Bouncy Bouncy

Thank You Jing!

2011-07-16T17:59:00.003+08:00

My good friend Jing dedicated one of her posts to me. I soo love it! Pink has always been my favorite color. Just click on the Image to view her blog =)

Just like the color pink, Jing is fast becoming one of my favorite people in the office. She has been so supportive and helpful with my wedding preparations. I'll be sure to mention her during my bridal speech hehe.

Gnomeo & Juliet Movie Trailer Official (HD)

2011-04-12T19:07:00.002+08:00

Tim and I watched RIO last Sunday. We saw the trailer of Gnomeo & Juliet and we couldn't stop laughing. Can't wait to watch the movie :P

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Sizzlin Pepper Steak

2011-04-01T21:20:00.020+08:00

Tim and I discovered this place by accident. We rarely hang out at Glorietta 5 since it’s a bit of an inconvenience to get there. One day, we decided to do a complete tour of the place and found one of the tastiest restaurants I’ve ever eaten in :P

Here’s a picture of their menu. This cute cow (dunno his name) is the official Mascot :)

I like the way they devised their ordering system.

1) Take an order slip and a pencil and you are ready to start

2) Choose the items and write down the number of orders you like

3) When you are done or have any questions just flip their MOO Flips from STOP RED to MOOOVE GREEN.

And a friendly serving staff will drop by to confirm you order

We wanted something light to start the meal right. For our appetizers we ordered FISH AND CHIPS

Traditional beer-battered fish fillet, deep fried and served with zesty potato wedges.

Yummy, these are really good. The fries were crisp and soft on the inside and the fish was seasoned with Hondashi (Japanese fish powder) for that UMAMI filled flavor. Even Tim agrees with me.

For my main course, I had CHICKEN PARMIGGIANA.

Breaded deep-fried chicken breast with melted cheese on spaghetti noodles and tossed in a home-made tomato sauce.

Looks mouth watering right?

Tim ordered their Best Seller, The BEEF PEPPER RICE.

Thinly sliced beef sukiyaki marinated in a special sauce. It’s served sizzling hot with their very own Pepper Rice.

Here’s how it was initially presented.

You then cook and the flavor the beef slices with the sauce of your choice (Steak, Teriyaki, Marinara, Teriyaki Mayo Cream, Diablo Sauce, Mushroom Gravy, Piquant Red Pepper, Tartare Sauce or Nutty Parmesan Dip)

Oishi Des Ne! (hmmm can’t help but notice how my fiancé holds his spoon and fork hehe)

I love their food so much, I ordered a crunchy Kani Salad to go. They replaced the traditional bread croutons with crabstick croutons and topped the fresh cucumber slices with authentic Japanese mayonnaise and fish roe (Just what I needed to satiate my midnight snack cravings.)

We left a little after 9pm and had a pleasant treat. Their crew set aside some tables and danced to funky and catchy asian pop beats =)

This place has become one of our favorite haunts. As long as they keep serving those awesome FISH AND CHIPS we are definitely gonna keep coming back :P Itadakimasu!

Addicted to Froyo

2011-03-16T17:34:00.016+08:00

Froyo is the short term for Frozen Yogurt.

Definition:
a frozen dessert made from, or containing yogurt or other dairy products. It is slightly more tart than ice cream, as well as lower in fat (due to the use of pure milk instead of cream).

I was looking at my database pics and I found this folder. I took these when I was still with the Retail Marketing Center Team. I think this was around the middle part of 2010. Back then, I was assigned to work the opening shift along with Steph, Cholo and Arch. Coming to work on or before 8 pm would mean I have to be in bed by 10 am. This clearly disrupted my schedule after work which includes going to the gym or boxing until 10 am. Since my usual bedtime would be by 11 am, I am always still sleepy when I wake up at 6pm (bother bother).

Good thing I found something to keep me happy and awake during the early part of my shift. Cholo was actually the first one to discover that there is a Froyo establishment on the 3rd floor of the Bldg. It’s called White Berry. They serve the original and green tea flavors plus the staple toppings of preserves, fruits, nuts and crushed cookies/crackers.

Our routine would start with Cholo going around and asking each of us “Gusto mo bumili ng Froyo?” I’m usually his eager beaver companion. Well I take it as an opportunity for us to chat about his life plus I love doing stuff for Steph and Arch (they’re my super nicest friends!).

The Froyo who could
Here’s Cholo, the Piolo Pascual lookalike in the office. He’s the most talented on the team, he can sing, dance, act and eat Froyo while talking to a Retailer. There’s nothing Cholo can’t do! He was taking his time projecting an “Hmm this is soo good” look (Oops my camera was on quick shot mode) aaaw too bad =P

The Preoccupied Froyo
Here’s Arch who’s always diligently working on his cases (hope he eats his sweet treat before it completely melts). He’s the most responsible on the team and the kindest big brother I’ve ever met.

The Sweet Froyo
Here’s Steph, the beauty queen of RMC. She’s tall, sexy, pretty and humble. The perfect combination for an ideal partner. No wonder her boyfriend is gaga crazy over her. This is a cute pose hehe =)

The Foodie Froyo
And lastly is Yours Truly, a lover of all things culinaire. Here’s my Sweet Yogurt just the way I like it. The crushed graham crackers adds texture and the blueberry topping has the sweetness needed to contrast the tangy taste of the yogurt. It keeps me coming back for more.

After a few days, I ended up loving the opening shift! There are no bosses on the floor for the first hour so we have the luxury of being able to laugh out loud at Cholo’s antics. We’ve really bonded over this stuff. I dunno what it is about Froyo but eating it makes me feel giggly, must be the low calorie content?

The Clueless Bride at the Pen

2011-03-14T18:38:00.014+08:00

Last week I went to Manila Pen to meet up with the Business Development Manager who will be handling my Wedding. Jing graciously accompanied me (much to my relief and gratitude ) I’m really not good with this event planning stuff. So we’ve already marked the Big DAY in permanent ink but much to my frustration I forgot to bring the check (aaaarrrgh).

I had to go back the following day at lunchtime. I was too embarrassed to bother Jing again (BTW she’s creating a wedding blog for Tim and yours truly ) so I tapped Gelo and Pam to go with me. We had a bit of a wait at the Executive Office since the Conforme Letter had to be drafted so we amused ourselves by taking pictures.

Lolo Gelo really loves their Interiors and dreams about having a property with these furnishings someday. He actually wanted me to tell the people in the office that this was taken inside his condo unit :P

Finally after almost an hour of waiting, I already have the letter with me (That date is really mine now bwahahah). We were a bit hungry by then so we decided to go to their lobby. Being such good sports, I treated them to a Yogurt Creamy concoction plus a New York Cheesecake with Raspberry preserves.

We took turns taking pictures of each other while the foreigners looked on. They’re either thinking:
1) That lady (Pam) is so pretty or
2) They must be out of towners =D

Well we didn’t care, the luxurious ambiance makes you feel like you’re in another country. Huwaw! They even have real living trees…

Here’s a solo picture of Gelo. Hmm he reminds me of a Mayor who’s into YOUNG ladies (hahaha biro lang po)

Here’s is cutie pie Pammie with her pretty eyes and killer smile.

Here’s me, the disorganized yet OC bride to be. I want everything to be perfect on the big day but I have no idea how to go about accomplishing it.

Thank God for good friends like Jing, Con, Trish, Pam , Dette, Angel and Raiza who regularly provide inputs. Love you guys! Together we’ll make this work.

I’m a big Horatio Caine Fan But…

2011-03-04T18:59:00.017+08:00

Lieutenant Horatio Caine is the lead character played by actor David Caruso on the T.V. Series CSI Miami. My first hero was Grissom from CSI Las Vegas but I immediately switched to being a Horatio groupie after watching one full season of the Miami spinoff. Why is Horatio so cool do you ask? Okay for the benefit of those living under a rock this past decade, let me enumerate the why’s:

1) He’s got the coolest hair color. It’s so light! I dunno if it’s fair because it’s turning white due to old age or that’s just his natural coloring. Either way you look at it is cool. He looks like an old man even though he’s actually just a middle- aged old man right now. So someday when he really becomes an old man he’d still look like an old man :D

2) He has an unusual posture. For his full body shots, he prefers to plant his feet firmly on the ground, puts both hands on each hip and cranes his neck a bit forward. He has amazing neck muscles.

Now how many people do you know often elongate their neck at this angle? I’m betting NADA because Horatio is one of a kind!

3) He’s so cool he doesn’t even break a sweat even though he is constantly surrounded by these hotties. Hmm come to think of it he does look a little pale; It would do him good to sweat a little and get some Sun exposure ( you’re not a vampire right Horatio?)

4) His shooting skills are out of this world. He only needs to aim and fire his gun once because Horatio NEVER misses a target. There was this one episode where he was surrounded by the dreaded Mala Noche gang. He was in plain sight and there were about 10 assailants surrounding him. Bullets started firing and I was so scared, but guess what? He killed them all and still looked like he just came out of the Laundry Mat. I mean his clothes weren’t even torn or smudged with dirt. He just stood there in the middle and fired away. Bam Boom the bad guys are dead! (WOW)

5) He has this sexy voice that’s not too low as to be classified as bedroomy but it has the right dosage of huskiness to give me unhealthy doses of goose bumps. Also he speaks in a distinctly S L O W pace when he enunciates. Trust me, it’s really hot!

6) And my most favorite is his “Sunglasses moment.” *sigh* I just love it when he puts on his dark glasses, mouths a cliché line and exits the screen. No one puts a sunglasses on just like Horatio. Let me illustrate so you’d understand what I mean.

So a typical start of the show would be a crime scene. There’s the police force cordoning the area, some bystanders and the press. A dead body would be examined by the ME (medical examiner) let’s call her Khandi.

Khandi: Looks like the victim was killed by a stray bullet to the chest. Death was caused by blood loss due to Hemmorhage. Horatio, I forgot to pee before coming here. May I go to the bathroom?

Horatio: You
(puts on his Sunglasses looks up/down)
Horatio: forgot to say Please (exit stage left)
YEAHHHHHHHHHH (intro music plays)
Hahaha nice huh? It doesn’t always happen at the beginning sometimes he would have his cool Sunglasses moment at the end of the show. You can try visiting this YouTube link showing a compilation of his one liners http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mznsEcZlM2I

He’s so famous even Jim Carey impersonated him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJSqkwyL1Zo

Despite all these good qualities, Horatio isn’t my favorite Crime Scene Investigator. That seat is already occupied by Detective Mac Taylor of CSI New York. He’s played by the super talented and super handsome Gary Sinise. Detective Mac Taylor tops my list because:

1) He has an uncanny resemblance to my fiancée, Tim Ortega. Here’s a photo of Gary alongside my Papi. My boyfriend is the better looking one on the right :)
They look so alike they could be fraternal twins :P. I can’t help but smile whenever the screen closes in on Gary Sinise’s big expressive eyes. It’s so like my honeypuff’s.

I’m sorry Horatio I may like you a lot BUT I love Mac Taylor and that’s that.

We love Macarons!

2011-03-01T19:01:00.012+08:00

Ever since I tasted BIZU's Macarons I've been hooked! Now don't confuse these with Macaroons, the dessert that's of the coconutty kind (hmp! I did not misspell it the first time).

MACARONS DE PARIS: are fanciful, round pastel colored pastries that are heavenly in both texture and flavour. *Each piece costs P45.00

Last last Saturday, Raiza went with me to sample all their flavors. I'm still trying to decide whether I'll be giving these away on my Wedding day so off to Greenbelt 2 we go. Taste testing is my favorite part in organizing a wedding :)

Each macaron has a light thin crust giving way to a soft and chewy center that sandwiches the flavored creme ganache. Yummy! I can munch on these all day.

Raiza loves 'em too :)

Some nice shots Raiza took while we were hanging out at BIZU.

A picture of the taste testers taken for posterity hehe. Hmmmm I haven't quite made up my mind yet. Maybe I need to go back again and get another batch of samples. Good thing I have a rich financier (haha just kidding honey).

My Lord of the Rings

2011-02-23T17:13:00.006+08:00

"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them"

I'm engaged! Yipeee!

Tim finally came to his senses and proposed to me (haha just kidding honey). I'm getting married to the gentlest, kindest, cutest(he forced me to type that), most generous and most loving man on planet Jupiter =D

I so love the ring he gave me! Tim is a Scorpio so he has Topaz for a birthstone. I'm a Virgo and I have the blue Sapphire as my stone. The yellow gem symbolizes Tim, the blue gem symbolizes me and the diamond in the middle is the heart in between us :D

I'm not fond of jewelries so I'm still getting used to wearing this ring everywhere. I would sometimes stop working look at it and smile, it's so sparkly and pretty. Now I know exactly how Gollum feels, my ring my precious...

Happy Birthday Con!

2010-12-31T14:34:00.035+08:00

My beloved bestie in the office, Con Nichiwa turned a year older. Happy Birthday! She recently visited Korea and has unhealthy cravings for Samgyeopsal.

Trish recommened Maru. According to her sources, they serve authentic Korean fare.

Maru is located along Macapagal avenue, it's on the opposite side of Dampa. We took the bus and walked part of the way since we came from the Makati Area.

The restaurant interior is clean and well ventilated (They don't have that grilled meat smell)

We opted to sit on the floor cushions as opposed to western style chairs. This is preferable unless one of you has smelly feet :)

On the left corner, We have the "Koreans Lovers" Trish and Con Nichiwa.

The "Oldies", yours truly and Lolo Gelo who still looks good at 50 :P

I noticed that Koreans generally use a spoon for rice and soup and chopsticks for other dishes. I am used to the wooden chopsticks normally found in Japanese restaurants so this will be a bit of a challenge for me.

Trish relaxing with a bottle of bear while an anxious Con looked for the waiter.
Samgyeopsal is a meal that involves grilling Fatty slices of unmarinated meat on the diners' table. You then wrap it in rice and lettuce and can opt to season it with Kosher salt and Kimchi.

Sizzle Sizzle Their meals are served with banchan = side dishes.
My favorite banchan are Kimchi and round potatoes sauteed in soy sauce(sweet, salty and spicy yum yum). Good thing these are refillable. They can fill it up as fast as you can eat it :)

If you are ordering a Kimchi based soup, opt for the seafood. The beef version is way too oily.

Their Korean BBQUE was well seasoned :) The acidity of the Kimchi cuts the fattiness of the dish so make sure you don't run out of that.

Trish and Gelo clowning around after a full and satisfying meal. Bagay Bagay haha

One last pic before going home.
Overall I was very satisfied with the meal. I like the way the food was seasoned and prepared. I ate a lot but I don't feel heavy. Con said the Kimchi actually speedens up your metabolism (which explains why the Koreans as a population are not overweight). Nothing beats good food enjoyed with good company. Thank You Con, next year ulit ha. Lovlov :)

What a Nerd

2010-12-04T09:07:00.005+08:00

Joseph Narcelles a.k.a Seph sent me this pic (taken during our Customer Service Week.) The Theme for Monday was "Nerd" day.

This look won him the 1st prize. Check out the big glasses, that awful hair, the mismatched colors and the suspenders. He really did nail the Geeky persona ( I actually laughed when I saw him by the elevator area). My favorite is the Sponge Bob necktie :) Congrats Seph! Libre naman diyan.

Summer Outing 2010

2010-06-06T00:11:00.018+08:00

Last May, we had our company outing at Canyon Cove Batangas. The place was a big downer. I wasn't that happy with the service and food. I had fun 'though night trekking at the beach with my friends, acting all goofy. So overall, the experience was still a positive for me.

Here are my favorite pictures. I love taking candid shots, it's funner! ( is there such a word?)

I wish Raize could've joined us but she retired early after drinking 2 cans of beer.

Karl and Gen, wish you were there with me :)

From left to right: Billy, Mavic, Mate, Ricson, Angel and our hosts for that night (who did an impressive job) Raffy and Will

Aren't my slippers the cutest? I just bought these at a supermarket somewhere.

Mavic orchestrated this shot. I was a bit hesitant posing for her at first but it turned out pretty good :)

The princesses of Persia: The sands of time

We wanted to capture a picture of all three of them up in the air. It was hard because there's no quick shot option for night shot mode :( In the end we just laughed and laughed. It was fun seeing Mavic, Mate and Angel jump and try and try and try again hee hee.

...getting some rest after all that hyper time.

Some nice solo shots of Angel, Mavic and Mate. They look nice in those all white ensembles, like angels without wings :D

They ran out of dinner at the buffet spread so I had to order an expensive Tuna sandwich with fries (P220.00). Would you believe it was the cheapest one on the menu?

The moon inspired me to take this shot. This is one of the last pics I took before going to bed.

Free Pedometers

2010-04-06T08:56:00.003+08:00

Our company prides itself in looking out for the safety and well being of its employees. Aside from one of the few that adopted the Ergonomic Workstation setup, they also have a Safety Committee in place. I was lucky to have been nominated the Safety Champ for our Team. We plan safety trainings, do safety or OE presentations during meetings/events and ensure that scheduled Fit Breaks are being observed

To promote the healthy lifestyle of doing 10K a day, the company issued these trendy looking pedometers to all employees. Soo cute!

This is an intelligent pedometer. By setting up your stride measurement and weight, it can compute how many steps you’ve taken, how far you’ve travelled (in kms) and how many calories you’ve burned

Steph, our Ms. MDSC Downstream candidate, gamely posed with her brand new pedometer (sorry guys she's already taken)

Silly Me (Part 2)

2010-03-20T05:44:00.006+08:00

Hullo it's me again. I'm back with more stories, tips and whatnots =)

*This is me having a jolly good time at the Singapore's Ocean World.

