Ever since I got myself into this program, i drag the butts of my office lunch buddies to restos that serve “real” meals, instead of fast food restos that serve nothing but oil, junk, and what not. Today, we decided to dine in at Recipes by Cafe Metro.

What did we think about it?

We first thought that their food was cheap because their chopsuey meal costs only 135 but when we saw how small their serving was, we go so disappointed. We got more disappointed when we saw their their chopsuey looked anything but that  . There was no liver, no broccoli, no cauliflower; instead, we saw loads of bean sprouts or mongo shoot (toge) or whatever you call it. Gosh, it tasted like the sauted bean sprouts, often served in Tokyo Tokyo as side dish. It tasted NOTHING like chopseuy.

Pardon the photo, we were so hungry hahaha!

We also ordered Bistek Tagalog and even though I cannot complain on the beef selection (soft and thinly sliced), I can’t help but think about Tokyo Tokyo’s Beef Misono when I tasted it . Again, super small serving, it can barely feed 2 people.

Again, we ate a portion of it already .. talk about patay gutoms

Because the food barely escaped reached our tummies, we ordered another dish that looked soo tempting on their menu.

In reality, the dish was served to us like this – parang halo halo lang.

In fairness, the lechon tasted okay, but the kangkong tasted like kangkong with plain soy sauce period. It took forever to arrive, we even had to follow up on it because they apparently forgot to process our additional order. tsk 

To make things worst, the waiters were so distracted, unattentive, and snob. I mean gaaashh, it seemed like we owe them for eating there. I promised to avoid negative vibes but this is just annoying!

We paid for the bill with heavy burden in our hearts

An 8.9% service charge for such an awful service.  Never again!

I think David has a skill in acting! Imagine not laughing while doing his hilarious undercover acting? Amazing! David followed Ellen’s ever words without hesitation haha!

On this primetime bida asianovela, Lee Min Ho is paired with her real life sweetheart Park Min-Young and did I tell you that I cannot wait?!!? The series will start this January.

Lee Yoon-Sung (Lee Min-Ho) works at the Blue House’s National Communication Network Team and received his Ph.D at M.I.T.

Kim Na-Na (Park Min-Young) is a bodyguard at the South Korean president’s residence, the Blue House .

Na-Na lost her parents by car accident since than she made a living by doing part time jobs. She became a bodyguard at the Blue House and she falls in love with Lee Yoon-Sung.

To my surprise, it wasn’t the boss who recommended me… it was Sam . I was shocked, giddy, and on a high – kilig mode.

Thank you, I wasn’t expecting this… the statement below is too much compliment a person can handle from a superb project manager. 

Kathryn Ong has been a valuable and much appreciated asset to the POS project. Besides being a joy to work with, her technical writing skills are above exceptional and delivery of these writings have always been on schedule. She is a team player and possesses extremely high potentialities. I am always deeply impressed by her work.

David Beckhan, the hottest man alive, is finally here in the Philippines!!!  ***faints…***

But seriously now, it’s a good thing I wouldn’t be able to go to his “friendly” game with the Azkals… I would have needed to bring a bib and wrap it across my neck!

 David, this rose is for you 

Photo courtesy of Yahoo PHPhoto courtesy of Yahoo PH

Photo courtesy of Yahoo PH

I am writing this blog entry while i patiently wait for my download to finish. 

If iOS 5 has already deleted your apps, music, and data, don’t fret, here’s the solution:

First, iTunes should be able to restore those apps and any other lost data by:

Photo courtesy of PCW.

• Plug your device back into your PC and open up iTunes.
• Click on the device name (iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch) in the left-hand column.
• Click on “Sync” or “Apply” in the bottom-right corner of the screen (see screenshot below). iTunes should begin restoring any data you had on the device.
• Be patient. Syncing can take a very, very long time.
• After restoring, iTunes may ask if you want to transfer purchased items back to iTunes. You must click “Transfer,” or else those items will be deleted from your device.

