Sam's 3rd Birthday

As I was sitting there watching Sam and the kids enjoy the party, I had a flashback. Something that happened many years ago flashed in my head so clearly. I was in college and we went swimming with some of my org mates. While lounging at the pool side, I saw this huge family with lots of young children. In their midst was a young child of maybe about 6 years and I couldn't help but notice how the other children lavished their attention on him. Their immense love for their brother or cousin was unmistakable. The young child had Down's Syndrome. It occurred to me then how special that kid really was.

Looking back, the scene didn't really mean anything to me personally at that time. Last Saturday, though, seeing how our little cousins behaved around Sam, I understood fully how that family felt about their little boy.

At three, Sam may not be like other kids his age but there is no doubt that he is more loved by everyone around him.

We all had a grand time at his party and I am sure that Sam did also. He kept grinning and looking around and trying to talk. He played with the other children and kept trying to get the attention of the clowns. Every time the kids would shout "Happy Birthday Sam!" - and they did this a lot - Sam's head would spin, trying to find who was calling his name.

I remembered Mom's post on her blog. She's right - Sam has brought everyone in our family closer and he is perhaps the best thing that has happened to us. Sam turned three today and we are all grateful to God for bringing him into our lives.

Here are some pictures of his party.

Sam with his Uncles

Sam just couldn't keep his eyes off the clown.

With Lolo and Lola

Sam's friend Yuri.
She also has Prader-Wili and is only 11 months old.
They hit it off immediately!

Of course, I had to put our picture here.
With Nikki and Lenna.

Pacquiao-Diaz Fight And Las Vegas

After the long day we had yesterday, we didn't really feel like doing anything today so we spent most of it in front of the TV. At noon, we watched the much-awaited Pacquiao-Diaz fight on local TV, which provided a free telecast. After the first few rounds, I didn't think that Pacquiao was going to be able to knock Diaz out - the guy was one tough *#$! Manny found his sweet spot, though, and knocked him out, making history.

Anyhow, watching the fight made me think about going on vacation again. I know I probably would not be able to go and have a vacation anywhere in the United States until we actually go there for good (which would take a long time because of the visa processing) but the footage of the fight in Las Vegas made me want to have at least one Vegas experience.

Las Vegas vacations are well known all over the world to be quite an experience - something that would probably hard to equal. It could be quite expensive but the good thing is that you can find lots of good deals on offer most of the time. I am sure that when the time comes, I'll be able to utilize sites like Shermans Travel to plan a more affordable trip to the city that never sleeps.

I'm rambling...anyone here have any experience in Vegas?

Mister Kabob @ West Avenue

As I mentioned in the post about Garcia, after shopping, we went to eat dinner with Nikki. We wanted to get out of the mall so we went up West Avenue to Mister Kabab. This place is an institution in our neck of the woods. Mister Kabab has been around as long as I can remember. When I was in college, we would go there whenever we had some extra money. The prices were (and still are) very affordable and the food really good.

The place we went to last night is their new location. They used to be situated on the corner where West Ave and Quezon Ave intersected. Early this year, though, they moved up the street to a bigger and better place.
When we arrived last night at about 9pm, the place was still packed and we had to wait in line to get a table. When we left at 11pm, the line was even longer!

So what makes Mister Kabab so popular? See for yourself.

This is the special chelo kebab - one stick of ground beef, one stick of beef tenderloin. Slather the meat with garlic sauce and a bit of hot sauce and you're good to go.

I think this is my favorite - keema with eggplant. The consistency is a bit mushy but there is enough texture in there to suit my taste. It has a livery flavor that makes me want for more all the time. Needless to say, Jer would not touch this.

Nikki got the chicken chelo - it's the same as the beef chelo that I ate except that it's chicken!

Some pita bread

Red Noe and white Nikki

Jer finishing up his chicken BBQ in pita bread

Check the menu...now I am craving some more Mister Kabab.

Moving Houses

My friend Ren is thinking about moving to another condo when their current contract expires in a couple of months. They just moved in to their current place last year - roundabouts the same time as we did. It got me thinking, do I want to move again?

Now that I think about it, I have moved 6 times in the past 8 years. The first 4 moves were easy because I shared apartments with college friends and I didn't really have too many things. The last 2 were awful because by that time, I had collected some furniture and household appliances.

