A New Appliance!

Someone gave my dad a new mini fridge...
Ummmm... I didn't know how to react to that...
We already have 3 in the house... Hehe...

What to do with it..
What to do...
Hmmm...
Am thinking...

Taaaaaaaaaah - daaaaaaaaaah!!

It's in my room... I took it.. Hehe... =)
Now all I need is a big ass flatscreen TV and i'm all set... =)

Any donors??

Koreanas! A No Kwenta Post!

I work near Makati's Korean village (aka Downtown Makati).

Here are some seemingly fun and fierce Korean Girls that I took pictures of while stuck in traffic...

Don't you just love the whole Sakura (Street Fighter) look...

I felt bad for this girl.. The little boy wouldn't leave her alone... I'm guessing he kept begging for aguinaldo (or the Balenciaga bag she was holding)... Hehe...

Anywhoo, just to make things clear.. I love Koreans... I love Kimchi and Bulgogi... I am not a racist... I just happend to notice I had pics of them in my phone... Hehe... =)

Here's some trivia I learned from a friend of a friend:

One of the major reasons why Korean'sa are coming to the Philippines is because of the great weather for golfing... =)

Shusyal! Golf NA!

Kuya's Gifts

My brother and sister got me a bag for xmas. I was secretly hoping for a tote, but I guess they decided I needed a duffel more. Am actually not feeling the bag yet, but I guess i'll get used to it. The red handles are a bit off for me, looks a bit feminine. Hehe. But I am very thankful.

I'm guessing this will be my new gym bag...

With that, my brother also got me a new wallet... I was asking for the graphite one, but he said, they didn't have it at Neiman anymore, so he got me the classic one...

Beside the wallet is another wallet from Tita Teng. She gave me a coach wallet, which was quite small but soft and perfect for everyday use. =)

Which one should I use first?! Hmmmmm....

And oh yeah, my brother, also got me a plain belt which is SOOOO ME! Hehe...

Thanks Kuya and Rhea...

Loved the gifts... =)

Okay... Am Officially Bored!

I've never liked being idle... Even when I was unemployed... I've always tried to keep myself busy and tried to keep my head in tuned with some type of priority... Did that make sense?!

Anywhoo... As I am typing this... I am bored out of my wits... My brother and sister are here, and I can't leave the house... I can't go to the gym, I can't get a massage, I can't go to the movies, I can't go to the malls... I just can't... And furthermore, my mom is driving me crazy! I can't be in a room with her for more than an hour! I swear... I'll go crazy!!

Also, I am forced to attend some event in ummmmmmm... Delilas?!? I will drive my brother and sister there and watch the show with them... Gosh... What an eventful day?!?

My brother is stuck to his PC like a moth to a flame...

AM BORED!!

I LOVE!!

Since my brother and sister are here, am trying to soak in all the internet time I can get... And here's one of the things that I found while rapidly browsing the net.

Louis Vuitton's Monogram Canvas Beaubourg!!

I have an obsession with totes bags!! I swear!! It's just pure LOVE!!!

I LOVE!!

Ay EL - O - B - E - U

Gosh...



I was watching Startalk (I think it was that one) last Saturday, and I couldn't figure out whether I should feel sorry or annoyed at Hayden Kho... Gosh... The video here is the same as the one they aired on Startalk, but I think it was longer...

Anywhoo, am just amazed at how people enjoy watching other people suffer... Or better yet, amused at how interested people are when celebrities go crazy... GOD!!! The whole thing got so big and GOSH! Just... GOSH!!

Well, I guess this means more publicity for Vicky Belo then... Hehe... Even my brother wants to visit Belo Clinic next week... Haaay!! I actually wanted to walk into Zunic a few weeks ago and get a quote at how much i'd spend to get thin again... I am literally a Fiesta Ham!! (I LOOOOOOVE FIESTA HAM AND FRUITCAKE!!)

NO JUDGMENT!!

And oh yeah, have you guys seen the Alfred Vargas Liveraide TVC?? Is it just me, or has his face been botoxed too much that it doesn't move?? I can't find the clip!! Errrrrgh!!!!

The Season Coming To An End...

Monday, December 29, 2008

The new year's just a few days away and I can't wait!!

My brother and sister arrived last night. They'll be here a little over a month, I think...

Anywhoo, I wasn't there to pick them up at the airport cause I had a Christmas party last night. That was FUN! Ms. Sikat (aka S.) planned a great get together! Good food! Great company! and a extremely LOUD game of twister! We should do this every year you guys... =)

Anywhoo, I came home this morning to an empty house... Which isn't at all bad because at least, I could post an entry... It's been a few days since I posted anything... My fresh from the PROMISE LAND siblings visited my dad in the "municipio" and am guessing, visited my grandma, who lives pretty near...

Anyways, I can't wait to get back to work... Not because I miss work, but because, the season seems a bit gloomy. Driving to Antel to meet B and co. yesterday seemed a bit sad. The streets were empty and stores looked closed... Everything seemed dead and silent...

