Ladies' Night at Burgoo

This is the second time we dined at Burgoo as a group. The first one was when Raquel visited the Philippines with her family. This one was last Friday where we had a detour. The supposed Greenbelt 5 rendezvous was diverted to Power Plant because of the heavy traffic from our place (we are in the same area) going to Makati.

Check out the food we devoured. Not in picture is our our after-dinner coffee at the same mall. No more energy to take pictures but the sharing and stories did not stop till it was almost midnight.

Seafood Caesar Supreme is a good appetizer. But for me, it can be the main course already.

Now I forgot the exact name of this one. It's chicken that I am sure of. This was the first one to be served so we all helped ourselves here since we were already starving.

Sorry for a rather blurry photo but this is my favorite, Jambalaya. I go to Burgoo for this. It is so filling. I want to experiment on this one of these days.

The mommies said this is almost like Jambalaya only this has corn salsa. I did not anymore have a taste of this one but the girls seemed to love it. It's called N'awlins Classic Platter.

I generally like Arrabiata but this one proved to be too spicy for me. I prefer the one served at Figaro.

I had a pretty good serving of this one, Seafood Linguini. There's calamari and shrimp which are both my favorites.

Pizza Margherita I like. Huge slices of tomatoes with mozzarella. A staple in most pizza and pasta restaurants.

One, two, ready, click...the Mommies I love going out with - Chats, Cookie, Feng, Wenchie, Julie and Cess.

As I was doing the links for each names, I realized there's only the two of us with no dotcom yet.

Liver Spread Spaghetti

A week or so ago I thought of preparing spaghetti for dinner. I was supposed to email my sister how she does it with liver spread. I like the taste of it - the sauce a little coarse on the tongue but creamy. Well the cheese in the sauce made it creamier. I browsed for a second and landed to a recipe, Liver Spread Spaghetti, from Del MOnte Kitchenomics. I just added chicken livers. Thank you, thank you for providing a quick and easy recipe for women like me who eagerly wants to learn how to cook starting with something simple.

I only prepared just enough for us in the house. Normally there would be left overs around half full of plate but this time, there's none. My daughter even requested for it as her food sharing last Thursday for their class event. Same thing, it was a hit with the kids. :)

You may visit my other entry, Cupcakes at Everything and then Some.....
Have a lovely week ahead!

A Great Man

I just have to post about Mr. Randy Pausch, the Computer Science professor who delivered his Last Lecture about Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. He joined our Creator on the morning of July 25. It still feels like it was sudden.

I have read about Mr. Pausch but have not really given his lecture that much attention. But one night I told myself to go ahead and watch his last lecture over youtube. Let me see what is so inspiring about Mr. Pausch. I finished the whole seventy six minutes in one sitting. I even looked for its transcript.

This man's sharing has touched my life. It's true that God sends us messages in a lot of ways. I believe I got one of His messages through The Last Lecture. I posted here a few months ago about the Brick Wall. It has been one of my guiding words ever since. And the Brick Wall further pushed me to go for what I wanted. Just keep on going. I'm on it now.

Mr. Randy Pausch said, “If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you."

To his family, my deepest my condolences. God bless you and Mr. Pausch. And thank you.

Big Bear and a Favorite Cousin

I love this picture of my daughter with the big, huggable hanging bear behind her. This was taken during her field trip last February. It was in Island Cove where guests can have fun in their ocean park and animal land.



My daughter enjoyed this so much and I did too even if it was kind of hot that day. We fancied this one among all the animals in there. It's as if the ostrich proudly posed for a photo opportunity.

And here's a picture suggested by my daughter to put in here. She is hanging out with her favorite cousin. We pick up her cousin J from their house and she had a sleep over in our place. They watched the 3D concert of Miley Cyrus (The Best of Both Worlds) on television. These kids can't get enough of Miley to think that they have watched the concert in the theater a few weeks ago.


These are my photo hunt entries for the week, "hanging". You may visit my other entry at Everything and then Some..... Thanks and happy weekend. :)

Simple Pleasures

What are the 5 simple pleasures that will give you, well, simple pleasures?

Greenbucks threw us this question last week. What would it be for me?

