Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe - Hubby and I discovered this cafe when our friend MB gifted Hubby with a Strawberry Walnut Torte on his birthday. We have since bought their Mango Walnut Torte and the Dark Toblerone Chocolate Walnut Torte cakes. Last Tuesday, Hubby treated me for dinner because he will be away for the next two nights and we decided to try their food. We tried their Philly Steak Sandwich and Beef Stew and we loved them! Although the Philly Steak Sandwich did not have as much cheese as that of South Philly Steak and Fries which my friend PZ and I ate in Woodbury Commons, New York, it was good and filling. The Beef Stew was really good, the beef was very tender and the sauce very tasty. Mom and Tina's is located in the same building as Panciteria San Jacinto in Libis.
Heat, Edsa Shangri-la Hotel - Heads of the Finance group in the office dined here last Friday and we had a blast. The buffet included lamb chops with mint sauce, roast beef, prawns, mussels, clams, prawns thermidore,japanese sushi, maki and sashimi, peking duck, soft shell crabs, pizza, and a lot more. I feasted on salmon sashimi, smoked salmon and prawns thermidore. Of course dessert included fried ice cream and halo-halo. I had the fried ice cream.
Taste Asia, SM Hypermart - We had dinner with Hubby's sister and family on Saturday night. Since my nephews love tempura, we had to have this again-- the kids were excited to see so much tempura! We also ordered chicken from Savory and Popia's Fresh Chinese Lumpia. Everything was so good, and so cheap!
Kulinarya, Power Plant Mall - After Mass today, we decided to dine in this restaurant. We had the mediteranean roll for appetizer, the gamberi pasta for me and beef teppanyaki for Hubby.
Before you make any comments on how much I eat, I will be defensive and say that for the two nights that Hubby wasn't with me, I only ate bread for dinner, I had oatmeal every morning the entire week, and had salads for lunch (except when we ate at Heat). :-p
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Charity Week
My week was extraordinary.
I had the opportunity to be part of 2 charity events this week.
1. I am Treasurer of the Foundation established by the company I work for. Among the Foundation's projects are building schools in Gawad Kalinga communities. If you are familiar with Gawad Kalinga, you already know that the organization helps build homes and communities for the less fortunate. Last Wednesday, we inaugurated a new school (the 15th, if I remember right). I am always humbled by the presence of people who do Gawad Kalinga work, and I am glad now that I have a small part in helping build communities for the less fortunate.
2. Employess of my company can voluntary contribute to a Fund that will be used specifically for charity work. This is separate from the foundation above. Funding for the foundation above comes from the company. This Fund is solely funded by the employees' voluntary contributions ( a minimum of P10 a month). I am part of the Board of Trustees whose main responsibilities are selecting and prioritizing outreach/charity projects and managing the fund. One of our projects is a monthly medical and dental mission in depressed areas around Metro Manila. Today, we were in a community in Caloocan. I'm very tired now, but I didn't feel it when I was there. Everytime I participate in these missions, I always learn a lot of things and I always feel thankful for what I have. I just feel lucky that my loved ones and I don't have that much difficulty with medical and dental care for ourselves. And really, P10 a month goes a long, long way --- and really, what is P10 to us?
I had the opportunity to be part of 2 charity events this week.
1. I am Treasurer of the Foundation established by the company I work for. Among the Foundation's projects are building schools in Gawad Kalinga communities. If you are familiar with Gawad Kalinga, you already know that the organization helps build homes and communities for the less fortunate. Last Wednesday, we inaugurated a new school (the 15th, if I remember right). I am always humbled by the presence of people who do Gawad Kalinga work, and I am glad now that I have a small part in helping build communities for the less fortunate.
