Expect The Unexpected

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 Yes, that's what some people say. But aren't unexpected things those that are mostly unpleasant?

To me, this blog serves as an outlet, sort of. But for almost two months, I disconnected myself from it. I never peeked into this blog nor checked anyemail notification for comments. (I found out today that there were still visits from people. Thank you!) Although, I didnt totally go offline. I wouldstill check Facebook and Twitter once in a while, blogwalk a bit only to check new photos but not to read stuff.

After our Palawan trip, I had a very depressing discovery. It was very depressing at that moment. Iyak ako nang iyak. Because I didn't want to think about it, tulog ako nang tulog every afternoon after my shift. I put all the blame on Elmer. I wasn't talking to him that much. My spirits were really, really, really low. As in.

Glutton At Large In Palawan

Virtually, everything that I experienced - the plane ride, the zip line, the rock climbing, the snorkeling, everything in and about Palawan - in our trip was a first for me. And all firsts surely stick in our memories, don't they? These things are gonna for sho. More so, some of the foods that I've tasted in Palawan for the first time would definitely make it to the list of "Most Memorable's" in my life.

Nikki did a great job in doing her homework. Oh, not my daughter Nikki. My friend-slash-officemate Nikki who planned our Palawan trip. She did great on the research especially the must-taste foods there. In-avail namin lahat 'yun. So among the many firsts I've experienced on this trip is the chance to try these foods for the first ime.

1. Tamilok or Shipworm. I think this deserves to be in the number one spot. I wasn't totally engrossed by this food. I just thought of it like the street food isaw sans the food color and the stick. I honestly couldn't figure what it tasted like. My friends were saying it tasted like oyster. Um-agree na lang ako. Isa lang masasabi ko, makunat siya. Nguya-nguyain mo pa ng 100 times then lunok.

Recommended Store Of Dried Everything For Pasalubong In Puerto Princesa

Nikki and Niño found this store that sold dried everything - fish, pusit, dilis - and other pasalubong items like cashew nuts, banana chips, barquiron. Its owner, Kuya Albert, had been so nice (and honest) to us.

By the way, the best-selling pasalubong was the lamayo daing. That's what was served to us for breakfast in the hotel. Ang sarap, in fair! Unfortunately, I didn't brought (Wrong grammar akish!) bring home just even one pack. Frozen kasi siya. Hindi ko betch magdala on the way back home ng something that would be dripping. Even Vian didn't. Sister ko talaga siya. Hindi din niya betch! Sayang, because Nikki said masarap daw talaga.
 

See? Parang dabarkads lang!

Their price compared to Baguio price, less inexpensive.

Let's Get Lost: Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

Did you think I was done writing about our recent Palawan adventure? I did too. I thought wrong, hindi pa pala! ^_^

Whenever I browse our 1000+ photos (I'm serious, we have that many), I feel like I want to upload all of them. But I only have free Flickr account so I can't do that. Unless, of course, I upgrade my Flickr which I don't feel like doing at the moment. I picked some photos na lang and added a little (close to nothing) of my creativity. I would like to share them to you that's why I'm still writing about it. I know, it's been over a week already. Kahit na, blog ko naman 'toh! ^_^

Day 1, 9.3.2012: Touched Down Palawan; KaLui In The Evening

 

I Just Realized, It's A Case Of Bullying

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Elmer and I noticed, Nikki was, although not intensely, being bullied in school by one girl classmate. This never happened last year when she was in Grade 2. That was her first year in that school and she was never with this girl in the same class.

This classmate's name always comes up during my conversation Nikki on how her day at school went. Sometimes, especially when school year was just starting, her stories were not as pleasant as I would like them to be. There was one time daw during lunch, 'yung mga ayaw na food ng classmate niya na 'to who likes to boss her around too, nilalagay sa baunan niya. That's while she was still eating her lunch. Foul 'yan sa akin. Pero sabi ko, sana sinabihan niya ang classmate niya na 'wag gawin 'yun. Oo daw. There was another time when this same classmate had colds and used tissue paper to clean her nose. When all her used tissue already piled up on her desk, inuutusan daw sila (her and her other classmates) to clean her desk up. Foul sa akin 'yan. I asked her if ginawa ba niya. Hindi naman daw. 

But Nikki admitted, sometimes, she would give in as a way para makisama with that classmate. Otherwise, that classmate would ask their other classmates to not talk to or play with her. Ang bad! Naawa ako kay Nikki nun. Sabi ko, if she doesn't stand up, susugurin ko ang classmate niya! Siyempre joke lang 'yun, at alam niya 'yun. I encouraged her to fight (not physically) or answer back if she knows tama siya.

