New Horizon

Sunsets and Beaches

2011-10-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is the continuation of My Photo Gallery. The series of pictures here were the ones I considered the best of Kauai and Maui.There were still a lot of them but I think I have to go through all my files. However, for now I have all these to share here. By just looking at them give me the feeling of being in the islands. These places are just so beautiful to spend a vacation.

The four pictures above were taken in Kauai. The first top one on the left was taken in the balcony of our room where we stayed last year. All the four shots were the famous Poipu Beach fronting the Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club. This is our family's favorite place to do bonding.

After spending a week in Kauai, we decided to go for another week in Maui, still with the family. We stayed at Marriott's Maui Ocean Club. I was able to take a whole bunch of pictures but as I said earlier, I want to focus only on the scenery. So far I got these four pictures taken during the day.

I just love Maui Sunset. I can't describe how beautiful it is to see the sun coming down so fast. See the blending of the colors!! I got a series of these scene but I pick the ones that I thought the bests.

While we were in Maui, we were able to make a day side trip to go to Lanai Island. We went there to satisfy our curiosity about the island. It seems like it's just a stone's throw from the Ocean Club beach. The island has a very nice public beach in Manele Bay. It's just a mile walk from the pier. There was almost nobody on that day so we enjoyed a lot. The water was warm and crystal-clear. It's pure sand that you would never be scared of stepping on sharp rocks while swimming. We had the whole place for awhile until a group of students came with the swimming mentor. It was then that we decided to walk up the hill to get our lunch at the Four Seasons Resort. That's how I got these two pictures. The pool is privately for the residents only and the umbrellas by the beach. This area is just next to the public beach where we had our time.

My Photo Galery: Part Three/Flora and Fauna

2011-09-28T01:03:00.000-07:00

This time I decided to gather all pictures of flora and fauna which I have not included yet in my previous posts. The beauty of nature always enthralled me whatsoever. I just have an enormous attraction for every wonderful thing that God has created. They are so colorful that inspire my spirit to just take pictures as many as I can.

Let me start with the flowers that we have in our front yard.These four pictures above were the ones that captivated my attention at that time. However, my favorite plants are the geraniums because they are perennials and stay colorful all year round. I don't think I have pictures of them yet but they are the ones that dress up our porch. They make good hanging plants.

It's very obvious that I like purple and yellow colors. All these pictures of tulips were taken when we went to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm Festival in Oregon. It was such a great experience to see the vastness of the colorful field. I was just amazed how the field owners manage to grow different varieties of the flower. I have never seen double or triple-layered petals in the store but I saw them there.

These four pictures were taken during our vacation in the Islands of Kauai and Maui. All were just inside our resort. The Water Hyacinth was so little that I have to bring it closer. It was just on the vase in front of the Market Place of Marriott Waiohai. The bird was by the man-made pond in front of our hotel room. The lizard and the tangerine orchid, both were taken in Maui.

For a couple of times, we went to San Jose Rose Garden and these are the pictures that I found in my files. Hubby and I want to see the roses when they start to bloom in Spring time. We have quite a collection of pictures from there but I just want to show flowers with no other background people.

All these are familiar picture of Los Gatos Creek where we usually go for our recreational walk. These pleasant scenery shorten the actual miles and make our every step so light... "sort of" because we always find them so entertaining, so relaxing and so refreshing.

My Photo Gallery: PART TWO

2011-09-21T23:20:00.000-07:00

Here is the continuation of Part One. I should have categorized them but since I already started, let me just continue. These are not even in chronological order. They are just as I found them in my file.

These pictures were taken when we went to Pearl Farm in Samal Island in Davao, Philippines in the year 2007. We went there for a day only since the booking to go there needs to be six months or more to get a room reservation. It was fun, though.

The picture to the left are owned by Yahoo. The one to the right is just part of the parking lot owned by Great America. I took these both while we were on top of the revolving tower of the Theme Park.

Two turtles and two ducks.... What are they doing??? These were when we went to Los Gatos Creek for a walk. Very fascinating!

These two flowers were from different places. The pretty rose was in San Jose Rose Garden, CA when we went to see the different varieties of roses in Spring of 2008. The Orange Hibiscus was taken along the coastal trail in Maui near the resort.

