Fabricated Thoughts

National Coloring Book Day Philippines 2015

2015-08-09T04:16:00.000+08:00

A week ago, I hosted the first ever National Coloring Book Day event here in the Philippines. Together with my partners and sponsors, we welcomed everyone at The Warrior Poet Art Cafe inside the Cubao Expo compound.

But before we get to that in details, let me first talk about how it all started.

I first learned about adult coloring book when my officemate, Muffie, gave me a surprise gift for my birthday. By the way, Muffie and I share the same birth date. Yes, we were both born on June 16. I use to think she's like my coincidental twin.

Muffie editing our bookmark samples with her Birthday cupcake from Cuppacakes

Anyway, that was the first time I've ever laid eyes on a coloring book for adults. It never cross my mind that there was such a thing like this. I flipped the pages over and over and when I kept it aside, I couldn't take my mind off it. They were the most beautiful designs I have ever seen. I knew immediately I had to finish work early so I could start coloring atleast one page.

My first colored page from Creative Haven Mosaic.

It seemed difficult to do the first time you try your hands on it. Sometimes, you'll even feel intimidated or overwhelmed by the designs. But I shook off those feelings. So every time I get a chance, I color. Day and night, I painstakingly try to finish my first ever colored page. After a week of hard work I showed Muffie my finished page. She was ecstatic! She marveled at my color combinations. I was seriously happy.

Since then, I started bringing my coloring materials to work. When we all go for lunch I'd still bring my stuff. Sometimes, while I eat, I color. Some other times I just don't eat at all just to have more time to color. But, readers, don't do that. That's wrong. It's not good for your health. Not good at all.

Shortly after my 2nd finished page was when Muffie and I started taking coloring more seriously. And by this time we've already joined an international group on Facebook called Coloring Books for Adults. Also, by this time Muffie and another co-worker have already purchased a coloring book for themselves. And before we knew it we were already forming a mini-group of coloring fanatics!

My 2nd work

My 3rd work

By July 9, 2015, Coloring Book for Adults - Philippines was formed. As soon as I've created the group page on Facebook, I learned that our international counterpart was going to conduct a Natioinal Coloring Book Day on August 2. I acted almost immediately the moment I knew that we only had 3 weeks to make things happen.

Atlas, we came to this.

National Coloring Book Day Philippines 2015 - Official Poster

Together with our international partners - National Coloring Book day, Dover Publications and Meet up and awesome sponsors - Craft Carrot, Frou Frou Crafts, Kolorista and Girl Travel Factor we made the impossible, possible.

Dover Publications provided us with the National Coloring Book Day Edition sheets that were given for FREE during the event. They also tied up with Meet Up to serve as official online event planner for everyone who wants to host "meet ups" or events. I applied as the host for Manila, Philippines. And after series of email exchanges with Amanda from Dover Publications they gave me the official host title for the National Coloring Book day in Manila, PH. Wew!

I learned about Craft Carrot from a former office mate who posted on the group page about an event in Ayala Museum where they are going to be a part of. I looked them up and learned from their website that they've got a widest array of pens, paint brushes and other coloring materials I have ever seen. They have items that are most of the time not found at the local supplies store. Carrot Craft is your number choice for specialty arts and crafts retailer in the Philippines.

Jaelle Andrada-Albaniel of Frou Frou Crafts is like our local handmade accessories and coloring books queen. Yes, that's right. She makes handmade coloring books. I think before the event, Muffie and I had this silent burning anticipation to meet her. We wanted to let her know how amazingly talented we think she is and how much we want to support her in the local scene.

Kolorista is my brainchild. With a little help from my boyfriend, Vince and Muffie, Kolorista came to life. We offer hand-painted clipboards, so you can easily work on your coloring book sheets and Kolorista tie-dyed shirts for souvenirs.

Girl Travel Factor is Muffie's very own blog. She's a travel bug you see. But she's a brilliant photographer too. When we're out of town with the team, you can expect that she'd be out there, either snorkeling for sea creatures or taking photos of everything under the sun.

And speaking of photos. Let's end this post with some of the photos that Muffie took during the event. Enjoy look at them and we hope to see you at our next event. Cheers!

