Makati Mayhem

I went to Makati this morning after my shift at past 7am. Let's just say it's going to be the last time I'll ever go to Makati during rush hour.

I took the MRT at Cubao station and I was deceived by the ticket booths that gives the peaceful [READ: not crowded] impression. The real riot is happening at the platform as people who are south bound are so eager to get in. Trains are arriving every five minutes more or less but it's not enough to cater commuters at all. It took me more than 30 minutes to get inside [the people around me literally will push you to get in] the train.

The fun never stops as when I got out of the train in Buendia station at past 8am [an hour to travel 6 MRT stations?!], there's this dilemma on which public transportation to take so I can get to the office in Ayala to meet the 8:30am appointment. I can take a cab and it should be super easy and fast. But there's no cab for some reason. I can take an FX or jeep but the lines are endless. I tried to take a bus but the crowd is worse than the Cubao MRT station. I decided to request that the appointment be moved to 9:30am instead as I wasn't expecting this kind of armageddon. I was finally able to take a cab at 9:05am and took another 15-20 minutes to get to my destination.

More than 2 hours will take me to Pampanga, Laguna or Batangas. I gotta be thankful I'm a QC person.

Home Bound on Holy Week

I didn't realize that I've been very busy in the past year's holy week. When I wasn't working yet, holy week was spent in a relative's resort in Limay, Bataan where the pool's waters are super cold as it stream from the mountains or in grandpa's house in Sibuyan, Romblon where we often go to town feasts, swim in the beach or in Cantingas River and sometimes burn our skin by boating in the middle of the afternoon. There used to be a lot of things to do.

When I started working, holy weeks would be spent in the office even when a lot of business would be closed, I enjoyed the holiday's double pay. This year however, I am home bound. Well since Wednesday, that is. Malls are closed and there's nothing much to do except for checking out the tv news and going online. I am about to go to work again in a few hours and I expect a traffic jam-free Metro Manila. A lot of people are out of town and I can just be thankful that I could skip the SLEX/NLEX traffic.

Somehow the idea of going out of town with Prince and baby could mean a little less relaxing trip. I never imagined myself traveling with a baby before but maybe we should do it soon. For now, I'll drag myself back to work.

Yakimix TriNoMa

Last year, Earl brought us to Tomas Morato so we could try out Yakimix - the eat-all-you-can restaurant that's got Japanese, Korean and Cantonese cuisine. I must say, it was great although the queue seems never ending, they got me with the smokeless grill. Prince and I were even considering them to be the venue of reception after baby's baptism so our guests can eat as much as they want. I thought it would be the same on all branches but I was SO WRONG.

My mom wanted to try it as well so since we're just close to TriNoMa, we decided to take the queue even when baby's with us at that time. I got number 24 when they were serving number 3. We stayed in front of the receptionist who calls out numbers and after 1 hour of waiting, she got to call number 6. Prince went home [our house is less than 15minutes away from TriNoMa] to get more milk for baby. Mom and I took baby to the ladies' room for a quick diaper change and when we went back to the receptionist.. VOILA! IT'S NUMBER 25's TURN!

I asked the receptionist if she can consider calling us next as we've been waiting for more than an hour already but all she told me was, "No, you have to queue and get a new number." which at that time is already at around number 40 something. She's very cold, not bothering to display empathy as if she's underpaid and don't really want such job. We walked out right away because I felt like she's going to humiliate me if I insist on my request and I don't want to burst out my anger. Great customer service you got there. Consumers, BEWARE!

I'm Missing Kiss

The foodcart business took streetfood into a whole new level in terms of packaging as well as the quality of taste and cleanliness. I must say that Kiss, King of Balls is probably one of the pioneers of this business here in Manila. The usual pushcarts that carry fishballs, squid balls, etc. doesn't look very tidy so when I first saw this Kiss foodcart when I was in high school, I knew it's going to be a big hit. It's more presentable than the ones in pushcarts and their version of the sweet sauce is just something no other vendors can offer. And then Kiss was everywhere. There was a time when almost all the MRT and LRT stations that I know had their own Kiss and I would always dig it.

