carol finds

Three years later...

2016-02-14T12:43:00.001+08:00

Hello there!

Yesterday, I chanced upon an old blog that shared interesting tales about family. Hey, I thought, I also ~~had~~ have a blog like that!

And so I logged in here and waves of nostalgia came over me. I was giggling, teary-eyed, awed, surprised... I felt a multitude of emotions all in an instant. From 2006 to 2013 (seven years!) I had faithfully written about my family, hobbies, work, adventures, shopping finds and so much more. I went through the posts one by one, read through the comments, and I realized that at one point in my life, I was an active blogger with strong ties to the local blogging community!

So what happened?

a) I plunged neck-deep into my job
b) I got lost in my adventures
c) Micro-blogging happened in Facebook and Instagram

But I never stopped writing.

I think this blog no longer has its old followers so I am unsure about continuing it. Maybe I will. But I have a crazy amount of blogs on my blogger homepage and I am inclined to continue one or two of them, I hope very soon :-)

Breakfast at the park

2013-04-11T07:13:00.001+08:00

Thursday mornings start really early for me, because my car is number-coded. This means I need to leave the house at 6am so I'd be off the road by 7am. I usually get to my parking slot at 6:30. Since the doors to my office normally open at past eight, I always have more than an hour and a half to spare.

I normally spend it at a nearby Starbucks, where I am forced to eat an unhealthy and expensive breakfast while aimlessly surfing the net.

Today, I had an idea. As I was packing my lunch, I decided to also pack some breakfast. I thought I'll find a cozy spot at the park beside my parking area.

What a lovely idea! Why did I think of this only now? It's quiet, breezy, bright, natural, and most of all, it's free!

The birds are fluttering by as I write. The line of joggers has thinned out. The sun is slowly rising, warm rays peering among the trees, casting soft shadows on the grass. Across me, a trio is doing tai-chi in total silence.

Today will be a beautiful day!

"Me" Trip, Day 3

2013-04-06T23:52:00.003+08:00

Day 3 was D day – everything else I needed to do, see, buy, eat was crammed from the moment I woke up to the time I needed to leave for the airport.

The tallest order of the day was to check out. I had packed the night before so all I had to do in the morning was take a shower and throw my night clothes and toiletries in my suitcase. And then I was good to go.

First stop:

The Andy Warhol 15 Minutes Eternal exhibit at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Amazing. Awesome. Astonishing. Words can not describe how fortunate I felt for being at the right place at the right time.

This fantastic escalator leading to the exhibit was a prelude to the incredible genius to the millionth degree that I was going to experience upstairs. (Thanks to the museum guard for taking my photo!)

His 15 minutes of fame will never ever run out.

Since picture-taking was not allowed inside, I had to save everything in the hard disk of my mind and heart. My aha moment: realizing I was face-to-face with the iconic Absolut Vodka masterpiece. I had tears in my eyes.

After relishing, absorbing, feeling, tasting, inhaling the exhibit, I was still in a trance that I didn't want to leave. I took tons of photos and made millions of memories.

Most definitely the best HK $20 I've spent ever!!!

Next I crossed the street to Canton Road to pick up some goodies for a friend.

For the last time, I passed these lovely two-toned daffodils.

My very late (and last) lunch was a yummy bowl of Chirashi washed with green tea.

Then I hopped on a train to Bute Street in Mongkok. I hadn't been to this area before, and it was going to be an exciting art adventure.

My heart fluttered as I entered the first store.

Paper. Water color. Oils. Acrylics. Crafts. Pencils. Pens – ball point pens, brush pens, calligraphy pens, technical pens, tattoo pens, fountain pens, fine pens, thick pens – every pen I can ever imagine... and love! I got erasable colored pencils, calligraphy pens, brush pens, tattoo pens, a copper pen, among others.

Had I known years ago that this row of art shops existed, I probably would have splurged here than at H&M or Ikea. I stopped myself from buying an entire calligraphy set that had 10 colors of ink. Hours later, I would regret not buying it. But I was happy with a book with new font styles.

