Pasta Dinner @ The Old Spaghetti House

When: October 12, 2010

My enchanted team went to The Old Spaghetti House for dinner last Monday to celebrate our recent victory. We got 99.99% audit score after three weeks of hard work. Woohoo! No sweat. It's just a simple thing called team effort. It really pays to remain positive. During the whole process, I learned three things: (1) maintain sincere conversations with people across the miles; (2) be straightforward; and (3) don't blink at all. Hahaha!

 

Below are the pasta dishes we ordered. I'm drooling right now because of this Italian food porn. I don't know how each pasta dish tastes like since I was loyal to my own pasta that night. Two of my teammates had seafood pasta and and the other two had pesto. I, on the other hand, chose a white sauce pasta.

# 1 - Seafood marinara for SS

 

# 2 - Seafood marinara for DL (oops!)

 

 # 3 - Pesto with grilled chicken for MS

 

# 4 - Pesto with grilled chicken for TV

 

# 5 - Beef stroganoff with fetuccine for me!

The beef strips are quite tender. It was good except that I had to sprinkle lots of parmesan cheese to kill the blandness.

Nacho supreme

We also had nachos before we ate our pasta. It was not impressive. I could easily replicate it at home and not scrimp on ingredients. Check out my previous entry about super nachos. :)

The Old Spaghetti House (a.k.a. TOSH)

Unit 1-A Paseo Parkview Tower

Valero corner Sedeno Sreets

Makati City

Friday Food Trip: Almon Marina + Yellow Cab + Red Mango

When: October 1, 2010

A major glitch happened in my peak-performing team yesterday which disappointed quite a few, myself included. To counter my disappointment, I went to Booksale and purchased three books, which instantly gave me a high. Then, all of a sudden, my tummy made a funny noise. So the big part of my disappointment became clear: I was hungry. Hahaha! Since I logged off early from work, it means I had to wait for BF. But my tummy can't wait no longer so I opted to eat alone.  I chose Almon Marina since  it's not too crowded for a Friday afternoon and apparently they serve healthy meals. Yes, I'm still trying to lose weight and succeeding at it. :)

 

Soup of the day: beef minestrone (Php 72)

 Crepe asparagus (Php 37) ~ with ham, pickles and asparagus slices

Schweppes ginger ale (Php 50)

For a light meal, it was very satisfying. It was also nostalgic for me when I found out that they serve ginger ale. This is one beverage that reminds me of my first trip abroad. It certainly evoked happy memories. Halfway through my meal, BF arrived from work. Talk about bad, er, good timing. :) I had no choice but to accompany him and eventually partake in his own food trip. Hey, for the record, I lost a couple of inches in my waistline. Thanks to my no-rice-for-dinner campaign.

 Chicken alfredo pasta (Php 215)

Yellow Cab is one of our favorite meal spots and chicken alfredo pasta is our mutual favorite. Yum, said my eyes. Self-control is the key.

 

Hot wings (P210) ~ 4 pieces of crispy and juicy chicken wings in Yellow Cab's spicy wing sauce

I've been hankering for chicken wings for the past few days and Yellow Cab's version didn't disappoint. Perfect finger food.

 Green tea frozen yogurt (Php 120 for 6 oz.)

This overwhelming challenge to lose weight is not easy. Since I don't intend to destroy what I've started, I chose a healthy dessert. Red Mango's green tea fro-yo is simply delicious! :)

Almon Marina

Yellow Cab

Red Mango

- SM Megamall

15th Monthsary @ Brothers Burger

When: September 24, 2010

Typing the title of this post made me smile. It's not my usual, everyday smile which I can easily give to colleagues, my nephew or whoever I want to smile at, but a silly, very high school-ish smile. 15th monthsary. It's so cheesy I want to hide in my mother's skirt. Well, BF and I try not to lose our genuine desire to celebrate life's milestones. And it so happens that our 15th monthsary falls into the word "milestone". Hahaha!

