Musical Chairs (Tagged by Liv)

I got tagged by someone named Liv:

1)Di Na Natuto-- My first favorite song (at around 6 or 7 yrs old). Probably irritated the heck out of my mom with my non stop singing and wrong lyrics (which I'm still notorious for now if you ask Liv) which is probably why my mom eventually bought me a "Song Hits" song book for me to use as I belted my heart out. "Nandyan ka na naman, tinutukso tukso, ang aking puso...."

2)Forever (Martin and Regine)-- Another song Liv and I happened to be obssessing about when we met (let it now be known that I'm not the only cheesy person inhabiting this web space).

3) Pilgrim's Theme - who doesn't want to heed the inner call?

4)It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday (BoyzIIMen)-- hearing this song being sung by BoyzIIMen in the background of a burial scene in Lethal Weapon 3 (I think) totally opened my awareness to the world of a cappella and R&B.

5)Everlasting Love (The Company)-- of course my song with Liv is the most meaningful of all.

6.)Somewhere Out There-- My childhood "kilig song". This was the theme song that played in my head when I was around 8 or 9 yrs old whenever I thought of my childhood crushes (which included Star Wars' Princess Leia of course).

Where Should We Go Next?

It's funny how people have been giving us more and more suggestions as to where we should go next. Thank you for all your tips, we will definitely take them into consideration. As it is, we're already booked for the whole year. Going place to place is quite uncomfortable now cause of the weather. Why is it sooo hot? It's already October and in the past this period is already quite chilly. I'm hoping we get to visit a cool-er place soon.

Options would of course be: 1. Baguio, 2. Tagaytay, 3. Anywhere up North. The thing is, Ruy and I have already visited all these places together and so this is really nothing new for us. Haaaay if we only had enough budget (and less work here) we'd love to go to another country this year. Hmmmm, maybe we can go with Nuni and Nunu to Japan? Or visit Jen in the US? or Che in UK?

If we would have the chance to go to UK we'd definitely go to Cardiff. We've already found this site with great info for tourists and with a line-up of their activities. I'm quite excited over this Activity they have called Iris Prize. They will be showcasing 30 short films on Gay/Lesbian Pride...although I don't think Ruy would appreciate that so much...I wish Loi, Patric and I can see that. They also have a winter wonderland...this is something I'm sure Ruy would love. Ruy adores cold climates and so he'd have so much fun here. The best part about this entire thing is their affordable hotel rates. With the affordable rates in Cardiff Hotels and Birmingham Hotels, you'd end up spending less than you would if you went to I Love Boutique in Tagaytay...IMAGINE THAT!!

Come to think of it, that's all I can do. IMAGINE. Leaving the country is out of the question for us this year. Hmmm...maybe next year?

Kozui

Divisoria sometime in September 2007-

Ruy and Liv: (soaking wet after walking from tutuban mall to the tiangge in Tabora with our feet wet from the pungent, sticky surprises of the mossy divisoria earth made juicy by the continuous downpour of rain) Boss may tinda ba kayo niyang lalagyan na plastic na ganyan?

Vendor: Oo.

Ruy and Liv: Magkano?

Vendor: 10 pesos.

Ruy and Liv: Eight na lang. Kuha kami madami.

Vendor: Sige.

Ruy and Liv: (Silently whooping with joy because we finally found what we've been looking for and at an unexpectedly cheap price) Pakuha ng 80 pcs.

Vendor: Ay, bumalik na lang po kayo sa lunes kasi sarado yung pagkukunan pag linggo. Iwan kayo ng down para sure kami na kukunin ninyo.

Ruy and Liv: (in stunned disbelief) baka naman meron sa iba?

Vendor: Wala talaga kahit san kayo magpunta.

Ruy and Liv: (we had no way of coming back on a weekday with our jobs) Di bale na lang. Tingin po muna kami.

We continued to trudge on in search of our container only to sadly learn that the freaking vendor was right and that most vendors haggle price even if they don't have the product to sell and with the realization that our divisoria ordeal was all for nothing...

During the hustle and bustle and stress of preparations in the days leading up to Andrea's baptism, when emotional states were quite intense and migraines a constant nuisance, one place reminded us to take it easy on ourselves and to take things a bit slower. A place that echoes of a soft presence, a soothing whisper which can only be uttered by the tranquil spirit of green tea.

Thousands of years in existence with properties ancient and wondrous, this amazing liquid concoction is a healing balm, administered, to a wondrous effect, by a zen haven named Kozui. Located in Tomas Morato QC, we learned about this place from my wife's good buddies Nuni and Nunu.

Looking in from a very busy Tomas Morato sidewalk, a wierd, familiar sensation is aroused. I am enveloped by a feeling of detachment and calm similar to what I experience when I look into aquariums. I subconsciously fall into a trance as I peer in and watch the fish sway to an inaudible thumping beat while I simultaneously internalize being enveloped in a cool, quiet universe as my imagination gets drawn into the fish's mind. Glug, glug, glug.... Peace...

