110, 111/365 - Pancake House at Paseo de Magallanes

Pancake House (Paseo de Magallanes) Waffle Foldover

Martina's Shrek 2 giveaway she got from a birthday party.

Yesterday I treated Maica to brunch at Pancake House in Paseo de Magallanes. Actually we had to fix some stuff at the bank before, but I was craving for some of Pancake House's food.

She had three pieces of Pan Fried Chicken and I had the Saisbury Steak. Their service was sort of slow, and the corn and carrots side dish I got was a bit rancid. No worries though as they replaced it with fresher corn and carrots.

We had the waffle foldover for dessert, and as you can see from the picture it was awesome.

Over all it was a good brunch. They could speed up service a bit, because we had to wait around 25 minutes to get our orders even if there was little to no one around. But the food was still enjoyable.

Would I go back again? Sure, why not.

Out.

108, 109/365 - Opportunity Knocks

My mom's noodle dish.

I can not get a still photo of Chula the kitten.

Sometimes opportunity knocks. I just have to run fast enough to answer the door.

Out.

107/365 - Yabu Revisited

Hire Miso by Yabu at SM Aura

Today we had dinner at Yabu in SM Aura. It's the second time I've eaten there and I must reiterate how worth it is to eat there. I tried their hire miso offering this time. I didn't even have to use their sauce for this since the miso sauce was amazing. Absolutely worth it to eat there. And the great thing is, there are still so many choices I want to try so I still want to go back again.

Out.

106/365 - Wrong Ramen

FU (eff you) Ramen @ Wrong Ramen, Burgos Circle BGC

Today's lunch was at Wrong Ramen in Bonifacio Global City. It was actually Tanya's suggestion, and was it a great suggestion. I met with Tanya, Ferds, and Zag there and I was pleasantly surprised by the food.

By the name alone, you can guess that Wrong Ramen isn't your traditional Japanese noodle restaurant. Take my order, the FU (pronounced eff you) Ramen. It contains strips of bacon, a slice of SPAM, a slice of cheese, and a fried egg. Not your traditional ramen ingredients. But it was surprisingly good. Just don't be a ramen purist or else I doubt you'd enjoy the place.

The dishes were mostly fusion modern concoctions. The price was relatively expensive. Would I eat there again? Maybe on a special occasion. Was it worth it? I guess so.

Out.

105/365 - Cleaning

Those white lines? Cif Cream.

As I was cleaning the dishes this morning I smelled something bad near the sink. It was horrible, sort of like the smell of piss combined with sweat, combined with funk, combined with rotting whatever.

It took me a while to find the source of the smell, but I found it. And was I grossed out after. I immediately started removing stuff from the kitchen counter and sorting things out. I started cleaning the counter and whatever items needed cleaning. There were lots of funk, and the counter had not been cleaned in years.

The ironic part is that we had recently let our household help go due to some internal issues. The whole time she was here she never bothered to clean the entire counter. She only cleaned the parts that were visible. Those that were under or behind the dish rack, knife holders, or oven toaster she ignored. So I discovered all sorts of nasty stuff.

Good thing I cleaned it with help from my daughter's yaya. The smell is gone and the kitchen counter is cleaner than ever.

Out.

103, 104/365 - More Bored Photos

Dad's folding bike.

My daughter - the sleeping giant.

Things are getting boring with my little "vacation." Do I regret resigning from work without another job waiting for me? Nope. I still remain optimistic that I will be able to come with a good decision regarding my future career. I'm just waiting for two opportunities I have to finalize themselves.

One unexpected good thing that coincided with my hiatus is the fact that there's always someone at home now. Due to an "unfortunate" incident we had to let our help go. At least now someone's always at home - either my retired father or myself.

But things have to change, this cannot be the status quo. I have to find employment soon, because doing nothing is really, really boring.

Out.

101, 102/365 - NBA 2K14

My mom's duffel bag.

NBA 2K14 My Career - Scoring Small Forward drafted by the Mavs.

The only frustrating thing with buying yearly iterations of the NBA 2K series is they keep changing the controls every year. Aside from that, it seems worth it. The new animations are nice, the game seems to be a bit easier gameplay-wise. Aside from that, they seem to just recycle old 3D models of their characters. Most, if not all, NBA players are all buff and have defined muscles or are very massive in the game world.

Out.

099, 100/365 - Closure and a Glass of Taho

Stuff I got last October 18, 2013.

Taho inside a Starbucks glass.

Yesterday I passed by my old place of work and got my last pay and final documents. I was also given my exit interview, and I hope whatever I said would help my company move forward to better things.

I also bought me a PC copy of NBA 2K14 because I'm addicted to NBA 2K games in general. I plan to install it today and hopefully have fun playing it like I did with NBA 2K13.

Today I gave myself a treat by buying taho not in the usual PhP10 or PhP20 increments, but in my Starbucks glass. It cost PhP50, as I was given a PhP5 discount by Kuya Marlon since we're regulars when he passes by the house selling taho.

Time to move forward.

Out.

098/365 - Baked Tuna Spaghetti

Maica's Baked Tuna Spaghetti

Last night's dinner was a pleasant treat. My wife, Maica, made some tuna spaghetti. She made a bit too much sauce so we decided to bake it, and I generously grated a lot of quezo de bola over it.

This was the end result. And it tasted great.

Out.

095, 096, 097/365 - Three-in-One Post

I think we may need to organize some cabinets in the room.

No special picture again today.

More clutter that needs to be organized.

Very big changes happened to the house last weekend. Let's just say everyone has to start pulling their weight at home. On the bright side, positive changes with regards to getting rid of excess clutter has begun.

Out.

094/365 - Happy Birthday, Lola Ginny!