I find pleasure with every bonding time with my daughter. We love being together. My favorite activity of ours is "story telling". She tells me how her day was and I tell her mine. :)

I find pleasure in having a good read. Right now I'm going to John Maxwell's site and having a good time reading his I'm 60 and Compounding (though I am far from being sixty).

I find pleasure in cooking, baking or just preparing/setting the table for lunch and dinner. I can only do these at night (when I am not so tired) and during weekends.

I find pleasure in watching movies and television shows no matter how inane others find them (Pinoy Big Brother, showbiz talk shows, soaps both local and international).

I find pleasure bonding with my friends. I need to relax with my friends once in a while.

Kanluran (West)

Ang araw and sumisikat sa silangan at ito ay lumulubog sa kanluran. Ang larawan sa ibaba ay kuha ng kami ay nagpunta sa Pearl Farm, isang resort sa Davao. Napakaganda ng lugar na iyon, paraisong maituturing - presko, masarap ang simoy ng hangin at masasarap ang pagkain. Masarap bumalik sa lugar na ito.

(The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The picture below was taken during our trip at Pearl Farm, a resort in Davao. It is such a beautiful place, more like a paradise - relaxing, fresh air, great food. It's nice to go back there.)

Maaaring bisitahin ang Litratong Pinoy kung nais na makita ang iba pang mga lumahok ngayong linggong ito. At mayroon pa rin akong isang lahok sa kabilang blog ko, Everything and then Some..... :)

(You may visit the site, Litratong Pinoy, to see more entries for the week. I also have another entry over at my Everything and then Some.....blog.)

Lipstick Jungle

The book Lipstick Jungle was given to me by a colleague two years ago as a keepsake when I moved to a different department. I started reading it but put it on hold until other books came in the way.

With the showing of Sex and the City in the big screen a few weeks ago, I thought of reading Lipstick Jungle again. Same author, Candace Bushnell. And then I saw a clip of this dramedy. I didn't know it piloted on February this year with only seven episodes because of the writers' strike. The second season starts this September. Well, I have finished season one a few nights ago.

I haven't come across a good review of it except for Nestor Torre's. Most reviews said Lipstick Jungle is a poor extension of SATC. It tried hard to offer something new but failed. It also did not help that there is almost the same series, Cashmere Mafia, aired on January, with the same plot. Woman power, friendship, the roles women play and everything else in between including affairs.

Out of curiosity I checked Cashmere Mafia. I watched some scenes. Alright, there seems to be a thin line differentiating Cashmere from Lipstick. Its stars. At least Lipstick has Brooke Shields and Andrew McCarthy. Hey, I'm an 80s child. They are worth watching in my own humble opinion if only to see how much they have reinvented themselves from the 80s brat packers that they are to a, hopefully, more substantive actors now. Think Patrick Dempsey.

I like Lipstick Jungle especially Wendy Healy's character (Brooke Shields) balancing family, friendship and being the top executive of Parador Pictures. I like her character because, though not perfect, she shows the right values both professionally and personally.

Can you have different set of values in these two worlds? No. You can't have contrasting values and it cannot be that you are upholding one value in your personal life and neglecting the same value while you are at work. Your real character shows from the different situations both at home and at work and your world in between. Isn't it that generally our decisions rely on our values?

Wendy may be so driven but her value in prioritizing the welfare of her family is also very much translated to how she deals with her career and the people she engages with. Even putting her foot down with a stage mother out to exploit her daughter in the name of hollywood success. This may be too good to be true but don't we need this kind of consistency?

I'll finish the book and I am eagerly awaiting for Lipstick Jungle's second season.

Apple

My daughter's mastery test for the first trimester is scheduled next week. This means marathon reviewing again. We spent most of our Sunday going over her notes and the course outline. I made a reviewer for her Math subject and I'm halfway through it. She's doing the first part as I post this.


She had some apples while she was reading her lessons in Science. She loves apples - the fruit, the juice and the pie. :) I have another WS entry at Everything and then Some..... if you want to take a quick look. Thanks!

My Birthday Girl

It used to be that we hold a birthday party at school and prepare some celebration also at home. It's different now that Andrea, my dear, dear daughter, is ten years old. July 18, Friday - her grand day and so it is with us, her parents. It's our daughter's 10th birthday!