As we did our customary swiping of prox card at work to log out, my tummy was already making noises. And one of the quickest ways to have dinner to is to grab a burger, right? We're both okay with it, so we ended up at Brothers Burger.

 Brothers burger (Php 125 each); onion rings (Php 65) and iced tea (Php 40)

 I'm starting to love onion rings.

We can't help but noticed that their burgers have shrinked over the years and looked less appetizing. I still remember the burger hype it brought to the foodie crowd once upon a time. Now, I'd say that the yummiest burger I've had was at Five Guys in downtown CHO.

 

Wacky shots while waiting 

 

Brothers Burger

Convergys Bldg., Ayala Avenue
Makati City

Trip to: Booksale (Ver. 1)

One thing that thrills me is a trip to Booksale. Yes, it's my secret retail therapy. Not a secret anymore, I guess. Whenever I feel sad or when something didn't turn out right, I'd seek refuge in the printed pages of a book. If it's food, then that would be emotional eating already. Anyhoo, I have no specific genre in mind. As long as the book -

(a) carries an interesting topic - which, I think, is subjective, or 

(b) is tagged as bestseller or has an award-winning author, or 

(c) is priced way much lower than its first bookstore appearance; or

(d) AOTA -

I'd buy it right away. What follows is a souvenir shot of my recent book haul. I'm hoping for more to follow.

(a) The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to British Literature: Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

(b) The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller

(c) Dingers!: A Short Story of the Long Ball by Peter Keating

(d) A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush by Ronald Kessler

(e) The Plot Against Social Security: How The Bush Plan is Endangering Our Financial Future by Michael A. Hiltzik

(f) My Sergei: A Love Story by Ekaterina Gordeeva with E.M. Swift

(g) Pat Nixon: The Untold Story by Julie Nixon Eisenhower

Worthy to note is that I only spent Php 195 for these 7 books. Such a steal, right? Booksale, a cheapskate bookworm heaven, really makes reading affordable. :)

Booksale
Shopwise Arcade, Araneta Center

Stranded in Boringsville

When I say Boringsville, it's actually my little corner of the world in the offshoring biz. I'm not inclined to spill the actual details of our work in my blog but, mind you, this blog was born in Boringsville. So I felt like I owe a lot to Boringsville. Whatever "a lot" means. TBD. 

Anyway, there are days that I feel I'm stranded and the only immediate comfort within my arm's reach is a bunch of munchies.

Tong Garden salted sunflower seeds

Mango Tic Tac

Quaker Oats chewy chocolate chip granola bar

Orion choco pie

Fibisco choco crunchies

Jack 'n Jill Nova multigrain snack bar

I don't mind getting stranded once in a while. But I do mind the extra calories not getting burned from my dormant state. :)

Cute Milk & Tea Cups

I could not simply ignore these cute milk/tea cups from Clipper Gift Shop so I purchased them on the spot. I gave the black one to BF which means to say that the off-white color stays with me. 

Very kindergarten-ish to look at but it gives me a breath of fresh air from my (somewhat) humdrum life as a corporate refugee. 

Clipper Gift Shop

Located in major shopping malls

Quick Breakfast: Granola Bar & Chocolate Blanco Drink

Traveling to the CBD during morning rush hour entails a lot of patience and control not to make funny tummy noises. So after settling in at my work station, I immediately grabbed a granola bar (go click) from my drawer. As far as I'm concerned, hunger pangs need to be remedied immediately!

Chocolate blanco & granola cinnamon bar

Granola bars have become part of my quick breakfast items at the office. Then I paired it with Pan de Manila's chocolate blanco drink. I was quite intrigued about it  when I visited Pan de Manila's branch in Timog Avenue, so I bought one sachet. This drink traces its roots from the Spanish colonial period in our dear country. Interesting, eh? Tsokolate eh? Oh, but that's creamy cocoa while chocolate blanco tastes like milk more than chocolate. If I was  then blindfolded, I would probably say it's Nido.

My shoes are out of the box... literally!

"There's a little Imelda in all of us."