Stepping in, I am immediately captivated by the beautiful interiors. It's strikingly white theme seems to initiate a person into a "cleansing" process upon entry while the cool, green tone set by the furniture and vegetation ushers one's state into nature's revitalizing tranquility. The minimalist, modern design perfectly binds these two elements to create a place of instant calm and relaxation.

Walking up to the counter, we were greeted by a menu board of different kinds of green tea among which were: Genmaicha (green tea combined with roasted brown rice), Matcha (green tea where leaves are are powdered and actually consumed), Sencha (a particularly strong green tea harvested in early spring), Kukicha (made from stems and twigs, a tea that packs a mean dose of anti-oxidants), Dragonwell- (said to be from a chinese village called Dragon Well has a sweet, smooth flavor).

I just wish they had a tea manual or at least some sort of description on the menu board to assist the uninitiated tea drinker like myself in choosing what to order. As I didn't have the luxury of google at that moment, I found myself paralyzed, standing by the counter, baffled over what to order and sporting an authentic blank stare of a tea retard.

Finally after a couple of agonizing minutes of deliberaton and guess work, I eventually settled for a Genmaicha Lemon tea while Liv had a mint jelly fruit blend whose name escapes me now but which looked like this. =)

Having taken care of the tea selection business, we then proceeded to order our food. Given our not too hungry state, we opted to eat light and just relax (which in Kozui seemed like the perfect thing to do).

The only drawback was that we had to pass up on the Tearamizu

and Green Tea Cheesecake

Our food.

Dan Dan Noodle: Fresh chilled egg noodle with spicy hot creamy szechuan dressing. --A dish as refreshing to the taste as it is to the eye, the freshness of crisp veggies and the citrusy tang of lemon enhance the cool wave that washes to the shores of my tongue through a current of cold egg noodles. The szechuan dressing provides the glorious sun that warms the mouth after the vigorous splash. A fun and enjoyable dish.

Herbed Meatball Soup: Herbed meatballs swimming in egg soup.--- Warms the heart as the taste of its liquid broth brings the coziness and security of home on a cold rainy evening while the meatballs and vegetables provide the stability and substance of the house's sturdy foundation. Visually, it is to me a tranquil pond brimming with nature's bounties.

Takoyaki: Dumplings made from seafood bits and shavings mixed in a batter.--- Again another piece to behold. Unfortunately, I was looking forward to a sweetness which I didn't get from their version of the dish so I didn't enjoy eating it too much (an expectation probably influenced by my familiarity with the "Samurai Balls" takoyaki which has a really sweet sauce).

I did enjoy staring at it though.

It must be said that Kozui was indeed an "experience". From the moment we entered, the visual therapy of colors and interior design, the cleansing properties of green tea, the immaculate flavors and invigorating presentation of the food all blended together to provide a much-needed rejuvenation.

Kozui is definitely the place to reboot senses that are numbed and wearied by today's overloaded life.

Ruy's Joining the Blogsvertise Bandwagon

Blogsvertise is just too tempting, Ruy couldn't resist. We just registered this blog under blogsvertise and we are hoping that it would be approved as well. You know how we blog regularly anyway, might as well earn money of it by getting some paid ads from blogsvertise.

We hope we get approved ASAP, in time for us to buy furniture for our house...wahahah

Chowking's Nai Cha - TWL

One thing Ruy and I both love is the NAI CHA from Chowking. My aunt and Ruy were both fans and they made me try it. I would have to admit that I initially found the taste weird but I eventually ended up craving for it.





What is it exactly? It's black tea with sweetened evap milk mixed with jelly. The put a whole lot of ice on the glass, pour steaming tea on top of it, pour cold milk, and lastly they add jelly. I thought they just put black gulaman on it, but others have told me that it's actually coffee jelly. Can anyone enlighten me on this?







I love looking at a freshly made glass and seeing the marbling created by the slow fusion of milk and tea. What I love more though is drinking it. =)







If I could complain about something it would be about the serving size...I think they should have a double XL eheheh.

Tastes We Love - The Series

Together with our restaurant reviews, we thought it would be fun to give you random food items we like either individually, or something we both like. =)

From this point on, I will attach the initials TWL to the title of such posts. Stay tuned

Ruy Bits

While having dinner last night...

"I've had better. The cold noodles I had in Paseo Uno was so much better. It tasted like spring dancing in my mouth..."

HUWAT? Who the hell talks that way...my husband =)

Tips for those Going to Arkansas

When I went to France, my friend Avril and I had a few days spent just going around on our own. It was unbelievably fun but at the same time, it's frustrating as we didn't know exactly where to go. We would just enter a restaurant and hope that the food's good. It would have been nice if we had a list of resto-s which the locals considered good and not those which are just tourist traps.