I was a bit surprise with what Andrea said out of the blue, "glad I'm now on a double digit age". And why is that if I may ask. "Because I'm close to being a teenager". And so if she's close to being a teenager? She just smiled sheepishly and said, "nagmamature na ako" ("I'm becoming more mature"). I laughed at that one but told her glad to know too she's maturing stressing on my point that it means she's getting wiser. But then again don't grow up so fast young miss. :)

Anyway, she has to attend school last Friday plus her extra curricular activity which is Scouting. She does not want to miss it. She left school around four in the afternoon, rest a little when she got home, took a shower and off we went to see High School Musical, The Ice Tour. We got the six o'clock show. We were a little early so we had our quick snack at Volare.

My birthday girl while waiting for our food.

We were at Araneta Coliseum a few minutes before the show started. A few clicks here and there before and during the show.


The show's fun as expected. The were no magical moves or spectacular effects but just swaying and clapping to the beat of the songs are good enough. Can't believe the kids are still enjoying this so much in spite of this being shown years and months ago (HS Musical 1 & 2). My daughter is now eagerly awaiting for High School Musical Ze Movie (The Movie, I mean).




Andrea was quite tired already after the show. I understand because she'd been up so early in the morning for school. Went home mid-afternoon with very little rest. We decided to go home instead and have dinner at home.

But suddenly, her eyes lit up seeing Odyssey, one of the popular music stores this side of the globe. We went inside and look at what got her going. Hanna Montana 2 mode on. It's the little miss' birthday, here's another gift from her abiding parents. She's at the counter paying for the CD.


Sleepy head once again after the purchase so we definitely headed home. This Hannah Montana has some persuasive magic that inside the car all the way from Araneta Center where we came from up to our house, she kept on singing with Miley Cyrus. Oh make it stop. Haha.


My daughter, she is the best thing that ever happened to me and my hubby! :)

Just What is That?

That's what I asked my husband after he ordered what is supposed to be McDonald's Big Breakfast offering. That is what you call big breakfast? I guess the R&D and Marketing team of McDonald's in this side of the planet thought that having rice side by side two eggs and a small hamburger patty will make it heavy hence the big breakfast tag. Filipinos after all love rice.

Rice is heavy alright but I was thinking more of providing several choices to live up to its name. Put some sausage, hash brown and the like. But I believe it's a matter of pricing strategy too. Their competitor's big breakfast is a little over P100 (roughly 2.5USD) while this one is around P75 (1.5USD).

Anyway, McDonald's is alright but we are gradually eliminating fast food. My hubby consumed this breakfast, not me, as I already had mine before leaving our house. Let oats, cereals and fruits be our partner in our waking hours. I want to go cold turkey with this. I have no issue with my daughter as she loves fruits and oats. I'm monitoring my husband's progress with his diet. He's cooperating so far. :)

Let's take a look and be amazed at what others have posted in today's photo hunt theme, What is That? (My comment cannot seem go through tnchick's site.)

Loot

Those who are in my age bracket, late 30s, most probably remember the very popular local retail fashion specialty store, Cinderella. It is still existing though not as popular when I was in my early teenage years. They carry Seventeen and Made in Heaven which were the brands my mother frequently bought for me and my sister. Then there's Rustanette too for our shoes most of the time. Not to mention Gregg shoes for the required black shoes in school. These are the tried and tested local brands which speaks of value for money.

Fast forward to my daughter's generation. She's in her pre-teens. As most mothers of girls (and probably boys) her age know, they have mastered their fashion. They know what bottom goes with what top. They know how to mix and match. They know how to experiment. They perfectly know the colors they want. Multi-media, thanks to you. And thanks to the mothers who are open about their children's sense of style. I am all for that but no emo or goth style please.

I do encourage my daughter to choose her own style, her own clothes. Lucky for me, generally, she knows what clothes will fit her. Of course I keep watch of the price tags and the durability. We compromise when there's a need to. And I impose when I have to. :D Nothing really extravagant.

One brand we both love is Orange Juice. This is a clothing store intended for girls aged seven to thirteen. During my time as a pre-teen, how many times have I heard my mother said it's hard to find clothes for me. It's that awkward stage when one is not too young but not too old. Go to the children's section and you'll find the styles are just too cute and there is no size anymore that would have the perfect fit. Head to the teen section and the sizes prove to be big. Adjustments are needed for a good fit.