Chury Man strikes again
Hee hee aside from always mispronouncing Theory as Chury, Tim has difficulty pronouncing the letters F and P. He always interchanges them. He denies he has this problem and always asks me to cite an example. Good thing I was able to remember this one incident:
Tim: Ohns di ba bibili ka ng Cream Pop?
Ohnie: Ano iyon?
Tim: Iyong Cream Fup, Fuff, Puff
Ohnie: weh? sabi ko na may F defect ka eh
Tim: Kasi naman kakabunot lang ng ipin ko (palusot ka pa ha)

Highway Freak Out
I'm sure we've all heard stories about horrible bus accidents. They say the cost of burying a dead person is lower than paying for an injured person's hospital bills. So if you happen to get hit by a bus, quickly recover your wits and go to the sidewalk. A bus driver would just as soon run you over again if they find out you're still alive.

I always freak out whenever I cross a street, the light is about to turn green and there is a bus in front of me. The driver would step on the gas which makes this vroom sound and causes me to panic and run. Tim gave me this useful Tip in dealing with impatient bus drivers.

Here's what you need to do:
The light is currently yellow and you're only halfway, you hear the sound of the gas pedal being lightly stepped on. Don't panic, calmly look at the driver, raise your hand and touch your hair or face (it has to be a vague gesture). Trust me, he will wait for you to cross, he will not go forward even if the light turns green. You might be wondering why. It's because he's waiting for you thinking you're a passenger har har. Once you reach the sidewalk just keep on walking as if nothing happened (He might look at you funny. Ignore it, hey you we're just fixing your hair) :)

Retail Scam?
This happened to two of my friends. For purposes of discretion let's just call them Micks and Raiz =P. They both had a similar experience with a completely different store. We all love sales and discounts right? Well not all items displayed on the "Sale" rack are discounted. Be very careful and check the price tag of any merchandise before asking the cashier to ring it (else you're in for a big surprise hehe). Mickey didn't buy that uber expensive shirt but Raize was forced to purchase an uber expensive pair of shoes out of "kahiyaan," She's still hurting until now. Tsk tsk sneaky Retailers >:(

Well I have a tip that will counter that so called modus operandi. For example, I'm in a boutique and I picked some comfy looking sweatshirt that was included in the P999.00 discount area. The Cashier punched it in the machine and the price = P2500.00!! Hmm what will Ohnie do?

Ohnie: This would be perfect if it we're in Gold, do you have any in that color?
Salesperson: Yes Ma'am as a matter of fact we do
Ohnie: (Oh No!) well do you have one in Gold with Yellow stripes on it?
Salesperson: Let me check..yes! we have one in stock and its just your size
Ohnie: (OhNoOhNoOhNoOhNo) ahem, wow! that looks really nice but I was kinda looking for something more unique. If you have one with Otter fur trimmings and Unicorn horse hair I'll take it! Aww you don't? Too bad then maybe next time (smile and bid a hasty exit)

The key there is to look for something they couldn't possibly have. Unicorns are fictional creatures so there is no such thing as a horse hair obtained from them =D

Lyrics Schmyrics
I love going to videoke bars every now and then. Singing is very therapeutic for me. As a wannabe singer, I am very conscientious when it comes to memorizing the lyrics of any song I sing. I find it really funny when some people get the lyrics all wrong. Here are some examples.

A friend of mine relayed this story. She was a riding a bus on the way home and overheard two girls talking.
Girl1: Narinig mo na iyong bagong song ni Lisa Loeb?
Girl2: Hindi pa ano iyon?
Girl1: Ano ka ba sikat ngayon iyon. STAY ang title.
Girl2: Ay sorry hindi talaga pano ba iyon?
Girl1: (clears her throat) ehem, You Stay I only hear what I want to. ( Hmm hindi ba dapat "You say I only hear what I want to")

Tim was serenading me with a love song from Nsync
Tim: And I will take you in my arms and hold you right where you belong. Everyday my life is through this I promise you.
Ohnie: bakit parang hindi ako kinilig?
Tim: bakit naman? hindi ba maganda pagkakakanta ko?
Ohnie: Hindi kasi parang 'di ba dapat "'til the day my life is through this I promise you." Pero sa song mo parang sinasabi mo everyday katapusan na ng buhay mo.
Tim: hahaha oo nga, sabi ko nga eh... =P

There was a time Con and I grew addicted listening to Taylor Swift Songs. I would sometimes sing it during our lunch breaks.

Ohnie: (From Love Story)"...I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air. See the lights, see the party, the ballgowns."
Con: ballgowns ba iyon?
Ohnie: Oo kasi nasa party sila eh
Con: haha akala ko Bug Ass
Ohnie: hahah san naman nanggaling iyon? romantic song ito 'day :)

Ohnie: (From You Belong with Me)"... You're on the phone with your girlfriend she's upset, she's going on about something that you said."
Con: 'Day akala ko ganito lyrics "You're on the phone with your girlfriend she's a Bitch..." (whoa! hate much? good thing Con isn't a lyricist by profession)

Fake Foodie
Ever see any of those fake food on display at UCC Cafe? I don't know what they're called exactly but the craft originated from Japan. I noticed some sizzling stop restos have adopted displaying fake sizzling meats that look really appetizing. Tim told me this happened to his two friends. Let's just call them Manny and Brian.
Manny: (while lining up) Pare tingnan mo itong pagkakagawa sa pork chop, ang galing parang totoo talaga
Brian: Pare kasi totoong pork chop talaga iyan
Manny: hindi fake lang ito, bakit naman sila magdidisplay ng porkchop na hindi nila ibebenta?
Brian: Pustahan tayo totoo iyan
Manny: Ang kulit mo naman eh, 'eto patutunayan ko sa iyo na fake ito (he gives the meat a big poke while saying that) *squish squish
Ay totoo nga, hehe (Kasi naman ang tigas ng ulo eh)

Minutes of the What?
My boyfriend works for C Bank as a Windows Systems Administrator. He's part of the development team so he's involved with one project after another. Since they have counterparts in the US and India, it's normal if not expected that they do phone conferences everyday. The Project Managers are the ones who initiate meetings and also take note of the minutes. This happened to one of his friends, a Filipino Project Manager. For anonymity, let's just call him Choi.
*The meeting starts*
The attendees are people from the Development Team, Business Partners and the Project Manager, Choi.
Choi: Ok everyone let's start...
* The meeting drags on, people from different teams start talking yada yada yada... I guess Choi was really tired or bored, he fell asleep (uh oh)
Choi: snore snore
*meeting ends, Choi doesn't say anything. Everyone agreed to meet again at so and so date for status updates
Choi: snore snore
Choi's colleagues dropped off the conference line and found him asleep on his cubicle.
Friends of Choi: pare, pare gising
Choi: snore...huh? O mga pare bakit?
Friends of Choi: kanina pa tapos ang meeting, anong nangyari sa iyo?
Choi: Naku pare nakatulog ako, pano na minutes nito? wala akong nasulat!
Friends of Choi: hahaha pare magimbento ka na lang (I wonder if he'll still have a job next week?)

At Chelsea's with My Girls

2010-02-07T00:45:00.000+08:00

We finally organized our busy schedules to meet up for my belated bday celebration. I decided to bring my girls to Serendra for some ambiance and privacy. I had a good time bonding with Lora, Raiza and Con. We laughed over food, drinks(nothing alcoholic please) and more food =)

I work at the same company with Raiza and Con so this experience was an actually an opportunity to reconnect with Lora. We really miss her eccentric ways and candid humor, she's the kookiest of us all .

Being a Singaporean, Lora was punctual as usual. She came in at the appointed time. Due to unforseen circumstances, Raiza, Con and I arrived a bit late (well we actually came after 3 hours at least ooops). We got a mild scolding from Lora starting with "You girls!....." Good thing she was in a happy mood, her Dad bought her this diamond ring for being such a good girl (Wish I was an adoptee in their family).

My friend recommended Chelsea's Roast Chicken, unfortunately they were out that day :(

I decided to order something that can be shared with everyone: Cheese Fondue! We had fun dipping breads, tomatoes, potatoes in this creamy concoction of 4 melted cheeses.

Ang Cheezy!

Con ordered Spaghetti with sausage while Raiza went for Chix in a Basket. The sausage had some weird herby taste I didn't really like. But I loved the chicken, it's crispy outside and juicylicious inside (parang Chickenjoy).

For dessert, we had brewed coffee with peach apple crumble. Their coffee came with complimentary Chocnut chocolates yay!

We had the table for most of the day and the rest of the night. Lora dominated the conversation with her funny stories. Con, Raiza and I spent most of the night laughing. We sort of had the volume on high and were attracting stares from people on the other tables. I couldn't help myself Lora was soo funny. She has a very expressive face just like a cartoon character :D

Lora and Raiza channeling Greta Garbo
Lora attacking the Cheese Fondue
"Girls you should start taking VCO (Virgin Coconut Oil) for good health. Seriously, it can be used for anything even as a feminine wash."

"I'm really not wearing any underwear. Wanna see?"(I guess fresher is better)

"Ohnie! stop taking pictures"

A nice picture of Con and me. The girls on the other side of the table.

Gee thanks for covering my face Lora :P

Fooling around before heading home.

One last group shot in front of Chelsea's

Time to go home. Let's do this again soon. Bye for now :)

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T03:34:00.041+08:00

It was December 24 and I still have so much work to do. I can't believe I'm overloaded with cases on the eve of Christmas Day. My nerves are frazzled, I was gulping down coffee like sodas and eating chips like there's no tomorrow. I'm so stressed and my closest friends aren't in the office: Con's on vacation, Raiza's on her weekend off and Mickey hasn't been around all week. Good thing Angel was there, I had someone to talk to and laugh with =)

Everyone was in a hurry to go home... lots of preparations to make. To lessen my workload, I decided to do a bit of overtime. There was only a few people left and I was starting to feel lonely. Angel dropped by my workstation on her way home to wish me Happy Holidays. Now I truly felt alone =(

I called it quits after 4 hours. There was only Deng and me in the office by then. My body tells me that I should feel tired but I'm not. I received a lot of well wishes and gifts this year. It's so nice to feel loved =)

Check out what's under my Tree. Aren't Kumag and Kumeg just the cutest? =) Salad is currently in the cleaners and Oguckguck is still on extended vacation with Auntie Con.

I'm a firm believer in delaying gratification so I never open my presents until it's 12:01 AM on December 25. I wonder what my friends got me?

CHRISTMAS DAY!

After a satisfying dinner of Black Forest Ham and Lasagna, I excitedly opened my gifts. Here's a snapshot of my favorite wrapper. It looks just like a comic strip.

Jay and Gracie got me this cute piece of fabric. I think it's made out of silk, it so soft and smooth. I can use this as a scarf, a hair accessory or a shawl. I just love the color, the combination of brown and green would make it easy to pair with the clothes on my wardrobe. Thankie =)

Archie gave me this fifth book from Angie Sage. I can finally read the latest installment on the popular Septimus Heap series. Happy Happy =)

This mermaid figurine is from Angel. I love it! I was always telling her how frustrating it is not being able to find nice mermaid decorations to put in my room. Angel you're the sweetest!

A hand lotion from Con. Gracias mi amiga, this is just what I need. Raiza keeps complaining that the current brand I'm using smells like IN___S. I hope she likes this new scent hehe

Do I have to tell you who gave me this fabulous coin purse? It's from Mickey obviously, It has F-L-A-M-B-O-Y-A-N-C-E written all over it. I'll use this starting tomorrow, Arigato Mickey Kun =P

Raiza gave me an adorable stuffed toy, another addition to my growing family. I'll call him Blue Cheese (it's Raiza's favorite mold). Thanks gurl, he's so soft and cuddly. He'll sleep beside me tonight =P

Tim gave me a new case for my iPod, an outfit from EP Espada, a graphic novel (Coraline by Neil Gaiman) and my favorite! A Christmas card with P20 inside it (haha Aginaldo?). I haven't seen the movie but I hear Coraline is kinda like a creepy children's story (I love reading scary stories before bedtime). I can't wait to wear my new dress! Danke schön Tim! =)

Vic gave me this box of vitamins. I sort of asked for this, I didn't think he'd take me seriously hehe. Thank You Vic :)

I love Christmas especially the part where you exchange gifts with your loved ones. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, I'm positive I did =)

From me and my family

Happy Holidays!

A Nice Nature Shot

2009-12-16T04:06:00.003+08:00

I took this picture when I went for a stroll around Greenbelt 3. I love this pond! It calms me when I'm troubled and puts a smile on my face =)

Nature shots are the best, don't you agree? =)

Cheezy Tuna Pizza

2009-12-05T21:48:00.009+08:00

Raiza made me this Tuna Pizza while I was on the dayshift. She used this new Tuna everyone is raving about, it's called Corned Tuna (Think of Corned Beef substituted with tuna meat). I ate it for breakfast and it's really really good! I love the taste of tomato combined with spicy tuna and sweet bell peppers =P more please!

For those who want to try this, here's the recipe. It's fairly easy to make, all you need is an oven toaster and Raiza =)

Ingredients:
1 can Corned Tuna (you can use San Marino or Century Tuna)
1 cube of Che Vital Cheese (you can opt to use quickmelt if you want for that extra oomph!)
A loaf of bread (our favorite brand is Walter's Apple Fiber)
1 can of tomato paste (if you're a tomato lover like I am go for the bigger can)
1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
sliced button mushrooms

Directions:
1. Get a slice of bread and slather a generous amount of tomato paste on top.
2. Add some Corned Tuna, a few strips of bell pepper, mushrooms and lots of grated cheese.
3. Pop it on the Oven Toaster.
4. Take it out once the cheese starts to turn golden brown.
5. Serve immediately, this tastes best when eaten hot.

Thank you Raiza for being such a sweet little sister. I wuv you =)

Crazy

2009-11-09T11:37:00.011+08:00

I rediscovered my love for an old song. This came out in 1994, I was a big Alicia Silverstone fan (remember her from Clueless?) so I tune in whenever I see the video playing on MTV. The song had a catchy feel to it but the scenes were a bit too risque for me (In the clip, I think Liv Tyler and Alicia were Bi's). I didn't really get hooked on it as much as I did with CRYIN'

15 years later, I heard this song again on my way home. The cab driver is an Aerosmith fan and was playing their greatest hits CD. They sure have a lot of great songs! Then CRAZY came on, I was having fun nodding my head and suddenly found myself mouthing the lyrics "What can I do? I feel like the color blue" I suddenly had an urge to listen to it again and again and again.

When I came home I looked for it in my music library. Hooray! I have an mp3 file =) This past week I have been listening to it everyday. It's safe to say I've become addicted.

Things I love about CRAZY
1. I'm old school when it comes to music, this reminds me of my youth.
2. The video's hot! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGM5GkINMMI
3. The guitar solo before the Bridge is fierce (Oh and so is Liv Tyler's pole dancing). It's fun to pretend you're a Rock Star strumming along with your virtual guitar.
4. I sing it in the shower, I just grab a bottle of shampoo and pretend its a microphone "You turn it on then you're gone yeah you drive me craaazy craazy.." It sounds cooler if you imitate Steve Tyler and open your mouth really wide. I also sing it at work (sorry Raiza, just tell me if you're sick of it na)
5. Steve did a wonderful job interpreting the song, he gave it attitude and believability.
6. It's a stress reliever, it releases my frustrations over things I cannot control. Try to fluff your hair and sing the bridge part "I need your love, I neeeeed your love." Trust me, you'll feel really good after.

If they can dedicate this song to someone, I wonder what my friends would say?
Con - For the Indian Retailers who ruin my day. Don't call us we'll call you heheh
Raiza - This song is for the biggest liar on the face of the earth, Ahmad.
Mickey - I'm superfunny and supersexy but I'm not crazy nuh (as usual Mickey would be off topic haha)
Angel - This one is for Harry, you're so you're "Ang labo mo!"
Karl - This is for all the guys I'm stalking and have even created an album for. You hunks drive me crazy =P

Okay everyone! Let's all go crazy for awhile and sing along with me "Come here baby..."

CRAZY
by Aerosmith

Come Here baby
You know you drive me up a wall the way you make good on all the nasty tricks you pull
Seems like we're makin' up more than we're makin' love
And it always seems you got somethin' on your mind other than me
Girl, you got to change your crazy ways
You hear me

Say you're leavin' on a seven thirty train and that you're headin' out to Hollywood
Girl you been givin' me that line so many times it kinda gets like feelin' bad looks good

That kinda lovin'
Turns a man to a slave
That kinda lovin'
Sends a man right to his grave...

Chorus:
I go crazy, crazy, baby, I go crazy
You turn it on
Then you're gone
Yeah you drive me
Crazy, crazy, crazy, for you baby
What can I do, honey
I feel like the color blue...

You're packin' up your stuff and talkin' like it's tough and tryin' to tell me that it's time to go
But I know you ain't wearin' nothin' underneath that overcoat
And it's all a show

That kind of lovin'
Makes me wanna pull
Down the shade, yeah
That kind of lovin'
Yeah now I'm never, never, never, never gonna be the same

Chorus

I'm losin' my mind, girl
Cause I'm goin' crazy

I need your love, honey
I need your love

Crazy, crazy, crazy, I go crazy
You turn it on
Then you're gone
Yeah you drive me
Crazy, crazy, crazy, for you baby
I'm losin' my mind, girl
�Cause I'm goin' crazy
Crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby
You turn it on, then your gone
Yeah you drive me

Gigil!