Down the road from Bute Street was an entire row of aquarium fish and other paraphernalia.

Tired and happy, I took the train back to Tsim Sha Tsui but not without another stop at Typo at Cotton On Granville for last minute pasalubongs. I rested for a couple of hours at the hostel where I quietly closed my first "me" adventure – hopefully the first of many.

At the airport, I had my last meal in Hong Kong – the third in my Tonkatsu mission – at Saboten.

"Me" trip done. Happy, recharged, fulfilled. It's time to start planning the next one :-)

"Me" Trip, Day 2

2013-03-09T14:49:00.004+08:00

Whenever I'm in another country, I make it a point to wake up early. Sayang oras.

Besides, who'd want to miss this sight?

I had earlier thought of taking the train to Jordan and Mongkok but changed my mind and walked toward Star Ferry station. But instead of taking the ferry to Central, I took the one to Wanchai, for a change. Next I took a bus to Causeway Bay.

There was a spring to my step. I wore a pair of sparkly sneakers I had bought for my daughter the night before.

First stop was a quick, late breakfast at a favorite place.

I wove through the shops leisurely, skipping the usual Times Square and Sogo. And when it was time for lunch, I headed to Tonkichi at World Trade Center. I am on a Tonkatsu mission on this trip. This is part 1.

The interiors were warm and beautiful.

The stoneware was earthy and heavy.

But the tonkatsu was overcooked and tasteless.

I was very disappointed since I paid soooo much for this meal, more than twice the price of Yabu's Kurobuta pork. What I got had too much litid, the panko crust too toasted. And I actually didn't taste the linamnam of the pork. Sayang ang calories, cholesterol and trans fat.

I left Causeway Bay with a heavy heart, but I had to move on to erase the memory of this meal. Central was bright and busy as usual. This panda display in IFC Mall cheered me up somehow.

I got tired looking for Tim Ho Wan's newly opened store. Frustrated (strike 2) that I wasn't able to try this cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world, I headed back to Tsim Sha Tsui.

At the K11 Art Mall which was a block from my hotel, my day had a sudden turn-around.

K11 Select showcases local designers and craftsmen. Deep inside the area was an art gallery where artist wannabes can join group painting and pottery sessions.

One of the aisles was lit up by these awesome animal lamps made of handmade paper!

Another store had a a creative explosion of handmade accessories and other incredible works of wearable art.

Even these yogurt sundaes looked like calorific masterpieces.

I was ready to call it a day so I made my way back to my hostel.

But I was waylaid once more by another mall along the way... and this dessert lovin' duck!

For dinner, I was choosing between Ebeneezer's Kebabs and the curry balls across the street. The balls won.

And half of it ended up in the garbage bin.

'Me' trip, day 2 – you win some, you lose some.

"Me" Trip, Day 1

2013-03-09T01:08:00.000+08:00

One ordinary day about a week before my birthday, I decided I'd do something unusual. Inspired by a blog I had read, I made plans to go to Hong Kong – by myself.

It was a fresh and bold idea that surprised some but excited many. Why not? My friends cheered me on.

I wasn't worried because I'd been to Hong Kong about thirty times in the past, and I knew its many districts by heart. I wouldn't mind getting lost though, it will be an adventure. For once, it felt like I'd have my happy place all to myself. No one to wake up for breakfast; no one to ask where to have lunch; no one to meet up for dinner. No pressure, no consultations, no compromise.

And the universe agreed. I got a good online rate from Cathay Pacific, received confirmation from a hip hostel, worked around my schedules in the office, and bought a last-minute travel insurance plan via SMS.

The day after my birthday, I took off on my solo flight.

It was chilly when I arrived in Hong Kong. I rode an A21 bus to the city and settled into this simple but lovely room.

...with a whimsical mural of graceful elks wearing red stilettos, prancing among autumn-colored trees that happily swayed to their left.

It was past 2pm when I took off for lunch, purposely toward one of the few fixed items in my 'no-itinerary' itinerary – Din Tai Fung on Silvercord Plaza on Canton Road.

