lentech na bata

March, How About a Burger?

2012-03-05T11:01:00.002+08:00

And already March proves to be such a big threat to the competition in my made up contest called "Which Is The Most Exciting Month This Year." January and February, please? What a bore. March in 5 days is epic and what delights me the most is it's not even a week through yet.

Summer's presence is beginning to annoy me. I am not particularly fond of sweating in my sleep, although why not? Working out a sweat while just laying in bed? So perhaps that's why I lost some weight lately (yes!!!?) and of course, getting sick for 3 days in a row. But the best part about getting sick is receiving a bouquet of gorgeous flowers from anonymous people who pretend to care about you (or maybe they do? why not) And for that, I shall give you homemade burgers.

They are not Mcdo's Quarter Pounder, Jollibee's Champ or a BK's Whopper Jr., but it's a burger made by me, and that fact in itself gives the burger a wonderful, distinct flavor. Yup, it's my magic.

Naks.

HAPPY MARCH TO EVERYONE!!! =)

Capping Off February

2012-02-27T22:01:00.001+08:00

Hi!

Yup. I am confirming and nodding in accordance to what you are thinking right this very second! Len is posting an unedited sans the usual manually painted smiley as a photo. Well it does happen especially so when I am lazy (shocker) and when I am in the zone of writing the vaguest crap. Oh, and yes, my teeth are as white as the wall and there are lies in that photo, somehow.

Recent happenings as of February are like bubbles; meaning they were simply gone and nonexistent by the minute I had the urgency to grasp them. Meaning also that fun was very short-lived, nothing so special, dramatic nor life changing. In fact, I refer to them as stagnant memories, certainly useless and are definitely being flushed from my memory drive. February was simply a breeze through month, however, I find myself drowning in a strange cocktail of negative emotions. Must be the immediate effect of all these new songs I began listening to.

Oh well, just like finally catching this muse of silly, nonsense writing and after months and months of trying, I am left to wonder when you will find me again, whatever you are.

Bow.
________
Dear future Len, I sincerely hope you still understand all these weird, subliminal crap.

Youtubing For New Songs (a.k.a I'm a Music Noob!)

2012-02-27T17:26:00.000+08:00

Yep! Youtube is now not only a noun but it can actually work as a verb. See how flexible English language truly is! The past weeks, my lull times consist of youtubing videos of random music videos and I get ever so excited when I stumble upon new songs I love hearing for the first time, like:

These songs make me feel either really giddy or downright depressed. haha. Youtube is awesome, always.

Baked Fish Pesto & Dilled Potato Salad

2012-02-27T15:56:00.001+08:00

I can't seem to focus on anything for too long. Since the year started, I haven't been able to finish one damn book, or even finish a freakin' article without skipping paragraphs. I feel less articulate and definitely more stupid. Again, I am losing momentum... This evil force dragging me back is too powerful to even resist... haaay like gravity! (excuses)

For that, I apologize (talking to myself really, I feel sorry for myself) for neglecting this blog for a while. I seem to have lost my appetite for cooking, and in some strange way, I seem to have also lost myself (drama). Haha I don't know what's happening to me but surely I shall get back on track (I always do) sooner or later (hopefully, in like 10 seconds)

My plating skill still sucks. The presentation would have looked better if the Dilled Potato Salad was on the center of the plate with the Baked Fish Pesto stacked on top. Then some random drizzle of that homemade Pesto Sauce... magic.

Who cares..everything goes down the same alley anyway. Yup.

This is Weird

2012-02-13T16:20:00.003+08:00

I finally had some anti-pimple injected in this month long zit vacationing itself on my right cheek. Die, Mr. Pimple, die! The dermatologist caught me red-handed, she definitely knew I ~~like~~ love pricking my face. Alright, no to obsessing about whiteheads, and less to mirror checking!

Summer is around the corner and although I don't like the sun that much, I am willing, more than willing in fact to enjoy the beach this year! I want to buy teal, yellow and orange bikini tops, just because I want options.. for an activity I seldom do yeah, damn this girl needs her choices.

What a shocker it was to hear that Whitney Houston died yesterday. It's funny, because my last memory of her was this weird interview with Dianne Sawyer:

Fave part of the interview @6:21:

"First of all, let's get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I made too much money to ever smoke crack. Let's get that straight, ok? I don't do crack. I don't do that. Crack is wack."

-Whitney Houston, 2002

Remember, kids. Crack is????? WACK.

Guess What!

2012-02-12T21:26:00.002+08:00

Hey, guys!! Let's have a little game shall we? To make this blog a little more interactive and exciting, allow me to inject some guessing games and whoever can get the answer correctly, gets... gets... claps, hugs, kisses and respect from the internet blogging sphere! Sounds terrific, right? Yeay!!!

Yo kids! Guess what this is:

What a no brainer. Come on guys, guess away!! :)

Clue 1: two words
Clue 2: it's edible

Slumber Party Days Are Soooo Over!

2012-02-06T10:53:00.001+08:00

For obvious reasons that we are turning mid-20s, it's about high time we have a more sophisticated, a la Sex and the City kind of bonding, you know? Hence, we call our intimate, private bonding as:

There was no special occasion to celebrate, really. Maybe I had the impulse to make the bonding extra nice because it's our first meet-up this year. I told them to think of the bonding as our late Christmas / New Year / Chinese New Year and early Love Month celebration!

Ladies' Night In Menu!

Appetizer:

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushroom in Teriyaki Sauce

Meat:

Chicken Parimigiana

Pasta:

Tuna Pesto Pasta

Pasta Puttanesca

Dessert:

Left over chocolate found in Eunice's Fridge (lol)

Spending about 700 bucks for this Martini is so worth it! Plus, I bugged Eunice to bring home some wine glasses because there is no way in hell I was going to drink the Martini from a coffee mug! Haha!

Eunice and I opening the Martini! And, if you would look closely enough, there is something terribly funny about this photo

Our view from the condo

My awesome girlfriends! =)

It's just so relaxing to spend time at home (we call Eunice's condo our home, now!) and catch up on each other's lives. Surprisingly, Eunice agreed we stay in and not go out, because on normal days, she would beg us to please party with her and we'd always quarrel because I would beg off and whine how much of a hassle it is to dress up, put on make-up, or that it was too late in the night (gosh, I'm an old lady). But at the end of it all, she always, and I mean always wins because she'd always use those dramatic phrases which I am a sucker for (damn you, eunice! lol). And I end up enjoying even though I don't really like partying that much.

Our Ladies' Night "In", as agreed by all of us, shall be a mandatory monthly activity! No excuses allowed! =) Next month shall be Shabu-shabu month and Gab's awaited bday celebration! =)

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushroom

2012-02-03T22:59:00.001+08:00

Bacon should have caught your attention and perhaps your appetite! Yeay, I knew it would work: bacon simply makes everything interesting and more delicious. Oops, better check your shirt, it's wet. Don't be embarassed, it's cool, I am drooling as well. And although I had this dish two days straight, I can never get enough of them!

I discovered this awesome dish at John & Yoko, a japanese restaurant in Makati. I figured I can definitely do this at home, and so I did! Believe me, sooooooo easy, I promise!

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushrooms

Ingredients:
Enoki Mushroom
Bacon
Teriyaki Sauce

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

2) Rinse your enoki mushroom and cut off the last 1/4 - 1/2 inch at the base where the vermiculite may still be located.

3) Break your mushroom bundles depending on how thick you wanted the bundles to be.

4) Wrap the enoki in bacon.

4) Roast them in the oven for 10 minutes, until the enoki mushroom is golden brown and the bacon is crispy.

5) Take out of the oven, serve in your cute little platters, sprinkle with some green onions then drizzle your teriyaki sauce.

Ahhhhhh super addicting!!! Enjoy! =)

By the way, enoki mushroom is available at leading supermarkets. I bought mine in SM Megamall. A bundle will cost you only Php 29.00. =)

I'm a Plateware Collector Now!

2012-01-31T22:01:00.001+08:00

Yeheeeeees.

I don't know how to exactly translate the first word of this post to English. The only word that comes to mind is "niiiiiceeeeee" and when you pronounce it long enough, it makes your head involuntarily nod, like the word itself has some magical convincing powers.

Come on, I dare you to say it. Say it out loud. Say it when you have a grand plan and when you need much assurance from yourself! It works! Niiiiiiiiiiiceeee, right?

Did it? See. I told you. But please do this at the comfort of your own room. We try to avoid those stares from people who wouldn't understand.

So! I have this incredible plan to collect platewares this year! Like a grown woman who just discovered that brushing her hair can make a world of difference (for the record, I do brush my hair.. only on weekdays), I only realized now how important plating is to an awesome dining experience! Okay, of course I know, duh, but I always thought that looks won't matter for as long as the food tastes delicious. Clearly a wrong assumption!

For the year 2012, Len shall be collecting plates, all shapes and sizes! Aaaand I am all for the whole shebang! The works, the decorating, the plating, the food vanity etc! It's a challenge but let's save that story later.

Note to self: stick to buying white, and plain colored plates will ya? Remember your first purchase of so-called cute orange plates you thought were sooooooo fetch?

Source for Chicboy photo

Didn't you know those are Chicboy plates??

All the while I thought I had impeccable taste. Darn it.

Tagaytay 2011

2012-01-31T17:41:00.001+08:00

Wingate Manor - the staff are super friendly and nice

Breakfast: Lugaw + Turon

Shabu-Shabu

Ginataang Bola-bola

Lumpia

Not taken in photos:
Bulalo, tawilis, kinilaw na tanigue, sugpo, inihaw na tilapia, baked tahong, ube jam, banana split, leche flan, Sekreto ni Maria all from RSM

Brownie Ala Mode and Choco Lava Cake from Carlo's Pizza

Not in photos: Chicken wings, pepperoni and four cheese pizza, Sicilian Salad!

I can afford not to eat anything for the next four days!! I seriously have more than enough food in my body right now to supply needed fats until Friday.

I chose to laugh the gluttony off.. I mean, it would be stupid of me to ignore free food, man. Who agrees with me?

Chinese Beef Noodle Soup

2012-01-27T23:28:00.000+08:00

I know I have declared myself a lover of WeiWei Premium Instant Noodle products, but not any more ever since I started cooking my own Chinese Beef Noodle Soup from scratch! Making flavorful and rich soup base requires a lot of patience but was it worth all the time and effort!

What I like about cooking is the nature of its flexibility. There is no need to religiously follow the recipe, nor be meticulous with measuring ingredients. There is a certain freedom with cooking which one cannot enjoy so much in baking. Baking is like... having a baby; you won't ever truly know what it will look like until it comes out of the mother's womb. Cooking, on the other hand, is friendly and is more forgiving, like... a classic little black dress (claps for my analogy??)

My secret for ensuring a fail-proof first attempt at a new recipe, you ask? One word: research.

I consulted three different sites as reference for the recipe: Tasty Meals at Home, Eat, Drink & Be Merry, Chezpei. Check all of them and pick one recipe you'd like to follow. Anyway, here are my tips for those of you who want to try making Chinese Beef Noodle Soup at home:

The recipe calls for beef shanks. I believe what is more readily available in the supermarket is beef brisket. Ask the butcher to cut it for you, stew cut (or pang-nilaga)

The recipe will also call for beef stock. Don't need to buy those that are in tetra packs or in can. Simply boil your beef brisket in water for an hour (I bought and used 1 kg), flavor lightly with salt and pepper.

Do not skip out on the following ingredients: star anise, chili bean paste (Lee Kum Kee), rice wine and soy sauce (use a good brand, like Kikkoman). I noticed how these four ingredients are vital to making the soup taste so rich and authentic. All these ingredients are available in the supermarket, don't worry.

At Eat Drink & Be Merry procedure (3) where you let the soup base boil with the beef brisket / shank for 2-3 hours. I did a little trick.. I let all of them boil for an hour and a half (soup + beef) then transferred everything to a pressure cooker. I pressure cooked the soup base together with beef brisket for about 30 mins until the meat gets tender enough to cut with a fork.

I store everything in a big container once done, place it in the refrigerator to let the fats solidify overnight. Then the next morning, spoon out the chunks of fat or sebo for a less greasy soup.

I use egg noodles with medium strands. I think rice noodles (like those flat rice noodles served at vietnamese restaurants) is a good choice, too.

Use Bok Choy because they look prettier than regular pechay

ENJOY!!! :)

Sort of Color Blocking

2012-01-25T16:14:00.000+08:00

I finally had the guts to wear shorts and skirts again after series of skin problems last year. The back of my thighs were infected by contact dermatitis, through which I learned I may have weird allergic reaction to rattan materials and simple little things like, magnet (wtf?). Let us not forget the bedbug bites all over my body, what a winner. Imagine, 50+ bites, and I am telling you these are not normal mosquito bites which easily fade away. No, sir! These bed bug bites they swell, turn a disgusting shade of red, are super itchy - that kind of itch you cannot ignore, stay on your skin to leave horrible memories in the form of black / dark spots. *cries*

The old Len would worry about these silly skin dilemma forever! But I guess I somehow changed? (haha unsure) These days are just euphoric, somehow it is. These days I care less about how I look (wow??) and I don't have a nagging obsession to shop for new clothes, or wish I had things I don't have and feel frustrated about it. These days I feel so contented with life. These days feel like as if I know what I am truly doing (because half of the time I don't have a clue) These days feel as if all the planets in the universe are properly aligned. It feels like the universe is on my side. A shot of bravery, confidence and knowing that things can always go wrong along the way and yet having the courage to confront them all, eye-to-eye. Naks.

Modern miracles exist in the form of movies (We Bought a Zoo) and dietary fiber (C-Lium). Yeay, I feel powerful.

Cream Puffs Version 1.0

2012-01-24T18:23:00.000+08:00

Don't they just look so adorable? These little puffy brown choux pastry fresh from the oven?

It definitely looks like I nailed making choux pastry at the first attempt... but there is always room for improvement. Let us call this Len's Cream Puffs Version 1.0!

I followed Steamy Kitchen's recipe for the choux pastry and got the custard mixture recipe from Happy Home Maker! (click the link for details!)

The reason why I call my choux pastry a bit of a failure is because I piped them the wrong way. Mine didn't puff as much as it should/could because of my piping technique.

Aside from the incorrect piping technique, the oven temperature was too high so I had to stop baking the choux pastry 10 minutes before the total time it should be baking in the oven. The result was that my pastry was softer and browner than the usual.

Regardless of the baking mishaps, these cream puffs were so good everyone in the house ate them in one sitting. Yeay!

Peaches and Cream Pancakes

2012-01-19T15:02:00.001+08:00

I will only wake up early during weekends for this:

And of course, granted that I will always be the one to prepare *ahem ahem* appetizing breakfast with mad presentation and plating skillz. It took me a while to conceptualize the plating for the Peaches and Cream Pancakes. Should I put half a peach on the side of the plate? Should I slice it? How about the whipped cream? Etc.

After much thought, the final product looks like this:

Peaches and Cream Pancake

1 box Pillsbury Instant Vanilla Pancake Mix
1 can / package all-purpose cream
1 can peaches
Maple syrup
Cinnamon (optional, for presentation)

1. Cook the pancake according to instructions
2. Whip the all-purpose cream. Set aside or put in the freezer while you assemble your plate.
3. Slice the canned peaches according to your liking.
4. Assemble the food. Pancakes - sliced peaches on top - topped with whipped cream - sprinkle cinnamon - drizzle maple syrup

How easy, right? Look who enjoyed eating his breakfast!

In other non-yummy news, OH MY GOSH! Totally digging the newest Picasa Photo Editor!!! You are probably wondering why I don't use photoshop and it's because I haven't found a great reason why I should use it. Nope, no Photoshop for me! I'm a Picasa lover forevah.

Grocery Finds: UFC Veggie and Mangosteen Juice

2012-01-12T20:24:00.000+08:00

Hindi po ito kapamilya ni UFC Banana Ketchup.

