Bravo to our OFW's

I see this as a tribute to our OFW's who never fail to exert all their best so to serve their foreign employers as perfectly as possible in exchange of an income that our own land cannot provide them neither in equal nor greater value. I salute all OFW's who sacrifice thier own family so they can provide for them.  This article from the Arab newspaper must really be for them and their families.

Sisig Date

Few years ago, husband and I never missed on weekend dates.  Visiting the newest restaurant in the metro was a regular thing on a Friday night, and if our budget allowed, that extended for a movie date the next day.  We started doing that when we already had our own moolah to burn--that was when we finished school and started earning our own money, until we got married.  It made a half-stop when our Little Man arrived.  That adorable little creature turned our weekends  from bar hopping to baby stuff shopping, from movie date to carousel rides, from romantic dinner date to Jollibee and McDonald's. But take note that I said "half-stop", for my husband and I never really said goodbye to dating each other.  Only now, it is different.  We still have our coupletime, but with a twist.  It's kinda exciting and fun, if you ask me. It's quite a new experience for us, and we are enjoying it.  Mababaw ways of enjoying each other's company, but still!! It's just giving our weekend dates (and sometimes week day dates) a facelift.

Just like tonight, we agreed to have our sisig date somewhere just very near our home--our outdoor kitchen!  We bought ready-to-cook sisig and some bottles of beer, pumped up the volume of the music in the background, and there!  It is like we were already in a bar somewhere, only we are in the comforts of our pyjamas. 

The Easy and Calm Sleep

I have been having hit and miss solutions with Little Man's sleeping schedule, and so I engaged myself into some trial and error procedures to arrive on ways on how to make him sleep faster and easier.  The experiment meant changing old activities and patterns prior his bedtime so the first week was admittedly not easy.  It was hard to change patterns especially since Migo was already faithful to the old one, which by the way I miss so much (yep, I miss the old pattern because that old one had a touch of cuteness on it).  But later on, it became smooth and fine until we found ourselves having no problems at all. 

Did I mention that the last bedtime pattern we had was cute?  Let me tell you why. One of the last things he would do before he hits the bed is to dance to this Toy Story 2 song.  Even if I find the dance so adorable, this too was ejected from the new list of activities before bedtime since dancing is not a good choice to end my toddler's day.  And yes, I miss watching him do his thing.



Now, these are my new successful ways on how to calmly put my Little Man to sleep:

Play Hard

Migo is certified galawgaw. He keeps moving, dancing, playing, and all that. He always moves around and really plays hard. He pretty much has a lot of activities during the day and that works on my advantage since moving a lot is his form of exercise that keeps his mind and body healthy. Also, it makes him sleep better at night. I just make sure that he stops playing or being active before dinner time so to relax his body. That is also the reason why dancing to that Toy Story song before sleeping is not qualified to be on our new bedtime activities.

Shortened Naps
My Little Man needs to recharge himself so a nap for one hour (three hours the most) is necessary to keep him going.  He should not take a nap longer than that because that means struggle to sleep later in the evening. Also, I do not allow him to take naps late in the afternoon for obvious reasons.

Dinner
His dinner is at around 6pm because I do not want him to sleep on a stuffed tummy. He will ask for milk in the middle of the night anyways so I feel it's okay to give him early dinner. And besides, it makes sense that since I am establishing an early bedtime here, dinner must also be served earlier.


Shower Time
The one who takes care of my son gives him a warm bath, or swimming as Migo would call it, at around 7pm and they do that the same time everyday. This also serves as a sign that his playtime is up.

Night Routine
Our activities several minutes after dinner time all lead to the bedroom. Brushing his teeth, washing his bum, a new diaper and set of bedtime wear all tell that he is going to bed any minute from then.

No TV
TV is not allowed at night time since whatever he watches stimulates his  mind and makes it harder for him to go to sleep.  I am also not allowing him to watch scary and violent scenes for it cause nightmares and sleep interruptions.

The Bed
I make sure that his bed is conducive to sleeping. Even us adults do not want to sleep on a cluttered bed, right? His sleeping buddy, Mickey Mouse, must be there already waiting for him. I also make it a point to have his covers changed every so often.

Dark Room
He loves to sleep in a dark room and with the electric fan running so that is granted to him.  No problem with me since I also cannot sleep on a bright room.

