Good Eat Finds

Some of the great food we discovered in the most unlikely places this past month

fresh Futomaki the size of your palm from Ippon Yari Japanese Restaurant, Sta. Rosa, Laguna

Spicy chicken curry paired with freshly made corn tortillas from Bistro Mediteranean, San Pablo City

fluffly cheesy ensaymada from The Purple Oven, Solenad 2 Nuvali, Sta. Rosa Laguna

These goodies are all so yummy, i promise!

Happy anniversary to my boyfriend...

Gone are the days that we could and would celebrate on our own. For our 20th BF/GF anniversary, it was a family affair.

Us with our chaperone

the chaperone doodling while waiting for the food to be served

the boyfriend and girlfriend

This year is more memorable since hubby and i are celebrating our big 2-0, so instead of buying a gift, i made a bucket list of the things i want to do with him for the next "20" :)

- Go for a leisurely walk in windy Batanes or Tagaytay
- Get muddy while vegetable picking in Silang or Tagaytay
- Be adveNturous and Try a new eating place every Once in while
- Spend hours poring the shelves of a bookstore, whether it be Powerbooks and/or Booksale
- Make tambay at Starbucks while i have my coffee and you browse the magazines and newspapers
- Hold hands while watching the sunset at Manila Bay
- Recapture the places we’ve been the past 20 years with Skid
- Go on a road trip while playing our favourite songs in the background (don’t forget ‘I love you more Today than Yesterday’ and ‘You are My Sunshine’)
- Make a contest of catching and finding the next Coke item to add to our collection
- Do everything all over again....


HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY BOYFRIEND OF 20 YEARS <3 <3 <3

Toddler Separation Anxiety

Skid has turned 2 and a half years old so hubby and I decided to enrol him in play school. He is a cheerful, easygoing kid so we we felt that he would adjust and like his new environment in no time.

Day 1: The teacher met him at the door. He was holding my hand and sensed that we were going to leave him. He walked past the door and looked back, laughing, refusing to enter the room.

Hubby and i went with him inside and the teacher led him to a table. He was easily distracted with some wooden puzzles.

We were able to leave him for three hours. When we got back, he was happy and eager to show off.

However, the teacher told us that he cried when heard one other kid cried. Nakigaya =)

Day 2: A repeat scenario of the previous day but this time the other kid was already crying when we brought him in. He stood by the door refusing to enter. We left him with the teacher and had breakfast. While doing so, we saw him pass by the restaurant. The teacher mentioned that they have circled the block twice already so that he would calm down. Hubby and I misunderstood and thought they were looking for us. Skid asked to be carried and refuse to let go. Hubby ended up sitting beside him in class and teacher later told us to not show ourselves the following day so that he can adjust more easily.

Day 3: We advised Skid to not cry if he sees the other kid cry. He is a sensitive kid and seemed to understand what we were telling him. It was raining and we parked a few meters from the entrance. While Skid was alighting from the car, the other kid (who cried) arrived at the same time and entered the room before us. As soon as the kid entered the room, he started bawling and asking for his mom. Upon hearing this, Skid refused to let go of my hand and went down on the floor crying. Taking the advice of the teacher (even if it pains me as a mother) i removed his hand from my grasp and leave him on the floor as he called my name.


i've read a bit about separation anxiety but i still have to read about the urge-to-cry-when-someone-else-does thing. Throughout the morning, i would think about how the other kid would periodically whine for his Mom. It was a long three-hour morning.

Tomorrow, we plan to arrive ahead of the other kid so that Skid is already in the room before he arrives. Hope it helps!

a day of experiments

hubby dropped me off at the corner while he has to do his errand. i slipped into my favorite delicatessen (which moved to Molito from Festival Mall).

this branch is a roomy with more attractive displays. from a shelf of baking ingredients, i chose a bar of baking chocolate which will go well with my cupcake mix. i bought some halloween decals and some colored sugar from Gourdo's a few days back. I hope to master a basic cupcake recipe in time for Halloween.

There were also shelves filled with pastry puffs and boxed biscuits. I'm not confident i can make use of the pastry puffs so i threw a box of ready-made almond & walnut amaretto biscotti that would do well with my brewed coffee.

