Sound-Tripping

These are what’s in my playlist now. Yes, I’m listening to them over and over and without me knowing, I have already memorized their lyrics and I am actually singing along. ^_^

I just realized how I'm loving The Script!

Ok lang sana kung hindi ako nasa office ngayon e noh? Glad my officemates didn’t make a fuss about me videoke-ing (they love me too much to complain and risk hurting my feelings, hehe). Not that I sound good... sanay na lang din kasi sila magbingi-bingihan sa boses ko. ^_^

Mallow-Loka ka sa sarap!

This is the catchy ad of Mister Donut for their latest treat, the Belgian Mallow Bites. It’s my new favorite! I have been craving for it for days now but fate has been stopping me by keeping me away from any of the Mister Donut stores! So kaka!

Last night, fate was a little kinder. I found myself in front of a tray filled with Belgian Mallows. Boy, oh boy! I could have devoured them all! But my mind went a little KJ (kill-joy) on me and rang those calorie-alert sirens. So I just took 3.

I know it’s a little too sweet but I enjoy every bite of it especially the mallows! Yum-yum!

Hello Bon Chon’s Chicken!

I had the chance to dine at Bon Chon last night. I have been looking forward to the experience since I’ve read so many good raves about this chicken. So when the Hubby asked me if we could just meet at Megamall after work, I instantly thought of Bon Chon. ^_^

As expected, the place was jam-packed! It’s just too crowded. They “over-maximized” the use of the space to the point that you can already chat with those occupying the table next to yours. Good thing there was a table that has just been vacated. The Hubby occupied it while I order.

I ordered Soy Garlic Chicken Chop Ricebox for the Hubby (who always prefer chicken fillets over the regular chicken cut, ayaw nya nung mabuto) and a mix of Soy Garlic and Hot & Spicy Drumsticks Ricebox for me. P145 for each order. Price is reasonable enough, the Hubby said. Those already come with Iced Tea that I upgraded into a large size for just P15. I also ordered French Fries for the side dish at P45. See, mura talaga no?

So eto na... moment of truth. I first tried the Hot & Spicy Drumstick. Hmmm, it tasted of hot sauce! It’s like the regular fried chicken that was basted with hot sauce. I preferred the Soy Garlic, which is the regular flavor, over the Hot & Spicy flavor. The chicken has a crunchy-crispy coating, which tastes of honey to me.  

Honestly, I find the chicken overrated. Or maybe I had set my expectations too high. Or maybe Bon Chon Chicken is best when eaten just as it is, yung papapakin lang. Kasi with rice, the taste becomes bland. So I told the Hubby I’ll order a Small-sized Chicken Wing naman for take-out next time.

The fries and iced tea, I both like! ^_^

Like Father, Like Daughter

Aren't they cute?

I was wondering why it was so quiet then I found them like this. Could they be chatting with each other? Today's generation! Tsk-tsk! ^_^

Day 16 Challenge: (A) Favorite Food+s

I cannot name just one. Thus, the alteration in the title. (Hehe! If you can't answer a question, change the question!)

I have a sweet tooth so I like everything that is sweet.

I also love Nanay’s chicken curry! And Ginataang Sigarilyas. I like any food with coconut milk as long as there is no bagoong in it!

I love Frozen Yogurt. I’m not fond of sour foods but the tangier my Fro-Yo is, me like it better!

Anything spicy?

Argh, stomach growling,

Finding Comfort in Rags/ Washcloths/ Basahan ^_^

So as not to be saddened further due to my previous entry, I’ll just make kwento about my little girl and her love for her wash cloths. J Ayan, I instantly liven up at the mention of my baby. Hehe!

I can’t understand why she loves holding on to her washcloths, or what we refer to as her “basahan”. She has this very strong bond with them.

When she wakes up in the middle of the night, she looks for her basahan then cries when she can’t find them. She’ll be comforted and will immediately go back to sleep when we hand her a basahan.

She won’t hold her feeding bottle because her hands are already occupied with a basahan.

Instead of a doll, the basahan became some sort of her security blanket.

Here's what I mean...

Amber at 6 months,

...at 7 months. Notice that basahan that she tightly clings to?

...at 8 months.

Very recently

She took all those basahans from our room 
and carried them with her downstairs.