Say What?!

How are you guys? I have been feeling sick since I came back from the trip. On Tuesday, I was having flu-like symptoms. Good thing that was my last shift for the week. Yesterday, I stayed in the house all day because I had to look after Calli. Pinky took a day off. It would have been best for me to stay in bed and rest but Calli seemed to be loving the perfect weather these days to stay outdoor. Walang humpay sa pagtakbo at pagba-bike sa labas. I would just watch her from our living room while I looked at our Palawan photos at the same time. They're so many I couldn't decide which ones to upload. So I chose the best ones and make collages na lang. That's what I had been busy with yesterday. It was warm outside but I was feeling so cold. Because I wasn't feeling well, I skipped taking a shower. Hihi!

Today, I had a couple of errands to run so I had to be better. I think the fact that it's payday today helped me feel so much better. Immediately after Nikki has left for school, I felt like I wanted to take a shower. Feeling ko ang dumi-dumi ko dahil hindi ako naligo kahapon. Ang dumi-dumi koooo! (Arte lang?) But something like that. To have some fun, I decided that Calli and I take a shower together. I was a little hesitant at first because she's not used to taking her shower that early. Maginaw pa at 7:30AM. She usually takes a shower past 10AM. Anyway. Nikki and I used to do this when she was younger. I thought, I'd do the same with Calli. It's a good chance for a bonding moment and teach (or more like a review) her more of the body parts. 

Before, she would just call her entire lower extremities as paa and her entire upper extremeties as kamay. It's time I showed her which her hita, binti and braso were. She already knew which her tuhod was. Then after --

KaLui Restaurant In Puerto Princesa

I learned from Nikki that KaLui (some would write it as "Ka Lui" but I prefer it written this way just like in its website) Restaurant is a popular, the most famous as a matter of fact, restaurant in Palawan, and that a Palawan trip is not complete without having tried dining at this restaurant. It is a must-visit place in Palawan. Ka Louie (just like saying it as Mang Lui, I guess) is the owner of KaLui Restaurant.

Originally, we planned and had a reservation for us to dine at KaLui on Day 2. But because there was nothing planned to do in the evening of our Day 1, after checking in the hotel and buying little grocery items in the nearby Robinsons Mall, we changed plans. In the afternoon of Day 1, we asked the hotel receptionist to make a reservation for us that evening. Luckily, there was an available table for six in KaLui at 6:15PM. After settling our things in our own rooms and taking quick shower, we had a tricycle ride from Go Hotels Puerto Princesa to KaLui Restaurant.

There was one mistake that we committed. We stopped tricycles from the hotel lobby. Wrong. We were charged P150 per tricycle and one tricycle was only allowed to load three persons. So we had to take two tricycles for the six of us. Tumataginting na P300. We later found out that one tricycle could load more than three persons and per person fare was only P8. Sweet!

Go Hotels Puerto Princesa

My friend-slash-officemate Nikki was the master planner of this Palawan trip all. She wanted a budget-friendly yet super sulit, super enjoyable and super memorable trip (super daming super!),  to which the rest of us who were going agreed. Imagine, five thousand pesos for a four-day stay in Palawan. All-in. Yes, as in, including airfare, hotel accommodation, food, bus fare, van rental, boat rental, UR permit, island fees and every basic need. Cheap, right? Kaya bet na bet kong sumama. Like I always say here in my blog, I am cheap. But due to a change in AirAsia's flight itinerary, na-extend kami ng one day kaya we have to stay there for five days. That means, we have to book for another day of hotel accommodation. So that's an additional expense on us. But not as big as you may think. Mga less than one thousand pesos lang. I'll see if I can make a post later with a detailed list of our expenses for five days.

In March, after booking the flight, for five months, Nikki searched all over the internet - all sorts of blogs, forums and all - for the cheapest everything - hotels, restaurants, van rental service, etc. - in Palawan. It was a perfect timing because Go Hotels Puerto Princesa was on a sale. For P388 per room per night for two persons, we had nothing fancy but a cozy, aiconditioned room that opens and turns power using an electronic key card and that has a super comfy Windsor bed, hot and cold (rain) shower, LCD cable TV, safety vault and the most important free WiFi. P388 lang per night for two persons. Oo, alam ko na nasabi ko na 'yan. Gusto ko lang naman i-emphasize na ang mura talaga niya. Pero siyempre, wala ng free meal 'yun. Abuso naman na, P388 na nga lang. ^_^

Reception Area

The Flight

Forgive me if even this one I still have to write about. Pagbigyan niyo na 'ne? First time ko e. I wanted something to remind me how it felt like the first time I flew. 

