30 Days and Counting

It's the last day of February . It means that I have 30 more days to go until I meet again my beloved Hanson brothers. I can't wait. I just can't. I'm super duper extremely absolutely and totally excited.

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Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Last night we watch the last full show of Ghost Rider in Gateway. It was the last day of our vacation and Tapioca wanted to go on a movie date.


Before going to the mall, I checked online for the movie schedule and also for reviews. I immediately told Tapioca about the negative reviews but since there was nothing else worth watching we decided to go anyway. He liked the first Ghost Rider movie so he was curious about this sequel.

We believe in the saying 'to see is to believe'. Let me tell you about this movie I was so skeptical to watch because of the bad reviews I've read online. But still Tapioca insisted and said we should watch it. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a really good movie. And I'm talking about the movie 'Sucker Punch'.

Unfortunately, Ghost Rider's not Sucker Punch and movie critics surely had reasons for bashing the film. It was boring as hell as we fell asleep and didn't feel like we missed out something. The story line was ineffective and it's going nowhere. Total nonsense and a waste of the 3D effects. We felt cheated. Buti na lang masarap yung popcorn that came with the movie tickets. Tsk.

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Burgoo

Here's another backlog waiting to be posted.

First day of the week and we thought of having brunch in Gateway Mall. Tapioca and I were suppose to discuss our plans for the new place we're moving in to. Then we saw Burgoo. Tapioca was raving about their shrimp salad. I've never been to Burgoo and I felt like having shrimp that day.

crayons to bring out your artistic side . . .

After taking a seat at one of their nice booths by the window, our server setup our table with a huge white sheet of paper as a table cloth and handed us some crayons. Then she introduced herself by writing her name backwards facing our direction. Tapioca and I were like 'wow'. I suggested that we try to do the same thing. Fun time. I think this was a pretty cool idea especially if you have kids in tow. You can keep them entertain with the crayons for their doodling pleasure (just like we did!).

As usual, I have to have my soup. Since it's a new place for me, I decided to be adventurous and order something unusual.

. . . burgoo stew

This was a thick and chunky soup. Taste wise it was good though I'm not used to having this kind of soup as a first course meal. I somehow wanted rice to eat with this soup. Parang sauce lang ng menudo kasi. Pwede na ulamin.

shrimp salad . . .

I have to agree with Tapioca. The shrimp was good and it went well with the salad greens.

. . . shrimp and chips

We couldn't get enough of the tasty, crunchy and succulent shrimps so we ordered some more. This time we wanted some starchy complements therefore the chips on the side and then dunked it on Heinz tomato ketchup and Tabasco sauce. Yum, yum!

Szechuan Steak Linguini . . .

This was new on the menu and it sounded interesting. It tasted like noodles from a Chinese resto (read: pancit canton LOL!). Well, it's Szechuan. And Szechuan = China. *Toinks* We're surprised no more.

Remember we were suppose to discuss our plans for the new place? Well this table cover worked as our sketchpad. While waiting for our food to arrive I sketched some ideas for the new house floor plan and also created designs for custom made furniture. Tapioca on the other hand was busy making this . . .



It started with our names and the date when we dined here (shuck it's almost two years now. These photos were aging na on my draft folder).


Then he put our names and the date inside a cloud with flowers around it.



Lastly, he added a house and stick figures (supposed to be me, him and our future kid together with a pet LOL!). Yeah the crayons had Tapioca's creative juices flowing and made this masterpiece. I'm not sure if I should be proud or what (hey, I'm posting it on my blog for the whole world wide web to see). I bet you're prolly laughing your a**es off and I bet you're going to say a 2 yr old kid can draw better than him. :-p

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French Baker

French Baker is the place I go to for comfort food. Being a soup lover, I always look forward to the soup of the day. You won't know what soup they serve (unless you ask, of course) so it's always a 'surprise me' moment and I lurved it.

While waiting for our orders to arrive, our eyes (and noses) feasted on these breads on display. We love the smell of freshly baked bread. I wish we can get an oven soon so we can make our own bread and pastry and fill our house with the yummy scent of baked goodies, too

. . . soup of the day stuffed in a french bread bowl

Sorry but I can't remember the soup I had on this visit. Anyway, as far as I can remember I never met a soup that I did not like here. It's always creamy, not the instant type and served piping hot just the way I like it.

