Today's Word: Philippians 4:8

What runs in your mind at this moment? The mind is so prolific it can produce so many ideas at such a magnificent speed. Sometimes, the mind becomes so busy at work it results in our lack of sleep. You know, right? This is especially true when our thoughts cause us to worry. The things that we think of are sometimes good, and sometimes, bad - the negative ones. As Christians, however, we know that we should fill our minds only with good thoughts - with what is right before God and beneficial to others and ourselves. The Apostle Paul  says this in his letter to the Philippians. So, let us discipline ourselves and our minds and think only of what is praiseworthy. God bless you today.  

                                                    (Thank you, Crosscards and Jesus.org for this picture)

Amo Yamie Crib and Movie House: Perhaps U-belt's hippest hangout

Before 2014 became history, I was happy to discover a nice, new place for hanging out at the University Belt Area in Manila. Amo Yamie Crib and Movie House had just opened then, not even a month old, and me and my daughter hauled off ourselves there right after she saw it on Facebook. And we were happy finders that weekday afternoon. The place was cool, hip, with a totally different concept from most places we'd been to. I was in awe as we stepped inside - there were many small rooms that were like.. well, cribs - one on top of another, with groups of friends huddled in each one, sitting on the floor (you'd have to leave your shoes outside, by the way) and eating on a small, low table. How cozy each room, err, crib, looked! Perfect for a barkada hanging out after classes, chatting away the time. There was quite an extensive menu of drinks but not so much 
food - only snacks that included waffles, burger, cakes, tacos and nachos. 
No heavy meals here, no pasta, no rice and viands.
Anyway, these were our orders:

Taco 

Mini burgers with fries

Strawberry Waffle 

Cafe Latte

'Jack and Jelly'

I was impressed by everything that we had except for the waffle. My taco was soo yummy it just might be the best I've had in a long time. It was meaty, crunchy, delicious and filling. The burger was good, too, and fun to eat because of their miniature size. The waffle failed to impress me, though, because I had just eaten 
a really good one somewhere. Hehehe..

The 'cribs'

 

Entrance

Anyway, as their name says, Amo Yamie includes a movie house which is a separate unit in the same building, just a few steps away from the food and drink place. There are several rooms of different sizes. One can accommodate a couple or up to four persons while some may hold a bigger group of about 20 people. It can be rented for P500 (or was it P550?) for two hours for movie-watching, and there's already unli-popcorn for the group.
Nice, right? 

Movie room

My daughter and I had a great time eating and hanging out at Amo Yamie. The food and drinks were generally good, service was friendly and the prices, just right - pretty affordable for students. I give the highest mark to the ambiance, however, because I totally liked how homey and cozy each "crib" was and how cool it was to spend time there eating and drinking and just hanging out with friends or family.  I definitely want to bring my whole family here for some bonding time eating and watching a movie. 
Amo Yamie Crib and Movie House is at the 2nd Floor of Gordi Plaza Building on Legarda St. near the corner with C.M. Recto Ave. in Manila. 

Today's Word: Jeremiah 29:11

Today, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is on his 4th day here in the Philippines. Although I'm not a Catholic, I agree with most of his universal messages that he gave to Filipinos in his different engagements, especially the one that concerned the family. He said the family is the most important wealth of the nation and the people must defend it. I was also touched by the comfort he gave to the victims of typhoon "Yolanda" in Tacloban, seeing them weeping as he delivered his message. He told them that even in their suffering as they lost loved ones and properties, Jesus was with them and never left them. 

We all suffer at some points in our lifetime. All people have troubles. And when we're in the midst of it, we tend to think God has forgotten us. But Jeremiah 29:11 tells us the Lord has good plans for our lives, and He does not want harm to befall us. Some time ago, I suffered depression and this verse was one of those that helped me pick up the pieces and begin to feel the joy of the Lord. I hope to share this verse and the hope, love and joy of the Lord to anyone having troubles. Know that whatever you're going trough, God is right there with you, ready to comfort you, 

improve your situation and give you a future 
God bless you.. 