☻☺☻☺☻

Despite Dr. Dominguez' don't-worry-about-it-you'll-be-fine advice, I couldn't stop thinking of possible things, embarrassing things, that could happen to me inside the plane. From the time while in the bus on the way to Clark, on the way to DMIA and waiting for the gate to open for boarding, I was really feeling more frightened than excited. Halo-halo na din siguro. But I was good in hiding it. Cool lang. Picture-picture lang with friends.
 

Bus ride from Baguio

Coffee break in Sison bus stop

Sinus Problem And Flying Do Not Go Well Together, True?

After twenty nine years, I finally flew. Yes, I started late. ^_^

Before that happened, I was in a serious dilemma. Read on. (Please?)

So far, I have never been diagnosed of sinusitis. When consulting a doctor, it's always been allergic rhinitis. I didn't lack research about sinusitis. Almost all the symptoms my body show were that of it. That's why I would like to believe that it was sinusitis. After extensive research about this topic, I came to know this: flying with a sinus problem or even with just a bad cold is a bad idea. I totally forgot about this little piece of information until two days before our flight to Palawan.

So I started googling about "sinus problem and flying" and found a number of sites saying things like these:

• "avoid flying with a sinus infection"
• "serious pain and potential complications"
• "rupture of the tympanic membrane in severe cases"
• "excruciating pain about my left eye as the plane starts to land"
• "head feels like it was going to explode" 

I already felt my "head like it was going to explode". That happened, on two separate occasions, when on a bus going down from Baguio to Nueva Ecija. I had a bad cold during that time. I slept all the way from Baguio to Pugo, La Union. When I woke up, it felt like there was something going on from my eyes to my nose to the back of my ears and above my nape. It was like something got trapped inside my head that could not get out. Excruciating really was the perfect word to describe the pain.

Taste Buds At Work: Puno's Cheese Cashew Macapuno Ice Cream And Langka Cheese Cashew Ice Cream

I don't remember exactly when I first learned about this Puno's Ice Cream. I think it was about a year ago from my Sisterful Vian when I was visiting. She mentioned to me how sarap daw talaga this ice cream. That it was incomparable to some commercially known ice cream brands. Of course whose curiosity naman wouldn't be tickled upon hearing that, davah?

But at that time, Mr. (or Mrs. maybe) Puno still had to put up an outlet in Guimba. Closest outlet from Guimba that Vian could think of was in Talavera - two towns and maybe around 30-minute drive away from ours. We dismissed the idea.

Whenever there was a party in the house, we always ordered dirty ice cream from someone who was Muder's suki and family friend. The last time we visited Guimba for Muder's birthday, I couldn't be happier because there's already a Puno's Ice Cream outlet there. Yay!!! So this time, we had Puno's Ice Cream for a change.

I sent Vian and Jerico to buy "enough" ice cream so bahala na sila kung gaano karami. She told me that its price was much cheaper than usual ice cream brands so I handed her P1,000. Sorry guys if I cannot tell you the exact price or even just an estimate price for each because when they arrived from the store, we became too busy with the preparation for the party that afternoon and I forgot about my change na. Surely, I'd spent P1,000 for a 1.9L, a 3.8L, an 80mL ice cream plus Vian's service fee. Haha!

This is how the container looks like.

Puno's Langka Cheese Cashew Ice Cream

I thought it tasted like something really, really familiar to me. After so many scoops of it, that's when I finally figured out what it was. It tasted like halo-halo maybe because of the langka in it. Hansarap!

Ten Is Tin

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I've mentioned that it was Elmer and my tenth anniversary on August 28, and that I would tell you more about it. Well, that's it. There's nothing more about it, seriously. Null. Zero. Nada. Zilch. There was no celebration at all. Not even greeting each other "Happy anniversary, Mahal." Kasi nga 'di ba I've also mentioned na may pinagdadaanan ako.

Ganito kasi 'yun.

Months ago, my friends at work found a super cheap fare to Palawan. That was in March. Travel period was, from that time, in a couple of months for a couple of months. They invited me to go with them and asked me to bring Elmer with me. They were two pairs of couple, so Elmer and I would make the group three pairs of couple heading to Palawan in September. To cut the story short, Elmer and I agreed. We booked for a flight to Palawan. That was in March. Yes, we are heading to Palawan on September 3 and staying there until September 7.

You must know by now that Elmer is now with a new company that also works for Texas Instruments. He switched companies in July. You know what that means. New company. Tenure back to zero. No leave credits. Heavy workload. Limited number of people. So again, to cut the story short, his boss didn't let him go on this trip. He couldn't join us.

