Breakfast with Family

I wanted to let my baby play at the Jollibee playland the other morning so we went there.  My baby craved for chicken and rice and gravy so we decided to have breakfast there too.

I tried its baked hash brown to see if it's as tasty as the fried hash brown of Mc Donald's.  Sadly, I felt that it was too bland, and I missed the fatty oil that goes with frying the thing.  But, picture-wise, it looked so good that I decided to post this here.  The palabok also looked good to eat.  Actually, it's the only palabok that I really like (though I can't finish off one serving of it).

The funny thing about the little boy was that, at the time we ordered, the lines were really long, considering it's a big branch and there were many counters, my baby skipped the line, went to the cashier and he said, "pabili po ng chicken and rice and gravy." Hahahahah! The crew was too busy too notice his cuteness though, as my baby was ignored. Kawawa naman.

at P23.00, this is okay

still yummy after all these years

and here he is, with his chicken, rice and gravy. I even asked the crew to pour gravy on the chicken aside from that provided in little canisters

Merry Christmas!!!

Sorry, I've been dormant for quite a while.  December has been a really, really busy month and I had no time to update my blog.  Also, I changed my internet provider.  Sun internet was pitiful in my place, so I switched to Smart Wimax.  So far, it has given me good internet service, except for the occasional pathetic signal.  (And I have yet to get my free phone even if they told that I should expect it last week.)

So now, I wish to thank all my family, friends and loved ones for showering us with their love, concern and gifts- lots and lots of them.

I decided to take pictures of some of the gifts, because I have this knack of forgetting who gave what during Christmas.

Here are some of them:

My baby received these gifts from the office - Thanks officemates/friends !!!

Thanks Papa and Mama and Mommy G

Thanks Mama and Papa 

One- year supply of clothes!

Bag  and something naughty from Kris Kringle - Thanks Dennis, tinupad mo ang pangarap ko. hahaha!
Bag with Dog Design - Thanks Edhel

Shorts- cute! Thanks Abby P.
Beyonce Perfume - Thanks Dhang and Jessie!

Toiletry keeper - Thanks Tita Susan
Mini Bag - Thanks Roselle
Thanks Chasen of Chascents for the perfume

Thanks Rhina for the Purse
Thanks Eve for the Chocolate

Thanks Mommy G for the books, toothpaste and the name tag

Baby enjoying his Transformers Nerf-style gun

Enjoying the puzzle from Tito Liboy

Kuya, having fun with Ninong Liboy's puzzle toy

Thanks again, Mama and Papa, for more clothes
Thanks Ninang Ge for the cool watch and shades

Ninang Rhuds, thanks, he loves the bag!

There are still some that I wasn't able to take pictures of, but please remember, they are equally treasured and appreciated.

To my family and friends, thank you.

You bring a piece of heaven here on earth with your love, care  and generosity.  God bless you.

Starlight, starbright

Starlight, starbright, first star I see tonight.  I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight...

Last Tuesday night, while riding a motorcycle on my way home, I was gazing at the night sky and to my surprise, a falling star appeared out of nowhere, and in a heartbeat, was out of my sight.

I rarely see a falling star in a year so I wished a wish right away, wishing of the first thing that came to my mind- money. 

Hahahaha. How mundane, how materialistic, how human. And I changed my wish, even if the falling star was long gone.

And then I thought of aliens in the outer space, and the planet Jupiter, and that special moment that I see that star with the love of my life. And my thoughts of the little boy, sleeping in our bed, waiting for our arms to hold him tight when we finally arrive home.

It was a five-minute ride; short yet special.

Ah, life! Just like a falling star, its arms captivate us into a long embrace.

photo courtesy of http://sleeplessrou.wordpress.com/2008/06/28/like-a-falling-star%E2%80%A6/ 

Wall- E

It's Christmas Season and it's the season of parties and merry making!   

Endless buffets, parties and gift-giving await each fortunate individual this season.  I am lucky to belong to an office that will be having a party with a theme of "White Christmas with cartoon characters/super heroes/anime/super villains."

During the party, there will be a prize for the best in costume.  I decided to be dressed as Wall-E, since our wing luckily drew from  the ballot "the disney cartoon character theme."  

I just don't know if I will be able to do my own Wall- E costume as this one:

cute wall-E wannabe, right?

I just have this one teeny weeny concern: How am I supposed to eat, or sit down while wearing this costume?   I'll let you know after December 21.   I'll post pics too of me and my Wall-E.

