More Photos Worth Posting

Charity and her garlic crusher. I pity Jinnie if he ever pissed her...bye-bye member

Everyone's busy except me, on second thought I'm busy too... busy hamming it up for the camera.

Lai so engrossed in reading Jaded, geez are you about to cry?

Cleavage anyone, I mean dinner anyone me not included.

Battle of the boobs

"48"

Sorry if I've been remiss in keeping an update here, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed last Friday and for some reason I was feeling so down I was not in the mood to go online. Don't ask me any specifics on why because I can't answer it myself. But looking back maybe it was just a premonition that a dear friend is going through a lot.

But back to what I really want to blog about... some of you may have been aware that Rizza came back Friday night after 3 months of stay in Korea. We missed each other so much that we arranged to check-in at a hotel for the entire week-end to catch up on stories. She made prior request on the food she's been craving so master chef "Charity" went ahead of us to do the shopping and cooking.
After dinner we started to watch clips of korean boyband Shinhwa and got so engrossed that we forgot about the time and panicked when Rizza called asking our whereabouts. She's already outside the airport waiting for us while we are still at the hotel. We felt so guilty we rushed out of the hotel still wearing shorts, old tees and sleepers and reeking from the smell of Charity's adobo. Good thing traffic was light so we were at the airport in less than 30 mins. We packed her luggage at the trunk and had our picture taken before heading back to the hotel.

On the way we did sing our welcome song to her and did a mini concert singing old (70 & 80's) Filipino songs. Not to be outdone Rizza started a" name that song game" by singing a line from a song that we can't remember ever hearing before. It was really a surprise because our combined memory bank of both local and international songs dating back to the early 70's is very, very extensive. We can even go on long drives without a radio on because we do an impromtu concert from ballad to disco to rap with vocal harmory to boost!

We arrived at the hotel past midnight and after Rizza distributed all the items we've requested a marathon story telling followed. It was no surprise therefore that it was already 4:30 am before we called it a night. Poor Charity, she has to wake-up 7:00 and make a presentation and briefing for a conference she will attend today (Monday). Breakfast and preparation for lunch was done in a hurry because we were scheduled to move-out of the room we occupied and transfer to the biggest room the hotel has to accomodate the rest of our friends who will stay until the following day.

what's for lunch

Being couped inside the hotel was too much for Flor that she decided to take a walk without telling us of her plans. Not wanting to be left behind we followed her example so we all went out of the hotel to walk but not together mind you. I guess we needed a break from seeing each other faces that we headed in different directions but 30 mins later we all ended up meeting at a nearby McDonalds panting and out of breath. Gosh, I really need to get back in shape. And Flor, why do you have to follow Papa Smurf's love for the outdoors. The only thing keeping my mind sane on the way back to the hotel was that liter of icy Sarsi I've kept hidden from the others.

Shortly after our return the rest of the gals came and more stories were shared. Dinner was served and a marathon video watching followed after. Only three ladies decided to sleep early but the rest still continued with our endless chatter about what life was in korea for Rizza and what's going on with our lives here that was not included in our combined blog entries.

ok people strike your best pose

Later that night I felt the need to go out so Lai and I went to get some soju and ramyon from a nearby korean store. I was hoping the alcohol will make us sleep but I was wrong ~ it was already 3:00 but Lai and I are still busy discussing a fictional story I've saved in my pc that I asked her to read while Rizza and Pau were planning for their October korean trip. Flor was making ramyon and our poor baby Lou has no choice but stay awake because her noona's are too noisy. Charity was the only one spaced out but provided us with more laughs by concocting stories on her possible dream basing on her actions while sleeping. It was almost 5am when sleep finally caught up with me.

more food

Not soon after the sunlight was beating on the window near me, it's already 8:00 am. Tita Remy came out and started preparing our breakfast. I stood up to help her and after an hour the rest of the ladies woke up. Only a few hours left before finally bidding each other goodbye but we were reluctant to do so. With just a look, or a song we ended up embracing each other and assuring one another that she is loved. The entire 48 hours that we stayed together was the most emotional one. It was filled with laughter and tears, of prayers coming from the heart and spiced with hugs, kisses and assurances of how much we care for each other. We came in as good friends and came out more like a family that will be there for each other in good and bad. Love you gals keep that in mind....


photos are taken by paulette and rizza

Wish Granted

I had been envious of some friends for a month now because they all had "moments" connected to each other which I was dying to experience for myself. I did follow their advice on how to best induce that "something" to happen but I had no success until this morning!!! Now I can't get over the feeling and I feel like floating in heaven.