After more or less 10 years, I still crave for Kiss. However, I noticed that Kiss branches has been closing until the only Kiss that I know that's left is the one in Ayala MRT station.

Please let me know if there's any other branch that's still operating, I'm not a regular in Makati area and I really miss my Kiss.

STP and The North Park Incident

Prince and I are regular customers of the North Park restaurant in Makati Avenue as well as the TriNoMa branch. We love the Boneless Honey Lemon Chicken, Beef with Broccoli and Yang Chow Rice but once in a while we try other stuff in the menu such as some congee and dimsum. Makati Avenue branch is open 24hours so we can drop by and have good food even when the gig ends at 3am. I've always been a satisfied customer.

Last night, however, was different. Prince went to the Stone Temple Pilots concert in Araneta Coliseum which is very successful, as expected, so congrats to STP and we hope that you can come back for some more. :)

Prince waited for me and my officemates to take our break and we tried the North Park branch that recently opened in the Araneta Coliseum. It's open 24hours so perfect for people in graveyard shift as well. We arrived at around 1am, there's about three tables occupied with customers and a male staff took our orders. He said waiting time is 10-15minutes. He gave us hot tea and one of us asked for sweetener. He said they only give sweetener if we order drinks (we all had water). When we asked why other branches give sweetener even without having to order drinks from the menu, he said ok and gave it anyway. Our orders arrived after more than 20minutes, after a follow up that we had to ask from one of the female staff. I noticed that other unoccupied tables are very messy.

Try to zoom in this picture and you'll see a couple of chopsticks, chopstick wrappers, the table surface looked sticky and used water pitcher can be seen even without zooming in. We stayed there for more than 30minutes but it remained that way before and after we ate. Nobody in their staff seem to care to clean it up. Maybe because they think that since there's not a lot of customers around, there's no need to clean up for the FEW customers eating at that time. It's the first time that I got disappointed with their service. I guess the Araneta Coliseum branch needs to keep up to the standards that other branches never fail to give to their customers.

Precious Moments Makati

I've been wanting to visit and try out the Precious Moments Showroom/Restaurant in Makati so Prince and I had a post-valentine date last Tuesday. It's a good thing Prince is familiar with the streets of Makati, I'm more of a QC person, hihi.

The facade looks like a regular apartment unit but I was amazed when we went inside. There's a small reception area where their nice group of staff are ready to accommodate guests. It's like a heaven of Precious Moments dolls and figurines!

The dining area reminds me of the Belini's atmosphere in Cubao X. Very homey and the size encourage intimacy.

I wasn't able to take pictures of the food but it's quite good. They have generous servings and the price is very reasonable. Now I only wish they have a branch here in QC as well.

KFC Cheesy Bacon Twister.

I'm so glad KFC's got a branch in our office building, I can have my favorite Twister(s) anytime I want as they're open 24/7. Sweet.

Yesterday, I tried the new addition to the Twister family - the Cheesy Bacon Twister. I've been a fan of all the previous Twisters and I won't let this one pass.

It's all good although my favorite will always be the California Maki Twister and it's still available even after being advertised as "limited edition". I'm still hoping that they put Meltz back on the menu though.

The Barbie Almalbis Experience + Banapple

Prince went half-day yesterday as The Naked Lights played at Route196 in Katipunan Avenue. He picked me up from work at 10pm, had a really quick dinner while in the cab and we arrived at the venue after 15minutes. The good thing about Route196 is that ambiance which reminds me of Saguijo. The audience can have enough intimacy with whoever is playing. Best thing about it - being next to Banapple! haha ;)

We left Prince's gear at the venue and went to Banapple to have dessert. Their cakes are about Php80-Php100 per slice so it's really reasonable. I had a slice of blueberry cheesecake and Prince had coffee toffee. If you're feeling full, my suggestion would be sharing a slice because it may look like a small serving until you realize how generous it was. I'm sure we'll be coming back to try out more of their food soon.