Wish me luck! 

photo courtesy of:

http://www.google.com.ph/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.alyssaarmstrong.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/halloween.jpg&sa=X&ei=xzzLTrbGF-meiAeMjc25Dg&ved=0CAwQ8wc4qwE&usg=AFQjCNFamORgCJKuh1ROxfOQhfOIy1FnDw

Breakfast

the food for those on the go

   

For many years I got by with little or no breakfast at all. It was only when I got married that I learned the habit of having a hearty breakfast to start my day right.  

This year, I started with my new office and I had to leave as early as 5 am most of the time. By the time I got to the office, my stomach is already hurling expletives at me for being terribly hungry.   Sometimes, it's a bit of an effort to search for food in the nearby canteens or carinderias, so sometimes I would bring my own breakfast from home.

Lately, I have been longing to sleep longer than I should that when I wake up, I know that I will be terribly late for the office and I won't have time to prepare for my breakfast "baon" anymore.  Then one day, I decided to just "steal" from our own store, a pack of cereal thing that my neighbors keep on buying but I was so ashamed to ask them if it's any good because it is one of the most easily sold-out products in our store. It's called Energen, a breakfast cereal drink manufactured in Indonesia and distributed here in the Philippines.    Just pour the contents in a mug, add hot water, stir a little and breakfast is ready!!!

at five pesos, it's a steal

It's milky, not too creamy, and the cereals dissolve easily in the hot water. Unlike some other cereal drinks where the cereal are still a little tough and there are still grainy pieces at the bottom of the mug, Energen's cereals have this melt-in-your-mouth thing.  Oh did I mention that it's supposed to be healthy because of the cereals and the milk? 

It has two flavors, chocolate and vanilla.  One time, I was walking along Pasay Taft and there were promo girls who were offering Mongo-flavored Energen at 30 pesos for 12 pcs. I did not buy because I was aware that Energen has only two flavors and they were offering it very so cheap my antenna went haywire after hearing the price.  Who knows where it was made and if it passed quality control by the BFAD.  

I haven't tried the chocolate flavor though.  It's always sold out and I keep on forgetting to steal the chocolate flavor whenever we have stock.  At P5.00, it's a good buy.  I think for additional two hours of energy before the tummy asks for a heavier supply of food. Heehehe.

Xend it Away!

my receipt-P89.00 for shipping to Zamboanga City
and I did not leave my seat!

I'm a believer in online shopping!

At first, I thought online  shopping seemed like a dubious way to purchase goods.  How could one be assured that he would get what he paid for if one doesn't first get to meet the buyer personally and see for himself the product he is buying?  But I knew technology and more modern means of purchasing are at hand, so I tried to shop online.

I started shopping online in December 2006. Filipinos were not yet crazy about online shopping at that time.  I bought a cellphone for my mom.  To be sure that I wouldn't be swindled, I agreed to do a meet-up with the seller, brought a witness with me and only paid when I was fully sure that the item was brand -new, in mint condition and was everything that I expected it to be.

These online transactions were soon followed by purchases of various toys for my nephews that were sold at really good prices since most of them were second-hand yet still looked new.

I have to say, that I have convinced and influenced my family and friends that secure online shopping can really be done at this age, provided of course, that one reads the caveat portion in the website or one always observes the required caution, prior research and inquiry before one enters into an online transaction.

But today, my respect and admiration for online shopping had taken a higher notch.  Years ago, my "suki" from online shopping told me that it is most convenient to send products via Xend.  According to her, you just have to go to their website, create an account and schedule a pick-up for the items that you want to ship.  No believing in this, I put off creating an account with Xend for years but advertised to my friends to try it.  Of course, though I advertise Xend to my friends, I cannot give them a personal comment about how it works because I haven't tried it.  

But there came an important order that I knew I had to send immediately but I was busy so I don't know if I could send right away.  So around 1:23 this afternoon, I finally created an account at http://xendexpress.com/.  I then filled out a Waybill and then scheduled a pick-up.   

At 2:15 somebody came to my place of business to pick-up the items to be shipped!! woooaaaahhh!!!!  That  is waaaaayyyy too fast.  And get this, I was only charged P89.00 for the shipment of my beaded items to Zamboanga City.

I never thought sending via Xend would be this convenient and this cheap.  It has totally changed my view on shipping items bought or sold online which further bolstered my dream of really going full blast with my online selling.  I was told that the items would arrive in 1 to 2 days from today.  

Now that's what I call a hassle-free transaction.   Now I know I have a partner in my business. 

You may check out Xend's website here   or its Facebook account here.