Can't wait for the new year... =) I honestly can't...

Just in case I don't get to greet you guys on the day itself...
Advance Happy New Year!! =)

I'm Soooo Confused

So I've already talked to my mom about getting me a camera for xmas... I should be able to buy it this week... Yay!! =)

Anyways, here's my dilemma:

Am torn between the fashionable Sony Cybershot T700 or the reliable Canon Ixus 870 IS! Grrr!! The price of both cameras pretty much lie on the same plane (the Sony being a little cheaper)... So deciding is just tooooo HARD!!

The Canon Ixus 870 IS

Everyone's telling me to get the Canon, since they are known for taking great pics... But doesn't the Sony look so much cuter and sleeker??

The Sony Cybershot T700

But the Sony is just so NIIICE!! I had the first sony touch screen one (DSC T100) and it still works... Do you see how big the screen is?? My god!! It's huge!!

Waaaaah!! Am so confuuused! HELP PLEASE!!!

Shane Mercado Does Single Ladies!

Unless you've all been living under a rock or don't own a TV, then you would've probably seen (or at least a part of) Beyonce's Single Ladies video... At first, personally, I thought the video was a bit rushed and ummmm, too simple... But after seeing it over and over... and need I say one more over... The video got good... Even the song got addictive... Hehehe...

Though I didn't extend my love for the video (like Shane Mercado), I did however workout to this song one day over and over... Watch Shane Mercado's version of Single Ladies... He has it down to every single hip pop and hand wave!! I loooves it!!

It's Finally Here!!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas is finally here.

My parents and I waited for 12 o'clock to hit, and then slept. It used to be a whole lot funner, but I guess that was because my whole family was here... I already gave my parents their gift on the 23rd, so they didn't get to open anything anymore.

They, didn't get me anything.. =(

I was left to open B's gift...

B got me an ipod speaker dock. =) Hehe... Thanks B. I looooves it!!

Anywhoo, this morning, I expected to get up hearing christmas songs and people carolling in the background... But no! I woke up to the loud and "GHETTO-NESSES" noises of the loooong 4 block line that was waiting in front of our gate to get their christmas aguinaldo. My god! The line seemed never ending...

This is where they enter...

This is my secret shot of the line from the 2nd floor window...

This is where they exit...

Anywhoo, I do hope they finish before lunch because I'm trying to get out of here... I think we're hearing mass, then we just might watch a movie...

It is by the way Filmfest season... =) Dunno what to watch though... Am thinking... Maybe Baler?? but I doubt my dad would like that.... I'll seee....

And yeah, B also got me Wall-E!!

He's so CUUUUTE!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! =)

Diva and Halo By Beyonce

Okay... So I guess Beyonce is releasing two songs at a time... I wonder why??

Anywhoo, I would've picked a better song from the Sasha Album... Video Phone, Sweet Dreams, or even Radio?? Of all songs... Diva?!?! I can't find a video that I could actually post on the site, but it's actually nothing special. The video, am guessing, is inspired by Lady Gaga. The shoulder pads, the futuristic shades.. God! Not lovin' the video at all...

On the other had, I'm lovin' Halo! It's one of my favorite songs off the I am... Beyonce album... The video however, is nothing special... Am a bit happy though that they didn't give the video the b&w treatment like the previous three, but it's still cheeeeezie!

Does she always have to wear a dance suit??

Anyways, check the Halo video out for yourselves...

Hope she'd start focusing on making better videos though... That should be her new year's resolution...

Enjoy!!

Broken Strings - James Morrison & Nelly Furtado

In 2007, I fell in love with Jame's Morrison's Undiscovered album... It was so real! His lyrics, his whole style of singing, and of course the rawness and raspiness of his voice... It was just beautiful; it was something that I haven't heard for in a while. I was truly in love with his album... Took me more than 6 months and endless begging from people who rode my car to make me stop playing the CD. Haha!! And from time time, I still play it when am by myself... Hehe... Just great lyrics and an amazingly beautiful voice!!

Anyways, after a year, he released his new CD last October (which I got this christmas as an exchange gift), entitled, Songs For You, Truths for Me. The album is a 12 track album that lingers on the truth of life, love, and break-ups... His lyrics, like before, were well written and well thought out. And his voice still had the same rawness and "realness" like his previous album but infused a more jazzy tune/feel to it which added that extra ooomph to make some type of transition or growth from his previous album.

All of the songs on the album are actually quite good, but I guess in terms of standouts, here are my personal picks (it's actually more than half of the CD):

The Only Night
You Make It Real (the carrier single)
Please Don't Stop The Rain
Broken Strings (my favorite off the whole album)
Nothing Ever Hurt Like You
Once When I Was Little
Dream On Hayley
Love Is Hard (the lyrics are awesome!!)

And with that...

Jame's Morrison released my favorite song off the album, Broken Strings...


The song is a collaboration with Nelly Furtado, (who by the way, I miss like CRAZY, so come out with a new CD already!!). Their voices blend so well together.