We Missed Guimba

It's been months since the last time before we could visit Guimba again. I made sure we make it this time for Muder's birthday. I requested for this vacation leave months ago. We left Baguio on Saturday evening. We could have left earlier but Calli and I still had to wait for Nikki. Her school decided to have classes that Saturday. Wrong timing lang. Meanwhile, Elmer couldn't make it. He's such a loser at his new job. Very heavy workload with limited manpower. Hindi makapag-VL ampotah. At yan ang dahilan ng 'di namin pagkakaunawaan (Read: Ayoko siyang unawain) these past few days. I'll tell you more about that sooner or later. Nasa-sad lang talaga ako nang bongga.

Okay, going back.

Nikki, Calli and I missed a lot in Guimba. I missed particularly the house, Fuder's cooking, the walang wawang conversation with Vian and Muder, my endless pagalit-slash-pang-iinis kay Jayvee and so many more. At syempre more than any of these, mi familia.

Sunday was Muder's 50th birthday celebration. On Monday, we had a great lunch with Fuder's fish escabeche and ginataang hito on the table. Ansarap kumain talaga 'pag libre, err, kasama mo ang pamilya...lalo't antatakaw nila. ^_^ I wish I had taken photos of these priceless dishes, uhm, this moment. I just noticed that whenever I'm in Guimba with my family, I (most of the time and unintentionally) disconnect myself from the world wide web. I also forget about my cellphone, my laptop, my camera. I think that's good, para maiba naman.

I missed the breakfast. We always have two sets of breakfast in Guimba basta walang pasok. I don't know why. Nakasanayan na lang siguro. One light breakfast at around 6AM or basta pagkagising na lang, with bread and coffee/milk/tea. Then a heavy one at around 9AM, with ulam and rice. 

Milk Tea for Three

Muder's Big Five-0

Fifty years ago, on August 26, 1962 was when the most consistent woman in my life was born. Hallelujah that day came. If not then you know what would have happened.

Last year I promised her an extraordinary celebration on her 50th birthday. She dissented, or maybe that's what I thought. She mentioned that she would just like to keep it simple and that she didn't want any party, just an intimate lunch or dinner with her family. All the while that was the plan. But at the last minute, she changed her mind. There would again be a party. Although still simple, just merienda with family and few friends.

Be ready. Photo bomb's coming up.

Back From A Short Hiatus

Ahaym sorry.

My last post was just something that was sitting in my Drafts for months, that I had to do a little editing for before publishing it online. I lost my "gana" to write for a bit there. You see, even My Project 365+1 needs updating. I assure you, the project's still on. I just couldn't find time to stitch the photos together. I promised myself that I'd finish that before Friday. That's why after a little while on hiatus,  I feel like I owe you some updating and my blog(s) an apology. 'Sensya na, may pinagdadaanan lang. Fret not because I'm so back!

Checking on it, it was just one week lang naman since my last post. But it felt like forever. Geez! For now, I would like to update you with what I had been doing for the past week.

Some random photos lang after the break, a'right? ^_^

Coffee or Tea?

When I was younger, I was never a coffee aficionado. My parents and uncles and aunts were and still are. I remember them chatting over cups of coffee even during some hot mid-afternoons. I only learned to consume cups and cups...and cups of coffee when I started working in a call center. Oh yeah, I've been a huge coffee fan since 2004. And it's good my company for giving its employees free coffee. Most call centers do.

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Tea, on the other hand, is something that I only learned to love taking a couple of years back. Elmer's mom, who happens to be a health buff, was the one who I got the influence from. She believed that tea was much healthier than coffee. While popular belief labels tea as a health drink and coffee as not, I've read that mounting evidence suggests that coffee and tea are both brimming with about the same amount of anti-oxidants in them.

Despite my love for coffee, I have never become a patron of popular coffee shops like Starbucks, Gloria Jean's or the others. First, I am cheap. Paying at least P80 for a short cup of coffee, to me, is robbery. Second, magagalit si Elmer sa akin. ^_^. Sipping on a cup of Starbucks aromatic coffee as I feel the cool Baguio breeze, once in a while, is, I think, heaven. But I still prefer to have my caffeine fix at the comfort of my home or at the office. 

My good friend at work and I have (almost) never failed to take at least one cup of coffee during our breaks until she was advised by her doctor to cut down on her consumption of coffee and some other foods and drinks and until our boss instructed us to not go on break at the same time anymore. Since then, I have been sipping on coffee in the pantry all by myself.

Lesson learned: (1) Do not see your doctor. He/She might ask you to stop doing things you love to do, or eating and drinking foods you love to eat and drink. (2) Hide when you see an approaching boss. ^_^

How about you? Coffee or tea?

