Over Chips and Dip

Holiday's over. The Holy Week starting Maundy Thursday are treated as official holidays in this part of the globe. I took a leave Wednesday so I have five days of just bonding with my family.

We just stayed home, catch up with some movies, prepared pasta, watch some more movies. We did some groceries, hoarded for the days that there would be no open stores in the vicinity. Or so we thought. It seemed like most people did not go on vacation and preferred to stay in the comforts of their homes. The supermarket was full of people and so were the restaurants. It's like they only closed on Black Saturday, and only a few of them decided to close. Unlike years ago when Manila was like a ghost town during Holy Week.

Today after church and while my daughter was attending her worship service, I had my foot spa and nail pampering. I had a haircut too. I prefer short, short hair these days. It's easier to manage on a day to day basis. But I have to have my hair trimmed like every two weeks to keep it neat. My hair is a little unruly.

It's vacation time for dear daughter but Dad and Mom will be back to work starting tomorrow. Today was a 'do-nothing-day'. Hubby was going through You Tube for Top Gear episodes, daughter was watching Hannah Montana and I was catching up on a few episodes of Prison Break I missed. Doritos with french onion dip on the side.

I wonder how others spent their weekend. Let's check the snapshots they shared.

Heavy Metal

Or maybe not. I learned from the site of NASA that the first airplanes were made from fabric and wood and later on with lightweight sheet metal. Airplanes and helicopters are made of sturdy materials but they are as light as possible to make them fly and carry a certain number of passengers and cargoes.

One of the destinations during my daughter's field trip last February was at the Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum. This museum was opened middle of last year and has been attracting quite a number of visitors, schools most especially as part of their educational tours. I have quite a number of pictures of my daughter and her classmates inside the plane and sitting in the cockpit.

This plane served as the presidential aircraft some twenty years ago or so.

I am not sure what this plane is but it looks so imposing among all the planes displayed there.

Since I don't know much about planes, hubby supplied what these are. This one's a Mustang fighter plane taken through his cell phone. Nice resolution. I understand this was used during WWII.

And this is an S-55 Sikorski helicopter.

You may visit other Photo Hunters and find out what other metals you'd get from their posts. :)

Michael Clayton

Shown third quarter of last year in the U.S., it still has a high rating from Rotten Tomatoes at 91%. Written by Tony Gilroy, the same writer of Devil's Advocate which is more than your average legal thriller with Al Pacino as the devil himself.

Michael Clayton, even without yet reading other reviews, struck me as one of those John Grisham novels. A corporate legal battle with a few twists and turns to make the story a bit more exciting. It was successful in that way. George Clooney as Clayton acts as a "janitor" in a big law firm. His role as a janitor is very valuable as he is assigned to smoothen whatever seems to hinder winning a case.

Oscar winner, Tilda Swinton, gave a wonderful performance as the film's villain. The chief counsel for UNorth, Clayton's law firm's biggest client. Tilda as Karen Crowder looked every inch a corporate mistress. She never did any over acting. Everything was underacting in fact which made her character stand out as cold and calculating.

What I particularly love about the film is how it was framed in a flashback until it caught up where the film started. Incidentally, Lust, Caution also unfolded this way.
Michael Clayton was played up so well from beginning to end. Nobody went hysterical to raise dramatic moments. The climax of the story where Clayton was confronting Crowder was swift and savvy. The film's closure will make you feel satisfied and will actually make you feel happy for a janitor named Michael Clayton.

Lust, Caution

Lust, Caution is quite long, it's more than two hours. You tend to be glued though in anticipation of what is to come to the lead characters. Set in the late 1930s with Shanghai and Hongkong under Japanese occupation. It is an espionage story with the age old seduction as its carrying theme.

The lead characters are Tony Leung as Mr. Yee who collaborates with the Japanese hence tagged as a traitor. Newcomer Wei Tan plays Wong Chia Chi and doubles as Mrs. Mak, the one tasked to seduce Mr. Yee. The director did so well from Wong's transformation from a shy high school girl to a sophisticated young wife. You wouldn't recognize her.

Joan Chen plays a good support as Mrs. Yee. The character which I felt should have been given more exposure was Kuang Yu Min's, the very young and passionate leader of the student resistance movement. The character was played by Lee Hom Wang whom I do not know anything about until this movie.

