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!

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

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.

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. 

• 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!

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

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?

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.

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?

 ————

Astoria Boracay

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

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.

I always feel like 24 hours a day isn’t enough to do all the things you have to do. I mean, there’s the clothes to wash, iron, and fold; food to cook; house and car to clean; movies to watch; blogs to read; social networks to update; places to go to; friends to meet; errands to run; and of course,  self  to maintain and pamper. Whew! That was a long list =)

Truth is, I just wanted to list all the things I have to do so I won’t forget and I can plan ahead. You see, listing your tasks is a simple way organizing your life.  You can use a pen and paper to do this, but you can also opt to take advantage of today’s technology.

Hubby and I opted for the latter in managing our medical, sports, and travel appointments. We chose Google Calendar because allows us to: 

• View several calendars at once — upon approval, you will be able to immediately see your friend’s calendar. You can also view Philippine holidays and daily weather, etc.
• Invite people with Google accounts to appointments — once they accept, the appointment will also be added to their Google calendar; think online version of Microsoft Outlook
• Receive appointment reminder either through pop-up, email, or SMS
• Add tasks
• Sync with iPhone/iTouch via Internet (no need to attach the phone via USB)
• Create appointments via iPhone/iTouch

Note: Click the thumbnail to view the screenshot of my calendar in full size.

Actually, the best part of Google Calendar is… it’s free! So, isn’t Google hot?! I strongly recommend that you guys start managing your life by managing your appointments and tasks, this way, you are able to plan ahead and make use of time efficiently.

One of the problems I encountered when I started running was my music playlist. I have tons of songs in my iPod and I only know a few upbeat songs. In my attempt to solve this problem, I started downloading top 40 compilations of different countries and it actually helped For those who are encountering the same problem, I’m sharing my first playlist for running, enjoy!

• Ayo Technology – Katerine Avgoustakis
• Party in the USA – Miley Cyrus
• Ego – The Saturdays
• I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
• Morning After Dark – Timbaland Feat. Nelly Furtado
• Pyramid – Charice Feat. Iyaz
• Pencil Full of Lead – Paolo Nutini
• Sexy Eyes – Billy Crawford
• Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
• Look for Me – Chimpmunk Feat. Talay Riley
• Meet Me Halfway – Black Eyed Peas
• Imma Be – Black Eyed Peas
• Do You Remember – Jay Sean Feat Lil Jon and Sean
• Grace Kelly – Mika
• Baby – Justin Bieber
• In the Zone (Brave New Girl) – Britney Spears
• California Gurls – Katy Perry Feat. Snoop Dog
• If We Ever Meet Again – Timbaland Feat. Katy Perry
• Down – Jay Sean and Lil Wayne

Anyway, here’s a little something I got from the Nature Valley Run last Sunday. Even though I didn’t run because of my injured (extracted wisdom tooth) self, I went there with hubby to show support and get my freebies ofcourse!

Looove this picture of coach Rio =)

Update 6/18/2010:

• Phornography – Britney Spears
• Bad Boys – Alexandra Burke Feat. Flo Rida
• Broken Heels – Alexandra Burke
• Naturally – Selena Gomez and The Scene
• Love Stoned – Justin Timberlake
• Forever – Chris Brown
• Love Dealer – Esmee Denters and Justin Timberlake
• This Ain’t a Love Song – Scouting for Girls
• Playing with Fire – N-Dubz Feat. Mr. Hudzon
• In for the Kill – La Roux
• Tik Tok – Ke$ha
• Fight for this Love – Cheryl Cole

Let me know if you want a copy of the mp3s and send me your email address

“Dancing Inmates” from Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), a maximum security prison, were treated to a visit by Michael Jacksons long-time choreographer Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid to learn performances from THIS IS IT.

My 2010′s resolution is to be healthier! This one is a bit tricky because it comes with a lot of sub items so I’ll just focus on the following for now:

1. Start munching fruits and veggies.
2. Explore raw food – salads, sashimi, etc.
3. Drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday.
4. Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
5. Run at least 4 times a week.

Why am I posting my resolutions? That’s because I really really want to win Gisele’s contest so I could have an awesome customized blog design =D Lord please let me win please please please….

