visita iglesia 2009

It was the Maundy Thursday and Twinx tested out her new camera.

We started at the spanking new, reconstructed Magallanes Church which was closed when we got there last year. The place is huge and there were ushers everywhere! Next stop was San Sebastian, Twinx's favorite church. She tried many times to get a clear picture of the interior but the mass and low light conditions inside proved to be a challenge.She had better luck at San Beda and its painted ceilings.This was St. Jude. Camera out of focus (gutom na yata ang kumuha)

Quiapo Church had fewer than expected people inside probably because mass was over.

Beautiful facade of San Agustin, the only church in Intramuros that survived the American bombing of Intramuros in World War 2 because it was made a red cross refuge. And finally, we prayed at the Manila Cathedral. Again, the pix are a bit blurred...the photographer was already famished....nanginginig na sa gutom! As a sacrifice, we didn't eat anything from the food stalls around the churches like the isaw or the fried squid. We just ate our baon fudgee bars and water before rushing to Max's for dinner! My cheeks are already sunken from extreme hunger. heehee!

tradisyon na ito!

I won! I won! again (again)

I love joining raffles and contests . My old profs used to tell me promos were meant to drive sales and get new patrons but I only joined promos if I were already using the products (like the Samsung)or like in the case of the Havianas, if there was no purchase necessary.
But when I saw that Meiji chocolates had a textraffle promo, I knew I had the perfect excuse to buy some more macademia chocolates. And last March, I got a letter informing me that I had won a 6300 cellphone!

What's my secret? I just keep on joining! I've joined Gobingo, the lotto, and PSR's premyo sa resibo countless times and lost over and over but it hasn't stopped me from joining other raffles/contests. As I read somewhere, You only lose all the bets you don’t make.

Another tip I do have, always be on the lookout for promos that come out in newspapers.Everyone joins the raffles on tv so your chances of winning are exponentially slimmer. Newspaper readers are fewer and some of them are well-off and won't even bother to join.

Duhat update

summertime and the fruit trees are flowering! the duhat flowers are slowly turning into green duhat fruits...can't wait till they turn deep violet and delicious!

pa's birthday and earth hour

Chicken risotto was ok, not as fantastic as the seafood risotto

The shrimps wrapped in bacon and asparagus was an explosion of flavor! Too bad there were only 4 pieces.

we had dinner at italianni's for pa's birthday and we were worried about what would happen if we stayed till 8:30pm, when Makati and the rest of the country turns off their lights for earth hour. The waiters informed us that their resto would only be dimming their lights and provide candles because they might have food accidents if they turn off all their lights. Too bad, since we were planning to escape in the darkness when we asked for our bill. hehe.
Most of Ayala did turn off their lights and according to the news, so did SM's Mall of asia.


this was the view from greenbelt's parking lot.

and this is greenbelt 1 all dark save for the headlights of vehicles.

and this is amorsolo street and mile long. some establishments chose not to participate... earth killers! booo!

Savory Lomi

It rained hard this week on what was supposed to be the first few days of summer vacation which had me craving for some comfort food like Savory's steaming hot bowl of Lomi. I wasn't too happy with my first experience with Lanmark Makati's Savory outlet at their food court. It was near closing time and the food was very oily. But I ordered the lomi right in the middle of the day and got a really , well, savory dish that engulfs you in a heady mix of noodles and shrimp and rich, delectable soup. It's a bit pricey for a merienda at P120 but just about right for lunch or dinner. You'll feel full for hours. Be warned , though, of the MSG. One hour later my head was spinning though it also may have been from sleep deprivation. It may be better to have this at the end of the day so you'll have sweet dreams of lomi goodness.

birthday at Cyma

I saw Watchmen(and i liked it) and then met my family at Greenbelt 2 (or is it 3? I really don't know which is which ) for dinner. I suggested we try out Cyma, a greek-resto which was full even on an ordinary Thursday night so we had to wait for a long time to be seated because their 2nd floor ventilator was broken so it was too smoky upstairs even for the waiters!We had some salad and spinach and artichoke fondue...

...some traditional greek food like the chicken gyro(it's like a shawarma) and mousakka...Yes, that white thing on top is a layer of goat cheese. Ack! my arteries!...but the clear winner was the roasted lamb which was tender and flavorful. The general consensus was that we liked Italianni's better especially since their prices are similar but we miss the tomato sauce! And the free bread appetizer and the free drinks when you're waiting for a table.

say goodbye to Quad

Do you have memories of Quad, a.k.a. Glorietta 1? Well hold on to them coz that's all that'll be left once Ayala renovates yet again.