We went back to the venue and found increase in the number of audience. It was understandable because Barbie is about to play. Although I've been listening to her since late 90's, I first saw her live during her 10th year in the business launching her DVD concert at the Eastwood City when Prince and I had dinner to celebrate our 2nd anniversary.

Barbie Almalbis-Honasan is one of the musicians who gained my respect in my early years of exploring Pinoy music - she was able to balance the ability to express herself in her music and be in the mainstream scene at the same time. The ability to make your private life interesting but far away from the public while being a celebrity is not something most people can do. It was a really good set especially when Roger Alcantara did bass and they played Money for Food (one of my favorites in Music Under the Buffet Table album). Her guitar playing improved a lot, her voice is as sweet as always and I'll be looking forward to the release of a new album. :)

The Naked Lights played after Barbie and I knew each of them feels the pressure but they did manage to give us a fairly good set as well. I will always be a fan! ;)

Get Twisted.. Again!

I thought it's just rumors when I first heard that McDonald's Twister Fries is back until I received an email from McDonald's Philippines confirming this. I think the last Twister Fries I had was about 4-5 years ago when I didn't have to think about my diet and I would always have it with a rootbeer or coke float. I think I might try it again this weekend though. ;)

The Original Manila Scramble

Today was another busy Sunday for us. Prince and I went back to Photo Concept Digital at Hidalgo in Quiapo to pick up the Samsung L73 because the owner told us yesterday that it's already fixed but to our disappointment, after leaving the digicam in there for more than two weeks, it's still not fixed. It even got worse than before because initially, the only issue is that it's showing lines when you take a picture but now, it totally won't turn on! I was furious and they asked if we can return some other day and leave it there again as they might need to change some other parts, I was doubtful and don't want to leave it there again for a long time so I agreed for them to just give us a refund and we'll just return in there if we have time to get it fixed that we can get it on the same day.

We tried our luck to get the digicam checked by Samsung Service Center in Robinson's Galeria but we found out that the service center in there only deals with mobile phone issues. The staff said that the service center for digicams is located across Virra Mall and it closes at 5pm during weekends. It would've been a really bad day but it was saved when we tried out The Original Manila Scramble.

Scrambles are pink iced sweets topped with powdered milk and choco syrup usually found outside the school gates along with other street food that's very much patronized by the students more than the food in the school canteen. I don't remember how much it was sold during my grade school days but here's the mall food cart's price list:I had a medium with extra milk and it made me feel like a kid again - away from the bad things that I had to go through with the digicam repair.Sometimes, small things can just make a difference. Now, however, I just know I need a new digicam and I can't get over it unless I can have a medium sized scramble with extra milk everyday, hehe. ;)

Random.

There are a lot of things I need to be thankful for as the week is about to end (again). Pardon me for I will be using random pictures from the net for this blog entry. I don't have any digicam to use at the moment and I've been eyeing on getting another Samsung (I already gave up on the L73 and had it swapped for the Squier P-Bass). This time, I'm thinking of getting the WP10 model, either black or blue.Aside from getting comfortable in using this brand, I must say that the deciding factor is that the Samsung WP10 managed to be a waterproof camera and look sleek at the same time. Gorgeous. :)

I finally decided to sign up for Twitter. It's good to use if you want to keep posted about the latest happening so I decided to follow GMANews. Sometimes, I still get scared to read the news as majority of them are not good news. :(

ANTM Cycle 15 is SUPERNOTHERLEVEL! This cycle, my favorite is Kayla and I really hope my bet wins this time!