2009-10-22T08:01:00.022+08:00

My good friend Vic sent me these cute and funny animal pics. I think he got this from the Internet. Hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I did hehe.

Ganda sanang Xmas Gift

2009-10-14T07:19:00.010+08:00

This made me laugh.

I received an email from Mickey this morning.
***FYI we configured our PC's to Central Time so 5:04 PM would correspond to 6:04 AM Manila Time =)

=================================================
From: Valientes, Mikhail J.
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 5:04 PM
Subject: Pepper na ba kayo?

Pepper and Salt shaker from Me&U sa Eastwood. Cute no. Mga peper na sila.

What cute little salt and pepper shakers they are! I'd like to have one of these so I sent my reply

=================================================
From: REYES, MARIE OHNIE ASUNCION VELASCO
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 6:27 AM
To: Valientes, Mikhail J.
Subject: RE: Pepper na ba kayo?

ay ang cute! iyan ang gusto kong xmas gift ha =)

===============================================
From: Valientes, Mikhail J.
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 5:48 PM
To: REYES, MARIE OHNIE ASUNCION VELASCO
Subject: RE: Pepper na ba kayo?

Ohnie

Pang-bading yata yan. Pepper is paminta is also known as mga pa-men or kunyari lalake. Parang si raiza. Kunyari gurlash.

===============================================
From: REYES, MARIE OHNIE ASUNCION VELASCO
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 5:55 PM
To: Valientes, Mikhail J.
Subject: RE: Pepper na ba kayo?

hahah oo nga nuh, come to think of it they look like something you guys have, 'yoko na. Ihanap mo na lang ako ng ibang shape :)

Guys, if you're thinking of giving these to me as a Xmas present I've got five words for you: Don't even think about it =P

Ohnie grows up

2009-10-03T21:18:00.033+08:00

A couple of years ago, I needed a place to move into pronto! I was trying to make a point to my Mother. I grew up in a sheltered environment and I wanted to prove that I can survive on my own. I promised not to ask her or my Dad for any financial assistance. Among their children, they viewed me as being the most Fragile so It’s normal for them to assume I won't last long in this Big Big World. To be honest, I was scared when I was saying my goodbyes. What will I do without Ate Tootsie? She cleans my room, prepares my meals and makes sure I have clean clothes to wear. I'll miss my siblings, I could always count on my Big Sis for financial aid and my brothers for protection. But it’s about time my Mom takes me seriously, I'm not a little girl anymore. So at the ripe age of 22, I officially moved out.

VANGIE AND THE GANG

I first stayed in an apartment with friends. This was where I met Vangie, she's the self-appointed Mother Hen of the group. My initial impression of her was of a strict and perfectionist person. She's the type who likes to run an organized household. When Vangie talks we listen. Being the most clueless, She focused her energies to help me become more domesticated. She made me do things I never thought I could do. One unforgettable experience I had was the day we cleaned the Living Area. She wanted me to get on my knees and wipe the floor with cloth soaked in soapy water. I was shocked, I'm not used to getting my hands dirty. I stared at her like a dumb mute for about 5 seconds (error: processing request...) before saying "May mop naman tayo 'di ba pwedeng mop na lang?" She said that wouldn't do, your hands can wipe places a mop can't reach. She demonstrated, I tried it and you know what? She was right! The floor was so clean; you can literally sit down and eat on it.

1. She taught me how to properly store produce purchased from a wet market - "Ohnie hindi ganyan! Dapat hinuhugasan mo muna iyong gulay bago mo ilagay sa ref, ganon din ang isda. Lagyan mo ng asin tapos saka mo ilagay sa freezer."

2. She showed me how to maintain a clean bathroom - "Kailangan every week nililinis ang banyo, gumamit ka ng brush para pati walls makiskis mo. Tapos ang bowl binababaran ng sabon with clorox."

3. She gave me tips on how to ensure our home is cockroach free - "Dapat 'wag kang matutulog ng may maduming pinggan sa lababo at kelangan ang basura tinatapon tuwing gabi. Gustong gusto ng mga ipis iyan."

4. She said that a broom can be used to wipe the ceiling. People tend to forget to clean that part of the house which results in the formation of nasty cobwebs.

She maybe a little stressful to live with but I learned a lot from her. She was my housekeeping mentor and I owe her a lot =)

It's sad but we eventually had to give up the apartment. Out of five people only three remained and we barely have enough living expense left after paying the rent.

BUNKING WITH MY BROS

I next moved in with my older brother but just for a short time. He was amazed at the changes in me. I would voluntarily clean the place every weekends and make sure there are no unwashed dishes before going to bed. His best compliment was and I quote "Ang galing mo na magluto" =)

Well there was this one time I bungled up. We were celebrating my baby Brother's homecoming. I decided to make Beef Tapa using 1 kl beef sirloin, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of salt (the recipe actually calls for 1 tbsp of salt ooops!). I coated the beef slices with the super salty mixture and had it marinate overnight. My brother cooked it for dinner the following day. When I got home from work, I was surprised to find them just sitting there looking totally uninterested (Hello! and sarap kaya ng Tapa ko). They had me taste it and laughed at my reaction. Waah it was so salty I felt like my kidney dried up. That's how I earned the nickname "Alat Queen." Kim, my brother's ex became "Alat Princess" when she used 1 bottle of soy sauce to cook Beefsteak (galit sa tubig?).

Those were happy days, It's just "Us" kids having a run of the place without adult supervision =P Pretty soon my Mom started visiting, staying over and noticing this and that (you know how Mom's are). I love my Mommy but after tasting freedom I longed for it again.

MY LITTLE HOME

I started looking for a room in Makati that offers low rent in a safe neighborhood. I found just the place. It’s very near where I work, it’s beside a Bldg with 24 hour security, the streets are well lighted and the rent is reasonable. The major unbreakable rules my landlord stressed was NO PETS, NO BABIES and NO ROOMMATE. Once I get caught violating any of these, my contract gets revoked(no if's and but's). Gulp! but I love furry animals =( I was earning so little then and have such limited options that I agreed to his terms.

Since I can't have pets... I did the next best thing and took care of strays. I have two cats, Kaps and Scruffy, I've sort of adopted. They can't enter my room but I feed them tuna whenever they drop by.

So far; This is the place I've stayed in the longest. I already had my Mom sleep over on numerous occasions and I noticed a big difference in the way she treats me. I expected her to dish out critical comments but instead she complimented me on my domestic skills (ehem! she liked my Adobo with Sampalok). She would also give motherly advices on how to maintain a home. She finally thinks I can do it! If she only knew the preparations I make when she comes over (I clean my place and ensure I have a well stocked fridge and cupboard haha). The important thing is I finally have her trust and respect. She was always worried that I'd end up a single mother living in a messy home. Now she looks at me and sees an adult. Someone who outgrew her childishness yet retained her childlike qualities. Someone who can take care not only of herself but also the people around her. I was blessed to have a steady job, my own home, true friends and a Papi who loves me. I've finally matured according to her standards. Hey Mom! I'm all grown up =)

Sinfully Circles

2009-09-20T08:29:00.065+08:00

Tim took me to Circles on my birthday. Ms. Ai told me that Circles is the best so I was really excited. For the occasion, we decided to dress up a bit and not wear the usual jeans/shirt ensemble.
As soon as we entered Shangri La Makati I had to pause and take a deep breath (for dramatic effect). The lobby was luxuriously furnished; the overall atmosphere was giving off a vibe of classy plus elegance. Walking in the hotel, I had a big smile plastered on my face. I missed this place! I used to go here with my Mom and Dad when I was in College and nothing's changed. The carpet, wall paneling and tapestries are still the same.

Lots of people were eating that night. We got worried because we didn't have a reservation. Thank God! They were able to accommodate us after locating a free table. Considering its a week night, I was surprised that the place was full (guys get a reservation just to be safe). I 'm going to document this experience for my children to read someday so I took lots of pictures (sorry this is going to be another long blog). You can click on the pictures to view them in their original size. Let's eat!.

I decided to be smart about my choice of drink. I really wanted a diet soda but it bloats the tummy making you think you’re full so I chose to go for green tea which is good for digestion. Tim ordered a glass of Mango shake. I was surprised that they used green tea leaves and not tea bags. I prefer tea leaves to tea bags; you have more control (if you want it stronger just put in more leaves.)

Tip* don’t order any beverage outside the list of house teas. My green tea was free but Tim’s Mango shake which he requested specifically costs P300++ Oh my!

Salad Station
Some people would prefer to start with something light by eating leafy veggies (well maybe if you're a rabbit). They have everything you need from the dressing to the garnishing. You can ask their station attendant to assemble a salad for you, He's a bit shy =)

Cold cuts Station
This I like! Be careful not to pile on too much meat early on. I took some expensive looking salami's (I think they're called Salami Milano). Tip* Buffets are bloody costly so make sure you sample all the expensive food items.

Sushi/Sashimi and Seafood Station
For Japanese food lovers out there, they have the usual maki/sushi and sashimi ready to eat or made to order upon request. Tim said there's this unusual maki wrapped with Salmon that tastes just heavenly. I personally don't find raw fish appetizing so I just stared at him while he ate it (yaiks! raw fish breath alert).

Look at the size of these Oysters and Prawns! If only I could eat ten of each

Red Station
This is one of their major sections. I called this Red station because most of their viands are placed inside red casseroles. I noticed this section serves mainly Filipino with a little bit of Japanese and Chinese. Hi Jay! Their Tempura Station is located here. The plate’s always empty so I didn’t bother to capture it on film (people are crazy over Tempura) =)
They have Siomai (Pork, Beef and Chicken), Dumplings (Vegetable and Shrimp) and Siopai. I love their Shrimp Dumplings, the Siomai is a bit salty for my taste.

My favorite veggie dish, Laing! I’m not sure but I think this originated in Bicol. I wonder if Laing tastes better over there.

A Fiery Bicol Express and Kare Kare. They opted to use Pata for the Kare Kare. Good choice since a lot of their dishes in the White Section has beef in it.

Lechon and Liempo
Tim being a pork lover had to try their Lechon. OMG! you need to eat some. The meat is so tender, the skin crispy but what blew me away was the absence of fat. Promise there is only a thin layer of fat in between the meat and skin (hindi siya nakakaumay). I'm not sure if this is a de leche because Con said the skin should be tender.

Tim and his diet plate - Check out his diet plate, it consists of 5 servings of carbohydrates and 20 servings of fat hehe. I so envy his metabolism, he eats a lot but still has problems gaining weight. I had to help him finish some of the items on his plate. We’re not sure if they have a no leftover policy but we weren’t taking any chances.

Fish Sinigang (I think its Salmon) and Inihaw na Manok.
Tim insisted I sip some soup prior to eating the Oysters to warm the tummy. We weren’t able to finish the soup but the waiter took it off the table so I guess they’re not particular on leftovers =) I already had my fill of Lechon Manok from Andoks, I’ll pass.

Pinoys love sauces and condiments. You can drop by this section for that spicy vinegar to pair with your liempo or a teaspoon of that fish sauce to salten your Sinigang.

Sweet and Sour Lapu Lapu – Tim actually did a little jump when he saw this dish. He’s been missing it for the longest time (not me hehe).

As if the Liempo, Lechon and Inihaw na Baboy wasn’t enough, they also serve Pork Barbecue and Crispy Pata. Who can say no to that extra crispy skin with layers of sticky fat beneath? Yum! I think I need to take some beta blockers now =P

Lumpia Station
This table not only has different varieties of lumpias (fresh, shanghai etc.) but they also serve tokwa’t baboy and fresh seaweed. I can eat these outside so I opted to bypass this section. I have a feeling this is the station Mickey will frequent because the attendant is F-R-I-E-N-D-L-Y hehe

You might want to try this lumpia with a twist, they used sugpo as a filling instead of the usual pork.

The White Station
I called this the White station since they mostly used white bowls, white plates and white serving plates. The dishes here are mainly Mediterranean with a touch of Continental.

For starters, Fancy a bowl of pumpkin soup? I wish Angel was here, this soup will definitely calm her frazzled nerves =)

There’s no name on the food tag. It looks like a Pizza but it’s not. It’s flaky and tomatoey. I’m thinking this could be a Bruschetta, it tastes best when paired with Parmesan cheese and Tabasco sauce.

They have a competent chef that mans the Pasta Station. He can whip up any Pasta meal you desire. This dish is best eaten hot. As Eufemia C. Estrada once said “The pasta should not wait for the diner, the diner should wait for the pasta.”

Roast Pork in something sauce...
If you can’t decide what pasta to have, you can try one that’s already cooked beforehand. Their Risotto looks good, not too watery and not too dry.

A nice chicken and beef dish =)
A saucy pork dish, waah too much meat! Can’t eat any more =( I wish Raiza was here, she loves pasta and pork especially sausages.

Oooh! U.S. Prime Rib, maybe I still have room for one more. Delicious! The meat is soo tender, rich and juicy. This is what beef should taste like. You can have as many slices as you want. The server won’t look at you funny (not like they do at other Buffets).

Which reminds me, I have a friend who once ate at an Oyster Buffet in Boracay. She and her husband consumed about 10 plates of Oysters. As the server was clearing their table they heard him mutter in a sarcastic tone “Sana naman nabusog kayo.” I told her “baka nainis kasi nalugi sila.”

Want some Mashed Potatoes with toasted Bacon and Steamed Broccolis for sidings?

This station serves Sisig on a hot plate plus something really interesting, Bibingka with Calderetang Baka (yep! You heard it right). I was feeling adventurous so I ventured for a closer look.
Ohnie: Talaga pong may lamang Calderetang Baka iyong Bibingka?
Attendant: Yes Ma’am
Ohnie: Kakaiba parang maalat na Bibingka siya?
Attendant: Masarap siya Ma’am subukan nyo
Ohnie: Naku kasi baka hindi ko magustuhan. Hmmm sige bahala na.
I heard a loud laughter on my left. Yaiks! The Chef was standing beside me and he heard everything I said (kakahiya). Tim was laughing at me as I did a hasty exit =(

As I took my first bite, whatever apprehensions I had vanished. Mmmm it’s good. The bibingka was a bit on the creamy and chewy side and the Calderetang Baka was tasty and crispy. The contrasting texture was just perfect!

Bread, Cheese and Nuts Station
This setup was placed behind a wall so it’s kinda hidden. We were on our dessert course when we saw this. Being a cheese lover, I cannot pass the opportunity to sample their finest selections of cheeses.

Assorted cheeses include: Emmental, Port Salut, Livarot, Reblochon and Blue Cheese
They have lots of breads to choose from: Multigrain, Whole Wheat, Bavarian Dark Rye, White Sour and Wellness bread.

Their breads are freshly baked and fragrant (can’t say the same for the cheeses ‘though). No wonder hardly anyone goes here. This station smells like unwashed socks phew!

My favorite is the White Sour bread paired with Port Salut. It’s a soft and delectable cheese with a subtle flavor. If only they had some strawberry jam.

The Dessert Section
Now, let’s move on to Con’s favorite topics: chocolate, cakes and ice cream hehe

Feast your eyes on this wonderful array of sweet treats! I actually don’t know what these are called. I bet if Con was here she can identify these desserts easy. She’d probably say “Well I can name that dessert in one bite.” =P

A closer look, aren’t they just mouth watering?
Of course every buffet has got to have a Chocolate Fountain.

You are given the freedom to assemble your own Halo Halo

I think this section was placed here for the benefit of the Foreigners. Filipino “kakanin” can be bought outside for 5 to 10 pesos so it’s not something we’d prioritize eating at a buffet.

They have sliced fruits available if you prefer something healthy. Their pudding (at least I think it is) looks scrumptious!
Still craving for sweets? Here’s the traditional Bibingka, Mango Cheesecake, Chocolate Mouse and a cake from outer space? (It’s the weird looking cake on the lower left corner).

You can take your pick of any cold ice cream. For added flavor you can opt to pour syrups on top. Hmmm just heavenly.

This is the crepe lady who sees to it that freshly made Mango Crepes are available.

I was watching her make one when a stuffy looking rich lady in a snooty voice said “Excuse me.” I looked at her, she didn’t say it but her eyes were saying “You’re in my way young lady.” I held my ground and said “Oh sorry! But I’m getting one.” She blinked and backed off.

Tim was laughing at me, he knew I had no intention of getting one (waah napasubo ako). Now I have to finish this big Mango Crepe =( I really wish Con was here.

A picture of a seriously disturbed dessert - The Mangoes keeps sliding out =( they used two mango cheeks so it’s really big.

Here’s a picture of Yours Truly (10 lbs later) by the takeout corner and gift shop. They have some wonderful albeit expensive cakes you might want to give to your loved ones.

I ate so much that night, enough for one lifetime. But I had fun so who cares? I highly recommend Circles. It’s a nice place to commemorate VERY special occasions. Just be prepared to spend. Tim wouldn't tell me how much he paid for the bill. He just kept saying "Ok lang once a year lang naman ito eh."

Thinking about it, The place was aptly named. It really is SINFULLY CIRCLES. It’s sinful on your diet and your wallet =P Happy Birthday to me!

"I think you're daft. I want a divorce"

2009-09-13T21:51:00.009+08:00

This article caught my attention yesterday.

John to Paul: 'You’re Daft, I Want a Divorce'
New interview tapes reveal Lennon as engineer of Beatles' break up

Long-forgotten interviews with the Beatles emerged today when rock journalist Ray Connelly dug out reels of tape he'd stored away in a forgotten suitcase. On the 40th anniversary of the band's descent into dissolution, Connelly reveals new information upending some impressions that Paul McCartney was responsible for the split.