The song's message was rather "optimistically-sad" (if that is a term), but it a very realistic song. The message was just out there... I loved it!! The video on the other had was bordering on being extremely cliche to being overly cheezy and corny!

But props to them both, because they both DO look pretty damn good!!

Just LOVIN' IT!!!
Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the song as much I do!! (This song is on endless repeat in my car right now... Hehe)

And as an extra, here's a live performance of the song with Keisha from Sugababes. It's not as good as Nelly's version, but it is also well sung...

Hmmm... I wonder if I listen to enough British people, I might be able to get their accent... Just a though... =)

Goes to show you that you can never go wrong with a good song... =)

Smash Into You - Beyonce and Jon McLaughlin

My God!! I didn't know the song was just a remake... The original was Smack Into You by Jon McLaughlin....

Both versions have a different vibe to it, but both are equally LOOOOVE!!!

Here's a duet version that I found online... Keeping my fingers crossed that they do release an official duet!!

Lovin' it!!

Jon McLaughlin and Beyonce Duet

And also, here's the original version by Jon McLaughlin!! Greatness!!

Jon McLaughlin Version

Enjoy you guys!! =)

A Relaxed Friday...

For the past few weeks, I've been trying to scout and finish my Christmas shopping... I'm 2/3's done which is quite a relief for me... I couldn't be anymore happier...

Last friday, VGF Jon and I went to the annual Karl Edwards bazaar to look at possible gifts in the hopes of stumbling upon some rare finds... Our other friends were MIA cause of their office XMAS parties... =(

We ended up buying utensil holders from one of the "kuchi-kuchi" stalls there. Aside from that, I also got a top for my mom from, wait for it... "Glam Couture". Hehe... It was a very nice top, which somehow would've made my mom look skinnier, well, that is if it would've fit... Hehe... But it didn't... So in short, the top will probably be given to my sis.

Anyways, VGF and I ended up at Boni High and browsed all the stores there and the stores on top of Serendra. I bought some necklaces at Souk and a simple halter top/dress for Rhea. I also saw some really nice rain boots, which I was more than excited to fit and buy, but given how judgmental people here in the Philippines are, I opted to just oogle at them.

Anyways, we had dinner at Pasto, which was just a bit overwhelming. We ordred a lot, or more like, I ordered a lot! Hehe! An order of crostini/dip, two pastas, and a large pizza... Gosh... I'll discuss it in a later post...

Anyways, RR joined us after dinner and we all ended up at Theodores. Their sale was still on going so most of the stuff was 40%. Anywhoo, I ended up picking up two Swear (S***R) shoes.

You like??

I am however starting to regret buying the silver ones because they are a bit on the flamboyant side, and like Lau said, silver was SOOOO OH OH LAST YEAR!

Anyways, what do I now about fashion right? ABSOLUTELY Nothing!

El Pollo Loco - Megamall

Circa 2001-2002, I loved megamall...

Dunno why... Maybe I had fewer needs and not so great expectations for material things, but I loved Megs (Mega's nickname). Through the years, more and more malls popped up and mushroomed all over the Philippines and made Megamall quite obsolete and a haven for an overly stressful shopping experience (probably due to the massive amounts of traffic and just plain out YUCKY vibe of the mall)...

Last week, during my sudden MIA, I was craving for El Pollo Loco (EPL)... One of the (now) very few reasons that's left to visit Megs. EPL is located on the ground floor of the mall (National Bookstore side), beside Wendy's. God, I was so craving for it that after 30 minutes in the gym, I packed up and drove to Megs... Being stuck in a state of "laidback-ness", I was in no mood to race and make haggle the people for parking spaces... So I proceeded to the very top level and parked effortlessly in one of the many available spaces... This is a decision I will soon regret...

Anywhoo, back to the main focus of this entry...

El Pollo Loco. =)

I ordered their 2 piece chicken meal with 2 regular sidings and two tortillas. I added extra salsa which is definitely a must when eating here...

The two piece chicken with spanish rice and coleslaw! Yum!!

The salsa was very refreshing and tasted like it was made on the same day! Perfect!!

After a very good dinner, I went around the mall and scouted for possible gifts.

Wasn't able to get anything... =(

So here's one of the major reasons why I dislike Megamall:

I left the mall at 10 pm... I was parked all the way on the 5th floor... Cars were jammed everywhere... Given that there was only one exit, you would think people would line up in an orderly and civilized fashion. BUT NO!! People on every floor (aside from the 2nd I think), were trying to cut in line which made people wait longer and longer...

I got out of the mall parking lot at 11:15 pm... Doesn't that just wanna make you shoot people's tires and break their headlights?!?!? God!!

People here are so "bastos"!

Vacation Mode

Monday, December 22, 2008

For the past two weeks, i've been a bit on the down side... My body's been quite uncooperative, my head's been hurting, my eye's have been dreaming and trying to close every chance it could possibly get...