Crazy Roll

I did promise you photos of my escapade with my friends but it so happens that I forgot to bring the USB port of my camera yesterday (pabo!) hence the late entry.

We are back at the Mall of Asia and because the place is packed with a lot of restaurants we had a hard time deciding where to eat. So we walked the entire length of the mall to check each establishments before deciding on a japanese restaurant named "Crazy Roll" only because there's a gentleman outside attracting the attention of passers-by to check out the menu and giving a description of their house specialty. I assume he's the owner and a very clever one at that. The interior of the place will fool you in thinking its an ice cream store rather than a japanese restaurant with the walls painted in vivid pistacchio and avocado green with strokes of flowers here and there.

The dining table is an art in itself with paper origami encased in the glass.

But what makes the place worth another visit is the food. From the appetizer they served to the main meal we ordered. How we wished we opted for the sample platter of their sushi roll so we can have more variety. Nonetheless their signature dish "crazy, crazy" is really mouth watering. The spicy tuna on top perks up your palate and just made me more excited about the main course.
Our meal clockwise from the top "bottomless" wanton noodle for Flor, yes you read it right you can have as much as you want for less than USD$3.30 including tax. Mine is oyakodon (rice toppings with chicken and egg) with miso soup (one of the best I had). Pau opted for "omuraisu" a japanese take on omelette. It passed her discriminating taste so I'm ordering that next time we go there and lastly an assorted seafood bento box for Charity. I was tempted to get a piece of her salmon because it really looks yummy.

The owner kept coming to our table to check if we like the food, I should have told him about mine and pau's blog so he can see how much we enjoyed our dinner. Who knows he may offer us a good deal for promoting his place, hahaha..... wishful thinking on my part.

It's friday so I'm off to Minsok for dinner tonight. Good since I haven't eaten any korean food for two weeks now.

The Seen Though My Window

Here's some pics of what I see everyday whenever I'm at work.

On my left The Peninsula Manila Hotel

And just accross the street is the Makati Shangri-la Hotel

I'll be joining some friends for dinner so expect more pictures tomorrow. In the meantime I'm leaving you with a self-cam photo I've taken while waiting for the girls. See you tomorrow!

Whale Watching In Gold Coast

My fave aunt & uncle in Gold Coast decided to go whale watching last week and sent me loads of photos. It was their long overdue birthday celebration ~ they had to postpone their earlier date due to bad weather. Why go whale watching when the whales aren't there, defeats the purpose right. Anyway, I chose a few to share here with their blessings of course.

a humpback whale breaking the surface expelling air

Another one swimming near their boat

The whales comes from Antarctica and they migrate north to Queensland each year to warmer waters to give mate, give birth and then they travel back to the souithern waters to feed. What a sight to behold. I hope I can visit Donsol, a province south of the country to have the same experience.

Wishing For A Dream

I went to the newly opened Mall of Asia last Saturday with 2 very good friends. I was a spur of the moment thing because I made a major blunder with a cd I burned for friend #1 so she has to borrow the copy of friend #2. Good thing I joined them because friend #2 just dreamed about the whole group watching a concert of our fave boyband. The rest of her dream was so awesome all we did was ask her for more details as we had our dinner and while checking out the shops in that mall.

I've always wished to have a dream similar to hers. Sure I had one once that involved my current banchan but it was so sad. I can't even remember any romantic scenes only scenarios worthy of a "tv drama". I was so determined to have a good dream I immediately went to bed after I went home but my body clock is not used to sleeping early so I had another video marathon until my eyes can't take it anymore. I woke up with no recollection of a dream, darn!!! It only made me more determined to duplicat my friends dream so I planned on having an afternoon nap. Still no success, 5 of my friends found it to be the most convenient to chat using sms. Last night was also a failure, I only saw a flash of us together for a few seconds, no cheesy, romantic scenes. Guess it's not meant to happen so tonight I'll just immerse myself on the latest season of Dr. House.