National Coloring Book Day 2015 Edition Sheets. These were the give aways for all the event attendees. We hope you were able to get your own copy. They're absolutely beautiful.

National Coloring Book Day Philippines 2015 at the Warrior Poet Art Cafe

Me & Vince wearing Kolorista Tie Dyed Shirts with friends

My brother and my sister at the National Coloring Book Day Philippines 2015 event. My brother tried to join the On-The-Spot Coloring Contest but couldn't finish his work on time. Sorry bro, better luck next time.

This is Jennifer, an officemate and the August Artist of the Month in our group. She got herself a gift pack from our awesome sponsors Craft Carrot, Frou Frou Crafts and Kolorista. Congratulations!

This is Joenell, our On The Spot Coloring Contest Winner. He also got himself a gift pack from our awesome sponsors Craft Carrot, Frou Frou Crafts and Kolorista. Congratulations!

My Sharpie, Typography, Hand-Written Letterings Habit

2015-06-13T08:00:00.000+08:00

One day I bought 3 Sharpie pens in Black, Silver and Gold. I don't really have anything in mind to do with them when I bought them, but I just bought them. I know I wanted to something creatively and I wanted to use a Sharpie, but I never thought I'd do something like this.

It's called hand-written lettering. Typography? I'm not exactly sure. Anyway, when I bought my Sharpie pens it was the week before the Holy week. So I had a lot of preparation done. Like these:

My first hand-written lettering for Vince and I

Lyrics from one of my favorite songs Space Oddity by David Bowie

I did this when I got sick and couldn't come to work. Can't remember if I showed this to my boss, he would've been impressed.

Done during the Philippine National Day of Valor.

When Holy week started I still came to work. So, since I couldn't be able to go to churches and pray I did a lot of these instead:

Monday

Tuesday

This Wednesday theme is awful.

Thursday

Lastly, Friday

Cheers to creativity!

Pet-Friendly Hotel in Patar Beach Bolinao, Pangasinan

2015-06-13T00:08:00.000+08:00

The title is the giveaway here you know.

I had been on the look out for pet-friendly places to go to around Metro Manila for so long. Of course the usual places will come up - UP grounds (too bad you can't let your dog go off the leash anymore), Marikina Riverbanks, Eastwood Citywalk, Tiendesitas and BGC grounds.

But the thing is, almost all of these places I mentioned are filled with people. People who may not be fond of having pets around. I know it's all right, but I feel for them. I mean, when I'm not with my dog and I ate at an al fresco dining, I wouldn't want other people's dogs to be messing around my availed personal space. I mean, come on! Don't just let your dog wander, tighten up the leash a bit so to make sure he stays close to you.

Anyway, last year, my friends and I went for a weekend getaway in Bolinao. Vince gave me the idea that Boom is the type of dog who loves to swim. Goldies are rescue dogs remember? They can even save people from drowning. So that's it. Forget about the pet-friendly parks, restaurants and malls. We're taking Boom to the beach!

Vince and Boom in front of G Hotel

G Hotel is a beach front hotel facing Patar Beach in Bolinao, Pangasinan is one of the few hotels out of town that allows guests to bring their pets around. This is where we went along with Boom, my Golden Retriever, so he can try for the very first time how to swim. Bolinao is a 5-6 hours drive from Manila. I think it took us about that time because we had a couple of stop overs to let Boom out of his cage for a while. There were really a lot of things that Vince and I did to make sure that Boom is prepared or this trip. Because going out of town with a pet dog is first time for all of us. Here are some of them:

1. House trained him for about a month (because I never really seriously house trained him before).

2. We made him ride the cab with us for longer hours so we can observe how he reacts while in transit and if he can last the long ride.

3. Combed his hair well every night so he won't shed a lot of hair while we're sharing a dorm type room with friends.

4. And most importantly trained him to listen to my voice, to be obedient, to pay attention and to do as I command.

Although, swimming is our main goal for Boom, we couldn't really anything about it yet of course. Unless we have swimming pool. Which we don't. Here are some photos I took around G Hotel. I took a lot of panoramic shots - which I know you will too, if you've been there - because the scene is exquisitely beautiful.

