The Fashionista

Just back from her birthday trip to Russia, I'd like to greet Myr a Happy, Gorgeous Birthday.

Locks: From Taipei
Shopping: Singapore, Taiwan, Shanghai
Loves: Traveling, Fashion, Family and Friends
Current State: Single and Fabulous

Food Pornography

It was a bleary weekend, marred by bursts of rain, and the incessant humming of the wind. The sun would show itself occasionally but then it would hide again. It was perfect for someone recuperating from fever and wanting a lazy weekend. I had a Saturday morning meeting, and although I was tempted to wear my pajamas (I only wear one when I'm sick, or cold) to the office, I wore my badminton outfit instead, knowing I will not have the chance to play at all.

After my meeting, we decided to drop by Pepper Lunch, the store owned by Chuvaness and Jeroen (he is so handsome), and the new client of a friend of mine. They serve the best burgers in town ( I mean it), and my friend made the mix. I was there with L, declining my friend's invitation because my team was not available. I ordered the steak rice, while L ordered the burger. I loved the burger than the steak rice, and weren't we shocked that our P1000 came back with only P5 for a change? Not really. The meal was way better than the Pepper Steak we had at Promenade, Greenhills. Pepper Lunch is the real thing, with Wagyu beef imported from Australia. We saw Rajo Laurel yesterday, while we, the common people lined up (not really, we timed our arrival to be at 1:30 PM). Some were actually turned away by 2:30 PM when we left, and were asked to come back for dinner, which I was sure would be queued up. Kwang was there. Grand opening tomorrow at 10:45 AM, but only by invitation. I was going to be the PLUS 1 of an invited guest, but work interferes, I can't go.





While at Rockwell, we decided to do the grocery and I cooked live suahe for dinner, and made salad. Greens topped with tuna, cherry tomatoes and an Italian dressing. The recipe for shrimp I got from Mama, who texted the entire thing, just in time.
Viola.




Too bad L isn't into shrimps. Your tuna belly? Good for your first try. Ok ok I lied, I want it well-done, and grilled next time, ok?
What can you say about my BLT? I would love it with a Jap mayo, but we're trying to sensibly eat, right?
Thanks for taking care of me while I was sick.

The Anatomy of a Perfect Jump Shot

G is certainly new to this, while the rest of us, having had the exposure and enough dose of kakikayan, jump like a pro. The perfect jump shot is that one shot when everyone is just at the same height above ground, with the right space in between one person to the other so as not to cover any significant portion of the other person, thus striking a balance, with smiles on their faces, knees bent, and a required minimum height above ground, plus a perfect coverage of the skyline. This series of shots at La Luz amused us more than anything (ok, maybe tong-its amused us more), and gave us enough laugh for a month. G stands for gracious, for allowing us to teach her how to pose, and yes, taking off that sarong of hers, to be more in sync with the rest of us.


Take One: The Apparition Shot





Take Two: Bend your knees, bend. Smile, while you're at it.






Take 3: One for all, all for one. And bend that knee!






Take 4: Jump like you're having fun! Bend that knee!






Take 5: And now, a smile!

Welcome to Real Living!

Photos courtesy of L

When my Lanterio lamp from Restoration (Edsa Shangri-la Mall) was installed last week, I asked L to photograph my one-bedroom unit. It was a lazy Sunday evening, and he asked me to assist him, holding up the remote flash up in the air, at different angles to get the right lighting. When my arm got tired, he was still clicking away, taking photos of whatever still life caught his object-- my old-school clock, the drum I bought from Taipei, the stack of coffee table books, even the paperweight I got from Spain, a gift from a friend.

Hmnn. I have some grapes and wine at home now, I wonder how that would look in his Canon SLR camera.

La Luz 2008 Photoshoot

In spite the robbery price of the meals consisting of lunch, merienda, dinner and breakfast (at P950, or P300 per meal), La Luz is a picture perfect beach. Well, not as perfect as my lovely Boracay, but it does the job. It was lovely meeting Rea, another new friend made. Thanks to L for these lovely photos that tickled the gang. Cielo is so at home, she's speaking volumes to the camera.