More Online Quiz

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft. You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily. You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

What Donut Are You?

Why Am I Not Surprised?

You Are Rain

You can be warm and sexy. Or cold and unwelcoming. Either way, you slowly bring out the beauty around you. You are best known for: your touch Your dominant state: changing

What Type of Weather Are You?

I'm Turning Blue

The airconditioning unit in our building must have undergone some maintenance check cause I feel I'm stuck in one of those cooling units found in kitchens of hotels. I'm not really complaining because I love it, it's just unfortunate that I have no coat with me now.

Oh well, three more hours and I'm out of here TGIF!!! I'll be meeting some friends tonight for our usual end-of-week get together.

I look forward tostaying in bed longer and waking up just in time for brunch. Ciao for now....

"Sukob"

My daughter has been bugging me to watch the movie “Sukob” or The Wedding Curse, a suspense-thriller by one of my fave directors Chito Rono for a week now. She’s one of those who gets easily scared but still loves watching horror movies while I’m the exact opposite. It would take a lot to make me scream when watching said genres. So last Sunday, we headed to Glorietta 4 just in time for the screening, Seems the movie is doing good box- office wise, I had a hard time locating vacant seats.

The movie is about a superstitious belief among Filipinos that siblings should not get married on the same year or when a close family member dies. It's supposed to bring bad luck to the married couple.

Sandy (Kris Aquino) and Dale (Wendell Ramos) are both overseas workers who came home to get married. Upon reaching her home, Sandy learns from her mother, Daisy, what happened to her friend, Helen. A short time after Helen’s father died, Helen proceeded with her wedding. A few weeks after the wedding, Helen’s husband dies in a plane crash. As Helen goes to the crash site, she dies in a bus accident. A few weeks later, Helen’s mother suddenly disappears inside her house. Their bodies have never been recovered.

On the eve of her wedding, Joya (Maja Salvador)the daughter of Dale's cousin began seeing a vision from the house accross Sandy's. Sandy proceeds with her own wedding and during the ceremony, she suffers from nosebleed and starts seeing glimpses of a ghostly flower girl from the church up to the reception. She begins to feel uneasy especially when Joya confirmed seeing the ghostly apparition too. Tragedy starts immediately when her bridesmaids had a road accident but their bodies were never found, instead her bridal cord was recovered from the site. She immediately sought the help of Joya who told her about her vision of another couple (Claudine Baretto and Bernard Palanca) getting married and suffering the same fate.

Isabel (Claudine) lost her husband a day after the wedding and his body was never recovered. She also sees the apparition of the ghost at her wedding and everytime someone close to her dies.

Things become more mysterious when Sandy receives their respective wedding photos. The people who died are headless in the photos. They realize that all the headless people in the photos are bound to die. Joya tells Sandy that she is cursed by the “sukob.” Sandy is shocked – no one in her family has died recently, nor has anyone gotten married. In searching for the truth, Sandy unearths a family secret. I'll assume you can already guess what the secret is. And in order to end the curse one of them has to make a sacrifice.

Overall the actors gave a convincing performance but Claudine was the stand-out in this movie. The cinematography is good but the nitpicker in me will always find loopholes. I just can't see the connection of the ghost to Helen the neighbor who died, Sandy and Isabel. But if you just want to be entertained they go ahead to watch it.

Joyride

After weeks of non-stop rain, I woke up last Saturday with what appears to be a bright and sunny day. A good omen for what’s to happen, a joyride with my friends.

We intended to leave the city by seven in the morning to avoid the traffic and since I have less than an hour to make it to the assigned meeting place (yes I woke up late) I skipped breakfast and just did my absolutions before getting to a cab. Flor was first to arrive and since it was just 5 minutes before our departure time we were wondering where the others are. Did we get the instructions right, so text messages were sent to the three ladies who will complete our party. Charity, our designated driver and tour guide arrived 10 minutes later just as Flor and I purchased a waffle to ease our hunger pangs. Thirty minutes later and countless dance tracks on the radio we started our road trip to Lipa City, Batangas.