So the most influential market these days, the pre-teens or the tweens, has got an ally on clothing stores like Orange Juice. The line up - shirts, pants, mall shoes, colorful tops. I love their fit for my daughter. Good quality as the colors do not fade, comfortable and strong fabric as they do not get deformed even after so many trips in and out of the washing machine.

I love it most when they are on sale. It's 50% off now. They have a value card which will entitle you to use their 10% discount card after completing the required purchase of clothes (or any item from the store). I am just wondering why their front liners do not seem to promote it. I was the second customer yesterday who inquired about its mechanics.

This is not a paid post. I just love the shop because it's there where I always have good finds for my dear daughter.

Luntian (Green)

Ang mga Pilipino ay likas na mahilig sa pagkain lalo na sa mga matatamis. Pansinin mo at napakaraming nagtitinda kahit sa tabi ng kalsada papunta at paluwas ng probinsya katulad ng mga litrato sa ibaba. Kuha ito papuntang San Pablo, Batangas.
(Filipinos have gastronomic appetites and are especially inclined with sweets. Just look around and you will see a lot of food being peddled around mostly near the entry and exit points of the provinces. The pictures below were taken going to San Pablo, Batangas.)

Paborito ko ang mga kakanin. Ang mga kakaning ito ay lagi ng may nakasapin o nababalot sa luntiang dahon ng saging. Nakakadagdag ng bango ng pagkain ang paglalagay sa dahon ng saging.

(I love native desserts. Most Filipino desserts come in banana leaves. Banana leaves enhance the smell of the food.)

Ito ang suman sa lihiya na masarap na may kasamang niyog o asukal. (These are steamed rice cake wrapped in banana or coconut leaves, best served with brown sugar or grated coconut.)

Ito ang aking paborito na kahit sa mga mall ay mayroong itinitinda. Paumanhin at hindi ko alam ang pangalan nito pero siya ay malagkit na may matamis sa ibabaw - asuskal at niyog sa aking palagay. Masarap siyang gawing dessert.

(This is my favorite! They sell this even in malls. I'm sorry to say I don't really know the exact name of this dessert. It is made of glutinous rice with something sweet as toppings - sugar and coconut I guess. It's a great dessert!

Maaaring pumunta sa Litratong Pinoy para sa iba pang Luntian. (You may want to check Litratong Pinoy for more of the Green entries.)

Jumpstart Your Day

I went to church early Thursday morning last week because I needed to manage my schedule. I want to attend to everything I have to attend so I decided that instead of my usual church schedule in the evening, I might as well attend the morning service.

It felt so good, hearing good words so early in the morning which are really motivating just made my day. I made a vow to attend the early morning service every Thursday. I am a devout Iglesia ni Cristo and we have our worship service every Thursdays and Sundays. Early morning means waking up at half past four and being at the church at around five thirty. It's a struggle waking up that early but being at the church and hearing God's words is just so refreshing.

I am thankful I was able to live up to my promise this morning. I was early in fact. And what is so wonderful is hearing the words I needed to hear. It's just so right. It's like God talked to me through the minister's sharing. There are moments that frustration and apprehension get into me. But yes, I just have to trust in Him. I need not worry. I need to clear my mind of some clutter.

Sometimes we say we all know what we have to know. That as adults, what else do we not know? But I say good words sincerely shared never fail, words that touches one's heart no matter what your position in life is will always give a great jumpstart.

This morning's sharing is so apt also with the current global situation. With everything going up, the economy unstable, there is one thing people should not lose. That is Hope. Of course it's clear that what comes with hoping is hard work.

It's doing the right things and being hopeful, trusting and believing that God's grace is with us, which makes us strong, resilient and yes, happier beings.

Be filled with other thankful sharing at Sting My Heart. :)

Calamansi

Prices of prime commodities are continuously going up. There seems to be no major sign yet of letting up. The price of gasoline per liter is soaring high week on week. How much do you pay for your gasoline now? It's about P60 per liter (1.32USD, 4.27MYR) a few days ago.