Ciao! ♥

Photo Studio by PicsArt

Once in a while, I check new apps and games at Google Play Store. My recent find is this Photo Studio by PicsArt. I had already tried a couple of photo editing and photo community apps and I think this one is by far the best. It's easy to use and not to mention, FREE!

 

Although it has not reached Instagram's popularity just yet, I think it will not take long before that happens because of all the many things you can do with your photos with it. It has various options to choose from to edit or enhance your photos - masks, collage, frames, borders, stickers,  text effect, clipart graphics, callouts, crop, rotate, color adjust and so much more!

...and The Healing

Why is this titled as such? Click and read this to find out. ^_^

The way my friend Charlie described the suspense that I would feel of the movie The Healing made me all thrilled to see it. So that very day when I got home, I told Elmer we would see it. His treat. I got a nod. It was perfect!

Yesterday, after Elmer seeing Dra. Clemente for the test result, we only had 5 minutes to walk up from Benguet Lab on the ground floor to the cinema 4 floors above. We still didn't have ticket nor food. In short, we missed the first 8 minutes of the movie, which was just fine.

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All of a sudden, Elmer has become conscious of the food he eats. I said I liked popcorn. Before entering the cinema, he bought popcorn but never tasted it. Maalat daw kasi. Arte lang! So ako ang ngumata nang ngumata ng popcorn the whole time.

-- SPOILER ALERT --

The story was very much, almost exactly, the same as Final Destination. 'Yun na 'yun na mismo ang takbo ng story. The only difference and what made feel like the story was not bitin was the fact na parang na-end ni Ate Vi ang "sumpa".

I didn't like the movie at all but I super enjoyed the experience. I don't know if you're like me na 'pag ako nagugulat-gulat at napapasigaw-sigaw sa loob ng sinehan, kahit walang kwenta ang story, enjoy na enjoy na ako. Feeling ko sulit na sulit ang ibinayad ko.

After almost two tensionadong oras, Elmer and I were out of the cinema. I went straight to the ladies CR. Andaming kolehiyalang nanood. I was waiting for my turn sa toilet when I felt na parang I was catching attention. I tried to ignore. Still waiting for my turn nang napalingon ako sa shirt ko. Lintek! Para pala akong naligo ng cheese powder from the popcorn. So embarrassing! #wapakelshindinamannilaakokilala

So there. P180 for a ticket was I think sulit naman. It depends on how you look at it. Just look at the bright side na lang. Which is? ^_^

Ciao! ♥
 

The Sickness...

Toward the end of July, Elmer mentioned to me about this very unusual something that he observed. He thought there was what appeared like blood in his urine. He said it was just one time and the color was not very distinct red that's why he couldn't tell for sure if it really was blood. He immediately brushed it off, or maybe that's what I thought, so I also did. I never thought it was that big of a deal to him. It only occurred to me yesterday when he mentioned that he again observed the same in his urine the day before and that he would consult a doctor.

It was his day off yesterday. Original plan for the day was for the two of us to just go out and see a movie. So added to our agenda for the day was a visit to Benguet Lab to see a urologist before heading to the cinema. Unfortunately, urologist was out. Time was around 4PM. Family doctor would arrive at 5:30PM. He said he would see the family doctor instead. So we waited. 

We killed time at a nearby Bibingkinitan. By the way, at around 5AM yesterday,the weather looked promising. I knew Mr. Sun would already show himself up. And it didn't disappoint me. Sun came up but late in the afternoon when we were already in SM, heavy rain started to pour again. Really heavy rain. So a hot brewed coffee at Bibingkinitan was just perfect. 

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I never knew that Elmer was afraid of doctors until yesterday. Ako kasi, konting kibot, especially 'pag sa mga bagets ko, consult a doctor agad. In those ten years that Elmer and I are together, not once that he consulted a doctor. Never, until yesterday. Before going out of the house, Mama Shirley talked to me on the phone.

Mama Shirley: Mia! (she calls me Mia and may exclamation point talaga, haha) Pilitin mo si Jay-ar (Elmer is Jay-ar) magpa-checkup. Takot sa doctor 'yan! Pilitin na pilitin mo ha! Baka kung ano na 'yan. Nasa lahi pa naman namin ang cancer.

Just Saying

The Aftermath

 "What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another." - Mahatma Gandhi

The Aftermath of the aftermath

"The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river." - Ross Perot

"The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now." - Dambisa Moyo, Zambian economist

"As each tree falls so does the earth's ability to heal itself and to adapt to the effects of our changing climate." - Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs addressing Copenhagen COP15 UN conference (13 December 2009)

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It's all coming back to us now.