Moving isn't easy. The last time we moved, it took me days of packing and buying moving boxes to put all our stuff in. Luckily we had our maid to help us then. Now, we are on our own and I don't know if I can handle all that.

I wish we had a moving service here in the Philippines like Discover Boxes. They operate in the States and they provide all sorts of supplies for moving. Having access to their services would surely make things much easier.

Maybe we'll stay where we are for now. What do you think?

Say Hello To Garcia

I got us a new toy today. I was not really planning on it but after Sam's party, we took Dad shoe-shopping and when we said goodbye, we went around CyberZone to window shop. We saw a couple of things that we wanted. There was this 7-inch laptop that had 1G of memory and 60G HDD. I thought of getting it but decided against it.

Then we saw the God of War PSP bundle. We were gonna get it. Then we found out they wouldn't let us pay 0 interest on the credit card. We decided against it.

THEN we saw a Sony W-200 bundle. It came with a FREE photo printer, a FREE (extra) battery, a FREE 2G memory card, and a FREE case - 0 percent on my credit card. We couldn't resist it.

So here we are at home, with a new camera that I have been wanting for a long time. I named her Garcia, from the tech girl at Criminal Minds.

I haven't really played around with Garcia much yet as the battery charge is low but we got some pics at Mr. Kabab where we went to eat dinner after shopping. I'll write about that in another post. For now, here are the pics of our new toys - courtesy of my old trusty SE Walkman Phone.

Here's Garcia

And the printer - no name yet.

Diana, if you're reading this, I finally got my Sony camera!

Quiz Time: How Do I Communicate?

You Communicate With Your Ears

You love conversations, both as a listener and a talker. What people say is important to you, and you're often most affected by words, not actions. You love to hear complements from others. And when you're upset, you often talk to yourself. Music is very important to you. It's difficult to find you without your iPod.

How Do You Communicate?

I love conversations? Maybe it depends on the person...About the talking to myself, ha ha, definitely! And the iPod...yup, I took it everywhere with me. Take note I said TOOK because it got stolen some time ago - story for another post. It still upsets me when I think about it.

Pop Quiz For Married People

The Internet is being funky and you need to call tech support. One spouse already calls while at work and then accidentally gets cut off.

Husband and wife both get stressed dealing with tech support and neither really wants to call again. The Net has to be fixed somehow.

Who should make the call?

Getting Out of the House

My favorite spot in the house

This is one thing that I do not particularly relish. I am a homebody - as I have said many times over. I did not realize how unusual my attitude is until yesterday, though. Avril, a colleague, came up to me and we had this short exchange.

Avril: Numi, it's Friday tomorrow! (She meant: are we going out to drink or something?)

Me: Uhm, Aves, I have a very busy weekend ahead and I need to prepare for it. I am already dreading being out of the house all weekend.

Avril: (Looking around with a shocked expression on her face.) Did she just say she is dreading being out of the house?

Is it just me or are there other people out there who would rather stay at home than go out - especially on the weekend?

Are NEO Laptops Any Good?

Our company recently held a mini-exhibit on NEO laptops. They are offering a deal wherein employees can avail of their laptops under a salary loan scheme. I have been hearing about this laptop brand but never really paid attention to it. Now that it is readily available - at such low prices - I am considering getting one.

In fact, I would have had one already if they didn't require 2 government IDs for approval. Unfortunately, I only have one. I still need to get another government-issued ID before I can submit my application.

The specs of the computers are pretty good and the monthly payments really affordable. The model I am looking at is 12.1 inches - the size that I need for mobility. The question is, are NEO laptops any good? Anyone have any experience with them?

Dealing with Worry

I have always been the type to worry. Sometimes, I find myself trying to overcompensate by totally not caring at all. It works for some cases but for some, it only makes things worse.

I like being able to control my world and the things that happen to me. I like being able to make things better for myself and for those that I love. For the most part, I think that I have had my fair share of successes in this regard.

However, I have come to realize that I cannot do anything about how other people want to behave. I could do all the talking I want but it would not mean anything unless they want to change. Even my family members who I grew up with - I never thought that we would go such different ways when we grew up. But it happened. It is happening. Even the people that I love the most - I always thought that I could play my part in helping them go through the hard times in their lives.