I remember watching movies there like the atrocious Shake Rattle and Roll 5 and the delightful Mga Pusang Gala. And all the hours I spent at National Bookstore reading comicbooks and picking out children's books... National will move to Glorietta 5 or Greenbelt or something... all these mall renovations are really confusing my childhood memories. Even Landmark is changing to look like its sister store in Trinoma.

On the right side of photo is one side of National Bookstore which is connected to Quad's entrance on the left which is now covered by a metal gate. They've already taken down the Glorietta 1 sign above the Cinema marquee.

---------Meanwhile, in other news, I rode my first electric jeepney yesterday and I wouldn't have known it had I not seen the words "green technology" on the side of the jeep. I knew they'd been plying the Ayala route for over a year now but it was a pleasant surprise to find one going my way. Unlike the Ayala e-jeeps, this one looks exactly like any ordinary jeep except that it was painted green all over and instead of speed and oil gauges, it had small colored lights with masking tape stickers indicating "charge", "oil" and "check engine". But what really caught my attention was how quiet it was. The driver didn't turn on the radio so all I could hear was how noisy all the other vehicles were with their engines. And when I got off, I also noted that it didn't have an exhaust pipe either.One officemate was so intrigued he wondered if he could have his car converted as well. Man, if all the jeeps were like this, how peaceful and clean and liveable our cities would be! Good work, Makati!

some thoughts

just some of my thoughts about some weird news going on...
heard about the 13-year old kid who became a dad?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q_bib2j8_w
grabe, he looks like he's 10! hindi pa nag-break ang voice nya. but according to the internet, di pa sya ang youngest! another brit named sean was a father at 12! but he looked older than his age. now, merong doubts kung sya nga talaga ang dad kasi may 2 teens who also claim to have slept with the mom. number one, ewww! number 2: why would a 15-year old date a 4-feet tall , 13 year old? gusto nya ng boyfriend na ma-be-baby? o ngayon 2 na aalagaan nya!

meanwhile, sa australia, a pinoy was sacked for bringing a water bottle to the restroom to use as a 'tabo'
A Filipino worker in Australia was allegedly fired because of his “tabo habits”. When I say “tabo habits” it’s the usual Filipino way of using the tabo (or dipper in english) filled with water to clean up the mess after doing the deed in the toilet. The Australian employers argued that it was unhygienic (and un-Australian too ), but the Pinoy worker defended that its not unhygienic and it is part of his culture.
http://menardconnect.com/2009/01/27/tabo-scandal-filipino-worker-in-australia-fired-over-toilet-habits/
my reaction: ano ba pakialam nyo kung ano gawin namin sa banyo? di naman namin kayo pinakakailaman pag nandito kayo!

finally, an article on spanking drew a lot of reactions from readers who had their own experiences with parental discipline
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20090204-187276/Spanking-didnt-kill-us

my favorite cake

The whole family went out for dinner on Valentine's and contrary to our expectations, it didn't take us more than 5 minutes to be seated at Conti's in Paranaque. It was Papa's treat so we ordered anything we wanted. I got the baked salmon, a dish you can never go wrong with. Ma had the lengua estofado. Pa had a beef something :) Jon had the chicken whatchamacallit and Twinx got the fish in herbs/pesto meal. After a lot of thinking we all eventually ordered dalandan juice, which Twinx found out, was not refillable. hehehe! The only disappointment was the Caesar salad which seemed too little for P160. The resto staff was fast and courteous and in full force as they were ready for a full night. We didn't stay long because we were mindful of other diners who would be waiting to be seated, too. Fortunately, we had ordered dessert early and took home a Peach and walnut torte, my favorite cake not only because it's so creamy delicious, but also because at P575, it's reasonably priced. Too bad Twinx isn't much of a fan due to lactose intolerance but Jon surely had no problems having a second serving. Di yata nalasahan. It is now Tuesday and only one slice remains but you can be sure I know what cake I'm buying on my birthday.

still more pix from new year

Pa and the boys showing off the shirts from Kuya Rocel

photos courtesy of mang omeng

New year is a big deal in Pasay as this is the annual grand reunion and opeing of gifts and exchange gifts and raffle. And of course, the paagaw where my relatives scramble for coins that rain down from our generous aunts' hands.

i had to go to work on New year but I left P500 for anyone who could get the highest score on our new magicsing that Tita Chuchie gave us. Everyone thought Sherwin would win with his off-key songs that made my Kuya Arnel laugh so hard his blood pressure rose. In the end, Kuya Celso scored an upset without even glancing at the lyrics.

Ako ang nagwagi:Kuya Celso wins the top prize,photo by Jon