Connecting the Dots – you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

Love – You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.

Death – is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”  - Steve Jobs

‎”Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” – Steve Jobs

Stay hungry, stay foolish…

October 6, 2011 - The homepage of Apple’s web site this evening switched to a full-page image of Jobs with the text, “Steve Jobs 1955-2011.”

RIP Steve Jobs (Photo credit to Apple.com)

Clicking on the image opens another one with text: “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”

RIP Steve Jobs

Because it opened doors, it broke boundaries, it crossed lines, it brought the mobile phone experience to a whole new level.

iPhone is a result of an out-of-the-box thinking; it is an innovation; and it scared the hell out of its competitors. It got the developers and design teams of Samsung, Nokia, HTC, Blackberry, etc. to think and re-think how to possibly keep up.

iPhone is an innovation; and so are Apple’s all other products. Steve Jobs is an innovator, a game changer, an inspiration.

Steve Jobs, may you rest in peace.

Photo courtesy of globalbalita.com

ormer president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has millions of unliquidated travel expenses and even spent thrice the approved budget allocation in her last year in office, a Senator said.

Commission on Audit reports that the then Office of the President, whose 2009 allocation for travel expenses was at P244.6 million, has an “actual disbursement” for traveling of 940.6 million.  P848.1 million was spent for foreign trips while at least P92.5 million was used for local travels.

Not only that, Commission on Audit said that P594 million has remained unliquidated as of year end, including the unliquidated travel expenses… Grrr!!!

Photo Courtesy of blogphilippines.com

Well, this doesn’t come as a surprise anymore because her 2009 splurge-y dinner at Le Cirque Restaurant in New York is still vivid to me = $20,000.

Googling will yield Winni Monsod’s blog entry last August 2009, wherein she claimed that Arroyo has left the country 72 times since she assumed the presidency in 2001.

According to a technology blog AllThingsD, Apple plans to unveil their next generation iPhone model, whether it be iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S, on October 4. However, the blog was quick to caution that Apple might still change their plan anytime.

Apple’s new chief executive Tim Cook will definitely be the one to preside the launch of the new iPhone if ever the plans push through. Jobs has presided over Apple’s previous product launches in the past and AllThingsD said that “the pressure will be on Cook to turn in a good performance.”

Hmmm…excited much? Actually, I’m kinda contemplating whether i should get a new iPhone or wait until the 6th gen… Especially because it’s so hard to transfer data from one phone to another. 

Billy Crawford Does MJ

–> Producers hellooooo this guy deserves a better stage don’t ya think?

Billy Crawford Dance Showdown with Albert Labacar

Billy Crawford on MSN Dance Show

Billy Crawford and Sarah Geronimo – 4 p.m.

Image Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images

Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat Victor Ortiz on Saturday, September 17, 2011, via a controversial knockout on Round 4 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mayweather Jr., 34, with a 41-0 record and 25 knockouts vs. Ortiz, 24, who stands 5’9″ and the current WBC Welterweight Champion and has a record of 29-2-2 with 22 knockouts.

Watched the entire fight with own eyes… hated every second of it at first because Ortiz kept dancing around the ring, and kept failing despite numerous attempts to score a decent and spot on punch on Mayweather’s face.

The real fight started at the latter part of round 3, when Ortiz finally managed to throw multiple jab at Mayweather’s face, and to my surprise, a head butt too!   Although Ortiz kept on apologizing right after, Floyd took that seriously.

When round four strikes, Ortiz tried to apologize again by giving Mayweather a hug but was caught by surprise when Floyd gave him a short left followed by a strong right jab and knocked him out. Boo! Boo! and another strong Boo! 

Image Credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson via Yahoo News PH

It really pays to play dirty these days… too bad…let’s all shout “injustice prevails!”