You guys still have time! She’s still accepting entries until 12 midnight GMT+1 (norwegian midnight) of January 20 so hurry! All you have to do is the following:

1. Subscribe to her Blog via RSS or email.
2. Post about this contest on your blog using the banner below, and LINKING to this post with the guidelines.
3. Come back to her site and leave her a comment with a link to your post, and include your New Year’s resolution for 2010!!
4. Optional: If you use Twitter, retweet about this Contest in Twitter to get twice the chances (and remember to leave me your twitter username in the comment)!!
5. Only 1 comment per person, so make sure you put all the info in your comment. Extra comments will be deleted.

What you can win:

• A custom blog theme/template for selfhosted WordPress or Blogger (no WordPress.com, sorry, it’s not possible).
• With up to 15 credits in istockphoto images for the design (if you want more images, you’ll have to purchase them).
• And up to 3 revisions of the blog sketch!
• You will also get a 125 x 125 px banner for it!

Important Guidelines

• The design will include fonts that are free for commercial use (but you can choose to buy yourself a professional one, there’s some really cheap ones).
• The theme/template will include a credit link in the footer.
• The prize does not include plugin customization, or anything like that outside the theme itself. Uploading content to the blog is your responsability.
• If you have images you want included in the design, you must own them, or have a license for them. Using images right out of Google or other places won’t be possible.

You’ve tried it and you loved it… you want more, I’m giving you more!

This is the crunchy version of the famous Ilocos Longganisa, try it and I know you’ll love it more…

 Procedure:

1. In a pan, drop the longganisa and then add 1/8 cup water.
   
2. Cover the pan.
3. Set the fire to medium heat and bring the water to boil. Wait until the water has completely evaporated.
   Tip: You may opt to remove the water after a few minutes of boiling the longganisa to fast track your cooking.
4. Turn off the fire and cut the longganisa into half so allow stored water and oil to come out.
   Tip: Be careful in doing this because the water stored inside the longganise might squirt due to high pressure and temperature.
5. Set the fire again to medium and cover the pan. Wait for a 3-5  minutes.
6. At this point, most of the oil from the longganisa have come out. While holding the handle and the cover of the pan, toss the longganisa to ensure that all sides are cooked equal.
7. Wait for a few minutes more or until the longganisa is cooked before turning off the fire.
8. Drain excess oil before putting the longganisa on top of paper towel.

Ilocos Longganisa from Cagayan Valley still sells at PHP 350 per kilo. Order now!

It’s been a memorable year =) Looking forward to building more memories with you …

So many things have happened to me this past year and I’ll try to account them all here so that when 2011, 2012, and so on comes, I have something to look back to…

1. I got married and it’s been great! We are about to celebrate our first year anniversary on the 11th.
   
2. Pearl Farm – A great experience and overall a good choice for our honeymoon. What made this vacation even more fun was we got to spend it with sis and cousin.
    
3. Riverfront condo turnover – The actual turnover was last January but we moved in on May 1 because of the interior design and construction.
   
4. Feb 14 – Celebrated V day at Clark by attending the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.
   
5. Feb 18 – I transferred work from Lawson PSSC to ACS of the Philippines.
   
6. Tried a few good restos: Mr. Kurosawa, Spiral, My Thai, Abe, Cafe Adriatico, Feli J’s, Thai Silk, Jatujak, Chiggy’s, and Pamana.
   
7. Birth of Kitchen BQ.
   
8. Satisified my curiosity by experiencing The Boutique first hand.
   
9. Got introduced to Ilog Maria and their products.
   
10. Survived Ondoy and Pepeng – Thank God!
11. Mourned over Michael Jackson’s death and watched “This is It”.
    
12. Received a few great gifts: 2009 Best Restos book from boss, DSLR and Belle de Jour planner from hb, wallet from tita, and notebook from a friend.
13. Received a few more gifts from God – Good health, complete family, kind second family, loving husband, great career despite the recession, and a great startup kit for 2010 ;p
14. Went to HK and experienced Disneyland, Ocean Park, and the city itself.
    