But the bottom line is that they need to understand and feel on their own. The realization to take certain steps to help themselves must come from within them. I can only encourage so much. I can only help so much. I cannot control everything.

Again, the Serenity Prayer beckons to me.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

It is hard.

Start Of The Week Slump

I've heard of the mid-week slump but what about the slump you feel on Mondays? Monday blues is the better term perhaps? I never really relished Mondays but yesterday was one of the worst I have had, in terms of my inner drive.

I was at work. I accomplished a lot. My productivity was good. But somehow, I didn't feel good inside. I hate it when this happens because I love my work and I actually look forward to going to work most of the time.
Maybe I am too worried about other things that are going on in my life. Then again, those should not affect my job. Leave your worries at home, that's my mantra.

Oh well, I feel better today.

Saw this picture on sfllaw'sFlickr. Thought it was cool.

Dealing With Immigration: Annual Fee

Having to go to the Bureau of Immigration is one of the things that we dread the most. If you think about it, dealing with government offices is almost always a tedious task. Being able to get Jerry the spousal visa last year has spared us from having to go to Immigration for many months but unknown to us, he has to pay an annual fee every January. I do not know what this annual fee is but there is no way around it. It is not such a big amount but for every month late, you add extra charges.

So it's June now, we have to multiply that charge by 5 months. Jerry was supposed to go today but I guess procrastination is setting in again. I can't blame him. I do not want to go there myself.

Why does bureaucracy have to be this unpleasant? Why can't we have simpler and more streamlined processes instead of all the red tape? Is this something that comes with the "developing country" label or is it something we are just not doing anything about?

(I can't wait till it's time to renew his visa in September...)

Photo courtesy of DRB62

Herbie Might Be In Trouble

You probably know by now that our appliances have names. Herbie's our a/c. I wrote about the typhoon last night and my worry that the strong gusts of wind would make him fall off the brackets. Luckily, the brackets stayed intact. Unfortunately, Herbie seems to be having some problems. I am not sure yet but the room does not seem to cool down as well as it used to. I tried it earlier and the a/c compressor didn't seem to be kicking in. Herbie's still new but is it time to have him checked out? I hope not.

Bulalo and Typhoon Frank

Earl dropped by the house around midnight. He's leaving in August and we haven't hung out in a while so when he and Jerry bugged me about going to R&J's to have bulalo, I said yes. After all, I also thought that it would be a good night to be eating a steaming bowl of that soup with the kind of weather we were having.

Little did we know that there was a typhoon.

So there we were, past midnight, prowling the streets of the city. It was not bad while we were out. There was some rain and a bit of strong wind. We had a good meal although we were a bit disappointed at the amount of meat in the soup. Normally, there was more. The flavor was still good anyway and we had a good time together.

The famous bulalo

Earl getting himself some broth

Bulalo is a Filipino dish which is basically beef shank (with the bone and all) boiled for a very long time. The broth is very flavorful and the meat very tender, falling out of the bone. For some foreigners, the presentation turns them off but once they taste it, their minds change.

I remember the first time I took Jerry to R&J's. His expression was filled with wonder - wonder at why I would bring him to such a place. His eyes got even bigger when he the bulalo was served - he couldn't believe that I expected him to eat it. But as I said, the taste changes people's mind. It is one of his favorite dishes now. (He used to call it bone soup but now he calls it by its proper name - bulalo.)

Anyhow, we got home just in time at around 4 am. As soon as we got home and got settled down, the wind started howling like a pack of wild animals and the power went out. Apparently we were having a storm. It went on till late morning and needless to say, we weren't able to get much sleep. I was so anxious that the new aircon would fall out of its brackets because the wind was so strong. Jer was so excited because he loves watching storms so he went outside to watch while I tried to sleep.

Things are better now, the storm has moved on but our cable TV is out. There couldn't have been a worse time for this - the French leg of the F1 is on right now. :(

By the way, if you are in Manila and you haven't tried R&J's, you should head on over there. They are located along Boni Avenue in Mandaluyong, right beside Petron and across Chowking. They're open 24 hours.

Kapeng Barako, Anyone?