Oh and by the way, during the post-fight ring interview, Floyd Mayweather launched into a furious tirade at legendary television analyst Larry Merchant prompting the 80-year-old broadcaster to say, “I wish I was 50 years younger. I would have kicked your ass.”

LOL, this is simply hilarious! wahaha

I’m always happy to know that some of my clients are techy enough to set up their email accounts on their electronic devices (iPhone, iPad, iTouch, Blackberry, and Microsoft- or Android-powered devices). Because if not, why else do people bother to get a hi-tech device right? To play games or to flaunt it to their friends? Oh nooo, that is simply wrong!

People should get these kinds of devices to stay connected – sms, calls, tweet, email, facebook, and other social apps, to take advantage of technological advances by using applications that make life easier – budgeting apps, task and appointment schedulers, photo editors, file viewers and editors,  and many many more, and to get a mobile device that can do a lot of things – take pictures, record videos, play music, view maps and avoid traffic!

Yes, this is a finally! Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has launched the first Philippine government agency mobile application on Saturday (September 17, 2011). This application allows its users to view Metro Manila’s traffic situation in System, Map, or Line View. The agency advises, “view problem areas so you can avoid them.”

This MMDA app initially includes major roads such as Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), C-5, South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Roxas Boulevard, España Avenue, and Quezon Avenue. It also allow its users share or report traffic info via Twitter.

The app is downloadable as an 8.1-mb file and is available in English and German. It is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad and runs on iOS 3.0 or later.

MMDA Traffic Discipline Office OIC Yves Gonzales said that their in-house development team is working hard to be able to include major problem areas like Katipunan and Commonwealth Avenue.

Gonzalez also noted that the MMDA App ranked 14th in the Philippine App Store, just 10 hours after it was made available to users.

• It has a super cool user interface that’s robust, yet still easy to use –> Think Apple UI

YNAB

• I have always been confused with debit and credit, good thing, this app uses IN and OUT instead
• It’s more than an application… it encourages you to make saving a habit through goal setting and living by its 4 principles:

Give Every Dollar a Job

Each month you assign your Available dollars to spending/savings categories. This process takes 20 minutes and revolutionizes the way you think about your money.

Result: Dollars are told what to do. Your awareness will increasetremendously and you’ll find contentment as your spending aligns itself with your core values. Communication between spouses is restored.

Save for a Rainy Day

You’ll anticipate larger, less-frequent expenses and will be ready for them. Insurance premium due in six months for $600? Save $100 each month and watch the Car Insurance balance grow.

Result: Eliminate the crazy ups and downs in your life. Gain atrue picture of your discretionary income. Enjoy opening the mail again (the money will be there waiting to pay that bill).

Roll with the Punches

The key is to keep moving even when you fail (you will). YNAB will make small adjustments when you overspend, ensuring that you fix those mistakes before you go to the next month.

Result: It keeps you on your budgeting feet, so when you fail, you don’t quit. You start each month with a clean slate–a hugepsychological boost.

Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck

We want you to work toward living on last month’s income. Both the software and methodology will help you do just that.

Result: You’ll find breathing room. You’ll stop wasting time by timing paychecks with bills, and if you’re on a variable income, your budgeting “problem” will be eliminated.

Budgeting

• It is super lightweight and multi-platform, it even has an iPhone and now an Android application
• Syncing is very easy, it highlights the updates or conflicts between devices, and allows you to easily check for it and approve as necessary

• Beat this — It has an awesome website, awesome community, awesome crew, awesome tutorials
• It focuses more on changing lives rather than scoring money from its users because it focuses on YOU learning by giving free tutorials and coaching classes, it focuses on YOU getting the latest update for free for life, it focuses on YOU being able to access your application from all of your devices

If you’re still in doubt, read what others think about YNAB:

• http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0611/The-Best-Budgeting-Software-For-2011.aspx
• http://financialsoft.about.com/od/budgetingsoftware/gr/You-Need-A-Budget-Review.htm
• http://www.onemoneydesign.com/ynab-3-review-you-need-a-budget/
• http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/you-need-a-budget-ynab/id372076250?mt=8
• http://www.amazon.com/You-Need-Budget-YNAB-Personal/dp/B000QO76HU

Enough said, why don’t you guys just try this wonder for free I know, this is starting to sound like a paid ad but that’s how happy I am! I can’t stop spreading the good news! =) In fact, I’m glad that I am finally able to post this one because looking back, I really owe Jessy (founder of YNAB) big time! Read their story here.

