XO46

A new friend brought me to this newly opened hole in the wall resto in Salcedo Village in Makati. I wasn't really expecting much since he mentioned it was Filipino food which is not on my list of favorite cuisines

The first thing that stuck me about the place was how small it was. It was very cozy and homey and thoughts of intimate gatherings came into mind. It was perfect for a date, a very small party, or even business meetings. The place was conducive for small talk and making you feel like you were at home but with a butler and chef to cater to your whims.

When we were just about to order, they served free appetizers and it's cute how they renamed classics.

chichirya de manila

puto with aligue mantikilya and kesong mantikilya

It was actually pretty good. I like the tanginess of the aligue and the keso offsets the taste. It was a perfect combination.

We ordered KareKareng Crispy Tadyang, Veggie Soup, and Lechon Sisig.

Kare Kareng Crispy Tadyang

Lechon Sisig

Both dishes were heavenly. I normally don't pig out at night but I had too much to eat because of these dishes. If my pants were not bursting at the seams, I would have eaten more. It was oh so good. The KareKare was just right. The peanut butter was in abundance and the sisig, oh my gulay, the sisig was pure joy. I don't care about the cholesterol. It was SO GOOD.

And here we are with the owner and the chef. The owner is the guy in the forefront on the left side and the chef is the one beside me.  Hats off to you sirs!

And thank you for the complimentary dessert you sent over. I loved it!

What I really liked the most was the way they would call you ...

"How do you like your food Senyorita?" Senyorito?"

LOVE IT!

JD Schramm: Break the silence for suicide survivors | Video on TED.com

19 out of 20 people who attempt suicide will fail. 37% of those who fail will succeed the 2nd time they try. There are no available resources for people who survive suicide. Spread the word. IT IS OKAY TO TALK ABOUT IT. Help them! Get help!

It's a conversation worth having. I know I would love to talk to someone about my own experience.

Thank you K, for sending this. In some ways, I feel like you are one of the few persons who accept that this is part of who I was, weak enough to have attempted to end my life but strong enough now to live it to the fullest. Thank you.


JD Schramm: Break the silence for suicide survivors | Video on TED.com

wounded knees

When we were young, if we fall down and scraped our knee, a kiss from Mommy and a few bandages and we are all good. If we stumble, we cry, then get up and walk again. If we have a fight with our friend, we can be assured that the next day, we'd patch things up and be friends again like nothing happened.

Nowadays, we don't scrape our knees anymore and we rarely stumble but we still have fights with our friends. Unfortunately, we can't be guaranteed now that we can just patch things up the very next day like nothing happened.

Nowadays, we don't just scrape our knees. We scrape our innocence, our humanity, our dignity at times, and even our souls. We don't stumble and get up. Sometimes, we stumble, fumble, and lay down on the floor moaning before we realize that we need to get up  and running to survive. We have fights with our friends and we hold grudges and burn bridges. Sometimes, we let things go ... we let the things that matter to us go.

Wouldn't it be nice if we were just kids again and all we get are wounded knees?

munimuni # 65

My 2 week vacation is almost ending. I may not have gone to the beach or out of town but I can say that it was well spent. I spent a lot of time with my family and also had time for myself and my friends. I was able to make some leeway with my scrapbook and finished a couple of series that I have been wanting to finish.

Life is good. Life is Kulayful. I look forward to more.

4th meetup of the Fil-Chi group

Even the weather wanted us all to meet earlier tonight because it decided to rear its beautiful head after days of endless rain pouring in. The sun smiled and we spent the night with smiles on our faces.

This year, the Fil-Chi group has met a total of 4x. The first was in January where 4 of us made it. The 2nd one was in April where 5 of us made it. The 3rd one was the most successful in terms of attendance because everyone in the group actually made it. The 4th one, which happened earlier tonight was also a great success because we added 2 more people into the group which increased our very small family from 9 to 11.