Shameless plug: Jer and I are trying out a business idea - we're selling Batangas coffee. For the uninitiated, Batangas coffee (kapeng barako in Tagalog) is from the coffee species coffea liberica. Wikipedia describes this species as:

A species of coffee that originated in Liberia, West Africa. The coffee tree grows up to 9 metres in height, producing cherries that are larger than the cherries found on Arabica trees. The coffee was brought to Indonesia to replace the Arabica trees killed by the coffee rust disease at the end of the 19th Century. The coffee itself has more in common, cupping wise, with Robusta. It is still found in parts of Central and East Java today.

A varietal of Liberica, known as Baraco, is a major crop in the Philippines.

So this is the coffee that we drink at home - we have a friend who is from Batangas and she gets the coffee for us. We all decided to try and make a business out of it. So there, anyone from the Philippines interested? :)

Look at how hard Jerry worked on repacking the coffee:
E-mail me if you're interested. Thanks, guys!

It's All About Karma

Since we're done with season 3 of Criminal Minds now, we have to channel our attention to something else during the weekend. We decided on starting with the first season of My Name Is Earl. It's a really funny series where this guy Earl decided to turn over a new leaf because of karma. He's this "really bad guy who never did anything good and expected good things to happen to him" - until he discovered karma. So now, his goal in life is to right all the wrongs that he has done, in the hopes that karma would reward him.

Though it is one of the most hilarious shows I have ever seen, it got me thinking about the principle of karma. We use the term all the time. I pick on a colleague and then later when I hit my knee underneath my desk and yelp in pain, she says "Karma is fast."

But what is karma, really? Is it something that is aligned to the Christian faith? My mom would probably say NO. Yet I have been thinking about it and basically, the concept of karma is "reaping what you sow." What you do now will come back to you later on, one way or another. Wait a minute - isn't there a similar verse in the Bible?

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." - Galatians 6:7

I suppose it is not right to say that karma is wrong. Or maybe I am interpreting things too loosely here. I don't know, I am just thinking aloud. But it does make a lot of sense to believe in this thing, doesn't it?

Photo courtesy of LexnGer

When Wanderlust Hits

As a little girl, I liked to day dream about visiting various places in the world. I think that of all the places that I read about, I had two dream cities. These two cities really captured my interest and I remembering promising myself that one day, I would get to visit them. One is Paris and the other is New York.

I guess wanderlust hit me early on. The only thing that kept me (and keeps me!) from going is time and money - plus the fact that I was only in grade school when I felt the urge to discover the world.

Today, I can say that I am starting to live my dream. I have traveled to a few Asian countries and some areas in the Philippines. I haven't had my New York City travel or my Paris escapade yet but I am sure that they will come.

For now, I'll settle for a week in Singapore and Malaysia - if all goes well, this plan will push through in September. I do hope we'll get to go - the travel bug is nagging at me again!

Jerry's Philly Cheese Steaks

One of the things that Jerry misses the most from the U.S. is the food. He is a very picky eater and he only eats certain dishes. One of the things the always raves about is the Philly Cheese Steak. He talks about this place in Florida where you can get the best. We have tried a couple of restaurants here that serve Philly Cheese Steak but they were all disappointments. Even I was not impressed.

That's why we were quite excited when Jerry tried his hand at it the other day. He kept on making a disclaimer "It is not like the original one. It doesn't taste the same. There's something missing." But I think it turned out pretty good. Here's his recipe.

Ingredients:
4 small French baguettes
8 slices of provolone cheese
400g of rib eye steak, sliced thinly

He asked the guy at the supermarket to slice the steak as thinly as he could but I think Jerry was not satisfied with the cut but he made do with it anyway. Jerry then seasoned the meat with salt and pepper. He cut the beef into small pieces and sauteed them. When they were done, he melted the cheese on top of them and then transferred the mixture to the heated baguettes.

He said that you are supposed to add other things such as onions and green pepper but he doesn't like that so this is what we got.

He made french fries to go with the sandwiches as well.
It was one of the best and heaviest lunches I have had.
Jer taking his first bite.

Tax Break For Filipinos?

Everyone got all worked up yesterday when news came out that there would be a new tax exemption scheme for all working Filipinos. I don't really understand the nitty gritty except that the end result would be that we would be taking home MORE each payday! Apparently, Senator Mar Roxas proposed a bill that would increase (by a whole lot) the tax exemption for everyone. Of course, the higher the exemption, the less that can be taxed and the more that you can take home.