G Hotel beach front

Vince and I loved our weekend getaway in G Hotel. I think Boom loved the place too. The dorm type room we got is so spacious Boom could walk and jump around without hitting anybody. It has 6 bunk beds and 2 queen sized beds with the most comfortable mattresses I had ever slept on. There were lots of tables outside too. Although we almost had the place to ourselves, I think even if this place was fully booked, people won't have trouble moving around. I haven't told you the best part yet. UNLIMITED BREWED COFFEE!!!

The unlimited brewed coffee served in G Hotel is something we need to talk about. People, this is serious. I mean, when I start talking about coffee in a totally unrelated blog post like this, it's something. It's definitely something ridiculously serious. Ok, sorry. Anyway, the G Hotel coffee is absolutely perfect. It really made me a lot happier about my stay. Every morning I wake up and I drank that coffee, I felt great. I literally felt great. I came home dreaming of owning that pot of coffee that I totally forgot to ask what brand of coffee are they using. That's another reason to come back, right?

There are so many ways we can show love to our pet. Whether it be by giving them treats, giving them a hug, scratching their tummies and all. But we preferred it this way. We wanted to show Boom how much we love him by giving him the chance to explore and have fun. We want him to learn new things and experience new things. We want him to be active and stay healthy as much as possible.

Most importantly, we want him to be really happy.

Must Write Again

2014-11-03T20:40:00.001+08:00

Assuming you don't know, I was once a mighty blogger. I would blog all day and everyday ranting and raving about so many things in life at that time. Trending, selfies, foodies and ootd's weren't much of a thing back then so the everyday writing was more like really your own personal thoughts about your life bruhahas.

Now, what do I write? Like I mentioned earlier, we now have a lot to talk about that didn't existed before such as trending, selfies, foodies, ootd's and even travel logs (budgeting and story-telling). But would I want to write about those? I don't know. We'll probably see in the next coming days.

For now, let me leave you with this note:

I'm currently typing away at the office laptop of this new company I'm working for - Sourcefit. Nice and helpful people got me through the day. Now I'm just waiting to get a Skype call from my boss in Lexington (not sure if it's the one from Kentucky where my favorite Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell was from, or the one from Massachusetts). I'm excited I don't know why.

Anyway, so, here's the thing. I wanna challenge my self again. I mentioned earlier that once I was blogging. I had a challenge to my self back then. I told my self I wanna be famous virtually. I want people to read a lot about me whenever they type my name on say Google. I want to do that again.

I'm challenging my self to write/blog for 30 Days straight to be posted here on Fabricated Thoughts. But before I start on that, I need to set some ground rules. Here they are:

1. Write a blog post EVERYDAY!
2. You don't have to write a blog like an SEO would. Just write it and fuck the twisted minds of those Google engineers. Just kidding. I'm totally gonna be respectful of the algorithms and all those shit I care about as an SEO.
3. Write to inform, to entertain, to inspire and most importantly to free your mind. I know you daydream a lot you b!tch @ss punk.
4. Learn to be your own editor. GramMartians are everywhere. So bewere. Yeah, I'm talking to you Vince!
5. When writing, please broaden your horizon. You can't just keep writing about the same old meaningless junk everyday. Keep walking, keep swimming, keep making friends to extend your knowledge and view of life. You damn well know life is too short, right? Go for it girl!

There you go. You're all set now. So what's the deal. Nothing. Just write, bitch!

The Eat With Me Project

2013-10-06T21:43:00.001+08:00

Here's a compilation of all the pictures I've taken with my boyfriend sitting in front of me on a date. To be honest, I never thought about collecting them before. Until I realized that in all the dates we've had, I've always been taking pictures of him on the other side of the table. Then, I had this idea - like that of Murad Osmann's photographs of his girlfriend which is totally cool! So, I put them all together and created an album on Imgur and call it Eat With Me.

Here's a collage. Enjoy!

The Eat With Me Project

A Beautiful Breakfast

2013-10-06T02:34:00.000+08:00

Just a very short post on the most important meal of the day.

Some thoughts. Traffic in EDSA just can't get any worst. My usual 1-hour morning commute going to work is no longer applicable. Seriously. I mean, I suffered a lot because of this for awhile, being late and all. Until I got the "memo". (insert expletives here).