These picture were all in Maui. I took the picture of the building where we stayed at, the pool in front , right when we get out of the building. and part of the beach. The swan belongs to the adjacent resort.

The beautiful Catholic Church and one of the Halls of St. Mary's College located Moraga City, CA. This is where Elsie finished her Executive Master's Degree in Business.

Still to be continued....

My Photo Gallery: Part One

2011-09-20T00:27:00.000-07:00

I just decided to gather all the pictures I took from different occasions and from different places. and make a gallery out of them. I want to see how my aesthetic sense brings all the beauty together.

The pictures above were taken at different days when we went to Seacliff to enjoy the day and to escape from reality for a day. It's just so amazing how the beauty of nature can refresh one's mind.

Even the flock of birds shows that someone needs to lead the group.... These shots were taken at the Los Gatos Creek.

The picture to the left is one of the structures located in the famous Island of Alcatraz in San Francisco. To the right is the Benedictine Abbey in the State of Oregon when we went to visit family.

At one point in the past, we went to attend a family gathering in Turlock, CA. The picture to the left was taken as we drove to the place. To the right is the Tinuy-an Falls in Surigao del Sur which I just went to see last June of this year. The place becomes popular through Face Book.

I just love the bright color of this flower. I took this one when we went to San Francisco with my cousin and friends. It shows nature is alive and beautiful for those who have eyes to see.And to the right is the Los Gatos Creek that looks like a big body of water.

These pictures were taken in our neighborhood. The one on the left was taken around fall time and to the right was spring time.

I still have more pictures to be posted here next time. To be continued....

Tinuy-an Falls

2011-09-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures that my little camera captured on our trip to the falls last June of this year. It was quite a long trip...almost two hours from my parents' house to the place. That could have been longer if the road was not paved just like the old days. At least, the dusty and bumpy part starts when we start going inside, passing through the big lake and few farm houses.

We lucked out when we got there. One of the people in-charge found out that one group has double booking for that day. So he gave the spot to us which was one of the best areas to get a view of the falls. I took the first two pictures from the railing where we were at. It's a nice view and the sound of the running water was so relaxing.

On top of the big falls are the smaller falls which the people called first and second level. Out of curiosity, my sister and I followed the group with my brother leading. But we stopped and tried to request a friend to take a picture of me and my sister on the bamboo raft.

You might think that it's free to go up, NO! We have to pay per head aside from the entrance fee which is also per head. It was okay but I wish the city made sure the steps were safe for the climbers. From the very start of the trek is so slippery all the way to the top. It was a dangerous adventure for all of us with the bunch of kids. I myself slipped and hurt my toe, glad that my toenail did not come off but it really hurt. I was lucky, though, I did not fall down to the bottom. We were not warned either by the person in charge of the ticketing. For me, I did not wear flip flops or shoes thinking that it was okay but when I got to the bridge, my feet hurt so I confiscated my brother's slippers just to get me through it. I'm telling you, the climb is so steep and risky but the beauty you see pays off when you get to the top.

All of us had a good time on the second level... oh well, the food was on the first level. So it's just the same if we add the risk of going up.

Where ever and whenever we gather, these are the kinds of food we put on the table. Thanks to my sisters and brother who made all these possible. To sum up, it was a great escape from "reality" for me and my family.

What Do You See?

2011-05-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

I just like to share this very short story I read from my 1000 Stories. This is too brief but concise in meaning if we really delve deeper and relate this to our human nature and how it affects us in real life.

This is the whole text of the story:

An economist was asked to talk to a group of business people. She tacked up a big sheet of white paper. Then she drew a black spot on the paper and asked a man in the front row what he saw.

The man answered promptly, "A black spot."

The speaker asked every person in the room the same question and each replied, "A black spot."

With calm and deliberate emphasis, the speaker then said, "Yes, there is a little black spot, but none of you mentioned the big sheet of white paper. And that's my speech."

Los Gatos Fun....

2011-05-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

Almost a year ago, I took this video from my little camera when we went to Vasona Park for a 10-mile walk. I really miss the park for it's been awhile now that we haven't been there. It's been work and work and no recreation these past few months.