The Goodnight Prayer
And the very last thing that we do is say our good night prayer.  We both pray "Angel of God", and he ends it up with "Goodnight Jesus, goodnight Sto. Nino, goodnight Mama Mary...I love you!"  Then he says his I love yous to us, closes his eyes and goes to sleep.



I hope this new list of activities before bedtime helps mommies out there who are having some difficulties putting their sweethearts to sleep early.  Good luck, and hope it goes well!

Rain and Crayons

What's up with the weather today?  I woke up at 9am today, a bit late if you ask me, and I thought it was just like 5 or 6 so I believed I still had a long snooze to go.  Heck, the gray sky fooled me! Due to the gray sky, I thought madaling araw pa lang!! It did not occur to me at once that the sky would be gray the entire day due to the rain.  The sun was having some moods because it just did not want to show her rays. Gloomy days meant Little Man's confinement to the four corners of our tiny pad... how sad could that be?  Poor Little man, no running in the garden for him today.

So to not give him a boring day despite the rain, I thought of an activity that we both could enjoy together-- indoors.  I thought of watching educational videos from YouTube, but refused at once since I am afraid he would demand for more videos and we might end up watching until the afternoon, in which I am trying to avoid.  No-TV policy also means no watching of videos from the laptop, so bye YouTube.  I grabbed a book instead and we did some story telling.  He got excited with it, but the fun ended after four to five stories.  So the last thing I had in mind was crayons. I am a huge fan of everything colorful and so crayons would be something the two of us would happily share together for an activity.  And I was right!! Little Man loved his crayons and we both had fun scribbling, drawing, and making fun of our weird creations!  The crayon activity was a nice way to fight a boring, gloomy, and wet day!








 The best partner with crayons are the papers that we do not have use for anymore, aka scratch papers.  I have tons of it in the bodega,  thus it became useful again.

For awhile, my Little Man did not want to share his crayons.  He held it so tightly that I had no choice but to just watch him do his thing.  I begged and begged until his heart softened.

My Little Man doing his thing.  His face read: Please, do not disturb!

Here's the story behind this picture:

Little Man: Mommy, write write Mickey please? (translation: mommy, please draw Mickey.)

Me: *I drew Mickey* Here's your Mickey!!

Little Man: Mickey 'to mommy?

Me: Yes, that's Mickey!

Little Man: *checked my drawing again* ANG PANGIT!!

And so now I believe that a child really does not tell a lie :)

Bench on Mars

Bench on Mars.  Who does not get the drift?  It's definitely a give away, that this Fil-Puerto Rican named Peter Gene Hernandez is the newest endorser of the biggest local retail of RTW (and more) in the Philippines.  Bench has been making a wise and lucrative move in carefully selecting their endorsers.  Their latest bold move is to get Bruno Mars, who is not just popular in the music scene today, he is also a Filipino!  Billboards in the metro do not show entirely of who the endorser is, but using common sense and some hints (hat, piano, sunglasses), one cannot fail to see that this is Bruno Mars!

Don't throw that used coffee ground!

Coffee, how can I ever live without you?  My mom knows this, and so is my husband:  I can last a day without talking to them, but I cannot make it without having at least two cups of coffee in a day.  I just cannot.  I tried my very best to avoid it but my mind and body always crave for it.  Either I cannot concentrate on my work, I get cranky, or I get a headache.  Coffee just works wonders on me.  Just the smell of it brewing in the coffee maker makes me up and about.  There is something about coffee that makes my day. And in the wee hours while I finish some online work and husband's snore in the background makes me feel so "alone", I just grab a cup of hot coffee and I instantly feel otherwise.  It's like coffee is there to assure me that she is my companion until I finish my project or until my eyes pop out, whichever comes first.  Coffee never fails to make me feel better.  If coffee is a person, then she would be one of my bestie.

My coffee is always brewed.  I guess majority of you will concur with me if I say brewed coffee tastes and satisfies better than the instant coffee found in the grocery.  I only have the instant if I run out of coffee grounds, which I sourced from as far as the highlands of Benguet.  The only downside of brewed coffee is its contribution to my garbage.  I had a use for it, actually.  They say it helps in reducing cellulites by rubbing it on the thigh, so I did that twice a day in the shower for like two weeks.  But since I have been really busy lately, I do not have the luxury of time to do it anymore.  But they say it works, so I might go back to that rubbing routine.