Mangosteen Juice tastes like.. a cocktail of fruit juices and definitely does not taste like pure mangosteen juice! The juice has other fruit juices in it: white grape, red grape, apple, pineapple, mango, red beet and passion fruit. Mangosteen constitutes only 6% of the juice here and I do not understand why it is called Mangosteen Juice when clearly it isn't the star ingredient, not even the dominating flavor.

Parang ang sultry lang ng hitsura ko at mukhang sarap na sarap sa juice na ito.

I love Veggie Juice! I know a lot of you guys may wrinkle your nose in disgust at the sight of juiced veggies. My brother hates the taste. But I adore it so much because the only flavor I can taste is orange... and maybe carrots and pineapples. The Happy Veggie contains the following: carrot, pineapple, apple, orange, tomato, mango, pumpkin and celery!

Oops I was wrong, there is no orange juice included in the list of ingredients. Haha.

Where can you buy them: S&R Supermarkets
How much are they: Around P75.00

(Vietnamese) Chicken Pho

2012-01-11T18:19:00.001+08:00

First purchase for year 2012: Lactasoy (soy milk) with Green Tea and ingredients for.. Chicken Pho!

If I can make Fresh Vietnamese Springroll and Vietnamese Pomelo Salad with Panfried Cumin Shrimp (i-bblog ko ito promise guys), I sure as hell can make Vietnamese Chicken Pho. Vietnamese overload ang tema ng paragraph na ito gels and boyz.

And I saw this lying around the condo, that's why Len was so enganyo to make luto-luto the Chicken Pho!

Chicken Pho (adapted from Apron Cookbook "Vietnamese Favourites")

3 litres (12 cups) chicken stock

12cm piece fresh ginger (60g), sliced thinly

fish sauce (patis); according to your taste

2 cloves garlic, quartered

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (wansuy) root and stem mixture

1 star anise

340g chicken breast fillets, sliced thinly

400g dried rice noodles

12 green onion, sliced

3 cups bean sprouts

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh vietnamese mint leaves

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro (wansuy leaves)

1 medium lemon cut into wedges

1 Combine stock, ginger, sauce, garlic, cilantro, root and stem mixture and star anise in large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Strain stock into large heatproof jug; discard solids

2 Return stock to pan, add chicken; simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

3 Place noodles in medium heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water; stand until just tender and drain.

4 Divide noodles, onion and sprouts among serving bowls; pour over hot soup, top with mint and cilantro (wansuy) leaves. Serve with lemon wedges and chili sauce.

Pero dahil epal ako at minsan ayaw kong sundan ang instructions sa recipe (except for baking), here is what I truly did:

1 Cover and boil one whole chicken. Once cooked, remove whole chicken from saucepan, set aside.

2 Put in the chicken stock the following ingredients: ginger, patis, garlic cilantro (roots and all) star anise (I put around 3 pieces) let boil for 15 minutes. By the way, I add a little bit of brown sugar in mine.. around 2 teaspoons for a somewhat sweet undertones for the soup.. Then after 15 mins, strain your soup and put in a jug or container, set aside and keep it warm

3 Shred of the chicken meat of the bones, then chop it according to your liking

4 Cook the rice noodles

5 Arrange everything in your bowl. Put in your noodles first, pour in soup, arrange the topping like the chicken, wansuy, mint leaves and bean sprouts

6 Enjoy!

Kakaririn ko ang plating next time, promise!

Notes:

Rice Noodles - can be bought in noodles section in any SM Supermarkets. Bought mine in Megamall Supermarket Building A. Look for the Fat and Thin Brand na Rice Noodle because it's yummy and cheap
Less greasy soup - if you want to follow my procedure and use chicken stock.. I suggest, after boiling and cooking the chicken, you refrigerate the soup for the chicken oil to solidify. It will be easier for your to take out the oil from the soup

Goals for Year 2012

2012-01-10T21:16:00.002+08:00

How about an inaccurate recap of last year?

I would like to congratulate myself for blogging more about food and dissed fashion blogging altogether (my gad what the hell was I thinking!!!). Through my blog, I was able to share the one thing I am truly passionate about: mag-baboy. Yeay!

I now have little segments (parang talk show lang) I call "Grocery Finds" and "Food Stall Series". The former mentioned segment is basically about rare and unique food finds in the grocery, because I have an undying love for hanging out in the supermarket. Minsan tambay ako sa supermarket, tipong ~wala lungz gusto ko lang tumambay sa grocery~! And the latter segment is about those little food stalls that are habit forming due to its simplicity and yumminess, but are often taken for granted because people think it's just another food stall (sad noh? don't discriminate on them food stalls!!!)

(Share ko lang, kinababaliwan ko ngayon ang Hen Lim Siomai! Gone are my Siomai House days! Dear Siomai House, hindi na masarap ang siomai mo like before. Hindi na siya malasa at higit sa lahat, ang sagwa na ng chili-garlic oil mo. What happened!!?! Oo galit ako at puno ng emosyon) Moving on...

But for year 2012, I shall be badass better about everything, man. Food Goals for 2012:

Try at least 100 new dishes from Southern Living

Invest on more on kitchen appliances and utensils

Invest on pretty platewares

Carry a camera around all the time and also keep a food diary here. Like what I ate, cook (kahit simpleng ulam lang na pachamba). Parang Lookbook ang peg, kasi hindi naman ako ma-fashion so idaan nalang natin sa pagkain ang everyday "outfit ko" (char). This plan may sound a little bit obsessive, though. Well, whatever.

Plan a grand picnic and fine dining eklat with dear friends, a la Barefoot Contessa. I shall do the cooking and hosting. At take note, gusto ko may video! Parang cookshow kuno at lifestyle network kemerlou (Helios friends, are you reading this???)

AND THE GREATEST GOAL OF ALL: to not be a fat pig at the end of the year. I have already gained a few pounds when I checked my weight today. I am planning to shed it off but seriously, I can't see where the fat deposited itself, it's driving me a bit nuts. Sana sa mga dapat pag-lagyan ng taba like my chest area

This I promise: Year 2012 will be a yummier year :D

P.S. One more thing, can someone make me a fresh, fun, clean-looking blog layout?? I have no freakin' idea about CSS Codes and stuff, so for those with a good heart, help me? :D

Christmas Menu 2011

2012-01-09T18:47:00.000+08:00

Wow. This post is so delayed, if it were a girl, it's so pregnant (Thanks Len Version 2010 for the overused analogy).

Honestly speaking, I'm not Christmas' biggest fan. Sure I had enjoyed it when I was a kid. I wrote letters for Santa, listed the things I wanted for Christmas, rolling the piece of paper and place it by the window. I asked him for roller blades and never got one =( Lately, I don't feel Christmas anymore, or at least find the enjoyment, sincere, gratefulness and happiness that season brings.. like in movies? So emotional and moving it makes one cry, but not this time. But whatever, right? What I like about Christmas now is I get the friggin' budget to cook what I want!

My Christmas menu is all over the place. I don't have any theme going on. I just wanted to try dishes I haven't cooked before like:

Beef Morcon and Lasagna

Homemade Ice Cream, Graham-Cinnamon Flavor

Vietnamese Pomelo Salad with Panfried Cumin Shrimp

Not taken in picture:
-Ham and Queso de Bola
-Dad's homemade Ube
-Tita Bebot's Mango Sambo
-Len's (icing fail!) Chocolate Cake

We ate all of the delicious food on Christmas morning because all of us were to lazy to stay up all night for Noche Buena :))

Hopefully next year I can find excitement in Christmas again. =)

What did you have for Christmas?

Happy New Year and Guess Who's Back!!

2012-01-05T08:42:00.003+08:00

I am so ashamed of myself. But before I go on scolding myself in front of everyone, let me greet you a HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR! So, what's the 411? What was your Christmas and New Year like?

Anyway, like I said, I feel ashamed for abandoning this blog for over a month. I blame the ridiculously slow internet connection at the office and at home. The sites I could only open were my e-mail and Facebook. Bleh

A lot of yummy thing has happened, and to make up for that, how about Homemade Ice Cream? That's right. Homemade, y'all. And meet Bubu, the ice cream maker, a.k.a Joey's gift a.k.a our second child. We treat the appliances we buy as our kids. Our first child was Matrix... he's a water heater with the brand name called Matrix (so much for being creative)

Sorry guys, still not saying bye bye to putting stupid hearts and whatnot on my face

I am so in love with making Homemade Ice Cream during the holidays, so in love I wouldn't mind if people start to notice me getting bigger (I still wish I wasn't). First I tried making ice cream using the no ice cream maker method. Found the recipe at Kevin and Amanda's site. A no brainer recipe for homemade ice cream without the hassle and the machine! SUCCESS! Whipped cream and condensed milk is such a wonderful, brilliant idea because:

a) it freezes quite fast (although melts as fast too)

b) hassle free, only machine you need is a hand mixer for whipping the cream

c) YUMMY

Made the following ice cream flavors for Christmas (using the no ice cream maker method): Graham Cinnamon Ice Cream and Caramel Pili Nut w/ Caramel Cupcake Chunks Ice Cream!

I made the classic Cookies and Cream flavor with Bubu, which my nephew helped me with (totally cute!!), and Matcha Green Tea. Bubu the ice cream maker bothers me though, it doesn't freeze the ice cream mixture well enough to be likened to the consistency of a soft served ice cream. All I got was a slushy texture, then I had to freeze the mixture to harden. Oh well. I think the mixture has to be cool, if not, at least cold enough so it freezes well in the ice cream maker. I'll try that next time.

I have other flavors in mind that I've concocted carefully in my head...

-Coffee with Brownie Chunks Ice Cream

-Apple Pie Filling Ice Cream

-Kahlua Oreo Ice Cream

Heh, let's see.

If you could make an Ice Cream Flavor, what would it be? A suggestion from you would be nice! :)

And capping this ever boring blogpost about ice cream with my face (kidding, ice cream is NEVER a boring topic okay)

Apple Pie

2011-11-26T16:14:00.000+08:00

I'm a pie virgin! It's my first time to do a pie. (haha...)

Naturally, I would trust allrecipes.com for the fool-proof recipes attested to by thousands upon thousands of readers. But since I am a "pie virgin", well, I turned to Joy of Baking because there is a step-by-step video on how to make the pie, and being inexperienced with pies, dude I need all the help that I can get. (Click here to view the her recipe)

I want to share to you some of notes regarding the outcome of my apple pie:

The crust was buttery and flaky, however, I should roll it out thinner next time
Don't overbake your apple pie. The apples should be tender and not mushy. Mine was a bit mushy. Start checking on your pie after 30 minutes of baking. Stick a knife through the slits of the top crust and the apple should still be tender
Thicker apple slices - I think I may have sliced mine too thin
The recipe calls for 6 large apples. In the Philippines, we have medium-sized Granny Smith apples, I suggest you use 8-9 medium sized apples
The recipe only calls for 1/2 cup sugar (total). The outcome of my apple filling was.. too tart for my taste.

I am not satisfied with the Apple Filling by Joy of Baking :( Hah, no let me tell you, I do not like it! I do not suggest you try out her apple pie filling. Next time I am trying out Grandma Ople's recipe. Overall, not bad for my first Apple Pie baking experience. :)

Grocery Finds!

2011-11-21T10:27:00.001+08:00

Stuff I saw and bought at Rustan's Supermarket - EDSA Shangrila Mall:

1) Arizona Virgin Cocktail Pina Colada
Price: P61.50
Size: 591 ml

Source

It's a non-alcoholic Pina Colada Drink. The packaging quite did it for me, just look at how pretty it is! However, I'm not so ecstatic about the taste. I know I have a weird sense of taste but this one is really blah. Too sweet, too watery and it has bits of solified coconut milk, which is yucky because it's kinda oily. Anyway, I think you should try it, don't let my opinion hinder you from buying this stuff.

I think it tastes better with a dash or two of Boracay Rum. Oh also, they have other flavors like Mango and Watermelon.

2) 1853 Kettle Cooked Potato Chips BBQ Flavor
Price: P132.00
Net Weight: 8.5 oz

Now, this potato chip is really awesome. What I like about it most is it's fairly cheap. Compared to other brands of kettle cooked potato chips priced at P132.00 (or even more), you get more serving with 1853 with the same price. I would have wanted the Original flavor but BBQ is the only available flavor. Super crispy, big potato chip sizes, worth your junk food money.

For everyone wondering what's the difference between Kettle Chips and regular Potato Chips here is my opinion.

1) Size of chips: kettle chips are thicker than regular potato chips; potato chips are sliced thinner.

2) Cooking method: kettle chips are sometimes double fried (recipe here) or fried in small batches in a pan filled wit a higher temperature oil (around 350 degrees). The reason why only a few pieces of potato chips are dropped in is to prevent the oil temp to decrease. They cook quicker and becomes crispier, too.

Regular potato chips are cooked in big quantities all at once, resulting to the decrease of oil temperature. That's why reg potato chips are less crispy and more oily (because they absorb more oil) than kettle chips.

The Silly Little Things I Buy With My Money

2011-11-18T11:55:00.003+08:00

Sometimes, or maybe almost all the time, they are:
...not life changing items, nor are they helpful
...edible / drinkable
...fattening, downright unhealthy

Okie, let us start with drinks!

1) Milkis Carbonated Milk Drink: Yo, you read that right. It's a carbonated milk drink. Saw it yesterday at 711, then saw it again when Helga (punk, vote for her in Most Original Blog Design here) instragramed (yes, it's a verb now) it. What does it taste like? If yakult and Sprite can produce a baby = hello baby Milkis!


"New feeling of soda beverage!"

2) Easy Pha-Max Wheatgrass Drink: Wow, 78 calories for the whole can, not bad. But really, what to expect from a wheatgrass drink other than the fact that it really does taste like grass? (although guys, I haven't had the chance to be a cow and chew on grass, I'm so busy lately). Well, uhm healthy stuff like vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, amino acids, enzymes and phytochemicals?! Sounds good, tastes even weirder. Since I have a weird taste, I like it just how I like the taste of Matcha Green Tea.

3) Roots Ginger Brew Sparkling Non-alcoholic Beverage: "100% Real GINGER" the bottle says. Yeah, whoever made this wasn't kidding. How to describe the taste... imagine one day you accidentally and without your knowledge dropped in your chopped ginger pieces in a pitcher of Mountain Dew. Left if there for 5 days, until one day you got hot and thirsty. Pulled out the Mountain Dew Pitcher, poured yourself a glass and after a sip you say "BLOODY HELL, this stuff tastes like ginger!!!" The end. I do not like it :(

4) WeiWei Premium Braised Beef Instant Noodle: HAIL THE MOTHER OF ALL INSTANT NOODLES OUT THERE!!!! Ha, these babies come with the best tasting noodles, the best tasting soup and it comes with a pouch of real cooked meat!!! HHHRRRMMMM DERICIOUSSSSS

5) Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Cuts Potato Chips: Bought the salt and pepper flavor. Seriously addicting!! Less expensive than Kettle's Potato Chips (equally as good) but tastes almost the same.

That's it... for now. Got a serious question to all of you guys...

HEY Y'ALL KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND RICE KRISPIES CEREAL AND SNACK BAR?????

I sound desperate because I am. I searched S&R (The Fort), Rustan's Supermarket (in Trinoma), SM Supermarket (Megamall Branch), Gourdo's Trinoma (they used to sell per pack when I was in college) and Subic (forgot the name of the supermarket) STILL NOTHING!!! Please guys I need to know!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!

Slow Cooked Mexican Pulled Pork Carnitas + Chimichurri Sauce + Salsa

2011-11-13T14:37:00.000+08:00

I call this labor of love because it takes a lot of effort to cook.

For Pork Carnitas Recipe click here.
For the Chimichurri Sauce click here.

And photos more photos.. I'm too lazy to describe how good this is. I probably gained a pound or two just this weekend. Damn it.

Too Much Chocolate Cake

2011-11-13T13:07:00.000+08:00

I'm a sucker for recipes at Allrecipes.com and last week, I had an incredible urge to make a cake. I had no particular cake in mind and said whatever will be the numero uno search result for "best cake" in allrecipes, I'd bake it:

Too Much Chocolate recipe got 5 out of 5 stars in which 3,000+ people raved about. And to top all that, this chocolate cake recipe won the baker First Prize at the country fair. I guess it's that awesome.