I love the opening scene where four women are shown playing mah-jong. Their glances, the swift glide of the camera to the table, the sound of the clicking tiles, it just shows a whole lot of promise. It stops there.

There are delicate scenes which make you think if you are watching the same movie or has it turned X. Refer to the title and its message why those scenes needed to be there. Save for the good acting and wonderful production design, there is not much to be proud of in this movie. An aside, Tony Leung is good in all his movies that I have seen but I do not see what is the hype in his acting. They say it's the soulful eyes. No comment.

Back to the movie, I got interested as to how Kuang Yu Min's group of students would be able to carry out this great assassination plot to Mr. Yee. They failed of course but there was a second wind to their cause three years after. Still young and passionate, Mrs. Mak continued her role playing with the end in mind to seduce Mr. Yee and kill the traitor. All this time Kuan Yu Min and their support group are behind her. But love and lust got in the way.

This was what disappointed me. Two persons, both longing for love and companionship but tied to their duties, have their choices to make. The last ten minutes was a big let down. After all the sacrifices - body, mind and soul, you think that the call of duty and loyalty to one's ideology would weigh more to Mrs. Mak. She was almost there, victory for the group is at hand. But then a diamond filled ring melted everything away. What is the ring for, a symbol of true love by Yee to Mak? She let him go. And she was executed together with her group. Uh-oh.

I wished for a different ending. I wished for a more solid resolution. Discovering Lee Hom-Wang was the best part of watching this movie. I don't watch much telenovelas but he was like lifted straight from a Korea novela. Haha. I learned he is actually a pop singer. Not bad acting for a singer.

Magnificent Mama

A few days ago, a welcome surprise greeted me in the comment portion in one of my posts here. It came from Penelope Anne.

She said "I have stopped by today to let you know you have found your way onto the Magnificent Mamas of the Universe Blogroll, joining numerous moms from throughout the blogosphere. You were selected because I have popped into your blog numerous times and find you to be a great contribution to the mom blogosphere".

Thank you very much. This is highly appreciated.

Another blog badge came from Rachel.


It talks about "yumminess" since I love posting about food and eating out here. Thanks too for this. :)

A Weekend at Bayfront

It was a hush-hush weekend getaway at Subic for us. The hubby and the daughter wanted a swim. We headed to Subic with no hotel reservations. We were thinking there are a lot of hotels there and they could not be all fully booked this weekend. There's still work in the coming week so we are still safe from the onslaught of vacationers for their Holy Week getaway.

We were at Legenda a few months ago. It was okay, no complaints but we just want to try another hotel. Bayfront looks good, simple but pretty neat. It's near the beach as the name suggests.

There's a good view of The Lighthouse from where hubby was when he took this picture. I wish the mountains are as green as they should be.


I fancied the row of boats in this picture.


One of the major requirements when we choose a hotel is the pool and its location. I really prefer an indoor pool. Or if it's not indoor, at least there is some shield from the glaring sun. This one's good since the sun's rays are somehow filtered by the hotel's structure.

Once there, the Princess tested the waters. And in no time, she was taking a dip already. :)


I hope your weekend was great! Check out snapshots from other weekenders. :)

Globe-trotting

I called a former officemate a week ago about our business deal. What was supposed to be a short conversation on her update extended to almost forty five
minutes of talking over the phone. I was surprised to know that a lot of people I worked closely with while at the food industry are leaving, not just the company, but the Philippines for good. I carried our conversation on my thoughts the whole morning even if I was in a meeting.

One of my favorites has resigned because she is taking up a nursing course full time. It's a fast track course I was told. She will leave for Canada as soon as she graduates this year or early next year. This perky woman graduated cum laude in college and was a silver medalist in her MBA class. And now she's leaving with her son and pursue a career I never imagined she would take.

This reminds me that two of my former batchmates in high school are back in school. You guessed it right, nursing. The grand scheme of their lives is to migrate to the U.S. The best way to make this fast is to get a job and not wait for their petitions.

Three of my managers still from my former company will leave for Australia. They will still hold managerial positions but a notch or two lower with what they have now. What's with the position when they are "assured" of a better life in another country? Their families will follow a year after.