Now that summer is in the horizon, I look forward to doing it again with hubby. I need to get rid of the radicals in my body and the best way is to sweat out. I can't wait. There is just to much to see in that place. Miss the ducks and the Eucalyptus trees lined along the lake.

Backyard Gardening....

2011-05-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

With the price of everything soaring high these days, there really is a need to do something to augment the salary we get from our job. Aside from cutting corners, we also need to engage in anything that is worthwhile to alleviate the economic hardships we're experiencing at this time. Backyard gardening is the answer. If we don't have enough space, pots are always available. However, utilizing all the dirt that is exposed to the sun is better but left without a choice, pots are the last recourse.

The picture to the left are some of the dwarf trees that we decided to have. There is just too much sunlight in this area but the soil is just too little. We have apricot, to the far left, then peach, fig on the brown vase, then red apple on the green vase, Bartlett pear on the white vase and bay leaf. The picture to the right is the small plot of kale.

This is my heirloom tomato. This is my first year to get this kind having been motivated and intrigued by the price this in the store. To the right are the cilantro plants which is usually used when making salsa. I use it to flavor some of my cooking, too.

I also have Japanese eggplant. I only have 1 plant to try this year. To the right is Sage. What prompted me to plant this was dated back when I made the turkey. The recipe I got asked for few sprigs of sage but you cannot buy just what you need in the store, we have to buy the whole package. So some of it just went to the garbage. I also read that the flowers of this plant attract humming birds. That sounds so attractive to me, having those creatures flying around.

This is my zucchini plant. I can't believe it is already bearing flowers. I wish I had another two more of this but I was just trying to give it a try this year. But the way it looks now indicates that the soil in our backyard is not bad. I planted this with no added fertilizer. I told hubby that I wanted to try it with just the natural ground soil. I hope this will bear more zucchinis. Then I don't have to buy it for awhile.

These are hubby's tomatoes on the ground. We always like Big Beef, Early Girl, Celebrity, Sweet Cherries and this year we also have the Yellow ones. This is our first year to plant them in this area. We used to grow them on the other side of the fence but the soil probably got depleted that for the last two years, they were not as productive as the first ones. We tried to plant them on vases, but they yield was never as bountiful as when they're on the ground.

Behind hubby is his Pomegranate Tree and Passion Fruit. These are the fruits that he is so obsessed to have in his backyard. Now that they are flowering, there's not a day that he won't go to see and check if there are more flowers coming out. To the right are the strawberries that we planted on the old recycle bin. They are also flowering now and have some fruits already.

This is our alternative farming taking place in our very own backyard. This is giving us some challenges and some fun at the same time. There will be more fun when we all see them bearing fruits that we can eventually bring to our kitchen table.

A Recap of My Holy Week....

2011-05-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

I think my mind is still in the Philippines when it comes to celebrating the Holy Week. I wish America would commemorate the Death of Christ like what we, Filipinos do. If I were in the Phils., I would not be working for anything related to money. I would have been involved in church activities. But I am still glad I live in a place where Catholics are a majority and St. Justin, our parish, is just a 10-minute walk from our house.

Yes, hubby and I worked until Holy Thursday and was lucky to get off at 5 pm in time for the celebration of the Last Supper. We were so tired but we still manage to attend the mass. Thought we were late but we made it just in time. We were lucky to get a seat for both of us because when we arrived, the parking lot was already packed with so many cars. We decided to park close to the fence where some others cars had parked.

The mass lasted a little bit over an hour because of the washing of feet. Then a procession of the Blessed Sacrament followed. The vigil took place in the Parish Hall. Both pictures above were inside the hall. There was no light except the candles which made the place truly a place for meditation.

I took Friday off so we could go to church. We attended Passion of the Cross which took place inside the church at mid day then went home and back at 3 pm for the celebration of the Seven Last Words. It was followed by Kissing of the Cross and the Eucharist. The mass was very much solemn and the choir was super amazing. The priest told us that the conclusion of the mass would take place on Saturday evening during the blessing of the New Fire and Water.