Simply... I've just been tired...

The whole merriment and the whole "let's eat ourselves dead" motto of the season has taken over and has made me, sadly to say, lazy... Right now, as I type away, I am dreaming of lying in a big whirlpool with boiling hot water and extremely strong water pressure circling my (now) extremely fat body and just resting (hopefully til I die).

I want to relax. That's basically all I want to do right now... Relax, relax... RELAX!!

So I'm offically on vacation mode...

I can't wait til the 24th... 2 weeks of doing nothing... Or at least two weeks of not working and hopefully 2 weeks of thinking about no one but myself... I plan on pampering myself silly... Even if it means breaking the bank open and spending more than I should on spa treatments...

I will be pricked, wrapped, rubbed, exfoliated, cleansed, but most of all, I WILL BE RELAXED... I'm so ready!!
Can't wait!!

A Little Too Not Over You - David Archuleta

This has got to be my favorite song from Archie's album... The beat is so pop/r&b! The lyrics are simple which makes it so "addictive" and easy to sing too... Hope this makes an impact on the charts!

And YES!! This video is sooooo OH-OH Jesse Mccartney!! The whole concept and production has Jesse McCartney written all over it!!... But I still find the video quite cute in a "candy-pop-ish" type of way...

I'm Back!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Good Day Forward this Picture

After a two day hiatus (probably due to some lethargic bug floating around the office), I'm back... The past two days have been anything but productive. I was a bit more lazy than usual at work; I didn't get to go to the gym (due to the sudden increase of cars everywhere). I strolled around the mall hoping to find gifts for the 20 helpers in the house, but sadly, I ended up leaving the mall empty handed... Haaaaaay.

All in all, the past two days were really disappointing...

Anywhoo, on a better note... I finally got my car back today! Yay!

For the past week, I've been driving the Mazda. I hate that car. It's a bit too small for me. I prefer my cars BIG!! Hehe... Plus, the cargo room is quite small...

Really happy I got my baby back... And she's all fixed up and ready to go!

The CD player is working again! Yay!
The damage in the front is fixed! Yay!
And yes, while it was at the casa, I got it tuned up na rin!!
YAY!!

Smiles all around!

IT'LL BE A GOOD DAY!!

I was singing like a mad man to Miley's album in the car!! I'm sure anyone who would've seen me would've gotten a good laugh... So smile if you saw me on my long drive to the office... I drive a red SUV (with no tint... Haha!)

Anywhoo, B and I won't be able to watch a movie today... Something came up... Oh well (papel)! I could probably try to do something productive (keeping my fingers crossed!!), I guess, like go to the gym or buy my siblings their gifts... I'll probably pass by Rockwell before heading out to Ortigas again.. Let's hope the traffic won't be as bad as yesterday... Hoping for the best...

And while we're on that subject, can I just say... The traffic was horrendous yesterday! It took me 2 hours from work (Makati) to get to the gym (Ortigas)! MY FREAKIN' GOD!! Da HELL!! So am guessing, panic shopping mode has voraciously hit the people (of Ortigas) already! Help me GOD!!

Anywhoo... I have ton's of things to make kwento A-BOUT...
Tons and tons of things...

Will be up by the end of the day...
Right now, i'll finish this karaoke chain letter that I got from VGF Jon...

Let you guys know my score (on the Karaoke chain letter) later...

A Lazy Monday...

Monday, Decmber 15, 2008

It's payday today...
So why do I feel broke??
Or maybe, I'm just broken down...
Hmmm... I don't know...
I'm too tired to expound or elaborate on anything...
Too lazy to think and make my mind work...

Tomorrow, will be better...

I hope...

Happy thoughts...

I hope...

What A Great Year...

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Today, I spent the entire day at home...

My body was too tired to go to the gym to try and workout all those calories I've been taking in. I've been too exhausted the past few weeks to even move at times. I told good friend Jon about it and he felt the same exact way. He asked if we were getting old? I honestly didn't wanna say yes, but the truth of the matter is, we were, or better yet, we are (getting old).

Time is inevitable.
Time is on-going.
And maybe at times, we try to close our eyes in hopes that time will just stop, only to open them again and realize we've wasted 5 minutes of our day with our eyes closed hoping that time would stop...

But, as we all know, it hasn't...

2008 is almost over and like every December for the past 4 years, I've reflected about the year. I've reflected about the changes that happend; the new memories that have been engraved in my heart; the friends that I said goodbye to this year; the many awkward moments that I have experienced; and of course, I've come to realize the vast new oppurtunities that are before me.

Now, I probably won't go into details with certain things, because I guess, it is quite personal, but I believe 2008 has been a good year for me. It has been a good year for my family, and I think it was a good year for new and humble beginnings for my friends. But with that said, I'm actually more than happy to see 2008 go. I'm ready to see it go in the sense that, i'm done with new beginnings, I wanna live life, start life, and I wanna embody life.

I'm ready to begin...
I'm ready to live.

