Monticello Wine Trail

After our first snow experience at Wintergreen Resort, Brian Yost and Heather Wright, training lead and lead editor for Washington, D.C. jurisdiction in LexisNexis, respectively, gave us another dose of Southern hospitality.

What started out as an e-mail spool via Microsoft Outlook turned out to be an unforgettable wine tasting experience. Why unforgettable? It's my first wine tasting activity, and I even posted in Facebook how excited I was. Just curious, do we have such activity in the Philippines?

As per e-mail invite, we understand that we have three wineries to visit. We were told that wine tasting fee is from $5-$10. Furthermore, if we feel more inclined to do some more wine tasting, we could visit five wineries. Images of me getting giddy-drunk, laughter among us, The Fantastic Four,  beautiful countryside and the fact that it's my first ever wine tasting activity gave me extra energy to fantasize the whole thing beforehand!

A) King Family Vineyards

I got the following info from my fling.*

"King Family Vineyards is a family-owned and operated boutique winery located in Crozet, just fifteen minutes from Charlottesville at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The winery specializes in small productions of ultra-premium wine that showcase the remarkable qualities of nearly 100% estate grown fruit. 

The covered veranda, expansive lawn, or brick patio are perfect for outdoor picnics while the Tasting Room and warm stone fireplace are inviting on cooler days."

Enjoying the uber cold breeze and the picturesque view of the Blue Ridge Mountains

 

Bottoms up!

(N.B. Ooops, the boyfriend is not yet my boyfriend here.)

 

With the wine lady feeding us wine info while giving us five kinds of wine to taste. I tell you, I got buzz after my third wine.

 

  Very unique, deer antler-inspired ceiling lamp they have!

For more info, check out their website.

King Family Vineyards
6550 Roseland Farm
Crozet, Virginia 22932

B) Pollak Vineyards

"Pollak Vineyards is a small family-owned winery founded in 2003 on a 98 acre site west of Charlottesville. Today twenty-five acres are planted in French vinifera with the intent of of producing estate grown wine that has the finesse and balance of traditional French wines. The more than 16,000 vines are hand-tended to achieve the best fruit. In the winery, many wines are made in small lots to control the process and and carefully coax the best fruit characteristics and blend of tannins. French oak is used for aging. A new winery opened in May 2008. It is spacious inside for production and tastings, and it has a large verandah and windows to showcase views of vineyards, pond and adjacent mountains."

  

It was probably five times colder than Baguio!

Perfect for soul-searching

 

Heather cheerfully sharing some wine experience

 

Listening to bartender's Pollak Vineyards 101

 

Say "Pollak!"

 

The Fantastic Four

For more info, check our their website.

Pollak Vineyards

330 Newtown Road
Greenwood, VA 22943

 C) Veritas Vineyard and Winery

"Veritas is a family-owned and run farm winery nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Andrew, Patricia, and Emily Hodson share the common goal of making wines of the highest quality from the rich Virginia terroir. We invite you to come and join us at Veritas. The winery offers our guests an intimate view of the wine-making process. Sit on our sun-drenched deck and take the opportunity to relax, enjoy the beauty of Virginia and taste our wine."

 

Rosy cheeks from too much wine or the uber cold breeze... or both?

Cheers!

The free wine glass

 

Enjoying the cold, cold breeze and the scenery

 

Brian preparing a yummy afternoon snack consisting of baguettes, two kinds of Virginia-made cheese and onion jam from the deli store called Feast! (For more deli-cious info, click here.) apples and seltzer water

   

Can't wait! Hahaha!

 

Baguette slice topped with cheese and onion jam

 

Promise, there was no memo telling us to wear pink or gray!

For more info, check out their website.

Veritas Vineyard & Winery
145 Saddleback Farm
Afton, VA 22920

My First Snow Experience

Caveat: Although it's not falling snow, and, we're not dressed in parkas, boots and mittens, it's my first encounter with real snow... on the ground!

I used to think that Filipinos are the only group of people whose innate hospitality is legendary all over the world. Geez, I was proven wrong when I got addicted to reading historical romance paperbacks  in college in which I was introduced to Southern hospitality. For more in-depth hindsight of such topic, click here.

It was fall season when we arrived in Old Dominion, and we learned that a couple of days before we arrived, there was a snowfall. That started our clamor to see real snow! Brian Yost, the training lead at LexisNexis, showed us what Southern hospitality is. It was so nice of him to drive us all up to the Blue Ridge Mountains area where Wintergreen Resort is located.