Our CFO was beset by queries yesterday - everyone was trying to confirm the news. He said that yes, the bill is now a law BUT we have to wait for the IRR (the document which states in detail how the scheme is going to be carried out), which should be out within 15 days.

The best thing about this? The law is retroactive! That means we get rebates from January to June. Woohoo!

Care For A Pizza Baguette?

I didn't go to work yesterday because I went to see some doctors at Medical City (now that's a story for a whole new post). On the way home, we decided to drop by the supermarket to restock our pantry as the shelves had been bare for since the weekend. Anyhow, we got a couple of new things as we have been trying to think up of new dishes to prepare.

I remembered this pizza baguette that Hannah and I used to buy in LB for snacks and I decided to give it a try.

What I got:

-1 French baguette
-a block of mozarella cheese
-some pepperoni
-pizza sauce (it turned out I had this at home)

How to make it:

First I cut the baguette into reasonable sizes and then cut the pieces in half. I spread just a bit of pizza sauce onto the flat surfaces and the spread thin sticks of mozarella - as many as would fit. I then scattered pepperoni on top of the cheese, again as many as would fit. A bit more of mozarella went on top of the pepperoni and then the baguette pieces went into the oven toaster.

I think it took about 5 to 8 minutes to get the cheese all melted and gooey. You should try it! Doesn't it look good?

Grandmas And Blogging

I don't remember if I wrote something about our mother taking up blogging recently. It was my sister who introduced it to her. Our mom has been retired for a long time now and she has always kept herself busy. In the last year, however, she was slowed down a bit when her cataract operation turned awry, taking away the sight from one of her eyes. Though she has not been very vocal about it, I know that it is one of her biggest setdowns in her life.

That is why I am glad that she has found blogging. I know for a fact how blogging can become an outlet and that is always a good thing. I realized even more that blogging spans generations and purposes.

Yesterday, I ran across a blog entry by Grace Chong, a well known author here in the Philippines. She called it "Should Grandmas Blog?" In my mind, I was shouting "YES!" Our generation may take blogging for granted. We may see it in many ways, one of which is to make extra income here and there, but I think for people like our mom, blogging can mean something so much more.

Do visit our mom's blog when you have time!

Wasted Weekend

I have always loved sleep too much and I never thought I would say I am tired of lying in bed - but I did today. Ever since my migraine started on Thursday night, I haven't been feeling well. It continued well into the weekend and I was not able to get up for more than a couple of hours at a time. It's way past midnight and I have to go to work tomorrow but I just woke up about an hour ago - headache gone but still feeling queasy. I wish I knew how to deal with this bouts of migraine. It used to be that a couple of Tylenols would do the trick. Now, they don't seem to help and even tea makes me want to throw up.

This sucks big time.

Sam's Almost 3!

Hannah called me the other day to tell me about the plans for Sam's birthday, which is on the 30th of June. We're celebrating it on the 29th, though. I already have a gift for him - the clown that would be entertaining the kids during the party. Still, I am shopping around for something that he could actually use long after his birthday.

For those of you who do not know, Sam is a special kid in every sense. He is my only nephew and he has Prader-Willi Syndrome - something that was totally unknown to us until he was diagnosed. His development is delayed but though he cannot speak yet, he interacts with us in the most wonderful ways.

Since he cannot walk yet, he spends most of his time on his bed or on his mat. Maybe I can find comfy and cute crib bedding. Though he technically does not use his crib anymore, this could make his floor mat more comfortable.

Any ideas?

Criminal Minds Season 3 Finale: Who Got Blown Up?

We finished watching the third season of Criminal Minds last night and as with every TV series finale, we were left wanting for more. The last build up to the last scene was quite dramatic, with the music letting you know that something big was going to happen. Each member of the team got into their cars and when the last car door slammed closed -BOOM! One of the SUVs exploded! Who got blown up?

I don't know. Jer and I were talking about it and we were thinking, who wouldn't we miss? I say Prentiss. She is not a bad actress but her character does not really contribute much to the group dynamics. What do you think?

By the way, I discovered a really good blog on Criminal Minds. Criminal Minds Fanatics has all sorts of info on the show and the actors. If you like the show, you should pay it a visit.