I worked on that Holy Saturday. I got off at 8:15 in the evening and the church service started at 8:30. We barely made it had it not been of the procession that started from outside the church. We brought our own candles but it was too windy enough to extinguish our candles. The church was full. The celebration was very touching. It's the choir that spiced up the moment. But it was the longest service I ever had. It started at 8:30 and was done by 11:30, almost midnight. What made it long was the Sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation of the new members of the Catholic church and the renewal of our Baptism.

This was the first year that I was able to attend all the church services and I was truly glad.

Mango... Mango!

2011-05-02T12:46:00.001-07:00

I just can't believe how cheap mangos are at this time. It's amazing! This is the first time as far as I can remember that the price goes down to 3 for $1.00. I can never let this week pass without getting a few more for myself. Safeway's mangos look better than the ones sold in other stores for the same price.

The ones I bought at the beginning of the week were really good. They reminded me of the mangos from the Philippines. They're sweet and juicy. So yumm yumm!

Dwarf Raspberry Tree

2011-04-28T00:04:00.001-07:00

GeoTagged, [N37.33095, E121.96609]

One of the super fruits that we often read on health and runners magazines is raspberry. I am not a fan of any berry, I mean, being born and raised in a tropical country Philippines, I don't really wish to have these fruits on my table often. I mean, I can go through the season without it. It does not matter.

Hubby has been trying his best to get me into liking berries. Every time he comes across an article that talks about berries, he always shows it to me. He encourages me all the time to read them so I would know the facts about these fruits. I know that these are good antioxidants but I just don't like the acidic flavor. My teeth are too sensitive.

His interest on berry fruits lead him to buy a small raspberry tree from the nursery. I was just surprised to see it as he brought it in. He said that he stopped by the store to buy it. He wanted to grow it in one of the big pots that we have in the backyard.

Since he has almost no time to transplant it, I decided to do it myself on one of my days off. I hope this tree bears fruit as much as the trees on the ground. May be this will help a little bit since raspberry is too pricey if we buy them in store or in the farmers' market.

Attitude....

2011-04-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

What matters most in our life is our attitude. It defines who we are and what we are anywhere we go whether we are well educated or not at all. It is something that we learn in the school of life which existed the moment we were born. It's one of the the very first informal lessons we learn from the persons who brought us to life.

Everybody knows what I am talking about. If we say that behavior is caught, not taught, so does attitude. From this standpoint, one can deduce that we establish our own pattern of behavior through what we see and observe from our parents or adults who live with us. Our way of thinking also depends largely on the kind of environment we grow up with. Be it positive or negative, both has a tremendous effect on our life.

To develop a positive attitude, one does not need higher level of education. As I mentioned earlier we get it from our parents or whoever raised us from the very early stage. But I realize that not all adults mirror the basic values that are worth emulating by the young ones nowadays. What do we do? In my observation, some kids are left alone by their adult folks to decide for themselves. If we really want to make our life a better, if not the best one, we need to embrace the thought of having positive attitude all the time.

I like these two faces in my workplace. Our store manager posted all these on the wall of our break room along with some quotations he quoted from good source. It's his way of reminding us that superior customer service starts from our good attitude. Very true! To stay in the job, attitude is more important than EQ. Educational qualifications don't matter as much anymore because achieving our goals does not solely depend on what we know but how we act and react to a given circumstance. "We are in charge of our attitudes," according to Charles Swindoll.

Lent is Over!!!

2011-04-25T12:51:00.001-07:00

After 40 days of fasting and abstinence, it finally concluded yesterday as we celebrated Christ's Resurrection during Easter.

It's really hard not doing what we habitually or normally do for forty days. At the beginning of Lent, I was contemplating on giving up for awhile few things that I like to eat, like chocolates. But I just did not do it. Why should I? I don't eat them too often so there is no reason for me to abstain in that respect. Meat, I did. We just had sea foods every Friday with controlled portions. We only had 1 regular meal all Fridays of the entire season.

I was thinking of shutting myself up from Face book. But how could I? My iPhone always beeps whenever I get new messages. At least, I was able to control posting on my wall. So I did not totally give it up because I still responded to messages. It really was silly of me.

