Valentine's 2014 (L&L x Purple Sole PH GIVEAWAY!) -CLOSED

Last Valentine's day, me and my friends-- being the single ladies that we are, went for a group date at Hotel H20 here in Manila. It's one of the most wonderful places I've ever been to (or maybe because I don't really travel a lot lol). The sunset is spectacular and will definitely leave you in awe. We also had an eat-all-you-can buffet at the Liquid Pool and Lounge Restaurant, which, I will blog soon. I didn't feel even a tad bit of bitterness (okay, maybe a little haha) during that day because I firmly believe that Valentine's day isn't only for lovers, but also for everyone who has every inch of love in their life-- whether love for family, friends, or self. 

I was completely in a good mood to have a Valentine outfit scheme by focusing on florals and red, and you could tell by the way I dressed that I was totally digging the whole Valentine-esque vibe. My Valentine look isn't complete without wearing a pair of red sandals. This beautiful pair of bright red sandals from Purple Sole PH definitely screams for L.O.V.E., and it swept me off my feet in a heartbeat when I first saw it. I love how the gold studs added an extra oomph, it made the sandals look chic and classy. This is the perfect go-to shoes for any event, be it casual or formal, plus, it is also very comfy! I can walk in it forever! You can check Purple Sole PH on Instagram for a variety of gorgeous shoes you can wear from day to night. I swear by it, they have the best locally made shoes. The styles and designs are very stylish and well put together. Not to mention that they're very affordable too! And guess what? THEY SHIP WORLDWIDE! A+mazing, isn't it? And to celebrate the Love Month, here's an exciting giveaway for you! Keep browsing to know more how to enter the giveaway!

Outfit details:

Top: Grab n Brag It | Blazer: Zhe' Closet | Bag: Charlie | Shoes: Purple Sole PH

GIVEAWAY!!!

I'll be giving away TEN (10) GIFT CERTIFICATES WORTH 250 PESOS EACH to TEN (10) of my readers! FIVE (5) will be chosen via Rafflecopter and the other FIVE (5) will be chosen by commenting below your favorite food! (I'm random like that haha) You can enter in BOTH categories and you can comment/join as many times as you like! More entries, more chances of winning!

MECHANICS:

1. Follow Purple Sole PH on Instagram

2. Follow me on Instagram: @rinaignacio and Twitter: @itstheRthing (If you don't have these accounts, it's very easy to make one!)

3. Tweet about the giveaway: "Win 10 Purple Sole PH GC's worth 250 pesos each on www.rinaignacio.blogspot.com!"

4. Comment your name, Instagram & Twitter Username, and your favorite food on the comment box below

REMEMBER: You need to follow ALL the rules to win!

Join the Rafflecopter below! Goodluck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends on March 3, 2014! This giveaway is open for Philippine residents only.

Food Files: Matgalne Korean Restaurant

Photo from Matgalne Korean Restaurant's Facebook page

Welcome to the new segment of Labels and Lattes, which, I ingeniously named "Food Files". Lol. I know, I know. Not really that creative but trust me, you would gag on the thought of the other names that popped into my head. Haha. If you haven't noticed yet, this is my first time to write an actual food review on this blog. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I suppose this is the perfect time to post it to give you ideas of some sorts on where to bring your special someone or friends on that magical day. Lol. I'd try my best to make this short and snappy so let's begin, shall we?

I've been craving for Korean food for quite sometime and since I have tried almost every Korean restaurant/eatery around my area, I wanted to dine and experience a different one, for a change. My friend Joan, who is a huge fan of anything Korean, suggested we eat at Matgalne Korean Restaurant located at Makati City. By merely browsing through some tempting photos of their menu, I can hardly say no! So me, Joan, and my other friend Daphne (who is literally my food buddy for we always eat after class lol) went to Matgalne and overwhelmed ourselves with various Korean foods! Matgalne Korean Restaurant is well-known for its healthy and high-quality eat-all-you-can Korean buffet. For a very affordable price of P299 (with unli pork, add 100 for unli beef) for lunch and P399 (with unli pork and beef) for dinner, you'd be able to have a taste Korea's most impeccable dishes.

Plates and utensils

Kimbap. aka the Korean Sushi. Of course I had to post this first because this is my favorite! I could eat this all day, everyday! It is a steamed rice with a mixture of other ingredients such as veggies, rolled in dried laver seaweed.

Fish fillet. I like it but I could've enjoyed it more when it was still hot and crispy. We arrived around 3:30pm and they're about to serve dinner at 5:30pm so it's kinda our fault heehee. But still, I hope they're re-heated.

Kimmari or seaweed roll. This is also one of my faves. I think it's a Japchae rolled in seaweed. I personally love this dish and I ate tons of it. Lol.