Before, being unemployed, I took into account my frivolous ways. I realized how careless I was. How immature and irresponsible I was... Now, that am working (even for just a month), I've come to see how lucky I was, and how much I took my "lucky" life for granted... I always had time to spare. I always had energy to burn. I always had patience to see the day through. Now, all of that is slowly passing and going away. And in my opinion, that neccesarily, isn't a bad thing...

I've had a few hardships in life, and I think I was brought up properly by wonderful and more than great parents, who through severe hardships and countless obstacles, somehow managed to come out on top, or at least somewhere near there... We've come across nasty people who amidst scandals, only tried to belittle us and somehow dig a deeper hole for us... And, maybe that is the realities of life...

Life isn't pretty.
Life isn't pink.
Life shouldn't be so easy...

So with that, I will try to work this year.
Work hard, and try to show my dad, that I can...

That I can be more than just his little boy who used to give him a kiss for 20 pesos...

I can...

So here's to the few remaining days of 2008...

What a wonderful, wonderful year it was....

Cheers.

One Of My Many Loves!!

Meet Lexie!!

My sister's dog... She's been away for almost a year so i've been taking care of him for the past months... I just got him cleaned and cut... Isn't he (the most) adorable??

Oh so GWAPO!

He looks like a stuff toy here... Hehe...

In-Yo Fusion Cuisine

Saturday, Dec 13, 2008

B and I had dinner at In-Yo Fusion Cuisine.
I've been dying to eat here since March of last year. Due to it's location (Quezon City), I've been postponing my visit 'til there was some excuse to be in the area.

Well, today there was a very very GOOD reason... *wink* *wink*

Today, we planned to finish our Christmas shopping so that we weren't rushing next week. God! Behold the number of crazy and wild Christmas shoppers in the malls next week. Am sure the gift wrapping section will be pandemonium, let alone the expected long lines at the grocery and at the local department stores. Arrrghh... And don't get me started on THE parking a.k.a chaos in a box!

Anywhoo, B and I headed to Tiendistas to buy the frame for the dining room. It was still there (thank God, or else I wouldn't have heard the last of it from B!). Hehe... So we we're planning to go to Metrowalk after Tiendisitas to check out the store, (I think), of Gary Dulatas (hope this is correct). The stall carries imported items from McQueen, Evisu, and a few other brands (that am guessing, they bought from their many travels). Anyways, that plan was scrapped when we saw the traffic on Julia Vargas. We headed over to the new bigger and better Podium a.k.a Eastwood Mall! Hehe... I'll talk about the mall in a later post. Today, it's all about In-Yo!

Anyways, I'll speed track a bit and get right down to business...

I made reservations for today at 7:30 pm. We however, arrived at 6:30 pm, and suprisingly, we were happily accomodated and seated on the second floor of the quaint and homey place. The whole ambience was so perfect. The background music, and backdrop, the whole feel of the place was just perfect. (LOOOVE!!) My expectations, place-wise, was pretty much met. I did however imagine the place to be much bigger, because from the pics that I saw online, the place seemed a lot like Prioes Cafe (garden-wise) in Fernwood Gardens. But to be quite honest, being smaller doesn't neccesarily mean it's a bad thing. I liked the place! The fact that it was smaller made the place even more intimate and so much more conducive for those subtle nights of blissfull "memory-making". Hehe...

The stairs going down to the first floor...

It's pretty much an UPGRADED FAT MICHAEL'S!! Looove!!

The second floor dining area...
We were at the table at the far right (by the window).

So moving on...

Let's go to the most important thing on the agenda... THE FOOD!!

I'm no food critic. I am just someone who loves to cook, bake, and EAT! And with that, all I can say is that the food they served was a taste of HEAVEN! It surpassed all my expectations and definitely lived up to all of the rave reviews people had about the food. Though it was a bit pricey, I would've gladly paid twice the amount of our bill because the food was just oh so-so-SO-SO great!! The only thing that I could've probably suggested is that they improve thier wine list and add a wider and extensive selection. We were sadly just forced to pick red or white. Urrgh...

So with that, here's our first course:

The Oven Baked Sushi Prawn Roll.

I wanted to try the Trio of Foie, but sadly B didn't feel like having it tonight, so we opted for this one which didn't disappoint at all. The flavor of the nori and the baked prawn was perfect. And that cream on top was a slice of heaven.

God! What was that?! Yummmm!!! The dressing they used for the salad was also very good. I loved it!! Guess i'll have to try the Foie on our next visit. =)

Next on the menu was the Soup of the Day (pumpkin soup)... (no picture due to an overexcited blogger, hehe). The soup came in a small mug with a cloud of froth 2/3 past the cup. This was nothing special, but it wasn't bad. I found it a bit bland at first, but after adding salt and pepper. The taste was just right. LOVE!

And then, dum daradam!

The main courses...

I had the Honey-Glazed Salmon with Wasabi Mashed Potato.