And I finally got to eat Ginataang Halo-halo today! Yey!I can't remember the last time I ate ginataang halo-halo (it's been a couple of years) and I've been craving for months. I texted Prince to buy and bring to my office before he go to the studio for recording today in case neighbors happen to cook some for merienda but I was so surprised to find that they decided to sell it in the office pantry today! I didn't wait for Prince's reply and grabbed myself a serving during my first break. Prince texted an hour later to say that he already bought one for me. I'm just so eager to have more so I asked him to still bring it to my office and I ate it during lunch break. Talk about a "Ginataang Halo-Halo Galore Day"! hahaha ;)

Sick.

I've been feeling unwell since Wednesday midnight. Prince took care of me and we went to see my OB-Gyne yesterday morning. She said I need to take bed rest for three days, the baby's heartbeat is faster than the normal rate. I wasn't able to go to work and today, my temperature already went down to normal but still have this terrible headache that I feel like I'm going to collapse anytime. I am having a hard time moving around that I can't even prepare my own food. I am alone in the pad at this time. I just called McDelivery and specifically told them to deliver it in front of my apartment unit's door as I can't meet the delivery guy in the gate, I fear that I might fall down the stairs if I even try to go out.

I think chicken is the most non-junkfood meal that I can get from a fastfood so that's what I got.It's just disappointing that they delivered each meal with Coke even when I specifically asked for orange juice. I told the delivery guy that I requested for orange juice because I don't drink softdrink as I am pregnant. He just told me "Coke po yung kasama eh", got my money, gave my change and left. Ok, so I just have to deal with it. [Or I can always email them my feedback as stated in the receipt].

I pray that I'll feel well soon. Please pray for me and baby, I really appreciate it.

CrepeMan Found at the Banchetto

Pardon me for blogging about food most of the time. I can't help it. Besides, I'm pregnant so I guess everyone can forgive me for eating a lot. I make sure everything is in moderation and I'll stay healthy, I promise.

Last Friday night, Prince and I and the rest of The Naked Lights [one of Prince's bands] went to the Banchetto at the Emerald Avenue in Ortigas. Banchetto is a favorite 'lunch break' venue to the people of Ortigas Center during weekends since almost half of the Emerald Avenue will be closed and will be filled with various stalls that offers great variety of food. The people who work for call centers in the area appreciates that they would have other option other than their office pantry as it operates from 12mn of Friday and closes at 11am of Saturday. It's a street feast where everyone can just eat their heart out!

I used to work at the Robinson's Equitable Tower and there's this CrepeMan stall I really love at the Strata food court. I was disappointed that they didn't have that stall anymore the last time I went there but I was surprised that I found them again at the Banchetto. CrepeMan has this great semi-crispy crepe with different fillings to choose from - from bacon, ham, tuna, chicken, pork floss and all the usual fruits they fill crepes with. I already tried all of it and I love everything that they have! Their staff told me the only branches that they have now are the ones in Miriam Collage and St. Paul Pasig. I'm just so glad to be able to eat CrepeMan again. :)

New KFC California Maki Twister

I've been fond of trying out most new releases of KFC meals and so far my favorite among all of them is the late [now phased out] Meltz.It's a good thing they always come up with new stuff to add up in their menu but I really wish they put Meltz back.

Today, I decided to try the new realease for this week - KFC California Maki Twister.I must say that this is my favorite flavor among the Twisters they've released so far. It's got the right amount of everything - mangoes, cucumber, chicken and Japanese mayo [which reminds me of the white sauce used for shawarma, hehe]. It's a must-try before they phase it out again! ;)

Chilled Taho at SEx

I was only able to try their version of tapsilog when I first visit the BF Homes Parañaque branch so last Friday was my chance to try out chilled taho at Sinangag Express.I've been fond of having the usual taho sold by street vendors which is usually served warm but the chilled taho tastes equally good although it doesn't have sago in it. It's a must-try when you visit any SEx outlet. For only Php25 per serving, I think I can finish two! haha :D

A Very Busy Day...

