Cutty

This afternoon, I attended a cooking demo at the San Miguel Purefoods Culinary Center. This particular demo concentrated on recipes that may be used for catering. At the end of the demo, we were able to sample the dishes prepared by the San Mig chefs. Here are some pictures of what we had. Deli platter Spinach cannelloni Pork Roast with Prune Sauce Marshmallow Fudge Bar Mandarin Orange Panna Cota Also included in the buffet were Parmesan Crusted Chicken Fingers, French Onion Soup, Spanish Seafood Stew and Birthday noodles. All these were done in a span of 5 hours. Each attendee paid a fee of P550 for the demo, recipes and sampling. Not bad, eh?

Now that all the stuff that kept me occupied in the last few months has passed, I find more time in my hands. I am now more focused on finding a source of stable income that would complement what we currently have. I would like to start on it as soon as Baby#2 would allow me. One thing I know for sure is that I can not be confined in an 8-to-5 job. It will also have to be a food business. Cooking and Baking are two things that I love doing. I even have the invested on the disposable supplies and quality equipment needed. I have the packaging ready. I know which suppliers to tap for raw materials and restaurant equipment, thanks to the numerous Food Expos and cooking/baking workshops. At present, these are the stumbling blocks to my finalizing my decision: location - I have limited my choices to Katipunan, Marikina, QC and Pasig. Should I just make a home-based business out of it? man-power target market product line - Should I stick to dessert items? Should I include pasta, s...

082808 marks the 10th year of our coupledom. We just finished Shakespeare week and he was driving me home. I gave him his much-awaited "YES" while being stuck in traffic along Ortigas Ext. Nothing special except for that moment. Who knew that we'd still be together 10 years later? Congrats to us!

Johann's enjoying being the center of everyone's attention. He is such a ham!

I was glad to have this singing engagement amidst all the domestic chaos. I was fun to break away and see faces I haven't seen in weeks. They all remarked how my tummy had grown. The wedding was, once again, a high-profile one. The bride wore a gown that looked like it was by Monique L. The entourage came in pewter dresses. It was a very elegant and classy as gathering. I felt like an Indio (a derogatory word meaning uneducated, dark-skinned, second-class citizen) in a sea of fair-skinned people. Notable guests were Doris Ho, Washington Sycip, Tina and Rico Ocampo. Tina, though trying not to draw attention to herself, was a head-turner. She was statuesque in her long, black, haltered evening dress. I didn't notice if she was carrying one of her Celestina minaudieres. The ceremony itself was very quick and simple. Even the songs they requested were uncomplicated. It ended on a sweet note, with the groom hugging and whispering to his bride. It was a definite celebrat...

Though Vic was on vacation last week, it seems that we never had time to actually wind down. I guess too many people often lead to too many unexpected events. I can not begin to explain the drama we went through this past weekend. Let's just say that we went from ER to another. Thankfully, my parents are around to watch over Johann for a few hours. Again, we were physically exhausted tending to other stuff that we missed Johann's Gymbabes class for the third time. Our balikbayan guests are also starting to go back. Five flew back yesterday. One is scheduled to leave today. Three of them will leave tomorrow. The rest will be around till September. I am kinda glad that they are here when all these happened. They were Dad's support system in one of his most difficult times. I am kinda sorry for them too. Their vacation didn't turn out too be much of a break. Today will be the first time in a few days that we can finally do errands of our own. About time too. ...

I have this favorite stall in Greenhills that sells quality shoes. I usually go around all the stalls to look for them. Their shoes are not the type that easily goes kaput after minimal wear. They're actually more expensive than those that came from China or Korea. The first pair I got (in a Christmas bazaar) is a set of ballet flats with perforated leather. They are quite comfy for an expectant mom like me. When I need something for long walks that would make my white Pumas too casual or my Cole Haans too dirty, I turn to these shoes. They were once drenched in mud but after washing, they're good as new. The second pair I got last week were nice heeled, pointy shoes. The heels are not too high. The color is something that I wanted to get for a long time. Most importantly, I got these for a little over $10. However, this time, I have to be more careful of the suede and patent leather. I think they would be perfect with jeans. So, how do you find them?

