My Birthday Wish List

Seventeen days and I will be another year older. Done with partying and travelling as I am running broke these days. However, that doesn't stop me to want to buy a lil treat for myself especially that August is my birthday month. I have laid out my financial status for the rest of the year and to my dismay this recession will be over by the last quarter of the year. That being the case I am extending my birthday wish list till Chistmas since I won't be able to buy everything this month. So here are a few things I have always wanted and is planning to buy this year. You see I am not so into expensive things, as long as that makes me happy then I am on it.

• My BB. I have always been a fan of this RIMarkable line of mobile phones. Since the "death" of my second BB phone, I couldn't get pass a day without thinking and mourning about it. Crazy I know but that has upset me so much. Got so attached to my BB that when I lost it I felt like I've lost someone close to me. So when I finally got a chance to get a new phone (just 5 days after its death) I didn't waste any time and immediately grabbed one. I am now loving my new BB and swear to take care of it like a baby.
• Books. Yeah, I know, I'm like building a lil library at home! Haha. A few of my books are now in good hands while I can get no space for them here. I am eyeing the second installation of Carrie Bradshaw's adventure: Summer and the City, Aaron Ralston's Between a Rock and a Hard Place, a memoir book by Nando Parrado based on his real-life experience on a plane crash in the Andes mountains, Miracle in the Andes and all other adventure books I might chance upon a bookstore. I'm still looking for that life-changing book that would make me see things again in a different perspective.
• Reading lamp. I wanted the one where I can just clip anywhere because I don't stay long in a certain position when reading.
• A bookmark. I prefer the metal ones. 
• Sleeve for my notebook. I'm planning to raid CD-R king for that or SM department store.
• A silicon case for my BB. I have to say this was very useful and its worth investing. It could be pricey but the benefits are just priceless. The silicon case for my old BB helped it survived (for about two weeks) the 5-minute water submergence before it died on the 3rd week. 
• iPod. I wanted something to store my music. I don't wanna overload my BB too so at least I have a back-up.  Also I hated it that Iris and I have to fight every now and then over this stupid iPod so I'm getting my own. ;)
• Journal. Although my BB serves as my on-the-go journal I still want to write using my hands. Also I am the type who would keep any memorabilia (movie tickets, reciepts) so that way I can just post it in my journal.

As they say there are things money can't buy so I am creating a separate list for those intangible things I already have and I am most thankful for. 
 

• Queerness. I know this ain't going away so another season of The Real L Word would make me very happy.
•  Friends. I am not a very friendly person and most people would find me a snob because I am not the type who is nice-to-everyone so if I cannot have new friends this year at least I get to keep the ones that are already with me.
• Family. As much as I wanted to, I cant celebrate my birthday with them this year so that would mean another homecoming in the future months. 
• My Job. I know sometimes I rant and complain about it. Hey can they blame me? Hehe. But at the end of the day I am thankful I have a job and I am able to work with amazing people for the last 4 years, who inspire me, annoy me, irritate me and amazes me all at the same time. 
• My life with her. It gets better. I am finding myself falling in love all over again. Cheesy I know. 

Lunar Eclipse

I first read on  Twitter yesterday about an upcoming Lunar eclipse and since my BB Social subscription have limited access to the internet I didn't get the chance to know as what exact date it is happening.

I set my phone to its usual alarm time (at 3am) before dozing off at 8pm last night. Upon the first note of the alarm I suddenly woke up and reached for my Samsung phone and surprised to see a text message. I read it and I couldn’t believe my luck. It was a GM from Alex saying that a lunar eclipse is happening. It usually takes me a couple of snoozes to drag me out of bed but I got up and found my way up to the rooftop. It was a chilly dawn as it rained the night before. I first search the eastern part of the sky. I was surprised to see that the sky was clear and a lot of stars were visible. However, I couldn’t find the moon. I was about to give up when I decided to finally give the west side a try and there it was – a reddish Luna about to be summoned by the Earth’s shadow.

I thought of getting a camera to capture this rare celestial happening but I hesitated. For awhile, I stared at it and decided to go back to our unit to prepare for work (I got an hour left before my shift starts but I cant risk it).  I even posted this status on Facebook.

