Mom Violy had been craving lobster but was hesitant to try dining at Burger & Lobster. She mentioned the restaurant to a family member, who said the food was delicious but pricey. She told Carmina she wanted to eat there for lunch on Saturday, January 3rd. Since it was the new year, we decided to explore and try something different. Many tables had reservations, but they also accepted walk-ins, just like we did today. Our server handed us the menu. Carmina already knew what she wanted to order: BBQ Beef Ribs for 1,190 pesos ($20.17). Mom Violy and a family member decided to share the Combo One at B&L for 5,290.00 pesos ($89.66), along with garlic rice for 90.00 pesos ($1.53). A family member ordered an Atomic Burger for 695.00 pesos ($11.78) along with a Lobster Mac & Cheese for 990.00 pesos ($16.78). One of the perks of everyone ordering something different is getting to sample each other’s dishes. Everyone left happy and full, with some leftovers to take home. The port...

  Mom Violy told me she wanted to order the Paella Negra from Dean & Deluca. Carmina suggested we dine in since we’d never really tried their main courses, always just getting takeout with the cream puffs . Mom Violy agreed, and we arrived about thirty minutes before the lunch rush began. The service was very slow, even though we had ordered ahead of time. They mistakenly brought out the Paella Valenciana , despite Mom Violy repeating the order three times to the person who took it. It turned out the cook on duty made the error, even though it was written down clearly. We know Paella Negra takes a long time to prepare, which is why Mom Violy had requested it to be cooked beforehand. She wanted it as her main meal, but because of the mix-up and feeling hungry, she took a piece of Carmina’s Turkey Club Sandwich and asked for the bacon on the side. I didn’t expect the turkey to be just one piece, and the bread was toasted so hard that it removed one layer of the sandwich. Since ...

Carmina became serious about her YouTube channel in 2023 and realized she needed to understand how everything worked behind the scenes. Over time, she learned in many ways, exploring both the inside and outside of the platform. She often joined random live streams without knowing the host, just to see if they had anything in common. Watching their videos sparked curiosity about how they were during live streaming, encouraging her to explore more. Her channel started small, and in the Filipino community , a small channel is often referred to as being in grade school or having a small “ Bahay ” that needs more visitors—or subscribers. She appreciated those who helped grow her channel but learned the hard way that not everyone who subscribes genuinely watches her content. Reaching 1,000 subscribers was a roller coaster, with numbers going up and down, which could be discouraging, but she kept posting long videos, improving her expression, and finding ways to move forward. She avoided live...

Mom Violy and Carmina attended the viewing of a family member who had passed away. During the reception, a relative mentioned there was food being served, and Leny told us someone had given them cheese mamon to try. Mom Violy brought up other bakeries, but Leny encouraged her to taste it and see what she thought. Leny gave us so many mamon to take home that the next day, Mom Violy asked Carmina to find out the bakery’s name. When Carmina messaged Leny, the names Mom Violy suggested didn’t seem quite right. Leny explained it was near Mom Violy’s home, which was true— Segovia's Cake & Recipes , located at 7 M.A. Reyes Street , Little Baguio , San Juan City, Philippines . Carmina shared the bakery’s Facebook page so Mom Violy could call and reserve her own mamon before visiting. When Mom Violy called, she was told they had many orders due to the Christmas season and should visit in person. They also sold other baked goods. Despite the rainy weather, Carmina took Mom Violy to Sego...