Three Months After

What happened to my blog? I haven't posted anything for ages. Three months, going on four.  Between June and now, a lot of things have happened and a lot are happening. I just got to open my blog now. Once again I have this nagging feeling to up my blog, be an active blogger.  And if I will do active blogging in spite of all the other areas of my life which preoccupies me, I have to do a lot of networking. I mean be active and really give some thought of what I really want to do with my blog. And how I am going to do it.

First things first. Let me just see myself updating this, not out of obligation, but because I really love what I am doing. You know, blogging and telling the world (who might not even care, haha) what's happening in my life and in my mind.  Let me just see how I will hold up and I'll play it by ear - what am I really going to do with my blog. I'll try to post first. I'll see how I'll go about networking because checking other people's blogs is really time consuming. But then yes, if I really want to do something, it won't just be wasting time but should be productive for me. There are a lot of blogs out there which share the same interests as mine and are really worth reading. I learn from their sharing, it's fun too, and it won't hurt to reach out to other people. As a matter of fact that's one of the many worthwhile ways of using social media - reaching out.

So there. I feel the blogging bug again. Let us see. It has always been my motto that there is always time if I really want to do something. "No time" is a lame excuse.  :)))

Man of Steel

We were supposed to watch Man of Steel on June 16, Father's Day, but obviously we couldn't wait. We decided to watch it late last night on the second to the last screening schedule.  The theater was full. We anticipated this so I reserved online in the morning. It's good I did that.

I have to agree with one of the reviews that Man of Steel flies but it didn't soar. I cannot pinpoint what is lacking.  Maybe there is none.  Maybe because it's just not the Superman I grew up with with theme songs and the clumsy Clark Kent. 

My interest in wanting to absorb how Chris Nolan presented this Superman reboot was what kept me from being bored with all the flashbacks which are, of course, necessary and a bit unsteady film shots, which I don't think are necessary.

I like the confusion the movie explored with Clark Kent as a child.  I like the way Jonathan Kent tried protecting his son and Martha Kent's unconditional love for his "cute" child as she said it, haha.  All these elements humanized Superman.  The movie was successful in this part. 

The non-stop action on the last 30 minutes or so of the movie just leaves you glued admiring the CGI. Just how did they do that?  Buildings after buildings collapse and crumble. You can almost feel the pain of Superman and General Zod when they throw each other and hit and go through high rise buildings.

I appreciated how the story unfolded. It was not hard for me to grasp the movie team's idea of humanizing  Superman. I highly welcomed it.  It didn't rob me of the Kal-el or Clark Kent's superhero character.   I also appreciate not seeing the red underpants in exchange for the more masculine outfit. 

The casting was perfect. Let me focus on Henry Cavill.  I remember he was also considered, at least by fans if I remember it right, to be the Edward Cullen in Twilight.  I didn't like him then.  I never did even when I first saw a preview of Man of Steel last year.  I thought he just didn't fit the role. 

But I take back my words.  My husband was the first to be engrossed with Man of Steel watching the 13-minute publicity special.  I watched the Man of Steel featurette and from there, I was convinced Henry Cavill is the perfect humanized Superman.  

Henry Cavill is the perfect actor to play Chris Nolan's reboot of Superman 2013. Let me quote this from one of the reviews I read, Review:  In 'Man of Steel," Henry Cavill Soars Over an Erratic Plot, "He's a superb choice for someone who needs to convincingly convey innate modesty, occasional confusion and eventual strength." 

I like Henry Cavill smiling and no facial hair, haha! (Image from Fiz X Entertainment.)

I also like to think that, unlike other actors who played Superman, Henry Cavill can get out of the shadow of the superhero.  His looks are so dramatic he can play roles in a rom-com for starters. I hope to see a lot of Henry Cavill in the big screen, not just as Superman.

Emerald 17-5641 Pantone Color of the Year, 2013

Oh yes, since the last quarter of the year I have been looking forward to what will be Pantone color for 2013.  I am just so happy to know it's Emerald Green! I love the color because it's just so vibrant.  It is also my birthstone - emerald. :)

I am so inspired for 2013, it brings me so much positive vibes, positive emotions.   The coming of a new year (the end of the calendar year and the beginning of a new one as well as my birthday) are always significant for me.  They always excite me and I am always enthusiastic welcoming them.  But 2013 is something different, the excitement is more pronounced and I just can't wait to start the new year.