One department head whom I consider a good friend while I was in the company has just resigned. He's not even in his mid-forties. Maybe he'll just take a sabbatical. I don't know his reason for resigning. Fatigue maybe. He will have a tour of the world. We have not really talked after I left the company.

A former officemate sent a message to me to inform me that our good friend is already in California with her family. She was asking when will I go there.

My husband's good friend is already a citizen of Australia. Half of my classmates in high school have left the Philippines. My three good friends back in college decided to call the Netherlands their home even with stable and flourishing careers here.

I don't have to go far telling stories of my friends and classmates. All the members of my immediate family are in the U.S. I am the only one left here. We will be migrating too soon. I have my mind set on being with my family - my parents, my brother and sister. Yes, my parents visit us here in the Philippines but I want us all to be together again as a family. That is my greatest motivation in coming to a decision to leave the country. A close second is the benefits that go with living in the first world.

When I started as a junior manager in my former company, it puzzled me to no end why two department heads decided to leave everything behind - properties, career, friends, relatives. Destination Canada. One of them has a special child and that was her family's very reason why they left for Canada. Canada has a clear cut program for special children as I was told.

Employee turn over in most companies are so fast. We are losing our young people to Dubai, Singapore, Canada and Australia for better jobs. Better jobs means a promise of a better life. Or at least the idea is you are in step one in your quest for a life less ordinary so to speak. The U.S. is still a favored destination and it's mostly about joining the parents and family there.

I understand the aggressiveness of the youth - the recent graduates and the twenty somethings. But for the past year or so, even those who are in their mid-life and doing good in terms of career, have acquired several properties, still choose to leave the country.

What do all these tell us. It's not just about career or money. It's about the future this country holds.

Mr. Rockefeller

I met with a good friend last Friday and had a light dinner. Light because hubby and daughter will fetch me and I know the two would want to have dinner. That's when I will pour in all my appetite.

They arrived thirty minutes past seven in the evening. A little bye-bye to my friend and off we went around Greenbelt 3 to scout for some fine dining place. Mr. Rockefeller was the final choice. Mr. Rockefeller - Steaks, Ribs and "Spanking Good Oysters".

The interior is uncluttered, simple, almost zen-like. A few oyster decorations here and there on the walls and a few writings on the green board for their menu. Samba music is playing if I am not mistaken, it's a little bit loud when seated at the first half of the dining area.

It took a few minutes before our order was taken. Oh yes, hubby was the one who called on the food attendant for our orders. Maybe like ten minutes from the time we had our table.

I prefer a seat at the dining area with soft light. I wanted a cozier atmosphere. I checked that the interior dining are mostly in big groups or families. And also, the cameras keep on clicking on that side. I would want to be there definitely as people won't stare at me if I take pictures of my family and our food. They're doing the same thing anyway. I won't be disturbing anyone with the flash of the camera.

Rating: Food: Good. Service: For Improvement. Cleanliness: For Improvement.

Anyway, I asked the food attendant if we can transfer to the vacant table inside. I don't know why she has to ask their manager but she politely excused herself and asked the one in charge that night. She came back and apologized since the table is used for their extra plates and glasses for drying. Huh?

Maybe the look on my face showed great interest sitting inside. A few minutes later, the manager asked me if I wanted to transfer. I said yes. He said they'll just clean the table and set it up. And so I waited. In vain.

The manager kept looking at me as I crane my neck if the table is ready. But not a word from him. Until I saw a family leaving a table for four. I got up and reserved the seat myself. Still not a word from the manager. The waiter cleaned the table and set it up. Honestly though, crews of Jollibee and McDonald's know better in sanitizing a table. Crumbs were still on our table. You know the feeling that the table is still dump you don't want to lay your hands on it, it's sticky. Click the first picture to enlarge, you just might spot the crumbs (not intentional to capture them and that's not our table).



Hubby wanted to try oysters as they are his favorite but it's not good to have them when one's really hungry. He opted for boneless bourbon ribs with baked beans and creamed corn (P440). It was good. The barbecue sauce is just about right for my taste - not too tangy, a little sweet even. The corn is a perfect match.


I tried the linguini prawns with feta cheese and brandy (P340). We liked it too. It's very creamy and is actually good for three persons.