If you have any question about this app, feel free to contact me via email. I’ll be a YNAB consultant for free!

To watch the full coverage, click here:

http://www.pinoycinemaonline.com/2011/09/miss-universe-2011/

Me: o ano mom maganda ba yung movie o maganda lang katawan ni Thor?
Mom: hmm maganda din katawan ni thor, gwapo pa!

There you go… the answer of a 59-year old woman hahaha! No offense mom, I love you and you know that =) Happy mother’s day!

I’m also thinking of watching Ryan Cayabyab and Friends @ Newport Performing Arts Theater on June 28 and Peter Pan this coming October……

Hmmm meanwhile, here’s the details for The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber =)

Date of Performances:

Thursday – As always, we went to 14 churches to fulfill a family tradition, that is visita iglesia; one church along C5, near Eastwood made us carry a cross! Quite heavy but overall a pleasant experience because at least we got to at least try and carry a cross and walk under the heat of the sun.

Friday – Instead of fasting and prayer, BQ invited his mom and brother to go to Nuvali, and so we all did. Since there’s really nothing to do there, we went straight to Tagaytay and ate too much at Sonya’s Garden. For only Php 610 per head, we had unlimited salad (with dressing, etc.), unlimited salmon pasta, and unlimited dalandan juice!

–> Super sulit, fresh, delish, and filling! Did not like the ants I saw everywhere (yes, even on our tables) though…

Saturday – Another pig out session… went to C’ Italian Dining in Clark Pampanga to try their famous panizza (where Yellow Cab copied their Dear Darla).

To those who are not familiar, this resto is famous for their C’ SUPER CLASSIC FRESHLY BAKED PANIZZA (approx Php 600+ and good for 3 people), Chef Chris Locher’s masterpiece. Panizza is a rectangular thin crust pizza, served and eaten with arugula and alfalfa sprouts.

We also tried 2 of their risottos – Risotto Kristina  – Php 600+ (salmon, prawns, asparagus, broccoli, and finished with tender mushrooms and white truffle oil) and Risotto Frutti di Mare – Php 700+ (salmon, marlin, prawns, mussels blended with tomato and saffron-flavored parmesan risotto).

Their SLOW ROASTED LAMB RIBS IN AROMATIC SPICE RUB (Php 890) was a pleasant surprise. Even though I’m not really into Lamb, theirs is actually delicious and tender.

Lastly, we ordered pasta but wasn’t able to taste it anymore, I was sooo full and not to mention, it was around 9 p.m. already when we ordered that.

Sunday – I just went to the salon to have my hair and nails done – at last! And then went to church service in the afternoon. One important lesson learned, everything means nothing without Him. We must not let ourselves be a prisoner of this world by following what it dictates; instead, let us live a meaningful life by doing what He wants us to .

Happy Easter everyone!

…….Again

Would really appreciate great finds

• TV with DVD Player – 3,500 (Sold!)
• Exercise Machine – 3,000
• Office Table – 1,000
• Crocs – 1,000 each (size 11)
• New Balance – 1,000 (size 10.5)
• Glass TV Stand (3 layers) – 7,000

Contact me for more information.