Adik no? Nasapian ata ni Ate Vi itong anak ko.  J

Every Working-Mom's Dilemma :-(

Today, we left the house an hour and a half later than the usual! The sun is already up, beaming and grinning at us (yes, he looked playful today and happy to be shining because he wasn’t able to do so these past few days). And Amber was already at the garage with Tita Renee having their alphabet lessons.

We kissed Amber goodbye then headed outside the gate where the car is (yes, the car... it’s actually a truck! May truck bed eh... all right, vehicle na nga lang... is parked outside the garage because it’s too long to fit inside. Kaya war sila ng garahe, di sila bati!).

That moment, I realized how heartbreaking it is to leave knowing that your child is doing the best within her capacity to stop you from leaving. She didn’t whine. She didn’t run after us in panic. She just calmly reached for my hand and held it firmly. Then she started babbling casually as if she’s telling me a story. Though it’s obvious that she doesn’t want me (us) to go.

I thought this would no longer affect me because this is not the first time that we left her awake. Though most of the time, she’s still asleep. And if she’s awake, she usually doesn’t mind us or she is distracted by other things. Today was different.

I had to ask Tita Renee to walk with her up to the end of the block so we can discreetly leave. She was ok with it naman and held Tita’s hand but she keeps on looking back to check on us. Haay! The look on her face made my heart break even more! We left as soon as we were out of their sight.

I’m sure she will be fine. I’m certain she will no longer remember nor look for us when she gets back. Or maybe she will just utter a simple “na na (wala na), no more” and she will just continue playing with her toys. I hope she would forget about this incident in an instant. L

I think it’s me who really can’t get over what has just happened. I still feel broken at the thought of her face as they walk away.

Haaay, sunshine! Lighten up my mood please.

Well, that makes me look forward to going home the more! Can I just wish for the office hours to be over now? ... genie? 

Yummy Yogurt

Like her mom, Amber is also a big fan of yogurt!

Oops! That is the Mommy-Stop-Taking-Pictures-Of-Me look! 

She can finish a cup in 1 sitting!

Can't help not to notice her improving appetite lately. Dati, I have to beg for her to eat her meals. Now, she asks for food at any given time of the day. It makes me happy! She still doesn't finish what I give her but at least she eats often. 

After the yogurt, she even asked for bread! Hay, I'm just so relieved that my baby is now eating. 

Recipe: Tuna Pesto

Oh my gulay! Or should it be Oh My Pasta!? ^_^

Ibang level na to friends... I just cooked a pasta dish! Not your ordinary stahpegghi (spaghetti) ha! It’s gourmet pasta recipe... tutyal! And I used FUSILLI pasta!!! Sounds like bacteria lang noh? He-he! For those who are not familiar with this bacteria-sounding pasta, it looks like this:

Image courtesy of pollsb.com

I was actually looking for the instant carbonara sauce in the supermarket but found this instead:

Image courtesy of claraole.com

It’s experimentation time! My frequenting the kitchen lately has given me such confidence that I’m now trying out recipes from my imaginative mind. Tee-hee! Well, this is really inspired by a certain recipe but I twisted it a bit due to lack of the required ingredients.

So without further ado, let me present to you my Fusilli Tuna Pesto:

Ingredients:

250g Fusilli Pasta, cooked according to package instruction

1 pack Clara Ole Cheesy Pesto

1 medium can Hot & Spicy Century Tuna

1 can Button Mushroom, sliced

5 cloves of Garlic

1 tbsp Cooking Oil

Grated Cheese

Salt and Pepper

How I did it:

1. Saute Garlic and Mushroom. Then add in the Tuna. You may or may not include the oil, although it will give the recipe an added flavour. Allow it to simmer and reduce consistency.

2. Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

3. Pour in the Cheesy Pesto Sauce.

4. Toss in the Pasta.

5. Top with Grated Cheese and serve.

Perfect with a garlic bread!

Note: If you're not a fan of Pesto Sauce, you may opt to use only half of the pack's content. 

I heart these birds!

I chanced upon a TV show that talked about penguins and they really intrigued me, I tell you.

Reminded me of the movie Happy Feet (I love this movie!). The movie had already given me an idea how adult penguins bring their chick to the world. But the TV show that I’ve seen gave more interesting facts!