John blurted out to Connelly that he was the one who killed the world's favorite band. At a meeting between the two, "Paul just kept mithering on about what we were going to do, so in the end I just said, ‘I think you’re daft. I want a divorce,'" Connelly quotes him in the Times of London. Lennon also admits that McCartney wrote more of the Beatles' early material "because he was quite competent on guitar—Paul taught me quite a lot of guitar, really."

Fancy that, John Lennon using the word "daft." I had no idea what that means but the word appealed to me. It sounds so refined so so Brit! I did a bit of research and found out that daft stands for someone who's irregularly mental or "crazy" as how an American would put it. I can't wait to use this word! I finally found the perfect opportunity that afternoon.

Tim bought me earphones for my iPod as a bday present. We bought one that's specifically designed for the Nano version. Problem is, I have the Nano 4th generation and the plugs don't fit properly. It was designed for the bigger and older iPod Nano. Tim had to go back to the Mac store to have it exchanged (bother bother). Later, he came to pick me up for work with the replacement. I tried it on.

Ohnie: Wow! ang laki ng ginanda ng sounds, iba talaga 'pag iPod ang gamit mo tapos astig iyong earphones. Nice! Thanks for the gift. Gusto mo bilhan kita ng iPod for your bday?
Tim: Huwag na, ok na iyong cellphone ko bibili na lang ako ng ganyan. Hindi naman iPod nagpapaganda ng sounds eh iyong earphones.
Ohnie: (looking at the package) Sabi dito "for iPod" tapos gagamitin mo sa cellphone, are you daft?
Tim and Ohnie: hahahahaha

I love it! I'll add this to my list of favorite English words like: Bloody, Bother and Rubbish.

I can't wait to use this again. Maybe I should go to a fastfood chain and wait for the crew to greet me.
Crew: Thank you for coming to **** Ma'am/Sir!
Ohnie: Are you daft?
Crew: Po?
Ohnie: What is the matter with you calling me a Ma'am/Sir? I'm either a Ma'am or a Sir and not both. If I was then I'd be bloody well Gay now would I?

Hahah I wish I could pull that off but I'm just not British enough =P

Ribbit!

2009-09-10T14:49:00.010+08:00

Last night, Tim and I found something interesting on Ayala Avenue's underpass.

It's a baby frog! (soo cute) Its hard to see at first since it blends with the background. Hmmm wonder where it came from? It could have hopped all the way from Greenbelt 3.

Ohnie: Hullo Baby Frog what's your name?
Frog: Ribbit
Ohnie: If I kiss you will you turn into a Prince?
Frog: Ribbit
Ohnie: Uhhh Is that a yes or a no?
Frog: Ribbit

Sniff! rejected by a frog, now I know how Miss Piggy* feels =P

* Miss Piggy is a Muppet character who's constantly pursuing Kermit the Frog.

Dress me up!

2009-08-29T20:14:00.014+08:00

I was never fond of wearing dresses. I grew up with three brothers, two olders brothers and one baby brother. Since we're the closest in age I would often tag along when they play house games. My big sister was no fun, she'd rather gossip, listen to music or write in her diary about boys (yuck! hehe). I often got hurt, brothers can get rough but its better than playing by myself. My two older brothers were my biggest influences then. They hate anything "maarte" or girly so I tried to be boyish just to fit in. Thank God I didn't start liking girls :P

I would feel uncomfortable when my Mom would dress me up for parties. Wearing a dress for me would mean acting all ladylike and frilly and that's just too much work for me. My favorite then is and will always be sneakers, jeans and shirts. I guess I've never been a girly girl but I've always wondered how it would feel like to be one...

Yesterday, Sarina or Ms. Ai, as we fondly call her, told me that her friend was selling dresses. I honestly had no plans to buy but Ms. Ai is one of the nicest people in the office so I said I'd take a look. I ended up buying two dresses. The selections were so cute and the outfits are affordably priced. Besides, I've lost a lot of weight so why not try wearing something different :)

This is similar to what Ms. Ai wore when she performed at our anniversary party. I like her style so I'll pair this with jeans and wedge sandals as well.

This looks like something a little girl would wear. I can wear this on a lazy Sunday afternoon with a pair of flip flops. I can't wait to try this on.

So how do I look? Doesn't look like I'm wearing a P250 dress right?

Letting GO in the Office

2009-08-25T09:24:00.013+08:00

I just finished eating a handful of Cheetos when I had this urge to Pee. I went to our restroom and OMG! Someone's moving their bowels in the bathroom and whoever she is must've eaten beef for breakfast. It smells like preserved spoiled meat in there. I suddenly wished I hadn't eaten anything :( I had to hold my breath while I relieved my bladder, It gets worse when I can't hold it any longer and I had to take in huge gulps of air (parusa ito).

Hey before you judge me as being maarte I'm not (ha). I have nothing against people who poop in the office, If you have to go you gotta go. But there are some things you need to consider, you are not the only person using the restroom. So please try to minimize the smell :)

Here are some tips imparted to me by my friends (who are expert office poopers if I might add). These are really useful and hygienic :D

1) Before going to the restroom make sure you have toiletries with you (soap, tissue, aerosol spray etc.) Good thing we have unlimited tissues and liquid soaps here. Although the PH levels of hand soaps might be harmful to your b**t skin, use it at your own risk.

2) If you don't have "tabo" just try to wet some paper towels and put soap in some and just water in some (instant wet ones). I think my friend calls this "being resourceful."

3) If you have Lysol, it would be advisable to disinfect the toilet seat. Make sure to line the toilet bowl with tissues (Some Venereal Diseases are transmittable via skin contact).

4) Flush the toilet after each poop. This will help lessen the smell. My friend said this really works. I think the vacuum power in each flushing sucks the bad odor or something.

5) If you have air freshener spray it at regular intervals or if you think buying one is extravagant you can just light a match (mura lang ang posporo). When a match is struck it produces sulfur dioxide, once you smell it you will not smell anything else for a while (pati putok ng Bumbay hindi mo maamoy).

6) Please don't throw the paper towels in the bowl, it causes clogging. We have lots of toilet papers here, I dunno why some people keep on using those hard paper towels to wipe their delicate b**ts. A friend of mine had an unfortunate experience. After pooping, she flushed the toilet and the water rose (kakaloka 'di ba?). I don't think I need to elaborate what she felt..and did. It was a traumatic experience for her. Don't wait for that to happen to you.

Lastly, try not to look guilty when you exit the restroom. Hey! Everyone poops, it's nothing to be embarassed about :D

Fooling Around

2009-08-19T18:38:00.015+08:00

Dayshift can be fun with Mickey around. He's with a different team but he drops by my area everytime he's on break, going to the restroom, going to the pantry or on Workpace. He keeps me awake with his funny stories and weird questions. Here are some candid pics I took which he said I can post online (just two Virgos fooling around on a slow day in the office).

Now that is talent! not everyone can balance a mug on top of their head (a mug supported by two hands hehe). You can be a dancer Mickey, I think the Bayanihan Dance Troupe is holding auditions for "Pandanggo sa Ilaw."

Ouch! now that must hurt. I told you not to go under my desk. I keep my food in my drawer :P
Mickey feels his eyes are too big so he squints to make them smaller. Somehow I don't buy that. Pacute ka lang talaga hehe :D

Hmm He probably wants to see which is bigger, the mug or his head. Either that or he just wants an excuse to squint his eyes. BTW, you're probably wondering what that stuff inside his hot tea is. Nope those are not silicone implants for faeries, it's Lychee Conjac Jelly :)

To drink or not to drink that is the question. I'd have second thoughts too if I were him. What we're you thinking? Mixing bitter tea with Lychee Jelly

He looks like he's promoting a product here. Whatever it is I'm not buying, joke :P Hmm You can pass up for a straight guy with that baby mustache)
Here he is hanging out with my babies Salad and Kumag (Oguckguck is still on vacation). He's such a sweet uncle, just don't teach them any gay stuff and we're good :D

I don't how I would cope without Mickey's constant visits and pangungulit. Thanks for the laughs and the company :) I'm feeling a lot better, lets go to the gym on Friday!

Thank you also Raiza and Con for hanging around after your shift to chat with me :D

Thousand Cranes

2009-08-17T16:47:00.025+08:00

I've been sick for almost a week. I don't know what type of Virus infected me but I'm usually not this slow in recovering. Simply put, I'm sick of being sick. I miss working out at the gym, I miss feeling healthy :(

Tim felt really sorry for me so he took me out to Dinner yesterday. I wanted to dine Al Fresco, aircons clog my nose. We barely stayed for 5 minutes at the Healthy Options store in Greenbelt and I was already finding it difficult to breathe. We walked around a bit and that's when we spotted this restaurant on Greenbelt 3. They have a nice al fresco setup and it's been a long time since I've had Shabu Shabu, I wanted some hot soup :)

Thousand Cranes is located in between The Recipes and Banana Leaf Curry. Their outside tables have a good view of the Greenbelt 3 area (we wouldn't want this excellent landscaping to go to waste now do we?).

I noticed a lot of Foreigners congregrate at Cafe Havana. Could it be for the excellent tobacco or a good view of the pretty Filipinas parading around in their sexy outfits? hmmm Raiza dalhin mo si Idan dito para magka stiff neck siya hehe Okay time to order. We chose to go with Shabu Shabu as opposed to Yakiniku since I needed some hot soup in my system. It really has been a long time since I ate at a Shabu Shabu restaurant. My mom and I used to share one pot as we fry meats and boil assorted seafoods. Nowadays, each customer has their own pot sort of like having your own kitchen area. I think it's what my older brother would call "Mise en place." This is better since I can flavor my soup the way I want it.

Looks like we'll be cooking a lot.

For veggies we have some carrots, button mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, Baguio Pechay, dark leafy Pechay, Jap corn and Gabi.

We have two types of noodles, Vermicelli or the translucent kind and flat noodles.

We have all the balls you can think of: Fish Balls, Meat Balls, Lobster Balls, Squid Balls, some crabstick and Fish cake.

For our assorted meats, we have Beef Tenderloin, Porkloin, Australian Lamb (which I asked to be changed to Porkloin) and one other beef I forgot (sorry I was feeling a bit light headed).

This is the Shabu Shabu sauce, it's ideal to use when eating seafoods since it takes away the fishy aftertaste. They mix it with garlic and assorted chilies. Half of which will go into the sauce and half will go into the soup.
Here's a picture of the waiter preparing my sauce. He mixes in half of the chilies and the chopped raw garlic, then he cracks one egg, mixes the eggwhite into the soup, drops the egg yolk into a ladle with holes. He dips the ladle for one second into the boiling soup takes it out and mashes the yolk in with my sauce. Tim said it's probably to thicken the sauce.

More soup please. Their service staff are friendly and attentive. Look at our waiter, he's smiling while pouring the soup. You can tell he likes his job :)
A hot steam does wonders for a clogged nose. I'm feeling better already. I initially had the flame on high when I started.
Remember to turn the flame on low when you're done, else your ingredients will turn mushy and blah. Here's a picture of my soup. I threw in some leafy veggies for nutritional value.
We made two different concoctions, Tim's soup was a lot spicier than mine. We managed to finish everything *burp* and it was a lot! We could barely stand afterwards. Good thing it was a slow night, we had all the time to lounge and relax. I did some light reading while Tim smoked.To be honest, its a bit pricier compared to your average restaurant but its nice to play cook once in a while. I'll definitely come back to try their Yakiniku. I've always wanted to grill some meats just like they do it in Naruto :P (For those who don't know, Naruto is an anime series). Itadakimasu!

The Panna Cotta Lovers

2009-08-11T18:25:00.027+08:00

It all started when we were assigned to the 8 o'clock shift. This was the opening shift for our team and most of us dreaded being the "Early Birds." Ang hirap kayang gumising ng maaga :P

We're 4 girls with different personalities: we have an uber sweet and sosy Kolehiyala, the "simple pero rock" na Mommy, the half-serious but super serious intellectual Prankster and the super shy yet friendly Nerd. I guess that complicated mix worked for us. We just had one month of togetherness but that was enough time to get to know each other and form a tighter relationship.

from left to right: Ohnie, Raiza, Bijo and Mami Deng.

We look forward to having lunch. Being in each other's company is one big laugh trip. Mami Deng has lots of funny stories about life, while Raiza is the talented one at making funny remarks, Bijo supplements them with her own stories. As for me, I'm the listener who just laughs and laughs. I get tummy aches after that (probably due to too much gas).

We also do serious talks. We each have our own struggles in life: one of us was engaged but decided not to go thru with the wedding, one of us married the wrong man, one of us is missing a left toe, one of us is secretly in love with her high school bestfriend, one of us dreams of becoming a Baker, one of us once ate 40 siopaos in one sitting, one of us cannot be with the man she loves because he's already spoken for and one of us is Gay (you're probably wondering why so many issues when there's just 4 of us, pick the untruths from the truths para mas masaya hehe).

Aside from jokes and funny stories, We have one other thing we shared that made us bond. We love PANNA COTTA! It's this Italian Dessert made out of cream, milk and gelatin. It's creamy like Leche Flan but without the overpowering sweetness. It's so yummy we can eat it everyday (I think Bijo actually ate it everyday for a month). I tried the Panna Cotta at Pizza Hut, it's nothing compared to the one at Pasta Works. They're the best!

A half-eaten Panna Cotta

In celebration of our newfound closeness, we decided to eat at Pasta Works for our last meal. I took some candid pictures while waiting for our food.

Mami Deng ordered the Breaded Porkchop, they serve big chops here. Sarap ng gravy. This was supposed to be a candid shot, she's too fast for me (she can project a smile superfast)

Bijo,the sweet gal in the bunch, opted for Angus Beef Tapa. Isn't she just cute? She looks like a Japanese Doll.

Raiza also ate the Breaded Pchop. I like this shot, she looks like she's covering something suspicious hmmm
I had the Grilled Porkchop with an extra serving of veggies. The people there are so nice, I only ordered one piece and they gave me an extra piece. Hey Thanks :)

Our Last dessert together. Bijo already started eating hers so it's a little bit messed up but it's okay, still looks cute.
The Mango Panna Cotta Poster Girl. Mami Deng enjoying our luscious dessert. Honestly, I wanted seconds nahihiya lang ako sa kanila :P

Mga 'te andito iyong camera, san kayo nakatingin?

I'm working the dayshift this month. I'm already missing our group :'( Here's hoping we get assigned to the same schedule again.

I long to laugh and live La Dolce Vita with my fellow Panna Cotta Lovers again :)

A Secret Way?

2009-08-10T12:35:00.006+08:00

Since Glorietta 1 is being renovated most of my favorite stores were moved to Glorietta 5. Me and my girlfriends are complaining that G5's location is inconvenient. Ayala did not construct any walkway so you have to cross the street from Rustan's to get there (plus you need to have an umbrella when it's raining). Most shoppers must've had the same sentiment. I noticed there aren't that many people in G5.

Last night, I discovered an underground link from G3 to G5. Look for a parking lot entrance near Heaven and Eggs beside Bread Talk. Just ride the escalator going down :) Honestly, I was expecting to walk across the parking lot on my way to G5. I was pleasantly surprised to find an air conditioned and well lighted tunnel. It's a longer trek as compared to the normal route but I love walking so I'll be using this from now on.

Meet Black Olive aka Kumag

2009-08-04T17:47:00.035+08:00

Kumag is my second baby. He was given to me by Lee (remember the guy addicted to coffee?). The minute I saw him I fell in love with the cute bugger.

He has the thinnest arms I have ever seen, a big set of fists and a swishy tail. If you think his back side is cute wait until you see his face.
Look doesn't he have the shyest smile? Just like Con he's vain about his teeth so we have to get those bleached every so often. He has an X for a belly button, that's his tickle spot. He's the bad ass little brother of Salad and has designated himself as the "Official Protector." That's right! anyone who wants to hurt Salad has to go thru him first.

Did I forget to mention, he's this big?
He loves it when it rains. He does this funny Count Dracula imitation. Von Von raindrop hahaha

He loves to observe Raiza work (yaiks! a potential stalker?)

He likes living dangerously. Here he is riding the Luge with the daredevil speed of 1iph (inch per hour).

He may be a bad-ass but he has a soft spot for Flowers

He's proud of his receeding hairline ( Bald is the new sexy)
He's never short of admirers. Uh oh looks like Angel is smitten (don't fall for his bambi doe-eyed look, my baby is a certified heartbreaker).

His favorite game is Hide n' Seek. Ooops how'd he get inside Nikki's blouse?
And he loves to sit on top of Raiza (hmm looks like he really has a thing for her).
At the end of the day he likes to lie beside Salad and share his favorite bar of chocolate. What a sweet brother. He may look impish and naughty but inside that devilish exterior beats the heart of an angel :)

A Cab Driver's sentiments

2009-07-31T09:47:00.012+08:00

Angel and I went to Fitness First after work. We heard that our company has a corporate tie-up with FF RS (P1500 for a Passport membership!) and I wanted to upgrade my plan. I'm currently paying P2190 for just a lousy Home membership. I really want in on this deal. I'll be able to save 690/month plus I will have access to almost all of the FF clubs. It took us longer than I expected, we left there at around 8;15 am (hooray! I'm a Passport member now). I accompanied Angel while she waited for a jeepney. Coming from the 8pm shift I was feeling drowsy and tired so I decided to take a cab home. Most of my friends know I'm a cab person. I never learned how to drive because I'm such a Panic Pansy. If I'm on a tight budget, I either walk home or take the tricycle.

