First things first, my aunt told me that we were going to an Airbnb in IT Park, Cebu to chill and relax there since the entire week had been so overstimulating for us. At that time, it was my nephew's first week of school and there had been so many adjustments, especially in time management, since my aunt has work and she was the only one taking care of my nephew because her husband works abroad.
Anyways, we first went to SM City and since it was lunchtime when we arrived, we looked for a good place to eat. I told my aunt I wanted to eat at Majestic Restaurant since it is my favorite Chinese restaurant, but then since it was lunchtime, there were a lot of people lining up and waiting for their tables. We were so hungry at that time because we didn’t have breakfast, so we decided to eat at the Japanese restaurant beside it called Yayoi.
It was my first time eating there since it had recently opened, so I just ordered the food that was familiar to me. My mother always told me that if I am new to a place, I should order food that is familiar because if I ordered something that only looked appetizing but I didn’t like the taste, it might go to waste. So I better order something I know I can finish, especially if I am not the one who pays for the food.
So I ordered pork tonkatsu because it is my favorite. My nephew also ordered California Maki because it’s her favorite, and my aunt added some shrimp tempura so we could try it. I expected a lot from the food because it was said to be an authentic Japanese restaurant, and it did not disappoint me. The food was so delicious! I expected the tonkatsu to be salty since the sauce looked so black, but it was actually very savory and went perfectly with the rice. It was only me, my aunt, and my nephew at that time so we didn’t order much, afraid that we might not finish it all.
After we ate, we went to the department store to buy school shoes for my nephew since her last school shoes were already small for her. I hate to think that she’s growing so fast. Kidding aside, after that we went to National Bookstore to buy school supplies for my nephew and I also bought some things I thought would be useful for me lol.
After that we grabbed some milk tea so we could have something to sip on the way to the Airbnb. We went to our second favorite milk tea shop called A Little Tea. Second favorite because our most favorite milk tea shop is Dakasi. I ordered and had it for takeout so we could drink it in the Grab taxi. Luckily, the driver was not so strict in terms of eating inside the car so we drank the milk tea there. My nephew and I like to eat or drink something when we’re riding a car, that’s why we grabbed some milk tea.
Fast forward, when we arrived at our Airbnb, it was in Avida Tower 1 in IT Park, Cebu. The ride was longer than usual because it was rush hour at that time and the traffic was so heavy, so by the time we arrived it was already around 3 pm.
My aunt told me there was a pool there and the owner of the Airbnb gave us a free pass, and luckily I brought my swimsuits. I always bring an emergency swimsuit whenever my aunt says we’re going somewhere to chill and relax because it already happened a few times before when I didn’t prepare, and I always ended up buying new swimsuits. So from then on I realized I have to always prepare for my aunt’s unexpected plans. The reason why we always go to an Airbnb that has a pool is because my nephew always loves to swim.
We swam for a while until evening. The staff told us that their pool was open until 10 pm so we could swim as much as we wanted to. The place was so nice since at that moment there were only a few people swimming in the pool, mostly kids. I love it when it isn’t so crowded in a pool so I can fully enjoy swimming.
We didn’t stay there for too long. When it was already evening, we went outside to find something to eat. Since the Airbnb was just across Sugbo Mercado (a famous food market in Cebu), we went there to check out the different foods the market had to offer.
When we got there, I was so overwhelmed because there was so much food to choose from. My aunt bought sushi for my nephew and I looked around and saw some cheese coin and tanghulu and bought some. I forgot to take a picture of the tanghulu but it was so crunchy and sweet.
But my favorite was the cheese coin. It was yummy and you can literally pull the cheese as you take a bite. I saw some people on the internet saying that the cheese coin was a scam, but I think it’s because they didn’t eat it warm. I figured out that in order for you to pull the cheese as you bite, you have to eat it warm and fresh. If you let it sit for a while you may not be able to pull the cheese. The sellers even give instructions on how to eat it for a better experience.
In my case, since I bought it for takeout and ate it when we arrived at the room, I microwaved it for 3-4 minutes, just enough to warm it. And when I took a bite, I literally pulled the cheese, and I was so happy like it was an achievement for me lol.
My aunt decided that we eat dinner at a restaurant nearby Sugbo Mercado since it was so crowded there and there was no table available. We went to this restaurant nearby.
We stayed there for a couple of minutes after eating to have small conversations. My aunt told me her stories about when she used to work as a call center agent at IT Park. She said it was the most tiring yet unforgettable experience during her youth. She worked at 3 different companies in IT Park, part-time when she was a student and full-time when she stopped going to school.
After that, we decided to head back to our Airbnb to rest. We ended the evening by binge-watching movies.
And that’s pretty much how my day went. It was one of those simple yet meaningful days that I really enjoyed. Sometimes it’s not about going to far places or spending too much money, but just about spending quality time with the people close to you, eating good food, and enjoying the little things. Days like this are what I call my kind of productive rest day.
That’s all for my blog. Thank you for spending a little time reading about my day. It was simple yet memorable, and I’m glad I got to share it here. Till my next blog, see you Hivers!