Sapak ni Pakman (Pacman)

http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/manny-pacquiao-v-juan-manuel-marquez-1320812924-slideshow/manny-pacquiao-philippines-hits-mexicos-juan-manuel-marquez-photo-054833190.html

Nov. 12 (Nov. 13 in Manila): The much-awaited fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Miguel Marquez was to be held that day.  As early as 9 am, my parents were already in front of the tv, watching but not really watching the undercards trying to win their matches.  What people wanted to watch the Pacquiao-Marquez fight.

Good thing, we have cable, so we didn't have to wait for the extra-delayed coverage of the fight by GMA-7.

Finally, the two boxing champs face off.  My mother and brother swear that if at that time, their blood pressures were taken, they surely would have failed as their BPs were probably off the charts.

After Round 6, I decided that I couldn't take the beating the Pacman was enduring from Marquez.

I resumed watching during the last two minutes of Round 12.

The whole fight, I was really praying that Pacman win.  The heavens heard me and I watched as the winner was declared during that fight.

Was there doubt in my mind as to who one? Definitely. I though Pacman got a beating and there was a slight doubt if he really won and Mafia was not involved.  But in my mind, I knew that Marquez was likewise beaten up.  

But after reading this post in www.philstar.com,* there's no longer any doubt in my mind that Pacman is still the undefeated pound-per-pound champion - the boxing hero of Filipinos all over the world.  

"Based on the final punchstats provided by Compubox, Pacquiao threw and landed more punches after 12 rounds of action at the MGM Grand Saturday.

Pacquiao, the stats sheet said, threw a total of 578 punches and connected 176 times for 30 percent accuracy. Marquez unleashed 436 punches and landed less, 138.

In the jabs department, Pacquiao landed 59 of 304 while Marquez landed only 38 of 182 jabs.  In the power punches, again it was Pacquiao who threw more and landed more.

Pacquiao threw 274 power punches  and found the mark 117 times, and Marquez threw 254 of them, and connected a hundred times."

I don't care about the  allegations about his character, or whatever faults he allegedly committed.  In my mind, he is the only Filipino boxer who has put the Philippines in the boxing pedestal.  He gave Filipino boxers a face. He gave them recognition in the world boxing arena.  He deserves to be called a CHAMPION. Period. 

*http://www.philstar.com/sportsarticle.aspx?articleid=747970&publicationsubcategoryid=69

Chocolatey

Thesa gave me these elephant chocolates

My officemate/friend gave me these chocolates this afternoon.  I think she saw my status in my FB that says : terrible headache."

I read somewhere that chocolates can help ease a headache.  And then I read somewhere that chocolates trigger headaches as there's a toxin found in fermented products like cheese and chocolates that causes headaches.  

So, which is correct and what should I believe? 

There's this long-standing joke that goes like this: Chocolate is one the healthiest food in the planet.  Because chocolate came from cacao, and cacao is a fruit, and fruits are healthy, and eating lots of fruit is good for one's health, therefore, eating lots of chocolates is good for us!!!

Because of this joke, I'd rather believe that chocolates are generally good for us. 

My headache's still here and I still am not touching those cute chocolates.  Who knows, chocolate may really cause headaches so, my suffering might be aggravated.  I'll reserve them for my baby instead.   

Thanks Thesa! (Belated happy birthday!)

Cute chocolates stuck on a cardboard
shaped like the ears and trunk of an elephant.
( I wonder where she got these)

Birthdays remembered and forgotten

Happy birthday cookies for all you celebrators out there!

I'm having terrible MG (memory gap) that I seem to lose track of time. Classic example, I almost forgot about my wedding anniversary and  my baby's 3rd bday.  I totally forgot about my friend's son's bday and realized that it had already passed about three weeks after the date and when I noticed that my friend wasn't talking to me.

To my friends and family:

You see, I know you will be celebrating your birthdays on a particular day and month.  But the thing is, I don't really keep track of the days that go by.  Like for now, I realized this morning that it was already September 28 and I have two friends whose birthday is September 27.  I reminded myself countless times, since September came, to greet those friends on their birthday but it seemed as if the days were fast-forwarded and whhhooooosh, their birthdays came and went without me noticing the dates. 

So if I greet you a week or so early, it means that you are in my thoughts and I know that your special day is coming up. But due to my unreliable memory, I might not be able to keep track of my calendar, so I greet you at that moment that I am thinking of you.  But if in case, you are one of the few that I didn't get to greet on their special day, please don't be mad at me, I love you, and you are always in my thoughts, even if my thoughts tend to be jumbled  most of the time.

Note note note:   

Belated happy, happy birthday to Papa Jun, Kythn, Weng, Myra, Vhince, Glenn, Rhuda, Z, Mafz and Ate Ghing!  (If you're name is missing here, let me know so I can edit this!)