~ Imelda Romualdez Marcos in a 2009 print interview

Due to lack of outdoor activities during the long weekend, I was forced to do my part in household cleaning. I've lost count how many times my mother would tell me to sort out my shoes. Throw or give away some, things like that, blah-blah. I finally heeded my mother's plea this morning and I got the biggest surprise of my life! 

 

Magic 27

After throwing out some damaged shoes (say, 4 hopeless pairs of shoes, meaning, beyond repair already) and lining up all my rescued shoes, it dawned upon me that I have a total of 27 pairs of shoes! Well, I think the oldest shoe was bought in 2005. I know I have bought  more pairs of shoes all the way from 2005 which unfortunately didn't survive that long or were given away to relatives in the province. 

Wow, it was very, very nostalgic just staring at my old shoes again. I hope to write some details or memories behind every pair. That would be exciting and fun! :)

Petit Puff by Happy Cream Puff

Out of boredom, I declared a self-imposed break from work one afternoon. Fortunately, the cloud cover seemed so friendly to me that moment that it did not drizzle. I was talking to BF on my mobile while walking mindlessly. Then I found myself at Paseo Center where my favorite cream puff  (a.k.a. profiterole) stall can be found. Without thinking twice, I bought a box of assorted petit puffs as pasalubong for my younger siblings and nephew.

 

Ten pieces of assorted petit puff (Php 180)

One petit puff costs Php 20, so you actually save Php 20 if you choose to buy the assorted pack which  has  ten petit puffs with different toppings. I personally saw how each petit puff was injected with the yummy custard cream before it was carefully placed in the box.

My favorites are caramel glazed with almond and black and white choco. I'm still looking forward to taste all the varieties of petit puff. I hope it's that easy to just pop one tiny sweet puff to your mouth without the consequent calorie buildup, huh? :)

Pizza & Pasta at Shakey's Valero

I had the most perfect combo for dinner last Thursday at Shakey's which is still one of the best pizza restaurants we have in the country but often overlooked. Two of my favorite food items in the world were served - pizza and pasta! It's been a while that I haven't dined at Shakey's Valero, so I brought my big appetite with me. Never mind the fact that BF and I shared this quite heavy dinner with two officemates. :)

Iced tea for all

And this is the part where I'm getting hungry just by looking at the pictures again. Argh. I should try cooking penne pasta next time in full support of my quest to find the most perfect pasta dish. For the record, I have been trying my damndest to cook pasta during weekends and, yes, baby steps.

Baked Italian sausage penne (Php 343, platter with loaf of garlic bread) - meaty and chunky Italian sausage on baked penne pasta with marinara sauce topped with cheddar cheese and parsley

High-protein supreme (Php 293, large) - all-meat pizza packed with beef, salami, pepperoni, ham and Italian sausage topped with a tangy ranch dressing

 Halfway gone. I mean, the pizza.

Penne pasta for the win! The marinara sauce reminds me of the flavorful diced tomatoes I used in my fettucine pasta last weekend. Yum yum.

Shoe Haul: Charles & Keith and Pill Sandals

Apparently, BF is generous. I must have thought out loud one day that I badly need a new pair of sandals. After more than a year of working at the Makati CBD, I find wearing sandals more comfortable than wearing pumps or even ballet flats. With all the walking I do in the CBD due to strict implementation of traffic rules, I like my feet to breath and not enclosed. 

Charles & Keith multi-colored sandals 

This is my first ever pair of Charles & Keith, so please indulge me!

Done in the spirit of foot vanity

I wore it to the office the following day. Two days after, I wished I had another new pair of sandals. I love my Charles & Keith so much that I don't want my lovely pair to be overused. BF heard my wish. So off to The Ramp Glorietta I went. Voila! I found this comfy gray sandals which can be worn with corporate casual clothes.

Pill sandals

A big thanks to BF! Much love, Mommy.

Holy Seat = Pee in Peace!

I often see this product in National Bookstore counters and Watsons. One time, I even asked a saleslady from Watsons Gateway Mall branch what it was and I got a lame reply. I thought it was a special kind of tissue paper for hush-hush moments and a special kind of hand sanitizer for those moments. Human ingenuity at its best, I thought.