This was truly to die for. The salmon steak was tender and cooked to perfection. B never eats salmon, but I was forced to give B half of it (need I say more??) In short, it had LOVE written (or more like grilled) all over it. The mashed potato was also a dream! If you've been following the blog, you would've probably realized that wasabi is one of the many simple pleasures I deeply hold in life. This was just perfect. I could've definitely had more.

B, on the other hand had the Hanging US Tender Steak with Veg and Cheese Risotto.

The steak was perfectly grilled to medium-well. I preferably would've had it rare though. Hehe... Like I always say, steaks are meant to have blood. Anyways, this was also good. Though I thought it was quite thin, the serving was pretty large. The cheese risotto was nothing special, I would've probably preferred a mushroom or asparagus one instead. Hehe...

And for dessert, we had the Mango Pavlova. Being a pastry major, I've preferred, more often than not, to end every meal with something sweet; something to balance the palette's endless number of emotions. This was quite good... Though I would've thought it should've been called a Mango Cannanogi (did I spell that right), minus the name, it was the perfect ending to a sinfully wonderful dinner.

This was truly a great place!

Given the limited number of tables and seats, always remember to make reservations before coming here.

Happy Eating!!

Restaurant Info:

In-Yo Fusion Cuisine, Katipunan
66 E. Abada St. (behind Katipunan Ave.), Loyola Heights
Quezon City, Metro Manila
(02) 928-6459

Pic Of Tom's Shoes

I posted a quick little note about Toms Shoes arriving at Anthem in GB5.
Couldn't post the real pic I took because for some odd reason my computer in the office can't upload any of the pics from my Iphone...

Anyways, to those who are interested, here's the shot...

Toms Shoes in GB5

Quarantine - Scream 'Til There's No Tomorrow!

Last friday, the gang minus VFF Earl saw Quarantine at G4.

Though my eyes were closed or tucked under my hoodie half the time, I found the movie enjoyable and very"nakakagulat". The movie had me screaming and jumping out of my seat more than I can remember. As Lau said, the movie was a cross between Resident Evil and Blair Witch Project. The treatment and somewhat "live" feel of the movie was perfect for the entire story. I wouldn't give the story applause or any kind of award, but I do however find the ENJOYABILITY factor of the movie very good and something that your "barkada" would enjoy seeing together...

Go watch it!
Just be prepared to scream out loud!

Enjoy!

On The Lighter Side...

I got three shirts yesterday from Ralph... Hehe... They said that they missed me cause they haven't seen me for like a month... I told them I missed them as well... Glad to be back... Hehe... Though they informed me that they haven't gotten new shirts in my preferred fit (custom fit), I still managed to find some nice preppy stripes that I'm guessing, would probably always be in style (Hopefully!)

And as a plus, I love friendly sales people... Makes me wanna buy more! Keep up the good work sales people of Ralph Lauren Shangri La! Applause. =)

Also, I finally found time to watch the final episode of Gossip Girl for December... Next one I think will be on January 5. All I can say is, OH MY GOD!! AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE JAN 5 EPISODE!! Hahaha!! It was a very heartwarming and touching episode, but was also frustrating and, ummm... ANNOYING at the same time!! GRRR... I won't give any spoilers, but it was a good episode... =)

A Bit Of Annoyance...

Friday, December 12, 2008

Am more than disappointed that the whole week I did nothing but rant and vent out my problems and disappointments... Today, my daily serving of venting is on an issue that I am quite strict about... money...

Financially speaking, my family is quite okay (NOW). I mean, everyone in family has a set of nice watches, expensive jewelry, nice bags, a (good) car for each of us and a spare for days of "coding"... I mean who wouldn't be contented right? Haaay...

Like I've said in a few previous posts, I am very simple and not all all materialistic. I can live off the Gap and cheap juices. I can live off low quality steaks and liver pate... I can live off Neutrogena and impostor cologne (okay, maybe not that..) In short, I am simple... But quite frankly, what's up my ass today is, after receiving an email from someone close to my heart, I find out that some things never change. Some things that I thought would've (and more than likely SHOULD'VE) been settled and quite done with and resolved (over and over and over). I can't and probably won't go into details... But I feel extremely terrible for him...

My message for him:

Be strong but caring.
Be firm but always fair.
Be rational and stay practical.
Be loving but remember your means...

Discipline isn't an act of hate,
It is an act of love...
And lastly,
Life is only as hard as we make it...

'Til Tomrrow...

Kung-Fu Shoes Anyone??

I'm quite boring and conservative when it comes to shoes (or is it really my fashion sense as a whole who's just plain boring and conservative?? Right _(fill in the blank)_?! Hmmm...) I'm definitely not one to spend P10K++ on footwear, but maybe in time, I just might... Hehe... I mean, the most impractical and expensive thing that I've probably bought was... I think... a P9500 collared tee... Hmmm, dunno why I bought it though.

Anyways, moving along...