Soup of the day would be my staple while Tapioca's would be the chicken parmigiana and chicken ala king.

chicken parmigiana fettucini . . .

. . . chicken ala king

When tired and we just wanted a nice meal without fuzzing over the menu these were our no-brainer meals. They're always consitent and we're satisfied diners.

And we washed them all down with the cranberry apple juice. *Burp*

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Omakase

This restaurant has been in Eastwood for the longest time and we finally decided to give it a go. Never been fans of fusion (and that's what Omakase is known for) but we just wanted something Japanese.

To start our meal we ordered the bottomless iced tea. They have several flavors of iced tea. I had the Panama orange something iced tea while Tapioca had the red iced tea. I didn't like the orange-y tea but good thing they let me switched to another iced tea flavor without paying extra.

bottomless iced tea, anyone?

. . . a little surprise in a bowl

miso soup . . .

After taking a spoonful of my soup, I knew right then we went to the right place. This was one of the best miso soup I'd ever had. I finished my bowl (and Tapioca's) without leaving a single drop.

Omakase had a very extensive menu and we had a hard time choosing. Since I enjoyed the miso soup and the silky tofu that came with it, I decided to order this . . .

. . . agedashi tofu

This was okay but I like Teriyaki Boy's version more. I dunno but I think I like my tofu with more sauce (or should I say swimming in a pool of yummy sauce).

tofu steak . . .

Second dish of tofu in the table. Isn't it obvious? We love tofu! This was Tapioca's order. Two of the things he loves to eat. Tofu and steak. He liked the idea of them being together in one dish. I guess we were on a tofu cravings that night therefore the tofu overload hahaha!

. . . soft-shell crab tempura

Please pardon the pics as the resto had a dim light setting and I was just using my phone camera. On impromptu dinner like this I have no choice but to use my phone. Going back to the food, I wanted tempura and we saw this crab on the menu. This was our first encounter with the soft-shell crabs (never imagine they existed!). It was pure crab goodness. No more messy business of cracking, pulling or twisting. You can actually eat the entire thing, that's the legs and claws and shell all in one go without thinking of hurting your mouth in the process. It's soft shells baby but it's crunchy and lip smackin' good. We were in crab heaven, literally.

. . . omakese fried rice

This tasted so good. Kanin pa lang ulam na. Our only complaint, it was too oily. I think it didn't match what we were eating as most of them were already flavorful and oily (read: tempura and steak). We should have ordered plain rice instead.

In fairness, the food was great and of good quality. After experiencing Little Tokyo (see it here and here), we pretty much had high expectations for Japanese food. Surprisingly, Omakase did meet our expectations. With a whole lot of dishes to try we might expect ourselves to come back for more.

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The Old Spaghetti House (TOSH)

On PMS-ing days I always crave for something that will never go away and must be satiated. And on this particular day it happens to be cheesecake. And it's not just any cheesecake. I specifically wanted the cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory (think Penny of The Big Bang Theory hehehe!). The good news is I don't have to go all the way to the US to get my cheesecake fix as The Old Spaghetti House has them (yep, its imported).

But the bad news is . . . it's out of stock (boohoo!) when we visited TOSH in Ali Mall. Tsk tsk! Since we're already sitting comfortably in our booth, we decided to order something else.

. . . gambetti

Tapioca's order. He pretty much prefers pasta in red sauce.

pasta negra . . .

Jellybean's choice. Feeling a little adventurous so I had this. Nothing special except you can expect to get black stained teeth. I forgot to take a picture of myself after eating this so go ahead and imagine. LOL!

. . . clam chowder soup

Nothing better than a heart warming soup to make me happy (at least).

Philly cheese steak pizza . . .

Tapioca enjoyed this a LOT. It was cheesy and had a perfect crust. A very unusual pizza shape.

Sad to say but no cheesecake and I refuse any kind of dessert. Gotta go to another TOSH branch to get my cheesecake.

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Wishlist: Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman

I fell in love with this chair and I don't wanna get up. We had our late lunch at the newly renovated Food Gallery in Ali Mall and me likey soooo much these chairs. I told Tapioca I want one for the house. It was so comfy to sit on and the size is just right. I can put my feet up and sit Indian style without any problems though these chairs have arm rest. Just add a foot rest and it will be a good lounge chair. But still it won't fit in our tiny place. Sigh.