This branch can afford to have separate display cases for lamb, meat fish, cold cuts and cheeses. I went directly to the cold cuts section and bought a couple of Hungarian sausages. i have some garlic salt in the pantry that will go well with fried rice.

On my next visit, i plan to buy glazed apricots and dates to go with my cupcakes. i would love to toss in blocks of brie and cheddar cheese, but i decided to save them for another weekend.

For now, i will just prepare sausages for breakfast, and cupcakes for our snack. Wish me luck! i have a couple of guinea pigs eager to try my creations =)

a lovely morning

a few years back i gave up my 8 to 5 job. My present job has the flexibility to dictate my work hours. I can wake up a little late in the mornings and enjoy my brekky and sit beside Skid on the the kitchen steps.

Today was one of those days. We were seating side by side, munching on Pan de Leche (soft, spongy buns the size of your fists). From time to time, Skid would tear of a small piece and put in in my mouth. We were sharing a mug of tepid purified water.

We watched two white butterflies chasing each other.... red ants falling in line in search of food scraps... a spider slowly spinning its web. Skid got a white flower and hand it over to place behind my ear (such a sweet kid!).

I'm happy that that i can afford to enjoy my kid early years. I feel blessed that i can sit back and enjoy the simple things of life. thank you Lord for this lovely morning!

Things that make me HAPPY =)

Today is one day that I feel extra good I've decided to list things that i make me feel happy and blessed:

1. The Lord has given me a healthy and supportive family
2. I am surrounded with good and well-meaning friends
3. I have the time and means to do the things i love
4. I have purpose and remain hopeful; striving for the other things i still want to do
5. I can maintain a connection with good friends even if we are separated by time and distance.
6. I am blessed to do work that I enjoy and the fact that it complements me is definitely a PLUS!
7. I can eat three meals a day and have that extra coffee or snack as a BONUS!
8. We can afford to send our baby to play school while other kids cannot even afford a basic education.
9. I have a warm, safe home that fit us comfortably while neighbors squeeze themselves into one tiny room.
10. I am happy that I can appreciate things but see the bigger picture
11. I am happy that despite everything I remain sensitive to others and their plight
12. I am happy that I enjoy things and still maintain my privacy

I am happy that I stay happy and I pray that I can inspire my happy feeling to people around me.

Secret to our six years of marriage

Today is the birthday of Mama Mary but we have another reason to celebrate. Hubby and I are celebrating our sixth year of hubby-and-wifey. We have nothing grand planned for the day. We attended early morning mass and we plan to spend the day together as a family, eat at a special restaurant and enjoy each other's company.

The past six years hasn't been easy. We have our own ups and downs, quirks and "not-pleasant" habits. Yet we strive to love and respect each other and try not to change our significant other (much!!).

Hubby and I are not the lovey-dovey type. We would not always hold hands and kiss, but we try to do things together. We are each other's barkada. We find common interests that would not make life monotonous and boring. We found out that have the same passion for collecting Coke, we both like to read and we are both homebod(ies). Now that Skid is part of the family, we plan activities with him in mind but also make sure that other important things are not (easily) forgotten.

Weekday lunch is time for hubby and me to be by ourselves; share meal and have conversation. Evening after dinner and work is family bonding time. We play Hide-and-seek under the blankets, read storybooks, play with Skid's action figures. When Skid finally falls asleep then it's Me-time wherein we read by our ourselves, watch TV, do our own thing. Sundays are spend either relaxing or attending to activities of our extended families.

It takes a lot of effort, it's hard; but it's not impossible. It just takes a little more maturity, a lot of selflessness. It's not thinking of yourself as first but as second, third or fourth. =)

Weekend Market Finds

These are some of our "great finds" at the weekend market of Alabang Town Center.

Jumbo Pastillas

These pastillas, candies made from carabao/buffalo's milk and sugar are literally as big as your thumb, five inches long TOPS! It melts in your mouth and is oh, so good!!!For P120 a box, it's worth every bite. I didn't count the number of wrappers but i think it's between 20 to 24 pieces.

milky polvoron

Polvoron or toasted milk with sugar satisfied my sweet tooth. Each cup is intricately covered with dainty detailed designs of a whale, a starfish, a frog and an octopus. Skid was eager and happy to touch each one since he is already familiar with these underwater creatures. The fondant was thin and crispy. None of that gummy, rubbery texture I associate with fondant cupcakes.