Pandesal

Last Monday I got a call from GMA 7, inquiring about our famous Stuffed Pandesal. The following day, we agreed to doing a segment with them for Jessica Soho's show entitled Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho. The TV show is in a news-magazine format that features insightful stories that cover a wide range of topics. It also focuses on themes with human interest and socio-cultural relevance. Peabody-awardee Jessica Soho hosts Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (One in Heart), and the show airs on primetime every Saturday. This Saturday’s episode is about breads, entitled “Pandesal”.

According to their letter, “Part of the story aims to show your famous stuffed pandesal. We are asking your good office to allow us to feature your stuffed pandesal and be able to share to our dear viewers somehow the process or some basic demo you could provide to us. Be able to present your different varieties of pandesal, as well as to discuss to us how this concept comes (sic) up.”

How does one tell the world it was my idea? Not entirely original of course, because we Filipinos have been eating pandesal with palaman since time immemorial, sometimes with meat, sometimes with pansit. But it was OUR stuffed pandesal idea that worked. We deliver daily to 300 stores and we have sold over 10 million pieces of pandesal since 2003. However, I was more concerned NOT to look like siopao, and so I called on Bong to do my hair and make-up, so I'll look more natural on cam. Duh.







My sister from KSA tells me I don't have to worry since I would look much thinner beside Jessica Soho. As much as I'd like an autograph, she wasn't there, my dear sis; we were just accompanied by a production staff, segment producer and 2 cameramen.

Thanks to Chef Maricel of Purefoods for accompanying us in this program.
Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho airs every Saturday on primetime, 8:30 PM. The pandesal episode airs this Saturday, April 26.

Dampa sa Blue Wave

It was early Sunday morning when I felt like going to Dampa, where Sony has been going with his family for lunch,and raving about it. Earlier, we left QC at past 2 AM, celebrating Chichi's 22nd birthday, where everyone was either playing poker, toing-its, in -between, or Boggle/Scrimmage while drinking and eating. We were also celebrating our first badminton tournament try- it was a good try, for Buboy and Cha, Mike and me.

Meanwhile, L, I knew, was going to massacre me at Boggle, and he did. He wiped everyone out while my boys and I try to outnumber him, we were completely outsmarted by L. What I nerd, I keep shouting, while Macoy and Mike try to pit the Montessori-schooled vs L from Notre Dame. Meanwhile, Red was beside me,and he kept trying, even if he kept messing up the rules. Haha- no jumping!

Macoy: Ano ba ang red?
A/L/Mike: Pula!
Macoy: Oo nga noh!
April from Montessori (after several doses of tequila): May word ba na huh?
A/L/Mike/Macoy: Huh???!!






















Anyway, I texted Mama and bunso that we were going to Dampa for lunch. Papa couldn't go and I knew it was because of "the horses",as Miguel would say, but we had an interesting time. The wet market was segmented into different areas, thus, salmon, tuna and blue marlin in one area, all the prawns near the entrance, and at the far end, what I came there for- the crabs. When we neared the area, we heard all the ladies chatter up, calling out to us to buy the crab from their stall. It was funny because it felt like all the crabs were talking to me all at the same time. Mama and I settled for 2 big crabs, which cost P450 a kilo.




















We had buttered prawns and tempura prawns for bunso, inihaw na pusit for Papa (take-home), grilled blue marlin for L, and chili garlic and steamed crab for me and Mama. Yummy!

Now, A Badminton Addict

Did I mention that I joined my first badminton tournament last Saturday, which was organized by my good friend Divine and her Don Antonio Sports Center badminton group?
Here are some pictures from that exhilarating event. My partner and bord Mike keeps saying we're screwed because we were leveled D, when I am basically a beginner, and Mike's Drop Zone group at Power and Speed in QC's best mixed doubles partner is also classified as level D.

We didn't stand a chance, but yey, Grace and Jett won the level D mixed doubles finals. I looked at our pictures and saw Mike's stance and that of Grace, and figured I need to move more, across the court and learn how to rotate better.


Next time I'm joining a tournament, I'd try a ladies doubles. But it was FUN anyway, in spite the nervousness, the jitters, and the almost nauseous feeling just before the competition. I couldn't eat, and all I had was a Dole Cavendish banana, Powerade and water. By the second game, sweat was pouring off my face and my knees were weaker, but I stood fighting. What a game!










Thanks, DEP!
I'll see you in court! (the badminton court, not your court, of course).