Last night, while walking around GB5 to finish my christmas shopping, I saw something that caught my eye right away! B and I passed by Anthem and I saw a new line of shoes there... It was Toms shoes. They offer very simple and quite comfortable shoes... Perfect for everyday casual wear I think... Perfect for my ("so-called" sense of) style. Actually, I bought something similiar to it in Bangkok when I visited last July. B calls them my kung-fu shoes or my ballet flats (ahahaha!). But no matter how much they've been mocked by a few of my friends, I still wear them and love them to pieces! Hehe.

Anywhoo, I opted not to try them on last night, hoping that I'd finish my Christmas shopping first so that I could finally start shopping for myself (I made a pact (with myself) that I wouldn't buy a single thing (for myself) until I finished all my shopping), because knowing how I am, I would've ended up buying them... Hehe...

So it was a pretty good thing I didn't (or so I'd like think)...

This morning, while my terrible headache was secretly trying to kill me or gasp, ruin my day, I couldn't get the thought of those shoes out of my head... They were beautiful (or so, I thought (and still think) they are)... So I gave in, and drove down to GB5 during lunch and tried the shoes on... My plan to buy two out of the three colors turned to zero out of the three because sadly to say, they didn't carry my size (us-11 eur-44). Sucks!! Anyways, had my brother order them in the states already... So am excited!

These are a few of the styles on the website:

The ones available in Anthem though are in the following colors/styles: Natural, Dark Green, and Gray Plaid

They sell for 2650 each...

EXTREMLY LIMITED SIZES!! THE BIGGEST SIZE THEY HAD WAS 10

AVAILABLE ONLY IN ANTHEM GB5.

Called all the other Anthem stores, and sadly to say, they don't carry the shoes. They came out early last week... So get them while they're still fresh. I will have to wait for my brother first... =(

Grrrr... I really really want them!! Guess I'll get the advans in SM first! Sucks!! Btw, the ones I bought in Bangkok was only 150 baht... But of course the quality of this is sooo OH-OH much better...

Check out their website HERE.

I'm sooo loving and feeling their cause! Makes me love them even more!

Toms Shoes' cause:

"For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair to a child in need. One for one."

The Attack of the MSG Infused Paksiw!!

Thursday, Dec 11, 2008

I woke up today with a heavy hangover. A hangover from a bowl of Lechon Paksiw and a mighty big serving of "ginataang kalabasa" from Ebun. YUUUUM! It was quite good actually, but on my way home, I had this throbbing pain building in my head...

Did the food have MSG?? God... I've never felt this much pain since I last ate at Superbowl! I slept right away when I got home (by that time, the pain was intolerable)... Kissed my parents goodnight (pleasantly surprised that my Dad was home), changed into my hanes and dozed off...

When I woke up, the pain was still there... I almost called in sick for work, but I hesitated since I only allowed myself only two absences a month... Hehe... But I was however, an hour late for work... =( Oh well... That's what I get for indulging too much good-"bad"-food.

It's a slow day...
ACTUALLY, it's been a slow week...
Been wishing for Friday since umm... last monday...

Anyways, I'm still a bit light headed... and quite slow moving...
Til tomorrow...

And oh yeah, my dad never ceases to make me laugh and make me realize how badly they think of me... He came up to me this morning and said...

"Nakainom ka nanaman kagabi ah."

I didn't say anything anymore... Didn't feel like proving him wrong today... =)
Maybe later (that is, if he's home). =)

Madison Grill

Last Saturday, before RR bought her first designer wallet, we all headed to Madison Grill to have dinner. I've heard great reviews about The Trinoma Branch, but never had the chance (or more like gather the will to drive all the way down there)... Thank God they brought it to Makati! Now it's even more accesible... Hehe...

If I'm not mistaken, Madison Grill, M Cafe, and Chelsea have the same owner, or same chef... Kindly correct me na lang if I'm wrong... Anywhoo, I love all three restaurants... I actually had dinner at Chelsea the night before (Friday). Hehe.. As always that was great... I love the Garlic spread that they served whenever you fiish ordering... Just never forget to ask for salt when it's there... It does a great job of enhancing the flavor!! Just love!!

Anywhoo, back to Madison Grill... I would definitely recommend it to anyone... Though we didn't order any steaks or anythign from the grill, (which I'm guessing is probably their specialty), we all enjoyed the food... good thing Jah-Jah Was there... She loves taking food pictures... I, on the other hand don't... Hehe...

**Note**

The names aren't accurate since I didn't take notes... Hehe...

Am naming out of memory and taste.

Freebies

Sun-Dried Tomato Foccacia with a Oil Diluted Pesto Dip!

I could've had more of these... Yum!

Appetizer:

Spinach Crisps with a Rich Tomato Paste-Like Dipping Sauce

This was awesome!! The best out of everything we ordered...

The Tom Yum Pizza!

OMG! It honestly tasted like Tom Yum soup... Just great... the toppings were overflowing... and I honestly couldn't say one bad thig about this...

The MAIN COURSES:

Beer Battered Fish With French Fries And Some Type Of Aoli.