Yesterday was a very busy day for me and Prince so even after sleeping late on Monday night [or Tuesday midnight], we needed to get up early and prepare for a long day.

We went to my OB-Gyne first for my monthly checkup. I used to have my checkups at The Medical City in TriNoMa but my doctor is in Waltermart branch during Tuesdays. I already asked both my doctor and the front desk officer of the clinic if there wouldn't be problem if I have my checkup on a different branch of The Medical City, both of them said that it won't be a problem and the front desk officer even said that he can have my records faxed to the Waltermart branch on the day that I will have my checkup. I was so disappointed. The Medical City is known to have a very good facility but their records are not even computerized, all my previous checkups were manually written at the back of a bond paper where a form is printed out and I had it filled out on the first checkup. Most moms that I know have this 'mommy book' given to them on the onset that they have their checkups and that's where their records are placed during the entire pregnancy checkups. I wasn't given any and the only records I have are the test results that were previously conducted. My OB-Gyne whom I've been seeing every month since April doesn't have any idea about the previous things we've been talking about for the past four months and that is simply because I had my checkup on a different branch of the same clinic. I decided it's time to change my OB and a clinic/hospital that's not using the prehistoric method of record keeping.

Prince and I went off to Quiapo to have my digicam fixed but he took me to this humble place:

He knows how I love Goldilocks' fresh lumpia and he said I must try this. So I did and instantly got hooked, I asked Prince to get me another one! hahaIt's only Php16 each but it tastes as good as the one in Goldilocks, only less ingredients and smaller in size. Sadly, there's no other branch so make sure to try it when you happen to pass by Quiapo area.

Since June, I noticed that Samsung L73 is not taking good pictures anymore. Everytime we take a picture, lines are showing up in the photos. I didn't want to get a new one [unless I get funds for a waterproof digicam, I guess] because I bought this as a gift for myself two years ago. The first camera technician said that the shutter flex needs replacement, it would cost Php1,800 and it will take him at least a week to fix. We tried another camera technician along the same street who had the same diagnosis but said he can fix it within 1 1/2 hours and would cost Php1,200. We haggled and got a deal for Php1,000. I am now a happy princess with a great working digicam again! ;-)

Win a free BORACAY VACATION PACKAGE!

It's been more than two years since Baks and I went to Boracay for the first time. We stayed there for a week and never wanted to go back to Manila, haha!I saw this promo from WOW Philippines and you guys might wanna check it out as well. The prize is really cool! I'd love to go back there soon but I'm still not sure if I can attend our friend's wedding at the Discovery Shores in Bora this December since baby's EDD will be on the first week of December as well. Promo details are noted below:

Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency

WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010, and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away a FREE Boracay Package complete with 3 Star accommodations at the luxurious Artista Boracay Resort on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation package.

Vacation Package Inclusions:

- 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 3 Star Accommodations at the Artista Boracay Resort
- Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines
- Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila Domestic Airport
- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat

Read More Information: http://www.boracay-packages.com

FRUITAS: The Healthy Choice

NOTE: This is not a paid ad. :-P

Lately I've been wanting to eat as much veggies and fruits as possible to stay healthy and avoid gaining huge amount of weight during pregnancy. I read that pregnant women need to have at least 5 servings of fruits everyday. I don't know how true it is but I'm sure eating lots of fresh fruits is a healthy habit. Good thing the supermarket is just close to our pad but sometimes I'm too lazy to prepare or too naive to choose which ones are of good quality so I just found the perfect desert that meets healthy, convenient and great taste to the core - Fruitas' Buko Fresh Fruit Salad!

I've been loving Fruitas smoothies for years and I'm glad that they added the Buko [coconut] drinks as well as snacks/desserts in their carts everywhere - and I mean EVERYWHERE as they've got branches even in your favorite beaches around the country!A friend told me that pregnant women are prone to get UTI so I just get myself a 16oz. glass of fresh buko juice from the Fruitas cart in our office pantry everytime I guilt about not drinking enough water. Stay healthy everyone! ;)

Saturday Night at the Kebab X Meiday!