Yep, we are that small.

We had dinner at Vikings in MOA and I'm very happy that we were not disappointed with the place. It was very cozy and the ambiance presented by the lighting and comfy couches were enough to make you stay till closing time which is exactly what my group and I were guilty of. We were there until almost no one was left.

What made the night pretty interesting was the exchange of men who were in the group. When one leaves, someone else passes by and replaces the other. Look at the group photos.

GO also dropped by for a visit which was really sweet of him. I wasn't able to make the SB meet up earlier in the day because of the rain but at least we still saw each other coz he dropped by. Sweet!

Overall, the dining experience did not match the fun we shared as a group. To more Fil-Chi meet ups and to more good food.

Colorful Weekend #2

My 2 week vacation is almost over and I didn't go anywhere but stayed at home. I scrapbooked and I watched some DVD's that I have been needing to watch. Sorting my photos have made me realize how colorful my life truly is. I love the fact that I am able to look back and see mementos from events or little doodles and quirks to remind me of the special things that happened on a certain day that I was able to capture with my camera.

Sharing with you all my scrapbook layouts ... have a colorful life filled with different shades for it is in these different layers that we get to truly live a good life.

for other Colorful Weekends, head over here.

And if you like what you see, please like my blog's facebook page. Thanks!

only these ...

all night conversation,
music playing,
laughters and memories,
these are all we share,
you and I,
only these ...

I love the rain but ...

A lot of people are happy that the weather is cold and that the scorching heat is finally out of the way. A lot of facebook status messages have been cropping up encouraging the rain to stay and to give it its all. I don't get it.

I really don't get it. 

I find it so selfish of these people. Maybe its just me, maybe I'm crazy but I don't want this rain to continue. I can't be selfish enough to just think that simply because I'm safe and sound at the comfort of my  home that its okay if it rains heavily and that the streets are flooded.

I worry. I worry about family and friends who are outside. I worry about the people who are stranded and have nowhere to go. I worry about the people who are stuck in the rain with no umbrellas. I worry about the street children who have no shelter and the people who live on the  streets. Where will they go? How will they sleep? What if they get sick?

Yes, I worry about them. They are still people. We need to care about them. We need to think about them.

So I say ... rain, its okay if you want to pour but do it one time big time. Rain because the earth needs it and the plants need to be watered but please, do not rain for days on end and intermittently. The cold wind and cool ambiance you bring may be soothing to some but for most people, it brings sickness, stress, worries, and problems.

So I say once again, rain, please go away.

wooing 101

This post is long overdue. Seriously. It is long overdue.

As my loyal readers would know, I have had my fair share of yey and nay dates. Yey because they were really great and nay because they sucked so bad that I wish the clock hands would just pull each other so that I could go home and get it over with. Since I have been on my own fair share of dates, I think I can honestly say this and have a valid point.

Men nowadays don't know how it is to woo a woman. They have no freaking idea. Men from before at least knew how to make a woman feel special and wanted. Men nowadays, pfftt! It is so shameful to be honest.

Yes you may have your player game book, you may know the right moves to get a girls number, you may get her in bed but afterwards, she can easily forget you as soon as the next man hits her bed. What I'm talking about here is being the guy that she will always refer to and say, "HE was the one that got away."


Now, if I was a man ... here's what I would do.

1. If I don't have the money, or the financial capability needed (which is something I hear a lot from guys nowadays) I will not let that get in the way. I will still make it a point to see her and spend time with her. There are a lot of different ways to spend time with someone on a limited budget.

One of the best dates I had was spent at a park. We didn't spend anything. We didn't do anything except talk. We just talked about a lot of things and we had fun. It still brings a smile to my face.

2. If I do have the money, and the girl is so used to dating (like me) I would go for a crazy unique kind of date. I won't take her out to dinner and a movie. Seriously. Use your imagination. Be creative.