Do you know that it is the daddy who sits or keeps the egg between his legs until they hatch while it is the mommy who hunts for food? Baligtad no? And yes, they are monogamous by nature. Pretty much like a human must be (not the egg-sitting! the monogamous part, I mean)! They also lay one egg at a time, most species do. Some has 2.

Daddy keeps food inside his mouth enough to feed the little penguin for 4 months. Before they run out of food, mommy will come to their rescue!

Then, very carefully, daddy will transfer the baby penguin between mommy’s legs to keep it warm. They have to do this quickly as the baby penguin might freeze to death.

After that, daddy will now be the one to hunt for food while mommy feeds and keeps baby penguin warm.

Nice noh?

And they also adopt. In the event that a mommy doesn’t come back due to an unfortunate circumstance, the little penguin, when old enough to waddle, squeezes himself in a potential mommy. There are also times that a childless female penguin keeps a wandering chick as her own.

Very interesting! Parang I want a pet penguin! But that means I'll have to have a space at home that should emulate their freezing habitat. Nah, magastos sa kuryente. Let Mr. Popper have them na lang! ^_^

By the way-hi way, meet our favourite penguin of all time...

Mumble Happyfeet!

Awww, he can lull Amber to sleep. ^_^

Fly away! Err, I mean swim away!  

Sticky Chair Decor

Remember what I blogged about here?

Amber brought sticker-sticking to a new level!

Tadaaaaah!!!

It used to be a plain, boring upuan but after what Amber did, it became lively, di ba? ^_^

It's a nice activity for your toddler, too!

For This Round, Guava Defeats Mango!

Goodbye to mangoes... Hello to guava!

The next day is still guava-day!

I, of course made sure that all the seeds have been scraped out. I hope that Tita Renee would still bring more guavas tomorrow! ^_^

Birthday Lunch Out

Back from lunch! It’s our boss’ birthday today so he treated us out for lunch. We went to Zong in Westgate, Alabang.

This is the only picture that I took of the place. Medyo gutom na kasi so I was only focused on what we will be having for lunch. Hehe! I just took a quick shot when we were about to leave.

Even the food, I wasn't able to take photos (Haaay! I have to get used to this photo-taking for my blog's sake!). Anyhoo, here are what we ordered (pictures are taken from their website):

Crispy Tausi Chicken

I liked their Crispy Chiken Tausi, which tastes more like a chicken chicharon to me. ^_^ The meat was thinly cut and fried to a crisp. The sauce didn't taste of tausi though. I just wonder why my officemate said that she finds it a bit chewy and not crispy.

Beef Curry in Claypot

This, I didn't enjoy much. I still go for the Filipino-style curry. The potato looked and tasted raw. :-(

Sauteed Spinach with 2 Eggs

Not a fan of this dish, either. It's too slimy for me. And the taste of the egg is so overpowering! I could have taken it if it was dry and not soupy.

Singapore-style Fish Fillet

Another favorite. Fish fillet in sweet and sour sauce is my must-order dish in any Chinese Restaurants! Zong didn't disappoint me when it comes to this dish. I think I must have had 4 helpings of this.  

We also ordered Hot and Sour Soup and Yang Chow Rice. Overall, the foods were filling and the taste was okay. I might give it another try because I wasn't able to order their XO Stir-fried Cuttle Fish which looks appetizing!

And may I just comment on their seats? They are so uncomfortable unless you are seated on the side where the wall is. They have this bench-type seats, no back rest/support! :-( 

Nevertheless, we left the place with our tummies full. Haberdey, Boss J! (burp!)

Recipe: Champorado

The perfect snack for a rainy day!

Champorado nowadays is so easy to make! Thanks to:

Just mix 1 sachet to 6 cups of water. You may use less than 6 cups if you want your champorado to be thicker. I prefer mine to be watery. Bring it to a boil then it’s ready to serve!

Oh, my secret to a more chocolatier champorado is this:

Bittersweet chocolate.

I add this a few minutes before my champorado is cooked.

We only add in sugar per serving. Di kasi pare-pareho ang “sweetness” levels namin eh, kaya KKT (kanya-kanya timpla). Don’t forget the milk then you’re ready for a warm and filling snack.

Pardon the lack of design. So excited to eat na kasi. ^_^