I got turned off when I saw the ingredients because I like making my cakes from scratch. And instant pudding chocolate pudding mix in a cake??? But I had to trust the people who commented here, saying stuff like-

How could I not make 'em Best Chocolate Cake??

True enough. The chocolate cake was so moist, you get bits of molten chocolate in every bite. The Satiny Chocolate Glaze made it more cholatier, this chocolate goes beyond illegal already (char).Best enjoyed with a cup of milk :)

Here is the Satiny Chocolate Glaze Recipe:

New Bag, Book and my to-do List

2011-11-09T21:16:00.002+08:00

My cousin just got from Africa and look at what he got me:

A Cath Kidston Floral Bucket Bag! The bag reminds me of glorified plastic bags sold by street kids in Divisoria. In any case, it's cute and while I would like to waste my brain cells on trying to figure the connection between Africa and Cath Kidston bags... I won't. I have a pretty water-proof bag so why bother asking why he got me this... from Africa. Seriously? Africa and Cath Kidston bags? WTF. Hihi thank you, bro :)

Aside from the new bag, I bought myself a new book. Admittedly though, I have piles of untouched and unread books I bought from the book sale. I feel guilty though because I am such a sucker for cheap stuff. I hoard on stuff that aren't necessary, buy them just because! What a waste of money. Then I figured I should only buy one book at a time, then buy a new one if and when I finish the book. Will be reading (like later after the blog post): Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen.

It's supposed to be an interesting and engaging book. New York Times dubbed it as Notable Book of the Year (what year???) Heh. Let's see!!

The next coming weeks, I am out to make the following:

Best Apple Pie
Too Chocolate Cake
Pot Roast
Pork Carnitas
Pumpkin Pies
French Onion Soup
Cinnamon Buns

Wish me luck.

CBTL's Red Velvet Hot Cocoa

2011-11-09T09:17:00.000+08:00

How to make Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Red Velvet Hot Cocoa:

Boil full-cream milk
add a pinch of milk
add one drop of food color

~FIN~

What this Red Velvet Hot Cocoa is all about: vanilla-flavored hot milk with a pretty pinkish color. Bottomline guys is that this drink is not worth it. My friend said it tastes like Sustagen. I don't even know where the "hot cocoa" factor came from because I cannot taste it. Meh. Boooo

I am forever loyal to hot drinks at 711.

B & W

2011-11-06T21:33:00.000+08:00

My hair is everywhere and I have chapped lips.

Happy _____________

2011-11-04T11:17:00.002+08:00

Fill in the blanks ito friends!

Kami bang tatlo nina Regine at Paul ay umattend ng:
a. Birthday Celebration ni ReginaRegine
b. Halloween Party?

Actually both!

HAPPY PAKWAN SA TIYAN NI PAUL!

And happy happy happy birthday kay kulot a.k.a ReginaRegine! Obvious namang nabusog kami. Lalo na ang isa diyan.

Anong Bago sa Baguio?

2011-11-03T12:15:00.000+08:00

There are too many things I want to tell you about Baguio! Unfortunately, I don't have any photos to support these so called stories. Actually, mga kwentong pagkain lang naman ito, and other minor details that aren't so important dahil hindi ito ikakaunlad ng buhay natin... (o baka sa inyo, ikaunlad ng buhay niyo ang mga knowledge na ito) Katulad ng:

may bagong McDonalds sa may Legarda near City Hall

may bagong tayo na Eurotel katabi ng Cafe by the Ruins (although, old news na ito). I have friends in Baguio who tried to stop the establishment from happening but.. ayun, to no avail.

apat na ang Starbucks sa Baguio. I'm not a Starbucks fan (hindi ako fan ng mamahaling kape) but I noticed there are two new branches. One in session, across Volante (tama ba ako?) --hindi ito malaking branch, pang-to go lang yata ang store na ito. The other one in John Hay TechnoHub -- I am not sure if the place is really called like so pero technohub siya kasi malapit siya sa isang call center situated in John Hay.

May Army Navy branch na rin sa Baguio at katabi ito ng Starbucks JohnHay Technohub Branch

Tatlo, or I think apat na ang branch ng Zio's -- this is a pasta, hamburger and pizza place na homegrown sa Baguio. I have plans of bragging their larger than life (char) Sloppy Joe's but I haven't taken a picture so maybe ibibida ko siya next time.

Nirerenovate ang isang hilera ng establishment sa Session Road, particularly ang hilera ng Swiss Baker (Dad and I), Don Henrico's, Andoks, Solibao etc na part.

Napansin ko rin nagsulputan ang 711 kung saang lupalop ng little streets ng Baguio

Aside from that, ang dami na ring Chowking!!! Along Session palang mga tatlo na (kung isama rin natin yung sa SM)

May bagong Jollibee branch na rin pala sa may tapat ng Burnham Park or Melvin Jones Football Field, or kahilera ng Tiong San. If I could remember it correctly, this branch is the 700th which PNoy graced upon it's opening. Weird nho? Anong meron sa Jollibee Branch na ito at kailangan pa puntahan ni PNoy?!

Wala pa rin dito Krispy Kreme, Ciello's Donuts at Milk Tea Shops sa Baguio! Oha, idea na malupit yan for those who want to bring in Manila food to Baguio

May masarap na Thai place (yes, place kasi hindi siya mukhang restaurant) sa Baguio! I wish I have photos to show you! Pero dahil matakaw kami ng mga kaibigan ko, at tinamad na rin naman ako kumuha ng picture, eh.. ayun, hanggang kwento nalang muna. The place is called Happy Tummy right across Wright Park. Kung hindi ka attentive, hindi mo siya agad mapapansin. Ang mabibigay ko lang na landmark ay ito: kubo. Yes, mga kubo kubo ito pero ang sarap and need I say mura ng mga pagkain sa menu nila! Promise ang sarap. P610 ang aming bill and it fed four adults! Isa pa dun matakaw na guy, at tatlong masisibang kumain (yata?) na babae, oo kasama ako diyan sa tatlong babae na 'yan. Take note, may natirang pagkain pa, so pwedeng pang-limang tao ang mapakain mo sa halagang P610!

I do not recommend this restaurant called Te Quiero, unless mayaman ka at wala kang pake (wapakels!) kung magkano pa ang kinakain mo. It is located right beside Microtel Inn, because I think the restaurant is under the same management as the hotel. Admittedly, nakakatakam ang photos below, but the price is not so friendly. Mahal at konti ang serving, parang sa Manila lang. However, I do appreciate the interiors of the resto, and the servers are accomodating and warm. Hands on pa ang nag-mamanage ng resto, I think he's Spanish. Hindi nakakabusog. BUT if you are a guy and you want to impress your new chick, dito mo siya dalhin. Pero kung amazonang matakaw kasama mo, not worth it, man.

pinasosyal na kilawin

fine, let's call it ceviche!

Kung matakaw ka at gusto mo ng masarap na pagkain at fair priced beers, visit Flying Gecko which is near Volante, Session Road. Pang-barkada place siya at ang dami mong pagpipilian sa menu nila. Sometimes it takes me about 30 minutes just to decide on what to order.

Grilled Shitake Mushroom Sandwich

Overpopulated na sa Baguio and sobrang bagal na rin ang daloy ng trapiko (OA, wala pa rin tatalao sa traffic ng Manila)

Ang mga bahay sa Baguio ay mukhang basura sa umaga pero maganda kung gabi, like stars in the sky (dahils sa lights)!

Wish ko lang din magkaroon na ng CBTL sa Baguio because Starbucks is getting boring and blah. Anyway, as if naman sa Baguio ako nakatira para ipagpilitan ito diba.

Dear Commuters, Isang Paalala:

2011-11-02T14:39:00.005+08:00

Lahat po tayo ay nag-mamadaling pumasok sa ating sariling mga trabaho lalo na kung ito ay start of the week. Minsan medyo tatamad-tamad pa tayong kumilos because the weekend has been (too) great, or parang bitin pa tayo sa ating bakasyon. Pero sana naman huwag nating kalimutan ang number one rule sa pag-commute: good hygiene. Aside from the fact na huwag nating kalimutan ang pamasahe ay sana ginagawa natin ang mga sumusunod bago sumabak sa jeep, fx, bus or MRT:

1) Maligo: Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit ibang tao ay amoy anghit umagang-umaga pa lang. Hindi excuse na construction worker ka at alam mong babaho ka rin as the day progresses, pero dude naman. Maligo tayo at mag-pahid ng deodorant sa ating kili-kile (mas maganda siguro kung buong katawan nalang). Sure may mga panahong hindi ako naliligo (nung college pa ako nito, okay, at exemption ako sa rule dahil hindi ako mabaho), pero naman kung male-late ako at alam kong kagigising ko lang at kailangan ko na umalis, nag-hihilamos at nagpapalit naman ako ng damit at syempre nagpapabango naman ako ng bongga.

2) Pumili ng damit na sana, kung hindi man lang nababad sa Downy, wag nating piliin yung damit na hindi natuyo ng maayos. In short, pumili ng mabangong damit. Ate / kuya, alam mo ang amoy na 'yan, lalo na nitong tag-ulan. Oo, naglalaba rin ako at aminadong mahirap magpatuyo ng damit kapag maulan, pero naman, mas umaalingawngaw ang amoy ng damit na hindi na patuyo ng maayos. Naku, i-pair up mo pa 'yan with a person who doesn't take a bath, good luck nalang kung katabi mo ang ganyang tao sa biyahe mo.

3) Bago tayo umalis ng bahay, huwag nating kalimutang kumain. Yes, essential ito, friends. Alam nating hindi pleasant ang amoy ng ating hininga sa umaga. Ang pag-to-toothbrush ay isa lamang short-term pantanggal baho-hininga. The best way to get rid of that morning stench is to eat breakfast. Bakit ba kamo?

Isipin mo nalang ang iyong bunganga ay isang sceptic tank. Ngayon, kung pabanguhan mo lang siya, madali lang din makakaalingasaw ang mabahong amoy ng sceptic tank. Ang magandang gawin ay barahin ito. Dito papasok ang pagkain-- ito ang babara sa mabahong amoy ng sceptic tank Pansinin ang mga taong hindi kumakain--mabaho ang kanilang hininga. Promise.

By the way, ito ang pinakaayaw kong katabi sa jeep o fx. Lalo na kung hindi nila hilig huminga sa kanilang ilong, aba may pagkapal din ng mukha na huminga through the mouth. Nakakamatay ang ganitong amoy, promise. Lalo na kung nakainom pa sila ng kape, hindi nag-almusal at hindi nag-toothbrush?? Deadly. Lalo na sa FX dahil aircon-ed ito at mabilis kumalat ang amoy.

Ito any mga basic hygiene na dapat alam na natin, ate / koya. Hindi ko maisip kung bakit may mga nakakatabi pa rin ako na simbaho ng imburnal, at katabi ko pa. Minsan na nga lang akong mag-commute, bumibinggo pa ako. Heh, ayun lang.

GIFs

2011-11-02T09:59:00.006+08:00

Mga kaartehan hatid sa inyo ng long weekend.

Ano ang hawak-hawak ni Len habang tumatakbo siya sa last GIF? Ang makahula ng sakto ay mayroong isang tall Royal Milk Tea from Gong Cha c/o yours truly!

At tama ka, mahilig akong tumakbo.

Hello, An Update

2011-10-28T11:24:00.001+08:00

...of my life which is nothing short of boring.

Spent an ample amount of money buying those damned milk teas proliferating like mushroom in the metro. As of latest researh, there are about 10 milk tea shops within walking distance from where I work. My definition of walking distance might be different from yours because I like walking... very much

Speaking of milk teas... I met the owner of Serenitea! I have been babbling about this fact for three days now. I usually start my story with "Ay! Alam mo yung Serenitea sa Greenhills? La lang. Coz I met the owner." People in the office usually react by looking at me for a good 3 seconds, yes that awkward 3 seconds, while I hold my smile until they hurt then we drop the topic altogether and go back to work.

Bought two new straight cut "jeans" (more of like slacks? slacky jeans?!) and a pair of shoe in St. Francis. Ang hindi lang enjoyable sa pamimili sa tiangge ay yung mga mala-langaw na saleslady. They go crazy and buzz around at the sight of a customer. "Bili na 'te. Mura lang 'yan. May ibang kulay pa 'yan. Sige na 'te, pwede sukatin 'yan. Bagay sayo 'te." TE!!!! WAIT HINDI AKO MAKAPAG-ISIP ANG DAMI MONG SATSAT. I involuntarily grind my teeth whenever I hear that overused sales pitch, I walk away and see the saleslady with a "ano ba yan, hindi naman pala bibili, ginulo pa yung hanger at pagkakaayos ko sa rack" look. Sarap busalan ng maduming medyas. Naiinis pa man din ako sa nakabusangot na mukha, lalo na kung hindi maganda. Okay, lalo na ang panget Argh

Driving practically the whole day yesterday from Ortigas - kalibliban ng bayan ng Cavite - Tagaytag - Batangas - back to Ortigas . From 7:30 AM to 9 PM, friends! But I am not complaining. I was able to prove three things: 1) Kering-keri ko na mag-long drive kaya na papuntang Baguio at kung saan man (napaparinig ako sa mga friends na gustong mag-out of town diyan sa tabi-tabi, and hell no, di libre ang gas, hati-hati tayo mga ateng!) proven and tested! 2) asking the locals for directions is a MUST! Wag mahiyang magtanong! Mabuti nalang mahilig akong magtanong. 3) Keri ko ang night driving, be it sa super highbhway or matrapik. Although sometimes, commuting is the best way option. Owning a car is an expensive way of living, man.

Meron akong katangahan sa pag-drive lalo na kung hindi ko pa kabisado ang lugar. I know right? The irony of it all: I'm a Geography graduate with no sense of direction.

Don't stay sober, sleep late and wake up late! E N J O Y the long weekend, kids!

Dear Len, This Was How You Looked at Age Twenty-Four

2011-10-23T15:07:00.001+08:00

Dear Future Len,

I think it is essential you post nice pictures of yourself once in a while. These nice photos of you, you will refer to them as your glory days. You will probably say to your kids, especially if you had a daughter, this same line you heard from your mother.. "Ay naku, maganda rin katawan ko 'nung kabataan ko." They would probably laugh (hopefully not! I sincerely hope you battle old age fatness, by then you can afford cosmetic surgery etc) and your kids would say, "Photos or it didn't happen, mom!!" Another wishful thinking though, when your kids are mocking you, your future husband should wildly object and say, "Oh yeah, kids!! Your mom was (and still is) a hot chick!!"

With the advent of technology (and thank God you made this blog entry) you type in google search: lentech na bata, dear future len, bikini photos. Voila! You made it! You guys are reading me (your past self Len, yeah laugh all you want!) and see photos of the truth.

At the age of twenty-four, you looked like this:

You also have an annoying habit of editing the photo in Paint and paint your photo with weird smiley bandages.

I sincerely wish you, myself, a good luck the next coming years. Start having a real physical activity you can do on repeat everyday! Beware, age twenty-five is nearing!!!!

Love lots,
Past Len as of October 2011

P.S.
Salamat Franz Lopez for taking these wonderful photos! Sana friends pa rin tayo at magkatuluyan ang balak nating magkatuluyan si Maika at si Liam hahaha.

P.P.S.
This blog entry was inspired by Ate Kath, somehow I read blog of yours with the same concept? or was it a caption in one of your photos in FB? :)

P.P.P.S (what may ganito pang kahabang post script? postpostpost script)
This blog post is tagged under, "Why aren't you just another annoying blogger who is fishing for compliments" heh, don't we all

Milk Magic's Instant Melon Milk Powder

2011-10-21T13:07:00.002+08:00

Melon-Flavored Full Cream Milk Powder!!! My gad, I diiiie with happiness buying this grocery find. Sobrang kilig na kilig ako kahapon! I'm a HUGE fan of Melon Milk so having a melon-flavored milk powder is just... heeaaaven!!!