A photo walk would be nice. I had one at Intramuros and we grabbed some drinks at Mini Stop and then hanged out at Starbucks after. It was fun and we got lost. We never actually saw Intramuros on the inside but we had great shots of pebbles, a store, and lots of good memories.

Take her to an Arcade, a museum, a gallery, food trip at a nearby province, or if she's athletic, take her gaming at an air-soft site but for the love of God, do not ask her to a movie and dinner if you really want to make an impression. 

THINK! PLAN!

3. If there's competition, well and good. I would be worried if the girl I liked is not being admired by anyone else. Seriously. Guys nowadays cringe at the thought of competition. I don't get it. Wouldn't it be so much better if you won the girl that everyone wanted? Wouldn't it be such a sweeter victory?

4. If there's no competition, be thankful as well.  You are the only one smart enough to have seen what a godsend she is. Swoop down and ensure you put on the titanium helmet before she realizes she can do better.

5. Letters. Never underestimate the power of letters. A text is cute, posting on her face book wall is great, but a letter that is hand written is still something else. You won't die if you grab a pen and paper and WRITE.

6. Serenade. I don't mean grab a guitar and sing underneath her window. I mean, sing to her on the phone, sing to her when you guys are walking, sing to her when there's a quiet moment, or simply dedicate a song or make her listen to something.

This is such a power play because  from now on, every time she hears that song, she will remember you. She might not want to, but she will.

7. Take down notes. When you are strolling in a mall, talking, or what have you, if she mentions something that she likes, TAKE DOWN NOTES! PLEASE! PLEASE, for the love of Adonis and Casanova, TAKE NOTES!

You need not buy her a bouquet of American long stemmed roses which will wilt and die. Yes, she may smile and like it. She may blog or tweet it, but soon as that wilts, you wilt. However, if you get her something she wants, something she craves, something she's saving up for, you have been IMMORTALIZED!

She will be in awe that you actually took notice (come on, you guys have the attention span of a kid who has ADHD) and she will be overwhelmed and grateful that you got it for her. It makes you appear sensitive and someone who will go out of his way to make her smile.

He shoots! He scores! 

8. Be nice; not just to her or her friends and family; that is already a given. Be nice to the waiters, the guards, and the ones that normally won't matter. Be nice and she will think that you are someone worth introducing to the family; someone worth  keeping.

Lastly ...

9. Be honest. It's really not that hard. Tell her what your intentions are and be consistent. Actions without words make everything a guessing game. Words without actions make you just another douche bag. Consistent actions and words make you the perfect guy to woo her.

There ... it wasn't that hard was it???

heart and mind in battle

I'm sure a lot of people can relate to this, especially when they fall in love with someone who does not reciprocate the way they feel. You love them, you hate them, you wanna forget about them, you think about them every minute of the day. You wanna kill them, you'd kill anyone who'd hurt them. Lastly, you want to throw them off a cliff then go rushing to the bottom to catch them so that they won't get hurt.

The thing is, you don't want them hurt ... you don't want them crashing to the ground no matter how many times they have hurt you, broken you,  and left you crushed on the ground.

paano na?

Puso naguguluhan,
mahal ko siya,
mahal mo ako,
hindi niya ako mahal,
hindi kita mahal.
Pano na ito?

acronyms

My little sister asked for my help in creating an acronymy for the word KASAYSAYAN. I made one in less than 5 minutes. It seems my brain is not as dead as I thought it to be.

K- kailangan aralin natin
A - agham ng ating lipunan
S -siyensya ay bigyang halaga
A - aral bigyang pugay muna.
Y - yaman ito'y maituturing
S - sadyang dapat alamin
A - ang kwento ng ating mga ninuno
Y - yari sa luha, pawis, at dugo
A - ang lahat kanila'y isinakripisyo
N - ng tayo ay malayang naririto.

our first assignment ...