It is only recently that I learned of other uses of used coffee grounds.  And I must say that they are actually effective because I tried some of them already.  So, are you brewing your coffee?  You might want to not throw away that used coffee ground yet.  Keep them in a jar for a while and find a use for them.

In the garden:

-Add coffee grounds to your garden soil.  It is proven effective in repelling snails and some stubborn insects. Also, it has nutrients good for plants so it is also effective as a fertilizer.
-Put some coffee grounds in your part of the garden where ants thrive.  Used grounds is also effective as an ant repellent.


In the house:
-Who wants stinky fridge? Good news! Coffee grounds can be used as a fridge deodorizer.  Coffee has a component that absorbs odor from the refrigerator, thus bye-bye to that unwanted fridge smell!
-Rainy days invite ants inside the house.  Again, you may use coffee grounds to repel ants.  Place them on spots where ants are likely to enter.
-Wet coffee grounds may banish furniture scratches.
-Add it in your dishwashing liquid soap. The grounds help in removing stubborn dirt off your plates and glasses, as well as the ones under your pans.
-Dry your used coffee grounds, place them in a small thin cloth sachet, and hang inside the closet, shoe cabinet, or drawers so to get rid of unwanted odors. You might want to add few drops of vanilla extract to add some scent.  

For health, beauty, and vanity:
-You are done with peeling that garlic and now your hands smell like eeew.  Rub some coffee grounds and the pungent odor will instantly fade away.  You wash it with soap afterwards.
-Who does not want shiny hair? Rub coffee grounds through wet hair and rinse.  The oil found in coffee helps in making the hair shine. 
-It helps in making the cellulite less visible, so you might also want to try this one. In the shower, wet your problem areas and massage used coffee grounds unto it for around five minutes.  Rinse after and proceed to your usual bath routine.
-Cellulite tip no.2 - put a few drops of olive oil in your used coffee grounds (just enought to make it slide to your thighs).  Rub this mixture unto your thighs and after some good five minutes of rubbing, get a cling wrap (be sure you have a a big one) and wrap your thighs with it. This will do for like ten to fifteen minutes.  The heat it generates, plus the caffeine content and the olive oil help reduce that bothersome cellulite.
-Add some in your facial cream and have an instant coffee facial scrub.
-Add some in your unscented massage oil.  The much deserved back massage after work and the coffee aroma relieves stress, relaxes the mind, and uplifts the senses.
-For those with smelly feet (and shoes), you might want to put dry coffee grounds in between your toes first before you wear your shoes.  Since coffee grounds is known to be an effective deodorizer, this might work on stinky feet as well.  If it does not work, wash your feet instead. Wash your feet with water and rub some coffee grounds after you have removed your shoes. This will somewhat help you in eliminating feet odor.

Remember, one of the ways to keep the environment green and healthy is to reuse and recyle.  This is reusing and recycling, my friends!! So let's do our share.  And let us start with our used coffee grounds.

Recognition Day (hardwork paid-off!)

  Congratulations to me

 

Today, we had our Manager's meeting and I did not know that it would be a recognition day also. Wow!! I received two Certificates of Recognition for being Top 1 in Group Sales for the month of June, and for being Top 1 in recruitment also for that month. I also received a special token along with the certificates. Thank you dear God, all hardwork paid-off! I hope next month will be just like this.

Gabby's 7th Birthday Bash

As I write this, everybody is still outside partying. It's Gabby's 7th birthday party, thus it's a children's party, but look what time it is! It is already 12:10 in the morning and the sounds, the lights, the drinks and the pulutans are still very much alive. And so are the manginginoms. This is what I like about being Pinoy--extended parties!! Just like now, it's a children's party in the afternoon and drinking session for the adults at night. We Filipinos are always like that.



Anyways, as a gift to the lovable and adorable Gabby, I made a special audio-visual presentation. I love compiling pictures in the form of a video and I make videos often, so processing Gabby's AVP was a piece of cake for me.

This video was presented during the party and I hope that everyone enjoyed viewing it.  And oh, if any of you wants something like this for your event (birththday, anniversary, corporate and business presentation), I can be of service to you.  I charge fair enough (trust me, you will be surprised with my rate).  Just get in touch with me. 