The chair that I'm really lusting for is this ....

. . . Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman

This lounge chair has been featured in many many movies and tv series but the show that I remember seeing this from was on How I Met Your Mother. I remember how Ted and Barney fight over the chair which was really funny.

in black . . .

This chair is available in DWELL. I already saw one in the Eastwood branch. Gosh, it's so good looking, mahal ko na cya and so does the price. Pwede ng pambili ng second hand car. I can imagine my self sitting on it with feet up on the foot rest while typing away on my netbook and sipping fresh watermelon shake. But ya know, a girl like me can dream.

Photo from: http://velvetpalette.wordpress.com

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Cutest Things

Cute little stuff toys... er puppies, I mean.

The girls and I were at the weekend market after our badminton session. Vanjee was inquiring for a vet in the area when I spotted this . . .


I thought it was a bunch of stuff toys but lookey, lookey, they're alive!



Aren't they such cutie pies? Tapioca and I once talked about getting a dog. But I'm more of a cat person. But if ever, yeah you heard it, if ever we're gonna get a dog we wanted a beagle. Just like my all time fave, and the most popular beagle in the world, Snoopy. Did I just said I'm a cat person? Yeah I am but I love Snoopy because he doesn't bite *big smile*.

Anyway, just recently Tapioca has turned into a cat person. And that's because of . . .

. . . Sunday!!!

Look, she wanted to join us on our vacation. Kasya naman daw sya sa loob ng bag. LOL!

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Retrospect: Bili Kayo Ice Candy?

Hi! Ho! You might be surprise to see quite a number of posts in my blog which is VERY unusual. My blogging spirit is up which allows me to create blog post one after another. We are on a 3 day vacation supposedly for our Singapore trip that did not push thru. But anyhow, we still wanted to maximize our time and be productive and at the same time enjoy. We needed a breather from all the things we're going through.

Tapioca and I had a mini vacation once again out of the city though it's just a few minutes away from Manila. I will make a post about that soon but for now I'm making way for my super-duper back logs. I'm making kalkal the hard drive for old pictures that I don't want to go to waste. What I mean is I don't want to be stuck with just pictures. Pictures are best seen with words put into them. It helps you remember. And that's basically the whole point of my blog.

Enough said, let's get back to business. Reminiscing.

It was summer. One super hot afternoon Tapioca and I decided to go to the mall for lunch and for free air conditioning. I was having a really bad headache and the temperature at the house was so high like I'm going to get a fever or something. We were thinking of watching a movie after or maybe buy something to cook for dinner. After our cheap late lunch at Ali Mall, my headache went away but I got sleepy. So we decided to just forget the idea of watching a movie and went to Farmer's market instead to buy ingredients for dinner. Then we thought of buying an ice chest to store some ice. We still didn't have the budget to buy our own fridge yet so we figured it would make do for the mean time especially during these days when the weather turned hotter and hotter everyday.

As we were walking from the market to the jeepney terminal, Tapioca chuckled, "gusto mo bumili ng ice candy?" At first I didn't get it but I took a second look and I understood what he meant. To make it more simple here's what he looked like.

ice candy boy . . . pwede!

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Retrospect: 3D Technology

These photos were taken back in 2010 and finally made its way to this blog. It was the time when 3D technology was making a huge hype in the market with all those 3D movies from Hollywood.

This was me and Vanj at a Samsung booth in SM Makati. Samsung launched the world’s first 3D home theater system.


Then a few months after, Sony released their own. Here's Tapioca and Papa R trying out the set.

We can never afford to buy these TVs and won't even consider it. The thing gives me the headache so for now we will just get our 3D movie doze from the cinema. This post is basically a remembrance of my first encounter with 3D, in cinema and in home theater system. That's all.


That's me and Tapioca on my very first 3D movie experience. We watched the Shrek Forever and After which was not as good as the previous Shrek movies although I must admit I got amazed with the 3D effect. First timer, eh.

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Cravings: Sbarro's Salmon Steak

This is a staple in my every Sbarro visit except not all Sbarro carry these. My first encounter with the salmon steak was at their Megamall branch. It was love at first bite. One bite was never enough. It left me wanting more (more of that yummy gleaming sauce please). The butter and lemon sauce was simply divine. Very light in flavor. I swear I can lick my plate clean that's how good it was. And that's coming from a sucker for anything butter. But if you hate butter (I pity you!) then stay away.