It happened last April 11, 2009 at Wintergreen Resort in Central Virginia. I googled Wintergreen Resort and, true enough, every day is snowday there!

 

First snowball throw

Purpose of our snow dance: Let it snow, let it snow!

Biting cold... I.. am.. not.. kidding.. Brrr...

More snowballs to form

With Brian Yost

Oh I see. Wintergreen is perfect for snow skiing!

I'm looking forward to my first falling snow experience. Who knows when? All I know is, life is full of surprises!

A Veneto Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante

Prior to watching Avatar, my resident worms were grumbling about extreme hunger. I could almost hear them shouting, "We want Italian food!" As a dutiful mother to my kiddie but biggie worms, I told the boyfriend I'm already famished. Right there and then, I could see the imaginary light bulb lights up in his mind. To him most probably, it's a clear sign to go Italian. I love the boyfriend for that!

I immediately agreed when he picked A Veneto Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante in the 2/F al fresco row of restos of Trinoma.

I tell you, they got big servings. We initially ordered individual orders of pasta, but when we the food server said their pastas are good for 2-3 persons, we changed our mind. Since my sister Nikki has warned us earlier she's still full, we opted to choose one pasta and one pizza.

Meatball parmigiana (good for 2-3 persons indeed)

Seafood pizza (small size)

By the way, Nikki still ordered for food for the sake of "ordering", not eating. I know that since I knew her since birth (?!). Hahaha!

 

A Veneto cheese steak with fries

Nikki: How in the world can I eat this colossal sandwich?

  

This seems to be our last couple moment shot for 2009. Burp!

  

With huge servings of food, nice interiors with pictures of the Big Apple, attentive servers, not so crowded and noisy and reasonable prices, I think A Veneto Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante at Trinoma will most likely deserve a visit from us next year.

Two thumbs up for Avatar

Human ♥ Humanoid... Would that be possible in 2154?

I will not attempt to do an extensive movie review of Avatar.

Prior to this blog entry, I consulted my fling* for added knowledge. Just so you know, I like details. Check out CBC News movie review of James Cameron's blockbuster film Avatar. If you're a sucker for details like yours truly, then click here for Wikipedia's version.

There are two major, classic concepts which are apparent in the movie.

1. War between good and evil; and
2. Love against all odds.

I am not a sci-fi fan, but Avatar is really worth every centavo you paid. All streaks of your varicose veins while lining up to get a ticket will be well compensated. The people inside the cinema were all cheering and clapping their hands when Pandora resident Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) struck the power-hungry Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) who was about to kill Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in a combat scene. Yes, the classic concept of good winning over the evil. Regarding the love story of Jake and Neytiri, the following scenes are quite unforgettable:

1. When they shared a tender moment in the thick forest of Pandora. Know what? I was then curious if James Cameron will actually make a real love scene between a human and a humanoid. In all Hollywood films, it's likely common to include a lovemaking scene when there are prior scenes portraying the build-up of emotions and excitement. In Titanic, there was. Not explicit though. Good thing he didn't include one in Avatar because it would be very unlikely for a human and an alien to have sex, and it will gross me out for sure! Kissing and hugging are fine. Hahaha!
2. When Neytiri and the human version of Jake finally meet. It was sweet. Love is blind, blah-blah. Ooops, let me correct that. Love is not blind; it sees but it does not mind.

There are scenes in the movie which I find too funny, and I think  those were done on purpose, just  to equalize the level of emotions.

1. The worship scene of the Na'vi people in the forest.  It looks like they hired a choreographer for that "sway-there, sway-here" moves just to appease Mother Eywa. Hahaha! 
2. The weird appearances of Pandora's fauna like: (a) cousin of triceratops with floral headdress as its defense mechanism, (b) multi-colored flying animals which remind me of the dinosaur era, (c) jellyfish shaped floating thingie, (d) cross-breed of zebra and horse which makes me wonder if we, humans, could actually come up with that. I remember one Science teacher way back elementary that zebras are closely related to horses; and (e) the black, scary-looking counterpart of our dogs. I could almost hear the Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out?" on the background. Who? Who?
   
3. How about the Pandora humanoids' hair ends (reminds me of split ends) which they connect to their pet animals for some sort of a bond? Very clever!