Go buy one now! I guess it's already out in leading supermarkets. It's sooooo yummy guys!! I sweear! :)

Skin Care Routine

2011-10-20T23:12:00.001+08:00

I wish I could honestly boast how great my skin care routine is, but it's not stellar. Same goes for my skin. I don't have a flawless face. I battle with making those dark pimple marks lighter. I have to deal with the occasional zits which very much love to position itself around my nose or my eyebrows (I know weird!) But for what it's worth here is my everyday skin care routine:

Wash my face with any kind of soap.
Moisturize it with St. Dalfour moisturizing cream - I've been using St. Dalfour for more than a year now.
Slather on sunblock gel from Flawless
Put my "make-up" on (it's hardly called make-up!)
Visit Let's Face It monthly for my a facial! I try not to prick my face and let pros to do it instead.

At night I usually do the same thing, but I don't put on make-up (duh!). Instead, I apply tons of lip balm on my lips and lets it stay over night. I try to sleep early and get 6-7 hours of sleep (I sleep around 10 pm then wake up at 5:50 am). I drink tons of water, I consume about 2-3 Liters of water per day. I try to walk around town or wherever (walk in place/jog in place) for 30 minutes. I try to jump, or do jumping jacks. I try to drink one vitamin C after eating breakfast and before sleeping at night.

Clock says it is way past my bed time!!! Anyway, please do share yours! What products you use for your face? Is Kojic soap any good? haha!

October Weekend at Subic Day 1: Lunch Time at Swell Bar and Cafe

2011-10-19T13:20:00.001+08:00

I spent the entire weekend with my guy friends ( Francis, Franz, Jaypee, Justin, and Lloyd) at Subic. All I could remember from last weekend was eating, drinking and paddle boarding - yeah I know all of you are envious right now. Very timely also because the weather was incredibly awesome and sunny! We haven't had those non-rainy weekend ever since the ber months started.

We stayed at Boardwalk Inn again because it was (and still is) the coolest looking hotel nearest the beach. The boys and I also wanted to do physical activities, a water sport of some sort and eat healthy, nutritious meals while we were at it.

Sure I'd like to be stuck in my hotel room and sleep the day away, but at Boardwalk Inn or Swell, they offer basic tutorials on paddle boarding and sometimes, they even host marathon events! So much for being a lazy ass, which was a good thing because my weekend was so sporty and productive!! :D Guess who went home to Manila with a terrible body ache?!

Anyway, what we had for lunch at Swell:

1 Surfer J's Guilt-Free Burger A delicious veggie burger made with shredded carrots, squash and zucchini (served with Swell's Sweet Potato chips)
2 Vegetarian Veggie Burrito - my personal favorite!!! =)
3 Beef Salpicao

1 Binagoongan Pork Shoulder braised in fermented shrimp paste with green mangoes and fried egg
2 Pork Medallion pork medallion wrapped in bacon with a cream cheese sauce and buttered peppers served on potato discs
3 Fish Filler Braised in Aromatic Asian Sauce creamy dory braised in hoisin, ginger, and garlic served in Moroccan rice
4 Pinakbet

I highly recommend you order the following dishes whenever you swing by Swell Bar and Cafe:

Vegetarian Veggie Burrito- it's so good I had to recreate it at home!
Binagoongan Pork Shoulder
Pork Medallion

Their selection of smoothies: check out the green smoothie out! One of their best sellers, they call the green drink the Super Smooth. It's a concoction of fruits like mango and banana, vegetables like pechay and ginger! I'm not kidding when I say it doesn't smell funny and it doesn't taste bad either. The dominant taste in the smoothie is the bananggo (haha banana + mango).

My subic weekend does not end here.

_______________

Swell Bar and Cafe / Boardwalk Inn

Bldg 664 Waterfront Road

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

Tel: (047) 250-2221

PS All photos were taken by Franz Lopez

The Best Snack Bar

2011-10-18T14:26:00.000+08:00

The best "I need some comfort in the form of fat right now to normalize my emo level" award goes to Reese's NutRageous KING SIZE Bar!

You are my best friend and my worst enemy. You make me happy and sad at the same time. You take my mind off my bad hairday, my bad haircut (heh, exaggerating) because I now worry about how much calories I consumed in one sitting upon eating you. All in all, you are a little backstabbing biatch.

#ihatepiggingoutbutcannotcontrolit

Subic Loot Bag

2011-10-17T14:26:00.001+08:00

Look who went on a junk food frenzy on Subic last weekend???

1 Cookie Dough Bites: Bite size cookie dough in creamy milk chocolate. Who wouldn't be tempted buying that box of sinful treat, right? Great topping for vanilla ice cream, but personally though, I don't like it.

2 Combos: Pepperoni Pizza flavor!!!

3 White Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: MILK CHOCOLATE STILL RULES! White chocolate and peanut butter aren't a good combo.

4 Munch: Pure natural Peanut goodness! It's basically a nut bar.

I am not planning to eat all of these junk in one day (oh gawd please teach me thy secret to patience and self-control). The last time I went to Subic I bought a big pack of mini Reese's Dark Chocolate peanut butter cups. I kept it all to myself and after a few days of feasting over the little demonic dark chocolate flavored junk, I had a pimple break out.

So the moral of the story kids? Being selfish causes what??? Pimples and over all, ug li ness.

Echos lerng.

Jeans are Mean!!

2011-10-14T08:54:00.000+08:00

Jeans are mean! Ladies agree with me when I say it is so hard to find one perfect pair of jeans that will fit you like a glove. Heh, so I am saying goodbye to jeans and saying hello to.. slacks-ish kind of pants! I need comfortable and forgiving pair of pants to wear at work and/or on casual lazy days.

I just cannot stop thinking about this carrot pants and cardigan I tried on at SM Department store (see photo above). However, they do not have any other color for the pants except for black. I would have wanted a darker shade of brown, or caramel brown, or tree trunk brown (?) or darker shade of tan. Should I buy it, should I buy it?!?!

Stuff I am out to possibly purchase today:

those cute carrot pants :3
shoes, maybe two pairs, depends
bikini top (or maybe not, more on not)
charger + battery for dad
matcha latte at CBTL (again!)
Pork Floss / Cheese Floss / Fire floss at Breadtalk! Pls Breadtalk combine cheese and firefloss naman!
Sunblock for beach tomorrow!

I am planning to go on an all out shopping, no holds barred, get what you really want even though it's on the expensive side kind of shopping. I think I deprive myself too much of the good things. But darn, I always think I could get them expensive things on a cheaper price elsewhere and end up not buying anything. Egh. Cheapskate girl.

A List of Sort

2011-10-13T17:30:00.001+08:00

The things circulating my mind for the past few days:

1. (Hot) Matcha Latte or Green Tea Latte. I do not quite have the right tools and ingredients to make delicious Matcha Latte at home, except for the powdered green tea my brother gave me. Without that little bamboo whisk and vanilla powder from CBTL, the cup of fake matcha latte I make for myself tastes bitter and unappetizing.

2. Thinking about my legs is a waste of brain cells. But I swear these days I am hating on them more than the usual. If I could seriously change a part (or parts) of my body it would absolutely be parts from my pelvic bones down.

3. Turning twenty-five next year which can only mean one thing: eating control!!!!! Plus more exercising!

4. This particular part at SM Department store, Ladies' section where all the clothes I want to wear everyday for the rest of my life is found.

5. The horrible line at any SM Malls!! Lady guards, stop poking your lady guard sticks in the insides of my bag! Oh I should mention this one time when the lady guard asked me to open my big wallet. "Ate, seriously? Wallet ko po?" Yuh, I showed her who's da boss.

6. How to spend the long weekend this end of the month! Although really, this is no contest and it's hardly something I should give serious thoughts to. Answer is pretty simple and obvious! No brainer!

7. How much fun Saturday will be at Subic! And how sucky my period timing is because it started today and I was kinda looking forward to wearing my bikini.

8. Visualizing if I still look cute in a bikini. :(

9. This huge pimple waiting to happen at the right side of my nostril. The worst place for pimples to occur is around the nose! Too visible and hurts like hell.

10. Paul Rudd :3 and sometimes this JEMM guy!
______________

If you'd ask me 2 years ago what I like in a guy, this was how I would probably answer it:

I am just a sucker for the mysterious, artistic type of guy. My interests are a total opposite to these stereotyped 'indie men' , but still they are appetizing to me like a whiff of freshly baked apple pie.

I don't know but rugged men and freshly baked apple pie are kinda off tangent... strange.

PS
Joining the blog-about-lists c/o Helga

Magic

2011-10-12T16:35:00.000+08:00

Showing all of you my impeccable Paint Skills!! I know, killer mouse movement concentration and patience.. Gawd, I'm good...

and sarcastic.

Manang's Chicken

2011-10-11T10:21:00.000+08:00

Thanks for letting me borrow this photo, Bobbit Lim!

I shall start this post by saying, I am in love / obsessed with Manang's Chicken. I feel guilty.. because I haven't been eating my other chicken boyfriends out there like Uncle John's, Mang Inasal and ChicBoy. I am sorry boys but I am switching to Manang's! She knows how to satisfy me better than all of you. Buuuurn

A lot of reviews are saying that Manang's Chicken is comparable to that of Bon Chon's, but the overall taste is a whole lot different. Not comparable at all. Manang's Chicken tastes like a crispy fried chicken coated in Reyes Barbeque's famous sauce and topped with sesame seeds (kinda tastes like that). Manang's coating is saltier and sweeter, you know how Filipino's taste are!

What I like about Manang's Chicken!

Crispy double deep fried chicken - Why double fry a chicken? I noticed Manang's Chicken is banking on their crispy and saucy fried chicken. One of the ways to achieve this kind of crispiness is by double frying it. How? This is just my theory but the first fry is done in a lower temperature enough to cook the meat on the chicken, enough to make it 1st level crispy. Then you drain chicken on a paper towel and second fry it in oil with a higher temperature.

Sauce - kinda tastes like Reyes Bbq's famous sauce, but not quite. The sauce is a little bit on the salty + sweet side, but I like it!

Fast service - you get your order in more or less 6-7 minutes upon ordering.

Near my office in Ortigas - they are a good 5-10 mins walk from where I work!

Addicting - they taste better and better each time I eat it! Believe me, I had 3 Manang's Chicken in a week already, and I guess I am having another this lunch time! Yihee!

Big chicken pieces - you can choose between thighs and breast or a combination of both if you are ordering two pieces of chicken w/ rice.

Sulit! not so cheap but you get your money's worth - P126 bucks for 2 pcs. chicken cuts (big chicken cuts I might add) and rice.

What I don't like:

served on Styrofoam even if you eat inside the restaurant
you guys seriously have to expand! Please have a branch in Baguio hihi
it's fattening and I can't eat it everyday, three times a day even if I want to!

I haven't tasted the other items on their menu because their fried chicken is kinda distracting! :D
_____________
Manang's Chicken

AIC Gold Tower, Garnet Road
Ortigas Center, Pasig City (near Emerald/former NU107)
Monday-Saturday - 9:00 am to 01:00 am
Sunday - 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

G/F One Burgundy Plaza, Katipunan QC
Monday-Sunday - 10:00am to 10:00pm

Maybelline's Color Changing Lip Balm

2011-10-10T14:01:00.000+08:00

I do not know how many times I have mentioned this but I was never ever really a fan of lipsticks and lip balms. The thing I used to color my lip was my cheek tint. But last Saturday in Baguio, due to boredom and the weather condition which did nothing but crack/chap my lips, I passed by Watson's and bought Maybelline's Lip Smooth Color Bloom: Color Changing Lip Balm.

I chose to buy the Peach Bloom color because I think it's a lighter color than the pink shade. It's basically a colorless lipbalm which changes color once you apply on your skin. I think the darkness/lightness of the color will vary depending on your skin's chemistry. But so far, I like it! It reminds me of a better version of those Magic Lipstick. The color sticks well to my lips and it lasts for hours. I think it looks pretty natural, too!

Not bad for only P99.00. Available in Watson's or any leading department stores out there.

C2 Milky Tea

2011-10-10T13:36:00.000+08:00

Look who's joining the Milk(y) Tea Bandwagon!!!

Selected supermarket are beginning to supply the new C2 Milky Tea flavor. Infairness, the black tea taste is more powerful than the creaminess of the milk. I haven't seen stores selling 500 ml bottles of this yet,so I am guessing the 250ml bottles are just a trial taste test for the public?

Let's see how far this C2 Milky Tea craze will go.

Pipino Vegetarian Resto

2011-10-07T09:33:00.000+08:00

1 Welcome to Pipino Vegetarian Food!

2 Pipino-Ginger Lemongrass Cooler - very refreshing drink!

3 Vegetable Tempura - very oily but the best dish I've tasted among the four meals

4 Banana Polenta with Asparagus Salad and Sun-dried Tomato Confit - somehow strange combination of vegetables. The Banana Polenta was a star on its own. If one eats it with the sun-dried tomatoes (which taste like prunes/raisins), it's nakakasuya. The presentation is nice and all but personally, the ingredients are not cohesive.

5 Lemongrass Tofu Skewers with Guava-Chili Sauce and Alfalfa - The taste is too lemongrassy, almost feels like I'm eating raw lemon grass because of the strong pungent flavor and aroma. Overall, not a fan of this dish either.

6 Cold Soba Buckwheat Noodles with Mango Salsa, Crispy Tofu & Soy Mirin - Too ordinary. I wasn't fond of the everything we ordered except for the Vegetable Tempura!

I am giving this a second try! I don't know why we didn't order the best sellers though. I heard Pipino's Veggie Lasagna is a winner.
______________

PIPINO: VEGETARIAN FOOD by Pino
39 Malingap St., Teacher's Village
Quezon City, Philippines

The Best Cassave Cake: Ree Chichie

2011-10-05T18:44:00.000+08:00

Disregard the tacky box, folks. Honestly one of the best (if not, THE TOP/ BEST) cassava cake I have ever tasted. Even better than Ralo's Cassava Cake.

What I like:

Soft cassava cake even when refrigerated
big buko pieces you can actually see some from the photo
cheese topping overload
perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness (from the cheese)

Go buy one now! I give this 5 stars out of 5! Thanks Paul for giving me this Happy Birthday Cassava Cake haha!
________________
Ree Chichie Branches:

Marikina City Branch: Lot 2-A J.P. Rizal St., Nangka. Tel. No. 881-4883
Malolos City Branch: 4400 Mc Arthur Hi-way, Tikay. Tel. No. 775-2146
Quezon City Branch:39 Visayas Avenue. Tel. No. 710-7016
Valenzuela City Branch: 180 Mc Arthur Hi-way, Karuhatan. Tel. No. 710-7180
Tondo, Manila Branch: 2482 Juan Luna St., Gagalangin. Tel. No. 703-4729
Sta. Cruz, Manila Branch: 1745 Blumentritt St. 731-9632

P170.00 bucks for a big cassava cake box

Happenings on October 3, 2011 in Photos

2011-10-04T11:26:00.000+08:00

1 Happy Birthday salubong with Helios Friends the night before my birthday

2 A happy birthday cupcake surprise from Boj while I renew my driver's license at Megamall

3 Jugno's Monster Pizza from my boss and mommy :)

4 The best cassava cake from Paul! Really the best cassava cake I have ever tasted! Ang cute mo ha, cassave cake for birthday?! haha!

5 Mini cake from Rachel

6 Caramia Gelato Ice Cream Cake from my brother

Celebration with friends as I do my 'happy birthday to me' swagger!

We need to remember how we spent our birthdays so I recommend taking photos of significant events on your day! Aside from the happiness all around, I've spent about 1,500 bucks for claiming my confiscated driver's license and having it renewed after wards. That money could have been for my shopping spree, damn it.

I have never received so many types of cakes (cupcake, real cake, mini-cake, cassava cake, ice cream cake) in one day! Despite the calories consumed and the fat aftermath, I truly do appreciate the simple joys my family and friends extended just to make me feel unique and awkward! :) :)

Joining the bandwagon of Girls Wanting To Lose that 5 Pounds! Let's do it!!!!