Children Learn As They Live

My big man was cleaning the bodega one hot Sunday afternoon, a chore he loves doing because it is his way of relaxation.  Funny because it's the total opposite for me.  Just the thought of facing all the junk and mess in that bodega makes me want to throw up, stresses me out, and tempts me to invite a mild migraine attack so to have an excuse for not facing it.  Good thing the bodega chore enjoys him a lot, and so I am saved.  Every now and then, he would hand me a piece of whatever junk.  That gesture was his silent way of asking me which of the stuff he was giving me has to go.  I gave my nod to the souvenirs and tokens received from parties, old toys beyond repair, magazines, newspapers, etcetera.  They once served their purpose and now they have to say goodbye for they contribute a lot (but no thanks!) to our already cluttered place. Then he gave me this piece of paper that had a beautiful message written there so I told him no, not this one.  Not this piece of paper.  As I read the message, I told myself I should blog this and share this to everyone--parents, grandparents, even  teenagers.  Because the message said a lot on how big our role is to children.  That being with them, even for just a minute or for their entire growing years,  we contribute a lot to their well-being.

CHILDREN LEARN AS THEY LIVE

A child that lives in ridicule

learns to be timid

A child that lives with criticism

learns to condemn

A child that lives with distrust

learns to be deceitful

A child that lives with antagonism

learns to be hostile

A child that lives with affection

learns to love

A child that lives with encouragement

learns confidence

A child tht lives with encouragement

learns confidence

A child that lives with truth

learns justice

A child that lives with sharing

learns to be considerate

A  child that lives with knowledge

learns wisdom

A child that lives with patience

learns to be tolerant

A child that lives with happiness

will find love and beauty.



How do you say it?

There are words that deplete a man's confidence of pronouncing them, for the simple reason of not having an idea on how to properly pronounce them.  So here are some of the most "murdered" words I can think of, and their right pronunciations. Please feel free to correct me (there is a comment box here) if I am wrong with what I know.

Beauty, Fashion, and Designers' names

Ralph Lauren

Ralph LO-REN or Ralph LORN - RL is an American brand, so it's not LO-RAN

Yves Saint Laurent 

 E-VES San LO-RAN, it's not IVS

Marithe Francois Girbaud 

 Mari-TIHEY Frans-WA Jer-BOW

Lanvin

Lan-VAN

XOXO

pronounce it by the letters.  I swear I heard someone say SOKSO.

Carolina Herrera

Caro-LEENA HAIR-rera or AIR-rera

Versace

Versa-CHEE

Pierre Cardin

P-YER car-DAN

Thierry Mugler

Tee-air-REE Mug-LAY (no "h" on the Thierry)

Bulgari

BULL-ga-ri 

Hermes

Er-mez

Bebe

Bi-bi (from: to BE or not to BE)

Eclat 

e-clah

Pour Homme

pur-om

Guerlain

guyr-lahn

plaid

plAd (not plEyd)

Kerastase

keh-ras-TAZ



Food

Parmigiana
par-mee-JA-na

Gyros
yi-ros

Worcestershire
wors-ter-shir

Bolognese
bow-li-n(y)iz

Croissant
kr(w)a-san

Parmesan
por-m(i)-zan




Places and Geographical terms

Connecticut
ki-ne-ti-khat

Greenwich
gri-nich

Buendia
bwen-DEE-ya, not bwendya

Shaw
sho, not show

Thailand
Tay-lan(d).  It is a silent h

Max's Chicken-All-You-Can

Last year when it was launched, I had the misfortune of missing Max's chicken-all-you-can promo.  That's why when my BIL kuya Edwin announced that the family will be going to Max's to have our share of sarap-to-the-bones promo, I did not resist.  I reserve Sundays for catching up on pages left in my book so going out is often a no-no, but it's Max's chicken-all-you-can we are talking here, baby! And I am not allowing myself to miss this promo again!

We arrived there a bit late for the 6:00 "call time" so the scenario of long queue and us landing the 9th spot on the waiting list did not surprise us at all.  I was impressed though that they really started on time, for one of the ways you can tell that the chicken feast is on would be the Max's dancing crew.  I do not know what the dancing is for.  If it was for entertainment, then they should rather slash it off the promo for people with complaining tummies won't be entertained with any form of dancing, I should say. I must commend how they call out names from the waiting list.  Once, twice, thrice and no one claiming the slot, you are out of the game.  So you rather be there waiting even if you so desire to go out to get some fresh air, or regret on the last minute.  For even though you were listed, if you were not there when your name was called, you will be down to the last spot again. Tsk tsk tsk.