Turon. One of the favorite meriendas of the Filipinos. At first I didn't recognize it, maybe because we are used to eating this heavily coated with caramelized sugar. And because I love anything sweet, I still prefer the turon with sugar, heehee.

Veggies. I don't know what these are exactly called but they just all look like mixed vegetables to me. Haha. Although I must say, I like how the veggies were cooked. And the uncooked ones, I think they're supposed to be included with the pork and beef brisket that you'll be grilling.

Onion rings. Enough said.

Ham Jeon. Basically, this is just like a hotdog chopped and coated with egg and herbs. But guess what? I ate almost half of what you can see in that serving plate. Haha! True story, though.

Tofu.

Zucchini Jeon. Same as Ham jeon, but instead of ham/hotdog, it's zucchini. (okay, what did I just say that's totally nonsense. Lol!) You don't say?

Mushroom Jeon. A pancake-like korean dish made mostly of eggs and flour with mushroom.

Gyeran Mari or Korean rolled omelette.

Grilled pork.

Sweet Potato Glazed with Caramelized Sauce. Among all the desserts, this is what I like the most. It has just the right amount of sweetness. Caramelized sauce = heaven.

Sweet Potato balls. I love how the outer part of this dessert was nicely fried while the inner part was very soft and bursting with flavor.

Are you salivating yet?? Lol!

Verdict: I like it but I'm not really that crazy about it. Still, I would absolutely recommend it for all of you who wants to experience a good Korean cuisine for an inexpensive price. P299, are you kidding me?? It's a good steal! The ambiance of the restaurant is relaxing as well and good for chitchats; quite resemble a typical dining room so I'm sure you'll feel at home. (No photo of the place, I was very hungry that time so after I took food photos, I devoured the food on my plate like a hungry wolf and forgot about it! I'm so sorry!!!) Besides, I would definitely come back to this restaurant especially when I'm on a budget and in dire need of a Korean food fix. Did I mention that they also sell Korean ice creams and drinks? Yupppppp!

You can also check Matgalne Korean Restaurant's Facebook page for promos and discounts!

Location:

Matgalne Korean Restaurant

4768 Kalayaan Avenue Corner Mariano Street, Poblacion

Makati City, Metro Manila

Tel #: (02) 890 – 2949

*Lunch buffet starts from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm while dinner buffet starts from 5:30 pm to 11:00 pm.

Colors Follow The Change Of Emotions

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of distressing and heartbreaking events concerning my personal life. I had been dealing with a loss before my midterm exam week came to pass. To say I had the longest and craziest (and I meant that in the worst possible way) two weeks of my life to date would be an utter understatement. My subconscious mind haven't been really that functional, too. But then again, as cliché as it sounds, there's always a rainbow after the rain. In situations like this, you only have two options: either drown yourself in deep sadness and refuse to move forward, or look on the brighter side of life and keep going. The moment I threw on this look, I knew I chose the latter. What I like more is that, even though this is such a lazy outfit at its best, it still screams for happiness -- and what is happiness? It is a habit of looking in the brighter side of everything.

P.S. Because I haven't posted in a while, expect more blog posts in the coming days. Xo

Outfit details:

Esprit jumper | Levi's jeans | Nautica shoes | Kipling bag

Sweater Weather

It's been really chilly here in the Philippines lately (especially at night) and nope, I ain't complaining. Are you kidding me? This weather is just extremely wonderful! This is a tropical country so we don't get a fair share of coldness, that's why this is such a big deal to us -- or to me, at least. Lol. Wait, someone didn't take away summer and curse us an eternal winter, right?! (Very "Frozen" lang?! lol) Okay, that's soooo over the top. Who am I joking, we don't have winter here and heck it's not snowing. Haha. But hey, the weather right now is a perfect excuse to wear cardigans, sweaters, and beanies without getting skeptical stares and second looks from anyone. I'm totally a sweater/cardigan kind of girl and a sucker for the cutest and comfiest ones, at that. It's pretty much obvious that when I saw this sweater from New Frog, I instantly knew right then and there that I needed to have it. Can you see how striking the print is? It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Completely eye-catching! It's now my most favorite sweater and I've been wearing it nonstop since I got it! (Don't worry, I always have it laundered haha) The dazzling necklace I'm wearing was also from New Frog. I just love all the items on their website! It's literally your one-stop shop for everything you need -- from gadgets to car accessories to home and office equipments to apparels and accessories to beauty and health products.. and even toys! HOW. COOL. IS. THAT. Did I mention that the prices are very affordable, too? You can already buy something for $5 and below! If you can't tell by now how amazing they are, there's gotta be something wrong with you! 

Aaaahhh I could get used to this cold weather!

Outfit details:

New Frog sweater (get it here) | New Frog necklace (get it here) | Terranova bandage skirt | Terranova beanie | Tomato flats

(c) Mariell De Guzman