Carrot and Farmers

2011-09-28T09:52:00.001+08:00

You didn't think I was going to talk about real farm, did you?

I was getting tired of wearing pencil skirts at work all the time so I decided to look for slacks at St. Francis. I was so excited to find out we now have different kinds of slacks because I get turned off with those flared slacks which does nothing but unflatter (huh? didn't know there is no such word as unflatter, heck) the body. I am obsessed with straight/skinny slacks!

I love the feel on my skin. Almost feels like wearing tights/jogging pants but you know, you look corporate and legit! But what I am digging right now is the carrot pants! It is slight puffy at the hips area and goes on skinny to the legs part. I think it's cute.. like a carrot (?) So switching now to carrot pants instead of those damned jeans. Am I the only one right here who feels fat after wearing newly washed jeans? God, I hate the feeling of wriggling my way in my own jeans. Like I gained a kilo in a day! Ugh, horrible.

And Farmer John's Premium Potato Chips is a new addicting junk food. Comparable to Lays but waaaaaaaay cheaper!


90 grams for 45 bucks!

Yesterday I spent half my day at the mall. Pigged out with myself, dated myself out for a movie and strolled with myself.

Gad, do I love myself way too much a.k.a I'm just truly a loner in real life.

And PS Horrible Bosses is not a horrible movie!

P.P.S. I LOVE YOU, PAUL RUDD!!!!!! You are the hottest 42 year old man I ever laid my eyes on! :3

Hello, Pedring! And Yes I am Bored

2011-09-27T09:34:00.000+08:00

I should consider being a graphic artist. We can see some obvious potential here, right?

I might go to the mall and watch Horrible Bosses (heard it was a terrible movie) and My Neighbor's Wife. Too bad No Other Woman isn't showing yet, that would have been perfect way to end a stormy Tuesday.

A Pound or Two

2011-09-26T14:52:00.000+08:00

That is me with crazy buttons for eyes and a painted mole below my right nostril. It would seem like I ridicule people with moles but seriously, moles are awesome!!!

Oh and see how smooth I am going on a blogging limbo and suddenly showing up with a post amply entitled as so to *aherm* be some sort of sequel to the previous post called Country POUND Cake, get it? Yeah? No? Well.. feeling a little *here goes insecurity rants for the world wide web to know!!!* heavy again for the nth time, and hell to the next nth times I am going to blurt this out to you, yes you. Why are women so complicated, huh? Freaking horrible to feel ugly on a Monday morning, the start of the week.

Next Monday I turn a year old and I think I should succumb to the fact how my metabolism will slow down as I age, errr.

Girly rant and birthday rant is what this blog is all about. I do not know what I want for my birthday but a birthday greeting from Paul Rudd is nice. :3

Country Pound Cake

2011-09-13T14:12:00.000+08:00

Next time I will make sinful Berry Trifle out of this!

Tao Kae Noi Tempura Seaweed Snack!

2011-09-12T10:55:00.001+08:00

One of the most addicting junk food out there but sorry to say that it is a bit on the expensive side and the quantity of chips inside the package aren't too many.

Where: Any leading Supermarkets out there (bought mine in Mega mall). Can be found in the International / Asian section
Price: Approx. Php 80.00
Flavor: Crispy and addicting!
Others: Resealable packaging
Must try: I like Tao Kae Noi plain crispy seaweed

Weekend Cooking: Home-cooked Combo Meal

2011-09-11T19:49:00.001+08:00

Excuse the tacky plate, please??

A plateful of yummy things, reminiscent of combo meals in Italian fastfood chains out there. But mine is better (duh much?) because it was home-cooked, it was cooked by yours truly, and the portions were fulfilling.

Pasta in Marina Sauce + Olives, Caesar Salad, Bread Pan as croutons and Pan-Fried Creamy Dory.

That much food should be eaten during lunch time and not during dinner *face palm*. Oh well, running back and forth to staircase now!!

Lemon Detox Diet

2011-09-09T10:17:00.002+08:00

Egh. This tastes disgusting however, I already feel some result even after a day of drinking this disgusting stuff!

Do you sometimes feel heavy? Not fat, but heavy? It is as if you need to flush out the toxins or whatever out of your system? I have researched far and wide and my journey led me to Lemon Detox Diet. This is do-able, minus the not eating part. All you need is the following:

2 Tbsps. freshly squeezed lemon
2 Tbsps. natural maple syrup
1/10 tsp. of cayenne pepper
A tall glass of water

Mix it all up and get ready for your throat to buuuuurn. I may have put in a little too much cayenne pepper and too much lemon. I'm eating regularly while drinking lemon detox drink (I seem to love rice lately, it's alarming) and by regularly I meant larger portion of food than the usual. I don't consider myself a big eater, but the past few weeks I admit to being a pig! And will continue being a pig until I turn 25 hoho!)

To tell you honestly, I don't know what to achieve out of this Lemon Detox Diet. For one, I don't want to fast for two weeks (hell no!). And number two, I am not entirely sure if I need/want to lose weight! I have been fluctuating between 50 kgs - 53 kgs so right now I am confused about my real weight, but survey shows I am consistent at 51 kgs (how to get this extra kilo off is rocket science and sooo annoying!! argh).

*Eureka moment right here* Just remembered I need to lose weight for when I... get in to Pinoy Masterchef. hehehe I will look like a fatso on national television (because camera adds 10 pounds!!!) and I'd like to look good on national television (although, in my honest opinion, I'm not so telegenic and sometimes not photogenic either). So.. target weight would be 47-48 kgs, 45 kgs for my height (which is 5'5") is a little to skinny soooo... let's see!!!

Wish me luck on the Pinoy Masterchef Auditions! If this is meant for me it shall be!

Battle of the Instant Brown Coffee

2011-09-08T09:37:00.001+08:00

There is a Brown Coffee trend going on lately. I really don't know the big deal and striking difference between the Brown Coffee and regular instant coffee. Is it because the brown sugar enhances the flavor of the coffee? Actually, it somehow does. Brown sugar makes the coffee have a more depth of flavor rather than using the regular white sugar.

So in this light, here is my review of each Instant Brown Coffee out there in the market today:

1) Nescafe Brown Coffee

My least favorite out of the three brands
Not tasty
Tastes too diluted when mixed w/ water in a small/regular cup
Too creamy

2) Kopiko Brown Coffee

My absolute instant coffee nowadays!
Perfect blend of brown sugar, coffee powder and creamer
Tasty!

3) Great Taste Trio Brown Coffee

Slowly becoming a favorite next to Kopiko
has the strongest coffee taste
has a rich and robust, almost choco java taste

There! I wish there is an *affordable sachet* instant Matcha Green Tea Latte in the market :''(

Vitamilk + Wednesday Lunch

2011-09-07T16:46:00.000+08:00

Honestly, if I weren't so pushed by curiosity, I wouldn't even buy this:

Vitamilk is a Soya Drink if it's not obvious enough? Well actually, it isn't so obvious.

What I like:

Creamy consistency
Delicious, infairness!

What I don't like:

Packaging-wise: bottle is made of glass! And can opener is needed to get the cap off! Not travel friendly!
Calories galore: Ingredients consist of: whole soybean, water, sugar, coconut oil, palm oil (why do you need oil for this drink!?), whole milk powder (again, why is there a need to add milk when it's a soy milk??)

Marketing and manufacturer of Vitamilk, you might want to reconsider repackaging your soya milk to plastic bottles??

Hey, look at my Wednesday Lunch!

Vitamilk + Yogurt + Banana! Later I will be meeting up with friends to eat at Pino Restaurant, a vegetarian resto in Teacher's Village! I cannot wait!! Have a Healthy Wednesday, folks!

Me Bragging About my Teeth, Teeth Whiteners, and K Dental Studio

2011-09-06T11:12:00.009+08:00

Let's talk about my teeth. I'm pretty sure I spelled this one correctly. No, there is no s at the end. Sorry.

Hello, I am Len David and I am OC when it comes to my teeth (^self-gratuitous person on the loose!). No kidding. I am one of those few kids back then who actually liked going to the dentist because I loved to brag that I have no cavities!

If you have a mother like I do, you would understand why I grew up this way. Mother, it's all your fault that I have a good set teeth (bragging rights!) Sure it was torture for you to wake us up in a middle of a sweet Willie Wonka dream just to brush our teeth, but hey, look at us now! Dental Floss Freaks we are! :3

I got excited when I learned there is a new Dental Studio near our office. It's called K Dental Studio which Helga and I checked out. I needed to have my teeth cleaned anyway and I needed some teeth consultation because my mother has been nagging me to have my 2 or 3 of my impacted teeth taken out.

I was shocked (the good kind) when I saw the place (more of kilig, really) when I saw the studio and the doctor running it. The place is pretty, other than that Dra. Karla Domingo is head-over-heels gorgeous! She looks like a cross between Carlene Aguilar + Eva Mendez combined. Having someone that pretty checking the innards of my mouth is awkward, but nonetheless going to the dental studio for check-up is inspiring.

What strikes me most about the clinic is Dra. Karla's teeth whitening program. You all know I am obsessed with teeth whiteners (I recommend Walgreen's Whitening Dental Wraps) but it's expensive to buy it on E-bay (shipping cost palang talo na agad!) or it's annoying to wait for a relative from the US to visit Philippines and nag them to buy me some teeth whitening goodies. So, I was enthusiastic to know Doc K has take-home bleaching with custom teeth trays! As in she will make a customized teeth mold for you so that it perfectly fits your teeth (duh) and all you have to do is put her own concocted whitening gel. Haven't tried this yet but it's in my wishlist for 2011(HELLO TO PEOPLE WHO CARE MY BDAY IS ON OCTOBER 3!!!!)

I look so manas and I think I don't look so manas in person. Oh gawd.
___________________
K Dental Studio
1409 Medical Plaza
San Miguel Ave, Ortigas Center
Pasig City, Philippines

What's Inside Your Make-up Kit?

2011-09-05T09:04:00.001+08:00

I am not huge on make-up, but these are the essentials of my make-up kit:

1) Bench's Pretty When Pinched Cheek and Lip Tint: I use that both for my lips and my cheek. Some said this causes pimples but for the whole five years (maybe 7? ever since Highschool!!) I've used this (before it was in a form of a paste/gel) I have never experienced having breakouts. Girl friends said to level up to Body Shop's lip and cheek tint (Len, move on from HS cheektint already!!!) but I find the color too light and it's kinda expensive.

2) Ever Bilena's Gold Icon Bronzer: I have my best friend to thank for these! Although, really Len? Ever Bilena? No offense to the Ever Bilena users but the packaging is sucky! The top cover of the blush ALWAYS gets lost. Despite all these malfunctions, what can I say? I like the shade of bronze and yes, it's cheap! Can you guys recommend other bronzers? The inexpensive ones, please?

3) Maybelline's Clear Smooth All-in-one Pressed Powder: Discovered this powder through a friend (Hi, Ricca!). She said it is an impressive pressed powder all for P249.00 (and P149.00 for the refill). I chose the Natural shade because I need a tad bit lighter shade than my actual skin color because I am acidic. Coverage is waaaay good, and it's not heavy and cake-y looking on the face. Looks natural! And I LOVE IT! Blends well with the skin, too!

Other make-up stuff I should (but was never actually part of my routine) include here is mascara, eyelash curler, concealer, etc... But, I am all good with these three basics.

Pffft my make-up kit's pretty lame. So, what's inside your make-up kit?

Aglio Olio Pasta 2

2011-09-04T21:27:00.000+08:00

An attempt to do my own version of Pizza Hut's Aglio Olio. I don't know. There is something missing. Maybe more anchovies but I am this close to getting the exact same taste.

I Diiiiieee Buko Piiiieeeee!!!!

2011-09-02T10:18:00.001+08:00

The best Buko Pie I found and tasted in Zamboanga City. How cruel the distance between us. :(

Hello, people! I present you the best tasting Mama in Zamboanga, Mama Lottie's (sounds so dirty in an American Pie kind of way)! She makes the BEST and I mean BEST EVER Butong (Buko) Pie in the history of Len David's life. This right here is the Rolls-Royce in Buko Pie Land, you hear me??

Look at that hotstuff, huh? Eye candy, right? Like you cannot get your eyes of her (yes, buko pies are female). A creamy, luscious thick filling made of custard and buko/coconut, thin flaky crust, and a topping of meringue for the m'fin win!!! Drooling yet? I bet.

The only thing I don't like about the best buko pie ever aside from the unnerving distance between Manila and Zamboanga is that it's not that travel friendly and that it should be consumed immediately (hello, as if this will a last a day in the fridge!). Otherwise the next few days the crust becomes soggy, and soggy crust is gross, and we don't like gross soggy crust, do we?

Price: Approximately around P450.00 (more or less) for a whole pie

Mama Lottie's is found inside Antonio's Steakhouse Grill, near Pasonanca Park in Zamboanga City.

P.S. Mama Lottie's Lemon Pie? Sounds scrumptious but totally not worth it.

Pizza Hut's Aglio Olio Pasta

2011-08-31T16:23:00.001+08:00

Photo from Pizza Hut

I bet you didn't know Pizza Hut serves really delicious Aglio Olio? Neither did I.

This came to me that one fateful day when Pizza Hut had a P99 peso promo (or was it a hundred? I forget). A meal composing of your choice of salad, drink and main course. I picked the roasted chicken w/ Aglio Olio Pasta. Needless to say, I fell in love!

What I like about Pizza Hut's Aglio Olio Pasta:

Spaghetti pasta is cooked al dente
2 types of garlic: sauteed garlic (which is soft) and crunchy garlic bits
the perfect saltiness from anchovies
A hint of spiciness from red chili flakes
It's filling for only P99.00

I have been in the hunt for really really tasty Aglio Olio Pasta but for now, this tops the list. Perfect seasoning and blend of garlic texture. Of all the Pasta Selection in Pizza Hut, this is definitely worth trying and going back to, trust me.

Tell me what you think if you've tasted their Aglio Olio Pasta already. Did you like it, or do I just have a weird sense of taste? Please suggest other restaurants who have great tasting Aglio Olio! I think it's my second favorite pasta next to Puttanesca.

Monkey

2011-08-31T15:51:00.002+08:00

As in a baby monkey!! Hopefully it doesn't look like me, but isn't it just cute? Her/his/its head's so small and bulging eyes kinda scares the shiz out of me (its eyes bordering on puss in the boots puppy dog eyes, hah well it's a monkey who can have puppy dog cute eyes, and planet of the apes I can kill you gaze).

That, yes, that moment right there captured in photo might be my first time EVER to hold an infant, a mammal for that matter, in a motherly cradling a baby position. See how a photo can convey lies?

This is as close I can get to feeling some kind of maternal instinct (and wow, to an animal and not to a human being). However, I am not so excited on the roles of motherhood, specifically bearing children. I seriously hope in the next 10 years (should I lower this down to 8? or 7?) from now when I am stable on all aspects to commit to motherhood that I don't suffer from post partum depression. That would be sad. And... just reaaaally sad.

I am not one of those women who are innately caring and warm and sometimes I find this fact greatly.. alarming. Oh well. I am in my mid-20's and I shouldn't be worrying about this. I have given myself 10 years to figure out the roles I must evolve to in the future. Eeeck.

Note for Future Len: 1) How is the diet going? 2) Are you still married? (hahaha!) 3) If you are, why haven't you left yet!? (haha kidding, you know how Present Len kids, right?) 4) Don't you just miss your Past Len-self where life was less complicated? 5) You are late for the PTA meeting!! Get the hell out of the house NOW!

And how sad is Blue Valentine, yes? Agree?

I will be ready to surrender to the fact that I can be one of those bitter ladies who die old, wrinkly and alone with a dozen unfriendly, fierce black cats, who hiss at the sight of a stranger. If you are a candidate, hit me up, email me, we can arrange our miserable future together and possibly prevent this sad sad prediction from happening, right?

Huma-Happy Lemon

2011-08-19T21:46:00.001+08:00

Happy LENmon

I am convinced that I do not look like the person in the .gif. Who is that girl anyway?