That really got me, you know. So, finally, I gave up another 30 minutes of my beautiful weekday mornings. The end result is this - breakfast in the office! To tell you honestly, I don't feel bad about this arrangement. Not only because I have never been late since, but most importantly because of the Belgian Waffles and the Malaysian Coffee, man! Seriously, I really think I'm a morning person now.

Here are 7 of my favorite breakfast meals I've had so far. There'll definitely be a lot more.

1. The Coffles - The coffee and waffles love affair. And they lived happily ever after.

Blueberry Cream Cheese (P55) and Peanut Butter(P35) Waffles and Malaysian Coffee (P35)

2. Rajah Park Hotel Breakfast Buffet (Cebu) - Turn the spotlight on the coffee right there. That thing is phenomenon.

Rajah Park Hotel Breakfast Buffet (P1,990)

3. Select Malaysian Instant Coffee - The instant favorite.

Select Malaysian Instant Coffee

4. GoMeals Pork Sisig Omelette - The next big thing.

Sisig Omelette (P69)

5. The Korean Restaurant at the UP Shopping Center - So good, I really took my time to eat it that my dog fell asleep on the floor. It's that good.

Kimchi Rice

6. Krispy Kreme's Donuts and Cold Coffee - I like the part where my brother and my boyfriend both said they don't drink coffee. I was the happiest person in the world.

Krispy Kremes Donuts is good, but their cold coffee drinks are worth trying too.

7. Nestle Fitness 14-Day Challenge - You may say this is kind of out of place in this humble trying-hard-to-be-a-food-blog blog, but no. This challenge happened because of a bet my boyfriend and I had back in July. The rule is if I loose all 20 pounds in my soul he has to quit smoking. For life. If I don't, everyday I will clean and feed our 5 dogs for 2 months (I only usually handle them every weekends) Ultimately, I lost. But don't get me wrong, I mean, the 14-Day Challenge really helped improve my diet.

Nestle Fitness Breakfast Cereal (P99) Alaska Slim (P70+)

Cooking Bounty Fresh Chicken's Top Torikatsu

2013-09-24T10:00:00.000+08:00

Have you tried the new Bounty Fresh's Top Torikatsu? I have and I want to share with you how I discovered this tasty treat. One important note: I cooked!

It has been months now that I've been thinking of learning how to cook. Every weekend I get to really think about this. It's not like it's a big deal, but I guess that's because I realize that most of the time my boyfriend and I would just eat out. We rarely cook, and if we don't go out, we'd most likely have fast-food delivery or take-outs. Sounds cool, right? No!

I may sound like my mother, but I tell you, that kind of lifestyle is not healthy and expensive. That's the problem, right there.

See what I mean?

So, last night I finally had the courage to cook. I confronted the fridge for something to cook for dinner. It was really late that time and I didn't really want to make such a riot in the kitchen. So I said, maybe I'll just fry some hotdogs or something. I didn't see anything I can cook in the freezer, except for some bags of something called Top Torikatsu.

Top Torikatsu Classic Flavor, the first one out of the fridge.

At first, I thought this one's imported from Japan or something (like a rice mix that Vince's mom brought home from Japan long ago), but when I looked closely, it's from Bounty Fresh! Philippine grown, right? No time to check on the facts. Anyway, the name Top Torikatsu sounds interesting and the cooking instructions look easy - it actually says 3 minutes cooking time. You know, you only get to see that on instant noodles, not on meat food like this. I mean who dare cooks meat that fast? Anyway, despite the lack of trust in my little ability to cook, I heated the pan and made a silent prayer not to botch this thing.

Just look at the size of that thing!

I followed the instructions religiously. I cooked the first two in 3 minutes and was surprised that it was just so easy. Before I knew it the first bag of Top Torikatsu that I took out was almost empty. A couple of minutes later I was done. No sweat!

I prepared the table upstairs in Vince's room - rice bowls, spoon and fork and the meal staple Mother's Best Hot Sauce. I saw the surprised look in face when he saw the plate heaping with what looked more like "big nuggets". I told him about my cooking experience and that I also set aside some of it that he can take to work. Instant baon na rin!