Of Scars

I have always had sensitive skin and stupid mistakes when I was in high school made things worse. Now I do not have such bad acne problems but the scars are here to stay. I have had long periods of acne treatment with a dermatologist but it seems that there is no getting rid of the scars. There used to be a time when I was deeply bothered about it but I think I have gotten accustomed to them and they do not really bother me anymore.

There are scars and there are scars, if you know what I mean.

Looking For A New Template

When I migrated to Blogger, I had a difficult time choosing my template. There were many free templates to choose from but I did not find one that suited my preferences easily. I settled for this template because I thought it was simple and I liked the colors.

Now that I have been working on this blog for a couple of months, I think that it is time that I use a template that reflects my theme even better. I do not know where to to find one but I am hoping that I will find one soon. I do not have a clear idea of what I want the template to be except that I want something with shades of black and blue. I want a dragon and/or a butterfly. I want something dreamy.

Do you know what I am talking about? Anyone know where I can get a template or find someone who can do it for me? I am willing to pay if the price is reasonable. :)

Do send me a message if you think you can help me out. Thanks!

More On Online Shopping

Browsing online stores is one of my favorite past times. I like looking for a good sale and online stores have them all the time. At any single time, I am sure to find good discounts on most anything but most especially electronics.

I have been looking for a digital camera and a laptop for quite some time now and it is just frustrating to see how cheap they are in the US! By the time they get to the Philippine market, the prices go as high as double - even more! The sadder thing is that the online stores in the US do not ship electronics to the Philippines. I wish we'd get something like those online stores in our neck of the woods soon.

Another Aligue Dish: Tuna Aligue Pasta

As I still had half a bottle of aligue in the fridge, I thought I'd try my hand at another dish. I read about the concept somewhere on the Internet but I can't remember where.

Anyway, since one of our favorite dishes is tuna pasta, I thought I'd add a twist to it. I called tuna aligue pasta (very creative, no?).

What I used:

-spaghetti noodles
-1 can of Century tuna (solid in vegetable oil)
-1 can of hot and spicy Century tuna
-some garlic
-olive oil
-crushed canned tomatoes
-aligue

What I did:

I sauteed the garlic in olive oil and then added the tomatoes when the garlic turned brown. After 30 seconds or so I added the tuna. Sometimes I drain the oil first but this time I didn't (I don't know why). Then came the aligue (I added more this time, about 4 tablespoons). Stirred...maybe 2 or 3 minutes.

At this point, the smell was so good! I then added salt to taste, some Italian seasoning (McCormick), and powdered cayenne pepper. More stirring...then I tried it - not bad. More salt and Italian seasoning and then I tossed the cooked pasta in.

That's it! It is not as tasty as the shrimp aligue pasta that I made last week (but then again that was shrimp!) but I think it's a nice variation to the good old plain tuna pasta.

Hotdogs Are Wrapped In Plastic???

Yeah I suppose you won't really know it unless you have been cooking hotdogs all your life (in the Philippine context). Jer was really hungry the other night and we were having a minor spat so I didn't really feel like cooking for him. So off he went to the kitchen and started making hotdogs and french fries.

"Noe, am I supposed to put oil in the pan?"

"Uh, Jer, that's why it's called frying...you need oil to fry the hotdogs in."

"Ok."

I continued watching The Storm of the Century while working on the laptop. Happy somehow that he was learning to fend for himself.

"Noe, the hotdogs are done BUT there seems to be a plastic wrap around them. Is this the way it's supposed to be?"

I jumped out of the couch - I didn't know I could still move that fast - and couldn't help but double over in laughter. My husband fried hotdogs without removing the plastic wrapping.

[Me laughing uncontrollably.]

"How was I supposed to know that you guys wrap your hotdogs in plastic???"

He does have a point. I managed to get this photo while laughing my butt off:

See the gleaming plastic wrap? It's a wonder it did not melt!

How's Your Faith?

We spent practically all of Saturday watching the 3rd season of Criminal Minds. Livi introduced me to it and after the first episode of season 1, we were hooked.

In one of the episodes we watched yesterday, Morgan had to deal with his faith - or the lack of it. In it, he rediscovered his faith. It made me think.

I grew up in a Christian family but I have turnd this way and that since I was a kid. I know that my core beliefs remain the same but in my day to day life, it seems that I have become a different person. Just like Morgan, though, if someone were to ask me "How's your faith?" I would say "Day to day. Day to day."