New Year’s Day – January 1 (Saturday)
Araw ng Kagitingan – April 9 (Saturday)
Maundy Thursday – April 21
Good Friday – April 22
Labor Day – May 1 (Sunday)
lndependence Day – June 12 (Sunday)
National Heroes Day – August 29 (Last Monday of August)
Bonifacio Day – November 30 (Wednesday)
Christmas Day – December 25 (Saturday)
Rizal Day – December 30 (Friday)

Special (Non-Working) Holidays
Ninoy Aquino Day – August 1 (Sunday)
All Saints Day – November 1 (Tuesday)
Last Day of the Year – December 31 (Saturday)

Special Holiday (for all schools)
EDSA Revolution Anniversary- February 25 (Friday) at kaarawan ko

These are my personal favorites!

haaaaay……………………

Now, I intend to watch more korean series and movies because honestly, they make beautiful story unlike here… ahem! Film makers are always re-making old films, stories always revolve around switched babies, long lost adopted son or daughter, super evil family member, beating husbands, etc. tsk… I really hope writers come up with more interesting plot.

On my list of to-watch movies/series are:

1. Hot for Teacher
2. Seducing Mr. Perfect
3. My Little Bride
4. Boys Over Flower
5. Oh my Lady
6. Windstruct
7. Innocent Steps
8. The Beast and the Beauty

Feeling high school again =)

It takes me around 1 to 1.5 hours on the average to go to work from Pasig to MOA and around 1.5 to 2 hours when I go home following the traffic rules and regulations. If I don’t, it takes me around an hour but that’s a different story. Right now, I want to rant about how agonizing my travel was that Monday – read this – 4 hours! Don’t ask me if I followed traffic rules because with that kind of traffic, it was impossible to honk your way through traffic and yellow lane.

Edsa literally turned into a parking lot… that was the second worst traffic I have ever experienced in my entire life. The first one was when SM launched the concept of midnight sale and we were stupid enough to go, that took us 5 hours. Anyway, to the MMDA chairman, I know you’re not Superman, I’m not expecting any miracle here, but I am expecting political will; clearly, this event is not a result of such.

I’ll be enumerating some of the causes of traffic on my next post. For now, feel my misery – see how my typical day encounters both Edsa and C-5 traffic…

Traffic in Edsa (Ayala) Underpass

A DJ in a local radio station once asked, “what do you look forward to in a traffic?” Well, it’s the peanut vendor.

C-5 Traffic

I started attending bible study every Monday. At some point in the past, I thought I would never have faith in Him because the foundation of Christianity – the holy bible – I don’t even consider reliable. Now, even though I still feel reluctant to attend Sunday service sometimes (lazy me), I’ve already reconciled that the holy bible is historically and scientifically accurate. Now, I can truly say that I do want to learn more about His words and catch up on what I missed the past 20+ years of my life. Among other things, this is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned and I wanted to share this with all of you:

The bible says that people are not saved by good works and by following the commandments because no one can truly be good and righteous. It also says that people can only be saved by His grace alone, and that good works is a byproduct in the life of a true believer.

I’m still not there yet but I want to be, I really really want to be…

I also got to see our wedding godmother (and BQ’s aunt), who is currently suffering from lung cancer, again last Monday. We all prayed and will continue to pray for her speedy recovery. I would also like to express my sincerest condolences to the family of Miguel, who passed away, several months ago… may you rest in peace.

On another note, the team I’m in has been dissolved a couple of days ago… It feels so strange to know that suddenly I no longer have counterparts to email about the progress of my work. Suddenly, no one is following up on my time sheet and project plan. I feel awful that the pioneers of the team, those whose talents are enormous, had to go due to organizational restructuring. I wish all of them a quick and prosperous transition… Meanwhile, offshore resources like me are retained and transferred to new projects.

And last but not least, the visitor I have been waiting for since last week has not yet arrived; Bro, if this is your will, I’m happy to oblige.

How about you? What are the unexpected things that happened to you lately?