What I really abstained myself from was watching Fox News. It was hubby's idea. Oftentimes he complained of being tired hearing what's up in our country nowadays. We sometimes engage in a political argument while having dinner. The thing is we argue for the same thing because we are both republicans. Crazy, isn't it? So he asked me if I could just forget it for a moment. It was not a bad idea that way I was able to focus watching EWTN which is also my favorite Catholic channel.

I just could not wait to tune back in to Fox tonight for my favorite Bill, Sean and Greta. By the way, I'm now back to blogging, too.

Nice Day!

2011-03-29T11:45:00.001-07:00

I had been longing for a nice morning to go to work. It had been so gloomy for the past weeks after the new year. It just drove me cranky when I did not see even a streak of sun rays in the horizon. I felt all those days were so dragging that at the end of the day I was just so tired and drained of my strength, even my brain seemed to stop functioning.

Yesterday was a very beautiful day. With all the sunshine, I felt so invigorated when I got to work.

Now is another day. I guess it's a good day to tender my plants again ready for the blooming season of spring. I am so happy and I hope it is the beginning of bright days ahead.

LM Family Day

2011-03-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

Today comes another day for all Lockheed Martin employees. Despite the bad weather, hundreds of hundreds of people still went to be part of the yearly event. Hubby thought that the management would postpone the event because the weather forecast said that there's 80% precipitation in the morning. So he called Great America Theme Park and found out that it's still on schedule.

Since our lunch schedule was at 2 pm, we both decided to leave the house at 1:30 to be able to get there on time for the food. Last year, we had our grand kids with us but this year we decided to just go by ourselves. It worked out so perfectly because of the wet weather. Besides, hubby and I had no intention of getting into any of the thrilling rides. We just want to see the place and enjoy the food.

The food is basically the same each year: hot dog, chicken, potato salad, pasta, dinner rolls, hot dog buns and green salad. I think the green salad last year was better, I mean, fresher than the one they served today. Or may be, spring mix sometimes don't look too fresh, but still I finished my share. Everything really tastes good when you are hungry. LOL! Reminds me of my father who often told us that the best time to eat is when you are hungry.

The only ride we went into was the Star Tower. We never want to miss this every time we are here. The reason is first, we just sit in there relax and not being subjected to any tension. Second, we can see the whole area and neighboring establishments. The picture on top shows Yahoo buildings which I took while we were on top of the tower. This time, we went up twice. We don't know exactly if ever they allow it but we were not noticed. Besides, we saw previous passengers when we got in. We were first on the line to get inside that's why I knew that they were there already.

After the tower, we decided to start heading out and on our way out, we saw one of the members of the Peanut Gang. It was an opportunity for us to get a pose with him since he seemed to be not noticed yet the the large public. One of the staff members was with him to serve as photographer as the gang was scheduled to hang around to greet the visitors and for picture souvenirs.

I wish the weather was good. It's hard to imagine going to a park with rain boots and rain jacket and yet you still feel cold. Anyway, we are grateful and appreciative of the opportunity. To come to the park for free is something not everybody has the access to. The food was free without limit. What else to complain!

DMV Card

2011-03-24T15:01:00.001-07:00

After nearly 60 days, I finally got my new California Securecard. WOW! It's amazing! Some people told me that it took more than 2 months for them to get the new one. In fact, a lady in the bank told me to make follow up or even visit the DMV office to make sure the money I paid went to the right hand.

I almost did but I just waited, feeling that it would come to my mail box one day. Sure enough! All the while I was thinking which most recent picture they gonna put in my new card. Now that I know, they took it from their files on my last visit to the office more than two years ago. Crazy! I still have long hair when I had cut it short in 2009.

Anyway, I'm still happy having the new one to show whenever I need it in the store or anywhere. I am legally a California resident once again!

Two Seas in Palestine....

2011-03-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

I think this is a very nice story to share. It's pouring outside and I feel so lazy doing anything. I know I have lots of things to do but rainy days always make me inactive. So I decided to just open my little collection of short stories called 1000 Stories.

This story is worth to ponder especially this chaotic time of the history of mankind. Earthquake and tsunami there and war over there. I often wonder what causes all these troubles. I was taken aback by the message of this story. I am not sure what the impact will be to you after you read this but for sure it will lead you to think that nothing else causes human sufferings but human's selfishness.