It's better than nothing, isn't it?

How's YOUR faith?

Considering Diet Pills

One of the things that I love about my job is the team that I work with. While we are all unique in our own ways, there is one thing that unites us strongly - the love for food! Indeed, we've heard other people say that our team does nothing but eat (of course, we work while we are at it, you know!).

Anyhow, ever since I started with the team, my weight has definitely gone out of control. I do take full responsibility for this and you know I have tried (see my post on the exercise bike cum clothes hanger). However, it seems that as you get along in years, losing weight becomes harder and harder. Not to mention the fact that eating is one of the pleasures in life that you treasure the most!

So here I am trying to think of more ways to shed the extra pounds. One of our team members is a strong advocate of diet pills and I am becoming more and more inclined to follow in her steps. I am not sure what exactly she's taking but I have been reading up on Phentermine and it seems to be a good idea.

Of course, I have to consult my doctor if I can take this (or any diet pill in general). I haven't made up my mind but I really am considering it.

Any input?

Where Do Your Priorities Lie?

Knowing one's priorities is one of the most important things in life - at least in my mind. This implies that you have an overall goal in your life, which will help you set your priorities straight. Without this goal, you will end up floating around, the wind taking you where it blows. If you do not have your priorities straight, you will be turning this way and that, with no direction in life.

Not everyone has this straight - certainly not me. But there are things that I know are important in my life: my husband, my family, my faith, and my job. Sometimes I think that I get my priorities all muddled up - especially when I got married. Sometimes I feel that I have to choose between priorities. Is there no way around this?

Are there any absolutes when it comes to your priorities in life? Sometimes I think not. They could change according to the circumstances. But at the end of the day, you have to know who or what is most important to you. More than knowing and saying, though, I believe that you have to act in such as way as to show where your priorities lie.

I know I am being vague in a sense. Thoughts are speeding through my mind. I want to express them, I need to let them out. Yet there are some things that are too scary to see in black and white. There are some things that you need to figure out for yourself. There comes a time when you have to figure out your priorities and stand by them. It's either that or fool yourself and the others around you.

Elevator Dreams

I have heard of people having recurring dreams but people in my circle do not seem to have them. Maybe it's because we do not talk about it?

I have this dream that keeps recurring. I haven't dreamt of it for a while but it does come back at least once a month. In my dream, I am in the elevator. It would sway as if it were held by just a single cable. It would go up to hundreds of floor, tilting and swaying all the while. It would never stop on the floor that I want.

It's a scary dream but I do not understand. I have had this dream for years. I take elevators every day. Does this dream mean something or do I just have an overactive imagination?

Prayer For Tito Lito

I recently wrote an entry about our Tito Lito, who is going to undergo angioplasty. My mom told me that he is supposed to be admitted today. Please join me in prayer.

Let's pray that all the 6 blocks will be efficiently and effectively removed. Let's pray for the surgeon, that he would be at his best. Let's pray for Tito Lito, that he would have the courage to go through the whole procedure. Let's pray for Tita Arni and the kids, that they would have peace of mind. Let's pray for a successful operation and that Tito Lito would have more years on this earth.

My Wrath Quotient

I remember taking this quiz on Blog Things about a half a year ago (maybe a bit more) and I certainly had more wrath back then! Hmm, I wonder what has changed.

Your Wrath Quotient: 50%

Ouch! You've got a bit of a temper going on there, don't you? Just make sure to keep your revenge fantasies just that... fantasies only!

How Much Wrath Do You Have?

My Seafood Aligue Pasta

My recent experience with the "tomato aligue pasta" at Pino prompted me to try my hand at this sort of dish. I have always loved pasta and seafood together so I thought I'd create my own dish. I was not sure of what I was going to do but at the grocery the other night, I got the following ingredients:

1/4 kilo shrimp (medium size)
a bottle of aligue
5 sticks of kani
a can of Hunts diced tomatoes

I didn't know exactly what I was going to do but this morning I set my mind to creating something at least halfway decent. This is what I did:

1. I shelled the shrimp and marinated it in salt, cayenne pepper, sage, and rosemary. Left in the fridge overnight.
2. I minced some garlic and sauteed it in extra virgin olive oil.
3. I then added the shrimp.
4. When the shrimp was kind of red, I added the tomatoes (not the whole can, just 2 tablespoons).
5. I stirred it for a minute or so then added three tablespoons of aligue.
6. Stirred the mixture again and left it simmering for 2 minutes, then added the sliced kani.
7. Added some salt to taste, some more cayenne, rosemary, and sage.
8. Let it simmer for another minute and then tasted it...mmmm....
9. Added the cooked pasta (used spaghetti, that's all I have in the cupboard). Tossed it for a minute or so.