Now, about the Top Torikatsu. I liked that its meat is really tender and not dry. I remember saying the word "juicy" to describe it on my first bite. Although, we didn't quite realize there was Mayonnaise inside the breading, probably because of the hot sauce that we put on it, but the Cheese and Chives flavor was tastier than the Classic one. The cheese was really creamy it oozes out of the breading when you cut the meat.

Vince likes his Top Torikatsu with lots of Hot Sauce

The best part is really the meat. I realized to quickly that Bounty Fresh's Top Torikatsu is not the usual ready-to-cook products we'd buy from the market. It doesn't taste generic like that of most processed foods and it's made of Chicken breast, which is quite healthy, right? Now, that is really, really awesome. For people like me who's trying to change a lifestyle consisting mostly of eat-outs and unhealthy processed food, this is a good alternative.

Next time, I wish to try baking the Top Torikatsu. The instruction says you can. That, I know will be so much awesome. If things work out fine with that, I'll have this a staple on my fridge.

Top Torikatsu

Bounty Fresh

Marikina Hot Spots #2: Boy Yogurt

2013-09-22T20:06:00.002+08:00

Marikina is a really beautiful place. The people are friendly, the streets are clean, walking and biking around is safe, the police and the local government cares about its people, places are within reach or are easy to go to and the best of all is its got great places to eat with family and friends. Isn't that awesome? Don't we all just love that?

Now, if you've read about my previous post about the Hot Spots in Marikina and you liked it, then I'm seriously gonna make a follow up on that now. Here's a treat for the sweet tooth. The very low-key Boy Yogurt.

So where exactly can you find Boy Yogurt in Marikina? Well, if you happen to find Mang Frederick's Barbecue right outside the compounds of Our Lady of the Abandoned Church in V. Gomez St., you won't have a hard time finding Boy Yogurt. It is at the A. Mabini St. you'll find across the church. Now, once you find the street, you'll realize you don't have to walk that far, you just have to look up and you'll find the sign of the store!

It was actually last Christmas when we first tried their treats. That is also when everyone just got hooked. Papa likes it in plain, like I do, while everyone wants their yogurts with some toppings on it. Now, our Sundays consisted of hearing mass, Mang Frederick's barbecues and a large Boy Yogurt cup.

My bother Dominic is a huge fan of Boy Yogurt. Medium, No Toppings, P45

Me with my cousin Ate Rosie and my sister Iris enjoying a cup from Boy Yogurt

There are a lot more places we can go to and eat at in Marikina. We just need more time to discover them. For those who's up for the challenge in re-discovering them, join me then!

Boy Yogurt

A. Mabini St. Brgy. San Roque, Marikina City

Our First Time at Zark's Burger

2013-09-21T23:31:00.000+08:00

It was a Sunday morning. We were on our way to Antipolo to do an ocular inspection on one of the resorts for team building. Anyway, I remember vividly the very first time Vince and I walked in at Zark's Burger Katipunan.

(photo from Zark's Burger Facebook page)

We were seated near the doorway. There was only quite a few number of people inside the restaurant that time we were handed the menu. With wild eyes we read it, battling with ourselves to stop from salivating as we go along the list of burgers.

Someone's having a hard time choosing

The first time I was handed that menu I could not believe my eyes. The burger names are so fun to read! First, they are categorized in 2 - The Minor League and The Major League - then the list of the very well thought of names: Strikeout! Homerun! Tapout! And so on. I laughed at the Floyd Chicken Burger. I said to myself, if the inspiration of this burger is the badass Floyd Mayweather, then I hope he gets to read this, man! He's going to flip. One tip though, while reading the menu, don't forget to look at the white board near the kitchen area. They'd usually write in there their specialty burger of the day or something like that, just so you won't have a hard time deciding what to get. Speaking of which, we go back to that very same dilemma...

We really had a hard time choosing which Zark's Burger is going to stuff us fat.

Finally, we've decided to take one from the Minor League and one from Major League. I decided I wanted a spicy burger, a really spicy one actually. Then I saw the Burger From Hell description. This is what it said:

"Cayenne burger topped with sauted onions and chili, chili garlic oil, and chili cheese sauce...P135"

It was perfect. I was sold. While I've finally had my order ready with me, Vince, on the other hand really took his time. I initially wanted him to try the Deep Fried Burger but he made it clear to me that he wants to decide on his own on this one. After all, choosing the right burger is a serious business. Then, I urged him to try the Jawbreaker burger, and the Challenge. He gave me a hard stare. I explained my self, I said, "Well, Antipolo is a long ride from here and we'll also probably be walking a lot finding these places in my list..." I saw eyes glitter. He took my suggestion. Without the challenge though.