Here is the full text of the story:

"There are two seas in Palestine. They are both very different. One is called the Sea of Galilee. It is a large lake with clean fresh water from which you can drink. Fish and people swim in it. It is surrounded by green fields and gardens. Many people have built their homes near to it. Jesus sailed across it many times.

The other big body of water is called the Dead Sea, and it really lives up to its name.Everything about it is dead. The water is so salty that you would get sick from trying to drink it. It has no fish.Nothing grows along its banks. No one wants to live anywhere near its unpleasant smell.

The interesting thing about both these bodies of water is that the same river flows into both of them. So what makes the difference? Just this: one receives and gives; the other receives and keeps.

The Jordan River flows into the top of the Sea of Galilee and out the bottom. The lake uses the water and then passes it on for others to use.

The Jordan then flows into the Dead Sea and never gets out again. The Dead Sea selfishly keeps it only for itself. This makes it dead. It gets and never gives."

Post Script: Which one are you? The Sea of Galilee or the Dead Sea?

The Spring Beauty....

2011-03-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

Who would ever think that this yellow plants are nothing but weeds? The dirt part of our yard is completely covered with this beautiful weed. It's all over. Years before, this drove me crazy. Almost everyday, I went to the yard just to pull them off the dirt. Hubby often told me to just leave them because they would die even before summer comes. But I was so hard-headed. I just wanted the place to look clean. Now I realize, they may be the unwanted plants but if we really look at them, they are part of spring beauty. This year, I decided to let them grow as much as they can and I will just wait until their beauty fades away.

This is how the Plum tree look like at this time of the year. It's another spring beauty. All the branches are covered with white flowers which will eventually develop into fruits. So beautiful! This is just a preview of how bountiful this fruit tree will be this year. For sure, I will be needing somebody to help me pick the fruit from the tree.

Finding Cheaper Price

2011-03-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

March birthdays took my friend and I back to Gilroy Premium Outlet. We were thinking of just going to Valley Fair but we changed our mind. Since there's a lot of birthday celebrators for this month, going to the outlet is just a fair trip. Finding cheaper price is not a problem because everything is factory price. It's finding the right item that will consume most of the time. But with a complete list of the things we need to buy helps a lot. This time was the shortest shopping trip we ever had. We got there at 10:15 am and we got out at 12:30 pm. Wonderful! Our Christmas shopping last year was forever.

Before we went there, we already knew the stores that we need to go. Lucky Brand Outlet was our second stop after Nike Store. Our plan was to buy two pair of Lucky Brand jeans for a family member but just before we payed, the saleslady told us of the marked down items. So my friend and I decided to check them out. We found the BOGO items. The sweaters that were originally priced $99.00 were sold for $9.99 and was Buy One Get One free. It was hard to resist. We both got extra items in our list. This is always my problem. When I am shopping for somebody, I always find things for myself.

Our third stop was at Converse. I just could not believe that this Philippine Brand of shoes is so popular among school children here in the US. I remember way back, this brand was the most affordable kind during my high school time. I don't know if this is still the same until now. I was an Adidas girl before. I never tried Converse shoes because, for one thing, I did not like how they looked. But today, it surprised me a lot. There were a bunch of moms with their kids in the store trying to find the shoe size and style.

With the help of the store attendant, I was able to find the one I need. That was it. From there, we went to few more stores but bought nothing. So we decided to head home since I was going to work the graveyard shift that day. It was a long day for me but I did what I wanted to do.

Date Night at Fiorillo's

2011-03-05T20:34:00.000-08:00

Hubby decided to take me in one of the finest restaurants here in Santa Clara on my birthday. It was a total surprise for me since we always celebrate my birthday with the family in Pleasanton. Usually, we do it after Grandparent's Day which is either day after or day before the actual day.

My birthday this year was a repeat of my very first one here in the US, except for the place. He took me to Red Robins in 2005 which is at least a ten to fifteen-minute drive from home. At least this year, he did not have to drive farther for the place is located within a mile away. The place is called Fiorillo's. It's an Italian restaurant.