I checked the time and thought I still got plenty to spare so without hesitation I took out the camera, swapped the camera’s lens with a Canon 55-250mm EFS lens. I hurdled the steps up and started taking pictures of the Mars-look-alike Moon. I didn’t take that much decent picture though as I forgot to bring a tripod with me and my glasses started to become foggy. I have to do with resting my arms on the ledge and that served as a tripod.

Here are a few shots. Fair enough for a rookie like me. This is my second attempt of capturing the Moon.



This one is kind of the "edited" version. I have to adjust the contrast to emphasize it. Original one is here at the bottom.



I was supposed to experiment more of the shutter speed and exposure but since I don't have a tripod with me, that experimentation turned out useless. And oh, before I forgot I have captured two stars which I am guessing part of the constellation Ophiuchus.

But I am not really in dismay as another constellation is on its way this December. So I have already marked my calendar ;). By then, I surely would tag along a tripod.

My Yummy Cheese Roll Story

Been ages that we haven't turned on the TV until we finally notice the box sitting on one corner and finally decided to switch it on. We were switching between channels looking for sensible TV program at 1 in the afternoon. Well what do you expect? A TV commercial caught Iris' attention instead. She know I like all sorts of bread, pastry, cookies - anything made of flour actually. So our attention was on this new product launched by Red Ribbon called the Yummy Cheese Roll.

I was mesmerized by the most delicate bread in the commercial plus the fact that it has cheese inside it. Yeah Imma sucker for cheese! Right then and there I couldn't wait to get out of the house and rummage the nearest Red Ribbon store for that roll. I even posted it on Facebook.



So we arrived at SM around 3pm hoping we could get a decent movie out of the free movie pass we got from work. I was hoping to watch Rio or The Roomate. But Iris backed out as she can't bare watching a movie in 3D, said it gives her headache. We then decided to go for some Japanese food at Tokyo Joes. I so love their Beef Misono. So the thought of the yummy rolls went away until I checked my Facebook.
 
Iris told me that she'd buy me a box if I get to have 10 people like a Facebook post in one hour. I was hesitant at first but I finally agree. At the back of my mind I thought I could always buy just one roll at 24php wether I win or lose the bet. My post went something like the one below.

 
 
At the end I was relieved to see 11 people liked my post before the cut off time. Hehe. I didn't ask for the entire box though. I thought that was just too much. To be honest I was a little bit disappointed on how it tasted. I was expecting the bread to be a little bit salty (or with atleast a hint of salt on it) but it came out too sweet for the cheese inside. The bread was very soft and the inside was (kind of) gooey, the kind that would flaten if you put something heavy on top of it. Not bad at all but I'd still prefer the cheese bread at the "suking panaderia". hehe. ;)
 

Guilt Free!

Summer's here and I still can't feel it (for reasons I'm not gonna bother to explain). Instead of crash dieting and working-out to get that bikini-worthy figure (or something close to it), I've chosen to eat my heart out. Litterally! I guess I have to blame my new sched for that (but hey don't get me wrong I still love this sched and won't trade it for the night shift).



I've been piggin' out from those cafeteria/lutong-bahay, to frozen yogurt that disguises itself as healthy with all those sweet toppings, to pastries, jumping from one cuisine to another, to fastfood junk, cereals, coffee and even fruits! I can't help it! Here are some of those I bothered to took a snapshot before devouring on it. I tell you, this is not so me. Before I eat something (especially if its blog-worthy), I always make sure to take a picture of it. But now? Who cares? "I AM HUNGRY!", screams the monster inside.

Crab tempura still from JOEDs so we didn't finish all our food so we have to ask them to wrap it and before we can get home, Ive finished it already. haha.

So coffee at Starbucks wasn't enough I have to try it the Italian way so I had Affogato topped with Macadamia nuts from Gellatissimo

Yes! We were there when S&R Cebu had its Sale not to shop but to eat! I soo love their pizza!

A supposedly simple dinner with colleagues turned out to be a massive addition to my weight - liempo, lechon manok, squid, carbonara, leche flan, argh!

So Iris and I tried Lemon Grass' chicken pandan. Not bad. (note: this is me being kind) But on a lighter note, I did love their pineapple rice.