Then, one lucky day, my co-corporate refugees and I went to the food court (never mind the smelly hair after) to buy lunch. Voila! Free Holy Seat items were given away after answering their survey form. LOL! It was definitely one of the cheap thrills of my daily corporate refugee life.

Pee in peace: handy spray toilet seat sanitizer and disposable toilet seat cover

Well, the best things in life are free! Pee in peace, everybody! LOL!

Affirmations for Good Luck

Below is a very timely piece I found in my 2001 diary, and I think this is pretty much appropriate for these trying times. I think I imported this from Art Borjal's column in The Philippine Star.

Every day in every way, I am getting luckier and luckier.

Every day in every way, I am getting more and more blessed.

Every day in every way, I am getting more and more fortunate.

Every day in every way, I am getting more and more favored.

Every day in every way, I am getting more and better chances and prospects.

Every day in every way, I am getting better and better at recognizing good opportunities.

Every day in every way, Lady Luck smiles at me.

Every day in every way, good fortune comes my way.

Every day in every way, I am getting better and better at creating my own good luck, realizing that only I can help myself build my own fortune and fulfill my own destiny.

Word Wrap a.k.a. Lunatic Charm

So some words kept on running to and fro my eyes. They came from various sources on my left, my right, above - everywhere. And then I thought it's better to compile the same and make a poem. This time it's very stream of consciousness, first-drafty type writing. There are times I feel all these mysterious words and have all these confusing thoughts bouncing around inside my brain, and the only way I can think to relieve myself is to jam it all out through my fingers. And click. Sort of like creative Tourette's or something. Whatevah.*

Pop goes the weasel on

The mermaid chair

Sent items made an exit;

ViewSonic them and

Return to list of posts.

Mickey Mouse,

save now!

Ready, coach!

Miranda warnings?

Restart later.

Required workhours per day,

Streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, public grounds,

Select.

Is this correct?

My account?

Help!

Monetize.

Search favorites;

Reply to all;

Type a contact to find

For follow up

Large mail, unread mail, junk E-mail,

Mail!

Snag it!

By category,

By company,

By follow-up flag.

Briefing stopped;

Open a shared calendar;

Meet now

For kids.

Motion to extend time.

Show time as: Free.

Post options.

(We) I value what you think.

*I cannot believe I wrote this. Incomprehensible? No. I call this as lunatic charm. Hahaha!

Monday Morning Talk

Fact: I associate anything with anything hovering in my memory bank.

Myth: I don't like it.

Concrete example: On board a bus going to fictional Netopia.

So what comprises the "anything" on the fact premise? Three stand-outs this time.

1. The checkered bus curtain which reminds me of the school uniform of City High School in the City of Golden Friendship. It seems that all the alumnae donated all their ancient skirts to this bus company. I'm not complaining but I find it amusing. The school's just beside my prestigious (oh yeah) learning center (City Central School) which taught me the ABCs of life.
2. The icky familiar scent of a generic bus. Ew, it really gives me an instant migraine. A very clear albeit imagined shot of a "biyahilo" sufferer throwing up in my shoulder frightens me. Blame that memorable FX ride in college when a toddler threw up at a Escolarian colegiala's shoulder and I happened to be seated right beside that poor girl. Paranoia, dear.
3. The bus conductor who's a deadringer for Jojo Veloso, a controversial pimp of a manager wayyyy back. He managed one of my all-time eye candies, Matt Mendoza. Hahaha!

I do bank in my memory. Occasional bouts of amnesia, funny or weird, mysterious or plain blah, I don't care.

Kitkat Entry

Luckily, I'm on a break from browsing the laws of the Land of Enchantment. A couple more days of browsing and all rusty hinges of the door to enlightenment will be devoid of squeaky noise. Squeak, squeak, squeak.

I could feel the throbbing of a potential migraine right now. Rapid browsing and too much flourescent light are the key contributors of this annoying headache. Argh.