(photo from Zark's Burgers Facebook page)

A couple minutes later and our orders arrived. I guess you can probably tell by now how we reacted when the plates hit the table and the burgers are left for us to devour. We were like two open-mouthed, goggle-eyed kids! We were just so amazed at the sight of our big burgers (describing it as big is actually bordering understatement). Vince's burger is so tall. I mean, it's definitely not the tallest in the menu, but it sure is a sight to behold. Zark's Burgers Jawbreaker will most definitely tower down, say, the burgers from Army Navy, Charlie's Grind and Grill or BRGR Project. Hey, don't get me wrong. I love the burgers from the burger spots that I mentioned. It is just that this one is just such an amazing site!

The Zark's Burgers Jawbreaker, P250

I on the other side of the table also did have a special moment with my burger. The Burger From Hell is just so beautiful. It is bigger than the average fast-food burgers you get around and is caped with the best looking Chili Cheese sauce I had ever seen in my life. A Cayenne Burger like no other. I can talk all day about this burger and all but I guess you'd rather see for yourself what this thing is about.

Zark's Burgers Burger From Hell with Potato Wedges, P135.

Well, I guess now you know what I mean when I say, you'll never forget the first time you eat at Zark's Burgers. It's definitely one for the books.

Zark's Burgers Katipunan

Mon - Thu: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

Fri - Sun: 9:00 am - 11:00 pm

Taft: 09237372517

BF PAranaque: 09237372515

(Some of the details are taken from the Zark's Burgers Facebook page)

The Dog Named Boom

2013-09-16T01:23:00.001+08:00

Well, since I'm starting to blog once again, I think it's probably time that we talk about my dog named Boom. He's a Male Golden Retriever from Bulacan. Or so that's what the seller told me. He's got no papers to prove he's a real Goldie so we really couldn't tell. Some says he's more of a Labrador because of his coat. Others say we have to wait about 2 years more for the bushy coat to grow. I say it doesn't matter. The dog is cute and I'm going to keep it.

So here's the story behind that.

After the holidays of 2012 and the new year has long been celebrated, I demanded a gift from my boyfriend Vince. I asked him for a dog. We found a couple of Ads online and started making calls. We finally got a deal for a pup ready to be handed in about 2 weeks time. Wow, that fast! Because of this, I wasted no time and started educating myself about Dog care. I mean, I've heard this thing about how having a dog is like having a kid and how you take care of it is like you'll be like to your future kid. Something like that. So I read and read lots and lots of articles about the dog I chose until I went nuts.

I learned that Golden Retrievers are the friendly type. They are smart, easy to train and is highly effective as rescue dogs. That's different from being the guard dog, ok? That's most definitely because they're friendly, even to strangers. So instead of protecting you, a Goldie will most probably be licking the face of your attackers and then go home with them if it feels like it. They don't really bark a lot. In fact, by the barking behavior of a dog you can already tell what his real breed is. Ain't that cool?

So a couple of weeks later the dog is ready to be handed to us. Get ready to swoon.

Here are the first pictures we took with my dog after he was brought to us straight from Bulacan.

We went home straight to Kamias and fed him lots and lots of milk. He is just so adorable me and Vince were just gushing over him the entire afternoon. Back then, we called him Abe. Short for Abraham. I liked it and it somehow worked. But as soon as I took him home to Marikina, things changed. He wouldn't respond to the name. Later on I realized that is because everyone inside the house call him whatever name they want to call him - Brownie, Tuklaw, Pumpkin and so much more. So what I did is, I went straight to Facebook and ask for a little help.

Well, not really little though

Names after names and days after days I still couldn't choose from all the options I was given. Until, one name stood out from the rest.

Too many choices, too much confusion.

So there, in just like that, he is now known as Boom.

Here he is enjoying a massage from the Vet. No, he's actually about to get an injection for skin problems.