Learning to Say No

Talk about being back-blogged!

My calendar is full of details on my expenses, meeting schedules, badminton games and to do list.

Amidst the busy- ness of it all, I have managed to define values that are important to me, learned how to define my goals both professionally and personally, and I am planning my week, planning daily. I hope to live in alignment with the values I set out at the beginning of this new chapter of my life.

I learned that living by this guiding principle of 7 Habits is not easy, although a lot of it I have already been pre-programmed to do, but to define values that I hold important, and to actually live according to those values is sometimes still befuddling me, the designer and creator of "my sea of opportunity" (regaining more control of my future). For instance, as I jot down each of my expenses for the day, I smile when I tick off my badminton goals and it isn't so hard to swallow the expenses incurred on that day. After all, my number one value on the list is fitness. The clarifying statement goes something like this:

I am taking care of my body, choosing what to eat, and exercising, to keep me fit, enabling me to live life to the fullest.


Then I list down another expense, this time for a dinner out at Greenbelt 5's Chateau 1771, which I thought, has a great view of Greenbelt 3 while we talk to our dear friend who I see, maybe twice a year only (because she's based in Malaysia), plus her Malaysian friend is also here, a first-time visitor in the Philippines. I flinch when I see the menu, knowing the price is jacked up because of location, location, location. My butterflied prawns were tastier at Conti's than at Chateau, at half the price! I shrug it off, saying to myself, next time I will do better in suggesting the restaurant, or in selecting what to order. After all, one of my other values is frugality.

" No expense. Be fair to others and to myself. In other words, waste nothing," as Covey puts it, or in my own words, " Save, save, save."


I justify this by saying Love is another value I carefully picked.

" I will show respect to all people, devote quality time to my friends and family. I care and love my team. I want to bring out the best in all of these people I value, reaching out to them in heart, mind, body and spirit."

Good try, as I hear on the courts, on my first week. I think I have been most successful in aligning my fitness value. The past two weeks, I formed two badminton game buddies, one with L's friends (we play on weekends), and another one at work, also successfully converting my gym membership into a badminton court fees subsidy.
(Yey!). Next thing I know, I played Wednesday with the Pepsi group, during the long weekend, I played from 6:30 to 10:30 PM last Saturday (San Lo, Power and Speed), played 2 hours at Don Antonio with Divina's group and my group, trained 2 hours yesterday and signed up for my first tournament on Saturday. Woo- hoo!

Last night, I fell asleep watching A Series of Unfortunate Events while a massage therapist was working on my calf muscles.

Good try, good try.

Let's see how this works out, how I weave what I work on daily into my carefully selected values. There are two more values I have selected, which are excellence and having a closer, personal relationship with God, who is my guide, my Saviour and my friend.

You know what I find the most gratifying action out of this? I can learn to say NO to all the other stuff that are not aligned to what I set out to do. I've always found it difficult to say no.

Boracay 2008 Photoblog

It was my first time to fly via Caticlan and see my beautiful Boracay from the air. As our plane shifts gears and angles for the most accurate degree to land in the shortest airstrip I have ever seen, I saw Bora's pristine white sands again, and glimpsed for the first time the Fairwaters golf course. This time my boys and I were staying at the beautiful Pearl of the Pacific, invited by the Del Monte group with their Fit N Right Challenge.




It was also a first time for me to go to Bora on Holy Week, we try to avoid this season as it is full of people and the prices are more exorbitant than the usual. As expected, the beach was crowded, but L took a lot of interesting photos during our 3 days 2 night stay.

Ladies in their best 2-piece rendition..There was Rachel Lobangco doing the zip, which is, apparently the in thing for sexy ladies to learn. Next week, Isabel Roces is teaching this at Boracay. Spotted on the beach: Havaianas has a great gimmick, get spotted with a havaianas and the fabulous you will get an inflatable slipper... Gary and his boylets clad in all-white...The contestants of the Fit N Right Challenge pose during their party. I know who won, but I'm not telling! Watch the show at ABS CBN on March 29, prime-time...Itchyworms and Kamikaze perform for Boracay...3 ladies (!) at the BigFish event hosted by Nokia pose flirtatiously for L..the crowd at Cafe del Sol..the parties..and finally, the sunset shots that capture the amazing Boracay.