A Look Back at a Life-Changing Year 2017

And just like that, Hello 2018! It’s been years since my last year-ender post,  I planned on having this post up before 2017 ended, but it’s been a busy holidays. So here’s a look back on the highlights of  my 2017 : a LIFE-CHANGING YEAR.

EAT. 

FOOD, glorious food, more FOOOOODS! If you check the hashtag #ELfoodspotting, you will see the reasons why I really gained weight last 2017. Here”s my faves and must try :

• Boracay Foodspotting
  • Real Coffee & Tea Cafe’s Calamansi and Ultimate Muffin & Real coffee.
  • Halowich’s Mango Holic
  • Hoy Panga!’s Hoy, Panga! “Inihaw na Panga” or Grilled Tuna Jaw and my favorite “Ensaladang Talong
  • Jonahs Boracay Fruit Shakes and Snack Bar’s Mango Banana Fruit Shake
  • The Ruf Resto Bar’s  Binakol and Crispy Pork Sisig (one of the best Crispy Pork Sisig I have ever tasted!)
  • Coco Mama Coconut Ice Cream’s Coco Mama’s Coconut Ice Cream with mango
  • Natalia’s Kusina Cooking Service and Restaurant (D’ Talipapa, Station 3)
• Mount Purro Nature Reserve : Loli’s Kitchen
• #Byaheng Rizal Foodspotting.
  • Kampai Sushi Bar’s Kamikaze Wings, Crazy Makis, and Fried Gyoza.
  • Casa Nieves‘ seafood paella.
  •  Luljetta’s Place’ SuMaKa (fried Suman with Mangga and Kasuy).
• My Cuppa Fix’s Taco Roll and Lemon & Ginger Sword Tea
• Korean J Grill’s Samgyeopsal.
• The Nook Cafe’s butter beer
• Hello Kitty Cafe’s Cafe Latte and Belgian Biskies
• El Corazon’s Paella Mariscos, Ciudad Real and Castellano
• Amare La Cucina’s Tres Formaggi and Alvin’s Pizza. The best part of it? You can make your own brick oven pizza. Yay!
• Warung Kapitolyo’s Sate Ayam and Ayam Goreg Kremes
• Flyer’s Hub Cafe’s Buffalo Wings
• Buku-Buku Kafe’s Barako Mocha and Pinoy Philly Cheesesteak
• Via Mare’s Halo halo and Pancit Luglog
• Fiery Style’s Fiery Nachos
• Auntie Anne’s Strawberry Cream Cheese Stix and Cheese Pepperoni Pretzel Nuggets
• Container Turf
• Sausage Party PH’s Duo Hungarian Sausage & Cheese Kraemer with chips
  Bubble Wraps’ MYO Dessert
  Swig and Guzzle’s Strawberry Mojito
• Boulangerie22’s Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake
• Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen’s Spicy Tobanjan Tonkatsu + Gyoza
• Cafe Shibuya’s Original Shibuya Honey Toast and Almond Mocha
• Cafe Maxim’s Beef Tapa
• Senyor Juan PH’s Espesyal Mangga Suman Latik, Ube Macapuno Suman Latik with Barako Coffee
• Cafe Mary Grace’s Lemon Squares with Cafe Latte
• Larcy’s Tomato Basil Pesto Melt, Frozen Nutella and Red Velvet Cupcake
• Roberto’s siopao
• Zark’s Burger’s Three Pointer Burger

• Banapple’s Lasagna Roll-ups

PRAY.

Life-Changing Year…

• “Wake Me Up When August Ends”… August 31, my last day of work from my second home… my home for more than 8 years here in Manila.  I have give up my career as a IT System Administrator to be a full time mom. It’s not an easy decision, as I’ve been working for more than 9 years but I have no regrets at all. Some people may not understand, but I think it’s about time to do what I really love and staying away from the negativeness of life. I am grateful that my husband supported me all the way.  All for Eliana, this is my kind of stress : waking up early to make breakfast, watching the same cartoons everyday, constantly cleaning up the room, facing her tantrums – not the heavy workload stress, the office politics and everyday user rants. However, I do miss my server babies, my daily backup checking routine and mostly, my co-workers who lighten up my office stress.  Here I am now : a one happy teacher nanay to my toddler, a full-time blogger and mompreneur of our online bakery : Eneros Kitchen. I want to be a WAHM (Work-at-home Mom) because it’s the best of both worlds.
• Before Christmas 2017, I stayed in the hospital about a week because of dengue. It was hard for me because I’m afraid of syringe and every six hours I had a blood extraction.  I really felt depressed because it’s just a few days before Christmas and I stayed in the hospital, and I had to faced blood extractions and take tons of medicines. I also canceled orders from Eneros Kitchen business because of it. My platelet was down to 12, and seriously, I am lucky that I have survived.  I wish a healthier me this 2018, hello fitness 101.

