Me time.

I miss being stressed. My last job was doing P.R., photography and design for a hotel. I can say I was seriously stressed for about 2 years and a half, that I was literally growing white hair. Lol. Anyways, back in those days I had a few de-stressing routines - one of which I did today. I'm not really stressed out, only bored perhaps. But since my two best friends declined my lunch invitation and I needed to remove my red polish for the big wedding in two days, I visited UCC Cafe Terrace at the Forbes Town Center and made an appointment at the Neo Spa nearby.

UCC is one of the few Japanese coffee shops in the country. UCC, by the way, stands for Ueshima Coffee Company (Ltd.). They have really good coffee, but quite expensive compared to Starbucks, which i lurv. Their menu also includes salads, sandwiches, pasta, curries and rice dishes. I'm not much of a big fan of their coffee and food though, as I am of their location. Their al fresco dining area used to have a slight view of the Manila Golf and Country Club, but now I only see a green wall, construction to my left and STI on the right. Lol. Nevertheless, I still like hanging out here because there aren't much people (sometimes) and the place is simply conducive for some pagmumuni and writing. I have, so far, been satisfied with their food and service as well. And if you're lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of Jaza with his biker friends on weekends. Lol. I'm always starstruck when I see him, swear. For lunch today, I had iced cappuccino and a chicken wakadori salad. (Photo: Courtesy of southbound.ph)



Afterwards, I walked towards Neo Spa to have my mani-pedi. Although the price is slightly higher than the usual salon price, I don't mind paying the extra for some spa environment and privacy. It's suuuper relaxing that one can easily doze off and wake up with a cup of hot tea beside you. The receptionist and the masahistas are really nice and friendly. Here comes the big BUT... since I don't really paint my nails that much, this is a good place for some cleaning and maintenance. If you're after color, they don't have that much variety. Plus they're not as good in painting your nails as the girls in Dashing Diva are. I believe my left thumbnail smudged the minute I stepped out of the salon. Grrr. That never happened to me in DD - they make sure you leave with smudge-proof nails. Well, Neo Spa is a spa, not a nail salon. So there you go. But this is definitely my top choice for a good massage. (Photo: Courtesy of neo.ph)