My daughter tried the ever safe chicken fingers with fries. The safest, easiest way to a child's taste buds. The price escapes me now, more than P150, less P250 as far as I can remember. The chicken's good, very tender. The fries is just okay.


Our orders were served quite fast than I expected, maybe around ten minutes. Are we going back? Yes because hubby would still want the oysters but I'm hoping the service will be better and cleaning of the tables will be prompt and proper.

At Least I Tried

They were barely out of the oven when the Princess said, "Mom, I thought you're making cupcakes". Oh well, I thought so too. It turned out to be different, at least how it should look. It turned out flat. I am not losing hope with my baking skills. I want to be good at this. Practice makes perfect and using the proper tools, the right temperature setting and not just estimations. It will be a celebration on my part when I get to finally bake a presentable cake.

Check out other different posts at Photo Hunt.

Token

I would like to acknowledge Napaboaniya for handing over a token of appreciation to me and other bloggers who wished her well when she was a little sick.

Learning

I must admit I love buying things for my family, for my daughter most especially. But I also want to believe I am a smart consumer. Nothing in excess (a few times I falter but I/hubby have to cover it up immediately such that my target savings will still be reached).

As a child I have always been excited with saving money. This feeling was reinforced when my father gave me a savings account when I was in grade school. It was the feeling of being empowered seeing my name in my own passbook. It also means that I was given the trust to handle my allowance. Modesty aside, I know how to save even prior to having my own account. But it's not even about having money per se. It's the thrill to have a filled-to-the-brim coin bank. It's an accomplishment for me. Thanks to my parents for sustaining this discipline and learning from them the value of it.

Now I am passing this learning to my daughter Andrea. I created a little game when she was in preschool. I bought her coin banks and we play shoot that coin. We did that everyday and continue to do it now. I see her putting the coins she sees in the house or from my coin purse to her coin bank. We agreed to save a certain amount everyday and deposit it to her coinbank and after a month, deposit it to her savings account. She does not have a daily allowance as she brings the snack I prepare for her and her drink to school. So mommy and daddy provide. The concept of savings is there, we have to start somewhere. When she gets her allowance, hopefully, she has already acquired the value of savings.


One day though she said her allowance day should be every Wednesday. Some of her friends bring money and they buy food or little things at their mini mart. It's okay with me. I don't want to be too stiff with money. Let me play it cool with her. And just provide an example of how to properly manage money. Nothing in excess dear.


And of course, summer is here. Her swimming lessons continues. She loves swimming to the max. I am already inquiring for a Lozada swimming center where there is a roof to protect the kids from the glaring sun while on the pool.



***This post is my entry for Pinoy Moms Network theme for this month, Learning.

Healthy Options

Sunday is grocery day for my family. Normally we do it after church. It used to be that we head to the meat section to buy the week's menu. But the past months we opted for some healthy options. It's the fruit section first and then the vegetable area.

Lately also we've been into regular drinking of pineapple juice. We don't buy the powdered juice since it contains too much sugar. As an alternative to natural fruit juice, we buy the liquid variant with freshly squeezed fruit juice as the main ingredient with ascorbic acid.

There's a brand tug of war going on between my hubby and me. We settle for my brand though. I prefer the unsweetened added fiber variant while he goes for the immune builders variant. As long as we stick to our wellness diet, we're fine with each others' preference.

Happy Birthday, Frankie!

Happy 1st birthday to my very cute niece, Frankie! Hugs and kisses from all of us. We love you so much!

Birthday Party

My entry for this week's Photo Hunt is my daughter's seventh birthday party held at Dreamscape, an indoor theme park. I have a lot of party pictures to share with my family, my friends and at the office. I even thought of making a collage of my daughter's birthday celebrations starting when she was a year old up to last year's birthday. I'm sure a lot of mothers can also relate with me when I say every month before reaching one year old, we celebrate our babies' milestones every month.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my Princess' seventh birthday. I'm not sure in other countries but in the Philippines, it's a common tradition to hold a grand celebration on a child's first, seventh and eighteenth birthdays. These mark their entry to another stage in their lives - from infancy to being a toddler, going to prepuberty or the tween years, teenage years and then adulthood.

The party area with colorful hats and balloons.
The Hello Kitty birthday cake which was my daughter's favorite then.

Part of the party package are tickets for the rides as give aways to all attendees. The kids surely enjoyed this part.