Am I the only one who feels like, or who refuses to believe she is the girl in photographs of "herself"? Every now and then I would compare a photo of "myself" (or so they say) and immediately run to the nearest mirror and find myself saying, naaaaah this couldn't be me in the photo.. nope, not me.

Heh. But what I am absolutely sure of is that Happy Lemon isn't called Happy Lemon for nothing.

There are so many other choices of drink to choose from aside from the usual best seller Rock Salt and Cheese w/ Cocoa/Green Tea/Coffee. Actually, I know of some people who find the combination weird, some even said it tastes like church, as in simbahan (haha funny girl) and some said it tastes like soap (?).

I've tried the Matcha with Malt, which was disappointing and Matcha with Beans (forgot if it's called Mizuki beans) but equally nothing special. Trying their Lemon Series next, then will proceed with the other normal flavors like Roasted Milk Tea. Sounds promising.

PS
Thanks for the photos Jaypee!

Mini-stop Mango Float

2011-08-18T16:14:00.000+08:00

I woke up today having the incredible urge to eat this for some strange, unknown reason!

This Mango Float in Ministop is not the most delish Mango Float in the entire planet, but there is something so satisfying with pairing it with hot milk tea or Kopiko (oo dapat Kopiko kasi olats and Nescafe) Brown Coffee.

Also, you might notice I have been a .gif druggie lately, and this will only stop if and only if my webcam dies or my laptop gets stolen--which is highly unlikely, I hope.

Really giddy about 90210 Season 4!! Yes, yes, yes to all the outfit the girls are wearing!

.

______________

I got tired of playing Diamond Rush week after week I failed to move on from Siberia Stage 9! One day, the answer just *poof* presented itself like magic and I was what the hell 'yan lang ang nakalimutan kong gawin? Damn it! Having to realize the solution after accidentally finding it feels like wow, this was how long for me to figure this step out?! I feel dumb.

Yet it seems to serve an important lesson such as... not to give up? Do every possible means to solve the puzzle/problem no matter how crazy it is? To know that it is alright to take a break from problems and try to figure it out later? To don't stop believing? Hold on to this feeling?

Street lights. People.

Don't.

Stop.

Hello, Mr. Kimbob!

2011-08-17T19:00:00.000+08:00

YO! Mr. Kimbob is the new shiz in Foodcourt Town y'all! I bet all the other foodcourt stalls are jealous and threatened by this newcomer. Imagine a generous hot plate of bibimbap for only 95 bucks! I swear, two people can share this meal, uh-huh.

This lunch meal is tagged under I-ate-my-lunch-30-minutes-before-12-but-a-friend-forced-me-to-go-to-the-mall-with-him-and-meet-another-friend-for-lunch-so-I-ate-lunch-again-because-I-got-jealous-of-their-Bibimbap-and-now-I'm-so-full-I-can't-even-breathe-well *whew* But kidding aside folks (what I really meant by kidding aside is please forget that I'm ~~kind of~~ a pig), I gave 3/4 cup of rice to my friend, promise, cross my heart, hope to die, I'll stick a needle in your eye. Why do I even defend myself from myself?!

WILL TAKE JOGGING SERIOUSLY! Hay hay sigh sigh sigh frustrations all around.

Fail.

I thought of Chicboy again :( There is a new branch across SM-Cubao :3

Feeling Darn Adorable :3

2011-08-16T16:22:00.000+08:00

Well, well. Isn't this the first time I ever felt.. adorable.

Adorable is too cute a word not meant to be used in the same sentence as I. Len and Adorable does not quite sound right, however, wearing a polka dot bubble skirt seem to make Adorable & Len = Adorable Len legit.

I got too busy with making GIFs the whole afternoon (uh-oh). Why didn't anyone tell me this is habit forming/ addicting?!?!

One more .gif!!

Such a dwork. Speaking of being a dork suffering from astigmatism, I need to desperately replace my eye glasses. One time, a friend asked me if I borrowed my dad's glasses. Huh? What? My daddy's eye glasses? Uh, yes dear because your frames? They look old. You look old.

K. She has a point.

Totally digging leopard-rimmed rectangular-ish eyeglasses (to frame my somewhat square-ish and round-ish face!) Aside from looking cute(r?), I get to look like a schmexy snob cat lady. Puurrrrr. I will look for you on December, just you wait.

GIFs and Bears

2011-08-15T18:05:00.001+08:00

Thanks for the photo, Keith!

I am looking chunky even next to a big, fat, cuddly mascot bear. I do not know Eastwood have bears for a mascot. Seriously, Eastwood? Bears? Eastwood marketing team, are you sure you ordered the right kind of mascot costume? Oh, you know, I was thinking maybe you misspelled Beers with Bears. Hmmn, a deep thought to ponder about.

Sometimes I don't even know the reasons behind me painting my face with strange bandage smileys, when really, I do not have any intentions to remain faceless nor anonymous. Case in point:

There are dog ugly days, ladies and gentlemen. Women are strange, unpredictable creatures. That's just how we are. I don't know why we feel what we feel. Or do what we do. Or think what we think. Hormones. We call them hormones, and let me tell you, it's a pretty convenient excuse for awkard, sticky (eww pun so not intended!) situations.

Yes, women around the world! Let us totally blame the hormones all the time. Just like men blame alcohol all the time.

Touché!

Someone Jogged Last Sunday!

2011-08-15T10:34:00.001+08:00

Yes, and that someone is ME! Wow, this is an achievement ready to be crossed out from the 2011 To-Do List (let's just hope I keep it up from week to week!). I jogged on a Sunday and in UP! Someone got to drag my lazy ass out of bed on an early Sunday morning despite having drinks the prior night. It's called... responsibility and keeping my word.

Slept around 12:30 am and set my alarm at 4:30 Sunday morning. It was a challenge to battle with the bed, pulling me down, tempting me to sleep some more, saying "Hey, it's a Sunday. Give yourself a break. You only get to experience waking up after 8 on weekends. Come on. That jogging thing can wait." It was now or never. If I back out now, the chances of jogging in other weekends become slimmer and slimmer. So, jog I did! Started getting my jog on around 6:30 and finished after two hours, total of 4 laps (which is 4 x 2.2 kms = 8.8 kms!) Not bad, not so bad.

But I did manage to cheat a little because I brisk-walked for two laps and then jogged + walked the remaining laps, and maybe had a tall plastic cup of taho minus the arnibal/caramelized sugar in between jogging (k maybe 2 tablespoons from a regular four!) Then for breakfast, friends and I headed over to Mcdo and I got fried chicken and McFlurry, never ate lunch! Uhm, it's called offsetting?? I told you I would abuse this body until I turn twenty-five.

After jogging, eating and cooking lunch (made Caldereta with a touch of Sauteed Bagoong or shrimp paste and how it makes all the difference in the world), I locked myself up in my room (put up the Done With Chores, Do Not Disturb Me sign) and had a weekend movie marathon with myself.

Personally liked Something Borrowed the best because I am chickflick kind of girl. Bad Teacher comes in as a second fave because Cameron Diaz's character remains obnoxious until the end and there was no need for her to become good. Uh, Date Night and Couples Retreat is blah.

Other things worth mentioning about the movies? How about these awesome outfits, yeah?

New Office

2011-08-11T15:15:00.000+08:00

We are currently transferring to a bigger office. Just a few units down from our old office unit (now converted into a stock room). The whiteness of the new unit makes me feel like I'm in a hospital, or a mental ward. We need some crazy and splash in colors in the form of plants and art pieces!

Again, this is too much information but it's my fourth day of non-bowel movement. This is also the first time I saw my tummy this big and it's just there, bulging. Sucking my stomach in isn't working at all. That is how bad the last few days of eating and indigestion has become. It's like I am a month pregnant with a food baby (hehe Juno the Movie).

Tried drinking fiber thingies called C-Lium since last night. I chugged down two sachets = two glasses full of fiber. The morning I wake up, still nothing! Then I downed another glass after breakfast and shower, still nothing. Now, I filled my 1500 ml bottle of water with 2 sachets of C-lium and na-da. If two pills of Dulcolax won't do the work, I don't know what will! Heck. Taking in 10 tablets of Senokot is like asking if I would I like to live in the bathroom whole night, but to feel lighter.. I'll reconsider. (will I die? will I faint?)

I feel heavy but energetic. What a mighty unusual combination. :3

Also I've been wondering what kind of body type I have. I think my body resembles Keira Knightley's and Oliva Wilde's? Slim pear? Hmmn.

Oh yeah, about the DQ chair incident...I don't think I shall push through with the letter of complaint anymore. I had my skin re-checked again. The derma told me what happened to my thighs is called Contact Dermatitis. We cannot really pinpoint where I got my allergic reactions from, but doctora said it couldn't be from mites alone. It could be the rattan, it could be the dust in the chair, it could be the varnish in the rattan. It could be a lot of factors that are so common and yet my skin reacts abnormally to it. It's just me. It's just my skin's fault because I am part of the minority who is allergic to common things, such as rattan chairs (wtf)! Lesson is to.. always bring a towel with me any where I go? Be wary of my enironment? Be a girl inside a bubble? Fun!

Surprisingly, as in what-a-magical-surprise, the allergies (I do not want to call them bites anymore) are healing faster than expected. There are no deep marks. It will only take a few more weeks (maybe even two weeks!) before I could wear short skirts and shorts again :3

What-I-Ate Tuesday

2011-08-09T21:57:00.001+08:00

Haha (yes, I am starting this post with an unsure laugh).

This post is nothing more than a self-bashing, look at yourself you'll be a pig in no time, you are a self-destructive kind of girl, self-loathe type of blog post.

Or guilt. This blog post is driven by guilt.

So, I begin. I would like to share with all of you what I ate today.

We start with breakfast: I had two pieces of longganisa + garlic rice + kangkong with bagoong on the side, coffee to jumpstart the day. Then in between I snacked on White Cheese flavored Pringles (just a few chips!) and Nagaraya Pretzels! Then for lunch I had my favorite Breadtalk Cheesefloss and Sbarro Chicken Parmigiana Spaghetti. For dinner, had a random date with gorgeous girlfriends at True Deli (Victoria Station-Kamuning). I ordered True Asian Salad + Belly Bawang! Then had a helping of Kesong Puti Cheesecake w/ Blueberry (which the girls and I shared okaay)

And now, here I am with a full stomach, unable to really breathe properly. I haven't felt this full for a long time and I don't plan to keep this up the next coming days. Especially so that I am feeling so constipated my stomach is rock-hard, and not the wow-I-have-abs type but oh-my-you-seriously-need-to-drink-some-laxatives-girl!! Too much information for you, yeah?

Gosh I feel heavy. Len, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Oh how many times shall I say "No more" and really mean it?
__________

Saw Nadine Samonte at the parlor down the office. Uhm. No comment. AND OH MY, can I just say na and tindi ng politika sa parlor??? Whooo saludo ako.

Palm Reading and How It's Making Me Paranoid

2011-08-03T16:22:00.005+08:00

June and July I had my palm read by x number of people. All of them stated essentially the same things. In palm reading, the three lines in your right palm are interpreted and all these lines mean something. There is the health line, love line and wealth line.

According to them my health line is good. I will live long enough to see and enjoy my grandchildren (looks like the planking grandmother wonder will happen!!) Love line is good as well. I will be married and it will last, although one of them told me I won't be happy with this marriage, but nonetheless will stick with the relationship. Then what bothers me most is my wealth line. They said my wealth line is short, meaning I will not be rich or will have little or no money in the future.

Here is what I think: palm reading is a hay-ball of bullshit. If we so believe in palm reading so much and/or destiny or fate, it goes against free will to make life work for the better etc etc. If these are all true, efforts to prove this prediction otherwise will not affect my destiny of being poor, because this prediction is written in the stars (the palm), it's destiny, it's inevitable. So why should I try to be rich when my destiny in the future is to be poor? So, let's say I'm a hard working woman who has the right attitude towards work, has the right career path, has all the right choices in life. And you tell me all these magnificent things will go to waste because in the future, poverty awaits for me. Seriously, you have got to be kidding me?!

It's a depressing premonition I will not allow to happen. And I'll prove you all wrong... like Captain America.

This issue has really gotten me pissed and affected to the bones.

Believe in yourself and not your palm (lines)!!

AND PALM LINES CHANGE IN TIME. jeeez

All these rants boil down to never having palm and tarot readings again. Promise. Even for fun, never. I promise.

Things I'm Gaga About Lately

2011-08-02T10:50:00.004+08:00

1) Discount vouchers! Read: Metrodeal.ph and Awesome! Currently gaga about diamond peel treatments. And getting more crazy-wild-gaga for P200 bucks worth of diamond peel treatment when it was originally priced at P2,500! Also eyeing the 1-hour Laser Teeth Whitening Session for only 2,500 (orig price is at 22,000) but am turned off because the clinic is in Sampaloc, Manila. :S

So, I got my Unionbank EON card re-activated today because Paypal seems like the best way to pay the vouchers. Problem is I can't access my EON online banking because I forgot my pin number! damn it :| The problem with Unionbank is they can't just change your pin code. They have to issue you another EON Unionbank card while my account number remains the same. But my other problem is linking my EON Card to Paypal again considering they will change the EON card number. Hassle :S

2) Waist belts because I like cinching my waist, also because dress+waist belt+pumps or pencil skirts+waist belt+pumps seems to be my "style" when it comes to corporate clothing.

3) Necklaces: I do not want to look so boring and blah anymore so I am opening up to accessories. I am not used to wearing other things around my neck or my hands huhuhuhu but for beauty or whatever I shall

4) Reading two-three different books all at once: It's kinda like cheating but I somehow am fond of dipping my brain into two-three different stories in a day. However, Bare tops my reading list. How can I stop reading a book with the first three lines saying: I was naked. Bam!

5) Bandage skirts: It makes the hips really sexy. Heck, it makes anyone sexy. Even a man.

6) Color blocking! I haven't tried it yet (I think I did, once) but I want to stand-out this rainy season(lies). Make them girls and gays say, "Summer, 'te?!" Color blocking looks so rad but I don't like attracting attention.

7) Samuel Larsen and Marissa von Bleicken. Sam looks like a wolf and somehow reminds me of Jason Castro. Marissa is one of the prettiest girls in the world, in my honest opinion. Also, I love her hair and her face is the kind of face that will never have ugly days in this lifetime <3

8) Watching movies alone. Just watched Captain America in Mega.. alone. There is something serene about watching movies with no friends/acquaintances by your side. I am not a fan of noise and people talking to me while I watch a movie. My fist will go berserk and may punch someone in the face. (friends are no exception). I like to be alone and busy with my large cola, shake-shake fries and 2-piece fried chicken, please? Eating fried chicken in the the dark is challenging, but fun. I never noticed I had a big chunk of rice hanging from my dress and all the while I thought I looked extra nice today with all the stares I got.

Too lazy to credit photos but all photos aren't mine and are grabbed from the internet

New Acquisitions!

2011-07-29T17:26:00.001+08:00

I actually bought four books from the book sale (other one not in photo, I forgot the title). Buy 1 take 1 for a whopping 99 bucks! Stopped myself from over-hoarding books again because I know only one (two on lucky days!) out of four books are worth it. I caught myself carrying six books I wanted to read but... ended up slimming the choices down to Bare: On Women Dancing, Sex and Power & Missing Member. Then, the Rest Area is a compilation of 20 short stories. I like a book with lots of stories because I can always choose which story I wanted to read first a.k.a it's for people with a short attention span!

My perfume obsession seems to be relapsing once again, but I plan to do nothing about it (perfumes are luxurious expensive things!). I have three perfumes and the best part is all of them are ~~stolen~~ given as gifts (I'm a nice kid, what can I say?)

My favorite scent is D&G's Light Blue. It's a pretty girl kind of scent, almost a shy sweet Hi-I'm-an-undercover-flirt smell. Christian Lacroix's C'est La Fete (translated as It's A Party, I think) is a more mature womanly scent I wear at work (and maybe at parties). Giorgio Armani's Acqua di Gioia should be applauded for its scent's staying power. I can smell myself even sweating or running around the city.