2. Employess of my company can voluntary contribute to a Fund that will be used specifically for charity work. This is separate from the foundation above. Funding for the foundation above comes from the company. This Fund is solely funded by the employees' voluntary contributions ( a minimum of P10 a month). I am part of the Board of Trustees whose main responsibilities are selecting and prioritizing outreach/charity projects and managing the fund. One of our projects is a monthly medical and dental mission in depressed areas around Metro Manila. Today, we were in a community in Caloocan. I'm very tired now, but I didn't feel it when I was there. Everytime I participate in these missions, I always learn a lot of things and I always feel thankful for what I have. I just feel lucky that my loved ones and I don't have that much difficulty with medical and dental care for ourselves. And really, P10 a month goes a long, long way --- and really, what is P10 to us?
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Josephine's Tagaytay
After checking out of Canyon Woods, we decided to have lunch at Josephine's. It was the advanced birthday treat of my brother-in-law R. It was very good food at a very reasonable price. We had the Buffet at only P320 per person (P250 for kids). This includes kare-kare, lechon kawali, shrimp ukoy. pinakbet and inihaw everything (fish, pork, beef and chicken). The inihaw na baka (grilled beef) was the best, it was tender and tasty. For dessert, there was make-your-own-halo-halo, leche flan and all kinds of kakanin. The buffet is outdoors, which allowed us to enjoy Tagaytay's cool air while having a delicious meal.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Celebrating 45 Years of Married Bliss
Pamangkins with their Tito E
It's Christmas at the Canyon Woods Country Club LobbyMy Parents-in-law celebrated their 45th Wedding Anniversary last Saturday, November 17. It is a major milestone and one that merits a grand celebration. The whole family spent a grand weekend at the Canyon Woods Resort in Tagaytay. The celebration started off with a Holy Mass sponsored by the family. The children played major roles in the mass, one was lector, and the others, readers. The celebrants and the apos were the offerors. The priest congratulated Mom and Dad, and so did the whole community. It was a very touching moment for the family. The priest also said a very special blessing at the end of the Mass for Mom and Dad, and the entire family.
We then went to the Club House for a sumptuous dinner. After dinner, we spent the whole night bonding over snacks and drinks at the house we rented for the weekend.
We wish our Parents more blessings in the coming years, and we congratulate them for a very happy union all these years. They are indeed an inspiration for us children-- that we treasure our partners and our families, and work hard for harmony in our homes. To Mom and Dad, we love you!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Taste Asia
Just wanted to share our dining experience at Taste Asia in SM Hypermart. I had a craving for Ebi Tempura, and someone told me that if I wanted to eat a lot of Ebi Tempura, I should go there. The Food Court has a Fresh Seafood Section that allows customers to purchase their seafood first (there were live fresh fish) and having them cooked there. Very much like the "paluto"restaurants in Paranaque, Libis and Ortigas Home Depot. The prawns were P250 per 500 grams and the Lapu-lapu at P300 per 500 grams. Just to give you an idea, a 350 gram order of prawns is equivalent to about 35 pieces of tempura. Cooking charges are P120 per kilo. It was value for money dining in a relatively pleasant and clean place. The advantage here is you don't have to go "marketing"at a non-airconditioned area. Everything is within the foodcourt. You should try it sometime.
Responses to "Goodbye, My Friend"
Just wanted to share with you some of the message exchange in response to my entry "Goodbye, My Friend". I hope my friend is happy up there when he reads all of these:
From Nonie's sister M:
Hello , this is m. With this letter, fresh memories of kuya again flashed into my mind and i cannot help myself but to cry once more as i again vividly remember our moments with kuya. Thank you so much for being a friend to kuya, like you, i am very sure kuya felt the same way with your friendship. God Bless and our best regards to you and your family.
regina on November 16th, 2007 03:41 am (UTC)Re: A good friend...a good brother....
Hi M,He will always be remembered here. He was a dear friend and we will always appreciate what he has done for us. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Kamusta sa family nyo.