Last night was a Saturday night I haven't had for quite some time. Prince was waiting in our office building lobby after I ended my shift at 9pm. He was with their guitarist and his girlfriend, with some of my officemates and we're off to Cubao Expo for the Kebab X Meiday event which is about 10minute-walk from my office. We decided to try out the newly opened Kebab X for dinner [weeks ago, there were rumors that they will have the same garlic sauce as Mister Kabab's in West Avenue which is the best so far]. Prince already told me that it's the opening night, for sure it will be jammed but I insisted that I wanted to eat kabab so being the 4-month preggy that I am, he can't complain. :-P

We arrived before 9:30pm and were luckily able to get a table right away. Prince is the usual Mr. Congeniality so we saw a lot of friends, other people we met from other events [including Antonette of Lilystars and surprised to see some guys from the metal scene] and met some more people [such as Lui Cornelio of Darkuscase] roaming around enjoying good music.

It was a really crowded night as expected and we were informed by one of their nice waiters that waiting time is really long on the onset. I was ready to wait. A very busy kitchen can be seen from where our table is at and I understand that we need to be patient. I didn't prepare myself to wait for about two hours though. One of the busiest guy who's multitasking between serving customers and preparing in the kitchen gave us four glasses of iced tea and said, "It's in the house, sorry for the delay". At last, dinner was served and I must say that it's worth the LONG wait!

Both the chicken and beef kebab we're nicely done and I must say that the garlic sauce might not be as thick as the one in Mister Kabab but it sure makes up the competition. I asked what their regular operating hours is but the guy said they don't have a fixed operating hours yet. I guess everyone should just hang on and wait for announcements online. Good thing it's really close to my office, I can go there during lunch break everyday! haha

We finished eating before Pedicab started playing so I guess it was a perfect timing afterall. They have sessionist Japo [Paranoid City] on synths and drummer [I don't know his name] as Raimund and Mike's not around. Itchyworm's, Ciudad's and Us-2 Evil-0's set are equally fun but in my opinion, the best performance for that night came from Taken By Cars.

We left the venue at 2am, five more bands were about to play and Mei Bastes was onstage announcing stuff about RJ Frias who became popular last Meiday event [Febuary] but we ran out of energy. I still need to go to work the following day. Congratulations to another successful Meiday event! ;-)

The Orchard Road

Nope. I am not referring to one of the busiest streets in Singapore but I must say that they got the name from it - The Orchard Road is another one of the newest finds in SM Megamall. It is located at the 2nd Level of Building A and B bridgeway so since we visited the newly opened Forever21 recently, there's no way I'll miss trying this one out with Prince.

The ambiance is almost the same as common foodcourts in SG [it reminds me of the Food Republic in Wisma Atria and Suntec actually]. It's not very crowded which is a good thing. Since they didn't have Hokkien Mee in Makansutra [Manila], I don't know where else can I get it aside from The Orchard Road.

Their version of Hokkien Mee is not as good as the ones in SG's Food Republic though. Usually a 'medium' serving is good enough for two so we waited for our first serving before deciding if we'll order another one or not. Their serving is a bit smaller than 'small' and they didn't get the aroma that I remember. The sambal [chili paste] that came with it isn't as good as well. I concluded that it might be because the one in Singapore is served in a soft palm bark [like a light brown leaf] that adds something to it that I can't explain. We shared it anyway therefore we needed to get another dish to fill in. Prince liked the Makansutra [Manila's] Char Kway Teow so we tried The Orchard Road's.

It's weird to see Char Kway Teow without oysters in it. It's not as flavorful as well. Overall, including the glass of Bandung that I had, I was disappointed. The Makansutra at the Manila Ocean Park is way better, worth the time, travel and every peso spent. :(