDSA daily blanketing our things, furniture, skin, and "immunizing" our lungs makes me envy my friends who have been living here for 10-12 years average.  Their secret is out though, and things are becoming less ''probinsiya" like lately.  Come to think of it, I haven't heard any roosters at dawn, the various birds we used to see in the garden have been absent, and I haven't seen any fireflies since mid-2009. (This is getting depressing).   When the Nuvali road was built where a cogon field once was, huge snakes slithered out to the villages and birds lost their habitat.  There really is more cost than we can imagine.
  
   My husband now works in Quezon City, and comes home weekends to what he feels is a 'resort'. Note we are not even in a resort-like home, just a simple small one. The air alone is enough to recharge him. We are wondering if the air isn't the variable keeping him sniffle-free despite lack of sleep and fatigue amongst sick colleagues and family members (in the QC house) rather than just his daily intake of orange juice.



Mt. Makiling view outside two Santa Rosa Estates villages. I dread it being blocked a few years from now.

    I also quote "My provincial life" from my toddler, who had an earlier obssession with Belle of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, who sang "I want much more than this provincial life", referring to her provencal life in a leetel veelage om France.  She has aptly sung this while running across Nuvali fields, or even on the grass in the village park.  She has also happily declared "This is not my provincial life!" on her rare visits to Alabang where she stares in awe at buildings that are not even too high-rise.  This and her "probinsiyana" make up are to be blogged about in my other "mothering" site as soon as I get over raving about living in Sta. Rosa, technopark side.


Bench Depot on the left. Inside, Charles&Keith, Lyn and Pedro shoes on discount

   For now, forgive me for not getting over it. I will not get over the air over here, for as long as the views remain the same.  I can tell you it will not be long. Paseo the shopping center is shaping up to be an Alabang Town Center in design.  The grassy strips we used to run through over there, are no more. To be sure, it is a pleasant area where families frolic. While pleasantly strolling though, I feel dread, with 24 hour construction of new shops still ongoing.  So there's a Charles & Keith and Lyn's shoes discount store in the Bench Depot, but I will have to give up the view of Mt. Makiling.

Avida Estates banners, side road by Kingbee

   For now, I will remain simple and silly, laughing at my "Avida" life.  Years before we even considered moving here, possibly around 2006,  my husband and I giggled watching the "Avida" tv commercial in the cinema. It was our first time to see it, a long, computer animated ad, capturing exactly what Avida was meant to be.  A man was driving home from the office, entered his Avida village, waved at neighbors who were outside their home standing by a grill! This image just seemed funny to us at the time--so contrived, so unreal it seemed, so Stepford (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stepford_Wives). Here we are now, sharing food with neighbors, waving at friends on the street...living in an Avida tv ad!
 
   That's part of what the "probinsiya" life is like. I am sure I've mentioned this in a past post...but it's not completely a Pilipino probinsiya life, but semi-probinsiya. And it's just as good.

Solenad 2

     The landscape is changing fast.  I'm ambivalent about seeing the same retailers along the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay highway, as those in Metro Manila. On the one hand, they are known brands whose displays are more appealing than the small boutique type shops in Paseo.  Now we really don't have to go all the way to Metro Manila for them (as if we even still do).  Even Paseo 4 is obviously occupied by Stores Specialist Inc. shops.

    On the other, well, what's so unique about this area anymore. The only difference now I guess is that Solenad 2's layout resembles shopping arcades in suburban America with its open design similar to Bonifacio High Street's.  It would have been interesting to have more "Kanin Club" type places---destinations unique to the "South".  Don't get me wrong, I welcome the Pancake House/Max's/Brothers Burger/Army Navy Burger/Contís et al presence.  I suppose it is just that I get disappointed when one town is simply a clone of the rest of the Metro. It's like having the golden arches (or the bee for that matter) towering over a town's central area like a beacon to all.  Welcome, welcome to your shopping and dining comfort zone. Boring. Safe. Economically sound, to be sure. Just frighteningly unimaginative. Welcome, to anywhere shopping Metro Manila.

Philippine Sights Reed Diffusers

Here is a collection of reed diffuser oils inspired by sights in the mostly Southern Tagalog region, including of course, Laguna, and a Southern island in the Philippines.  Reed diffusers are an alternative way of making a room smell good. Rattan reeds placed upright in the bottle of oil wick up and diffuse the oil--in this case a combination of essential and fragrance oils. They do so continuously as reeds stand in the oil, eliminating the need for flames and wax as in candles and burners, or electricity as in electric burners.

"Tanawin" Reed Diffuser Oils subtly scent your space with:

Guimaras

samyo ng matamis na mangga sa natatanging isla

fragrance of sweet mangoes on the unique island

a blend of green mango and coconut

Silang

halimuyak ng hardin sa bayang luntian

fragrance of the garden in this verdant land

a blend of lemongrass, basil, and other herbs

Laguna     
simoy ng sampaguita sa lupang tinubuan

breeze of sampaguita in the land of one's birth

a blend of sampaguita and bamboo

Amadeo    
aroma ng kape sa maaliwalas na gulod ng Tagaytay

aroma of coffee in the pleasant Tagaytay ridge

a blend of coffee and vanilla

Tanawin Reed Diffuser Oils bring pleasant memories of cool Tagaytay trips, or languid Philippine beach holidays into your home.
They're available for sale in Santa Rosa, on your way back from Tagaytay, or via meet-up in Alabang.  Unfortunately they cannot be shipped as yet. They would make great resort, restaurant or shop merchandise in the Tagaytay-Silang-Sta. Rosa area.    email poeticscents@gmail.com

Forgot about Sugarhouse!