Lola Ginny with her "grandchildren" and also one of her great-grandchildren.

Today was my paternal grandmother's 93rd birthday. Happy birthday to my Lola Ginny. Here is a picture of us taken at Modern China in Glorietta.

Aside from my wife and daughter, Lola's great-grandchild (1 of 2 in the pic), some of my cousins' boy/girlfriends are also present.

It was a nice lunch, the food was good. And it was nice to see my relatives.

Out.

093/365 - Bulalo

My first ever attempt, with some special help from Maica, at cooking bulalo. Not bad.

I've been wanting to make some bulalo (boiled beef shanks?) for quite some time now. I thought today was the perfect time to cook some since it was raining hard. Unfortunately the rains stopped around lunchtime. But that did not stop me from trying to create my first batch.

My first attempt at bulalo tasted pretty good. I learned a lot from my experience. Here are some of the lessons I learned:

1. Add more water than what you want. I was simmering the meat too long and the broth sort of dried up. Maica and I had to add some more water and re-season with patis (fish sauce). It was a shame since the broth before adding more water tasted better than the finished product.
2. Start cooking around four hours before you plan to eat. I started cooking around 4:30pm and we ate a little past seven. The meat could have taken a few more minutes to simmer so that it would be even more tender.
3. The corn should be added relatively early to add flavor to the broth. Our broth tasted way better after the corn was added and left to simmer with the beef.
4. Add the bok choy last, but give it time to simmer also. Our broth tasted even better once the bok choy was given a chance to add its' flavor.

And there you have it. I'd give myself a solid B for my first attempt to cook bulalo. Not bad, considering I only watched youtube videos on how to cook it. Then again, it really isn't a complicated dish to begin with.

Out.

092/365 - Bad Things Happen

For all the bad days I've had, this one's for you.

You cannot avoid having bad days. Sometimes it's because of something you did, sometimes it's because of things beyond your control.

Out.

091/365 - NBA Global Games Philippines 2013

Jump ball!

This could very well be the one and only time I get to watch an NBA game. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Special thanks to my Mom, who gave me two tickets she got for free.

The first time two NBA teams play in the Philippines. I was there. 10th of October 2013, at SM Moa Arena.

Out.

Edit 13 Oct. 2013 - I apparently forgot to link the set I uploaded on Flickr. You can see some of my shots here.

090/365 - Food!!!

More goodies from Japan (by way of Sinapore)!!!

These snacks from Japan are just awesome. A bit too salty sometimes, but they do taste like real potatoes. Whatever they do to their chips, it preserves the actual potato taste.

Out.

088, 089/365 - Bumming at Home

I shouldn't even be smiling with this "extended vacation" of mine.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena visits our house this week.

Taking photos and blogging seem to be slowing down. Gotta force myself to be productive.

Out.

086, 087/365 - Bummer

Another pet is gone. Rest in peace, Cheng the Cat.

Waiting to be used again.

Last Saturday, October 5, 2013, our pet cat, Cheng, passed away early in the morning.

I think I wrote here a few weeks ago that Cheng got a lump on his back that was removed by our vet. Unfortunately that lump was malignant, and I guess the cancer had spread before the lump was removed.

I'm just glad he passed away quick. He "suffered" for two days only before expiring. At least it seemed like he was suffering for two days only.

Rest in peace, Cheng. You will be missed.

Two pets in one year. Bummer.

Out.

084, 085/365 - Recharging!

Dad, myself, and Mt. Banahaw at Nagsinamo near Lucban, Quezon.

Nañagas Clinic, "No. 1 Quezon Ave. Lucena City, Quezon Province."

As I said in my previous post, I went to my paternal grandparents' home in Lucena, Quezon with my dad and my daughter (and her yaya). There were plenty of reasons I wanted to go.

I wanted to bring my daughter there so she could see the place. I spent a good time of my childhood here, to be honest. My grandparents would borrow me for a week. I have lots of pleasant memories here, and it was a great rush of positive memories and emotions when I arrived last Wednesday.

I wanted Martina to visit my grandmother (her great grandmother) in her house. It meant a lot to my grandmother, and my ninang, and tita to have Martina visit. They've been asking my dad to bring her along there since she was around one-year old. Mission accomplished. They were as entertained with her as she was entertained with the house.

I needed to recharge. I got burnt out at my old job, and I needed to "disconnect" from Metro Manila. Those three days I spent there were huge in helping me feel better.

I wanted to visit Nagsinamo. That's a place near Lucban, Quezon. I went there with my dad to check the place out. It was a nice place, but it needs lots of work and resources, and a full-time caretaker, for it to be a better place. But I really can't see it working for reasons my dad and I agree upon but I will not divulge here.

All-in-all it was a great three days. Everyone enjoyed and we all went back to Metro Manila happy.

Out.

083/365 - Roots

My feet, 10/02/2013. Dad's feet, 01/04/1964.

It has been 11 years since I last visited my grandparents' place in Lucena, Quezon. Things are so different outside, but inside it's a rush of memories. I've been taking lots of photos so I have pictures of my memories here.

It's nice to return to this place. It is a chance to recharge and remember where I came from.

Out.

082/365 - Road Trip!

Ready for tomorrow's road trip.

I'm heading off to the province tomorrow. This trip has been scheduled since last August, and I am excited. I'm bringing Martina with me while Maica is away on her much needed vacation in Hong Kong with her mom and her siblings.

As for this photo, I'm actually very happy with the way the shot came out. I finally used my dad's tripod for our 90s camcorder. Because of the tripod I was able to shoot using ISO 100, meaning little noise on the photo. I was also able to set this shot up decently, and was able to manually adjust the color temperature for the white balance so I could get the colors like this. No post processing was done.

Out.