I was welcomed by a warm cup of tea.

And the most awesome pork chop rice my family went crazy about last year

The next hours were spent in a happy blur, crossing streets, checking out shops, gaping at lovely sights, taking in both the strange and the familiar – all in a whole new, solo light.

Like the flowers that lined the mall.

And all these chocolates big and small.

The night air on Nathan Road pulsed with a rhythm I felt as my feet hit the pavement, at pace with locals and tourists in a hurry.

I stopped when I saw this new four-storey Cotton On that had all these wonderful stuff from Typo.

I was so full from my first day experience that I forgot about dinner and went straight to dessert.

'Me' trip, day 1? Been there. Done that.

Twin Favors

2012-07-29T12:03:00.003+08:00

Living in a close-knit neighborhood, my family anticipated visits from our neighbors – twin little girls with full bangs and smiling eyes. It was fun to have two of everything – singing nursery rhymes, playing with dolls, running and jumping around.

Fast forward decades later to a text message I got a couple of months ago from one of them, asking for help in putting together souvenirs for their upcoming 40th birthday party. "40?!?!? Di ba 5 lang kayo?" Honestly, I thought they were forever young.

The party was barely three weeks away at the time we began planning. he task was not easy: to find unique, practical and age-appropriate gifts for their various guests – ranging from teen-agers to septuagenarians. Needless to say, each party favor had to have the obvious concept: twins!

After lots of research (online and on foot) and a few rounds of presentation and approval, we came up with these:

For couples, twin frames tied together with ribbons. Framed inside are the names of each couple.


			For the oldies, twin boxes of tea...

...with twin teabag plates on top.

For the teens, twin cord bracelets with metal charms inside these bag-shaped favor boxes.

The twins reported that the favors were a huge hit! And that they almost ran out of them because each guest wanted to have one of each favor :-)

Bangkok, Round 6 – in photos

2012-07-22T18:47:00.000+08:00

On my sixth visit to Bangkok, I told myself, "I really must check out some temples." It's embarrassing to admit that I've been to almost every mall, but the closest I've been to a temple is that shrine outside Central World. Eh mall pa rin yun.

We stayed at my sis-in law Cherry's and her Thai husband Tony's home in the outskirts of Bangkok, in Casaville Watcharapol, Saimai.

It's hard to believe that this picturesque village was underwater for over three weeks due to that major flood, forcing families to stay in hotels in higher areas.

The day after I arrived, we went to Megabangna – a newly opened mall that held much promise – the first and only Ikea and Cotton On stores in Bangkok.

Ikea Bangkok seemed less expensive than HK and Singapore. It was really frustrating that the really nice stuff were so affordable but were too big and heavy to bring home to Manila.

But of course, Ikea is never just about furniture. There's always Ikea Food.

Gravlax Salad

Chicken wings

Swedish meatballs with baby potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberry jam

I was excited to check out Cotton On because it had a home and stationery section called Typo. I must have lingered here for over an hour.

At Megabangna, every single shop was on sale. It was my first time to see a Cath Kidston store, and I couldn't breathe!

And then there was this really cute bakeshop. Apparently, The Icing Room is a Singapore-based bakeshop with really nice cakes.

The next days were spent in various retail meccas: Future Park, Platinum, Paragon, Siam Discovery, Siam Center (which had a crazy renovation sale of up to 90% off) and Central World. I skipped MBK, Chatuchak and Panthip this time.

I got blissfully lost in Loft. But that's expected.

I was thrilled to find one item on Josh's wish list.

Han Solo in Carbonite Silicon Ice Tray. Cool!

A few stores away, this crafts shop, Goose, called my name out loud.

Martha Stewart crafts – punchers, embossers, stamps, etc.

But the real star of this trip was the endless food – really good and unbelievably cheap. Amazing value.

Chicken rice near the Thai-Canada sports club – simple, succulent, satisfying.

Chicken Rice

...deliciously washed away with the refreshing tang of Sampalok and Chrysanthemum juice.