N on November 16th, 2007 04:29 am (UTC)hello
Read your testimonial, and I appreciate your kind words of friendship. Hope we could be close friends also, tahimik kasi ako eh. I do not usually speak out my thoughts, unlike sir Noni. I think he knows what you wrote, even if you did not express it to him openly while he is still around. The fact that he frequently goes to your office meant he reciprocates your gesture.He is more than a boss to me, like a big brother pa nga at times. Tama ka, he seems to understand, even if you will not speak out your thoughts to him. I also remembered him one time, kasi this time of the year last year, I was so stressed with work. Kasabay ng accident ng husband ko, sir Noni wasn't able to go to work then so I had to pitch in for him with so many meetings and reports na kailangan. One time, he called the office (he was very sick na pala) and said "hiyang" daw ako sa trabaho. He made things look and seem lighter with his jokes, even at his most troubled times.We will truly miss a good friend, like him.
regina on November 16th, 2007 05:47 am (UTC)Re: hello
Hi N,Your comment reminded me of his sense of humor. Yun nga talaga ata ang talent nya, to make things better for all of us. Now that Nonie is gone, I look forward to working and bonding with you more frequently.
From one of my staff:
(Anonymous) on November 16th, 2007 09:34 am (UTC)
Nice one!Sir Nonie was a good friend and a very nice lunch partner. Too bad. It was during those months that he was feeling ill that I got to know more about him, and sometimes about his family too. Never went back to the coffee place yet. I was afraid coffee won't be good anymore coz the food on our frequent resto seems to taste bland. Maybe it was his company that made it good and tasty.I wasn't able to share this, but he was extremely proud of his sister, the one who is into the textile/clothing business. And he was even prouder to be able to offer some help to her.I learned a lot from him, sometimes, his words do make me change my point of view. And definitely will not forget his lectures when he comes over to our office during coffee breaks. From company history, to company politics to everyday trivia. Thank you for crossing paths to our lives. Even that won't be enough
regina on November 16th, 2007 05:49 pm (UTC)
Hi ,We all miss those days. The lunchouts and the places he introduced us to, Starbucks and Mocha Blends and the daily conversation. We all wish we could have spent more time with him, but what's important is we don't forget what we have learned from him and what his friendship meant to us.
From Nonie's sister M:
Hello , this is m. With this letter, fresh memories of kuya again flashed into my mind and i cannot help myself but to cry once more as i again vividly remember our moments with kuya. Thank you so much for being a friend to kuya, like you, i am very sure kuya felt the same way with your friendship. God Bless and our best regards to you and your family.
regina on November 16th, 2007 03:41 am (UTC)Re: A good friend...a good brother....
Hi M,He will always be remembered here. He was a dear friend and we will always appreciate what he has done for us. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Kamusta sa family nyo.
N on November 16th, 2007 04:29 am (UTC)hello
Read your testimonial, and I appreciate your kind words of friendship. Hope we could be close friends also, tahimik kasi ako eh. I do not usually speak out my thoughts, unlike sir Noni. I think he knows what you wrote, even if you did not express it to him openly while he is still around. The fact that he frequently goes to your office meant he reciprocates your gesture.He is more than a boss to me, like a big brother pa nga at times. Tama ka, he seems to understand, even if you will not speak out your thoughts to him. I also remembered him one time, kasi this time of the year last year, I was so stressed with work. Kasabay ng accident ng husband ko, sir Noni wasn't able to go to work then so I had to pitch in for him with so many meetings and reports na kailangan. One time, he called the office (he was very sick na pala) and said "hiyang" daw ako sa trabaho. He made things look and seem lighter with his jokes, even at his most troubled times.We will truly miss a good friend, like him.
regina on November 16th, 2007 05:47 am (UTC)Re: hello
Hi N,Your comment reminded me of his sense of humor. Yun nga talaga ata ang talent nya, to make things better for all of us. Now that Nonie is gone, I look forward to working and bonding with you more frequently.