However, common sense dictates to me that I should not be complaining. Porquoi? C'est simple, messieurs et mesdemoiselles. I'm one of the lucky underbars who have jobs.

For two weeks now, my inbox has been flooded with job-related queries from my law school friends. Although my boredom in the corporate world sometimes plagued me until midnight, I should be thankful. In fact, this simple albeit precious blogspot was born out of boredom. Merci beaucoup, Netopia.

Back to Reality

After almost three months of hibernation and unlimited net surfing, our five-member team* in fictional Netopia finally felt the initial rush of work responsibility.

Since yesterday**, we are obliged to attend live meetings until January 29 for some training. However, the trainors and the trainees (that would be us*) are on different time zones, so we have to adjust. Memories of my Old Dominion experience are good enough to go hand in hand with my dedication to work. I hope so.

The sepia theme was on purpose. Really, I suddenly felt so Ice Age viewing the Makati skyline. Up until now, I still couldn't believe I'm a corporate refugee for a year. I ain't complaining though.

 

And the Oscar goes to...

Fellow corporate refugee finds it hard to stay candid. Hahaha!

Hello... Good morning... We're fine... No questions.. Thank you... Bye..

All things considered,  I have to kiss my fling*** goodbye. It's back to reality.

*assigned to diligently browse the laws passed by the Land of Enchantment

**It's officially Wednesday as I write.

***Google

"Wonder" Woman Rants

I wonder when will I get a clearer vision. I wonder if I can save my dreams from floating in limbo. I wonder how long will I put my dreams on hold.

I wonder how long will I gather all my strength to hold my life in neutral. I wonder how long will it take me to figure out that I'm just buying time. 

I wonder what's waiting for me at the end.

I wonder how mysterious mystery is. I wonder if some mysteries are better left unsolved.

I wonder when to take the first step. Seriously, when is when?  

I wonder where wanderlust will take me. I wonder if work will grant my little pleasures. I wonder where to get money for that.

I wonder if freedom will actually mold me into a better person or render me unproductive.

I've been wondering how long this mythical virtue called patience will last. If it won't, is there another mythical virtue in lieu of patience? Or, simply put, will it turn out to be another misguided idea since patience is, in reality, a minor form of despair?

I wonder if I can firmly grasp both my body and soul and, for once, order them to willfully work in harmony.

Why do I wonder all these things? I think it's another bout of wondering. Again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

The cycle of wondering simply never ends.

Happy Birthday, Netopiac!*

Today, I celebrate my one year as a corporate refugee.

Before I go home tonight, I just want to make a tribute to an important milestone in my Netopia* career. Hence, this post.

On the same day last year, I signed a contract with the company. I remember I was very happy then. It ended my domesticated life. I felt the comforting breeze of freedom wafting through my wan face after three weeks of hibernation. Prior to my sorry state of hibernation, I worked as a legal researcher in a law firm. It was a pretty challenging job and I've learned many life's lessons from that short stint.

It's worth telling that fate has brought me here.

*unlimited surfing takes place here just like in a popular computer shop in the metro where I borrowed this name... What can I say? I'm a Netopiac.

Penny For My Thoughts

The long holiday vacation helped me contemplate on a couple of things. And I find one thought excitingly alarming in a good way. This thought might be fleeting and in just one snap, it may suffer the same fate as any other thoughts I had. It may evaporate. And any unknown possibilities of this nugget will just be hidden under the cloaks of my forgettable self. So here I am trying to make that thought counts, and I think publishing it might help. One step at a time, so goes the cliche.

This quite sums up my thought: There will be a few times in your life when your instinct will tell you to do something, something that defies the odds or even logic. When that happens, you do it. Ignore logic, ignore the odds and complications, and just go for it!

The word "something" is vague, and it may demand a bucket of translations. I don't intend to swim in a dark pool of vagueness or be lost in translation. I have to be clear and sincere.

I need an emotional overhaul to render such thought operative. It is getting exciting. I hope I'll be up and about the minute it happens. So penny for my thoughts?