Will definitely go back another weekend and find more goodies =)

The weekend market of Alabang Town Center is within the Entertaiment Area and operates during mall hours of Saturday-Sunday. 10am to 8pm.

Birthday Joy

Our family celebrates Skid's birthdate every month. He is now 29 months old. Dad brought us to Shakey's for dinner and we had pizza, spaghetti and of course Skid's favorite, CHICKEN!

This is our family photo of this special day.

And this is Skid and Dad waving and calling me over...

Skid is so sweet. He loves it when the three of us would "group hug" and lie side-by-side in bed. Here's a shot of him holding our heads and pushing our heads together =)

improve your argument

Down with laryngitis for six straight days. Having difficulty expressing myself. Now i appreciate the difficulties encoutered by the physically challenged: the deaf/mute.

On my third day, I was already irritable and frustrated. The white-board thing doesn't work for me. I discovered that it was more effective to improve my chances of being understood rather than strain my vocal chords.

I try to call people over and whisper. I make use my hands to let myself be better understood.

quote from http://happywalldecals.com

Beef Wanton Noodle Soup

feeling a bit under the weather. went to Chow King (my favorite Chinese fastfood) and enjoyed a piping hot bowl of Beef Wanton Noodle.

lexibook gadgets

At two and a half years old my boy loves pictures. always game to have his pic taken and asking to look at the digi-still afterwards. He pronounces it as "Cam-ra" without an "e"

he loves Batman, Spidey, Toy Story and Cars, i'm thinking of giving him his first Digital Camera.One that is easy to use and Kid friendly.

Manufacturer's recommend that kids need to be at least 6+ years old but i'm excited to see my kid take his first pic and have fun. i browsed online and found one that is 5 megapixels but it costs 20 to 50 British pounds.

Having second thoughts because of the price. thinking of getting a Canon or Olympus instamatic but i'm worried that it would not be appropriate for kids. HELP!

Jack & Jill Instant Mami

i'm a self confessed fan of Lucky Me Pancit Canton.

the other day, i saw this new brand on the grocery shelf and bought it out of curiosity. not sold on the taste of adobo and tinapa on noodles but i'm game enough to try it!

Tomato Basil Spaghettini

Hubby told me that my mom requested me to cook Tom Yum Goong for dinner. so i got home early to slice garlic and shallots.

turned out that message was wrong and request from the chef was instead Tomato-Basil Pasta.

good thing i've already made the base of my pasta sauce over the weekend.

finished the dish in less than an hour. Skid who loves noodles (a.k.a pancit) loved my pasta with the zing of basil.

end result: impromptu dinner was a hit!

on the lookout for a surefire recipe for skinless porkchops. any suggestions?

The Memory Keeper's Daughter - the book!

initially i did not want to use this sight for a review...i have a separate site for the that: Goodreads.com

but i found myself finishing this one in bed at 430 in the morning, it's been a long while that i stayed up all night to read a good story.

i ended up loving and hating the characters, even if i tried to understand their life-changing decisions. i was one of them wondering what would have happened if that split-second decision did not happen. what-if?

David was a doctor who (forced by circumstances) delivered his twins with the help of his ever dependable ("in-love") nurse, Caroline. This was in the 1960s when mental retardation and Down Syndrome was something not widely accepted by society. Having one in the family could mean giving them away to an institution. And David did just that. choosing to keep his normal, first-born son Paul and giving away his daughter Phoebe to Caroline.

At the last minute, Caroline could not do it, she chose to abandon her earlier life and ran away with the baby. For the next 25 years she would give David glimpses of Phoebe's life through quick notes and snapshots that she would forward through a mailbox. i hated David for this: playing God, for making that decision that would affect the lives of four(??) other people.