I always try to chat with the driver unless he's impolite and lewd. I admire people who do honest work for a living :) Today, I got a very nice middle-aged driver name Mang Antonio. He started the conversation by saying there's a storm coming. Wait! I'll just post our conversation here so I don't have to translate it in English at inaantok na talaga ako. It's important that you read this. It might help you understand why some cab drivers ask for dagdag if it's traffic in Edsa, you're in Makati and you want to go let's say in Kalookan.

Mang Antonio : mukhang uulan na naman, may bagyo daw na parating ngayon eh
Ohnie: oo nga makulimlim nga, ano pong pangalan?
Mang Antonio: hindi ko alam nasa E na 'ata tayo kasi tapos na ang F (doesn't E come before F? hehe sorry couldn't resist)
Ohnie: ahh okay
Mang Antonio; nakow goodluck na lang mamaya, Friday pa naman ngayon tapos payday pa tapos may bagyo pa ay grabe ang traffic nito.
Ohnie: ay oo nga, siguradong maraming maiinit ang ulo mamaya. Iiwas po ba kayo sa mall kasi grabeng traffic or pupunta pa rin kayo kasi nandun ang pasahero?
Mang Antonio: depende kung nakaboundary na ako uuwi na lang ako kasi lugi ka 'pag traffic
Ohnie: Bakit nga po pala umiinit ang ulo ng mga drivers pag traffic 'di ba kumikita pa rin naman kayo dahil pumapatak ang metro kahit nakahinto ang sasakyan?
Mang Antonio: ay sa totoo lang lugi kami 'pag traffic kasi pag hindi gumagalaw ang sasakyan papatak lang ang metro ng P2.50 after 2 minutes.
Ohnie: ah iba po ba ang patak 'pag umaandar kumpara sa nakahinto?
Mang Antonio: Ay iba, pag umaandar kami iyong unang patak na P2.50 after 500 meters pagkatapos nun iyong mga susunod na patak na P2.50 after 300 meters na.
Ohnie: gaano po ba katagal bago nyo marating ang 300 meters?
Mang Antonio: mga seconds lang iyon, kita mo iyang mga poste ng ilaw? 'kada pangatlong poste ng ilaw 300 meters
Ohnie: ay sus lugi nga kayo pag hindi kayo gumagalaw, tapos siyempre bawat preno nyo kumakain ng break fluid iyon so bibili pa kayo pag naubusan
Mang Antonio: ay hindi lang break fluid pati break pads din kelangan palitan, kelangan ng dalawang break pads sa kotse, sa harap at sa likod. kapag madalas kang napreno mga 3 months lang kelangan mo na palitan iyong break pads sa harap, iyong sa likod tatagal ng 8 months. Ang pinakamurang break pad nasa P450 kaya aabutin ka ng P900 kung sabay mo silang papalitan.
Ohnie: ang laking gastos din pala, bakit hindi nyo ireklamo iyong pagpatak ng metro? isuggest nyo na 1 min na lang ang waiting time imbes na 2 mins?
Mang Antonio: Ay hindi pwede LTFRB ang nagcacalibrate ng metro namin, iyong mga iba naglalagay ng Batingting para bumilis ang patak pero hindi naman tama iyon.
Ohnie: ay oo naman po, dishonest po iyon. kaya pala iyong mga ibang driver humihingi ng dagdag kapag matrapik tapos malayo ang pupuntahan mo.
Mang Antonio: oo korek kasi lugi talaga kami.

Hindi madaling magmaneho, Yes I've always been a passenger and never the driver. But I've accompanied my Kuya Ped on some long distance trips and I don't need to be in his shoes to feel his aches and pains when we get home(he keeps complaining about having a sore back and stiff shoulders). So the next time you encounter an irate driver, try to be more patient. He might've been driving for 10 hours straight and still hasn't reached his boundary.

Good thing I always make it a point to add P10 to my meter fare. I know some people might disagree and say "fare should be fair" but consider the fact that traffic is an everyday thing in the Philippines. A little extra tip like 10 bucks per passenger would be a big help :)

Cutesy Desserts

2009-07-29T09:26:00.012+08:00

Raiza's FRIEND is on a health kick. He's not fond of fish so he opted to eat less rice and more veggies instead. For dinner, he wanted to eat vegetables with Tofu. They had a long argument about Tokwa and Tofu. According to her friend there is a difference between the two. She consulted me about it. Hmmm isn't Tokwa the tagalog word for Tofu? I told her maybe when he said Tokwa he meant the type of Tofu you buy in the wet market, the low class crumbly kind. The Japanese Tofu on the other hand is silkier and finer.

Since we were walking home, she planned to buy the Tofu at the Japanese grocery nearby. I decided to accompany her, I might discover some new snacks. Raize bought 3 Atsuages or what we call fried Tofu. Good choice, you can cut these into cubes and they're firm enough to retain their shape even if you saute them with veggies.

I went to the Dessert section and found these sweet treats!

STRAWBERRY CREAM PUFF - a cream puff dessert filled with custard, strawberries and whipped cream. I'll give this to Con, she's a bit sad about her work schedule this coming September. This will make her happy :)

TIRAMISU - cake made with ladyfingers soaked in strong coffee and spiked with coffee liqueur, it is layered with a custard-like filling combined with either mascarpone or cream cheese. This will be a good pick-me-upper for Raiza who is always sleepy :)

BABY SAGING - nope! I didn't buy this banana, this was given to me by Cel. Honestly, this is the smallest saging na SABA I have ever seen. It's almost the same size as my iPod Nano. So cute! I'll pair this with milk and eat it for breakfast.

Book Nerds Unite!

2009-07-25T02:45:00.014+08:00

I took a leave from work today. I've been feeling drained and stressed, I needed a recharge. Gen and I made plans to go to The Fort, it has the biggest "Fully Booked" branch. We both love to read and our formula for depression? Go book shopping!

She picked me up a couple of minutes before 4pm. Problem: We both didn't know how to get there. I've been to The Fort less than 10 times and on those occasions, I either have Tim, Raiza or the Taxi Driver with me. I let someone else navigate, I am that bad with directions. We ended up hanging in Makati. Gen was thrilled that we were having dinner at Bubba Gump. It's the only restaurant we know that has an air conditioned smoking area. My Bestfriend can really smoke :P

We visited Fully Booked at G5 and Powerbooks at G3. We bought 7 books (mine's 4, her's 3) and promised to meet again for a book review session. I'm currently finishing a novel plus I have 2 more waiting after that. So I stiil have 7 books to read. Just what I need to keep my mind occupied. Check these out!
From top left to right:Bad Things don't just happen to other people, The Magician, The Alchemyst, The Orange Girl, The Graveyard Book, Eragon and The Scions of Shannara.

BAD THINGS DON'T JUST HAPPEN TO OTHER PEOPLE - A psychological thriller from Michael Marshall. It's about a father in desperate search of the truth about what happend to his son. He went swimming one summer afternoon and never came back (creepy).

THE ALCHEMIST and THE MAGICIAN - These are books 1 and 2 of a 3 part series. The New York Times bestseller from Michael Scott about The Secrets of The Immortal. Gen said this is suspense-filled and action-packed (I really hate a snoozer).

THE ORANGE GIRL by Jostein Gaarder - Raiza bought me this book :) She said it's a modern day fairy tale about a Father, his son and the Orange Girl. A beautiful girl the father met on a tram when he was just a boy.

ERAGON - The first published written work by Christopher Paolini. A fantasy novel about Eragon, his dragon and their fight to uphold what is just and true. Another New York Times Bestseller. Give this book a chance even if you didn't like the movie. The author was 14 when he finished writing this (It got published when he was 15). Trust me, maganda siya.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman - This was highly recommended by the clerk at Fully Booked. I was looking for a good scare and I asked him to find me a book about dolls that animate and kill. He said this is just as scary. The story revolves around Nobody Owens, a boy who lives in a graveyard and is raised by ghosts.

I'm glad I have a book nerd for a bestfriend. She never runs out of stories to tell. I find it therapeutic being around her. That's why we've been friends for so long. We both love the same things : food and books. I guess we're into feeding the tummy and the brain.

Diet Dietan

2009-07-15T20:03:00.060+08:00

Recently, I noticed most of my teammates are adopting a healthier lifestyle. This happened after the Health Fair, most of us found out we had weak bone densities, high blood sugars and unhealthy levels of fat masses. Or this could have something to do with their Boracay trip this September. Everyone wants to look good in that eetsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini :)

Name: Arsenia Moises aka Mami Deng
Goal: To lower her blood sugar and be sexier
Diet: No rice and more veggies, minimize intake of sweet treats

Mami Deng is looking better everyday. She recently started playing badminton and opts to take the stairs instead of the escalator when taking the MRT. I saw her wearing this little black polo and her tummy is looking smaller and tighter. Keep it up!

Name: Josephine Mirabueno aka Bijo
Goal: To have smaller hips, thighs and butt
Diet: Chicken with no rice and eat only when hungry

At 110 lbs Bijo think she's fat. She claims her problem area is her big thighs and hips. She plays badminton and runs the treadmill like crazy. Honestly, I think she's already sexy. Raiza's right Dear, it would look weird if you have a big ass and small thighs. Lots of girls would die to have a body like yours.
Trust me, you look hot hot hot :)

Name: Pamela Peralta aka Pam/Bamba
Goal: To look more voluptous and alluringly sexy
Diet: No rice, more oatmeal

Last week, I saw Pam eating a bowl of oatmeal with Lulu. Like me, Pam loves to eat so she wasn't exactly thrilled at having chocolate oatmeal for lunch. Lulu was encouraging her by saying "think of Boracay..." We chatted for a bit in the restroom and she mentioned that she hasn't eaten rice in three days. Good job Pam! Can't wait to see your Boracay pics.

Name: Maricon Brizuela aka Con Nichiwa
Goal: To fit in her old pants
Diet: Milk and sweets

Con's upset, she can't fit into her old pants. She abhors the idea of buying new, bigger ones since she prides herself in being frugal hehe. The cheapest way to resolve the problem is to lose weight. She now survives on packets of Bear Brand milk and candies and cakes. I love this girl! I can always count on Con to finish the cheesecake slices I can't eat :)

Name: Leemuel Cuan aka Lee
Goal: To stay awake while working
Diet: Coffee

Don't let this picture fool you. In reality, Lee walks around with eyes half opened. He's developed a certain immunity to coffee. This guy can down six shots of espresso and still fall asleep (yoiks!)

Name: Mikhail Valientes aka Mickey/Jake
Goal: To be superfunny and supersexy
Diet: Hi Carbs, Hi Protein and Hi Fat

Mickey can eat anything and not gain weight. He has the metabolism of a Hummingbird. I swear, this guy's tummy is super flat. He will do anything for the sake of fitness. He once ate camote, boiled eggs and tuna for a month(ugh!). His favorite line is "I feel fat or I think I'm fat" (nakakainis ka Mickey!)

Name: Raiza Lanuza aka Raize/Raiza Bells/Strawberry
Goal: To look good and feel good.
Diet: minimize rice, chicken, fish, pork and beef consumption.

Remember the child stars Bamba and Strawberry? They both look like young Ara Minas, so alike they could be sisters. Here in the office, we have Pam and Raiza (di ba magkamukha sila?) Ang cute! hehe.
My little sister Raize as I fondly call her is so inspired "magpapretty." She has this special close friend who happens to be a boy and ehem! I can't say any more or else she'll whack me in the ass haha. We eat lunch together making sure the other does not overeat. We also exercise by walking home together while talking about our hunnies. I'm so happy for her blooming love life.

Ohnie Reyes aka Ohns/Maroh/Cream Cheese/Piggy Puff
Goal: To be fit and healthy.
Diet: 1/2 cup of rice a day limit, Eat more white meat and veggies. A cheesecake or pizza every 2 weeks or so.

For some people being thin is effortless. I was one of the unlucky ones who has to work twice as hard just to look good. I diet and go to the gym three times a week. I'm thinking of taking Badminton as a sport, lots of my teammates are into it. My health buddies (Mickey, Con and Raize) help keep me focused on my goal (I have a tendency to binge when starving). I've been able to keep the pounds off for 3 years and counting. Hmm wonder when I'll be able to fit in that little black dress...

Funny Cat Pics

2009-07-03T08:08:00.009+08:00

Mickey and his sister are cat lover's, they roughly have 30 + cats at home. I bet they're all named "Muning" haha :P
He sent me some cute cat pictures yesterday. Cats are sooo adorable! (gigil!)

Whats in a Feet?

2009-06-27T21:02:00.026+08:00

Raiza likes taking pictures of her feet. I find that odd since I'd rather take pictures of faces. She had a perfectly logical explanation for that. She said it's your way of saying that "I was here." Okay sounds nice, I decided to give it a try. I chronicled my feet's adventure in the office one fine Saturday.

First Stop: Raiza's workstation

Wow! she really keeps her work area neat, all her documents are properly filed. Hmm I noticed the absence of pictures (a COUPLE shot of her and her FRIEND would be nice hehe). What a pity her imported creamer's all gone, it so uhm creamy, goes well with any coffee :(

Hi Raize! I borrowed Plucky Ducky. Salad is in dire need of a playmate, he's a bit antsy today.
Next Stop: Nikki's workstation

I was feeling hungry. Aside from me, Nikki can be counted on to have foodams (thats baby talk for food). Her boyfriend loves to cook and she always shares his "pabaon" for her. I love the pasta dish and Ginisang Monggo.

Oooh what's this, a chocolate? Nope ( I think it's a pencil hehe). Hungry now, I need to get my hands on something edible. Yey! I found some Peanut Brittle mini bars. You wouldn't mind if I help myself to some right Nikki? (munch munch) Too late to object I'm already eating it.
Third Stop: The periphery to Con's cubicle

Con's area is a bit sparse. It looks like she's still in the process of transferring, everything's in disarray. Dearie didn't we move to our new areas a couple of months ago? I guess she's being smart, don't get settled so you won't have a hard time packing when you get transferred again or when you resign (joke) :) I decided not to enter her private area, there's nothing to pilfer ehem I mean borrow here.

Fourth Stop: The Pantry

On my last break, I really needed a break from the "work" ambiance. I hung out in the Pantry beside the window. *sigh* It feels so nice not to think of anything, just let your brain have a breather (birds pretty, trees green).

Fifth Stop: The Bathroom

All that coffee made me jingly. Being in the restroom made me miss Con and Raiza. Girls! I suddenly realized that if you combine the first letters of your name, you'd get the acronym C. R. just like Comfort Room :)

Sixth Stop: Mickey's Station

Wow if Raiza is neat, Mickey's a neat freak. His area is spotlessly clean plus his supplies are organized. He has containers for everything (push pins, paper clips etc.) All his pictures are close up shots of him (love yourself much?) Aha! You didn't tell me you have a jar of Nutella spread, I love this stuff!

Hi Mickey! Here's picture a of me sitting on your desk. This Nutella is really yummy, Ooops! I dropped some on your table (uh oh)

Question: How can you tell if a guy is gay?

Answer: If he screams bloody murder at you for messing up his workstation.

Last Stop: Home

Just finishing some of my cases before I head home. I really like our carpet, it has the nicest pattern. This has been a fun feet day! Thanks for the idea Raize :)

Cool Shirt

2009-06-23T07:52:00.022+08:00

Mickey's an avid fan of Chuvaness's Blog. She recently featured Trilogy; It's a new shop along Rada Street. Being a fashionista, He wanted to check their selection of shades, tops and shoes (Secretly, Mickey hopes to run into Victor Basa). Having nothing better to do, I decided to tag along.

Here's the link to Chuvaness's blog about Trilogy http://chuvaness.livejournal.com/624656.html

We decided to look for the place after our visit to the gym. We were wandering around for 3 minutes before we realized we're lost. We printed the map but we forgot to memorize the address. I maybe geographically challenged but I'm good at asking directions. I picked my target, a nice man eating Banana Que in front of a white building.

Ohnie: Hello po
Man: Hello
Ohnie: naliligaw po kami, alam nyo po ba kung saan ang Trilogy?
Man: Trilogy (looks clueless)
Ohnie: ano po siya bagong store, tindahan ng mga sneakers, shirts and shades. It's along Rada Street daw po in between Dela Rosa and Legaspi.
Man: Ngayon ko lang narinig iyan ah. Naku hindi ko alam eh.
Mickey: Uy Ohnie, eto na ata iyong Trilogy!
The guy and I turned around. (Duh nasa likuran niya iyong store)
Haha at that point I didn't know who was Dumb and Dumber. The guy for not knowing the store is in the same building he works for or me, I was staring at the store but not seeing it hehe.

The place is a bit intimidating. Its so white, so pristine. Hmmm I think they're targeting uber classy people. Having just left the gym, I was looking scruffy and a bit ragged. I felt out of place. Mickey felt quite at home so I trailed after him while he rifled through the men's selection. When he went to the ladies section (probably felt sorry for me since I wouldn't venture there by myself) the salesperson who looks a lot like Serena Dalrymple cornered me (awwww Mickey why'd you leave me?) She speaks really good English and has poise (could be a part owner). She was hard selling their cutesy shirts and I was trying to pretend I'm interested until I saw one with The Beatles design. My Boyfriend's a huge fan. He wanted to kill Heather Mills after what she did to Sir Paul Mc Cartney (Yep! He's at that level of obsession already).