After just a short twenty minutes of waiting since they had the dance number, we were called.  We were assisted to our long table.  A couple of minutes more,  first batch of the famous home-cooked chicken started arriving.  And the second serving, and the third, and the fourth, and to some, their fifth.  For a price of 199 pesos, and with a Pepsi drink or an iced tea to go with it, what more can you ask for?  That is why to date, Max's holds the record of "the biggest eat-all-you-can promotion ever launched by a single fast-casual dining restaurant in the Philippines".  How cool is that? And here comes another treat:  they also give 20 peso money coupon for every 200 peso spent during the promo (which can be used starting July 11).  It's like binusog ka na, sinuklian ka pa...so saan ka pa?




We first took pictures while waiting for the first serving of the famous Max's fried chicken.


  

My very first piece of Max's chicken-all-you-can!!

Max's home-cooked style  fried chicken will never ever be complete without this.

The caramel bar served as our dessert, or in other words, tanggal umay.  After which, we were back to the chicken fight, err, chicken feast again.

Sarap to the bones indeed!



Obviously, all of us were satisfied with Max's fried chicken... and the doggies back home will be having their own version of Max's promo, too!





Father's day the simple way

June 19, 2011 - Father's day.  I woke up with the fear of having another Ondoy.  Talk about being paranoid of the heavy rains since that traumatic episode in Philippine history, I could not help but wonder where the heavy rain that woke me up in the early morning would lead us.  Aside from birthdays and anniversaries, this was supposedly one of the most awaited days of the men of our lives and I was afraid the angry skies will ruin it all.  With its solid raindrops with equally heavy wind, I was ready to announce the bad news to my hubby.  That despite his special day, we might settle and stay at home.


Holiday naman, you considering going out tomorrow instead? I asked him.  He just gave me a disagreeing look.  Okay, I got the answer loud and clear even literally he did not even move his lips.  So the three of us got dressed, with umbrellas and jackets as weapons, and off we go.

We were a bit hungry already when we arrived at the mall.  Worse, parking was full for obvious reasons.  So imagine how starving we were when we stepped inside the restaurant we picked.  Burgoo had a great buy- one-take-one-for-free offer so we grabbed that.  Burgoo's palatable dishes were  to die for, so the promo was definitely a steal.  Plus, almost every table took advantage of the offer.  Who would not?  The entree with the higher price will be billed, and the lower one was the free item. That offer was really cool!  While waiting for our orders to arrive, my little man enjoyed the "write-write" moments.  He was quite amazed of how his scribbles looked like.

His hands were full!! He simply just won't share his crayon, that's why.

. 

We got their grilled pork chop ( I dunno why hubby has an addiction for pork chops? ) and their shrimp and ribs platter.  One entree was good for sharing already so we are talking of like good-for-four-heads meal here.  And to pay for just one, that was such a great offer!! Both entree were perfectly done, kuddos to Burgoo.   Honey and little man loved everything!










The father and his mini-me!




We finished the day with a couple of photo opps.  The little man knew where to pose!  He is a fan of Cars and Kung Fu Panda!





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2011 Summer Escapade (and a video that shows the fun!)

..............................

It all started last summer of 2010.  The whole Bonifacio family went on an overnight get together and that was quite a success.  I must remind you that the Bonifacio brothers, five of them, each owns a business that they cannot simply leave behind even for a day.  Sun up until sun down, they are committed to their bread and butter.  So it was really a shock for some of us that the summer outing last year was a success.  Almost everybody was there!  That was really fun.

And so because we craved for it so much, the Bonifacios, courtesy of the younger gen, planned another escapade.  Last year was in Antipolo, this year it was in Laguna.  The place: Villa Bellagio.  We rented the whole place for 25,000 and I must say that it was all worth the pay given the fact that all of us enjoyed the stay (not necessarilly because of  the place, I must stress that out).

There were five airconditioned rooms (2 large rooms and 3 just-enough-size rooms) each having its own bathroom that functioned just as right(that was a plus point).  The rooms had enough space for additonal mattress if needed (another plus point for we really needed tons of it). The bed and beddings were decent and clean.  Despite the appearances of some uninvited crawling creatures which I was able to get rid off in a flash with screams here and there, I was able to sleep well and tight. 