Though I am a low-profile shopper (according to my ACS friends), I am sure Vic would disagree. ~Start copying here (no need to right click the image) ~Credits: Paper & Elements Created by Kim Jensen / Layout by JennyL 1. Don’t remove the credits when you post the image. 2. Please link back to the person who tagged you 3. If you have more than one blog, please post this to all of your blogs so your other blogs can be listed to the master list too 4. You need to pass this tag to many friends you think loves shopping. 5. Come back at BARGAIN.SALES.DEALS. and leave the exact post url so I can add you to the master list to help increase our rankings and improve our Technorati Authority. 6. Enjoy Shopping !!! SHOPAHOLICS : 1.) A Slice of Life 2.) Jenny Said So 3.) Simply Jen 4.) This and That 5.) Bargain.Sales.Deals. 6.) Me and Mine 7. ) Little Peanut 8.) Creative in Me 9.) Pea in a Pod 10. The Shopaholic in Me 11.) Life's Simple Pleasures 12.) My Planet Purple 13.) Women With...

Since we're on the family way (again), Vic and I decided not to join the rest of the clan this time. Last Tuesday, they flew off to the Visayan Islands to visit the Bermejo hometown. The following day, they were off to enjoy the white sand and beaches of Boracay . They should be on their way back to the Pasig home base. They must be really tired of each other's company by now. I am bound to hear lots of juicy stories. Can't wait!

Our Sundays were always busy but, last Sunday was even more so. It was the day of the party. Aug 17 was the reason we had balikbayans over. After our early morning routine of breakfast at Portico, hearing mass and visiting the cemetery, we checked in to our room at the party venue. We were quite delighted by what we saw. Even Johann enjoyed this little sitting area by the corner. He was browsing through the WOW Philippines map. While Johann was taking a nap, Vic and I went to the mall to grab some last minute supplies. I was able to rest my back for a few minutes before heading off to my appointment at Jesi Mendez. Junel did my hair and make-up. His hands were very light. He applied minimal make-up but the effect was not at all minimal. The price was minimal too, compared to what they are charging at Toni and Guy. I was glad that it turned out really well. It was just awkward walking inside the mall fully made-up with coiffed hair. Nevertheless, I will definitely come back t...

Since all of my FIL's siblings are in town, a memorial service was organized at the family plot for Tito Lerm. Tito Lerm passed away last April in his Florida home. He is the eldest in the family. He is also the tallest. He lived a very simple but complicated life. He is known for re-using disposable coffee filters, un-laundered jeans, and for sporting his cowboy hat and boots wherever he goes. He is also quite the talker. You'd never know if he was telling the truth or making it up. People gradually get up from the table and leave when the kwentuhan sessions are too lengthy already. He is survived by five wives and several children. Unfortunately, none of them were with him at the time of his death. I'd say, he was more committed to his career than to anything in his life. He claimed to be a colonel though he had five stars. We only know that he worked for the US government. Until now, we are unsure if it was with the Secret Service, CIA, FBI or US Marshall'...

Friday, Aug 15, was when most of our guests arrived. This was also one of our busiest days. We met the new arrivals, composed of Vic's relatives on his father's side, at a luncheon organized by FIL's staff. It was nice to see familiar faces. We had lots of stories to catch up on, specially about what transpired after Tito Lerm's death. We can feel the tension between the wives as they chose to sit in different tables. Unfortunately, the food wasn't enough to distract us. However, the crispy lechon skin was distracting enough. As usual, the dessert selection wasn't much of a big deal. Rice cakes and an overly-sweet chocolate cake simply won't do. --------------- As we were preparing for our evening affair, we received news that Tita Ellen couldn't be woken up from her sleep. She was previously complaining of a stomach ache. We were afraid that it was caused by something we ate the previous day. Worse, we were thinking about more serious ailm...

The unreliable supplier of the year finally delivered my orders an hour late. It seems that they got lost inside the subdivision. Serves them right. The packaging they gave me were not all presentable. They were inconsistently made. Ribbons were not cut and tied uniformly. Box sizes were not the same. I had to fix the ribbons because some of them weren't glued at all. You can just imagine my frustration. I was in rush and was not in the mood to argue with an employee who was just the messenger. I just paid for everything but told her to relay my message to Amix. Her products are poorly done. It's as if the items were not inspected prior to delivery. I called Amix a few hours later to confirm if she received the full payment I handed to the messenger. She never answered my call. She never bothered calling me back. That's customer service for her. Good luck to her. She's going to need it badly.