So I fitted it, Nice! It looks and feels vintage but its not. It's one of those shirts that conform to the shape of your body. It makes my small bosoms look bigger and my big bosoms er I mean waist look smaller, I'll take it! This would look nice with a pair of white shorts and sandals.

Too bad they don't have the men's shirt in stock. I wanted to buy one for Tim. Oh well, I'm sure he'd rather stare at The Beatles than wear the Beatles :P

Freebie for a Gym Addict

2009-06-18T10:25:00.027+08:00

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” Jim Rohn

Mickey (picture on right side) and I dropped by Fitness First yesterday. Mickey was a former track runner and pole dancer (he made me write the last one) so he normally whips my butt when it comes to running, Well that was before...

Ok so he configured my treadmill to distance = 5kms, same as his. What the?!! The furthest I've ran is 3kms. and that was by myself. Now I'm pressured to keep up with him or I'll never hear the end of it (Mickey: Dyosko!kanina pa ako tapos hindi ka pa nakaka 3 kms?).

I am so proud of myself! I finished in 52 mins., just 5 mins after he did. Sure I can't feel my hips, I feel all floaty and whoozy but it was worth it! He suspects I cheated, the nerve! (color me bitter doesn't look good on you dear) :P

I've been a Fitness First Member since August 2006. I remember when I started going to the gym, I used to pant after running nonstop for 3 mins. I just kept coming back, never giving up. Eventually working out became something I wanted to do and not something I had to do. Without realizing it, I have become used to feeling body pains brought by physical exertion. Its a good kind of pain :)

Good thing I stayed loyal to FF. I just got an upgrade on my membership for Free! I am now a First Club member :) Aside from enjoying exisiting discounts for FF members on my old card (discounts at Nike, Flapjacks, Gerry's Grill etc.) I got these discount coupons and a new card. I am also entitled to bring a friend or family member to the club during weekends. Yey! now my loved ones need not enroll, laking tipid :)

So Worth It!

2009-06-11T07:46:00.003+08:00

This Certificate was recently presented to me by the Recognition and Awards Committee. I'm so happy my efforts are appreciated (can't wait to spend the cash incentive that came with this award).

After 12 years of working, I've finally found a company that has the same core values as mine. I've been here for almost 2 years. This has been one of the most stressful jobs I've handled but I still don't see myself leaving anytime soon.

Thank You C for making me feel I belong : )

Space Saver Kitty

2009-06-01T21:28:00.005+08:00

This picture was taken by Tim. This is one of his Mom's 30 or so pets (she just loves taking care of cats and dogs). All their cats are named "Muning" on account of them not being able to tell the difference :P

Hmm maybe this cat has a Korean heritage. Con told me that poor to middle class Koreans normally sleep in the same place they eat.

What a cute little furball :)

Baby has a cold

2009-05-29T07:12:00.006+08:00

Poor Salad eventhough he's a teddy dog he still caught the Swine Flu :(

There you go, all snug and warm. Don't worry Baby, Mommy will take care of you.

CAT COOKIES!

2009-05-05T19:45:00.020+08:00

I had nothing better to do today so I decided to drop by my favorite Japanese grocery for some oriental ingredients. Look what I found on the sweets section...

Cute Kitty Cookies!

Happy Cat

I got one smiling kitty cookie.

Isn't she the cutest? She's happy because she has a nice fat fish for dinner.

Handsome Kitty

This one strongly resembles my pet Tigercat (yeah I know the name's cheesy).

Hubba Hubba what a cutie!

Too bad I was on a tight budget, I wanted to buy more cat cookies :(

Aaaww I can't eat these, they're too cute. Hmm I'll just give these to my two best gals in the office, Con and Raiza :)

My favorite Karl Blog

2009-05-03T22:18:00.012+08:00

This is one of my fave blogs maybe it's because I'm in it har har. I finally obtained Karl's permission to post this blog. He wrote this on his Friendster blog site and I think it would be such a waste not to share it. I really like his writing style, so complicated and "artish" (maarte) hehe. Seriously, he could be a journalist (I've been convincing him to resign from bleep bleep for the longest time).

It's okay Karl, aging is not a curse. Let's make the most out of life, love like there's no tomorrow and enjoy the good times while they last. Let's grow old gracefully...together =)

===============
sketch
March 29, 2009 by kyrranosaurus

strange.

i dreamt last night of that day when i had lunch with ohnie at burgoo-moa. it had been about 2 years ago. in my dream, i was reminded of that scene when we were drawing each other’s faces using the crayons that the restaurant leaves in each table, for, perhaps, kids to keep themselves busy while waiting for the food. ohnie showed me her sketch of me the moment she was done. when she saw my artist’s rendition of her (her eyebags- which were never there- exaggerated for a poke in the rib), she had her sketch edited- she added lines on both my cheeks. “laugh lines”, she said, and laughed (showing her laugh lines, in the process- invisible when her facial muscles are at rest). i was smiling wide in the drawing. i was having fun.

the dream ended slightly differently. in real life, it ended with us happy and content with the food and the rest of the meeting, but in the dream, the drawing came to life, crying, “i should take your place. you’re not happy anymore”, it said. or, he said. i panicked and decided to erase the drawing. i successfully erased everything but the laugh lines. due perhaps to my inability to eliminate their existence, they laughed hysterically until i could stand the scene no longer. i ran out, unaware of anyone or anything else but the laughter coming from the mouthless lines drawn on paper. then i woke up.

i stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling (as if it knew the answers to questions that i didn’t even know i had), for about a half hour, listening to fm music that had been playing nonstop since before i slept. is getting old getting the better of me? if it is, then i have to change strategies.

first, i’m cleaning my closet. i’m purifying myself. i need to have me cleansed if i am the only medium through which i must see the world and live this life.

i look forward to the day when i can look in the mirror and see a face lined with laugh lines- when i can refuse to call them wrinkles- that would remind me of how much fun i’ve had in this life. in this attitude, i expect to reduce the laugh lines to nothing but lines.

and i will do all the laughing (for sensible reasons, of course).

Silly "Me"

2009-04-29T13:30:00.008+08:00

I try not to take life too seriously by seeing the humor in every situation. I’m one of those who can laugh at my mistakes and write them off as boo boos and people I befriend tend to have that same quality.

Here are some memorable and funny conversations I had with friends, people etc. These are not 100% accurate, I reconstructed them as best as I can remember.

A. Churros or Theory?
Tim: …May chury ako diyan eh
Ohnie: chury ano iyon? parang churros? or like chury as in THE BIG BANG CHURY?
*** silence****
Tim and Ohnie: wahahahahaha

B. Sorry na po
The girls and I were having a typical office conversation. One thing led to another…
Raiza: eeek! ayaw ko talaga ng daga
Pam: Grabe iyong mga daga sa bahay namin ang laki laki, takot nga mga pusa sa kanila eh
Ohnie: talaga? as in malaki, kasing laki ng tiyan mo?
Pam: Oo
Raiza: haha grabe ka Ohnie ang taklesa mo!(crappy pants! I forgot Pam was pleasantly plump)
Ohnie: oops! it did not come out right, sorry Pam sorry (Darn! I should’ve pointed to my tummy instead)

C. Surprise Surprise
Karl and I went to Old Vine and I was looking for a good dessert.
Ohnie: Bakit ganon? lahat ng dessert may description pwera lang itong CHOCOLATE SURPRISE.
Karl: oo nga noh
Ohnie: waiter!
Waiter: yes ma’am
Ohnie: bakit walang description itong CHOCOLATE SURPRISE?
Waiter: ah ma’am, cream cheese po iyan with chocolate on graham crackers and burnt sugar on top
Ohnie(sad face): ay, alam ko na kung ano sya, hindi na ako masusurprise
Karl: hahaha salbahe ka
Ohnie: pinapatawa ko lang ang waiter hehe
Waiter: pero ma’am iyong lasa nya ang nakakasurprise (me ganon?)

D. I need more coffee
I made this call coming from my night shift.
Mickey: uy tinawagan mo na ba iyong Fitness First MOA?
Ohnie: oo nga pala, dami ko ginagawa nakalimutan ko teka tatawagan ko na. (I googled the contact numbers for all of Fitness First’s clubs)
*ring ring*
Receptionist: Thank you for calling Fitness First blah blah blah (honestly do you still listen to what they say after the first 5 words? so I patiently waited for her to finish)
Ohnie: Hi Miss is it true that P1800 lang ang monthly membership ng passport nyo?
Receptionist: Ma’am?
Ohnie: kasi sabi ng Kuya ko mas mura daw PASSPORT membership sa Fitness First MOA, P1800 lang daw
Receptionist: Ha? Ma’am
Ohnie: ay chismis lang ba iyon? kasi member na kami ng FF RS iniisip ko magpapatransfer sana kami kung totoong cheaper sa inyo since we’re paying almost P2200 tapos HOME lang iyon…
Receptionist: Ma’am kasi
Ohnie: sayang naman kung totoo sana magsa-sign up na kami sa inyo
Receptionist: Ma’am Megamall branch po ito(hahaha! and the moral of the story: when sleepy drink coffee!)

**********************
How to separate the men from the…
Earlier, I was walking down the street wearing a low-cut v neck blouse. Mind you its decent enough to wear to the office so it’s not obscenely low (ok no cleavage). I was walking along Ayala on my way to BPI when I came upon this realization: real men can’t resist taking a second peek at you know what while gay men could hardly care less. So if you like someone in the office, try wearing something a bit low and see how he reacts =)
***************
Things you wish you can say to an Indian Retailer

Part of my job involves assisting C*** Retailers in North America. Our team handles calls, faxes and emails from station managers, cashiers, station owners, marketers etc. Indian people are really rich, we mostly get calls from stations owned by Indians and boy! are they frugal. Sorry for the term but if most American owners would take a loss on a transaction after we point out that it’s their fault(non adherence to set policies) an Indian will die fighting for a $1. No matter how nicely you put it they never never never listen. Best way to handle the call is to let them vent until they exhaust themselves. They lose interest if you don’t fight back. My friends and I learned to cope by trading call stories.

Call 1
Raiza: Grabe may caller ako Indian (in a fake Indian accent)“I have a technical question.”
Ohnie: what did you tell him?
Raiza: Let me transfer you to the Retail Technical Support Center
Ohnie: You should’ve told him this (in a fake Indian accent)"I am not a technical person"
Ohnie and Raiza: hahahhaha (promise it sounded funny when I said it)

* I was born with a little girl’s voice, 20 years or so after… I grew up but my voice didn’t. It’s still little! For some reason the Indian men like it. I’m not familiar with their culture but I guess listening to their music they like women with high-pitched voices (lucky me).

Call 2
Indian Retailer1: You know Ohnie you have a very cute voice, I like hearing you speak. You must be very pretty in person.
Ohnie: Thank You Sir
(what I really wanted to say was)
Ohnie: Damn! I modulate it and it’s still not low enough?

Call 3
Indian Retailer2: I like your voice
Ohnie: Thank You Sir
Indian Retailer2: No seriously, You have a pretty voice…it’s like music to my ears. You speak like your singing.
Ohnie: Oh Stop it, you flatter me.
(what I really wanted to say was)
Ohnie: No seriously stop it, you’re freaking me out!

That’s it for now. I’ll post updates as soon as I have more materials. Hope my post made you laugh =)

Hamlicious!

2009-03-27T03:51:00.018+08:00

Aside from cheese I am also crazy about ham! It all started when my Mom took me to this Deli at Century Park Sheraton back when I was in grade school. She used to say “Food is a good conversation topic” so she made it a point to expose us to international cuisines at such an early age (I think secretly she wanted us to eventually marry foreigners hmmm).

I was awed the moment we entered the place. It was well maintained and luxurious looking I felt out of place (Good thing my Mom had such a presence). I did not know there could be so many varieties of preserved meats. My Mom and the nice Deli Lady introduced me to Salami, Bologna, Lyoner, Chicken Roast Ham, Hungarian Sausage, Veal Bratwurst etc…(cold cuts heaven!).

Delicatessen’s nowadays have evolved, they’re no longer located in hotels and have adopted a more casual ambiance. I frequently visit Earle’s Deli at The Columns. It’s in front of my office building so I usually drop by after work for a light snack and some takeouts =) Raiza and I love their stuffed bread sticks( P19) and grilled sausages. Oh! You should also try their Trio Ham Sandwich and BLT and Pastrami yum yum! (forgot how much each costs, around P100 to P155)

Here I am at Earle’s with my good friend Cel. Isn’t she beautiful? She reminds me of an Indian princess.

They have so many selections I’m having a hard time deciding what to buy (Food + many choices = confused Ohnie). I already had their Salami Milano and Beef Lyoner last week maybe I should try the Bacon or Roast Chicken or Pepperoni or Kielbasa or or…

They have pre-packed selections at 300 grams each. If you like to buy it in more or less quantities you have to go to the counter and specifically ask them to prepare it for you. You have to tell them how thin or how thick you want the slices to be

They have an indoor and outdoor dining area. Non-smokers (like us) prefer to eat inside.
I decided to buy the Canadian Bacon and Cooked Roast Chicken. Hmmm Bacon with stewed tomatoes on egg sounds like a good meal plan. I can do a Grilled Cheese Chicken sandwich and share it with my friends in the office =) Itadakimasu!

The Forbidden Fruit

2009-03-16T20:43:00.003+08:00

Is it just me or does this apple look like an Ass? =P

Zzzzzz

2009-03-05T10:37:00.011+08:00

I like working the Sunday shift with Raiza. Since there isn't much to do, we have lots of time to talk about life, love and work =) Problem is, once she falls asleep there's no waking her up (she really is a Polar Bear hehe).

She's juggling studies with work so she's usually exhausted. I let her sleep unless we're already queuing =P Don't forget about me when you become a lawyer ok?

Rock a bye baby on the tree top...

Hey isn't Gatorade supposed to be an energy drink? Mickey did you spike her beverage with sedatives again?

I’m not fragile

2009-02-27T22:50:00.012+08:00

Fragile – Easily broken, damaged, or destroyed; frail
Lacking physical or emotional strength; delicate

I’m not fragile. I just don’t like …
- dining out alone
- being by myself during special occasions
- cooking for one
- watching a movie unaccompanied
- sleeping with just pillows for company. They don't hug back.
- confrontations and arguments. I tremble and cry easily.
- having an epiphany but no one to share it with.
- feeling abandoned and neglected.

I’m not fragile, really. But I love it when you…
- ask me how I am every now and then
- respond when I text or call
- worry about me when I get sick
- wipe my tears and hug me when I cry
- know when to stop hassling me
- make me feel that I’m needed
- let me take care of you

I’m not fragile.

I have lived alone for years. I can do a lot of things alone. I can be by myself.

I think life’s experiences are more jovial and enriching when shared with someone.

Given a choice, I want to live with YOU than without =)

“One is such a lonely number” - Madonna

***Pictures taken by Maricon Brizuela

My Pre-valentine Dates

2009-02-18T07:28:00.026+08:00

I had two dates last February 12. I went out with Winnie for a movie and hung out with Gen for the rest of the night =)

When I met you
Ever since I watched Richard Gutierrez's "My Best Friends Girl," I have made it a point to not miss his Valentine movies. He truly is the Valentine King! He creates good chemistry no matter who the leading lady is. So I didn't pass up the opportunity when Winnie invited me to watch "When I met you."

Let me give you an idea of the Plot:
Jenny (KC) is an unpretentious mall promodizer searching for true love. A hopeless romantic, her quest leads her to Benjie (Richard), a cargo pilot who offers her the love she truly yearns. An unlikely romance begins when she hitches a ride with Benjie to attend a wedding in Palawan . On board, they openly show their dislike for each other but when the aircraft crashes in an unknown island, the two turn to each other for comfort and eventually absolve their differences.
Will there be a lasting relationship between these two star-crossed lovers? Knowing that love is not about what is right but what is real, will Benjie and Jenny survive the odds of their relationship?

Benjie (Richard Gutierrez) - a struggling cargo pilot trapped in relationship with his fiancée Tracy and falls for another woman while on a trip to Palawan.

Jenny (KC Concepcion)- a mall promodizer whose fascination with romance and true love engulfs her in a quandary when she falls in love with Benjie.

Tracy (Iya Villania) - a rich and beautiful pastry chef who uses her beauty and her wealth to manipulate her boyfriend Benjie.

Albert (Alfred Vargas) - a stoic veterinarian who is a control freak; loves Jenny but controls everything about her
source: http://showbiznest.blogspot.com/2009/01/cast-of-gma-films-when-i-met-you.html

Honestly, I loved the Movie! The casting and the setting was perfect. The plot may be simple but there's a twist to the story which made it more exciting. Normally, the writers will build the current beaus in a negative light so the sympathy of the viewers would go to the lead characters (iyong mga naaapi). Tracy and Albert may have their faults but they truly loved their BF/GF enough to fight for their love and overlook their misgivings. They just wanted to save their respectiv relationships, You can't help but root for them. There was even a scene there wherein Albert told Jenny "Alam kong nagkikita kayo ni Benjie pero wala kang narinig sa akin, pinatawad na kita. I'm asking you to marry me. If that is not love then I don't know what is." (this gave me goosebumps).