And it's sad.

If we love our children, let's make a difference...

by being different.

 

*All other images are from Yahoo!

Ciao! ♥

 

Goodbye Frizz

Here in Baguio, I do not have a "suki" salon. Before, I would only get a haircut every time I was in Nueva Ecija. There was one salon there na 'pag magpapagupit ako, papasok lang at sasabihin. "Parang dati po." 'Yun na. Gets na niya ang gupit na gusto ko at swak naman sa akin. 

But after a hair rebond and hair got longer, I had to cut it na. I never had a long hair talaga. Hindi kasi bagay sa akin. It has become inconvenient for me to go down to Nueva Ecija every time I would like to get a haircut. I've already tried having a haircut in a couple of salons here in Baguio. I would say, I'm still in my search for a "suki" salon. 

Have you seen my photo here? Okay, ginawan ko na ng paraan 'yan. My friends Joy and Karen were also in the mood for a haircut. Because my hair looked like it badly needed some trimming, I joined them. 

We headed to Domingo Cabato Jr. Salon, a small salon in General Luna. Yes, mhin na mhin ang name. Joy knows Dom. 

These were the "after" shots. Sana daw may "before" shots. Sabi ko, 'di na kelangan. ^_^

Cuma-camwhore lang.

Taste Buds At Work: Army Navy's Charlie Bravo Querida Mia

When Elmer and I dined at Army Navy in its Session Road branch for the first time, he had a burger while I had a burrito. Fair enough for Army Navy is well-known as a Burger+Burrito joint, right? That time, I took photos of the place, the food that we ordered and this ad table standee showcasing Army Navy's Querida Mia.

That's why I promised myself that I'd order Querida Mia next time. So when Aunt Erma invited us for a dinner at Army Navy, I fulfilled my promise. ^_^

Go Harry!

Like I said in my previous post, my three-year-old Calli seems like she's fallen in love with Harry Potter. Oh Em Gee! She would start watching Harry Potter whenever she remembers and feels like it. She would tell me, neighbors and people, "Nami-miss ko na si Heri. Love love ko si Heri." Earlier today when I came home for "lunch", I found her watching Harry Potter at 7:30 AM. Yes, that early. While on her bike she exclaimed, "Ang galing-galing ni Heri, Mommeeh! Ambilis niya ma-bike." I paused for a bit from eating my breakfast (Yes, I'm having my breakfast during my "lunch") and tried to recall remarkable scenes of each Harry Potter movie. Wala naman eksena dun na naka-bike siya ah?

One time I asked her,

Me: Bakit hindi ka yata nanonood ng Heri?

Calli: Kasi napapagod na siya ma-magic Mommeeh. Wawa naman siya. Papahinga pa siya.

Na-memorize na nga niya ang ibang eksena.

Tignan mo Mommeeh, sasalita ang sombero. (Pauses and waits) Gryffindor!

Tignan mo Mommeeh, dalawa mukha niya.

Tignan mo Mommeeh, nalilipad ang saksakyan.

Tignan mo Mommeeh, blah blah blah.

Hayna! At meron din siyang,

Mommeeh, naka-lisp tick (lipstick) si Heri?

And here's the video of her cheering for Heri, err, Harry. I cut it short because she was just saying the same thing anyway for, I think, five minutes.

3 F's of Birthdays: Family, Food, Fun

How are you my dearies? I hope everybody's fine after all the heavy rains and strong winds brought about by Gener. Gener has left the Philippine area and yet it's still raining. It's been raining for weeks now here in Baguio. And. I. Hate. It. Dirty clothes already piled up. Ga-bundok na siya. Still, I'm not letting Pinky (the new house help/nanny) wash all the dirty clothes at once because 1.) We do not have a very long indoor clothes line to hang them on, 2.) There are still a few pieces on our line waiting to dry, and 3.) There's another typhoon coming.

The continuous raining didn't stop us from going out on Sunday. I mentioned here that we had an invitation for a dinner on that day. It was Aunt Erma's son Christian's birthday. We headed to Army Navy in Camp John Hay like we were instructed. So it was not really "dinner" after all. But that was free meal for us so I have no complaint. ^_^

Taste Buds At Work: 50's Diner's Pizza Burger

If you love pizza, and you love burger, then you would definitely love a pizza burger.

On Sunday when we dined out at 50's diner, I was not in the mood for a rice meal although I didn't have lunch that day. I thought, it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. I knew 50's Diner's burgers were much bigger than the usual size that were served in most fast food chains. So burger - pizza burger - it was.

