Archive for April, 2008

dailies

April 28, 2008

A Car Accident, A Zit & a Growling Diarrhea

Signal light is taped in place so it won’t fall off. The girl’s solution to everything, tape everything in place.

I met a car accident last Sunday. As the photo shows, it seems like it was my fault but I refuse to believe that. Don’t ask me why. Women are just plain stubborn and this is one of the few times I will conform to that belief. Still, I don’t believe it’s my fault. Ok, maybe partly it was. But let me tell you how my day went which brought me to that awful accident.

The zit from hell

To begin with, I woke up with huge zit on my right cheek. I thought it was so huge, I felt it occupied my whole face. Have you ever woken with a bad hair day? I’m sure everyone of us has had a day like that. Well, that’s nothing compared to waking up to a bad face day. With the hair, you can just put it up to a ponytail or hide it under a cap or a hat. But with a zit, it feels like it has a life of its own and starts talking to other people. When you talk to someone, all they see is that throbbing zit. As much as they want to look you in the eye, they are distracted. Hard as you can to conceal it, like I told you, it has a life of its own. And it’s not the introvert type. It makes sure you know it exists. Makeup, an ornate top or a very fancy pair of shoes, these things could not even help to take the attention away from your fabulous and ultra sociable zit. Ok ok, enough already. I think, point is clear. I have to tell you another craziness of my day.

Since it was Sunday, we decided to eat out for dinner. We were craving for siomai, congee and chicken feet so off we went to Le Ching Banawe. Halfway through dinner, my stomach began acting up. It felt like a war zone inside my tummy. I needed to go to the toilet to bring peace to my insides. But I couldn’t just do it anywhere. I never got used to eliminating in a public toilet. It’s either I do it in the comforts of my throne or pray to God it stops. So we ate fast like there was no tomorrow and I drove a little bit faster than usual. Everytime I felt it was starting to act up again, my foot pressed harder on the accelerator.

Driving faster than usual and thinking of how to be home in 5 minutes or less, I felt a thud as I was trying to make a right turn. So there it was, a vehicle bigger than mine and an angry man shaking his head. Still, it was not my fault. At that instance, all I kept thinking was how to explain to this man how this huge zit has taken over my life. But my tummy got in the way. I won’t go into details how I convinced the man not to “put me in jail”. No really, let’s just say I won him over with my charm and zit. I mean, wit.

Check out latest entries from my two blogs:
Pizza, The Little People’s Way
Catalog Spam

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Uncategorized

April 26, 2008

Guessing Game

How old do you think my sister is? My sister keeps on telling me that she looks younger than her real age. She doesn’t smoke. She eats well. She does not exercise regularly but she does housework when she’s not working. She keeps herself busy but makes sure she gets enough sleep and rest throughout the day. She claims she doesn’t use any anti-aging cream or any other expensive products but she never forgets to drink her multi-vitamins.

My sister with Tita Nema

@ DJ Tiesto’s recent visit here in Manila

See Ma, no wrinkles

Incidentally, I want to know if you share your beauty secrets to your friends or to anyone who stops you on the streets and asks what product you use for that very shiny hair. Because I don’t and I won’t. Call me a bi**h but my secret stays with me. I don’t even tell my sister. Which makes me think if these are all my sister does to stay young-looking. Hmmm….

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where-to

April 24, 2008

Hold The Potatoes, Please!

My daughter is exhibiting a new attitude these days. After her therapy, we usually go straight home. This has been our routine for more than a year now and in rare cases, we would eat out or I would do my grocery with her. But for two weeks now, she cries whenever we go straight home. She would say only three words. GROCERY, SM or TRINOMA. Which means she wants to go to any one of these places. And I’m left with no choice.

So we tried out another restaurant in Trinoma. The place was CYMA. It’s a nice enough Greek restaurant. Homey, no frills, well-lit with open kitchen that contributes to the already warm temperature of summer. I think it targets families more than sweety-sweety couples because of the lay-out of the restaurant and the big tables, comfortable chairs. Service is just ok and and the restaurant is fully-staffed–from someone greeting you at the door and taking you to your table, a different person to take orders, another one to serve the food and refill your drinks to yet another staff to hand you your bill.