This is not yet my year-end post, haha, so let me just focus on Emerald Green, my favorite shade of green. I really love this color together with orange, yellow, and red.

Oh so many things I want to do with Emerald Green. 

What a perfect timing, I was thinking of what color to repaint our cabinets. Green is it! Look...

This is just right for us.  We have similar kitchen cabinets.  I got this image from Carolyn Gavin's pinterest.

For the new year, I wanted white pants and something reddish as top as it is our tradition to wear something read on NYE.  But this looks great.

White button down shirt tucked in an emerald green pants. It just looks so neat and put together. I love the belt and the ring too.  Image from visualizeus. 

Wouldn't it be nice if I have this too, or something similar to this.

It could go well with something red or white in my outfit. I love this Balenciaga bag. Image from inofashion.com.

I may be wearing this kind of dress in my next corporate affair or any other evening formal affair. Why not?

Though this was categorized as a bridesmaid dress, I'd still wear something like this in a formal affair. I love it! Image from Magic Dress UK.

I love high heels and I surely will buy myself one in emerald green like this one.

I can't wait to have this! Image from Natasha Carter's pinterest.

Can the look be complete without the glam nails?

Yes, I'll welcome the new year with emerald green nails...after all the cooking is done, haha. Image from The Swatchaholic.

There will be a part 2 of my emerald green wants. I want to have emerald green bedding sets, plates and cups, accessories, ipad case, etcetera.

In the mean time, let me collect my thoughts for the coming wonderful, prosperous, healthier, and everything great 2013! Thank You, God, for all your provisions.

Hello Kitty, Kitty, Kitty...

I dropped off my daughter yesterday at SM The Block for a film showing required by their school.  A few weeks before there was a letter from the school administration encouraging parents to see the film with the children.  I was having some small talk with a co-parent during our kids' Intramurals Week.  I was able to ask if she will go.  She said no more, she'll just let her daughter go with her classmates.  Come to think of it, yes, I should just let my daughter watch with the whole class. I asked her if the parents of her classmates would come.  Nobody will come.

It's a good movie to watch as it is about bullying, Larong Bata.  But looking at it, there were no parents when I brought my daughter at the cinema.  It's a film showing for the school's students.  It would have been awkward if I was the only parent there.

Anyway, I waited for my daughter at the mall. I treasured this "me time".  I first stayed at Jollibee for breakfast.  I stayed there for an hour.  My gym will not open until 10 in the morning.

I had my pancakes with sausage and coffee.  It was a good pair.  I just wanted my pancakes to be a little more brown.  This reminds me of Pancake's pancake/sausage medley. This is a lot cheaper though at P65.

Jollibee was getting crowded so I transferred to Starbucks.  I was looking forward to this for my sticker (for the planner in case you don't know)! Haha, shallow bliss. I am not even sure if I will complete them all. Since I'll be at Starbucks, let me get my sticker.  I already had coffee so I ordered for a hot caffe mocha which I really love and a banana bread.

Pleasant surprise is the stub for the newly opened Starbucks at The Block.  It's like buy one, get one until the end of December. I will definitely use it.

Finally it's 30 minutes after 10.  My daughter and her friends went to Chatime for their milk tea while I stayed at Starbucks.  My daughter texted me that they would take their lunch.  I told her to just take their lunch at KFC.  I proceeded to Fitness First and kill time there until my daughter finish her lunch.  They went around the mall some more. I let her.  I know she wants to be with her friends and go malling.  I just text her once in a while.

Until finally they were done.  We went around the Hello Kitty exhibit at The Block.  The Hello Kitty houses are really cute. :)

Now I'm thinking if I will be ordering for a Hello Kitty cake for the holidays.  It's so dainty.

This ipad case is so dainty for me but I find it pretty.

We both found the boots and the traveling bag really adorable. Ironically, my daughter isn't too fond of the Hello Kitty Vans.

We ended the day by going to the grocery but of course.