James Cameron is the best! He's the sole reason why Titanic is one of my all-time favorites. And now, I will definitely add Avatar to my list.


*Google (See previous entry.)

Feigning sick leave and more

My looooong holiday vacation officially starts today. I filed for  sick leave (SL) for today and two vacation leaves (VL) for December 28 and 29. I'll report to work in January 4. Do the Math. My vacation's even longer than a sembreak.

So what's in the bag for today? The boyfriend and I will watch Avatar at Trinoma . It will be our last bonding moment for this year. He will fly home to Leyte tomorrow to spend the holidays with his family. I, on the other hand, will most likely do the following:

1. wash my unmentionables which created quite a stir lately
2. read another Patterson
3. check my SNS pages and my fling*
4. sleep late since I woke up late today.

I vow to update my blog every chance I get. That's all, folks!


*Google

Hate/Love

"It's a damn cold night,

Trying to figure out this life."  

     ~ Avril Lavigne's I'm With You

LSS strikes again. Honestly, I can't remember where I last heard that song. It was my national anthem a few years back, when I was patiently highlighting my posture correctors, otherwise known as thick law books, with anything neon. The emo song was then very perfect for my mood swings. Sometimes, I love the life I was then leading, and sometimes I hate it with no clear reason.

Love and hate. When love and hate collide. Mushy, silly song. I'd  better stop.

The topic sounds like fun, so behold the list that goes with it.

I hate...

1. the fact that my emotions can run wild without getting permission from me, meaning, my level-headed self
2. missing the bus for one second
3. the willfully ignorant people
4. the lousy liars
5. that I can't seem to wake up at 7 a.m. on the dot
6. flying cockroaches
7. when I forgot to buy dental flossers
8. when the movie everyone is so raving about turns out to be a copycat 
9. when my desktop malfunctions
10. grumpy cashiers
11. blisters
12. dry hands
13. getting old
14. too many zits in the morning
15. the fact that I can't eat balut as many as I want
16. the undisciplined bus drivers along EDSA
17. Philippine politics
18. Mr./Ms. Know-it-all
19. iPod that says "Connect to power"
20. fresh blood when I'm about to take a bite of my chicken
21. people stepping on my feet without saying "sorry"

I love...

1. YOU! Thanks for dropping by.
2. pasta (spaghetti, fettucini, penne etc)
3. short nails
4. clean toes
5. nice, genuine smile 
6. innocent stares of kids
7. extra salt and catsup on my Mcdo & Jollibee take-out meals without me asking for them
8. brown and red rice
9. open-toe sandals 
10. getting complimented on an outfit
11. dancing when no one is watching
12. singing to my heart's content
13. when my mother is in a good mood
14. when my favorite songs are played and the same matched my mood right there and then
15. out-of-town trips
16. white beach
17. plants, trees or anything foliage
18. colorful flowers
19. thoughful SMS from old friends
20. Johnson's milk bath
21. Estrel's caramel cake
22. butterscotch
23. baked potatoes with cheese overload
24. green mango with sweet-spicy bagoong
25. cold seedless grapes
26. San Mig Light
27. a good book
28. cheap but pretty tops
29. the fact that my LOVE list is longer than the HATE list
30. Starbucks coffee jelly frap

It's obvious that both are random lists. I write as I think. No second thoughts.

Fling with Google

 Google's the man!

It has been three whole months with barely nothing work-related to do. From April to September, I was in a relationship with my work, down times included. 


Relationship means commitment and dedication to Citrix, and I did my fair share. Then the relationship was cut off. There's no reason to panic yet. It's just an official lull, whatever.  


Of course, I hate being idle, so I searched for a fling. No commitment. If you're with a fling, you enjoy the moment because the moment might not last. You can easily turn your back on it. Bottomline, just enjoy. 


I found a fling in Google. Yehey, reliable so far. Google takes away my boredom. A perfect characteristic of a fling! For now, I'll just enjoy the ride... wherever Google will take me... to Never Never Land, perhaps? 


And since Google is just a fling, I don't mind sharing him (He's the man, right?) to others. Click here if you're in need of a fling, too.