50's Diner's Pizza Burger, P135

With lettuce, onion rings, tomato slices, cucumber slices and few potato slices - usual burger add-ons

With lotsa cheese, mushroom, bell pepper and pineapple slices - common pizza toppings

The lettuce, onion rings, tomato and cucumber slices were not yet topped to the burger patty so you could have some kinda make-your-own burger thing on your plate. But the mushroom, bell pepper and  pineapple slices already were along with the thick grated cheese. I easily tasted the familiar pizza flavor in the juicy patty. 

As a pizza and burger lover, I just simply couldn't find anything not lovable about this pizza burger. I just loved it! Aunt Sol, who was sitting next to me ordered a 50's Burger that was exactly as huge as the Pizza Burger that I ordered, commented, "Pinilit ubusin ni Mia ang burger. Anlaki kasi." Inubos ko talaga 'yun kasi ansarap e. 

And now that I am writing about it and have again taken a look at its photos above, kahit malakas ang bagyo, parang gusto kong sumadya sa 50's Diner at kumain ng isang masarap na Pizza Burger. 

50's Diner

92 Upper General Luna Road Corner Brent Road

Baguio City 2600

Military Cutoff Road

(Beside Kubong Sawali)

Baguio City 2600

Note: There may be a lot of other blogs out there that offer an extensive and more detailed review on the same topic as the above. Things I put here are just my two cents. I don't even consider this a review. Just a kwento on the experience per se. Enjoy! ^_^

Ciao! ♥
  

Philippine Nutrition Month 2012

Oh my gulay! It is the last day of July today. At bago pa ma-out of season ang topic na 'to, I'm writing about it today.

Government and private health institutions and most especially schools, public and private alike, celebrate this July the Philippine Nutrition Month with the theme, "Pagkain ng gulay ugaliin, araw-araw itong ihain."

It was on Saturday when Baguio Higher Ground Christian School (BHGCS), where Nikki attends, held a program for the said campaign. The school had a common program for all students in the morning. As expected, there was singing, dancing and poem recital, of course, in accordance with the theme.

After the program on the school grounds, each class went back to their respective classrooms to do their own thing that the class adviser had prepared. There were parlor games ,and the main event in each classroom was the preparation of a dish using not only vegetables but also fruits. 

Posted on Nikki's classroom's chalk board were her class' colored drawings of fruits and vegetables.

I knew this was Nikki's because of the handwriting. I know, my family is not so much into the artistic side. But I'm proud of Nikki's handwriting. Nice!

Nikki: Mommy, ito ang drawing ko oh.

Two Times At Three

Hola mis amigas! 

Okay, that's how Calli's almost non-stop, daily rendezvous with Dora these days has affected me. Apparently, she's tired herself of Barney. That's understandable. She's three years old now, you know. She's spent almost two good years of fun singing and dancing with the big ol' purple dino. 

You must know by now that it was Calli's birthday on July 27. Like I said in my previous post, I never planned of having a party because Elmer and I had already planned of us just dining out with his Mama Shirley, Aunt Sol and her daughters, Aunt Erma and her sons and a couple of others today. But it occured to me, Calli's birthday was July 27 and not July 29. Heck, I gotta have something that day, I thought. At the last minute, I planned of holding a simple dinner just for friends and kids. 

On the day itself, I already had a list of all the things I need to accomplish before dinner. With that, I realized that I was not really good under pressure (or maybe this is what almost eight years of call center environment did to me). Something very sad happened to me. Very, very sad. I don't know what you would like to call it. I call it huge S.T.U.P.I.D.I.T.Y. Who would withdraw money from an ATM, take the card and leave the money and receipt behind? I know! Stupid, right? Good thing it was just P1,000. But hey, that's a good amount of money to lose and could make me go home to Elmer and cry like a baby when lost. 

Okay, tanggap ko na...na natanga ako nung araw na 'yun. Kaya naman, I got over that na. 

Going back to Calli's birthday bago pa lumayo nang lumayo ang usapang 'to. I marinated two kilos of pork belly, bought one bilao of pancit bihon and a small birthday cake for dinner.

I didn't have the chance to take any photo that day so I'm still waiting for some photos from Carl which I will add here soon. 

It was a simple dinner but I could tell Calli enjoyed so much - the kids playing around the house, the pancit, especially the candle-blowing. I'm happy when my daughters are happy. A mother's total bliss!

From Terrible To Terrific

Let me just put this out of the way before I continue. I'm not apologizing for my last post. That was the b*tch, err, loser, in me talking.

Okay, moving on. Yes, I've moved on, so let's!