It was kinda late for dinner at that time and we were famished… As a result, we ordered almost every item on their menu… masiba talaga…

The verdict? I was really surprised because their inasal chicken did not taste special… It’s just like a normal chicken with salt, some soy sauce, and pepper… Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying it’s not delicious because it is, but nothing extraordinary, like some people claim. On the other hand, their liempo was excellent! The barbecue and the other “normal” chicken order was also good.

The price of their food is very very cheap… While most chicken inasal costs around 90 to 100 per part, theirs costs 60+.

The resto is worth trying, after all, this is one of the restos Bacolod is proud of. More Bacolod photos here.

We left Manila one hour after the expected departure time and after endless plane turbulence, safely arrived in Bacolod an hour and a half later. We stayed at Mike’s relatives and I was so impressed with their place. They have a dedicated condo-type space for their guests! It is like a home away from home because it has everything you need, 2 bedrooms, 1 T&B with heater, dining table, big living room space, TVs, and squeaky clean tiled floors!!!

Here’s all of us on our first night with Mike’s Aunt Pushpa at Kuppa Coffee and Tea. I like how they named their tea specialties according to function. For example, “Tranquility” for chamomile tea. I also loved their blueberry cheescake, see picture below.

More adventures on my next posts.

Tuesday was supposed to be my first “me” day, you know, working from home, watching some silly chick flick shows, enjoying a cup of coffee…and retiring late. All these happened as planned but a terrible headache and high fever woke me on Wednesday. Noooo!

Here’s how the rest of the week was for me…

• 19 - onset of the fever
• 20 – severe headache, high fever (39.2 C) muscle pain everywhere; mom brought me to Medical City but the 3 hour wait was too much for me and we were not able to wait for the CBC test results. Anyway, the doctor told us that it was too early to tell. A maid stayed with me that night to respond to my needs.
• 21 – severe headache, loss of appetite, muscle pain, rashes started to appear and high fever (38.4 to 39.2 C); mom and a maid stayed with me to make sure I’m okay.
• 22 – called Asiatic laboratories and had myself tested for dengue and upon confirmation, we immediately packed some clothes and headed to Cardinal Santos Medical Center ER. They had a really hard time inserting my dextrose… thin veins.
• 23 – this is the first time i experienced the “cold and dizzy episode” in the hospital but probably my fourth all in all. Anyway, glad that mom was able to catch me inside the toilet just in time.
• 24 – severe back pain, lower range temperature, and another episode in the toilet. Good thing I’m sitting. Platelets at 25 and up to 31.
• 25 – one of my worst days… because of severe back pain and difficulty in breathing, the doctor ordered for me to have a chest and back x-ray and urinalysis. I experienced 2 episodes of that same cold feeling, dizziness, and cold sweat along with my stomach misery and difficulty in breathing. The findings? UTI – boo! Platelets at 27 and up to 98.
• 26 – feeling a whole lot better, no more stomach pain and difficulty in breathing; dextrose was also removed. Platelets back to 40+ and later at 80+
• 27 – discharged finally… will be back on Friday for follow up checkup though. Platelets at 90+

The entire process was difficult because of endless blood extraction, dextrose, water intake, and some minor complications… Plus the emotional stress that CBC results always give – bad numbers. But I’m happy because I felt all the love in the world from my family and friends. Thank you guys, from the bottom of my heart.

Anyway, the real purpose of this post is to share with you the rule of 72. This method is invented by Albert Einstein and is probably one of the most important facts you’ll ever encounter in your life. The rule of 72 simply teaches us that if you divide the number 72 by the rate of interest, will yield the number of years it will take to double your money. It is used in compounding interest rather than simple interest calculations.

For example, if you divide 72 by 8 percent interest in an investment, your money will double in 9 years, regardless of the amount of your money.

Why am I sharing this? To give you a wakeup call. Saving in banks can only give you at most, 4% interest and they would probably require you to save millions just to get that rate. And if we are being strict here, we would need to include the inflation rate of 3% to 5% into the picture, which will give you 0 to 1 percent interest. Using this scenario and applying the rule of 72, in how many years can you double your money?