Advance happy birthday to Atty. Babes and Chasen!

To my bestest friend, Caru, happy happy birthday! You're the best!  

Here are some PVZ/ Angry birds (at the back) cupcakes for all of you! :P

photo courtesy of a friend's friend in Facebook

Free Movie Tickets

Sometime earlier this month, I won free movie tickets for four (4) from Fotoloco's Fun O'clock Promo.  I previously blogged about it in another blog (see here: http://jcajote.blogspot.com/2011/08/free-tickets.html).

When I attempted to use the tickets at Ayala Town Center, I was told by the cashier that I cannot use the tickets since complimentary tickets may only be availed of for movies showing in their cinemas for at least seven days.  At that time, all their movies were being shown for only three days.  I even asked if the tickets can be used to watch a 3-D movie (at that time, Smurfs was showing in 3-D) and I was willing to pay a fee on top of the value of the complimentary tickets because  I didn't want to go back to ATC all the way from Cavite. Unfortunately, the lady said, it cannot be done.  

So, sadly, after having some snacks, we went home, and I later informed Fotoloco about it.  I told them I wasn't blaming them, but it might be good to talk to their sponsors about it so that the lucky winners wouldn't be going home, wasting money for their fare, only to find out that they couldn't use their free tickets.  And you know what, Fotoloco replied within minutes from my email and apologized about the incident.  They even sent me eight (8) free bowling tickets to somehow make up for the sad incident! So how's that for real customer service!!!  If only other companies would have this kind of customer service...

A few weeks later, I won again in their promo and they didn't let me pick up the tickets in their offices anymore. Instead, they sent me this through courier:

Going to the movies is really expensive nowadays
so free tickets like these really make  my day!

Wahooooo!!!!!!!!!!


Join the contest now!

(Fotoloco, offers its fun photo booth for rent during any occasion. Check out its website at http://www.fotoloco.com.ph for more info.)

Liliw Aliw

The Church of Liliw, Laguna

One Saturday, several months ago, my friends and I went to Liliw, Laguna, to check out their products -SHOES and SLIPPERS!   On our way there, we were chatting a lot and did not notice that the sign that pointed the way to Liliw.  We  have gone straight for about 3 kilometers, before realizing that we were already lost!  Now, that's an experience!

After going through the products of each of the stores there, we decided to have lunch at Arabela's. A friend googled it in the net and found good reviews about the restaurant.

My ever ready husband, brought "baon" with us - rice with scrambled eggs, tomatoes and adobo and a big jug of iced tea!  But as soon as he saw the others' orders, he, too, ordered steak for himself.

My baby ordered fish fillet in cream sauce or whatever with a side salad.  He enjoyed it so much, and the baby corn, that he begged his ninangs for some spare baby corn.

So pardon me for posting pics of the food we ate, instead of the shoes and bags and slippers and other stuff that the town of Liliw offered. 

Parmesan crusted fish fillet in white cream sauce - my baby's order
(too bad the picture didn't do it justice)

Grilled Chicken in white sauce

Sirloin Steak

Mess of a sirloin

The verdict on the food--- will definitely go back there one of these days. 

So, the ending of our trip was that- I was able to buy only a pair of slippers for myself (that is one of the 3 pairs for 100 being sold).  I was able to buy the rest of my family slippers as pasalubong.  Funny, I spent a whole lot more on the food that we had and only a few hundred pesos for the slippers (I didn't even buy a pair of shoes!).  It was a food trip and not a shoe trip.

But what I enjoyed the most was the food, the laughter and the special moment I shared with my family and with my friends. 

Oreo cheesecake for dessert

Chocolate mousse

Strawberry cheesecake

The Many Faces of Me

I was browsing through one of my friends' pictures online and saw a really old-looking photo of hers. I checked out the source of the photo and discovered www.yearbookyourself.com.  It allows the user to view his/her face on different hair-dos of different eras (with matching skin color).  

It is really amusing and allows the user to imagine how he/she must have looked in the old and not-so old days, especially when one is not so daring as to follow whatever the trend is/was.

It allows the user to take a picture of himself/herself and use that for the hair-types, or use any pic available from one's computer.  Cool huh!

So, at the risk of being laughed (anyway, it's better to make you laugh than to make you cry), here are my jurassic (and not-so-jurassic) looks.

the librarian look

friend of scooby doo's friends?

the discoverer of penicillin 

   

    

   

    

   

   

this is supposed to be the 2000 look

but this is my favorite!!

The one thing I hate about it, though, is that my nose look soooo big! Well, that's the photo that was best for all the "do's".  I can't really complain.