This is our first assignment ever. I actually feel excited about helping him out. I feel like such a Mom. LOL. I'm glad I took this two weeks off. I know that it will matter to him when he grows up that I was there for him when he started school.

I hope it does.

when B met the marker

I have a set of markers ... okay, I have SETS of markers and colorful pens. B has always wanted to play with them and since he has been so well behaved in school, I made the mistake of thinking he could now play with the markers and everything will be okay.

Big mistake. See picture below.

Yep. He decided that he prefers to look blue or be a blue skinned monster rather than the pale white color that he is. LOL ...

still say yes ...

I'd still say yes,
if you would ask me to,
the thing is,
you never do,
never will.

munimuni # 64

The last week was a bit of an eye opener for me. It was the start of my 2 week leave and the first week was spent making sure that my son was ready for school and ensuring that he would actually survive in school.

I had a lot of apprehensions but thankfully, it seems that it was all for nothing. For this, I am eternally grateful. B seems to be doing pretty well in school and he's a popular kid in his class. Not only that but he is one of the most advanced so it seems that the home school fun activities and tutorials are giving him the advance step he needs to do really well in school. Whew!

The rest of the week was dedicated to scrapbooking and watching one DVD series after another. Here's a layout I finished.

Friday night saw me have dinner with some Pexers then off to Geek Fight afterward where I had a chance encounter with an ex. I saw him, I freaked out a bit, but realized that yes, I really do not have any feelings left whatsoever. Thank God!

Team Pex

Pex Table Tennis Group

Weekend was spent with family and we had a simple lunch with my Dad to celebrate Father's Day. Overall, it was pretty good.

* side note: My Fil-Chi group proved once again that they are real friends and that they are protective of me which makes me happy. :)

fathers day 2011

Yesterday, we celebrated Father's Day. It was really simple since my Dad had a massive migraine and couldn't really go out. Still, my Dad liked the cake and the gift we got him. It can be seen in his smile.

Happy Father's Day Daddy! We love you!

Colorful Weekend # 1

It's my first time to join on this wonderful weekly meme and I honest have no idea what to post. I don't have any colorful photos but I think I do have this.

Last Saturday, I started a facebook page for my blog. It's called Life is Kulayful and I am simply humbled by the number of people who have already LIKED it. On this page, here are some of the things I have posted which I hope would inspire the people who visits.

These are the things that make life colorful for me. :) How about you?

* for other Colorful Weekends, head here. 

Oh, and please LIKE my facebook page. Thanks!

The Beatles - Do You Want To Know A Secret

This is the song my Dad would play onhis guitar and sing to me ... it's one of the few and rare moments that we bonded. I like that we have the same passion in songs, music, movies, and serial killers. LOL. Yep, we are both fascinated by the latter. In fact, it was from him that I first encountered the book Hunting Humans.

My Dad may not have been the typical, sweet father but I know that he did the best that he could and he ensured that I would have a good foundation to building my future. For that, I am grateful and I am very proud to be his daughter.

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Good Earth ...

I've constantly had dinner at the Greenbelt area and have tried over 20 restaurants there. I've seen Good Earth a lot of times but I've never been pulled in to eat there. Tonight, this changed.

I met up with a friend who introduced me to his set of friends and we ended up eating at Good Earth. Initially it was supposed to be at Max Eat All You Can. It was full, as expected. We then proceeded to Mr Jone where there was no room available inside the restaurant. Finally, we went to Good Earth.

I liked the ambiance of the place. It was clean and it smelled really nice. It was spacious and the lights were just right; not too bright but not too dim either. They had a set menu worth Php1399 for 6 people. Here is what we ordered.

crispy chicken

duckitos

century egg and jellyfish salad

chicken chow mein

beef with mushroom

mandarin chicken

The food overall was good. The taste was right and the serving was just enough. The food was not lacking and everyone was able to enjoy each viand. Even their black gulaman with lychee was really good as well.

Good Earth = Good Eats. :)