What prompted me to do so? Well, the very responsible Fatcow team deleted my account! They said that I instructed them last November 2009 to deactivate auto-renewal of my web hosting. While that may be true, I also remember re-activating the automatic renewal of my web hosting plan a few weeks ago. HMMPPP!!!

And when I asked them to restore everything, just a few hours after I received their notice, they told me that they have deleted the account already and I that I have to create a new account already. GREAT! And so I created a new account and asked them to restore my files to this new account. But even if they were able to restore the files, my posts were all gone! So, I had to reinstall WordPress, my plugins, and widget customizations! The worst part is, I had to insert all my posts one by one from husband’s RSS reader .

Well, the biggest lesson learned here is to always back up your posts via WordPress’ Export feature.

Now you can all make national phone calls for free using Gmail. You can also make international calls at a very reasonable rate. Woot!

While strolling in Boni High Street…

Kat: BQ si Coach Rio oh!

Husband: Onga noh!

Kat: Pa picture tayo gusto mo?

Husband: Wag na kakahiya, sa sunod nalang

Kat: Kunwari ka pa tara na!  Wala nang susunod, mag sisisi ka lang gaya ko nung kaharap na natin si Derek at di tayo nagpapicture

Husband: Having second thoughts…

Kat: Dali ako na magsasabi

Husband: Second thoughts gone and said SIGE!

While following Coach Rio… Kat uttered “Coach”. Coach Rio turned and smiled…

Kat: Pede magpapicture? sabay smile

Coach: Sure

The result…

Ang daya blurred ang picture namin ni coach huhuhuhu  

The grease, dirt, oil, and other particles our eyes cannot see…

My emotional quotient is higher than ever and I’m so proud!!! I was able to withstand the urgency of the situation… I was able to ignore the immense need to wipe the stove top until after cooking (1 dish). Wow, it feels like passing the marshmallow test! Awwwesomeeee!

So how should one clean a stove top? I usually use a coarse rug in wiping off the oil and dirt to make sure the markings are removed. But before doing that, I wet the rug first with water and a little bit of Lysol Concentrate just to be sure that I’m not merely spreading the dirt all over my stove top. After that, I wipe it dry with a clean cloth or chamois, also to make sure that no water markings will be left behind.

P.S. No matter how hard it is to resist the urge of wiping splattered oil from your stove top while cooking, resist it, to avoid accidents.

This is a long overdue post but better late than never right?

Anyway, early this month, we went to Boracay for the very first time! Woot! Thanks to Ian and Nestle for inviting us to their wedding, if it weren’t for them, we might not have witnessed Bora’s magic.

Anyway, since this post is about Astoria, let me start with the hotel’s good points:

• It is newly renovated (formerly called Boracay Gold Crown Resort), and when I say NEW, it means clean, clean, clean! No icky feeling for me haha!

• Modern and minimalist design. I’m not really a fan of native hotels so I’m really very happy that we booked Astoria. See the photos here.

• HUGE rooms. There 2 double sized beds in every room (I think) and 4 persons can comfortably occupy the room.

• They have sampayan yehey! No matter how clean your room is, imagine if there are wet clothes everywhere, must be a major turn off. But, Astoria implemented this super clever idea and hubby was very happy about it.

• Affordable. Yep! Very affordable! We only paid 4k+ NET per night with breakfast for 2. Beat that!  If you’ll be going there, better book here because Agoda offers a cheaper rate than the hotel itself. No need to worry because Agoda is the accredited booking facility of Astoria.
• Awesome pandan juice welcome drink. Yummy, yummy, yummy.
• Near the shopping areas and restaurants

As for the bad points, they’re no deal breaker, that’s for sure.

• No hair dryer. Good thing I brought one ;p
• Sour coffee =(
• Food was just okay and there were very few selections
• Bad service, period.

