Katy Perry Sighting in Baguio?!?

We woke up to a crisp and beautiful Baguio morning…

… Made even more beautiful by the Country Club's bountiful breakfast buffet.

I got "takaw-tingin (greedy)" with this display and shuffled back to our table with an embarrassingly tall tower of fruit.

I admired these freshly-baked goodies from Raisin Bread, the country club's bakery which is named after its classic bestseller.

Let's just say looks can be VERY deceiving… Can you figure it out? Hahaha!

It's almost ridiculous how excited I still get over the idea of bottomless fruit juices.

First stop for the morning was my Grandfather's resthouse, which we used to go to as kids and is now under renovation.

It's always a good idea to start the day with a good stretch.

These are the initials of the surnames of my Grandpa Aris and Grandma Lucy — I also take my name after a combination of their first names.

I found myself thinking about how Baguio has changed dramatically since my last visit almost 20 years ago.

Everywhere I looked were memories of a childhood spent running around this house with my cousins, staining our shirts with strawberries while scaring each other with ghost stories.

As always, Cristina manages to pull off the freshness of a fragrant morning bloom, despite feeling slightly terrified of the stray cat that was lurking nearby. Hahaha!

Next stop was Session Road, where we parked our car by the breathtaking Baguio Cathedral, known for its rose-colored exterior and stained glass windows.

More fruit!

We had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Star Cafe, which has been around since 1940 and is known amongst locals and visitors alike for its huge portions of traditional Chinese dishes. This is a photo of their old facade.

As if I didn't have a buffet breakfast earlier that morning, I shamelessly polished off three platefuls during this one sitting. And you see the dish in the middle? That's the best buttered chicken right there, y'all!

Climbing these steps to get back to the Cathedral, I took a little breather and ended up receiving an interesting birthday message from the universe.

Now that's one "kikay" angel.

Amidst the usual shopping madness at the Good Shepherd Convent, Anthony was endlessly fascinated at the thought of nuns making jam.

As we walked to Mines View Park, Cristina treated Anthony and I to fresh taho. Here, she decided to experiment with strawberry syrup, which was a wee bit too sweet for me.

Along with my (secret) birthday wish, I also said a little prayer for the children who lost their lives balancing on these steep, rocky cliffs while catching coins from tourists, once a popular attraction of the park.

Cristina, as Tribal Lass, poses for a photo before performing an excerpt from the Dance of the Midnight Flowers, which she had been rehearsing for eight weeks now.

Just in case you're wondering how we'd look dressed as two talkative tribesmen…

Our assistant Nonoy is a little awkward in this picture because I had just asked him why he was wearing his baby teeth around his neck. Hahaha!

Comment of the day… "Ay yung horse, kume-Katy Perry!" LOL!

I was thinking of getting a bottle of blueberry wine, but decided against disturbing the near-perfect art direction.

I knew he was feeling awkward posing in front of other shoppers, so I took my sweet time fumbling with my camera settings. (And remember, no one can get mad coz it's my birthday… LOL!)

Um. Pass.

It's now become a tradition for me to surprise Cristina with anything strawberry — such as this refrigerator magnet — in honor of her pet name for me, STRO-BRY.

Itchy, itchy everlasting.

It's always nice to return to places from our childhood.