We ordered Saganaki Mozzarella for appetizer. I wanted to order the other version which was with goat cheese but the waiter suggested mozzarella because the kid might not like the goat cheese. It’s just sizzling mozzarella cheese served on a hot plate with garlic bread. It was reminiscent of what I do with leftover Quezo De bola during Christmas season. I slice it thinly and put in the microwave oven for a few seconds or until it bubbles. The saltiness of the cheese is not so strong anymore and chewy and rubbery texture is just like mozzarella.

Saganaki Mozzarella

For our main entrée, I had Kotopoulo Lemonato (grilled chicken with lemon, oregano, olive oil). It’s the Greek version of our adobo. But without the soy sauce. The chicken was tender and the sauce was a bit sweet and lemony. I kinda enjoyed its straightforward home-style cooking. I might do a similar version of this at home. It was served with potatoes instead of rice so I ordered Yemistes, stuffed bell peppers filled with rice, raisins and pine nuts. The Yemistes was delicious. My kid who is a picky eater loved this even though she hates bell pepper and spits her food whenever I try to feed her this at home.

Kotopoulo Lemonato

Yemistes with potatoes

My daughter and son with the half eaten chicken

My son ordered Fillet Mignon. He’s not adventurous when it comes to food. He orders what he knows and eats what is familiar. He tends to shy away from food that has too much cheese and pungent herbs. I didn’t taste his dish anymore because I am trying to avoid beef and pork ever since I started my detox more than a week ago. But I’m pretty sure it tasted just like any other piece of grilled steak. But this one comes with a slice of cheese. What kind, I don’t know. I forgot to ask. I originally wanted to order dessert but since we were too full to even take another bite, we refrained from ordering. I would have tried their Baklava.

Fillet Mignon and potatoes again

The menu is full of interesting dishes– from appetizers, salads, soups, main entrées of beef, chicken, lamb, fish and seafoods to a myriad of desserts. But they forgot to mention that almost every dish in the menu comes with several slices of potatoes. I wouldn’t even be surprised if one day, they serve iced tea with potatoes. I’m not a potato person especially when there is rice available. I only get to finish my potatoes if it resembles anything close to McDonald’s french fries and Wendy’s Baked Potato. I kinda feel bad not finishing my plate and seeing all those sad, oil-drenched potatoes. I would have told the waiter to serve my entrée devoid of the vegetable. Well, next time hold the potatoes please. ButI would definitely go back if only to try their salads and moussaka and to hear the kitchen and wait staff shout “Opa!” when your orders are brought to your table.

“Opa!”

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critic, dailies

April 23, 2008

Killer For Hire

I chanced upon this website and I thought it was a joke. Well, I’m still thinking if it’s a joke or if it’s real. I thought it was just a name of the website but of course, curiosity got the better of me so I decided to view all the pages. I was surprised to see that they have the whole package. From services offered, the testimonials from past clients, the profiles of the killers, the method of killing and the prices for each kind of hit. They even have a promo. You get a free t-shirt and a half price on the second hit. Funny and unbelievable…

They do dogs, family members, politicians and even celebrities. You choose the method and the killer. And they accept payments through Western Union and major credit cards. If this is a joke, it’s a good one. Imagine, making a whole website just so you could fool someone. Now, if it’s true, I don’t know what to think. Just don’t ask me why I even ended up in that website. Now, go visit the site and tell me what you think.

Also, visit my other blog. That website was the inspiration for my post, Attempted Murder, in my new site. Go check it out. I’m not a killer for hire but you’ll never know. These days, anything is possible. Nothing surprises me anymore but this one did.

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dailies, monthly projects

April 21, 2008

Treat Your Mother Right

Not your moms but Mother Earth. It’s Earth day and it’s her day. She’s the most overworked mother of all mothers and now she’s tired and fed up. She’s on strike and unless we do something about it, she won’t budge. She needs some good old lovin’ before she goes back to taking care of us, ungrateful human beings.