But the perfume that really suits me the best is Bulgari's Amethyst. The scent lingers on for hours on end plus it also has that pretty-girl-scent-please-sniff-me-when-I-walk-by magic.

Meowr :3

Bavarian Brew Slimming Coffee

2011-07-26T15:19:00.000+08:00

This was purchased all out of curiosity's sake:

Does it curb the appetite? What does it exactly do for the slimming effect? Bought the slimming coffee in Watsons for 40 bucks. It contains 4 sample packs which means it's 10 pesos/pack (yes, I'm a Math genius). Drank this coffee (I swear on my life it looks like tea) last Sunday night. Guess who woke up with a bad stomach come Monday morning???

This is a tastier version of Kancura or Kankunis. It's not recommended for people who have work the next day. Will not curb the appetite. In short, it's a just another freakin' laxative that turns and twists your stomach into an excruciating knot (exaaaaggerating!). Not an enjoyable experience, unless you like to inflict pain upon yourself and like defecating a lot, this is the perfect diet drink for you (it's messy and everyone will ~~know~~ smell your dirty little deed! iiirrck!)

I do, however, believe this is seemingly the perfect drink to get back at your obnoxious officemate. Be "nice" and offer a cup of "normal" (aka this laxative drink) coffee (double the dosage for more fun!). It's perfectly alright to ~~pull-off gradeschool inspired pranks~~ be evil sometimes and besides, that person deserves it and you know it.

P.S. Len will never do suggestion above in real life, hmmm unless...

I-Just-Like-My-Outfit-Today Post and Word Vomits

2011-07-25T23:40:00.004+08:00

I wish I could face-paint myself easily on days where I am not in the mood to show my face. There was a zit waiting to happen at the side of my nose again. I rushed to Let's Face It and told the receptionist ate papa-inject ko pimple ko. Then I met the doctor and we had a 15-second transaction. Hi hello doc painject netong pimple na tutubo. Hi Len, okay, hindi ito masakit *tusok* Okie, goodbye, thank you po. Thank you din.

Done. Just like that. Next time, I am so not waiting for my pimple to erupt when I can have it injected with antibiotics asap! It magically disappears the next day (-.-,)

Just this morning, I saw a dead body in the highway. A dead body fresh from a motorcycle accident. It was an ugly, horrendous sight. The lingering image will haunt me later in my dreams.

Words... I am not in the writing mood. It's hard to grope for the right words to write (see? I did it again huhu)
_____
For the fishy person that you are, I demand the capital letter Y. Elaborate. Please expound further. Modified True or False.

Planking Madness!

2011-07-21T11:50:00.003+08:00

This is an alternative career choice in the future or maybe hobby:

Photo credits to this guy

I am considering to plank when I grow old, say when I am around 60 plus years old. By then I would have the following "planking characteristics". Planking, my dear friends, is not meant for everyone

By the time I'm 60 years of age I'm already a retard, or already showing signs of retardation. Therefore, boredom will strike and I'd find anything more interesting than traveling or watching after my grandkids. While retardation and boredom are two awfully lethal combination for further... stupidity, I would have thought that planking will be the ticket for my grandchildren to think I'm the coolest grandma around. They would boast to their peers, "Hey my lola can plank better than you, punk! And how old are you, eight? Laos." And I'd have that hell to the yeahz look. While maybe sticking out my tongue. Wait, that's too juvenile, scrap that..

Right. Planking will be my bonding time with my grand kids. I plank, they take the photo. We travel together, they dare me to plank in dangerous places, I accept the challenge, I get into accidents, we laugh about it, and maybe someday, they'll continue the planking tradition. Awesome. Having this title is totally fine with me: Len, The Grandma Planker Wonder.

What is Planking according to Urban Dictionary?

To plank. To lay horizontally in a strange or unusual place. To plank you must lay horizontally straighten your body and point your fingers and toes down (towards your feet), then you must name your "plank" and post a picture of the creator (of the plank) performing the pose on Facebook.

Planking is a great pastime for people who get bored easily and have friends willing to take pictures of them looking like retards. Public planking is more adventurous and is harder to pull off especially on things like: cop cars, public toilets, and in the middle of six way highways.

Planking can also be dangerous if performed: in places of frequent use, the tops of tall buildings and placed frequented by pedophiles and rapists.

Whoever thought of this planking thing is brilliant.

Of Weddings and Davao Weekend

2011-07-19T13:33:00.002+08:00

Wow! Len didn't crop her face! And yes, this is a crappy photobooth photo.

My only photo in Davao and it doesn't even show the Davao-ness of Davao (oh gawd too many Davao in one sentence)

Edit: I was in Davao last weekend but it doesn't look like it.

There.

My mother shall go faceless here because she wouldn't appreciate her face parading around my blog. We attended a wedding in Davao and I was almost persecuted at the church for wearing a short bandage dress. Kidding. I wasn't allowed to walk in the aisle to give the "offering" (hmm part of the wedding ceremony?) to the newly weds because I look hmmm... scandalous..?? K.

Buffet was inevitable, like gravity. You cannot say no to it, you must give in because it's there and you have no choice but to be a fat pig when you're in Davao. It's nature! It's okay to be a glutton, it's okay to eat breakfast buffet, lunch buffet, merienda buffet and dinner buffet for three days. No one will judge you there. So... do not be afraid, child.

Oh, but the focal point of the Davao weekend trip was the Diamond Peel session I had at Luminesse Facial Center. Guess how freaking much one diamond peel session costs?? P450.00. YES you read that right, son. P450.00! What a joke, a joke that is true and unfunny. Which means that it isn't a joke (whuuuut).

And I seem to like Durian now, even the smell. Like I can't wait to make a Durian Perfume for y'all.

Then.. I'm leaving Manila again for Nueva Ecija in a few minutes. You know what that means?! French Onion Soup in the weekend!!!!

Movie Trailers

2011-07-18T08:28:00.001+08:00

More trailers after the jump

Will watch these movies once it's out!

Film-ish

2011-07-15T22:10:00.000+08:00

Photo credits to Elyoo

This photo looks like a scene from a retro film.

San Miguel Super Coffeemix: Grandeur

2011-07-14T09:56:00.001+08:00

"What? San Miguel? Coffee? Strange."

It was so confusing I had momentarily forgotten how to construct a sentence. Yes, that was my initial reaction having received the box of San Miguel Super (really?) Coffeemix: Grandeur. It looks expensive and it looks delicious.

It says on the box that "indulgence is one's greatest pleasure." Followed by two bullet points of why it's a Premium Grande Instant Coffee Blend:

Finest Columbian Arabica coffee beans
45% less calories than regular 3 in one coffee

Apparently folks, looks can be quite deceiving. I am not ecstatic nor crazy about this coffee drink. For one, I like my coffee a little sweet, SanMig's is a little blah. Secondly, I am not a coffee expert therefore I find it hard to appreciate the Columbian Arabica-ness of the coffee (haven't got the fainest clue on what it should taste like!) Not buying one if I had a choice. Again, it's a matter of personal preference. Some of you guys might actually enjoy SanMig's Super Coffeemix.

Meanwhile, I am off to the Land of the Fat Camp. Davao today until Sunday! Please wish that I don't turn into a whale in three days. :|

Bu-to-nes

2011-07-13T10:25:00.000+08:00

I am the Ultimate Master of Correctly-Buttoning-My-Polo-Shirt.

Purchasing attractive, outstanding and lovely oven is not worth it. Therefore, I am buying three pairs of cute flats instead. I shall do this errand in about six hours, which is around 3 PM this afternoon.

There are life changing decisions I must make. For example, right now I argue with myself if I should waste my money on tarot card reading again. Oh how I love to paranoid myself.

New Lucky Me Pancit Flavor and Great Taste Coffee

2011-07-12T11:08:00.000+08:00

Totally not fond of this new Lucky Me! Pancit Pares: Beef Asado Flavor. What it is basically is a sweeter saucy version of the original Pancit Canton flavor. I don't think this will be something the masses will be dependent on (hah! Why yes, dear readers! Do you know that Filipinos are notorious for buying instant-anything foodstuff? As in yes, it is part of the family's grocery list and daily diet!). I admit that I am not a Lucky Me! fan. I'm more of a Nissin Pancit Canton Seafood Flavor and Nissin Yakisoba kind of girl (and kind of infatuated with Lucky Me Hot Chili Flavor topped with homemade kimchi!)

Then there is Great Taste White Coffee. Surprisingly very smooth and creamy, the powder itself is super fiiiiine (you fine, girl, you fiiiiine). Wow, there is a head-to-head battle between Kopiko Brown Sugar Coffee and Great Taste White Coffee. I miss 711 French Vanilla Cappuccino though

What is your favorite instant pancit canton and instant coffee?

P.S. I heard Great Taste Coffee used to have interesting flavors like Black Forest flavored coffee. How true??

Dear Future Len

2011-07-11T18:19:00.004+08:00

Dear Future Len,

Who, me? Yes, you.

This is your past-x-days/weeks/years-Lenself writing to you. I hope you read this letter as often in the future; like how you automatically check your Facebook in the morning/upon waking up or how you automatically always choose the greater good inspite of (naks, bolahin ba daw ang sarili?). I hope this letter pesters you enough to push you everyday to act upon THE LIST.

Just take a look how you are taking action right this very moment! See, you thought of a brilliant idea to write to your future self about things you should do. You don't necessarily need nagging friends and family to remind you important things in life (i.e. never going overboard with your weight, never settling for less etc etc) You have yourself, the Past Len, (at some point) the Present Len working together for the Future Len's... uhm... improvement in the future? [wow, redundant to the highest maximum level]

You can never deny nor deem this moment as fake. No, your mother nor your brothers didn't hack your blogspot. This is indeed you. This is the first step to recovery from the lazy-ass man's disease you have been suffering from since college, known to many as Procrastination (an evil evil disease!)

SERIOUSLY FUTURE-LEN-AND-PRESENT-LEN-PLEASE-DO-THIS LIST EVERY WAKING DAY OF YOUR LIFE:

1) Do one physical activity / exercise for a good 15 minutes per day: This is ideal, this is possible, this you can absolutely do! Come on, you can bear 15 minutes of jogging in place or squatting, jumping jack, other strenuous activities

2) Stop eating fried chicken and other instant food. You may not see the adverse effects of your unhealthy/destructive diet yet (oh em gee, yet meaning, yes darling, there is a possibility, a chance for obesity to occur probably.. next Monday, tomorrow, or worst maybe tonight while you sleep. Be afraid!) but you know some way, some how, those fat will catch up. Sneaky little demons...

3) Clean and organize your closet with full, clear and serious intentions. Sell those clothes which you haven't touched in about six months, or better yet, have an exchange clothes party with friends (oy, this seems like a good idea!) By the way, what ever happened to the Cher Horwitz Futuristic Closet project?

4) I will quote Nike's famous line here: JUST DO IT. (you undertand this statement too well, you go girl!)

Do not get stuck, Future Len.

Love someone whom you will probably hate tomorrow,

Past Len

______________

Highlight of the day is knowing that once in this lifetime, my name and my face was imprinted on national newspaper. Check out Philippine Star, Business Section p. C3, July 11, 2011 issue (*.*,) Awesome. Incredible. Funky fresh!

Monte Carlo Afterthought and Weekend Stories

2011-07-11T08:21:00.002+08:00

Realized how totally confusing Monte Carlo is! This is me talking about Monte Carlo after two days upon watching it in the big screen (TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY, GUYS). I was trying to recall why they have to go to Paris, who is Meg in Grace's life and the blonde girl's importance to the whole story. Uhm, read: forgettable story plot?

What I would like to point out is how the characters weren't build up enough for the audience to understand the character's personal conflict. For sure there must have been a reason why Grace wanted to go to Paris so much. or why Meg is such a difficult person to deal with, and why being an older half-sister to Grace (Selena Gomez) was a hard responsibility to assume. The other blonde girl.. I still don't understand why she was in the plot to begin with. She had a boyfriend played by Cory Monteith who asked her to marry him the night before she leaves for Paris, and then.. what? It's a girl-dreams-of-bigger-dreams-outside-her-hometown-and-boyfriend-wants-to-remain-the-country-boy-that-he is. Fine. In the end, blonde girl, having gone to Paris to see the bigger world, realized how that world wasn't for her.. and ends up marrying the boyfriend.

It's a Lizzie McGuire Movie meets Eurotrip Rated PG edition meets Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants (though, STTP is 100 folds better than Monte Carlo).