A late steak and ribs lunch at Farm Chokchai.

Baby Back Ribs

This steak was not even 200 baht

Early dinner at Banana House, our default meeting place at the Sala Daeng station.

Baked clams in a lovely clay dish with individual lids.

Mango Sticky Rice – the mango was really sweet!

Pad Thai of course. We brought four orders home. And I mean Manila.

The following night, we stuffed ourselves at the Mediterranean place next door.

A trio of exotic dips.

Sidings in style.

We couldn't finish this huge mound of Tabouleh.

Yummy Hummus.

Beef Kebabs for the macho.

But we keep going back to the food court at the basement of Paragon.

Pad Thai.

Crispy Sliced Pork

Salmon Bagel from Au Bon Pain

The food court on the sixth floor of Platinum never disappoints. Mura na, masarap pa.

This is how it looks without the crowds.

Fruit juice counter.

Noodles with seafood.

Oyster cake.

There is a always a feast waiting by the roadside at the entrance of Casaville.

Chicken rice lady.

Iced coffee stall.

Barbecue stall selling chicken and catfish.

Chicken rice. 25 baht.

Fat ass.

Chicken barbecue.

On our last night, we stopped by a restaurant near the river to celebrate my husband's birthday.

Crab fried rice with huge chunks of real crabmeat.

Butterflied fried sea bass.

Mango salad that came with the fish.

Sidings.

A spicy prawn dish.

Swensen's Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake.

Always, Bangkok empties my pockets and fills up my stomach.

But I just keep coming back. And promising to make that trip to a temple!

What do you love most about Bangkok? Leave a comment and tell me about it!

Other Bangkok-related posts here, here and here.

Words with Friends

2012-05-26T19:31:00.001+08:00

I was introduced to Words with Friends by my officemates last year, and I've been playing it often ever since. In the beginning, I'd compete with random people, but lately, I settled to playing only with friends.

Words with Friends not only challenged my vocabulary. It honed my skill to recognize potential words among scrambled letters, as well as find the highest possible score on the board for the word/s I had.

I've won some and lost some. Some games I won by a landslide, others by a hairline. Some were finished in a couple of hours, others took forever. But I put my heart (and mind) in every tile I set on the board. I set high standards for myself – no score less than 20 points. Never open a window for the opponent to get a triple word score, unless it will lead to another triple word score for me. Scramble, scramble, scramble forever until the best word appears. Save Q's, Z's, Xs and J's for triple letter boxes.

On light days, I play soon after I get a notification that my opponent has taken his turn. On busy days, it takes a day or two before I play my turn.

I often feel guilty that the time I take playing Words with Friends can be better spent – like maybe chilling in bed with my family to watch a movie, updating this blog, or even stringing some beads for a necklace or a bracelet.

One day, I received this message:

G is a friend I started playing Words with Friends with about three months ago. We went to the same elementary and high school, rode the same school service, and, years later, even found ourselves taking the same blue Metro Manila Transit bus from Crossing ibabaw to Diliman. She moved to the US after college, and I've seen her only once since then. We found each other again online, first on Friendster, and years later, Facebook. It was in this manner I learned that her husband had been battling cancer.

Her message was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I replied and said our game is an indication of my virtual presence, that I "am here for her." I realized then that in playing Words with Friends, I sort of gave her some company in that cold and lonely room. In playing Words with Friends, her mind blocked off her fears, even for a minute at a time. In playing Words with Friends, I held her hand each time she tapped her tiles on the gameboard.

Last week I received another message from her, saying she will be flying to Manila next month to visit her mother, who had not been well.

Fast forward to this morning. I invited G to new game, and started with this word.

Then I logged on to Facebook to check my feeds. It was then that I found out that her mom had passed away last night. I quickly sent her a message of sympathy. Then I kicked myself for the sheer bad timing of starting a new game. And entering the most inappropriate word.

I sent G another message, this time on the chat window of Words with Friends, apologizing for the wrong timing, and assuring her that she can always count on me this way – one word at a time.