Because of family "secrets", the couple (David and Norah) drifted apart and went their own ways. David immersed himself in altruistic doctoral work and photography. His favorite subject were children (girls!) where he could catch glimpses of the daughter he sent away.

After all this time Paul (the first-born) fought for his father's attention, trying to please him yet being himself and living his own life. As a child, he drew a family portrait with his "dead" sister included in the picture. He was gifted in the field of music, performing on-stage professionally.

After David died and the truth came out, Paul and Norah tried to reach out to Phoebe but she is now used to her "old" life and would only call Caroline mother. (this is the part that pained me MOST!)

In the end, Paul decided to give up his old life and be near Phoebe to know her better. I found it unbelievable that Norah (who can't cope with the loss of her daughter for 25 years) and who suddenly finds her alive can just go on with her life. Pack her bags, get married and move to Paris for the next two (2) years. that's hard for normal people and that would be triply hard with a gifted child like Phoebe. How can she know her? let her get used to her if she only sees her once or twice a year.

but overall, this is a book is one with no simple ending. the one that would always be filled with what-ifs. it would always be controversial a one worthy of a lengthy discussion over a casual group of friends.

Coca-cola Baranggay Bingo

Last weekend, hubby and i got the chance to visit and join a community event sponsored by Coca-cola Philippines. Armed with a map of Cavite, it took us 1.5hrs to reach our destination. The game was underway and there were approximately 400 to 500 participants, some lining the sidewalks and sprawled on the grass.

Bingo is a card game wherein players are required to follow a certain pattern by marking numbers called off by the caller. For this Coca-cola promo, there were four minor games (4) wherein players were requred to follow the C-O-K-E pattern, and the final one was the blackout - where the entire card must be marked off.

We did not win any prize but we got the chance to have a photo-op using the Bingo board and the Coca-cola tarps as background.

The Coca-cola employees were warm and accomodating, including us in their group picture. Thanks for the joy and experience Coca-cola! Cheers and more power!

slow afternoon

having a slow afternoon....even internet connection is slow. i made use of the time to sit back enjoy a cup of strong coffee and munch on freshly cooked camote chips with lots of sugar on top....MMMMmmmm! i love it!

the rain has been on and off the past two days. i have been on a food bingeing food trip.... i know, i know, i have to cut back! but the weather has made me lazy and hungry!

clown make-up

bonding time with our little one. He got hold of the baby powder and dabbed the sponge on his nose and cheeks. he and Dad were having so much fun that i followed suit. Dad participated by taking our picture.

i love being a mom....

good eats: pressed cheese sandwiches

rainy Friday morning. i brought out the pressing machine and wa-lah! hubby and i enjoyed pressed cheese sandwiches. i wish you could smell the bubbly cheese and toasted bread. it's great comfort food for the wet, balmy weather.

Japanese lunch

Lunch with the hubby at the Japanese fastfood resto. i was looking forward to our generous lunch of Beef misono, shrimp/vegetable tempura and California maki

but i was disappointed when the server delivererd our plate and i saw that our Maki was dry and pasty... the Wasabi not fresh.

good thing the other dishes were hot and freshly cooked. hubby and i just dived into the yummy main course and did not bother ourselves with the lackluster appetizer.

National Children's Book Day

i read a post that today July 17, 2012 is the 29th celebration of National Children's Book Day. This is celebrated the 3rd Tuesday of July and honors the publication by Dr. Jose Rizal of the Filipino folktale, "The Monkey and the Turtle". i wasn't able to get a copy of the said story but i made do with a publication of another local writer. Skid and I read Biag ni Lam-ang and The Golden Guava. he loved the colorful pictures and was pointing to the drawing of trees, houses, etc.

i hope i can instill in my son a love for Filipino literature. there are a couple of good writers worth reading and i want to expose him at an early age. i look forward to sharing a laugh with him while reading my Bob-Ong books hehehe

5 reasons to enjoy my coffee

i have nothing against sipping tea. in fact, i love my cha-time once in a while. but i prefer my strong coffee to my piping hot tea. it has its own benefits aside from keeping my eyes open after a late night's sleep.