15. Attended Trend Micro’s Iconique Christmas Party – great party as usual.
    
16. Attended ACS’ Perya Christmas Party – Our booth was called “In Your Face”, here’s why.
    
17. Attended MJT’s Christmas Party – Had loads of fun!
    
18. Decorated our home for Christmas – This was one of the most difficult things I had to do because of my lack of creativity.

Speaking of Christmas decor, Three Kings is almost over and right after today, most homes will start putting their Christmas decors away. To tell you honestly, I already did that yesterday when I got the chance (house help came over).

Here’s one way of storing your Christmas decors to ensure that they will still be in good shape for next year =) After all, it’s not easy and pocket friendly to buy a new set every year.

Cheers! Have a great year ahead peeps =)

Wish list? Actually I can’t think of any material thing I want right now (except for new shower curtains)… I just want my parents to stay healthy and live a long and happy life, want a reunion with my siblings, and want my friends to remain here in Pinas pleassseeee…You see, I only got few close friends so when they leave, it really is devastating waaa!!

Anyway, here’s a Christmas greeting to all of you:

Christmas Greeting from Singing Snow Man from Kathryn Ong on Vimeo.

Have a blessed Christmas and an abundant new year people!

As promised, here are some more ideas on how to decorate your homes.

I know it’s kinda too late for this because in a few days, it’ll Christmas already; but hey, Pinoys celebrate Christmas until January. ;p 

BTW, this is our first Christmas together as a married couple so we really tried our best to come up with a decent decor even though hb and I are not the artsy type. Oh, and the photos below will show you how far we’ve come lol!

1. Put some garlands over your curtains – use the curtain rods to hold the garlands

2. Santa Figurine – can also serve as your key holder (santa’s head is detachable)

3. Place a center piece – you can have some candles to go with it

4. Decorate your ref – just put some flowers or any Christmas ornament

5. Don’t forget to decorate your terrace!  

 The last photo isn’t our terrace by the way. It’s our neighbor’s =D

Red Panda from Kathryn Ong on Vimeo.

The Red Panda (taxonomic name: Ailurus fulgens, “shining cat”) is a small arboreal mammal and the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. It eats mainly bamboo, but is omnivorous and may also eat eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day.

Eating panda from Kathryn Ong on Vimeo.

Right after poo-ing, this cute panda ate as if nothing happened.

And lastly, these cute toys!

Ocean Park Toys from Kathryn

We had a somewhat late breakfast at Mcdo because we watched America’s Got Talent the night before and slept really late.  Hb ordered Sausage N’ Egg Twisty Pasta meal which came with hash brown and coffee while I ordered Grilled Chicken Fillet Burger which also came with has brown and coffee (if I’m not mistaken lol!); total bill was HK $44.60.

After breakfast, we rode the MTR to to Admirality and got on a bus to Ocean Park.

We were supposed to pay HK $30 for the bus ride to Ocean Park but we paid 15 instead – not intentional. Here’s what happened, hb and I decided to try and use 1 Octopus card for both of our fares, anyway we knew that we can pay in cash just in case. But, after trying to badge the card for I think 3 times, the driver lost his patience already and just asked us to go in and take our seats instead of making us pay in cash. See, not our fault =D

Observation 1: Hong Kong people are always in a hurry.  Even when I bought yogurt in 7-11, I remember the people around me getting impatient because it took me quite a while to put my change into my wallet and finally get the yogurt I bought.

Entrance ticket to Ocean Park costs HK $350 per person. Similar to Enchanted Kingdom, you can enjoy all the rides for the said amount.

Due to some constraints (long walks, long lines, etc.) we were only able to enjoy a few. Actually, we left at around 5 pm and we could’ve enjoyed a few more rides but we were exhausted and were literally dragging our feet on our way out of the park.

We planned on going to Central to shop immediately after but our exhaustion just won’t let us, so headed straight to the hotel to get some zzzzz….

Ahhh finally… my feet touched the lands of Hong Kong =D lol!  Actually I just missed riding an airplane and being on a foreign land to explore stuffs and appreciate things. People tend to forget to appreciate the little things that surround them when they are in their usual routines.