She replied:

Then she entered her word:

Words with Friends. How apt. How awesome.

The Happy Birthday I missed

2012-05-06T11:02:00.000+08:00

I have a confession to make. My knees (and toes and fingers) – go weak at the sight of new colors of nail polish. I don't really call my boxful a collection but more of a happy bunch – happiness I share with my teen daughter.

For months, I was lusting over this:

A 2010 Deborah Lippmann glitter polish that I missed in Rustan's but have been seeing all over the web. What makes it special? It's a bottleful of celebration. It's a burst of confetti in every stroke. It's joy. It's sunshine. It's a present wrapped in graffiti paper and tied with a rainbow.

And then serendipity happened once more (the same serendipitous MTR train ride here) when I decided to take an exit different from the one closest to my hotel in Hong Kong last year.

My heart stopped when I saw a shop filled with nail polish from floor to ceiling. Naturally, my eyes were drawn to my 'birthday wish'.

Finally! I looked away as I handed the sales girl my precious HK$200 (they cost $195 – much more expensive than the P895 price in Rustan's but I just had to give in). It will be perfect to wear on my own Happy Birthday – two months later, in January.

And so Christmas passed and work took over my life. I even worked on my birthday. Who'd remember a fancy little promise made to self?

Two months later, I found the time to open my boxful of happy things. Deborah Lippman Happy Birthday? Really? I had one? (A bottle or a birthday?)

I did not waste any more time. I quickly did a self-mani... and celebrated my Happy Birthday in March :-)

The consumer's rights

2012-01-19T08:10:00.008+08:00

We were approaching the sale shoe rack in Rustan's Gateway when Cara showed me this:

Leather thong sandals from Libby Edelman (jowa ni Sam Edelman pero mas affordable ang mga shoeses ni misis). It had a red tag on the sole and was on sale at 50% off. "Game!," I said. We looked at another pair then asked the sales girl for our size.

The salesgirl came back with the second pair, which didn't quite fit our feet well. Then we had to wait a bit for the Libby Edelman pair. When it came, we took turns fitting it (sharing shoes always justifies the price). Then we paid for it using EPS (Express Payment System). While processing the payment, the salesgirl even told the cashier, "Ang laki ng nabawas 'no?"

We had gone around the store for a good 15 minutes when the salesgirl approached us and asked us to come with her to the sales counter. There, the cashier said that the shoes we got were not really on sale.

What the...? I protested. We all saw the red sticker on the sole. They called their manager who verified what happened and stated that the style did not belong to the sale rack. By this time, I saw the original one already placed on another table. I got it and showed her where I first saw it, as well as the red tag. She made an attempt to remove it. Then she apologized and said it's really not on sale. The salesgirl also said she had already debited my card.

Calmly but firmly (I was boiling mad inside but I had to be cool and authoritative), I said, "Sige. Isosoli ko yan. Pero ire-report ko kayo sa DTI. Kasi, according to DTI rules*, the customer should only pay the price that is on the tag. Kukunan ko 'to ng picture."

I took out my phone. And then I dropped the bomb. "Pati kayong lahat, kukunan ko ng picture."

They all looked at each other and then the manager said, "Sige, ma'm. Ok na. Kami na lang bahalang mag-ayos."

The shoes were not on sale??? Eh may red tag? At nasa sale rack? And what if we had left the store immediately after we paid for the shoes?

We walked away not feeling a hundred percent happy, knowing that the manager will make the clueless salesgirl absorb the price difference. But it felt good that I had stood my ground, and taught my daughter an important lesson in 'consumership'.

I feel an extra spring in my step wearing these sandals today.

* The provision on Price Tag, under R.A. 7394, requires that all consumer products sold in retail to the public shall bear an appropriate price tag, label, or marking indicating the price of the article. Such consumer products shall not be sold at a price higher than that stated in the price tag.

*As stated in Republic Act 71 and Articles 81 to 83 of the Consumer Act of the Philippines or R.A. No. 7394, "It shall be unlawful to offer any consumer product for retail sale to the public without an appropriate price tag, label or marking publicly displayed to indicate the price of each article and said products shall not be sold at a price higher than that stated therein and without discrimination to all buyers."