Balikbayan - refers to a person of Philippine origin, living outside the Philippines, who is returning to one's homeland. -------------- Last week, we started welcoming Balikbayans who arrived to attend FIL's birthday celebration. The first to arrive was the Chicago chapter. Eight of them arrived on a Tuesday. These people are from Vic's mother's side of the family. These people have a penchant for Filipino food. We decided to bring them to Barrio Fiesta for lunch since I am not in the mood for Chinese food. We agreed to meet at the Promenade before heading out to the restaurant. Our meeting time got delayed because we couldn't locate each other. Suddenly, I can recall how life was before the advent of mobile phones. After nearly an hour of waiting for each other, the men were ready to enjoy Crispy Pata and Kare-kare. Knowing that hypertension, diabetes and cancer run in the family, we added...

One of the tasks I agreed to do for the FIL's party is to look for souvenir options. At the beginning, I thought that small bottles of wines would be very symbolic. Wine gets better with age. The same is the case with my FIL . However, knowing that only a handful drink in Vic's side of the family, I opted to get coffee beans instead as party souvenirs. I used W@W, a local wedding resource to look for suppliers. I figured, that being affiliated with a well-known organization, I wouldn't have problems. I chanced upon WEG Designs . They have lovely products at reasonable prices. They were prompt in answering my first inquiry. However, the succeeding ones I had to pester them for answers. Since I was pressed for time and didn't have too many options, I took the risk and decided to order from them. After a few days, I asked to meet with Amix so I can see the product in person. It was also a deciding factor if I should seal the deal with my deposit. Our first me...

At 13 1/2 months, my little boy is now considered a toddler. Aside from walking unsteadily, he should have mastered using two words and should be able to bend over and pick up objects. If I recall correctly, he has consistently and correctly used the terms Mama, Dada, Aw for dogs, Ca for come and cars. He can also understand if you ask him to pick up an object to give to Mama. As half of the kids his age can do, he is likewise fond of looking at himself in the mirror. In addition to that, he holds out his arm and inserts it into his shirt. In his rush to get dressed, it oftentimes goes to the neck hole. It astonishes me that he can combine gestures and words to make his needs or wants known. This often happens when he wants to go out the door or to walk on his own. I am quite thankful that he has acquired skills that are fit for older toddlers also: He imitates well. He toddles well. He points to his own or others' body part when asked He responds to instructions like kissing...

It has been more than a month since Johann's first haircut at Cuts4Tots in Trinoma. For his second haircut, we tried the Kid's Salon at the 3rd floor of Rustan's Makati. Being a mom who is always on the look-out for the best deals, I am quick to compare the two. Here are my points of comparison: 1. Documentation - Both establishments offer certificates to first-time customers. This is a very good memento to both kids and parents. I didn't have time to scrutinize the one from Kid's Salon. However, the Cuts4Tots version includes a pre- and post-haircut picture of the kid. Several strands of hair were also included in the certificate for safe-keeping. Here is a copy of Johann's certificate from Cuts4Tots. 2. Location - Both have branches that are quite accessible to us. I am only aware of two locations for each establishment. Cuts4Tots has branches in Trinoma and Glorietta. Kid's Salon may be found in Rustan's Makati and at the Podium. 3. Kid...

I've been wanting to go to that weekend market beside Corinthian Hills but I never had the chance. I always have Johann with me every Saturday morning. I didn't want him to melt in the late morning sun. But, today, since Vic came to Gymbabes with us, I left Johann and Yaya with him. I was free to shop around for a few minutes. My main reason for visiting the market are the Manna bread products. Unfortunately, they were not in sight. But, I didn't leave disappointed. After thirty minutes, I was quite happy and satisfied with my loot: Asado rolls - These are dinner rolls filled with Pork Asado. The bread is very soft. Johann liked them very much. Twelve rolls cost P150, if I remember correctly. He was eating the bread until he fell asleep. Chicken Empanada - Vic enjoyed this very much. It is quite pricey at P45 each. Nonetheless, it was very good. You can taste the buttery flavor of the pastry shell. They also didn't scrimp on the filling. Baklava - This is ...