                                             (Thank you, BibleStudyTools and Jesus.org for this photo)

Maginhawa St. Gastronomic Walk #5: Artsy Cafe

Last week, or days before 2014 gave way to 2015, I had a new foodie place discovery in my favorite street - Maginhawa in Quezon City (what else could it be? lol.) It's Arsty Cafe - that cutesy, whimsy place that's very Instagram-worthy - both the place and the food. The country-style decors and the way they serve food using cute, colorful dishes will have you clicking away with your camera, that's for sure. Given this, it's a bonus that what you eat tastes good! Haha! I was at Artsy Cafe with a friend last week and again, yesterday with my sister and niece. I so enjoyed being there on both occasions. These were what we ordered: 

Club Decker, P150. 

Bolognese pasta, P100. 

Chicken Wrap with fries, P145. 

Mojos, P95. 

Chicken Barbecue, P150. 

Espresso Panna Cotta, P80. 

Brewed Coffee, P80. I so loved how this is served. The cute ceramic cow holds the milk. 

Mint Calamansi, P50.  

Strawberry Mango Tea, P40. 

Menu  

The wooden box where they put the bill and the customer puts money when paying

                                                                          Interiors

Counter 

The hallway leads to the restroom 

Even the restroom is artsy. Lol.

 Patio

Artsy Cafe is at 36 Maginhawa St. in Diliman, Quezon City

The clubhouse sandwich is very good and filling and the fries that came with it is exceptionally yummy - the breading has the right blend of spices, not at all salty. A sprinkling of parmesan cheese added some yum. And each cut is big - perfect for munching! The bolognese pasta could be a favorite among kids because it's close in taste to spaghetti. I liked that its sauce is Pinoy-style in flavor - a little sweet, with almost no sour note. My niece liked her Chicken Wrap and was pleasantly surprised when she first bit into it - the filling was cold, obviously coming straight from the fridge. I had a bite, too, and had happy recall of the cold sandwiches our nun college dean used to make and sell to us students, which I relished. The chicken barbecue is the only thing I disliked at Artsy Cafe 'coz it's much too sweet! The chicken itself was good. It was the sauce poured over it that was way too sweet for me. 

Anyway, the Espresso Panna Cotta was the one thing we sooo loved - very soft, smooth on the mouth and just a bit sweet your taste buds won't easily get tired (the "sawa"factor) of it. I enjoyed this dessert to the hilt. The drinks that we had washed down everything so well. The Mint Calamansi was very refreshing - you could even munch on the fragrant mint leaves that make you think you're chewing on Juicy Fruit gum. The Strawberry Mango Tea is not to be outdone - very comforting to the tummy. It was very aromatic, fruity and delicious. But my brewed arabica coffee made me dish out the longest "mmmmm!". It was so good and in fact, perfect - not too strong, just of the right kick. I order brewed coffee in all places I go to where it's available and I rarely liked theirs. I'm happy that coffee at Artsy Cafe was really good - worth coming back for! By the way, there is a number of choices 

when you order brewed coffee here aside from Arabica - there's also Macadamia, 

Butterscotch (which sounds good!) , Kalinga, and several others. 

Oh well, there are so many things I would want to come back here for. See you there, guys, one of these days. You definitely gotta eat at Artsy Cafe, too! 

Note (Sept. 21, 2019): This place has been permanently closed.

New beginnings

My father passed away on the first day of this new year, 2015. He was cremated on the 4th. It's a sad way to welcome the New Year, I know, but I'm comforted by the fact that my earthly father is now the company of the Lord. Five days before his passing, one of the pastors in our church, the Cathedral of Praise, visited my dad in the hospital and led him in a prayer of repentance and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. This brought me great relief and assurance! 

God is good indeed! 

As we're now into a brand new year, let us renew our minds and hearts as well. Was the past not so good in our lives in terms of relationships, finances, career? The Lord says let us not dwell on it for He is creating something new! We have hope in our great God and let us trust in Him to bring us into the next level, in a situation far better than the present. The Lord loves us so much that He wants us to live a live of prosperity and happiness through His guidance. 

God bless you.

                                                       (Photo credit: cbnasia.org)