First stop was the San Sebastian Cathedral in Lipa with its circular dome and massive walls. The murals and stained glass windows inside the church are very impressive. After giving thanks and saying my prayers I took some photos of the interior but since they're not that good I'm posting the ones taken by Pau. More picture taking followed as we checked the sites along the compound. You can view them here and here. Then it was time to get back to the car, next stop is Batangas City.



Charity gave us a quick tour of the city that has been her home for a few years working as a medical representative. But with just a small hotdog waffle and chips for breakfast we all felt the need to be nourished ASAP. We found ourselves at T.O.P. otherwise known as "The Other Place" a Filipino style restaurant that boast of the best "crispy pata" (deep fried pork knuckles) in town. The lowdown was that it took them a long time to get the food at our table. I was really, really tempted to stand and check the kitchen myself and ask what’s taking them so long to get our meal done. Lai finally gave up and got some chips and chocolates for us to nibble and by the time I finished a small packet of M & M, our food was served. We were all so hungry we barely took noticed of the ruckus that was happening around us. Alvin Patrimonio, a basketball superstar of the 90’s and now a coach of a professional league team entered the restaurant and was shaking hands with the staffs and some guest who are looking his way. I had to admit I was a big fan of his during my college days. I even strained my vocal chords several times just by watching him play. So we just checked him out for 2 seconds just in time for him to notice us. I’m certain he was about to say hi but we are so hungry we’d rather eat than stare at him. I swear the look of uncertainty on his face was priceless, too bad I was not in the mood to take photos. By the way the food was really delicious; it totally made up for the long wait.



After paying our bill we decided to stay outside for a few minutes just to settle the food in our full stomach. But being the wacky bunch that we are, Charity immediately launched into her rendition of Shinhwa’s Perfect Man complete with choreography never mind if she’s in full view of the passing buses and cars along the highway. Pau, Lai and I took turns taking photos and videos of her performance while laughing hard. It was during this time that Alvin and his party came out of the restaurant where he was again mobbed by the customers in the nearby shop. His Manager noticed us and thought we are waiting for Alvin because I saw him calling his attention and pointing in our direction. Flor whispered “Alvin is coming our way. He thought we are waiting for him. Just take a photo and get it over with”. So I volunteered to take the first shot and then his manager offered to take another shot so I can be included in the photo. We went inside the car immediately after and laughed our hearts out. If only he knew that we have no interest whatsoever in him but in fairness we seemed genuine enough in acknowledging the people in that vicinity. Suddenly feeling drowsy from the combined effect of the weather and food, we decided to have a strong cup of coffee at Hotel Ponte Fino but of course we won’t waste such a good location without having our pictures taken, nice ones right?



It started to rain hard as we pass by Lemery on our way to Taal, one of the two most culturally preserved sites of the Spanish colonial era the other being Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Kudos to the people of Taal in making a conscious effort to preserve the old houses. I started to feel like we are doing a “Visita Iglesia”. A Holy Week tradition in our country where you have to visit 14 churches preferably on foot to commemorate the 14 Stations of the Cross. We made our way to the Basilica of Saint Michael De Tours which was first built in 1575 but was destroyed during the eruption of Taal Volcano in 1754 and was later rebuilt in 1755. It was once noted to be the biggest in South East Asia with its combined patriotic, religious, and artistic influence. Its façade is baroque and consists of a single mass of stone shaped into rich complex designs. We said our prayers and then off we went to the nearby Caysasay Shrine with a well that is reputed to be miraculous. Connecting the two is a flight of 123 rough-hewn marble steps. One look at those stairs and we immediately asked Charity if she really wants us to climb those steps because I’m the first to admit that I’m not up to the challenge. She never mentioned hiking was part of the day’s activity. Good thing we only have to climb about 20 steps before we entered a path that leads to the Santa Lucia well and the ruins of the Old Caysasay Church. The trail was muddy and with overgrown trees and grasses around, you can’t help but feel a little creepy. We kept chanting “tabi, tabi po, makikiraan lang sandali” excuse us; we are just passing through for those unseen beings that may inhibit the place. A group of young lads offered to get water for us from the well using a pail attached to a bamboo pole. It was getting dark so we did not linger and went back to where we parked the car and said another prayer at the new church.