Araneta Center's Giant Christmas Tree

I've been a Cubao resident for almost seven years now, and yet I'd barely caught this giant Christmas tree at the heart of Araneta Center on cam. I figured out last night that it's time. This 100-feet tall Christmas tree is a normal sight as I go home every night. Every night I witnessed a couple of passersby trying to capture the beauty of this tree, whether on his mobile phone, digicam or fancy SLR. Christmas is really the season to cherish the once-upon-a-time wonders of childhood.

Thanks to my point-and-shoot cam for the photos below. Just sharing, folks.

Night view of the giant

 

This is the closest shot I made across the street.

 

 

Taken from Eurotel's platform

Where's Baby Jesus?

After lunch, the boyfriend and I went up to St. Michael's Chapel located at the 6th floor of, where else but, PBCom Tower. It was my second time to be there. My first time was last December 8, Mama Mary's birthday. For someone who is going to celebrate her  one year as a corporate refugee in the country's tallest skyscraper (Is it still? I'm not quite sure.) in January 12, 2010, that's pathetic. Genuine pathetic.  I plan to compensate my poor attendance by visiting this chapel next year. I don't know yet the frequency of visits, but I'll make a mental pledge for the sake of my faith's health. Wow, something new.


Genuflect, give thanks, pray for family's safety and ask for... Okay, I'll stop. My personal prayers are not for public consumption, sorry. Please understand.


The chapel has a homey feel. I feel like I'm home.  Guilty feelings came rushing in. I used to be very devoted to my faith, but something happened at the start of the 2nd quarter that made my faith wavered a bit. Just a bit. It can be easily cured, straightened, and I'll be back on track. Promise. For me, the homey feel was a start.

St. Michael the Archangel statue welcomes the faithfuls

The welcome chairs and a side table full of holiday decors

 

With PBCom logo, beat that huh?

 

The altar

 

The entire chapel space, I guess. Hey, look closer. The boyfriend was seriously praying.

 

The nativity scene a.k.a belen from afar

Oh wait, our 20/20 vision served as a telescope to figure out something's missing. True enough, there was something missing.

 

Where's Baby Jesus?

We can't help but smile at this point. With all due respect to our holy Catholic faith and anything holy about this place, we just can't escape the little  smile that the missing Baby Jesus, literally, brought us. Where is he? Where's the Divine Infant? Here are my theories:


1) Someone stole the figurine. Whether it's a bad, bad reflex  of a klepto or someone find the figurine too cute, it's still stealing. Period.
2) It dropped off from the floor, broken into pieces, and the chapel's caretakers couldn't find a replacement. I doubt though because the floor's carpeted.
3) Baby Jesus will be placed only on the 25th of the month, since that's his birthday. Is that it?


However, cheesy as it sounds, I think it's a sign. Pardon me, I'm a giant mushball. A sign that I have to find Jesus all over again. I have stumbled which caused  me to lie low in Christ's domain. I admit that. But really, deep down, I have faith. To answer the question, I guess Baby Jesus still resides in my heart. I'm a mushball. Gotta go!

One lazy dusk at Food Patio

The elevator says "ding", and voila! The oh-so familiar signage will greet you.

This yummy combo kept us company while observing twilight. Not the book because I've had enough. The muffin is the boyfriend's favorite, while the shake is mine. I find the maxi muffin's shape hilarious. I'm serious.

Country Style's maxi muffin and Big Chill's mango meditation

In the garden area, Christmas songs are blaring out of huge speakers. I'm not kidding. But me likey! We even heard Jolina Magdangal's version of "Sana Ngayong Pasko", an Ariel Rivera hit way, way back. Curious why I mentioned this? I'm proud that my uncle is the genius behind the music and lyrics of this classic Christmas song.

Lovin' the al fresco concept

After eating and talking about life (I'm a bad liar), we decided to go back to the office. The Christmas lights and star lanterns were more than enough to remind me that Christmas is just a few days away. Dreamy sigh.

 

 Ok, it's Christmas. Got it.

OMG! Brittany Murphy Dead At 32

Brittany Murphy left us. OH. EM. GEEE. OMG! I literally said this line while browsing OMG, a popular celebrity gossip source. She died yesterday, December 20, 2009, at the young age of 32. Gosh, life's really short.