It has two swimming pools that catered kiddos and adults.  I must say that one nice thing about the set-up was the net that served as a "ceiling" that covered almost the entire pool. Thanks to that net, we did not mind the supposedly scorching heat of the tanghaling tapat sun.  The net provided the shade that we needed!  So that made the dip sulit na sulit because nobody wanted to get off the pool even if we were reminded constantly of our check-out time.

Aside from the pool, the place also has a billiard hall and the staple of all households--videoke machine.  The younger ones had a wonderful time playing the billiards while the oldies took turns in damaging the microphone :)

Since it was an out of town gathering composed of five big families, food was assigned to each to save a bit on the budget.  Every family brought their share, and since we were really that big, simot na simot ang pagkain.  We even had to rush to the market to buy a new batch to be cooked the next day--from breakfast to dinner.  The place has a small kitchen anyways, so cooking was never a problem.

The parking lot was a challenge though.  Since, as what I have mentioned, our family was really big, we had no choice but to bring nine cars.  Make that nine SUVs.  Haha!!  Even the owner of the place did not expect that scenario given the fact that his parking lot is quite big already to begin with. 

Overall, our stay at Villa Bellagio was a pleasant one.  But I must say that family gathered together as one, enjoying each other's stories and sentiments, with food and drinks (toxicating or otherwise) on the side, made this escapade a blast.

.

And so, I am back.

Hello, remember me?
I know, I know...
It's been a while, right?
When was my last post again?
February!!
Gosh.
And it's like, what month are we in now?
Nearing June, right? Right.

Before the flower month ends,
I will be alive again.
Promise. 
Let's make a pinky promise.
Because you know what?
Despite the lack of sleep due to our new "baby",
blogging keeps on haunting me.
And so, I gave in.

And so I am back.

And so let's begin.

MTV Cribs: Manny Pacquiao

LA house of Manny Pacquiao was featured on MTV Crib.  It was a jaw-dropping, uniquely-styled, sophistication overload kind of a house.  And a fireplace on the swimming pool area?  Amazing idea!!

My Birthday - Good food. Good times. Good fun.

.............................

January 23, 2011 -- Happy birthday to me!!  Yesterday, I celebrated the anniversary of my 25th birthday.  Of course I am not giving away my age, for they say that  most of the time, I do not look like it.  Thanks to my own Belo and Calayan in the form of positive attitude, happy disposition in life, love of comedy film, and music.  And the biggest factor of all--my big man and my little man, who when I watch play and make a fool of themselves together, give me that instant face lift.   These are the reasons, I suppose, that make me not look my age most of the time.  That's most of the time, I am stressing that out, for there are times I look older than my real age.  I am thinking the culprit would be sleepless nights due to deadlines,or due to paperworks brought home, or due to my little man's unpredictable sleeping behavior, or due to dvd marathon.  Lack of sleep that brought stress, that brought sagging of the face, wrinkles, fine lines and out-of-this-world tantrums.  Sleepless nights can really bring out the monster in me, physically and attitude-wise.  Other than that, not patting myself on the back, a lot really say I do not look like my age.  I really hope so.

Prior my natal day, my cousins planned of a dinner date for all of us.  We went to Yakimix in Tomas Morato.  Original plan was in Trinoma branch but due to the long queue, majority decided to shift to Morato.  Elmer and I were the first ones to arrive, and by then we found out that we did not have a reservation!  Yakimix, now gaining a large population of followers, is full especially on weekends.  Reservation is a must, really.  We were like 18 hungry ones, so we had a hard time arranging ourselves in one table.  After a long 1 hour of waiting, we finally had a taste of their all-you-can-eat dishes.  Japanese food reign on the buffet, yet there were some Filipino food (I saw a crispy pata) and surprisingly, Italian (there was a pizza there, I swear!)  Sushi person that I am, my tummy feasted with different kinds of sushi they have there.  I enjoyed their salmon and tuna sashimi so much.  Valued at more or less 650.00 per head (depends on your add-ons), with a lot of food on the buffet, this rate is not bad at all.  Later that night, we transfered to Starbucks and there we welcomed my birthday.  I felt so old, who wouldn't?  I am the eldest of all the cousins, and there they were with me.  But I also feel so young, for despite the age differences, we still have times like this bonding with each other over some plateful of yummy dishes.