This is the picture of the appetizers we ordered. It was our night so we really did not think of the dos and don't in a good diet. We had Calamari along with their house bread to start with. They were both good and couldn't believe we finished them all. But the servers were so quick that before we finished the last crumb of the first ones, they were already bringing our main plate. Or may be we were just eating too slow, for which we really are. We were just taking our time. There was no reason anyway to hurry because we're both off the following day to go see our grandchildren in school.

This is hubby's plate. He ordered the restaurant's famous pork chop special, same plate that was on the paper he read sometime before. He remembered and that's what he told the lady. It was a coincidence that our server was the one who also served the writer on the paper. I tried his and it was really good. It was topped with a teriyaki glaze, mushrooms and wild rice. He likes mushrooms a lot, so he really enjoyed and as usual, cleaned his plate.

Hubby is so accurate when it comes to ordering food. When he said good, it's always good. Sometimes I don't listen to him and ended up eating part of his food.

My plate was called Seafood Risotto. I have no idea if I would like it or not. I was only thinking of seafood which was in my mind even though we already have calamari for the appetizer. I should have ordered the one that hubby suggested. I ate only half of my main plate.

I think I was just too full from with the appetizer that I did not leave any room for my main plate. That's why I ended up taking the other half home. I saved it and ate it the following day. Actually, it was not bad at all. My hunger was already taken cared of with the Italian focaccia bread they served at the beginning.

The best always comes last. Oftentimes we forget to leave enough space to accommodate the best part of the meal. But my husband told me that they have a very famous raspberry cheesecake that's worth trying. He is not really into cheesecake but at that time, re really insisted we should try it. No problem for me because I always have room for sweets for my sweet tooth. We really finished it to the last crumb.

This was one of the best desserts that I ever had and the best way to call it a day.

Awesome Plate for Dinner....

2011-03-04T23:33:00.000-08:00

First Friday of the month is not a good day to go on a food trip for us. Today is fish Friday and if you are a practicing Catholic, you know why. It is part of our religious sacrifice though we seldom break when we forget and when we are at the party.

Today is one of those days when I feel so blessed. I did not forget, certainly, and I had the time to make the food that I wanted to serve at dinner time. Hubby and I are a tandem when it comes to food. We are not finicky, we both like simple as long as the food carries the necessary nutrients that our body needs. This is the key: GO , GROW and GLOW food. These are the basic food groups that I know of ever since I was in school and I think it still make sense until today. GO is for the carbs that we need to fuel our body and mind. That's why we have sweet potato on the plate. We do not need heavy source of Carbohydrates for dinner as our body rests during the night. GROW is for protein necessary to repair damage bones and tissues since we are no longer growing, "so to speak." That's why we have fish on the plate. GLOW are the fruits and vegetables that give us the best source of vitamins and minerals and that's the cabbage for. All these three things make a very awesome plate for dinner. Just add a small glass of red wine to keep your heart pumping, LOL! and this is one of our best dinners when we have to go to bed with no problem of indigestion.

Exaggeration....

2011-03-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

I was looking for something to read when I got home from work, something short but with wisdom just to get rid of the work cob webs that's lurking still in my little brain. I do love short stories ever since I was a kid. So I went to the green room where we have kept some of the books that we like. Then I saw this small book that I took with me from the Philippines. It's called "The Storyteller's Minute" which used to be one my favorite books and was just on the book shelf for a long time now. So I decided to scan it but something caught my attention. The following is the full text of the story: (Read it carefully and tell me what you think.)

A man with a toothache went to his dentist. ""I have a huge cavity," he explained.

The doctor, seeing only a moderate amount affected, assured him, "It'll be only a small filling."

"But why does it feel so large?" questioned the patient.

"Just the natural tendency of the tongue to exaggerate, I guess," replied the dentist with a twinkle in his eye.

We smile; but aren't many of us equally prone to enlarge things out of all proportion? Although the tongue is a "little member," it has a tendency to boast " great things"! by Henry Bosch

The message is a good reminder for all of us in our ever-changing society. I just love it.

The Mystery House

2011-02-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

It was my visiting cousin who aroused my curiosity about this house. This is just a ten to fifteen-minute drive from my house but I never had desire to find out what's behind the thick bushes. I knew that it's the famous mystery house in United States but for some reasons, it did not ignite my brain into knowing something more about this Victorian house. It was my husband who told me when we passed by Winchester Boulevard (my first time) on our way to St. Lucy's Catholic Church in Campbell City. Furthermore, he told me that it's how the street was named.