I'm pretty sure most of you have heard of the infamous child's development stage called Terrible Twos. As the name suggests, it starts when a toddler is about two years old. And I googled around what age it ends. I didn't find an answer. Although my googling on this wasn't as thorough as when I was guessing a blind item in Fashion Pulis, I think there's no definite age when Terrible Twos would actually end. I definitely like to believe that it ends as the toddler turns exactly three. If that's true then my house could get a little more peaceful starting today as Calli turns three.

The day she was born

I So Want To Kill You Right Now

This one's for you, a$$hole!

Dear Scheduler,

You keep changing my schedule whenever there's a need to tweak the team's schedule. When I confronted you and asked why among all people, it's always mine that gets changed. It's not the first time. For the past months, it's always been mine. You responded with "Kasi ikaw 'yung pinaka-feasible sa inyo eh". At first, I almost laughed with your response, even joked about it with friends. This morning, I was thinking about it. And I thought, what the f*ck! Do you think I don't have a life that's why you can just pick me as the one whose schedule can be changed just like that?

F*ck you!

A Surprisingly Luscious Leche Flan

Mona sold me one tray of fresh eggs last week. I thought, what would I do with a tray of eggs? Elmer told me to just put some in the fridge and stock the rest in the cupboard. Okay, they won't be staying in there long enough to rot anyway.

But still, I was itching to do something with them. I thought, leche flan! I love leche flan. Like super love. Carl would call it cream caramel. Leche flan, cream caramel. Isu met lang! ^_^

So on Tuesday, after taking a walk around Cudirao with my girls, leche flan it was! I know this is not the first time you'll ever see a recipe for a leche flan. 'La lang. Gusto ko lang i-share nang may ma-blog naman ako. Haha!

Kaya heto na!

Ingredients:

• 5 eggs yolks
• Half (or a little more than half) of the small can of condensed milk (See photo below)
• Half (or a little more than half ) of the big can of evaporated milk (See photo below)
• 3 tablespoonfuls of sugar

*There's supposed to be 1 teaspoon vanilla extract on the list but it was not available at that time.

Condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs and the llaneras

One Fine Day In Cudirao Hills

It was one fine day yesterday, my rest day. I let Nikki skip school because she was having fever due to her URTI. Because we're new to this part of Loakan, Calli and I decided that we have a little walk in the morning around Cudirao Hills. Nikki was feeling alright that time so she joined us. Girl power!

Plus, these two ticking bombs leaving the house would allow their daddy to have some quiet space to sleep even for a very short time. Kawawa naman kasi puyat-puyat the night before.

Her ready-for-a-walk pose

Mga naka-pambahay lang

My First Hodori Experience

Remember I mentioned how our new house was so empty? We've started filling it with furniture.

Last week (Oh yes, this is a very late post. Hamsowsowri!), during Elmer's only rest day, he and I went to Tiongsan Mabini to check out their dining sets. And we got one. We finally bought a dining table and chairs. Yay!!!

There's nothing spectacular about the one that we've bought. Nikki was even complaining "bakit walang bilog na umiikot sa gitna" (Lazy Susan), to which her Daddy replied, "Pang-tamad lang 'yun!". Then I explained, "Kasi pang-malaking mga tables 'yun. At pang-mayaman."

Okay, this is not about our dining set. Near Tiongsan Mabini was Hodori, a popular Korean and Japanese Restaurant here in Baguio. Elmer had been bugging me that I try dining there. He already did couple of times before with I forgot who. We headed right there and there was m first ever experience at Hodori Restaurant.

First we were served with this. Please don't ask me what it's called.

Jar of water with two bags of I-don't-know soaked in it.

At first I was, "Anong nasa loob?"

Love Thy Neighbors

You must already know by now that my family has already moved to a new house. That means, we have new neighbors. Well, they're not really strangers to us. They're long-time friends. For the longest time, I've never been neighbors with my friends. And now that I am, the feeling is just so warm and comforting. What's a better way to welcome new neighbors than offering them helping hands and good food? I guess, nothing.

These people know well how to love their (new) neighbors. During our first week here, we were showered with foods (which I have not reciprocated yet).

Although it was not really intended for us as her new neighbor, she got us to taste her spaghetti. I have to say it was really delish!

Karen and her spaghetti

The spaghetti. Yum!

Almost Candid

Carl is my friend Mona's Brit husband that my kids call Uncle Carl (or is it just me who insist that they call him Uncle Carl while the other kids call him Kuya Carl). Especially Calli, they are so fond of him. Calli is so much delighted by her Uncle Carl's Mr. Bean-like dancing. So funny! Very Mr. Bean...without the hair. ^_^

It's so sweet of him to take (and edit) some candid photos of Calli during one chatty evening at their house.

Here they are.

Thank you, Uncle Carl!

Ciao! ♥