DTI Assistant Secretary Angel L. Pelayo emphasized the significance of the Price Tag and reiterated that "consumers should not pay any amount higher than the price tag or price list displayed."

Learn more about The 8 Basic Consumer rights here.

My dream junk!

2011-12-26T13:44:00.005+08:00

Do you not crave something sweet after eating something salty, and vice versa? Continuously, endlessly, parang gulong ng buhay?

On a holiday trip to Rustan's, I found this:

Eat this when you crave something sweet. Or something salty. The good thing is you don't have to keep on switching between chocolates and potato chips. Let's say it's the perfect alternative to Royce's Chocolate Covered Potato Chips. Cheaper. Easier to pop in your mouth. And impossible to stop eating.

On the 'bright' side, this could be 'more nutritious'! ZERO cholesterol, hahaha! :D

My Trip to Paris

2011-12-24T10:28:00.007+08:00

... happened in Hong Kong. In about 12 bites.

A year after I first saw the La Maison du Chocolat store in IFC Mall, I was itching to finally give in. But after going around in circles, I couldn't locate the shop. Then serendipity (an experimental MTR stop) led me to Elements Mall.

I took a deep breath and picked six precious flavors of French macarons. Then I took a deeper breath as I paid for them.

I just had to put the treasure inside this

And that completes my Paris experience... for now!

Origami you can wear

2011-03-27T11:12:00.015+08:00

This post spans eight months and three countries.

In July last year, I got this at the crafts shelf of Kinokuniya in Bangkok.

I have long been looking for new ways to take my craft forward. I wanted to do something unique and beautiful. Inspiration (and directions) in hand, I searched for materials here in Manila. I found none. None in bookstores, none in Japanese surplus shops. The closest I found was handmade paper. But the texture was not crisp enough for folding.

And then my friend went to Tokyo so I asked her to get me these.

But before she could come back, I went to Singapore and found these.

Then I got really busy with work. It took some time before I could go into a folding frenzy.

Paper folding is not as easy as it sounds, especially when you want to make it a wearable art. I went through a long trial and error phase. The fragile paper kept tearing where it was held by a head pin so I needed to place a flat but sizable stopper inside. To avoid crumpling and getting wet, I sprayed it with Polyurethane (which was more expensive than a pack of paper). To keep the pendant in place, it had to lay flat on the chest so I put a sturdy plastic lining inside the inner wing. Leather cords look perfect but they're too light to hold the paper down.

And now that everything seems ok, I am ready to show this to the world.

11 random things my mother did in her lifetime

2011-01-11T22:00:00.000+08:00

Today, 1/11/11, is my mother's birthday. She would have been 81.

My mother was the Martha Stewart of my youth. She was a Home Ec teacher who had magic hands that could cook, bake, sew, plant, type, embroider, crochet and above everything else, care for her small family.

Mommy...
1. Made kamias candy. She harvested a palanggana of kamias from the tree in the backyard, dried them out in the sun in a bilao, boiled them in sugared syrup, wrapped them in white cellophane and amazed everyone who tasted them.

2. Bottled and canned tomatoes. She bought tens of kilos of large tomatoes, peeled them, brined them, and stuffed them in sterilized jars.

3. Molded chocolates, long before it became a fad. She tapped the molds continuously on the table until the air bubbles rose to the surface.

4. Ground her own peanuts for Kare-kare. She inherited a heavy metal grinder from my lola, which she also used to grind meat for longganisa.

5. Learned to play the guitar at 40. One day, from out of the blue, she asked my father to drive her to Sta. Mesa to buy a Lumanog guitar.

6. Wove yarn into doormats. Thick yarn bought in Divisoria were cut into short strips then hooked with a large crochet needle onto a mesh, then knotted to stay in place.