I came across this website which gives a list of Hot Springs, Arkansas Best restaurants. The best part about this site is it's not commercialized. It's not paid for by the restaurants found on their list, rather it's a compilation of the local's opinion's on the restaurants in their area. No more hit and miss when it comes to eating out while on a trip. You wouldn't want to waste your money on awful food right?

On top of their restaurant list, this site also offers a list of Free Things to do in Hot Springs. FREE, FREE, FREE....wahahaha...I'm sold!!

O Kitchen

Details -- I believe these make everything extra special. It's those little nuances which turn the ordinary to extraordinary. O Kitchen seems to have mastered the art of details. Every single item seems to have been well thought off. I have taken some pictures of these noteworthy details both in their utensils and in their dishes.

(beautiful cutlery, soft curves on their squarish glasses, bits of pomelo on their shake, cute shape of their rice, etc.)


Simply put, they serve Filipino food. No, it can't be described as fusion or avante garde. It's simple, classic pinoy dishes cooked well...very well.



Our dinner consisted of the following: Kare-kare, Binagoongang Lechon Kawali, Chicken Wrapped in red egg. We had pomelo shake, mango shake and dessert too.

Kare-kare. I am still trying to decide if this is my favorite commercial karekare right now.(Serye is the other one I'm considering) Needless to say I really really loved this dish. I initially thought it was extremely cheap at 180 pesos for a reasonably sized bowl of karekare (for 2) but upon seeing that there's only one chunk of beef in the bowl...I changed my mind. I would say that the price is similar to the other restos serving kare-kare

Binagoongang Lechon Kawali. Whoever first concocted this dish deserves a nobel price. Lechon Kawali on anything actually tastes wonderful right? Given that simple fact...this dish is once again...great!!

Chicken Breast Rolled in Red Egg. The name of this dish is actually very misleading. I imagined a dish covered in red egg or covered in some sort of batter made with red egg. Apparently, it's rolled chicken with red egg inside. This is probably our least favorite among the dishes we ate here...it's basically fried chicken with a little extra taste brought on by the egg. You dip the chicken in a sweet chili sauce with thin slices of cucumber.

Turon with Leche Flan. Instead of having bananas inside their turon, they filled it with leche flan...I was asking Ruy while eating this "Why haven't we done this before?" Why don't we go about wrapping everything in lumpia wrappers and deep frying them...tomorrow I will try to wrap a Krispy Kreme donut in lumpia and deep fry it...weheheh. This dish was a fun dish and though it wasn't AMAZING...it was good enough to make me want to have it again in the future.



The food was good and affordable, the venue nice and comfortable. I love how this place is not commercialized like the other establishments in Libis. I'm sure the other people working in the area would appreciate knowing that they have one more option for their dinner dates.Oh oh oh...they give free kamote-cues as well!!


O Kitchen is located at the back of the floor center. Just turn right at the alley immediately before the Floor Center in Libis. They are open from 11am-230pm and from 6pm-10pm.

Teamwork

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's our daughter Andrea's Christening on Sunday and there seems to be a lot of holes to patch up. My Superwoman wife Liv is apparently experiencing a bout with her "kryptonite". Only in this case it is not over the presence of some radioactive element which causes her to shrivel up in weakness but just the simple limitation enforced upon us by nature that is, we only have one body. As much as our boundless energy and vision can soar free with plans, dreams, goals and other well-meaning intentions, the great fact of life is that, more often than not, we cannot do everything alone. I believe it is in this fact which is where life gets better as we are then led to the next logical progression which is PARTNERSHIP. I wish Liv would learn to stop her automatic "It's my job to do everything" and "I can do everything myself" default mode when it comes to family.




Being her number one fan, of course I know and believe that she can do ANYTHING given all the talent and intelligence and seamless work ethic that she possesses. However, I pray that she realizes that when it comes to family matters, I am in it with her too. That way she wouldn't be too busy staring at all the things she's juggling in front of her and she'd also start to see the things that I try to do to help (like the map I made and sent out using my unpolished but undeniably promising microsoft excel skills.. and a lot more really). More importantly, that my wife would realize that she has someone who is waiting to give her a hand. As much as it's very convenient to have my wife do every family task by herself which would then leave her husband (me) free to watch dvds or play computer games and relax, I would not put such momentary comforts over my wife's happiness and sanity...







Which makes me realize that on my part, I should really try to be more assertive with my intention to be my wife's knight in shining armor.







I guess these situations lead to realizations that provide a food that is different from the ones we usually cover here but nonetheless a part of the married life we continue to share and partake in. Food which we should continuously seek for our lives as much as the food we seek for our tummies (like the chicharon I'm wishing I had right now).

Cheese Time! -Samar