Thumbs up for this BM's movie in 2003, but thumbs down for her sudden demise

I'm not much of a huge fan of Brittany, but I do like her bubbly personality. Her wide, toothy smile and the girly, girly moves. I remember her as one of the weird patients in Girl, Interrupted, the ugly duckling in Clueless, and the happy-go-lucky girl in Uptown Girls. Isn't Dakota Fanning cute in that film? I got the biggest surprise when I saw Dakota so grown-up as Volturi's lady vampire Jane in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. BTW, one of my favorite chick flicks wayyy back in HS is Clueless. In fact, my HS barkada's official name is Clueless Gals. Yup, the movie inspired us.

Okay, back to Brittany. So now she's dead. One big heave of a sigh. Too young to be dead. Life may offer you lots of security, but it sure does not guarantee a security of tenure.

If only LIFE is a member of a social networking site like Facebook, then maybe, just maybe, it would post a shoutout like: "LIFE is indeed short. May Brittany Murphy rest in peace. To all Facebookers, carpe diem!" I'll probably click the "Like" button.

The boyfriend's fave lunch: Mang Inasal

Give and take. That's the essence of a happy relationship.

If I were to choose between Pinoy and Italian, I'd choose the latter without batting an eyelash. Sure, pasta instead of rice. Quick choices vary from Jollibee's Pinoy-style spaghetti (very spaghettiest indeed), Greenwich's beefy lasagna (hope the serving will beef up too), Sbarro's baked ziti (I'm fine with half-serving), World Chicken's pastas (They all taste the same, from Asian noodles to spaghetti pomodoro. I dunno why.) to Kooky & Luscious' seafood pasta (simply tasty).

But lo and behold, the boyfriend (GG in previous posts) is no Italian food fan. Sad. He's very Pinoy. His all-time favorite lunch hang-out is none other than... Mang Inasal!

Mark Bautista + chicken inasal = addiction to Mang Inasal. Just so you know, he is the current endorser of this fast-growing chicken inasal resto. There's nothing wrong in admiring homegrown Pinoy singers such as Regine Velasquez. Guilty here! The boyfriend, on the other hand, likes Mark Bautista. Makes sense.

Mang Inasal in KPMG Center along Ayala Avenue is worthy enough to waste your lunch breaks. If you're so hair conscious, then skip going to Mang Inasal. Your hair will definitely smell of grill smoke after. Oh well, c'est la vie. On top of my head, here are our joint list of reasons why Mang Inasal is worth 4 out of 5 spoons verdict:

1) Paborito meals (PM) with unlimited rice (Calling the attention of carbo-loaders out there)

2) Krispy kangkong with mayo dip (This is my fave wayyy back Baste law days.)

3) Their sort-of unlimited supply of Kimberly-Clark tissues on your table and toothpicks

4) Unlimited free water

5) Their chicken oil which you can drizzle over your steamy rice

6) Rice wrapped in banana leaves

7) A bowl/sink where you can wash your hands (Complete with hand soap and dryer)

8) Clean, wooden tables and benches (Something different, don't ya think?)

9) Complimentary sinigang soup

10) Two pieces of barquillos on top of their halo-halo (Haven't tried this yet, but it's too generous of them to do that, right? Does Chowking or Goldilock's have that? Nah.)

11) A flat TV/ prompter with their promo ad (The guy who demonstrated the Pinoy style of eating using your hands and drizzling chicken oil over rice is too funny. He reminds me of Batibot and Chikiting Patrol. Looks like he's teaching a toddler. Hahaha!)

12) Customer-friendly prices. Need I say more?

No wonder why the boyfriend loves Mang Inasal.


Oh, just a minor caveat, if it's your unlucky day, be patient enough to wait for 5-10 minutes for your orders. Their chicken inasal is served hot off the grill. Okay, I understand that.

One more, I remember a couple of weeks back that they ran out of Pinoy spaghetti (menu level-up, huh?). Bummer. I settled by watching the boyfriend savored his PM pecho, while I sit there, sulking that if food chains are not responsible enough to cope up with the demand of what's written in their menus, then they should, please, put a sign "Not available" on the affected food items. How hard is that, right?

Anyway, it only took me a few deep breaths to move on. Hahaha!

Pictures to follow.

Sari-sari store + JP novel = Happiness

My favorite chichirya

Reminds me of my childhood days

I always spend my Sunday evenings reading a novel (Patterson's Run for your Life this time) while munching on sari-sari store little wonders. I love small, shallow things. And better yet, I don't have to dig deeper into my  pocket just to find my little happy corner of the world. 

Life's great.