I signed up my little boy for the Gymbabes class a few months ago. He was less than a year old when we first started. Hourly sessions are twice a week. Each session would have time for singing, active play in the stations, massage, book reading and parallel playing. I am quite thankful for this class because this is where Johann learned to walk, climb ladders and cross tunnels. Prior to Gymbabes, Johann can only walk a few steps. I didn't realize that when I enrolled Johann I'd have to be more responsible as a parent. At this stage, I am already misplacing reply slips inside my cluttered bag. It also took me several weeks before I finally submitted an ID picture and a 4R photo of my little boy. I am sometimes late in driving him to school. I have to get my act together. I can not succumb to laziness anymore. I have to sleep now. Tomorrow is a school day.

This date is considered lucky by the Chinese. Even non-Chinese individuals grabbed this date for their special occasions. Weddings - Heard over the radio that hundreds of people are getting married in China today. I'm sure that there are more than several who are getting married in Manila also. Photographers, Videographers, Event Venues and Planners are having a field day today. I have a ex-colleague who also getting hitched on this famous day. I wonder if he got a more expensive rate knowing that this date is so in demand, even if it fell on a Friday. Delivery dates - In the year 1988, my mother was pregnant with my youngest brother. Her due date was in the first two weeks of August. She often said that wanted to give birth on the 8th. However, she can't hold it anymore. She gave birth on the 4th instead. Nowadays, a lot of pregnant women took advantage of this day too. Mothers want nothing else but good fortune for their kids. I wanted to give birth on the date al...

Vic got his new toy today. That is one item off our wishlist.

We got information that an authorized reseller of Apple hardware is having a sale. Being fans of Apple, we rushed off to the sale for some accessories for our Apple products. Vic wanted to get additional memory for the Macbook. We ended up getting an external drive instead. There were nice products on sale like the Altec Lansing dock for sale at less than 5 thousand. The Apple TV caught our attention also. But the price is quite hefty for something we do not plan to use that often. There are lots of accessories and peripherals for the iPod and Macbooks. If you are interested, here is a list of products that are on sale. By the way, sale items must be paid in cash only. Just a note of warning, the stretch of Sct Rallos is quite bumpy due to the road construction. I suggest passing through Sct Tobias instead. The office is just a few meters from the corner so the walk is quite manageable. Click here for the map . ------------------- As we were parking, we saw a place we've...

Yes, our night out pushed through. It didn't start off too well, though. We had to beat the traffic jam in and outside the mall. Valet service was a pain. Getting tickets for the movie was a pain. It seems that everyone went to the mall instead of staying in on that rainy night. Needless to say, we got a good dinner, a cup of thick Italian Milk Chocolate for me and an unfinished movie*. This Saturday night out was a first in a long time. I've forgotten how crowded malls can get on a Saturday night. ---------------- * Just when Batman's identity was about to be revealed, Cinema 6 lost the volume. It took a good three minutes before it was restored. We missed quite a lot. It didn't end there. A few minutes after, we lost the movie altogether. We've had enough booboos that evening. We decided to call it a night.

Our usual Saturday night dinner with Vic's side of family is cancelled. So, tonight we're on our own. It has been a long time since we had a Saturday evening to ourselves. Most of the time, he's too tired to go out on Saturday evenings. That being the case, we usually head back home after our dinner date with his family. But, tonight will be different. We'll probably take in a movie and have dinner in TriNoMa, not necessarily in that order. Maybe, if I am lucky, I can coax Vic to share a dessert and a hot cup of chocolate at Max Brenner. We'll see how it goes.

It has been raining for several days now. The weather is cooler and the days are a bit gloomy. It is perfect for staying in bed. However, I noticed that every time the weather gets this way, my all-around house-help seems to be too lazy to have a bath. This morning, I commented that she's been wearing the same set of clothes since Thursday evening. I asked if she wasn't feeling well. She said she was doing okay. I also mentioned that she may heat water for her bath if she finds it too cold. I was reminded about our similar conversation a few months ago. I specifically told her that she has to finish all her personal stuff in the morning so she wont have to bother herself with that during the day. Most importantly, she has to take a bath daily. Knowing that she grew up in the province, she may have thought that she could go without baths if she is sick. I told her that it is the main reason that she has a headache. She had to let the heat out of her body by taking a ba...