Within the span of her two-day visit, we really needed to visit the places that she wanted to go and the places that I wanted to show her, being her only family in the Bay Area. Day 1 was all devoted to roaming around San Francisco but was not enough. Day 2 was the highlight and we thought we could not make it to this house. We started our adventure early going to Alcatraz and on our way home, we made one more stop. It was my best friend Vilma who insisted that we should go. We all decided to just see the surroundings if the ones in charge would still let us in at that late. The original plan was to go for a tour inside but due to very limited time, we just thought of settling for less. However, we got so lucky because the last tour was scheduled at 5 pm which we still had plenty of time. So we immediately signed up and waited while we took our snacks at the refreshment area.

Before the tour guide took us around, he told us the background and all the oddities of the house which made it a mysterious one. One of the things that I did not like was shutting off our cameras. I understood that it was for the preservation of place but I think, there should be at least one or two spots where a group of tourists could get a group picture with the tourists' cameras, for a souvenir. To me, it's another type of advertisement if they allow that to happen. All they need to do is to pick up the place or two and limit the shots. They can charge a minimal and reasonable fee and that way they could earn a little bit extra for the maintenance. I don't know but it's just my thought.

Anyways, here are few of the pictures we took after the tour... during the unguarded moments of the tour. It was already dark so we did not get enough. We did know actually if we were allowed to take pictures inside where they had the gun collections but we did it.

The structure outside is so impressive but once you get inside, it's hard to identify your thoughts and feelings. With all those weird designs, it's really weird. However some building materials that were used attested to the owner's affluence at that time. But that's how it is if you're a business tycoon.

Trip to Alcatraz Island

2011-02-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

When my cousin visited me here in Santa Clara, my friend and I decided to take her to some historical places which was one of her goals in visiting the US, particularly in the Bay Area. On the first day, we took her to the Golden Gate then to the Fisherman's Wharf. We thought of going to Alcatraz that day but it was already late. When we got to the terminal, the last trip to the island was already fully booked. So we bought tickets for the next day trip.

We took the 11 am schedule to give us more time to do the commute from Santa Clara to San Francisco. It was not the best day so far having to compete for the rides with all those Giants fans. It was the day when the city was celebrating the big success of their team so all fans from different directions were all headed downtown to show their support. We thought that we could never make it to our schedule, but we lucked out. We got to the terminal 30 minutes early and were told that we're so welcomed to join the early trip, which we did, The earlier we get there, the better, that was what was in our mind because we were thinking of going to another place yet after the island.

The pictures above are just few of them. It turned out to be another hot day and we just enjoyed wandering around, trying to figure out the life of those who were here in those days and how some of them managed to escape.

The prisoners of the day! These were the cells of the famous like Scarface and etc. My friend tried to demonstrate the emotion of a real prisoner. We had so much fun!

Christmas Shopping

2010-12-12T12:14:00.001-08:00

Someone said that we can give without loving but it is impossible to love without giving. Just as God gave His only begotten son to save the human race.

Christmas is the best time of the year. It is the season of giving through the right hand without the left hand knowing it. This is the time we show that we care and by all means, finding something to give as manifestation of our love.

Shopping is the hard part of it. Thanks that shopping online is now available but there are still few things that we really need to see before we buy. Besides, we need to look for better price and for better quality of the items. Gilroy Premium Outlet is the best place to go for the price and quality. That's where we went to do our principal shopping with my friends. Oh my! I could not believe how the price in the malls are jacked up compared to the prices in the outlets for the same brand. Hubby and I went to the mall previously to find a particular jeans brand. We were shock that the regular price was over a hundred dollars and was on sale for 90 bucks. We thought we got a good deal. Thanks God the size we were looking for was not available! So when I went to the outlet, I look for this Lucky Brand Jeans and found out that the price is less than half of the price in the mall. WOW! I was able to get two pairs plus tax for less than the price of one in Valley Fair.

This is just an example of how some businesses take advantage of the season and if we just rush to the store to get the things we need, we would end up paying high price.