He's a rather happy and lively dog. But he's got far too many skin problems. We make trips to the Vet about twice a month just so he gets better. We found out that, naturally, he's a vegetarian. We didn't know that until this check-up wherein we've already been feeding him Beef meals for puppies all along.

At 3 months old.

A couple weeks more and he's scratching his ears profusely that they got inflamed. He had to wear the "Cone of Shame" because of this.

Boom with the Cone of Shame

Vitamins after vitamins and nuggets after nuggets, he got better...

Boom's first trip to the Sunken Garden of UP Diliman

Even better that I finally take him around town.

At an ATM Booth. Boom and I are kinda inseparable at times, you know.

So much better, he's finally playing around other dogs.

Boom and I running around with Cookie the Bullador.

Boom is now 10 months old. Only months old but so much bigger. I'm not complaining though. I want him that way.

I'm not sure if this is a good picture to help compare, but here you'll see he is when he was about 7 weeks old (left picture) to about 7 months (right picture).

Boom from toddler to tweener.

Boom from baby to heavy. Whoa!

Well, there goes the story of us. You'll most definitely read more about Boom in the future here in my blog. Because I love my dog. I love my baby. And because we all know we still got a loooooooooong, loooooooong way to go.

Mang Frederick's Barbecue

2013-09-15T04:49:00.000+08:00

I remember, when I used to live in Marikina my Sundays were always special. You can wake up late, watch lots of TV, have a feast at lunch and probably sleep some more in the afternoon. One of the most anticipated things that happens during Sunday is going to mass. Of course, being a Catholic this is normal. Habitual if you ask me. Sadly, though, since I left the compounds of our ancestral house, I hardly made a trip to church and hear mass anymore. Anyway, I'm really not going to talk about going to church here (like in this post and in this post too). I am actually going to tell you about a simple barbecue place just outside the church we go to on Sundays and why it is so popular to locals in Marikina.

Mang Frederick's Barbecue

I'm talking about Mang Frederick's Barbecue just outside Our Lady of Abandon Church in San Roque, Marikina. This barbecue stop sells about 4 or 5 types of barbecued pork parts only - Tenga, Isaw, Laman, Dugo, Bulaklak. All with the same price of 10 pesos. Easy on the pocket, right? See that's one of the reasons why this is a very popular food trip for Marikina locals like us. It's that easy to remember.

One problem we usually encounter with this Marikina hot spot is the crowd. A lot of people really flock Mang Frederick's cart. Many times before, we'd try to come in a little early for mass just so we can buy from the cart because if you'd wait after mass everything will most probably be sold out since it has long held the reputation of the best Marikina barbecue. That usually happens, you know. Some times, when after the mass and the cart is still overflowing with barbecue to last until Kingdom Come you would then have to battle with the crowd. So there are only two things you'd have to remember when you come to this place:

1. The barbecue sells fast, and

2. It gets really crowded if #1 did not happen.

My sister with the goodies

I have not been to Mang Frederick's Barbecue during weekdays so I can't actually tell if they're open then. But if you guys know details about this, please tell us at the comments section below. Other than that, I highly recommend that you try going to OLA church this Sunday and try for yourself a stick or two of Mang Frederick's Barbecue. You'll be happy you did.

Mang Frederick's Barbecue
V. Gomez St., Brgy. San Roque, Marikina City

Outside the compounds of Our Lady of Abandon Church, Marikina City

Make Your Own Sandwich Bar, Shopwise Cubao

2013-09-13T00:57:00.001+08:00

Have you tried making your own gourmet sandwich inside a grocery store? We have and I’m here to tell you all about it.

In the middle of a busy grocery store there lies an island bar brimming with all kinds of sausages and cheeses one can ever find its lifetime. Oh, but this is normal, you’d say. No. Because in here when you buy any of the sausages and cheeses they have on display, you can ask them to cook it and prepare it for you in a sandwich. It's Le Gourmet Make Your Own Sandwich bar. Ok, first things first. Taking direct pictures of the products displayed and sold anywhere in the face if the earth is prohibited. That is why these pictures are precious and must I say should only be seen on this site and nowhere else.