Anyway, for me the good points really outweigh the bad ones. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay there and if we’re coming back, we’ll definitely choose Astoria again (unless we receive an instant cash gift from above, that’s enough to pay for a 2-night stay at Discovery or Shangrila. How can we say no to that?

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Astoria Boracay

Station 1, Boracay Island, 5608 Malay, Aklan
Tel. (+63 36) 288.1111
Telefax: (+63 36) 288.3536

Inception was awesome, but this is certainly HOT!

We watched Eclipse last Friday and I really had a great time. I felt different emotions while watching and it was awesome. Poor husband because he had to endure me hitting his arms and sides while watching Bella kiss Jacob and while watching Jacob embrace Bella on her sleep… I felt jealous for Edward.

But on the other hand, I also felt Jacob’s pain… I agree that he is the best guy for Bella because like what Jacob said, Bella won’t have to say goodbye to anyone and she won’t have to change herself if she chooses him… oh, and because he is hotter than Edward lol! That said, yeah, I am with Team Jacob!

This is one of my favorite scenes: Doesn’t he own a shirt?! hahahaha

In with the new “do”! Oo! talagang “in” na “in” ang bagong hairdo ni asawa.

Akalain mong pagkalabas palang ng sinehan sa Greenbelt 3 and within 10 seconds, nakabilang ako agad ng pitong kalbo! San ka pa!  

Pagbaba naman ng sinehan, sumalubong agad si Big Buddha so walo na.

Pagdating ng parking, pagkatingin ko sa tv ng mga drivers, kalbo din ang starring… siyam. Bago kame pumasok ng kotse, yung car na nakapark sa harap namin, kalbo din ang may ari and about to get in din sa kanyang car… Sampu… bow!

Went back to Antonio’s for the second time and the place looked more beautiful in broad daylight. The food was better than I remembered and the service was above average.

My order: Seafood Sampler @ PHP 1,600

From left to right:

Prawn Thermidor – I think this dish was the best among the three because it gave me the right amount of flavour without becoming too salty, and creaminess without overpowering the natural flavor of the prawn. This dish actually made me regret that I ordered the Seafood Sampler instead of the Mixed Seafood Thermidor

Crispy Cod Fish Glazed with Kombu Sauce on Peppered Egg Noodles – The glazed fish came off a bit too sweet for me and it kinda reminded me of turon (banna fritters). On the other hand, I loved the noodles so much, I think it tasted better than chinese misua being served in popular chinese restaurants.

Pan Seared Scallops on Celleriac Mashed, Truffle Cream Sauce – This tasted delicious but it didn’t offer something new and unique the way the thermidor has; it tasted like a normal scallop ;p

Herb Roasted Rack of Lamb with Cardamon Beurre Blac @ PHP 1,650

Schwein Haxen (Roast Pork Knuckle), Sauerkraut, Chateau Potato, Cabbage @ PHP 1,000

(not sure with this one yet, I’ll have to check)

Organic Free-Range Roast Chicken Leg with Bourbon Tomato and Boiled Potato @ PHP 1,200

My friends were raving for this… its aroma  reminded me of my all-time favorite Fazolis’ chicken.

Mixed Seafood Thermidor (scallops, prawn, mussles, and cod fish) @1,450

*drools* I wish I ordered this instead =(

My order: Sorbet (guava, green mango, lamolime, green apple, watermelon, calamansi) - This tasted like an ice shaved off from an ice candy. After tasting this one, I immediately swapped with Nats because I couldn’t bear eating one more spoon of it.

I swapped Sorbet with Profiteroles with Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce or Caramel Sauce

This one tasted a liitle better because of the bread and ice cream but I did not like the very generic taste of its chocolate. This is so far the best among the dessert offerings of Antonio’s.

Overall, Antonio’s is so worth another visit. Their main course dishes are awesome but don’t expect much on their dessert because you’ll be dissapointed.

For full feature list of this new software, visit Apple’s website.