We had our weekly trip to the supermarket this morning. Normally I have the budget on my mind but this time I used my phone's calculator as me and my daughter pick up every item we put in our cart. I am consciously checking our running total just to be sure everything in my list - what we need (and some wants) are there without exceeding my budget.

Some adjustments has to be made without sacrificing quality. Food for instance. I buy natural fruit juice as part of our healthy options. I thought of something better. Why not go back to basic? I picked up a pack of calamansi! A pack only costs P18 (.39USD, 1.28 MYR) but can produce two to three liters of calamansi juice. It can be stored in the refrigerator for about five days. Compare it to a can of juice which costs P19 good for one serving only.


Calamansi (Calamondin) is unique to the Philippines and a rich source of Vitamin C. It is a relative of mandarin orange and has a lot of uses - they can be used to marinate meat, can be squeezed on iced tea and seafoods to add more flavor. Its skin can be made into marmalade or jams. Not only that, calamansi can be used for the scalp for hair growth and relieve itchiness. And for some practical laundry tip, they can remove ink stains too. Isn't this small fruit so useful?

Banca

Outrigger boats transported us from Sta. Lourdes Wharf going to Dos Palmas. It was almost an hour of traveling in the open sea. See the boats with sturdy support on their sides. The locals showed also their support to us by giving a warm welcome complete with folk music.

The musical instruments you see in the picture are called "kulintangs". From Wikipedia, kulintang is a modern term for an instrumental form of music composed on a row of small, horizontally-laid gongs that function melodically, accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and drums.

As a standard procedure, life vests are given to all passengers during a long boat ride. The orange vests sit on the chairs after we take off the boat.

These are my entries for today's Photo Hunt theme, support. You may also view my other entry here at Everything and then Some.....

What Will It Be?

"If we set aside an extra hour each day to do what we would rather do and not what we should be doing, what would you choose to do?"

I like this question, Julie.

Now what would it be for me? Needless to say I'd still want to spend that extra hour with my daughter and hubby even if we won't be doing the same things together. I'm a working mother so extra hour(s) with my family is very much welcome. But I'd spend the time probably doing nothing. Or not thinking of what I will be doing after being done with what I am currently doing. Was that confusing or did that make any sense at all? I run a schedule on my head what I should be doing next. That's the way I am most of the time even if I am just in our house.

Maybe I would just let the hours slip by and just do what I feel like doing without going through so much planning and inventory on my mind. I'll let my mind rest in other words and be spontaneous, just let things flow.

A good idea is I'll have a massage while the hubby and the daughter are occupied with their respective activities. Massage from head to toe greatly soothes me. Guaranteed, just a massage on my head makes me fall asleep. Zzzzz.

Penne Carbonara

It's pasta time again. I got a new copy of the ever reliable Yummy Magazine. As always, I check the easiest pasta to prepare. Easy meaning I have all the ingredients or they are easy to find in supermarkets. This one's no sweat.

This is my own take on Penne Carbonara I prepared yesterday. I just don't have green peas so the picture looks so plain. But hey, hubby and daughter liked the taste. :) See the presentation doesn't look appetizing because the hubby already got a plateful before I took the picture. I cannot anymore fix it the way I want it.


Let me share the ingredients and the procedure:
Heat:
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil

Saute:
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1 small clove of garlic

Add:
1/4 cup chopped bacon (I used my stock of Hormel's Real Bacon Pieces.)
1/4 kg. ground beef

Season with:
1 8g. Maggi All-in-One Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Pour in:
1 250ml. Nestle All Purpose Cream
1/2 cup water

Simmer for five minutes. Add:
1/4 cup green peas (No green peas here as I've said.)

Stir in 300g. cooked penne pasta. Top with 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese.

There! :)

Take a peek on some sweets in my other weekend snapshot at Everything and then Some..... Happy WS!

Clawed

It seems like my daughter and I are about to be clawed here by this bad, bad lion. This was taken on the way to Baguio City. The lion's head is a famous landmark along Kennon Road. It stands at 40 feet. I posted this picture a year or so ago. I'm sharing it once again for the pointed theme of Photo Hunt this week.

What pointed teeth and claws!

My other pointed entry is at Everything and then Some..... if you want to take a peek. :)