From one of my staff:
(Anonymous) on November 16th, 2007 09:34 am (UTC)
Nice one!Sir Nonie was a good friend and a very nice lunch partner. Too bad. It was during those months that he was feeling ill that I got to know more about him, and sometimes about his family too. Never went back to the coffee place yet. I was afraid coffee won't be good anymore coz the food on our frequent resto seems to taste bland. Maybe it was his company that made it good and tasty.I wasn't able to share this, but he was extremely proud of his sister, the one who is into the textile/clothing business. And he was even prouder to be able to offer some help to her.I learned a lot from him, sometimes, his words do make me change my point of view. And definitely will not forget his lectures when he comes over to our office during coffee breaks. From company history, to company politics to everyday trivia. Thank you for crossing paths to our lives. Even that won't be enough
regina on November 16th, 2007 05:49 pm (UTC)
Hi ,We all miss those days. The lunchouts and the places he introduced us to, Starbucks and Mocha Blends and the daily conversation. We all wish we could have spent more time with him, but what's important is we don't forget what we have learned from him and what his friendship meant to us.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Dining Out
I can talk about one of my favorite activities again and again. I just realized that even if I had written an almost day-to-day account of my life, I wasn't able to write about some of the restaurants I've visited with friends or Hubby the last few weeks... Here are some:
1. Mr. Choi at Robinson's Galeria - I was here twice in a span of two weeks (once with girlfriends and another time with office barkada). Really something that my friends and I look forward to. We always have the fish fillet with garlic. Other favorite dishes are the squid with pepper and garlic, yang chow fried rice and hakaw.
2. Savory at SM Hypermart - Was here thrice in a span of two weeks, once with my office lunchgroup (different from my office barkada), and twice with Hubby whose favorite is the Lomi soup. Another "must have" is their chicken. By the way Hubby and I were there when Claudine Barretto and Raymart Santiago were there. Did you read about their encounter with the person who supposedly was responsible for putting Gretchen's pictures with John Estrada on the internet?
3. Kitaro - with Hubby's sister and her family. Our nephews love kani sushi and ebi tempura and Kitaro is always a wonderful treat for them. And I love Japanese food, whether they are from fastfood type restaurants or high-end restaurants.
4. Pancake House - Hubby and I are here almost every week, specifically the Metrowalk branch! I love the fiesta taco salad, and he loves the waffles.
5. Zaifu at Powerplant- reasonable and fairly good Japanese food.
6. Hot Rocks - super cheap and delicious steak. We love this place.
1. Mr. Choi at Robinson's Galeria - I was here twice in a span of two weeks (once with girlfriends and another time with office barkada). Really something that my friends and I look forward to. We always have the fish fillet with garlic. Other favorite dishes are the squid with pepper and garlic, yang chow fried rice and hakaw.
2. Savory at SM Hypermart - Was here thrice in a span of two weeks, once with my office lunchgroup (different from my office barkada), and twice with Hubby whose favorite is the Lomi soup. Another "must have" is their chicken. By the way Hubby and I were there when Claudine Barretto and Raymart Santiago were there. Did you read about their encounter with the person who supposedly was responsible for putting Gretchen's pictures with John Estrada on the internet?
3. Kitaro - with Hubby's sister and her family. Our nephews love kani sushi and ebi tempura and Kitaro is always a wonderful treat for them. And I love Japanese food, whether they are from fastfood type restaurants or high-end restaurants.
4. Pancake House - Hubby and I are here almost every week, specifically the Metrowalk branch! I love the fiesta taco salad, and he loves the waffles.