Yakimix in Tomas Morato

I enjoyed a lot of sushi in different colors and shapes (and calories!)

They also have a shabu-shabu

A gathering that will soon be on a regular basis (crossing fingers!)

I usually celebrate my birthday in two days. The birthday itself, the 23rd, with my Rockville/Bonifacio family, and the day after with my Fairview/Kimpo family.  My Rockville treat would always be at home.  My dad dreads going out for whatever reason so you will find me dialing numbers of food delivery service so I can still treat my family in the comforts of our home.  Not losing hope each year, I still announced my plan of treating them out on my birthday.  I expected my dad's usual contra-reaction.  Surprisingly, dad just kept mum about it and everybody was kinda surprised of this big leap (big leap na talaga 'to!).  So on my birthday, I treated them for lunch at Romulo Cafe.

I am not at all new to Romulo's and in fact I also blogged my first Romulo experience here.  We ordered the bestsellers:  kare kare and flying tilapia.  This time, we added another best seller on our table--the pancit puti. Everybody raved about the food we had at Romulo Cafe.

I do not know why despite my knowledge of Romulo Cafe's
swirls of black and white interior, I still wore this blouse.  I only noticed
 it when my sis pointed it out.  What a booboo!

Later around 6;20pm, we went to the restaurant where I put my reservation for dinner with my Fairview family.  Yes, this time, I celebrated it with them on the day of my birthday itself.  The restaurant, whenever I pass there, stirred my curiosity for aside from the great interiors that can be viewed from outside, the place is always full not to mention the peeps lined up outside patiently waiting for their names to be called.  So because the place really looked interesting, I decided to bring my Fairview fam there.  The restaurant's name is Lugang Cafe.  Quite an odd name for a restaurant, I thought.  Later I found out that this restaurant is the famous Bellagio in Shanghai that is known for their delicious Taiwanese dishes.  Now in Manila, they changed Bellagio into Lugang, one of Taiwan's best places.

Lugang Cafe's interior is awesome!  The walls are of different designs.  Our side of the wall have bricks with mirror-like posts in front that when viewed from several meters away looked like a weaving pattern.  The wall in front of (but a bit far from)  us have a different pattern  in which I cannot describe blow by blow for I had no chance to scrutinize but it looked like a weaved pattern of some solid material in immaculate white.  Our couch has black and white swirls  that goes very well with the wall behind it, while some couches in the middle are made of cream leather material.  For some reason, the chairs remind me of Gucci and Chanel patterns.  Lugang Cafe's door is a massive one and is really beautiful, that kuya Edmund, the one that has an eye for what's pretty when it comes to furniture and interior, noticed it at once.

Elmer, my big man, enjoyed the couch of black and white swirls that goes
very well with the weave-like wall behind it.

We ordered  Lugang bestsellers:  3 cup chicken, beef with crullers,  spicy dory (fish), and golden rice.

Spicy Dory is a personal fave.  The dory fish is so tender, and the spicy-ness
is a bit powerful yet not that kind that will make you quit munching anytime.
In fact, I had this without rice, so to appreciate the taste more.  I love it!

No meal is complete without the rice. 

Small chicken parts cooked in 1 cup sesame oil, 1 cup rice wine, and 1 cup
soy sauce, hence the name:  3 Cup Chicken.  I love how the marinade of three
different sauces blend well together coming up with a yummy dish.
p290 good for three.

Beef with chinese crullers is my personal favorite. It has thinly sliced beef,
that was so tender with crunchy bicho bicho, all embraced by the tasty
sauce.  This one is a steal for P280.00 good for three.

My lovely SIL's gave me cakes from Conti's.  I was really craving for a Mango Bravo and they turned into mind readers that day for they gave me just what I craved for.  We finished Mango Bravo so fast!  My little man loved it too!!

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Yakimix -  2nd floor, Forum Building, 270 Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

Reservation is a must - (02)3857500

Romulo Cafe - 32 Scout Tuazon corner Dr. Lazcano, Tomas Morato, Quezon City

Though they allow walk-in's, it is still wise to reserve- (02)3327275

Lugang Cafe - 115 Connecticut St., North Greenhills, San Juan

Reservation up to 6:30 only and they allow 15mins allowance.  

7:00 pm onwards are for walkin's - (02)7757599

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