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Baguio - Last Part

I never thought that a weekend in Baguio could make a total of 4 blog posts. Just image if we spent an entire week, baka umabot ng 10 posts itech heheheh. Anyway, as promise here's the continuation of my Baguio getaway.

As what I said on my previous post, Lyza and Jay were both first timers in Baguio. Since we only have limited time to explore we just went to the nearest tourist attractions. From SM we went to the Burnham Park.

Since it was a Sunday (oh we missed our cat, Sunday), the park was crowded. Baguio has now become a city that ban smoking. Jay and Tapioca had difficulty finding smoking areas. Then we had an idea. We all agreed to chill and relax on these rented boats at the same time a chance for the guys to puff and huff.

. . . please ignore the bulging tummy (teehee!)

When they got tired from all the rowing and puffing (and huffing), we called it a day.

We were suppose to go back to the transient house but the thought of one of my favorite parks crossed my mind. I suddenly felt bad that Jay and Lyza will miss it. So with my perseverance and my camera's dying battery off we went to . . .

The Mansion . . .

. . . The Wright Park - my favorite

And here's more picture of us in the park . . .

Christmas is in the air?

I wanted to do horse back riding but I was scared and tired so nagpa-picture na lang me with the horsey.

So there you go folks. The final installment of the Baguio series. It was a short vacation hence it was stressful as we were making habol the time. Baguio has change a lot from my last visit. The rise of new buildings and condos that was never there before. The smell of the pine trees are gone. Not to mention the heavy traffic at Burnham. Things do change. Could be for the better or for worse. Still I would love to go back for the food and wonderful weather. Goodbye Baguio. Til next time.

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Sizzling Plate Baguio

From Good Shepherd Convent we took a cab and went straight to Session Road for the steakhouse that Tapioca misses so much.


When I saw the signage, the first thing that came to mind was the Sizzling Plate in the foodcourts of SM malls. I was kinda hesitant as I felt that we went to the wrong place. Knowing Tapioca he can be so picky with meat. He even disses all those 99 pesos steak places mushrooming in Metro Manila but on this one I have to trust his judgement.


The place was old and the interior was of a log cabin.

We thought it's just gonna be the two of us but my teammates Lyza and Jay gamely joined us on our food trip. Jay was suppose to order the 5 pieces/sticks of barbeque meal but Tapioca insisted that we all order steak since it's the house specialty. And we obliged. He also demanded that we pair our steaks with beer. Not in the mood to drink beer, Lyza suggested these instead . . .

. . . bottled cali shandy (in fairness, meron pa pala nito)

Every meal on the menu comes with soup and java rice.

. . . cream of mushroom soup

This was served before the meal.

. . . java rice

Our food arrived in no time and when I saw the big slices of meat, I finally let go of my bad feelings earlier and concluded that Tapioca was right about this place. For a 230 grams of meat we paid less than 300 pesos. So cheap yet so good. This was definitely not the Sizzling Plate from the SM foodcourts.

Australian T-Bone (medium rare)

This was Tapioca, Lyza and Jay's order. They wanted some fat on their steaks so they chose this cut. Tapioca had it medium rare as he likes it a little bloody. Our server was very knowledgeable with the different types of steak cuts and he answered all our questions happily. Plus points for the service.

Australian rib-eye (medium)

Jellybean's choice. The steak comes with whole cup of gravy to pour onto your plate. And one cup is a lot so you just pour little by little and your plate will all go sizzle. And when the gravy dries off you can just add some more. See how my plate sizzles? Loved it. I wish we can make the same gravy at home.

The fries (which was made from real potatoes) and veggies were perfect with the steak. I wasn't able to finish my java rice as I was satisfied with the fries which was plenty.

For dessert we had ice cream at SM Baguio. Oopps, sorry but no picture here. Ask why SM Baguio? Well, it's Jay and Lyza's first time to visit Baguio and since we're already in Session Road which was a few blocks away from SM, why not go there for dessert. We didn't have any pictures in SM so I'm gonna have to cut my blog post here. I promise to end my Baguio entry on the next post.

I know it's just Thursday but anyway, happy weekend everyone!

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