5. Zaifu at Powerplant- reasonable and fairly good Japanese food.
6. Hot Rocks - super cheap and delicious steak. We love this place.
Goodbye, My Friend
Los Banos Outing
Breakfast at Something FishyI lost a very good friend early this year. I've been meaning to write about him, but I couldn't bring myself to it. But these days, I miss his friendship terribly. We were both division heads under one department and we shared the same values and attitude towards work. Our friendship was grounded on how we were always idealistic about how we can make a difference in our workplace. We were each other's "cheer leader" in everything we did at work. We had adjoining offices and we would usually take our coffee and lunch breaks together with some of our staff. In fact, it was him who brought our department closer. He organized an outing in Los Banos, and breakfast and lunch outs from time to time. Our favorite bonding activity would be breakfast at Something Fishy in Eastwood and lunch at Marikit-na in Metrowalk.
Last year, I was really feeling down about a lot of things, and I didn't really tell him why, but he really is a good friend. I'm not sure if he felt that I was having a difficult time, but he surely went out of his way to make sure that I was ok.
But the best thing that I remember about him would be that he was someone you know who would be there for you no matter what. He was someone you can count on for support, but would not expect anything in return. I miss him now. I realize that there is no one else who can understand how I feel about work and how I am with the people I work with. I just regret that I didn't let him know how his friendship meant to me when he was here.
I never had the chance to say goodbye, too. We visited him in the hospital the day before he died but he wasn't in a condition to see visitors by then.
So now I say goodbye...
To my friend Nonie, thank you for everything.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Cramming
My worst habit is probably cramming. I usually finish things at the last minute. I have to check about 60+ exam papers and compute student grades by tomorrow. I waited the last minute to do it today at 10:00 PM. I also have to finish a presentation for submission to my Boss by tomorrow, and I'm now experiencing mental block. I find out that I can only concentrate on something when I am under time pressure. So I guess, I will finish that presentation 5 minutes before I am due to present it to my Boss tomorrow. Meanwhile, I have to finish checking these papers...
P.S. For those who are interested in wagyu beef, finally found the contact details: The Steak Lady, Tel numbers 8069537 and 0920-5222898.
P.S. For those who are interested in wagyu beef, finally found the contact details: The Steak Lady, Tel numbers 8069537 and 0920-5222898.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Midterms
Can't believe we're already halfway through this school term. My students just had their exams and I will be giving them their midterm grades next week. I usually base my workplan for the last half of the term on the midterm grades. I know that the class is ok if more than half have grades of >70.
I'm looking forward to the last half of the term. This is usually when most of the students gear up so that they can achieve their target grades, so students are more studious and are more attentive. And, their individual papers are due on the 5th of December, and presentations start soon after. This means that there would be less lectures from me:-)
Can't wait until the end of the term.
I'm looking forward to the last half of the term. This is usually when most of the students gear up so that they can achieve their target grades, so students are more studious and are more attentive. And, their individual papers are due on the 5th of December, and presentations start soon after. This means that there would be less lectures from me:-)
Can't wait until the end of the term.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Another Long Weekend
This long weekend turned out to be one of the most relaxing ones. The only busy day was November 1 itself, All Saints' Day when we had to go to a cemetery. That afternoon was spent with Hubby's family at their parents' house.
November 2- Friday
Hubby and I went to Greenbelt to eat and just to look around. We spent some time in Greenbelt 4 to check out the new things in the stores. And then we checked out the new Greenbelt 5. There's nothing much there yet, and it was dusty, so if you're curious about it, don't go there yet! That evening we went grocery shopping at SM Hypermart, Pasig. We spent a relaxing evening at home. I started watching The Hills, and I'm hooked. Is it really reality-based? I'm in the second season now and it was so great to watch it through the internet. And, are you following Grey's Anatomy? What do you think about it? I think I'm slowly not liking it anymore...
November 3- Saturday
My family had lunch in our home. We prepared spaghetti, which is the favorite dish of my niece S, salad with mango dressing, beef salpicao and fish tempura. We had a videoke session after lunch :-)
Hubby's family then had dinner with us that night. We prepared inihaw na liempo, squid and vegetables. We again had a videoke session that night. Pinoy nga kami!
