CRISTINE FARINAS

I have a confession to make. I am 37 and I am a POPSTER. I first heard of Sarah Geronimo in 2003. I was on my home to Zambales from the airport when my cousin played "To Love You More" on the car stereo and he asked me if I knew who sung the song. And because I have always been a fan of Celine Dion, I said it was her. But apparently, it was 14-year old Sarah Geronimo. I was amazed by her rendition of the song, so I became an instant fan. I don't  think I even need to elaborate on why I so love this girl. Just by looking at her pretty face and listening to her voice, you will know why. For now,  I just want to share her latest single Ikot-Ikot which has been my Last Song Syndrome (LSS) for the last two days. It's a very good anthem. And I am so glad that she's finally back in ASAP 18. Now, I have a reason to watch the show again. Naks, fan mode lang ang peg ko. tintin x

I am a recently converted oyster fan. I never liked fresh oysters because they look weird and smell like the sea (obviously). But because my friends are into it, I thought I'd try and see what happens. The first time I ate oysters, I had what it felt like food poisoning. So I promised myself never to eat oysters again. But then again, some promises are meant to be broken. It's really hard to keep a promise especially if you are constantly being thrown into the same thing- just like eating oysters.  Since we discovered the oysters at Borough market two years ago, we have been going there at least every other weekend, so it was difficult for me not to give those monsters a second chance. Watching those oyster loyalists eat like it's the most delicious food on earth made me so jealous. So when I tried it again this time, I couldn't eat just one. I had four and yes, I wanted more but I didn't want to overdo it. There are two oyster stalls in Borough market, but

I came across scones about 9 years ago when I visited Cornwall. Since then it has become my favourite Afternoon Tea treat. So far, I have tried scones from Harvey Nichols, Marriott hotel, Le Pain Quotidien, Balthazar , Sainsbury's and High Tea of Highgate. Among those places, my least favourite is Le Pain Quotidien. The scones I had over there was not only hard, but the cream they used was more of like what you would put on your hot chocolate. In other words, it was not clotted cream. On the other hand, my favourite scones so far are the ones from High Tea of Highgate . One of my friends introduced me to this little teashop in the heart of Highgate Village 2 years ago. And although I have been to other cafes after that, I would always go back to High Tea, not only for their scones but also for the cosiness of the place. Whether you would like an "alone time", catch up with friends or have a good tea-time experience, High Tea is the place to be. High Tea's sco

A couple of weeks ago, my friend invited me to run the  Women's Running  10k race at Finsbury Park. I was hesitant at first because I have already ran 10k before, so I wanted to level up. But then I heard the bad news that my good friend's cousin has been diagnosed with a throat Cancer. I wanted to help in any way I can so I decided to run so I could raise funds for her, and of course so I could run for Keith again. Although I only live 8 minutes away from the park, I turned up late because I had to wait for my friend. By the time I got to the park, the race has started but my friend hasn't turned up. Worst of all, I was not ready. I have not put my chip and my number on, so Don was getting really angry at me. My friend eventually turned up and we started the race on our own. We were 6 minutes late but I felt really special. The lady in black looked familiar but I couldn't remember her at that time, then I later on thought that it could be Nell McAn

I can't believe that it's been three years since our last trip to Greece. It was the year 2010 when we did a lot of traveling. We gave traveling a miss this year because we're preparing for something big, but as soon as we get things sorted, I'm sure our itchy feet will be back on track. It was September 2010 when we decided to visit Greece. In fact, we only wanted to go to Santorini, but since air fares to Santorini were quite expensive, we looked for cheaper alternatives. We found a cheap flight from Bristol to Heraklion, Crete. So from there we took the ferry to Santorini. As we didn't really plan our trip to this place ahead, we only managed to visit a few places. Our hotel wasn't exactly in the centre of town but it was close enough, about 15-20 minutes walk. It was also about 6km or 10 minutes bus ride to Knossos. The Knossos is an archeological site and is considered as the oldest city in Europe. It is located about 5km south of Heraklion.

The macaron I used to know is made up of desiccated coconut and is baked like cupcakes. But a few years ago, I was introduced to the French macaron, which instantly became my favourite. Honestly, I have only ever tasted the macarons from Laduree and the Turkish shop in Piccadilly Circus. Until of course a month ago when I touched base with an old friend A. I came across her macarons through her sister's instagram. The photos looked very convincing that those macarons are a "must try". So I immediately contacted A and asked her how to get hold of those yummy-looking macarons. Luckily, we now both in London so it was easy to meet up.  For a "taste-test", I ordered pistachio, malteaser, salted caramel and yema. A added two blueberry for me to try. Sorry Laduree, but I now have chosen Petit Sarap over you. Not only that it's cheaper of course, but it's also less sweet yet flavourful. I also like the fact that they're incorporating Pinoy fl

Saturday (August 17), was Keith Ashley's second birthday in heaven. He would have been 13.  I was not planning anything for his birthday because I was feeling so low. Besides, I have made the 28 th of January (the day he left us) the official K Lighter Day. So all I wanted to do was go to church and light up a candle for him. But since I have amazing friends and an ever inspiring angel, my gloomy day  instantly  turned into a K Lighter Day. After crying buckets the night before, I was woken up  at 7am by the sound of  Keith’s favourite song “Lighters”,  which has been my alarm sound for over a year now.  It wasn't that bad when I woke up because I received a message from my sister-in-law that Keith's friends were at home. Somehow, knowing that his friends kept the tradition of having lunch at home on Keith's birthday made me feel better. I managed to speak to them via wechat for a bit and then I went on to do my own tradition in remembering our beloved K