Another Saturday well spent with my daughter by just hanging.  We won't be going anywhere this long weekend because she has to prepare for their mastery examinations this coming week.

Pasta and Beef Recipes

Let me share four simple dishes I did just recently and a few months back- Sweet-style Spaghetti which I did 3 quarters ago, Crab and Shrimp Linguine with White Sauce over a month ago, Shrimp and Bacon Pasta just last weekend and Beef Asado in one of our dinners this week.

It's a holiday today so let me do this wholesale. :)))

I am making every Sunday our pasta day - Sunday Pasta or Pasta Sunday? Anyway, I started last Sunday with this Shrimp and Bacon Pasta.  I bought Yummy Everyday Pasta a few months back.  So far I have done two, the first two pastas I listed above.

The recipe for this Shrimp and Bacon Pasta, however, is not from Yummy.  I was browsing a magazine while I was at the salon having my nails polished when I chanced upon this very easy pasta recipe. I copied it, together with the instructions, using in my cell phone's Notes. :)

Sorry, I forgot the magazine but the recipe is sponsored by Nestle.

1/2 cup chopped bacon
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced onion
1/4 kilo shrimp
1 sachet, 8g, Maggi Magic Sarap Mix
1 cup of water
1 cup tomato sauce
1 pack Nestle all-purpose cream, 250 ml
400g spaghetti

Procedures:
1.  Fry bacon and set aside.  Leave bacon fat in pan to use for sauteing.
2.  Saute garlic and onion then add shrimp.
3.  Season with Maggi Magic Sarap and pepper.
4.  Pour water and bring to boil.
5. Add tomato sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add Nestle cream for another minute.
7.  Toss the cooked spaghetti noodles.
8.  Garnish with bacon.

I used wheat pasta and made it 500g so I added a few more grams to the rest of the ingredients.  Yummy it is! :)

Here's the recipe for Sweet-style Spaghetti.

1/2 tbsp corn or vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 tbsp minced garlic
250 g ground pork
250 g ground pork
2 bay leaves
7 pcs Vienna sausage, diced
2 cups sweet-style tomato sauce
1/2 cup water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp liquid seasoning or to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
350 grams spaghetti noodles
1/2 cup grated quick melting cheese

Procedures:
1.  Heal oil and melt butter.  Add onions, carrots and celery, cook until veggies are tender.  Add garlic, saute until fragrant.
2.  Add ground pork, ground pork, and bay leaves. Brown the meat for about 10 minutes.  Add the Vienna sausage halfway through cooking.
3. Pour in tomato sauce and water or stock; mix. Let it simmer over low heat for 8 - 10 minutes.  Season with liquid seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Continue to cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
4. Toss pasta with meat sauce until well combined.  Top with grated cheese.

Take a look at Crab and Shrimp Linguine with White Sauce.

2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed in a pan or in microwave
3/4 cup cooked and chopped shrimp meat
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
juice from 1 lemon
salt, cayenne pepper, and liquid seasoning to taste
160 grams linguine
grated Parmesan cheese

I made 400 - 500 grams of linguine so I had to add portioning of all ingredients.

Procedures:
1.  Melt butter, saute onion until translucent.  Add red bell pepper and cook for 30 seconds.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
2.  Sprinkle flour, mix well; cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in warm milk, stir continuously until smooth and slightly thick, about 5 - 6 minutes.  Add cooked crab, shrimp, green peas.  Mix well.
3.  Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt, cayenne pepper, and liquid seasoning.  Mix well and cook for another minute.
4.  Mix in cooked linguine.  Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with grated cheese.

My beef asado! I learned how to cook this through my husband who is a better cook than I am. Finally, I got it right. :)

1.  3/4 kilo of sirloin
2.  4 medium sized tomatoes
3.  1 medium sized red onion
4.  4 tbsp soy sauce
5.  salt and pepper to taste
6.  water just enough to cover the beef

Procedures:
1.  In a casserole, put in beef and pour in water enough to cover the beef.  Let it boil.  Remove scum then add onion, tomatoes, and soy sauce.
2.  Let it stand in medium heat until the beef is tender.  (It took about 40 minutes when I did this.)
3.  Salt and pepper to taste.
4.  The end.