And this is no joke. Whatever issues or problems you might have is nothing compared to what we’re facing when Mother Nature wreaks havoc on us all. It’s true there might be immediate problems you have to take care of like paying your mortgage, tuition fees, sickness in the family etc etc. But what if we do simple changes around the home, in school, in our neighborhood, in the workplace, if you add that up and multiply that with all the simple changes others will do, then that’s already huge.

And really now, whether we choose to work on big or small projects, they’re all connected. If, for example, we plant trees, we help clean the air and we reduce greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and cars. If we use reusable bags, we reduce plastics production, we also protect significant quantities of resources, primarily fossil fuels. And the list goes on. Just pick a task and do it.

For other things you can do, please visit here.

I started an Earth Day awareness effort last week and invited other bloggers to share tips on how to save Mother Earth. These are the people who participated and took time out to share their invaluable views. Do visit their sites and you might pick up a thing or two.

Saving the Earth one pizza at a time by Grace of andthisismypart.blogspot.com

Project Laundry List shared by Orient-Lodge.com

Eco-Friendly Toys & Toy Cos. posted by Kim

Simple changes at home shared by Shopgirl of Mommy Shops

Pinay Jade shared helpful websites for donating and recycling old stuff and some tips she does to help Mother Earth

26 Simple Things We Can Do To ease the Blow and simple things we do that harm Mother Earth shared by Earthlingorgeous

Stop buying unnecessary stuff is what Melisa shared in her post.

Water Conservation Efforts around the home shared by Jmom of AMoores.

Thank you everyone and hope we continue this Earth Day awareness throughout the rest of our lives.

And lastly, I created another website dedicated entirely to saving Mother Earth. Do drop by and get tips and ideas on the many ways we can save “Mommy”.

And of course, do treat your own moms right always.

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dailies

April 20, 2008

A Family of Post-its

This is what happens when a mother starts working and has less time at home. Post-its and taped written messages all over the house to remind the kids of what to do and what not to do and for children to give love messages and thank you’s to mom when she gets home late at night while they’re sleeping soundly. Now, post-its are no longer seen in the workplace. It can now be seen at home where mama used to be. I took these pictures at my sister’s house yesterday.

My sister started working last year. She doesn’t really need to work, IMO. Her husband works at one of the leading car companies here and takes home a decent pay. I think my sister is just bored and wants to get a sense of fulfillment in other aspects of her life. And she seems to enjoy it immensely. She goes out-of-town every once in awhile and encounters people from all walks of life. Mostly politicians and government officers. Unlike before where she talked mostly to vegetables, laundry and the toilet bowl.

I, on the other hand, have “retired” from the corporate world and am very happy taking care of my kids. I can’t imagine leaving them now and be out of the house for hours and hours everyday. I have worked for too many years and have met too many people and have spent many sleepless nights on projects and deadlines. I think I’ve done my part to society and have paid my taxes even though I know that they just went to the pockets of the Arroyos and some other dirty & greedy politicians. By the way, she’s older than me and she has three kids—17, 11, and 8.

Popular Post-It Lines
“I invented Post-its.” from the 1997 comedy film, Romy & Michelle
“He broke up with me…on a post-it!” Episode 81 of Sex & The City

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what's up

Signos–A GMA Documentary Special on Global Warming

Tonight will air Signos, a GMA’s TV special on Global warming and its effect on the Philippines. The people behind GMA Creative Development Group came up with the idea of doing a full length documentary on climate change after watching Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth.

Hosted by Richard Gutierrez, a Green Peace advocate, this is a first for Philippine TV. Others have come up with short programs regarding climate change and global warming but GMA’s in-depth documentary is intended to be the first. Award-winning journalists, Howie Severino, Maki Pulido and Raffy Tima have been all over the Philippines and researched and investigated the threats global warming has on our native soil and seas.