7. Cut out dainty, multi-petaled flowers from carrot slices to make the prettiest jars of achara.

8. Cultured nata de coco in wide-mouthed jars in the cold, dark spot under the stairs.

9. Made coffee and cheese-flavored pastillas when everyone else only made pastillas de leche.

10. Raised golden kuhol in a garden pond and was thrilled with the raspberry-like eggs they'd lay on its side.

11. Turned our garage into a walk-in birdcage and raised doves, strawberry finch, bato-bato, mayas, lovebirds and a peacock.

I can continue this list until it reaches 1,111 and it may still not include every crazy yet creative thing my mother did in her lifetime – all of 72 well-lived years by this woman who is 1-1-1-of a kind.

Pad Thai

2010-07-17T18:53:00.004+08:00

I don't remember exactly when I had my first Pad Thai; it must have been in that purpl-y Thai place in Mile Long in the 80's (Taste of Thailand?). It awakened a dormant taste bud in my tongue, and confused the rest: how can any dish taste so savory and yet so fresh? And sweet? And spicy?

On my first trip to Bangkok in the 9o's, I made sure I tried the real one. On the trips that followed, I had Pad Thai in every food hall I visited. I swear I never met a Pad Thai I didn't like.

Early this month, my entire family went on a Pad Thai trip, and by this time, our Thai connection had gone beyond noodles. My sister-in-law had married a Thai, and had given birth to two cute little Thai-Pi's.

Who could lead us to the best Pad Thai but my Thai brother-in-law Tony? On the way home from the airport, he asked us what we wanted for a late dinner. Our combined thought and dialog balloons said, "Pad Thai." He gladly stopped by a stall in his neighborhood, and came back with three treasure chests. "Two ordinary noodles, one glass noodles," he smiled as he walked back to this hungry Pinoy gang, glassy-eyed from the midnight budget flight we just took.

Stir-fried on a manang's wok, sprinkled with a Tuk Tuk's dust, sprayed with roadside germs, it was the best Pad Thai we ever had. They've always said Thai street food was the best. How true! The succeeding ones we had paled in comparison: at the Food loft in Central Silom, at the Food Hall in Paragon, at a roadside restaurant, and the last one at the airport lounge.

The flavors of this Pad Thai will remain in our hearts and tongues for a very long time. Just as it will always remind us of the Thai ties we have forever!

Saving (it) for a rainy day

2010-05-09T00:00:00.001+08:00

I was in a bookstore browsing through a table of items on sale when a stack of magnets caught my attention:

What lovely illustrations of great writers, too pretty to stick a take-out menu on a ref door with! Plus I'd need to buy a new ref for these lovely magnets. Not. As I continued browsing, I found something that made me gasp: The loveliest umbrella with the same great women writers! My knees weakened. I MUST have this. But then I saw another umbrella in green and purple, but it was wrapped in plastic and I couldn't open it. I got confused. Will I get the blue one or the green one? Or both? I couldn't decide so I panicked. I went out of the store without buying anything.

Oh, did I tell you that the items were all marked 60% off?

I could not sleep that night. I confessed to my stupidity to my family and then made up my mind to go call the store in the morning. But not before I searched the Internet for photos of the stuff. I found out that the green umbrella only had Virginia Woolf on all panels. Now, I want the blue one. No, I really really want the blue one.
PS. If you see someone singing and dancing in the rain under a pretty umbrella, you don't have to wonder who it is :-)

Totem Clay

2010-03-01T16:49:00.004+08:00

Remember my friend, the Madonnaro?

Joel Yau is up to yet another amazing new 'hobby':

Clay totem poles! As totem poles go, this one is six feet tall and took about two months to make... and bake. Playful and whimsical, it looks like a delightful kebob of all things fun!

Here's a detail of the totem clay, which he intends to install in his front yard soon. Well, there's room in my front yard for this, too, Joel!

L'occitaine hand creme

2010-02-26T13:58:00.008+08:00

My good friend gave me this for my trip last year, in anticipation of the bitter cold I was up for. This little tube saved my hands from looking like crocodile skin and feeling like the Sahara. To this day, I use it even at the onset of summer. Apparently the root of dry skin is not just the weather... it's age! :-( which reminds me...
-------
J: Mom, you have lotion on your face.
Me: It's not lotion, it's anti-aging cream...
J: Good luck!