The fish was so succulent! My god... Jus thinking about it makes me hungry... God!!

Seafood Linguine with Tomato and Vodka Sauce.

I was actually a bit hesitant to order this, but B wanted it, so I got it... It was good, but I think it lacked something... I couldn't get any of the vodka in the sauce... Was the only thing we didn't finish... Maybe because it came last... =)

The Rosemary Roasted Chicken

We ordered two half chickens (so that makes one whole chicken, hehe). This was the first one that came... And we devoured this like hungry street children begging for coins... It was cooked to perfection. The meat was literally close to coming off the bones and the flavor of the rosemary was heaven!! Love!!

The Maple Roasted Chicken

This was the other half of the chicken. We actually renamed it to hamonado chicken or pancake chicken. Hehe. The flavor of the maple was rather strong, and in my opinion was the weaker out of all the dishes we ordered... The maple, I think candied the chicken making it hard and feel over cooked (which I'm guessing, wasn't). We actually finished this as well, eventhough it wasn't as good as the others...

All in all, the experience here was great... I would definitely be back...

My food reviews really do no justice whatsoever to the excellent food that they served... It was truly a wonderful night of food... Love it!!

And after doing my research, I found out that the chef from Madison Grill Trinoma, Chef Loujay Jurilla (a very good friend of my cousin Pamy) is the one who revamped the menu... God! I was supposed to have an interview with him for a pastry chef position...

Gosh, really wishing now that I went... Am starting to be a fan...

Maybe I should ask Pamy to try to pull some strings again... Hehe

Breaking the Routine...

Wednesday, Dec 10, 2008

I broke my routine today...

I went to the gym at 6:30 am... Wow! That felt different... For the past 2 months, I've been a bit tired and too exhausted to hit the gym for more than hour... Been too lazy and too bored to work out after work... I don't know if it's the lethargic mechanical duty of sitting down and barely speaking to anyone for 8 hours, or if it's the extremely cold temperatures in the room that makes me too tired to workout at night, but I honestly just can't lift those damn weights...

So today, I tried something new... B and I will be hittng the mall after work to hopefully finish our Christmas shopping or at least try to get past half of the names on the list, because am quite certain that in no time, Christmas will be right around the corner asking for those wonderful, well thought out gifts... Hehe... So anywhoo, I had the idea of waking up at 5:30 am today so that I could get to the gym by 615-630 am, and hopefully be at work before 9 am... My intial thought was that, I'd be too sleepy or too lazy to go lift some weights... Boy was I wrong...

I was up and about at 515... My lunch was already packed by Teri who by the way, am soooo OH-OH appreciating (she's gonna love her gift!). Got to the gym at 615, as expected and started working out... I got to do everything! and I wasn't as tired and lazy as I normally would be... Hehe.. I was definitely, pleasantly surprised..

I guess I'll be trying this routine for a few weeks and hopefully, I'll see if it suits me... =)

With that, I'll give my Top 5 Reasons (Observations) Why Working Out Before Work Is Better.

1. Your body is awake earlier, and you'll most likely be more active throughout the day...

2. Fewer people working out, and most of the ones who ARE working out, are working on a time frame, meaning the turnover of the machines and the dumbells are quicker and faster... PLUS, fewer people to irritate you because they're texting whilst resting on the machine or talking to their fellow gym members while people are waiting on them to finish their business.

3. Since there's a time frame for the people working out, most of them could care less about each other... Which in my opinion is the best way to work out... No hassles and no worries...

4. There's not as much traffic... I'll admit that I do live quite far from civilization. 45-60 minutes away to be exact... And with that damn morning traffic, my drive usually extends to 75-90 minutes (if I'm lucky)... Which to be quite blunt about it... SUCKS!! So now, given that I get to the gym at 6:30 am and finish by 8-8:30am, i'll get to work shortly before 9 because the gym is oh-so close to my office... =)

5. I can actually do more things at night... Like pass by the mall, do my weekly "clothing-holds" at Ralph, or just meet up with friends and have a grand ol' time... Isn't that just great?? It's like I got a part of my day back... Yay!

Anywhoo, none of the bosses are here yet... Hehe...
Hopefully they'll be late again... Keeping my fingers crossed (just playing).
I love my bosses... Well, almost all of them...

Anywhoo, 'til tomorrow...

One Clear Sign That It's Christmas Time...

The MMDA are scattered everywhere...

Probably trying to make an extra buck for their NOCHE BUENA...

Tsk, Tsk, Tsk...

I've been using this intersection for the past month, and not once was there a police officer here! Now there's two!! GOD!!

I take extremely terrible pictures with this phone... I totally missed the MMDA! Can you guys see him?

If you guys were standing beside me, you'll see 4 MMDA's at the end of the street with 4 other guys to check your car's pipe exhaust... GOSH!!

Btw, this all within a two block radius!! My god!!

Now I know why they call them "buhaya!".

So be extra careful my fellow drivers!! Good thing my dad could always back me up.. Hehe!!