Hah! and how could alcohol get out of the way. Even stocked some on the fridge for those I-can't-sleep-and-I-don't-why nights.

I didn't quite like the Tom Yum at Lemon Grass but the seafood curry was heaven

One of the reason I hate going at SM! I cant help but eat these oh-so-delicious-looking cream puffs from Chewy Junior!

Devoured the meat at Casa Verde as well. Buffalo wings iLike!!

On the other hand, I did try to eat heathy so I drink milk. Uhh, I guess drinking the whole one liter counts, right?

We didnt finish the whole pitcher of our refreshing drink so I had them take-out (nevermind if I have to pay 17 php for the container). I so love the drink that I even brought it with me to the hospital when Iris got confined last March 26.

My Mix Bento Plate this afternoon at JOEDS Lutong Hapon. Imagine that - chicken, pork and beef in one plate!

Yes I've joined the bandwagon as well. Its now an addiction. But my fav would still be Red Mango.



So I'm still hoping I could get away with it. I hope. There is still hope. Tomorrow will be our company's summer outing and I'm not gonna be there to show off some skin anyways. I wonder what's on the menu. Haha! Hmmn maybe I could take it back this holy week. Really, I wanted to regret for eating that much but I can't feel any guilt at all. Even watched Victoria's Secret 2010 fashion show to somehow wake me up. Nah! it didn't work. Well, maybe not this time! As they say, Live life completely, so when the death comes to you like a thief in the night, there will be nothing left to steal. ;)

So much for that, I will be leaving with this song by Fra Lippo Lippi entitled Light and Shade (with lyrics). Really inspiring. Sang this song last night on the videoke and I realized I should not be living to other people's expectations. After all, this is MY LIFE!

Why I love this place

This has been my second time in Baguio and I must say I fell inlove with it. Alot of people has been asking why do we keep on coming back there considering the amount of time spent on travelling -- a dreading 16-hour trip to and from Metro Manila excluding the flight. So I made a list of why I love this place alot!

• FOOD. Not only it is affordable but almost my favorite food is very accessible. There's like a little resto every corner that specializes on either coffee, cakes, pasta, pizza and, if you are lucky, to all of these! Here are a few of my favorites and some I have tried so far:



Strawberry Latte at Vizcos along Session Road



Light pasta (still from Vizcos). Spaghetti and Salad topped with chicken strips. Truly a must-try at only 99php.



Carlo's Pizza's version of bunch-of-lunch. Not bad though.



 

But this one should topped my list. Volante along session. Truly Italian at a very affordable price.

 

The Bulalo at Solibao Filipino Cuisine is good after an afternoon walk. The hot soup and tender meat is perfect.





The steak at Sizzling Plate Baguio. Can you believe that their Australian porterhouse is only 260php a serving?





Strawberry shortcakes are to-die for! This one is from a bazaar along Session Road. Loved the ones at Vizcos.



The Coffee with Vanilla ice cream at Volante is perfect company while reading a book or just staring at the busy traffic along Session Road. Its about 50-60php only.





The streetfood at Burnham. I tried the kwek-kwek, tempura, fishball except for that fried balut. I dont know how they call it. I can't take eating a chick as little as that its just like the size of a quail's egg!

 

These oranges from Sagada province are as huge as pomelo. I couldn't believe it when I first saw it.

 



Yeah I know its just Kalamay but they named Sundot Kulangot. Haha



I've come back to the market for this -- ube and leche flan at 3 for 100php. Perfect for my sweet tooth.


 

• WEATHER. Definitely a perfect excuse to chug coffee every now and then, or just burry yourself in the sheets and feel lazy, or play dress-up and score that japorms look without having to sweat it all off. ;)

• FLOWERS. I mean they are just almost everywhere and comes in different colors , forms and sizes.

 

• LOCATION. I love it that nature is just a walk in the park or if you wanted more peace you can take a taxi and pay roughly around 50php.You can have a quiet dinner at CCJ and hear the crickets outside while having wine.

• PEOPLE. The people I have to say are very courteous and their taxi drivers are the most honest ones so far. They won't even complain and take note, they give you back your change up to last peso.

Till next year Baguio City. We'll see you next Panagbenga ;)