My favorite scene there was the conversation Jenny had with her Aunt. She was about to marry Albert and she didn't look all that happy. Her Aunt gave her this advice that helped her reach a decision, "You will not be happy if you choose stability over love, there are some things in live worth fighting for." =)

Filipinos love happy endings so it was predictably predictable that Jenny and Benjie will end up with each other. The ending scene was a bit rushed. I always look forward to the last kiss before the ending credits and for some reason I didn't feel the shivers when their lips finally touched. Maybe I was feeling lousy on account of the coffee I spilled =( Otherwise, it was a good movie. If you have time, watch it with a loved one. Thanks for taking me with you Winnie =)

Aftewards I met up with my bestriend for 20 years =) If we were married we only have to wait 5 more years to celebrate our silver anniversary haha

Perfume Hunting with Gen
Gen's husband recently operated on another doctor. I guess there's this unspoken rule between doctors that you should not charge a professional fee for services rendered. So the other doctor opted to gift him with an P8000 Gift Certificate at Rustan's. Rupert (Gen's hubby) instructed her to go spend it on perfume. Just buy one bottle for him and the rest she can spend for herself.(shopping time hooray!)

I followed Gen around as she hopped from one Brand to the next, looking for the best scent. It was a fun experience. I never visit Rustan's cosmetics and perfume department. Honestly, The ambiance is a bit intimidating. Being with Gen gave me the excuse to poke around and inspect their products. I have to say Clinique has some nice anti-aging creams (I'll come back when I'm 40 hehe).

Useful Tip: Did you know that sniffing on coffee beans helps reset your sense of smell?

After 25 scents or so, Gen decided to get a bottle of a Banana Republic scent + Clinique's "Happy" for herself and she picked a musky woodsy smelling perfume for Rupert (oops! I forgot the name)

What a pretty smile. She looks just like Jennifer Mendoza.

Of course I have to capture this moment. I finally convinced her to pose with me in front of this mirror at the Shisheido booth. Looking at this picture made me smile. A lot of things may have changed and will continue to change but we will definitely always be BFFs (Best Friends Forever!).

Happy Valentines!

2009-02-15T00:40:00.006+08:00

I had a pleasant surprise when I came in the office today. Someone sent me flowers!!! The guard told me it has been sitting at the reception area since yesterday (I was on leave last night). The three roses that weren't covered by the plastic wrapper has already started to wilt but overall its still very very very pretty =)

These New Zealand Roses are really big. They're about the size of my fists.
Thank you Tim, they're really beautiful. You remembered how much I love Roses =)
***I wonder how I'll take this home? It came with a vase so its a bit heavy.

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

If I was a mermaid...

2009-02-08T23:02:00.012+08:00

1) I would probably look like this. I'm actually thinking of dyeing my hair blue (if only I can get away with it). The company has a strict policy on maintaining the corporate image. Most people say I look like a Japanese why not channel the anime look right?

2) I'd probably play a role in the movie "Splash 3."

3) I would shun the love of a merman, a shark and a whale for a human. Hmmm what would my human partner look like? Maybe someone dark and huge...like a Bear =)

4) My bestfriend under the sea would be a Gay Dolphin named "Charona."

5) I would live on a diet of Pizza and cheesecake and ham + cheese sandwiches (supplied by Raiza and Con). Don't worry Con I'll give some gold coins I find at the bottom of the sea as payment. You can use that as capital for the business you want to put up =)

6) Since I don't have any legs my arm muscles would be all psyched up. I can finally beat Mickey at push-ups.

7) I would ask Genevieve to give me a lifetime supply of lotions and creams. I have to keep my upper half soft and supple =)

8) I'll ask Poseidon to create a storm whenever I see a boat filled with Indians, we won't kill them just make them pee their pants (payback time!)

9) I would definitely stay away from the Japanese. They might make a sushi out of poor me :(

10) At night, I would lie on the seashore with my BF. We would watch the stars while listening to our favorite songs.*blush blush*
(Karl my shemale bestfriend would give me the iPod of course).

It's my Day Off!

2009-02-06T02:37:00.025+08:00

I have to be honest, when they released the schedule for this month I wanted to cry. I’ll be working the Friday to Tuesday shift, that would mean my weekends would fall on Wed-Thurs (there goes mi social life).

Today: Thursday 9:46 am
I woke up feeling well rested. I wanted to go out but I had no one to go out with. My friends are working and my family is in the province. I decided to pay Ayala Museum a visit. It’s the best place to go when you’re alone. Last time I dropped by was when I was in Grade School and the Museum recently adopted a new look. It got bigger and more luxurious. Mickey told me the Museum opens at 11am so I figured I had plenty of time. I had a simple breakfast of noodles and milk, took a bath and out I went. Upon arriving at Greenbelt, I immediately proceeded to their entrance on the 2nd floor. Turns out the Museum is open from 9am to 6 pm on Tues – Fri and 10am to 7pm on Sat – Sun (Mickey mali info mo). Admission for adults is P225, not bad considering the Museum has 4 floors. I decided to start from the 4th going downwards. Sadness they don’t allow cameras so I wasn’t able to take any pictures :(

The 4th floor houses a tripartite exhibition called “Crossroads of Civilations.” This exhibit celebrates the cultural crossroads that are the Philippines as seen through a millennium of contact with the great civilizations of South and East Asia.The first exhibition, Gold of Ancestors, features exquisite golden treasures recovered in association with tenth to thirteenth-century Chinese export ceramics. Embroidered Multiples exhibits rare garments that show the evolution of Philippine dress. Chinese and Southeast Asian Trade Ceramics in the Philippines traces transnational relationships between China and its neighbours through trade wares from the 9th to the 19th century. My favourite among the three is the Gold of the Ancestors Exhibit, Did you know that in the old days, the elite Filipinos were given orifice covers made out of Gold? These covers serve as a protection of the deceased from malignant spirits. They have a whole showcase display of golden death masks, mouth, eyes and nose covers. These were recovered from our dead ancestors (creepy).

The 3rd floor houses the paintings of Fernando Cueto Amorosolo and his benefactor Fernando Ayala. I preferred the portraits done by Amorsolo (I like the “lavandera sa kawayan” the best) as compared to the art works of Ayala (I cannot understand his art, his canvas looked like someone drew lines and dots on it).

The 2nd floor is my favourite. It houses the Dioramas! (which was around when I first visited 19 or so years ago). It depicted a lot of famous scenes miniature size like the Battle at Mactan, Building the Rice Terraces, The Trial of Bonifacio, The death of Gregorio del Pilar etc. Did you know that Jose Rizal is only 5’2?” (same as me!). Emilio Aguinaldo and Andres Bonifacio are only slightly taller at 5’3” and 5’4” respectively.

The ground floor houses some abstract art, I spent the least time here. I’m more interested in history than the artsy stuff. I had my lunch at the Museum Café or M Café as they call it. Con told me she’s read a lot of good reviews about this.

The M Café is located at the ground floor of the museum overlooking a beautifully landscaped garden, M café features modern interpretations of traditional Asian food. Modeled after Parisian bistros where artist-types hang out, M Café is a gathering spot for souls passionate about art, culture and sophisticated fusion food.

I ordered café latte with muscovado sugar, grilled ham sandwich with tres quezo (I was told this is one of their best sellers) and pastillas cheesecake (P215, this one I ordered to go). While waiting for my food, they served these cute and yummy appetizers.

The appetizers consist of the following, from the upper left then clockwise. First we have the prawn crackers, shoestring potatoes, “dilis” cooked in soy sauce + mirin(sweet Japanese cooking wine) and pickled radish which is like a more sour version of Takwan. I like the way they were presented , very oriental.

The café latte is rich and frothy (P 115). The sandwich (P395) is really filling I was only able to eat one, it had a siding of lettuce in balsamic vinaigrette + twister fries which kept half of my stomach occupied =) I had the rest of the sandwich wrapped along with the cheesecake. Isn’t their takeout bag just trendy?

I decided to drop by my favourite bookstore, Powerbooks Gbelt, to buy “The Orange Girl” by Jostein Gaarder. Sadness! They don’t have that book in stock, even their Glorietta branch doesn’t have it. Might well as do some browsing while I’m there.

I brushed up on my cooking know-how at the recipe section (hiya naman ako kay Raiza hehe)

I practiced reading some fairy tale stories out loud (I’m excited to be a Mom na if only I can skip the birthing process)
Before leaving, I picked something special for my iPod, what could it be? (I’ll write a separate post about this). Pansin ko lang, parang nakayuko ako palagi sa mga pics ko.
My last stop was Red Box, bigla akong nagcrave magvideoke. I mostly chose love songs by various female artists and some oldies group like Air Supply and Chicago (waaah! Ang corny ko siguro kasi malapit na Valentines Day). I recorded a video of myself singing “Shiver” by Natalie Imbruglia. Har har off key ako but who cares? I was having fun when I did this =)

I was so inspired I decided to buy their albums. I had a hard time locating Natalie Imbruglia’s. I’ve been to three record bars (Tower Records, The Landmark and Music One) but they all had the same answer “Out of stock, we don’t know when we’ll resupply.” Arrrgh! what is wrong with the World? I finally located the last copy of her album at SM (yippee!). Now I can study her song =)

Don’t ask me how much I spent today, waaaah! I’ll be a hermit next week. Super tipid ako to make up for my overspending today but I have no regrets. I had so much fun, it has been a looong time since I had an alone time, a “me” time. I’m actually happy my weekend fell on a Wednesday-Thursday. I never would’ve found the time to do this on a Saturday or Sunday. I’m looking forward to work tomorrow. My batteries have been recharged, I’m Bouncy again! =P

French Toast

2009-02-02T12:37:00.014+08:00

I had a friend drop by yesterday. She will be watching ASAP (its that noontime show in channel 2) and she needed a place to shower after her shift ends at 7am. I rarely have visitors over so you can imagine the state my place is in. Well I’d say I do clean up regularly I just don’t put things in their proper order. Last person who helped me sort things out was my Big Sis. She did notice that I tend to accumulate a lot of things I don’t need like love letters from admirers (yep even the ones written on yellow paper hehe). Those are history and I will never part with it. Although I do admit I need to buy those big colourful boxes they use to store letters. Anyways, I’m digressing where was I? Oh right! Winnie will be coming over on Sunday so I had to do a bit of emergency “pick me upper” for my room and plan what to make her for breakfast. I was so busy at work and I had to attend classes on Saturday morning I only found the time on Sunday early am. I decided to make French Toast since it’s really fast to prepare, she needs to be one of the first people at ABS-CBN, and its also lite but filling. I figured her next meal would be after lunch so I looked for some cookies she can bring with her.

Here’s my recipe for French Toast (serves 2)
4 pieces of Bread ( I prefer wheat since it contains more fiber)
3 eggs
1 cup of milk ( if you’re on a diet use low fat milk)
½ cup of sugar (go for brown)

Melt the sugar in milk and add the three eggs. Beat lightly until mixture is even. Heat a non-stick skillet and lightly grease it with butter (for added flavour). Dip each bread pieces on that liquid mixture we just made before dropping them on the skillet. The secret here is this: the longer the bread stays in the mixture the creamier it will turn out. Don’t worry about it getting soggy, trust me once the eggs get cooked within the fibres of the bread its gonna turn out fine =) I dipped mine for at least 2 minutes. Flip the bread over once one side turns golden brown. If your guests have a sweet tooth you can opt to lightly dust the toasts with confectioners sugar or pour maple syrup on top. You can also add fruits like strawberries or bananas =) And here is the finished product. This goes well with coffee or Orange Juice.

Winnie was on time as expected, she is never ever late on any of her appointments. We had a little chat over breakfast, she took a bath and had to leave soon after. But not after I took a snapshot of her. Isn’t she pwetty? BTW, she’s still available. She likes guys who are trustworthy and earns at least a million a year (I’m kidding about the last part). She promised to take a picture of Richard Gutierrez for me (yey!). I’m a fan of his shows since Mulawin =P

I had to start my day earlier but it was worth it. I got to share a simple meal with a friend plus my room looks tidier =D

Update Update!
Winnie finally sent me a copy of her Pic with Richard (the man of her dreams). They look like a couple here =)

Ang Unan ng Bayan

2009-01-22T01:24:00.023+08:00

Napapansin ko lately nagiging gusgusin si Salad. Parang dumadami iyong "saliva stains" nya. I admit naglalaway ako ng konti (emphasis on the konti) pag umiidlip ako pero lately parang iba't ibang kulay ng laway ang nakikita ko. Merong yellow, brown and green (ew!). Nag-decide akong mag investigate to get to the bottom of things.

I found out that my friends have been using Salad as a pillow when they take their naps.
Here's one of the culprit, tsk tsk Mickey ikaw ba iyong source ng green stain? (kasi green minded ka haha)

Aha! eto pang isa. Hmp! Pilit mo pa rin inaagaw sa akin si Salad :'( Mukhang nanaginip ka girl, si Papa I ba iyan or si Papa C? Feeling ko sa iyo galing iyong brown na laway hehe.

Oh well! I can't blame them super sarap kasi yakapin ni Salad. He has this little styrofoam balls inside kaya he's super soft and conforming. Since you guys are my friends I'm willing to share =) Just make sure you give him back after you're done. He likes to lie on my chair and make sure he's wearing my pashmina. It can get pretty cold in the office. I wonder who contributed the yellow stain? My saliva is white so it's definitely not mine. Hmmmm...

When much love is given…

2009-01-18T05:45:00.006+08:00

The best perk in working the dayshift is there are no bosses around (yay!). It gets lonely after awhile ‘though. There’s hardly any kinetic energy that you need 3 cups+ of coffee to keep your blood pumping and there’s also the danger of developing a split personality as a result of talking to yourself too often hehe (okay that's a run on sentence, blame the coffee!). I miss my teammates and they miss me too. I feel it whenever I come in at 7am, one by one they would visit my station, ask me how I am and if I have some snacks then go home. *sigh* I wish we had more time to interact. That’s why before I go home, I open a box of chocolates or cookies or chips and just get one piece and leave it at my station (nahihiya kasi silang buksan pag sarado pa). That way in case they get hungry at night they can just drop by my area. I might not be physically present but I don’t want them to forget that I still care =)

The other day when I came in, I saw something that made me smile. The little dears left some food at my station. The bread came from Raiza, the Skyflakes from Cel, the egg tart and donut is from Mickey. Instead of eating everything they made sure to leave some for me, aren’t they the sweetest?

I believe that the people you work with eventually become your family. There’s the strict but soft-hearted big sis (Con), the cooler younger brother (Trx), the super pretty and super humble cousins (Cel and Bijo), the sex expert + extremely funny auntie (Pam), the gender-confused + gym addicted older brother (Mickey) and the little sis who just can’t seem to keep her mouth shut (kaya maraming napipikon sa kanya) but who is super generous so you can’t help but love her (Raiza). These are the people who make coming to work worthwhile, my little family =)

“When much love is given, much love is received.”

The Kiwi Boys!

2009-01-13T10:16:00.013+08:00

Two of my close friends, Mickey and Trx, recently got transferred to the New Zealand process. It’s a step up so I’m happy for them…really. Ok I miss them terribly, I’m feeling mixed emotions right now. Boys! Why did you leave me in the North America process all alone!? (well I'm not really alone I still have Con and Raiza with me, just feeling a little dramatic hehe). They will eventually transfer to different workstations, have different work hours and will be so busy they wouldn't have time to interact with their old teammates *huhuhu

Here's a list of things I will miss about them:
1) Trx's station is located in front of the entrance so he always has a ready smile and greeting for me when I come in to work.
2) Mickey and I usually go to the gym together after our work hours.
3) Trx's dance lessons, he would sometimes drop by my station and teach me some cool moves. Well, its always so difficult so most times I just end up watching him hehe.
4) Mickey's choice bit of gossip about people in the office (hey I'm only human, I'm curious all the time).
5) Trx's stories about his lovelife or lack thereof (calling all single women!)
6) Mickey's juice and tuna and rice. (basta free masarap haha)
7) Trx's insights on life and his plans for the future (at such a young age this guy is really mature)
8) Mickey's stories about his boys, boys and more boys. (haay naku Mickey pa-conservative effect ka pa kuno)
9) Trx's Pata Tim and Lechon Paksiw which still tastes like Pata Tim (rich and fatty =P)
10)Mickey raiding my pedestal for potato chips and cognac jelly and Cheetos. (and you blame me for gaining 10 lbs in 10 days?)

These kids will go far, they have the right attitude about work and are strong team players. Don't forget about me when your rubbing elbows na with the big boys =)

The best of luck to both of you!

Coffee at 10?

2009-01-12T02:17:00.017+08:00

I discovered my love of coffee when I started working the night shift. Initially I drank it out of need, have to stay alert and awake during those unholy hours. Eventually, I developed a craving for it. At work, I cannot start my day right without a cup of coffee beside me. Trust me, you would not want to approach me unless I have taken my first sip =P

Liking coffee led to experimenting with different flavours. In less than a year, I outgrew the espresso machine we have in the office. Thus began my love affair with coffee shops. I began to frequent popular café’s like Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, Café Briton, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. The most consistent in quality so far is Starbucks. I got addicted to their Café Latte with a shot of Hazelnut syrup (make it extra hot please). That was before I discovered UCC Park Café.

One Sunday, Tim and I decided to visit Starbucks at 6750. Crappy Pants! There’s this really long line at the counter. It’s always like this during the holidays since people are saving enough stickers to get their Annual Planner. We decided to go someplace else. I spotted UCC from across the street. We always avoided going there since it looks upscale and they might probably be serving really expensive food but my body needed its daily coffee dose and we just got our 13th month pay, we’re feeling a little rich hehe.

Now they have an inside and outside area. We decided to go inside which turned out to be a bad idea. There’s hardly anyone there, most of their patrons are in the smoking area.