...and the result?

I have to say that I love it! I think I put too much cayenne for my taste but if you like the kick that this spice brings, you'll love it.

I know, I'd get zero for presentation but the taste is just great! (Patting myself on the shoulder...haha). By the way, lots of parmesan cheese on top makes it even better.

Now the real test is to come - I hope Jerry likes it.

Loving Sparky

I have been itching to write an entry about the newest addition to our family but due to the nature of the situation, I had to postpone it. Since it has been several weeks now, I suppose it is fine to write about Sparky - a Lenovo 3000 H desktop that "fell into our hands" courtesy of Jer's ex-job. Let's just say that he is a blessing that Jer worked hard for.

Sparky's real cool - top of the line. The timing is perfect, too, as we have been thinking of upgrading Tori (our old PC, which is now with Silas) since we wanted something with better specs. Sparky's got everything on the high end of PC specs - 160G HDD, 1 G computer memory, and he comes with a 17-inch (I think) flat screen monitor.

Though I have been wanting a laptop, I think that Sparky is just as good.

House Solo at Pino Resto Bar (UP Village)

My Saturday nights are normally spent at home but Ren invited us to watch Joff play at Pino last night. Pino is a resto bar located at Maginhawa Street in UP Village. I have never heard of it so I looked it up on the Internet and found a blog featuring it. From what I read, it was worth a try and since Joff was playing anyway, we decided to go for it.

If you are familiar with UP Village, it is not hard to find. The fact that Joff was standing outside helped as well! ;)

Anyhow, Jerry and I were starving when we got there so we ordered appetizers. The blog I had read somehow influenced my choice - I ordered the wasabi onion rings, Jer got an order of scallop and shrimp tempura, and Ren got kilawin shooters (raw fish in vinegar). I loved the tempura - hot off the deep fryer, the breading was crisp and the seafood tender. There was a hint of sweetness blended with spiciness.

The wasabi onion rings were good except that I sorely missed the kick that wasabi adds to food. Nevertheless, we ordered another serving as we needed more.

As for the kilawin shooters, I gathered the courage to try it. I am not a big fan of raw fish but they were all raving about it so try I did - and I actually liked it!

The prices were average - nothing more than PhP200, if I remember correctly. However, we were all still starving after we had the appetizers so we went on to order a real meal. I decided on the tomato aligue pasta - it sounded real good. Aligue is the fat of crab and adds a very rich flavor to anything you mix it with. By the way, it is also a killer when it comes to cholesterol - maybe that's why it is so good!
Anton and Am had chicken confit. I learned something new - confit means something is cooked in fat. In this case, the chicken was cooked in duck fat. It came with deep fried mashed potatoes - interesting concept, really.

The price for the main course was a bit steep, in my opinion, especially considering the fact that the servings were not big at all. And the taste? I am sorry to say that I was very disappointed! The pasta almost had no flavor to it! The shrimp toppings were perfectly cooked but tasted like they were boiled in plain water. I could barely taste the flavor of the aligue as well. I tried the mashed potatoes that came with the chicken confit and it was just average.

On the positive side, the presentation of the food - as you can see in the pictures - was awesome. If the chef were competing in the Kitchen Stadium (Iron Chef America), he would probably get 5 points for plating!

The ambiance is something else as well. Pino is very small and cozy. The lighting is very warm and the art adds to the whole experience. Watching the solo artists perform was also a treat. I forgot the names of the other performers but there was this guy - I think he's called Spazz Kid (spelling?) - who played electronic music. I don't really like this genre but his music was quite good. Of course, Joff performed as he usually does and we were all entertained.


We capped the night off with a bottle of nice red wine, several order of fishballs from Sarah's (a local hangout for UP students), and then headed on home.

Maybe I should go out a bit more often.