1. it slashes my risk for Type 2 diabetes by 7% every time i drink a cup 2. there is an inverse proportion for endometrial cancer and volume of coffee i drink 3. the antioxidant properties of coffee reduces my risk of dementia and reduces my cholesterol absorption. 4. and lastly it boosts my mood and energy and mood, similar to the when you eat a chocolate bar. So overall, filling up on coffee every once in a while is a better alternative even if i have to suffer going to the bathroom every half hour =)

i enjoy....

it's a so-so Monday morning and to start the week right i want to start the week on a positive note and make a list of my natural highs!

1. staying in love with my hubby for almost twenty years each and every day. 2. kissing my baby's button nose when i wake up and he steel sleeps with his mouth open 3. enjoying my strong cup of coffee while munching on a crispy apple danish and going online while others (my age) are wrestling a 8-5 job 5. waking up in the morning in my own sweet time without the help of an alarm clock 6. Dad, Baby and me peep at my dresser mirror and we LAUGH and WAVE like crazy! 7. Go on a weekend drive with an impromptu destination in mind. 8. Baby holding on to Dad and Mom's hand while walking and using our arms as monkey bars! 9. Having conversations with the hubby about everything and nothing. Having the same interests, laughing at ourselves most of the time. 10. Having online conversations with my BFF who i haven't seen in months since she migrated to Canada. we keep each other updated thru Skype and Facebook. 11. Enjoy a reflex, massage or foot spa every once in a while to release those good, ole aches and pains. 12. Going Coca-cola hunting with the hubby in the most unlikely places. 13. going to the bookstore and going out with armloads of my favorite books. 14. reading in bed with the air-con on high and my feet tucked inside my good ole favorite blanket

parenting is an experience

the hubby and i married late in our 30's and it took us three (3) years before we were blessed with a baby. we were mentally and emotionally prepared, equipped with good natal care and armed with up-to-date books and paraphernalia. but nothing prepared me when i held my boy in my arms and he cried for the first time. Now at 27 months, each day is a new experienc.e My boy has taught me things that i never see, feelings i never thought i'd experience, things i never thought i can give unconditionally. he has made me more mature...more complete....more WOMAN. I want to share a post from Amanda Griffin of Glam-o-Mamas.

"Nothing can really prepare you for the experience that is parenting. Not books, not research, not experts nor your friends. It is so much more rewarding and so much more difficult than you are ever told or can ever conceive. I look at my son now and wonder how I lived without him. The unconditional love you feel for your child is life changing. Of course it is also one of the most challenging things you will ever do." -- Amanda Jacob, from "Mummy's Yummies" on glamomamas.com

Coca-cola Items from Down Under

The summer Olympics will start last week of July and one of the major sponsors, Coca-cola has been launching promotional items left and right. Now, is a good time to start a collection, since there are a few items that can be had for good price. A cousin of mine went on a business trip to Sydney twice, and managed to buy for us the complete set of 375ml cans featuring the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

smokers, beware!

After more than three years of battling his illness, Mr. Rodolfo Vera Quizon, popularly known as Dolphy, the Comedy King of Philippine Movies, succumbed to Stage IV COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder. I was curious since this was the first time i heard of COPD. i initially thought it was some form of cancer. i googled it on the net, only to find out it is massive difficulty of breathing brought about by SMOKING! It has no cure and breathing can only be eased through the help of oxygen theraphy and respirators. (OUCH!) According to the WHO, due to the influx of lady and gentlemen smokers in the past decade, it is COPD is expected to be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. i wish smokers would heed this warning and care about their health.

San Pablo Tapa: One of my fave eats!

Every time my family goes back to San Pablo Laguna, i have a standing request: Tapang San Pablo.  It hass the right blend of garlic, sugar and pepper which makes the pork oh-so-tender. The oily-sugary marinade (left after frying) is a great coating to the piping hot rice wrapped in banana leaves.

The hubby introduced me to another good side-dish to my Tapang-San Pablo meal. Hunt's Pork&Beans that you can found in the local grocery store.

catchy post

on my way to the grocery, i saw this sign on top of a hedge.

As if i shoppers have plans of jumping over the waist-high plants. har-har-har

about me

this blog is about anything under the sun, my thought's, my interests, my what-not's