     I totally forgot about Sugarhouse when I blogged about cakes the last time.  Just goes to show how Paseo 4 can easily be overlooked when people are in Paseo 1 and vise versa. Paseo 4 also houses The Old Spaghetti House, Grilla, and seems to be practically "owned" by the Stores Specialists group what with Debenhams, M&S, Payless, and their other shops. Oh except for Ryuma, the "different" Japanese store and restaurant on the second floor. 

EK--Enchanted Kingdom!

     So after two years in Santa Rosa, I finally revisit the Enchanted Kingdom. The last time I went was ten years ago, and before that, when it was newly-opened.  EK is now 15 years old, and I honestly didn't think it would still, well, enchant.  The decision to go was impromptu--the folks were thinking of heading out to Nuvali.  But Saturday afternoon was the perfect day to avoid Solenad--a payday weekend, a very hot sunny day, and in July, balikbayan visitors season.  Also, I needed some stimulation.  Luckily, the family members agreed to go, just like that.

   I think what helped seal the deal was my having quickly checked the EK website, and finding that there is such a thing as a "Carousel Special" admission ticket. With this Php 150.00 rate, guests are free to go on unlimited rides on the Grand Carousel, the Bumbling Boulders, and the Boulderville Express.  The last two rides are mainly for young children. Since we had one young child who doesn't really qualify for many of the rides and the rest of us not too excited to ride anything really, this was the best choice. Also, it being a sudden decision made at 3:30 pm, this was the most prudent.

   The Boulderville Express

   EK has a lot of promos going on at the same time. From now until August, there is a Rainy Day Guarantee, so that when you visit and rains don't allow you to enjoy the rides, you can come back another time. Members of the AFP and their dependents are targets of another promo too. For more info, check out the website. It is also a neat, nice website. Surfing it is as pleasant as a stroll through EK. 
   http://www.enchantedkingdom.com.ph

   This is my 4th time to visit the park, and the past three times were just as unplanned, and just as enjoyable.  On my second trip, a friend and I boarded the EK bus from the junction at the Glorietta in Makati. It was a nice and easy trip and I'm certain taking their bus still would be nice.
  
    We ran into neighbors there with their friends, and that's when I realized, EK is where our children will hang out with their friends as teens!

     The people running EK are consistently pleasant. I mean, they're just right, not overly courteous or anything...just light and happy. Well, of course the ride operators were more serious, but really, everyone, down to the custodians sweeping the grounds was nice.  Hats off to them and their trainors.

     At the EK, you can go Up, Up and Away

Red Ribbon in Paseo

    So I craved some cake. Like Shakey's was the "top-of-mind" choice for pizza, Red Ribbon was, for cake.  Well, really the Mango Cream pie.  The other choices in the Paseo de Santa Rosa area are the small Goldilocks (actually, out of Paseo, across the street, next to South Supermarket), which usually runs out of cake in the evenings; Poquito Mas, which houses the former Babycakes' cakes. Babycakes are not like the commercially produced Red Ribbon and Goldilocks ones.  They're closer to homemade. Wait, I believe they are homemade. They have good cakes and not so good ones...but their cheesecakes are really good.  It's a pity they closed the quaint little coffee shop in Paseo 3 (can't blame them, that area down there is so hidden).  But I say it's still a pity, knowing they did have regulars. Two years ago we enjoyed its cuteness, the availability of coffee, smoothies and snacks, and of course cakes. 

     Back to Red Ribbon.  I so craved something from there.  But the craving was gone when I remember the terrible customer service.  I'm not alone. A "tita" complained about the loooooong wait, just to learn that there was no delivery of mango cream pie. This despite having called up previously for availability.  I have had two experiences within the shop, of serious delays.  The first experience was when I picked up two or three mamons, and took them to the counter to pay.  There were 3 women there. All with nothing to do.  And it took FOREVER for me the transaction to be completed.  I still cannot understand why.  All I remember is they were all staring at the POS machine, and just to bag the stuff took an hour.
The last time was really ridiculous. First, there are very few tables in the shop and we were practically the only customers there.  Then, there were around 4-5 staff all standing next to each other, constantly fussing over the POS machine (the cash register).  So there was absolutely no excuse for the slow, dead-looking service.  All I asked for was a glass of water...it never came, even if the request was clear.  Finally, I asked again, at the counter---actually, I reached for the pitcher, which was not on a self-service counter at all...while asking.  Someone nodded, but still, no water. They were all still fussing at the machine.

     We haven't bothered asking Red Ribbon about this. What's up?
Considering it is a Jollibee company, and is next to Jollibee...it is surprising. 
Or is this the POS Machine training room for the crew for next door? Just asking.