Oh well, first stop was lunch; hb was kinda hungry already so we did not scout for any more restos outside airport and settled in at Maxim’s. Too bad the crew assists so fast and I was not able to choose my order carefully, boo! I ordered for a beef wanton mami while hb ordered for hainanese chicken, which was soooooo yummy. I never liked hainanese chicken but when I tried hb’s order, i just said wow! hehehe I won’t talk about my order anymore because it was disappointing.

After eating, we headed straight to Newton Hotel located at the Fortress Hill station of MTR. We rode a 2-layer bus just so we can see the sceneries and target areas to visit =D In approx 1 hour, we arrived at our destination.

 After getting some rest, we decided to walk around and window shop until we arrived at Causeway Bay! Wow that was like walking 2 MTR stations hehehe

We ate dinner at a Japanese resto and had a great experience. By the way, I tried their Kiwi juice drink, kinda weird but nice… I’m decided to really increase my fruit intake so I’ll do whatever it takes =)

FYI ladies, here are their contact numbers (I had a hard time looking for their contact numbers online so I decided to be a little more creative ;p

• American Home: +632 3744576, +632 3762287
• ELBA: +632 7146002 – 03

I shopped for some gifts and personal stuff last week and was pleasantly surprised to know that SM is offering 0% interest payable in 6 months (instead of the usual 3 months) for a minimum purchase of PHP 5,000. What’s more surprising is, you’ll start paying for the monthly amortization after 3 months! IMAGINE! So, go go go to your nearest SM department store and shop to your heart’s content.

By the way, the Beauty by SM in SM Makati has recently re-opened after an extensive renovation. Because of that, they have all sorts of promo that you might want to check out. I was able to grab a lotion that costs PHP 800++ just for shopping more than PHP 1,500 =D

Oh, and another thing, they are selling a lot of new stuffs that you can only find in Rustans (or not even) before. Sample? Think of Thierry Mugler, FCUK, Lola, Clinelle, OPI, Bath and Body Works, and more!

Airlines advice you to be at the airport 2 hours before the flight and they actually have valid reasons for telling you so… The reasons include, falling in line to pay your travel tax (sometimes not necessarily done in airport), falling in line to check in your bags, falling in line to get your bag inspected (and you’ll have to remove your shoes, belts, etc. in this step), falling in line in immigration, and the list goes on…

We arrived at the airport 1 hour before our flight and we were literally out of breath due to running around the airport, tsk…luckily, we managed and we were able to sit in the boarding area for like 5 mins!

We left Manila on time – 11:00 AM.

Cathay Pacific is great because you get to have your own screen with own remote control and own headset so you can enjoy a variety of shows. I was only able to finish 1 show, 10 Hottest Holywood Couples, because the trip was kinda short =) Not sure with the title though, but I am sure that Brangelina got the number 1 spot.

Finally, I was able to watch the movie last Saturday. I was very worried when I heard about the typhoon scheduled to land during the weekend. What’s worse,  the storm signal here in Manila was raised to 3! My God, that typhoon could’ve picked a better schedule. Grrr!

Anyway, even though we’ve experienced very strong winds at around 7 am, thank God because at 9 am, the weather has greatly improved and we were able to pick up my parents from Antipolo and proceed to Greenbelt.

 The movie was amazing! It captured Michael’s genius at 50, it showed his sensitivity to people, great talent, and love for his craft. Here are some excepts from one of Michael’s closest friends – Elizabeth Taylor:

To say the man is a genius is an understatement. He cradles each note, coaxes the music to depths beyond reality.

You owe it to yourselves and your loved ones to see this again and again. Memorize it and say to yourselves, “I saw genius in my lifetime”

And we have this piece of film to remind us forever and ever that once there was such a man. God kissed him.

I was speechless and teary eyed after the movie. Elizabeth has summarized the entire ”This Is It” experience spot on!

Anyway, the May 2010 election is fast approaching, my thing or not, voting is my right and responsibility as a Filipino. If I want change in this country, that change should start from me. I should be more aware of what’s happening outside “ME” and focus on getting to know our leaders so that I can vote responsibly. So, shall we get to know Noynoy Aquino?

Hindi Ka Nag IIsa Music Video

Noynoy’s 30 second TVC