Please don’t forget to watch it tonight after Full House.

Photo Story, where-to

April 18, 2008

Photo Story #2–A Day in the Life of a Little Girl

Ok, I can’t begin to tell you how my day went. I discovered a lot of things. You might find them fascinating or not.

I never thought rice could be orange. I’ve only eaten white rice my entire life. What’s next? Red?

Who knew that crabs could still look intimidating after they are cooked and dead? Here’s looking at you, kid…

Why do grown-ups never run out of things to say? Is it because they have bigger mouths? Me, I just want to jump and play and jump and play….

Now we’re getting somewhere. Ice cream is the best. I just don’t know what’s this square thing under my ice cream. i think someone left his handkerchief on my plate.

Ok…you talk, I eat.

I’m bored. I just wanna go home and turn on the TV and watch American Idol. How I love that girl who talks just like me. What’s her name? Paula, Paula Abdul…I think she’s my age but looks kinda weird

They’re still at it. I’ll stare at this candle until someone notices that I can actually burn the cafe down just by sheer power of thought.

Me smiling as if nothing happened. I never thought that I can have more than two lolas (grandmas). Now anyone who has “not so firm” skin and lines beneath their eyes could be my lola. I just wish everyone could look like that. They’re nice people. She gave me $20.

Food Credits:

Scary Crabs & Orange Rice with Everything On it by Red Crab Tomas Morato
Yummy Ice Cream Served on Dirty Handkerchief by Cafe Breton

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monthly projects

April 15, 2008

I’m Giving Away 5000ec For Mother Earth

April 22 is Earth day. To create awareness among bloggers and entrecard droppers, I’m giving away 100ec to 50 bloggers just for posting/writing on your blogs about what we can do to save Mother Earth now.

Joining is so simple:

Share tips or ways we can conserve energy. Or you might know of an eco-friendly website or toys or even make-up or any other item you feel is worth sharing that can somehow help our environment and its current state. Blog about it. Minimum of 50 words.
Only one post or submission per website/blog.
You must inform your readers about this Earth Day Awareness effort by placing a link to this post.
Contact me by leaving a comment here with a link to your post so I can verify it and send you 100ec ASAP.
I will only accept 50 posts. Deadline of submission is on April 21, 2008.
Optional: Earth Day Network is currently looking for short and long-term volunteers, you can do so here.

BONUS:
On April 22, Earth Day, I will make a post listing all who participated (backlinks to all participants) so everyone of my readers can easily access the tips, way and means to save planet Earth.

It’s that easy. Hope you can join.

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dailies

I Totally Lost My Cool

I totally lost it yesterday. I ate everything in sight and those not within reach and out of sight, I ordered in. Literally, it was a “fiesta”. My tummy was rejoicing with all those forbidden food and drinks. Here’s a list of what I had yesterday:

Breakfast
Adobo flakes with Itlog na Maalat (salted egg)
2 cups of Sinangag (Garlic Rice)
1 cup of Brewed coffee (Barako Blend)

Mid-Morning Snack
Lindt White Chocolate

Lunch
Lechon Kawali
Pinakbet (Vegetable Stew)
2 cups of Plain Rice

Mid-Afternoon Snack
4 slices of Greenwich Mozarella & Garlic Pizza
1 Chocolate Cake slice from Greens Cafe

Dinner
Tomato & Cream Penne
Beef Pares w/ Rice

**I didn’t include my liquid intake which were a liter of Coca Cola, 3 150ml of Pandan Iced Tea and Hot Choco.

Yesterday was my last day before I finally do my detox. If you can still recall my post, DETOX or DIE, it kinda served as my wakeup call to cleanse my system. I researched on the subject and looked for products that could really help me detoxify successfully and safely.

Today my Dr.Natura Colonix set arrived courtesy of my auntie who came from the US. I asked my sister to buy me 2-months’ supply of the detox set and it’s finally here. So, for two months I’ll be doing this hoping to accomplish a cleaner, healthier body and a smaller waist.