Beef asado is so easy to cook but I have to check it like every 5 minutes and mix. The end product was good. :)

More food at Food Friday and Food Trip Friday.

Figaro with Friends

This is actually a belated birthday treat by Cess.  Finally we managed to pull off a date last Monday when all of us are available.  The five of us met very early at Figaro for our breakfast date.  As always, I am happy to see the girls.  We usually send each other messages in our Facebook group but of course, face to face conversation is different. It's more animated, it's more active, everybody gets to participate at the moment. No late replies. Haha.

It was a happy morning. Figaro is very conducive to meet-ups like this, at least in this branch at Congressional Avenue.  It's a bit cold because it was only the five of us inside the restaurant but that's fine.  I just like the ambiance of this particular Figaro.  It's so quiet. It's so clean.

With the girls, Chats, Julie, Cess, that's me in blue, and Cookie.  Dont' we all look really fresh very early in the morning? :)

My breakfast for the day, honey-glazed bacon with sunny side up on toasted bread. Just bacon and eggs but the presentation is really nice. The girls said they should have ordered this. It's around P200 with refillable coffee. All our breakfast come with refillable coffee.

Funny because the three girls ordered for this, fresh mushroom omelette. Again it's around P200. Expensive, right? Good thing we are all coffee lovers. The refill compensates for the pricey breakfast.

Julie had her very Pinoy breakfast of bangus belly with garlic rice and egg. It's around P185 I think.

Our dessert consisted of butterscotch and chocolate muffin.  It's funny because it was really early and yet these are just the desserts available.  The staff said their delivery will still be on Wednesday.  Oh, sayang ang sales n'yo.

I have always been a fan of Figaro. I like the ambiance, especially this branch, I love the food. My daughter loves their milk shake, I love their arrabiata.

We spend the whole morning together which is very rare as we are always busy. We savor the time together and we have already planned for our Xmas dinner sometime middle of December. :)

Our Saturday in Pictures

We slept later than usual since it was a Saturday.  We are looking forward to this day because it was our date for a movie, yes, The Twilight Saga:  Breaking Dawn 2.  My daughter and I trooped to a mall near our place and secured tickets for a mid-afternoon showing.  There were still long lines but manageable.

Still got a few minutes to kill so we did what we usually do.  Jeje time for mother and daughter. Strike a pose beside the movie's standee and in front of the huge mirror in one of the walls of the mall's tenant. :)

Taters popcorn and chips are our usual companion inside the theater.  I opt for barbecue flavor while my daughter goes for cheese flavored chips. We prefer iced tea and bottled water for our drinks. All set to see our movie once we have these little perks.

Above, my daughter lining up at Taters and posing at the mall's Xmas picture corner.

After watching the movie, we availed of the cinema's tie-up with Gelatissimo.  This tie-up has been on-going like forever. Haha. But I am not complaining.  I love Gelatissimo especially the belgian chocolate flavor. It's actually "buy one scoop and get one scoop". But come to think of it, that is not quite right. Coz I bought three scoops for my daughter, two scoops of chocolate mint and a scoop of belgian chocolate but the free is only one scoop of my choice of flavor.  But well, that's a hundred bucks I got for free if I am not mistaken. I will definitely clear this up when we get back. 

We dropped by Fully Booked to check if the last book from the Pretty Little Liars series is available.  Lucky daughter, the bookstore has stock.  She is on her 9th book now, Twisted, but one of the books seemed to be misplaced in another shelf, Flawless.

My daughter wanted a smaller bag which she can use on some days when there are only a few things she needs to bring to school. It was a pleasant surprise to know that the department store's bags section is on 50% off! We bought her a new cute bag. Next time I'll buy us both satchel bags. :)

Last stop was Classic Savory.  Since my daughter and I were still full from the day's lunch, popcorn/chips, gelato, I just decided to order pancit bihon guisado to go at Savory.  I wanted pasta but since it will be a Sunday  Pasta for me, I skipped that. I had a sudden craving for pancit bihon. My husband is not fond of pancit from Savory but I am. One order costs P195.00 and it's good for two to three persons already.  :)

Till next bonding time. :)