We now proceed to a segment called:

~~~Boring Weekend Stories!~~~

Photo credits Mama Brends!

Saturday afternoon was mostly spent on the road. Met Brenda (and supposedly Luane) at Moonleaf Tea, Maginhawa St., Teacher's Village QC. Then fetched Brenda home to Tandang Sora. It was so difficult driving alone and at night, and the rain never stopping a wink. I got stuck in traffic for a good two hours, this was mostly because of my mistake. But you know what we get out of mistakes: lessons. Lessons that are etched in your brain for the rest of your life! After passing by the traffic areas, I stopped by Cafe Lupe, Antipolo because I was so curious of what it looks like, now that it has been newly renovated. Also, yes, to answer your question, I do date myself on Saturday nights and I eat dinner alone in romantic places! ergh.

Sunday was lethargic as usual, but I am not complaining. Show business chika (gossip) on Sunday afternoons are always entertaining. Angel Locsin is dating one of the Younghusband (what a surname) Brothers. KC Concepcion was the one who interviewed the seemingly new hot couple in town. I was disturbed how robotic Angel is and how her face seems to... be the same size as her breasts. She looks like she just gave birth to two pairs of twins.

Then there was Mark Gil, wailing on national television, defending her pregnant daughter, Andi. I was too tempted to know who impregnated this girl so I asked google search engine. I typed in: sinong nakabuntis kay Andi Eigenmann? The names Jake Ejercito and Albie Casino were the top two turn outs. I learned that former Joseph Estrada has a hot, handsome son and that Albie Casino has a big Barbara Streisand nose.

I finished the night off by eating a bag of Piattos and sleeping afterwards. I'm going to enjoy eating like a pig until I turn twenty five. Age twenty five shall be the starting point of my healthy lifestyle. I still have about 450 days to abuse this body.

Monte Carlo

2011-07-09T10:39:00.002+08:00

Guys, girls, everyone.. hello. Please do not waste your money on watching Monte Carlo. It is obviously a movie not meant to be seen at the cinema. Let's tag this movie under: "best seen on [pirated~!] DVD" or "let us wait for HBO/Cinemax/Star Movies to play this film."

The only good thing about the film though was Leighton Meester's peach shirt dress and grey waist belt:

Other than that, the movie was such a big cliche. And hello, what a weird combination of cast... ugh.

Oh maybe Selena Gomez in a bikini could spark some interest. I didn't know this girl is boobsy. Unfair.

I should mention here the junk I stuffed my mouth with while watching this film. Aunti Anne's Sour Cream powdered pretzel with Caramel Dip and a large bag of Piattos Sour Cream Chips + bottle of Lemon C2. Heh, it's a Sour Cream dateless Friday! Yeay!

Next stop: Temptation Island for the LULZ

Photos sources from the internet

Battle Chicken Round 1: 711 Fried Chicken

2011-07-07T10:09:00.005+08:00

Aside from being obsessed with bulk-buying books, I am also obsessed with chicken. Fried chicken to be exact. Not only am I obsessed with it, I think I am...secretly in love with it.

This is not my proudest moment but I must come clean and confess...

I AM HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH ANOTHER FRIED CHICKEN. PLEASE, DON'T LEAVE ME UNCLE JOHN!!! :"(

Seriously guys, I am torn between my two Fried Chicken Lovers. You see, it started when I felt like Uncle John got me bored. What, you again for breakfast, lunch and dinner? I cannot take this any longer so I walked and walked until my feet dragged me to 711 and I saw... IT. "WOW!!!", I said. "You look so attractive and so delicious I can't take my eyes of you. I need to devour you!"

I went in the store and hysterically looked for the fried chicken. People were thinking I was a mad woman on the loose but I didn't care. Licked my lips in excitement when I found it, grabbed it immediately without any hesitations and took it home. Felt the urgency to have it alone, all to myself. So, I went straight ahead to my room, locked the door and unwrapped this bundle of awesomeness one by one... religiously lavishing it with passion..

"Oh my goodness!", I cried with delight. "You are perfect... crispy peppered breaded skin, flavorful and moist flesh, a generous helping of gravy... and last but not least, I know size shouldn't matter but my, you are extra large for 75 bucks worth of a meal."

I love you, I do. Still confused with who I love better :( Uncle John and you are too alike but I have to say.. you are less oily. And I like that. I like that a lot.

In Conclusion:

Crispy and tasty breading
Big serving of chicken parts
Moist and tender meat (although, Uncle John's tastier)
Less oilier than Uncle John's
More gravy
Not sure if these are being served freshly cooked

It's a must try. Will not disappoint.

Cropped

2011-07-05T08:18:00.001+08:00

Nothing's better than a properly cropped photo.

Current Reads

2011-07-04T23:31:00.000+08:00

I think I may have an obsession with books. This obsession I do not find any alarming, nor is it anything remotely dangerous. In fact, I think I should encourage myself to read and buy more books. I always buy an average of three books in a month. Sometimes even 3 books per payday. I can afford to bulk-buy books because I buy mine in book sales. It's like the thrift store for books and it's guilt-free. Cheapskate forevaaaaaaaaah!

The book I enjoyed the most is Art of Seduction, followed by Josh Bazell's Beat The Reaper. Looking For Mr. Goodfrog is too much of a chic literature for me, so I decided to stop after twenty pages. Probably will read that again during summer time, on the beach while sunbathing (I never sunbathe ever, so let's see when this happens). Looking forward to start reading Winkie by Clifford Chase. Bought it for only P25.00 and a friend told me she can't put the book down upon reading the first few pages!

I never feel like buying a book is a waste of money. Just like I never feel drained after baking at midnight and finishing at the break of dawn.

I have... 10 more books I haven't read since I bought them. Just like I have a mountain of clothes I haven't worn yet. Egh.

Old-school Feel Photos

2011-07-04T15:01:00.000+08:00

I want an HTC phone installed with an app called Camera360 right now. Yes, all those are taken from a camera phone.

How to Catalyze Your Career: Read Career Success the 48 C's

2011-07-04T14:54:00.000+08:00

My days are starting to look more productive and brighter ever since I started reading this book called:

I promise to elaborate this further. But for a teaser, let me quote the wonderful Mr. Ed Pilapil Jr. and his first few words..

"This book is dedicated to everyone struggling to make sense of their career."

I hear a lot of AMENS and can see a lot of nodding! I know we often get stuck and wonder endlessly on how to improve our life and our career. Honestly speaking, this book has already began to change my work ethics and generally my values and outlook in life for the better. :)

No One Is Going To Read A Post This Long

2011-07-02T21:50:00.004+08:00

What my undergrad thesis was all about. Well, a glimpse of it.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Filipino Food Culture and Geography

“Everything has a geography, food is inherently geographic.”

-Derek Shanahan (2002)

According to the Miriam Webster dictionary, the formal definition of food is, any substance that provides the nutrients to maintain life and growth when ingested. However, food is not just food eaten by human beings to nourish and strengthen the body. There are more to it than its mere biological importance and survival necessity. Various disciplines have contributed similar theories and concepts about food and its relation to society and space. In the proceeding paragraphs, we will examine related literature of food studies from authors with different disciplinary background and apply it in the Philippine context. And from there we will observe how a multidisciplinary approach will be useful in this research.

Food in the most simplistic sense is consumed by human beings to survive in a day to day basis. However, this is not the whole idea of food and eating. There is more to food than for what good it does the body. Humans use food symbolically (Kittler and Sucher, 2000). In the Philippine context, food symbolizes several things: a sign of affection, kinship, social belongingness and social stratification. The preparation and consumption of food is an important activity in the Filipino society. Even if through good and bad times, the presence of food is still there, and the celebration of fiesta still must go on (Fernandez, 1994). Also, there are over a hundred of different ethnic groups with different set of food culture associated with them. There is a diversity of food

Several sociologists, anthropologists and geographers have one concept in common regarding the study of food. They all believe in the notion that the consumption of food carries with it psychological, economic, physiological, sociological and geographical meanings (Caplan, 1997; Whitehead, 1994). Although written in different scholastic jargons, food studies have one connecting concept: food is symbolical and geographical in nature, and it differs from one place to another.

Beardsworth and Keil (1997, p. 51) puts forward the notion that, “when we eat, we are not merely consuming nutrients, we are also consuming gustatory (i.e. taste related) experiences and, in a very real sense, we are also consuming meanings and symbol.” Every bite of what seems a mundane routine of consuming food, if seen in a wider sense, reinforces and binds community together. There is a great deal of importance regarding food as a tool for reaffirming cultural identity (Kittler and Sucher, 2000; Caplan, 1997). As Whitehead (1994) also believes that ‘no item of food is ideologically innocent’ within any one culture. She then argues that food is imbedded with various cultural meanings, across time, space and context. If this is the case, then it is coherent with Shanahan’s (2002) assumptions. He believes that different foods are associated with different groups of people. Moreover, Derek Shanahan, who is a geographer greatly interested with Food Studies wrote in his article “The Geography of Food” in the Journal for the Study of Food and Society:

Food feeds our cultural stereotypes. It is inherently geographic. It is a social

and cultural marker and is never devoid of meaning and significance. Food

and food practices denote cultural, class and moral.

Food Studies is a politicized entity, and is far from the benign “intellectual

parlor game”, the Financial Times would have us believed it to be. The sig-

nificance of food exceeds far beyond the human need for nourishment and

far into the realms of politics, culture, class and race. And a geographical

perspective on food is one way that can help us understand the deeply

rooted nature of food in the very constitution of our communities.

(Derek Shanahan, 2002)

Although geography is a relatively new discipline with regards to pursuing sub-topic of Food Studies under Human Geography, its importance cannot be completely ignored in the academe. Food geography offers a holistic perspective on food and society, taking into account that food is inherently geographic and every geographical area with different culture and resources are dynamic forces which shape production, distribution and consumption of food (Sack, 1988).

2.2 Food, Family and the Home

We are all familiar with the saying “home is where the heart is” and it seems this saying connotes various sociological and geographical concepts. Home is an important space wherein we perform our daily activities. For the Filipino, home is where our private activities that of which concerns our bodily practices are carried out. Home is a sacred place for the Filipino family (Fernandez, 1994). Cooking and consumption of food are daily routines that the family does together, and this shared activity of the family plays a critical part in “constituting household relationships and identities” (Bell and Valentine, 1997, p. 61). It is food that also brings and ties a family together and here, in a certain extent, promotes common interests within them. Through food and cooking, the act of feeding is a powerful tool in establishing a relationship between parents and children. The preparation of food signifies love, affection, compassion and friendship (Bryant et al., 2003).

In addition, many scholars believe (Caplan; Beardsworth and Keil; Bell and Valentine, 1997) that the sharing of a meal or sharing of food within a family greatly helps to reinforce and maintain the family’s structure, tradition, culture. The passing of traditional Filipino recipes from the lola to the apo is not an unusual practice in the family. Family traditions are kept through the passing down of native recipes from one generation to the other. The family activity of eating together a meal in dinner table is, furthered argued by Whitehead (1994), as ‘marker of social division and demonstrates social solidarity’. It is essential for any Filipino family to eat together during mealtimes. Likewise, the dinner table is a space and site for personhood and enculturation of the family members, most especially the children, where they are taught what food are inedible and edible, table manners and etiquette (Bell and Valentine, 1997).

2.3 Gender Roles in the and Kitchen Space

In the book Geography of Home: Writings on Where We Live, Akiko Busch (1999) the author conducted a survey asking her respondents to think about home and their childhood memories. The kitchen is the second choice (next to the bedroom) where the respondents remember more of their childhood. The kitchen is also seen as a place of nourishment where their mothers and grandmothers cook home-made meals for the family. As carefully illustrated in the survey here, the role of women in the kitchen and dining space is prevalent any society across time and space. Several excellent studies were noted in the book that Caplan (1997) edited which is entitled “Food, Health and Identity”. Murcott, Charles and Kerr (British studies), DeVault’s study in the USA and Lupton’s study in Australia shows significant findings with similar patterns. The said studies cross-cultural commonalities suggests that women remain responsible largely for the food provision, preparation and feeding the family. Likewise in the Philippines, women predominate the key activities in food preparation and consumption (Beardsworth and Keil, 1997). Geographically, it is the women who are seen more appropriate for managing the home and provides ‘bodily care’ for the members of the family. Therefore, ‘the kitchen space is strongly defined as a woman’s space (Bell and Valentine, 1997).

The modern Filipino women’s (especially those of mother’s) participation in the labor force has repercussions on her domestic role and identity in the kitchen space. As more and more mothers are working outside of the home, less time are being spent for the meal preparation of the family. Mothers who works are said to have internal conflict about the less time spent in the kitchen, and felt insecurity with their mothers who are seen as a better role model of being a ‘mother’. On the other hand, these women also recognized the fact the newly found economic power their mothers never had (Bryant, et al., 2002).

Men’s participation in the kitchen and dining space is minimal than that of women’s. Men might usually be involved in food preparation such as assembling the ingredients for a meal, or putting the bread in the toaster (Whitehead, 1994). The assembling of food is not considered as ‘cooking’. Whiteman further argues that while men are capable of making meals for him and the family, a man cannot cook and provide a ‘proper meal’ or ‘proper dinner’ for the family. Furthermore, men’s food work usually gravitates toward the more insignificant tasks of ‘making the barbecue, beer and wine, or collecting take-away meals’ (Beardsworth and Keil, 1997). In the contemporary culture, more men are participating in the kitchen space. The primary force for this trend is women’s full-time employment in the workforce (Beardsworth and Keil, 1997). Although men are not the key provider of a ‘proper meal’, the men seem to dominate the dining space still. In a patriarchal society, men get the largest portion of a meal, and their diet sometimes varies from the rest of the family (Bell and Valentine; Beardsworth and Keil, 1997).

2.4 Construction of Food Preference in the Family

Several studies have showed that eating patterns, especially that of children, are strongly influenced by physical and social environment. Socio-economic and socio-cultural factors such as the parent’s education, time constraint, ethnicity are key variables in determining the types of food that children eat (Nicklas and Patrick, 2005). Furthermore, it is also important to observe the mealtime structure of the family as the characteristics of the mealtimes ‘play a direct role in children’s eating patterns through their behavior, attitudes and feeding style’ (Nicklas and Patrick, 2005). The study also supports the growing notion that ‘family and social environments play an important role in the development of children’s eating patterns’ and preferences. Another interesting result is how the study demonstrates similarities in food acceptance and preference between the parents and children (Nicklas and Patrick, 2005). Similar study by Olga Gritsai (2001) contend that preferences for food develop at an early age and the attitudes, economic and cultural background of the mother contributes largely to the development of the infant’s food preferences. Several variables and factors are noted in Gritsai’s study: cultural context, personal belief of the mother, values of parents, employment, income, health services and income rate.

As discussed in the previous paragraphs, mother’s role in the kitchen space is critical to what kinds of food that the family eats. Women (in general) are termed as ‘gatekeepers’ as they control the flow of food in the household and monitor what meals are to be served in the dining table (Beardsworth and Keil, 1997). In relation to this, a study by Brown et al., (1995) regarding “Women: The Key to Food Security” show that ‘employed women tend to spend their income disproportionately on food for the family’. Women’s role in structuring the family food preference and nutrition intake is critical in the family’s health.

Although a different perspective seen in Whitehead’s book (1994), another study shows that ‘the organization and character of family meals is dominated by men’s need and preferences’. In Murcott’s study of the British family (as cited in Beardsworth and Keil, 1997) resulted the ‘importance of cooked dinner and ‘proper meal’ and is geared to husband’s preference which also dictated the choice made within rigid culinary framework’. Men’s taste and preference are still the authoritative ones and could be explained through the husband’s higher income which in turn gives a sense of greater power. This will not be thoroughly discussed in the research paper, although its possibility on the survey will be recognized.

2.5 Contemporary Family and Housemaids in Urban Areas

As more and more mothers are actively participating in the labor force, contemporary Filipino families resort to hiring househelps to do domestic chores. Househelps are usually low-skilled workers that only reached low-education level. These househelps usually geographically originate from rural provinces from different rural provinces. The gender that takes on the job of househelp is women (Arnado, 2003). They are expected to do the chores in the domestic space inside the household. The househelps primarily dominate the kitchen space as they are the ones who frequently use that space inside the household. Househelps must be capable of cooking meals as they will be responsible for preparing and cooking the meal for the family. Since househelps originated from different geographical areas, her food preferences are significantly materialized in what she serves in the family. A study done by Ekzat K. Amine (1990), entitled “Expatriated Maids and Food Patterns in Kuwait” aimed to investigate how the role of the maid and her nationality affect infant feeding patterns in Kuwait. The result of her study showed that types of food that the maid serves were significantly associated with her nationality (Amine, 1990).

--a serious, hopefully not a failed attempt on Food Geography. I did my best, although I have to say this topic isn't exactly relevant to the society nor is it a big contribution to the pool of knowledge. And I also have to admit this thesis had (still has) TONS of loop holes. Oh well, papel.

To those who are now taking Geography thesis class... think outside the box. Explore. Be innovative. Your professor is going to love you for it (my prof told me I chose a "refreshing" and "interesting" topic). Have fun with thesis! Read lots of online journals! Be inspired. Do not be afraid. :)

Also, another tip... learn SPSS software. I swear it will come in handy.

Derma Clinics

2011-07-02T17:36:00.000+08:00

So, I went to two different derma clinics in a week. Both of them magnifying my flaws just to upsell products and services.

Derma Clinic 1 Offer: "Ma'am, you have a weak chin... You know what, just a few days ago a client went in our clinic and decided to have her chin enhanced. Really does a lot of wonder to her face. You'll look better with a more prominent chin."

Derm Clini 2 Offer: "Ma'am.. hindi pala mahaba pilikmata niyo ano? Alam mo si Juday dati hindi naman mahaba pilik mata. Ngayon, may nilalagay siyang pilikmata grower. Hindi kailangan yung mga fake eye lashes na yan! Yung sa amin buhok mo talaga sa pilik mata yung tutubo."

Len: *considers* Magkano naman 'yan, ateng? Baka hindi ko keri ng budget ko 'yan.

Girl at Derm Clinic 2: Kayang kaya, ma'am. 7k lang.

Aray ku po.

Lesson of the day: Medyo nakakadepress pumunta sa derma. Way to go derma clinics for bashing my self-esteem! hahaha!

Drawing on Tissue

2011-06-27T12:20:00.001+08:00

"Sino nag-drawing nito?"

Len, taas ng kamay, iwinagayway.

"Ipapahuli kita sa pulis."

Awesome night.

Dream Sequence: Meet PW

2011-06-27T08:12:00.001+08:00

I was in a dorm and I think I was studying at Ateneo together with S. We lived with another girl we shall name PW because after all, this girl I know in real life and I don't want to ruin her reputation because of my dream.

PW has thick lips, small frame, wavy hair. She is not pretty nor ugly, she's somewhere in between. PW has a car. Among the three of us living in the dorm, she was the only one who owns one. Until one day something terrible happened. PW started stealing things.

For a girl who has a car, you'd assume she'd steal things of value. Say for example diamond earrings, laptops, cellphones, valuable things which one can sell and earn from. What she only stole from S and I are our pony tails. Pony tails, for pity's sake. Big, colorful, 100 peso worth of pony tails.

But in my dream, those damn pony tails meant the world to S and I. Those pony tails were freaking gold.

And so, PW scurried off to EDSA with her car, laughing hysterically knowing a) she had the most precious pony tails in the entire planet b) she got away with it, because she truly did.

Meanwhile, S and I partied hard at the adjacent dorm house. Those exclusive for boys.

PW wasn't the only happy girl in our little story.

END