LOVE.

• Eliana’s 2nd birthday. I just ticked off a bucketlist : To bake a cake for my daughter’s birthday. I have baked a moist chocolate cake and cupcakes. Also prepared my DIYs and dessert table – All Hello Kitty themed. #SayHello2Eliana
• 3rd Wedding Anniversary. We had a staycation at Tagaytay, and I had baked my first vanilla cake with butter cream frosting for my husband.
• MrsEneroDiaries blog. I have attended my first mommy blogger event at BGC – Babyzen Yoyo+ event. HAPPINESS.  Thanks to RJ for this. I still can’t believe that I have many product and staycation reviewed last year.  I’d like to thank all the PR agencies, brands and blogger friends whom I’ve worked with this year, thank you so much for the trust and love.  And of course to you, to everyone who continuously reads and supports my online diary – MrsEneroDiaries blog. SALAMAT po!
• New mommy and travel blogger friends. This is one of the reasons why I love blogging. I have given an opportunity to meet different people in blogsphere.

TRAVEL.

• Eliana’s first airplane ride . Last February 2017, #EnerosOnTheRoad went to a Iloilo-Bacolod trip. It was my daughter’s first airplane ride, she’s not yet 2 years old that time – FREE RIDE! Yay! #TheEnerosInBacolod #TheEnerosInIloIlo
• 2017 Travel Adventures :
  • Lucban – We ate pancit habhab, pilipit and Buddy’s hardinera. We attended a mass at Kamay ni Hesus Shrine and together with Eliana we reached the top of Statue of Jesus Christ. #TheEnerosInLucban
  • Cabongaoan Beach at Burgos Pangasinan – Tres Marias birthday getaway, my sisters and I had celebrated our birthday getaway at Burgos, Pangasinan. It was my 30th birthday! Emeyged… I love the Cabongaoan Beach sunset and we have seen the famous death pool as well. #TheEnerosInPangasinan #MrsEnero30teen
  • Bolinao, Pangasinan – From our Cabongaoan Beach trip, we traveled to Bolinao Pangasinan and attended my HS bff’s beach wedding. We, Eneros love the Patar Beach, glad we have spent overnight and enjoyed the Bolinao beach. #TheEnerosInBolinao
  • Tayo Na Sa Antipolo 2017 Tour. Our first family tour in Antipolo, we have experienced #ByahengRizal. We were toured by Bienvenido Travel and Tours hosted by Ramon Marinas himself. #TheEnerosInTNSA 
  • Mount Purro Nature Reserve. We have experienced a nature-cation at its best. They had cozy farm-style accomodations, gazebos, mountain-side infinity pool and we have acquainted with the Dumagats. #TheEnerosInMPNR
  • Pililia Wind Farm. Right after our nature-cation at Mount Purro Nature Reserve, we went to Pililia Wind Farm in Rizal. It was our first time to see windmills up-close. We enjoyed the overlooking view as well. #TheEnerosInPililiaWindFarm
  • Costales Nature Farm. Farmville experience it is! We have experienced the agritourism and organic farming : farm-to-table organic foods, culinary and farm activities. We have many FIRSTS in Costales Nature Farms that made this farm experience a memorable one. It was our first family farm experience : fishing, vegetable harvesting and animal feeding together. We really had fun even our little one. It was her first time to feed rabbits and she was so amazed. And yes, we were delighted seeing our first fish we have caught.
  • Boracay. After 7 years, I’m back in Boracay with my ex-boyfriend (now husband, Nil) and now together with our little Enero – Eliana. And Ferra Hotel Boracay made it extra special. We, Eneros love Boracay! #TheEnerosInBoracay

    Thank you 2017 for the life-changing year. We are thankful for the year that has been, and now we are looking forward to more adventures ahead! Hello 2018, the #EnerosOnTheRoad are ready!

Featured Photo : Photo credit to Jeffrey Rilles of Traveling Morion