Shortly after it rained really hard just as we are on a zigzag road going to Tagaytay City. You can hardly see what’s in front of you. We kept checking the fruit stalls along the road because we all wanted to bring home some atis. Batangas is reputed to have some of the sweetest variety. The heavy downpour worked to our advantage because we were able to get a very good price for the fruit and we even got some boiled corn on a cob to munch while enjoying the disco music from the 70’s and 80’s.

Too bad the rain did not abate so we have to dine indoors at “The Viewpoint”. I would have been better if we had our dinner “al fresco style” in one of their huts. We had our coffee at Starbucks near Taal Vista before heading back to the city and calling it a night.

Let It Be The End of The Day

Why does time drag so slow when you're having a bad day.
I wish I have some magic powers to make the time move faster.
I need to unwind, I need good company, relaxing music and a very cold San Mig Lite.

Green Tea Commercial

Charity sent me a link to this very cute Green Tea commercial. Good thing there's youtube to bring relief to my otherwise boring day.

Best Halo-Halo In Town

Liam Fitzpatrick of Time Asia Magazine named Manila Peninsula's "Halo-halo Harana" as the best in town. The said dessert is a must try for everyone who visit the country. It's a welcome relief after spending a few hours in our tropical weather.

Halo-halo is made of shaved ice, egg-yolk custard, chickpeas, sweetened kidney beans, colored gelatin, red, green and white sugar palm, nata de coco (or coconut gel), purple-yam preserve, sago in syrup, jackfruit, makapuno (a rare variety of creamy coconut), purple-yam ice cream, toasted rice crisps, about an inch of evaporated milk and sugar ~ lots of it.

But for me the best and most convenient way to get this treat is from your nearby chinese fastfood "Chowking". Here's a look at their recent commercial, isn't it tempting?

"Yeonjiri" My Take

With nothing to do on a Saturday night, I decided to look into my collection of still unwatched korean movies. I decided on Jo Han-sun and Choi Ji-woo film "Yonjiri"/Now and Forever.

Min-su(Han-sun) is the CEO of a gaming company who loves to play the field even when it comes to women. All will change after he meet's Hye-won (Jiwoo) while he's on his way to a hospital for a routine check-up after he met a minor road accident. Hye-won is also going to the same hospital and in her rush to leave the car she left her mobile phone. Minsu thought she was a nurse and tried locating her but due to a twist of fate Hye-won herself showed up in his room clad in a hospital gown.

Here's where the story lines inconsistencies started and ruined the whole thing for me. Girl shows up in your room dressed like a patient when you assumed all along that she's a nurse but Min-su never even blurted out "Oh, you're also a patient here" or maybe "what wrong with you". Instead she asked the girl out the following day so he can buy her a cellphone because he pretended to have lost the one left in his car. While on the way out Hye-won keeps hiding her face so as not to be recognized by the hospital staff. Mission accomplished they return to the hospital.

Hye-won is supposed to be afflicted with a terminal illness *yes it's the same scenario again* hence her confinement to a hospital but she goes out whenever she feels like it under the noses of the entire hospital staff.

They continue dating but not once did the guy exert any effort to know why she is staying in a hospital. Is love that blind that you tend to lose any common sense. Then the girls doctor finally talks to Min-su and the next scene shows him getting depressed. Hye-won left the hospital so she can avoid Min-su but typical of a melodrama the guy comes back professing his love no matter what the circumstances are. Girl says no but after seeing how the guy is suffering will give in.

Next are scenes of them making the most of their time together and falling more inlove with each other. Now here comes another twist, the guy is also dying from brain cancer but is keeping it to himself or so he thought. Unknown to him, Hye-won was informed of Min-su's condition by her doctor *so where's the patient - doctor confidentiality here*.

To make the ending more dramatic the couple went to Hye-won's hometown. The scene showing Hye-won and Minsu up on a hill hugging each other under two trees with brances entwined to each other with the sea, and a clear blue sky as a backround is breathtaking. Soon thereafter Hye-won dies and leaves a message to Min-su thanking him for the love and that he was a fool to think she was not aware of his illness.

I was hoping Choi Ji-woo would show some improvement in the acting department since she's portrayed this kind of role countless times before. She can shed tears without looking like a crumpled piece of paper but she lacks depth. Jo Han-sun was ok but not outstanding. Overall it a mediocore film with a very predictable ending.