The Make Your Own Sandwich Bar at Showpise Cubao

A wide array of deli, sausages and cheese. This is where you pick the goodies.

For our Gourmet Sandwich: Baguette, Canadian Bacon, Gruyere Cheese, Bavarian Cheese Sausage and Italian Garlic Sausage.

Our Gourmet Sandwiches are ready to eat!

This baby may not look much on this picture, but mind you it is huge.

A couple minutes more with our sandwiches. My plate is the one with the buns still intact. Vince's sandwiches are always messy.

There were still so many left over cheese from our sandwich making that we just took it home with us. That Gruyere cheese is badass.

Le Gourmet Make Your Own Sandwich

Inside Shopwise, Cubao

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T05:03:00.005+08:00

Ok. Honestly, I'm the type of girl who'd rather go home, during Valentine's day, without a bouquet of roses in tow. Why? Because it's such a hassle. Anyway, good thing I came up with this latest discovery. Flower delivery. Oh how I blushed at this idea. I mean, it's just so thrilling to know that now there's this kind of innovation. I mean, here in the Philippines? Oh that's just so amazing. Now, these flower delivery express will not only help you send flowers here in the Philippines but will also help you convey your feelings to that someone you're sending your flowers to. How lovely!

This valentine's day, I bet many girls are secretly wishing some boys are going to hand them this. Well, if you're quite short of time and budget, don't worry, we now have the help of The Flowers Express who offers FREE shipping and promises a next day flower delivery. How cool is that, huh?

Ok. So now I'm thinking of correcting my first statement. I think I'm gonna need to clarify. I still want to get flowers this Valentine's day. I just don't wish to carry them around when I commute back to my apartment. Anyway, I'm sure my guys reading this and he'll know what to do. Yeah.

Well, there you go.

Happy Valentine's day, everyone!

^____^

What's the last TV show you watched? What did you like about it?

2012-01-31T14:09:00.001+08:00

Merlin. The fact that main characters (Merlin, Arthur, Morgana, Guinevere and Lancelot) are played in a much younger perspective. I'm still on Season 2 though. haha

Ask me anything

Do you spend a lot of money or are you good at saving? If you're good at saving, what tricks do you use?

2012-01-31T14:06:00.001+08:00

I don't spend a lot. But when I do, it's mostly on food and my family

Ask me anything

When was the last time you talked to your parents? What did you talk about?

2012-01-31T14:02:00.001+08:00

Last night, about revoking my responsibilities as their eldest daughter. They hated my guts, I hated them for not listening to reasoning.

Ask me anything

Who made you smile this weekend? What did you do that was fun?

2012-01-31T13:59:00.001+08:00

The GDX band. Last weekend I went to my former boss' wedding in Pampanga and it was so much fun.

Ask me anything

What's your favorite color?

2012-01-31T13:56:00.001+08:00

Currently, green.

Ask me anything

What do you think of Lady Gaga?

2012-01-16T17:41:00.001+08:00

She's got a really great voice, and is very talented in the piano. Also, that we were just talking about her over the weekend. WTF?!

Ask me anything

formspring.me

2012-01-12T20:48:00.003+08:00

Ask me questions about getting fit http://www.formspring.me/aynakowes

What do you do to stay fit?

2012-01-12T20:48:00.001+08:00

Either I run or I do leg-ups and then some self-taught yoga

Ask me anything

If you're in the US, are you following the presidential primaries? And if you live outside the US, do you ever pay attention to American politics?

2012-01-12T20:46:00.001+08:00

I live outside the US so expect that I get only little interest on your politics. But I get interested with the controversies.

Ask me anything

I'm studying fashion and want to recreate this look. Do you think I should keep the hat? http://say.tc/C4Z

2012-01-12T20:44:00.001+08:00

yup. keep the hat. The hat gives the style a more laid-back vibe

Ask me anything

Did you make any new years resolutions this year? If so, have you stuck with them so far?

2012-01-12T20:42:00.001+08:00

Yes, but I haven't done any serious thoughts about it. HA-HA!

Ask me anything

What did you have for dinner last night?

2012-01-10T12:21:00.001+08:00

A piece of deep fried Christmas leftover ham which I had mistaken for bread and two servings of rice. Delish!

Ask me anything