I had no intention of ordering anything but coffee and dessert until I saw their menu. I didn’t know they’re a Japanese coffee shop. They even have my favourite Japanese Curry (Yey!) Now a Japanese Curry uses less spices and more thickeners, you can say it’s kid friendlier =) We ordered Chicken Roll with Curry plus Chicken and Mushroom Curry Risotto with cheese.

Tim said the chicken roll tastes like “embutido,” he did enjoy the vegetable curry.

I love my order! The rice was cooked with the curry sauce so the flavour is infused in each grain. They used white meat for the chicken and combine that with mushroom and melted cheese ooohhh every bite is a piece of heaven yum yum!

After a very fulfilling main course we ordered dessert. Tim chose a cold coffee drink (UCC Irish coffee) while I opted to try their UCC Original Strawberry Cheesecake Latte (how often do you come across a cheesecake drink?) plus a slice of Blueberry Cheesecake. We asked to be transferred outside. The ambiance here is much better! The lighting is dim so everyone looks good haha (it’s a nice place to bring your date when you’re having a bad complexion day). The air is cool, there’s lots of plants to supply you with Oxygen (which I badly needed due to the number of people smoking) and the tables are spaced just far apart to give you a feeling of privacy.

I would recommend you guys try their Blueberry Cheesecake. We cannot identify the topping, Tim said it’s probably a new breed of nut (huh?) whereas I think its fried sweet flour batter. But that topping made all the difference. It’s crunchy sweetness highlighted the creaminess of the cheesecake (promise ang sarap!).

My cheesecake latte looks happy to see me!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit here. The food prices are not as expensive as I expected (average cost per head:P650, that includes a main course, drinks and dessert). I now have a new favourite hangout, my perfect coffee spot!

Happy cheese!

Whew!

2009-01-05T02:42:00.017+08:00

Raiza went grocery shopping with me yesterday. We saw this small tub of cream cheese spread being sold for only P90.50, at 200 grams I’d say it’s a steal!

I bought one and was excited to eat it as soon as I got home. Thing is, when I flipped the tub I saw something that disturbed me.

Uh-oh, this could only mean three things

1) 09/05/01 can be interpreted as September 5, 2001 which would make the cream cheese inedible *sob*
2) 09/05/01 might mean 2009 5th day of January which gives me until today to consume it (there goes my diet)
3) 09/05/01, 2009 May 01. This I like, I can stick to my diet since I have 5 months more or less to consume this.

Only one way to find out which is which. So I opened it…

Hmmm looks normal. Its firm and doesn’t smell bad but the ultimate test would be to taste it

Hmmmm? …. One more spoonful just to be sure…..hmmmm…yum! Thank Goodness its still okay, I thought I just threw away 90 pesos =)

Lesson learned: I should've bought 5 tubs =P

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T21:32:00.020+08:00

Yep, We have work on New Year’s Day but we’re still bouncy! Its because we have each other (plus the free food and OT pay is really motivating =).

As excited as I am to welcome the new year, I can’t resist giving 2008 one last look as I ponder on the things and events that made me older and hopefully wiser. Here are some of my realizations, things I’ve learned and whatnots from the past year.

“Kindness is love with its work boots on”
when depressed, watch comedy movies while consuming your comfort food (trust me it really helps)
no matter how hard you work in the office, you will never finish all your tasks (new ones keep popping up). Accepting that will lessen your stress level. Of course you still need to give it your best and make sure you meet all your deadlines (stressful)
the movie “My Best Friends Girl” really tanked. Don’t even think about watching it. There is nothing funny about this romantic comedy (sorry Kate Hudson)
Kudos to Iron Man and Batman The Dark Knight for raising the bar on the quality of superhero movies
Love your friends and cherish your loved ones (you never know when you’ll kick the bucket)
You should have a million bucks when you turn 40. This is possible if you set aside at least 30% of your monthly salary (unless you’re already 39)
Travel at least once a year (if your budget permits). It will broaden your horizon
Its better to say something rather than wonder “what if?” later on
Exercise your brain to avoid having Alzheimer’s. Do crossword puzzles, IQ tests, board games, colouring books, sungka (heck! anything to keep your mind occupied)
Salami does not go well with curry (didn’t know what I was thinking when I tried making this)
Yes Mickey, Raiza is not a lesbian =)
Always remember to stay in the positive zone, how we react affects the people around us =)

New Foodie Discovery for 2008
If you have time try to sample the following

the Gising Gising, General’s Chicken and Crispy Tilapia at the RECIPES on Greenbelt 3 (The Chicken hints of sweetness and crunch. The Tilapia is presented in fillets for easier consumption)
Blueberry Cheesecake and original Cheesecake Latte at UFC PARK CAFÉ (a treat for cheesecake lovers)
the Lunch Buffet at ALBA’S (they use quality ingredients so what you get is authentic Spanish cuisine at an affordable price)
Jambalaya at CAJUN (reminded me of Paella but this one has a fiery kick to it)
Four Cheese Omelette at DELIFRANCE (oooh I just love the combination of mozzarella, cheddar, cream and parmesan cheese on this delicately cooked egg)
Four Cheese Pizza at BROOKLYN
The new Viva or is it Vivo? Pizza at PIZZA HUT is surprisingly good.
Jack Daniel’s Pchops at FRIDAYS (I fell in love with the sauce)
Cheese Naan and Butter Naan at NEW BOMBAY (these things are so yummy I can eat it without any curry, they’re unleavened bread BTW)
Sajuro or Saguro? Juice at CHOWKING (a yummy new fruit treat)
Also if you're craving for Korean Cuisine try eating at Sam Won in BF Sucat, my best friend Gen took me there. We had the best time, grilling meats to be dipped in a kosher salt and olive oil sauce. All their side dishes are free, our favorite is the potato in sweet soy which goes really well with the meat (we kept asking for seconds har har).

2008 was also the year I met my one true love. Yep, I’m talking about Salad. Here’s a picture of my cutie beside his favourite snacks =) Doesn't he look cute with my purple pashmina?

2008 has been a good year for me. I was able to travel outside the Philippines for the first time, had my most fondest wish come true and learned to love myself. The ugly duckling can turn into a swan.

This is the year I fell in love with Life =)

Happy New 2009 Everyone!

Merry Christmas World!

2008-12-25T10:17:00.018+08:00

Hohoho Merry Christmas! I just want to share a video made by our team for the Diversity competition here in the office. Sef had to splice this to just include the segment I’m in (the original file size is 40 MB). The theme was giving love on Xmas or something like that =)

Why am I posting this here? Well this is my first female role ever in a video presentation and I’m happy with the output so I just wanted to share this with everyone. I could’ve done better but I was soo camera conscious I was laughing in between takes.

A little background story behind the video: The theme was lifted by Vince (who is also the leading man in the video btw) from a Nokia Commercial. He approached me (as well as 20 other girls) and offered me the female lead. I said “No way!” He finally had Anj agree to shoot the scenes he needed. Unfortunately the file got corrupted so he needed to reshoot. It was the last working day of the week, the deadline was on Monday and he cannot locate Anj (she was taking her lunch break) so he solicited the help of another officemate, Sef, in convincing me to do the scenes. I told them I have a lot of reports to finish and to please just leave me alone (in a nice way of course). I should’ve suspected they were up to something when they lingered in my work area. While I was busy working on my cases, Vince was already shooting me while Sef was distracting me with questions about my work yada yada. They showed me the footage and told me I look okay so what’s 10 more minutes of my time to finish the rest of the scenes? Yaiks! I didn’t know men can be so sneaky.

So here is the finished product. Its still big (around 14MB), hopefully you guys can download the file =)

Have a Merry Christmas Everyone =)

My Cheese Fix

2008-12-23T16:28:00.006+08:00

Whenever I do my weekly grocery shopping I always take a long time at the cheese section. I absolutely love them! Its really tough to pick just one when what I really want is to pick one of each variety haha. I see hard cheddar, medium cheddar (wonder whats the diff?), Brie Cheese, Cream cheese, Emmental cheese, Swiss cheese, lots of cheese spreads. I like the one from Laughing Cow, its packaged like a pizza. You have to unwrap each triangular slice to enjoy the cheese (so cute!)

Honestly, I go a little bit nuts trying to decide who is the lucky cheese for this week. I have to consider my budget. Heavens! they can be so expensive. Its actually more expensive than the cold cuts I purchase at Earle's Delicatessen.

One thing I notice, the more awful looking and awful smelling they are the better they taste, gross huh? hehe

Okay my shopping buddy is getting a bit impatient. I decided to get Emmental. Try it with tomatoes and toasted bread, yum!

Useful Tip: If you want to get me to shut up, just give me one block of cream cheese and leave me in front of the TV :)

Borrow your Blog for a Bit

2008-12-21T05:29:00.000+08:00

One of the closest people to my heart wrote this cute Blog and I would like to share this with everyone =) I'm so proud of her writing style, she's really funny and candid. Thanks Raiza for letting me post this on my site.

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Bonding with Ate Ohnie
Filed under: Pleasure _ FOOD — rlanuza @ 10:54 pm and tagged ALBA, Chariya Restaurant, Chili Peppers, Petra and Pilar
Eating out is one of my comfort zone. I’m not afraid to try different cuisine, hmm except for Indian food. Maybe because I don’t like them… ahahahah! I found a food trip buddy here in Chevron sa katauhan ni Ohnie. This past two weeks Ohnie and I had flounced the streets of Makati to have a splendid dining and lot of chatting.

FirstStop: November 07, 2008, Friday
I was looking for the place na pinaginuman namin ng mga teammates ko when I was still with PeopleSupport. They had best sizzling foods with white sauce na masarap. From RCBC we went to Valero just to found out na napalitan na ng Tapa King ung kainan. Hehehe. She remembered that one of her friend told her that there is a small restaurant that serves delicious and affordable American, Steaks and Grill – CHILI PEPPERS. Small lang ung place but they have a lot of customers. Good thing we went there 11am kaya di pa peak hour for lunch. We ate seafood pasta, paella seafood din and yung steak. I forgot the name of the menu basta yun na yun, hehehe. Masarap and sulit compare to the price of Pizza Hut’s Pasta, or Pancake’s Steak. I heard that their sisig is ok as well, definitely we will go back there. Ate Ohnie being a cab person dagdag pa ang kanyang aching toe (hmp! compromises, compromises) decided to ride taxi back to RCBC.

SecondStop: November 11, 2008, Tuesday
On that day Ohnie doesn’t want to eat rice and I’m craving for Pasta. We first went to Brother’s Burger pero ala naman pala pasta dun hahaha.. (kaya nga burger eh). We ended up going to PETRA AND PILAR. I first ate there with my friend Edward. This time we ordered Beef and Mushroom, Mahi – Mahi with tomatoes, Lumpiang Sariwa and one order of rice. Panalo ung Mahi-Mahi (isda un hehe.. ) There is some kind of indulgence in every bite. Same thing with beef and mushroom, the butter that was used on the dish made it creamy. Well this time Ohnie doesn’t have aching toe so we walked back to RCBC.

ThirdStop: November 12, 2008, Wednesday
This day we invited Mavic, a preggy officemate to join with us. We are now hunting for Soms Noodle , a Thai restaurant. We rode a cab going to Milagros St. cor. Nicanor Garcia. Kabisado ko ang Reposo but not I’m not sure where is Milagros St. We arrived there and saw CHARIYA THAI RESTAURANT. We asked if it was the previous Som’s Noodle House. Sabi ng waiter yes daw nagpalit lang ng name pero same cuisine pa rin ang siniserve. He also informed us that owners of Soms and Chariya were cousins. Anyway, we sat and ordered foods na hindi namin masyado alam ang hitsura at lasa. I ordered Pad Thai with Shrimp (pansit na may hipon), Mavic ordered Frice with Crab,, I forgot what Ohnie ordered…. Ah.. Yung Pork na may gata, beef na may sesame seeds ( hahah sesame seeds ba yun? ) and Squid with Garlic. Heheheh! Ok yung fried rice with crab and the pork with Gata. Pero the best is ung halo halo na inorder naisipang orderin ni Ohnie for dessert., Thai Style. Lasang ginataang mais na malamig.

Pag nagawi kau sa Makati try these small restaurants. Hindi ganun kamahal, mas sulit compare to other commercialized na kainan. Kumbaga sa mga film, indie type. Anu kayang next stop? Hehehe.. Wlang diet diet.. Pleasure kung pleasure. Just remember wag magtatapon ng food. “The food that you throw is the food of the hungry.”

11/14/2008, Friday
Fouth Stop
OLA! So far this was the best restaurant of the week for me. hehehehe.. Itoh ang ultima winner. This time, nagbuffet kami. Located at Polaris St. Bel-air Makati City, the very espanol, ALBA. You can eat starting from soup to dessert for a very reasonable price. We just had little problem looking for that place, kasi di ko tinignan yung location map before we went there. heheheh! Sa sobrang dami ng nalafang ko I’ll just list down my favorites, starting with pandesal with a very scrumptious queso, a perfect start for a sumptous meal. Second will be the mushroom and chorizo with garlic, yumyumyum!Third will be the callos and the fish . Last will be something like Chocolate Mousse. Again .. masarap! Lahat ng menu spanish term pero di ko na masyado natandaan. Basta again you have to try it, to experience fine dining Spanish style. I have asked one of the waiter if ALBA is a spanish term, hehehe! Hindi daw it is the last name of the owner. Pahiya unti, ahhahahah! Masaya dalhin dun ang mga friends kong malakas kumain , for sure di lugi! hehehe! Super na overbreak si Ohnie, kabado siya at si buntis parang nadagdagan ang weight ng baby niya. hahahah! Super bloated kaming lahat! Hayzz.. sarap matulog.

You can check out their menu on this website: http://www.alba.com.ph.

The Story of Salad

2008-12-20T05:31:00.001+08:00

Salad is my Best Boy in the office.

Working for C... has its pros and cons. They are one of the biggest companies in the world, they pay really well but they have high expectations from their employees. I was slowly losing my marbles in this uber stressful environment until Salad came along. He makes me happy and keeps me sane.

Who is Salad and where did it all begin?

Raiza was the one who found Salad, he was left inside a box. The previous owner either forgot about him or he was abandoned. The poor dear was all alone.

She used him as a cushion to ease her sore back muscles. Poor Salad, he didn't look happy. I had to save him.

When Raiza went on a bathroom break, I took Salad and never gave him back hee hee. We have been inseperable ever since.

He listens to my calls to make sure I'm doing a good job

He comforts me when I cry or feel depressed.

We enrich our inner beings by meditating together

We even take our naps together

Raiza tried to win back Salad, with hugs, gifts and brainwashing. She gave him a rough beating when he refused to leave me. No way am I giving him back =P

I love you Salad...forever

My very own Twilight

2008-12-18T17:04:00.000+08:00

I first heard about Twilight (by Stephenie Meyer) around 2 months ago when people in the office started talking about it. They said its the next big thing after Harry Potter. I normally don't jump into the bandwagon, I have this rebel streak in me that likes to go against the flow so to speak. I love books but I would prefer to read a book because "I" like it not because I want to be "In."

One weekend, Tim and I went out for a movie. We decided to check out Twilight for lack of a better choice. Ok honestly, we were curious with all the hype and publicity going on. Guess what? I like it! It has depth, it has action and the lead actor is sooo cute! Well I could do with a bit more action but Tim told me he heard the second movie will not fail to dissapoint us in that department.

We went to Powerbooks to buy a copy, my friends told me the book is way better than the movie. Bummer! the clerk told us the book is so popular they're sold out on all their branches. Tim looked helplessly as I pouted and fumed. I finally had this brilliant idea, our team will be having our Kris Kringle in a couple of weeks, I can list that book on my wish list.

Sad to say my Mommy placed a post on our wishboard that she tried but was unable to find a single copy of the book. I had to change my wish to an English-Spanish dictionary =( I was beginning to lose hope on ever getting to own one before the end of the year.

On Wednesday morning, December 17, Tim invited me to have breakfast with him. He gave me a package. I opened it and my eyes blurred. He got me a copy of Twilight! I asked him where he got it, its the gift he requested from their office Kris Kringle. I almost cried, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me!

Thank you Tim, you scored big brownie points to my heart =)

Smog in the City

2008-12-17T13:06:00.000+08:00

One of the perks of working in a high rise building is you get to see a good view of the city from the top. Maricon and I were having an informal discussion by the window when we saw a good photo op. This picture was taken around 6:00 am in the morning. It would have been beautiful if this was a fog =(

It's good old fashined smog people. This is how polluted Makati has become...sadness. Next time, think twice before taking the car when you can walk the distance or lighting your next stick of cigarette. We still want our children to inherit the earth =)

Bad Doggie

2008-12-15T18:33:00.000+08:00

On my way to the mall I saw this poor kitty being bullied by a Dog. The owner was not around so no one was restraining the Doggie =(

I know cats are tough, they have claws and know when to back off (hence their uncanny climbing ability) but I had to take matters into my own hands, someone has to help the cute kitty cat. Good thing the Dog's leash was secure otherwise we'd both be in trouble.

Smile for the Birdie

Too bad the kitty scampered off before I can take a her picture. Rest assured she's okay =)

My First Digital Camera

2008-12-14T08:25:00.000+08:00

Yey! I finally have my own digital camera. I can preserve good memories, freeze captured moments and release the inner artist in me. I'm kidding about the last part. I've always been a "point-shoot and pray it comes out nice" kinda person.

I decided to go with Canon because of their reliability (they've been around forever).

Check out this picture of my Canon IXUS 980 IS...nice eh?

Here's a close shot of my Baby

Time to get trigger happy! My photo subjects await...