November 4- Sunday
We stayed at home in the morning to clean and fix things up, then went to the Powerplant to hear Mass and have dinner. Saw my good friend PZ and husband JZ there. Oh, yeah, bought something from Zara for our trip (haha, super excited talaga).
Oh no, it'll be Monday again tomorrow, and this week, we have to work for 5 days!
November 2- Friday
Hubby and I went to Greenbelt to eat and just to look around. We spent some time in Greenbelt 4 to check out the new things in the stores. And then we checked out the new Greenbelt 5. There's nothing much there yet, and it was dusty, so if you're curious about it, don't go there yet! That evening we went grocery shopping at SM Hypermart, Pasig. We spent a relaxing evening at home. I started watching The Hills, and I'm hooked. Is it really reality-based? I'm in the second season now and it was so great to watch it through the internet. And, are you following Grey's Anatomy? What do you think about it? I think I'm slowly not liking it anymore...
November 3- Saturday
My family had lunch in our home. We prepared spaghetti, which is the favorite dish of my niece S, salad with mango dressing, beef salpicao and fish tempura. We had a videoke session after lunch :-)
Hubby's family then had dinner with us that night. We prepared inihaw na liempo, squid and vegetables. We again had a videoke session that night. Pinoy nga kami!
November 4- Sunday
We stayed at home in the morning to clean and fix things up, then went to the Powerplant to hear Mass and have dinner. Saw my good friend PZ and husband JZ there. Oh, yeah, bought something from Zara for our trip (haha, super excited talaga).
Oh no, it'll be Monday again tomorrow, and this week, we have to work for 5 days!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
I've Been Tagged...
By my friends Shiela and Macon to write 8 Random Facts about me. Okay, here goes:
1. When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a stewardess because I wanted to travel. Of course when I learned that there was a height requirement and that you would have to be a good swimmer, I gave up on that dream.
2. I'm a product of the public school system.
3. I want to learn how to sing and so I bought a Magic Sing. Sabi kasi ni Tessa Prieto-Valdes (the socialite who won in a celebrity singing contest) practice lang daw yan. Kawawa naman my husband because he has to listen to me practice.
4. In addition to being a stewardess, I also wanted to be a teacher. Little did I know that I will fulfill that dream late in my life. (Yikes, I sound so old)
5. I'm a fan of anything that spells "youth romance". I was a reader of the Sweet Dreams series until I was 26 years old. Among my favorite TV shows are Felicity, One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights, OC, Life as We Know It, etc.
6. I'm obsessed with fragrances. I spend a lot on perfumes, shower gels, liquid hand soaps and home fragrance oils.
7. I spend most of my extra money on designer bags. Sometimes, my bag is more valuable than the contents of my bag (minsan P200 lang laman ng wallet ko).
8. I love to eat, which is quite obvious, kaya lang wala na akong maisip ilagay dito:-)
1. When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a stewardess because I wanted to travel. Of course when I learned that there was a height requirement and that you would have to be a good swimmer, I gave up on that dream.
2. I'm a product of the public school system.
3. I want to learn how to sing and so I bought a Magic Sing. Sabi kasi ni Tessa Prieto-Valdes (the socialite who won in a celebrity singing contest) practice lang daw yan. Kawawa naman my husband because he has to listen to me practice.
4. In addition to being a stewardess, I also wanted to be a teacher. Little did I know that I will fulfill that dream late in my life. (Yikes, I sound so old)
5. I'm a fan of anything that spells "youth romance". I was a reader of the Sweet Dreams series until I was 26 years old. Among my favorite TV shows are Felicity, One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights, OC, Life as We Know It, etc.
6. I'm obsessed with fragrances. I spend a lot on perfumes, shower gels, liquid hand soaps and home fragrance oils.
7. I spend most of my extra money on designer bags. Sometimes, my bag is more valuable than the contents of my bag (minsan P200 lang laman ng wallet ko).
8. I love to eat, which is quite obvious, kaya lang wala na akong maisip ilagay dito:-)
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