OMG Origami

2010-02-25T17:40:00.002+08:00

Have you ever seen anything like these at all? Incredible creativity, patience, imagination, precision, etc. Someday, I want to grow up to be an origamista :D

Found at Narita Airport, Dec. 2009

My new favorite snack

2010-02-06T17:00:00.002+08:00

Healthy, non fattening, fiber rich, with an incredible crunch. Been munching on these for weeks now and I have happily converted many!

I'd like to equate its cost to a bag of Lay's – without the calories!

Available at S&R (P99) and at Hypermart and Shopwise (P100). But I believe the ones in S&R are fresher and therefore crunchier.

Go try them now, hunny bunnies!

Copco Eco-First Acadia Mug

2010-01-19T23:12:00.005+08:00

Take a disposable idea and turn it into a recyclable one – that's what this Copco mug is all about. Inspired by those iconic Starbucks paper cups, this awesome mug is made of BPA-free plastic and is washable, microwavable, reusable, affordable and most definitely... lovable!

Found at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

When in Tokyo...

2010-01-05T08:19:00.006+08:00

My fight to the US had a brief stop over at the Narita Airport and it was enough to get me excited. My friend had fallen asleep throughout the flight from Manila and had completely missed all her meals, so she wanted to grab a bite at McDonalds. I was mortified at the thought and insisted on getting a 'proper' Japanese meal. After all, it was going to be my first meal in Japan... it's got to be the real deal, kahit fast food lang noh!

My Chirasi up close.

And on top.

A wrong order mistakenly served to my friend.

My friend's Japanese steak.

I spent the rest of the three hour-stop over ogling at Japanese goodies and marveling at the intricate origami... photos in the next post!

I bagged it!

2010-01-03T23:07:00.002+08:00

I didn't like it that I had to wait till my last day in the US to go to Barnes & Noble. Sadly, a trip to the bookstore was not on the priority list of my companions. But I could not leave without visiting one. And so I kindly asked a good friend to take me. And I was not disappointed.

I scream

2010-01-01T18:54:00.009+08:00

...for an ice cream maker!

I got this on my recent US trip, packed it in a balikbayan box and is now on its way to my kitchen! Been wanting this for the past five years. I can't wait!

Now I badly need to get a copy of David Lebovitz' The Perfect Scoop.

The Ukay-Ukay Adventures of the Shopaholic Twins

2009-07-19T09:08:00.011+08:00

It all began with Candy Magazine. Their friend Jasmine came out in several spreads in the July issue. Jas, 15, a student in Melbourne and younger sister of actress Anne Curtis, was Budget Babe, with clothes scored for P100 from a Cubao ukay - ukay. Inspiration! Lust! Envy!

And so Cara nagged me endlessly to take her and shopping twin Bea there. After a night of surfing for Cubao ukays, we finally knew where to go. Sus, dun lang pala. Off 'thrifting' we went – as Jane of seaofshoes calls this fascination.

(Senior shopaholic's note: these juniors have recently discovered the highs of shopping and together can be a very dangerous combination: so full of energy yet so nonchalant about cost, oh well, they knew it was dirt cheap anyway.)

A strange, musky smell greeted us the moment we entered the cavernous hall – literally filled to the rafters with previously owned clothes. And bags. And shoes.
The girls had a single-minded search objective: boots. They attacked the racks and were quickly disappointed to discover that absolutely no pair fit their gigantic feet (size 9 for Cara and 10 for Bea). And so they vented their passion on the jackets instead.

One hour and four stores later, we had a haul of eight jackets and sweaters, 1 hoodie, 1 blouse and one bag among the three of us – everything for less then three thousand pesos.

The most fab find of the day – Bea's cropped red leather jacket: P250 from Fashion Delight.

Cara's Gossip Girl top: P250 from Dezibel.

Now, bring out the Lysol :-)