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Archive for March, 2008

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Princesses For A Day

Posted by kongkong622 on March 31, 2008



Last Saturday the Hezzies got to walk the red carpet as part of the wedding entourage of my husband’s cousin.

Both Hezzies felt the part and insisted that we call them by their “Princess names.” Adi was officially “Giselle” and Gaby was “Aurora.”









After the ceremony, the bride and the groom rode away on a gilded carriage pulled by a massive stallion. I didn’t notice that the wedding coordinator had the Hezzies ride on a smaller carriage pulled by a white pony. They were put at the head of the bridal parade.

They so enjoyed the ride that by the time that the parade made it to the venue, nothing and no one could make them get out of the pony-drawn carriage.



* This is my first entry to Weekend Snapshots. To check out other entries, click here.


Posted in D'kids, Weekend Snapshot, pictures | 13 Comments »

Has It Been A Year?!?

Posted by kongkong622 on March 28, 2008

I was making a random check of my site’s settings and I discovered that it was my 1st year anniversary…YESTERDAY!!

So belated Happy Anniversary to Me!!

How could I have missed it?!? Blame it on the LTO (I was registering the car last Wednesday) and City Hall (I was paying our Real Estate Taxes). My fault, really. I did everything at the last minute and, apparently, so did half of QC as both places were packed!!

But anyway, here’s a rundown of some of my fave posts in the last year…just as a sort of reminder of how it’s been :)

4.17.2007 (Who Was Posing)
5.27.2007 (Cut From The Same Cloth)
6.20.2007 (Kiddie Love)
6.27.2007 (The Twin Brother of Menopause)
7.12.2007 (Terrible Two’s)
7.16.2007 (Playing Favorites)
8.07.2007 (High School Life, Oh My High School Life)
8.16.2007 (Usog, String On The Forehead, And Other Mumbo Jumbo)
10.17.2007 (Ni Hao Ma)
11.08.2007 (For Better Or For Worse)
11.20.2007 (Love Pentagon)
12.13.2007 (Christmas In My Heart)
12.27.2007 (Why Can’t Everyday Be Christmas)
1.03.2008 (First Achievement Of The Year)
1.11.2008 (Do You Know Twyla Tharp?)
2.14.2008 (Aww..)
2.23.2008 (The End of a Friendship)
3.01.2008 (8 Random Facts About The Hezzies)

So here’s to another year (or years) of exploring…learning…..blogging.

Cheers!

Posted in Celebration, Memories, blogging, me-things | 13 Comments »

High on Highlands

Posted by kongkong622 on March 25, 2008

As a pre-holiday holiday, we headed to Tagaytay Highlands on Holy Monday. As always, it was a spur-of-the-moment trip and being the ever-ready to make pasyal type, I packed our bags in 20 minutes and was ready to go at the drop of a hat.

As soon as we arrived, we headed to our hotel and dropped off our things, freshened up and left to make the most of whatever was left of the day.

First off we took the kids on the cable car to get to the golf course. Nope, I don’t play golf. But seeing how beautiful the greens at the Highlands were made me think of signing up for a crash course. The kids…well…they had a great time just rolling around the grass. They just kicked off their flip flops and ran around.




View of Taal Lake from our veranda

Sunset at the ridge

By early evening the winds started to pick up and we donned our jackets. It was pretty chilly still and by around 8 p.m. the fog rolled in. The rest of the evening was spent indoors and the kids just “swam” in the tub and as an extra treat they turned on the jacuzzi function for extra bubbles.

The following morning we took the kids on the funicular. Even I was very excited to try this as the last time we were here the funicular was undergoing some maintenance so we didn’t get to try it. As always I was able to secure the best seats in the house. Up front. And when the thing started it’s descent the kids threw their hands up in the air and started shouting ….”WHOOOAAAA!!”…..like riding a roller coaster.


After our “funicular adventure” we headed for the Animal Farm as our last stop before heading off.

I love this zoo. It’s so kid-friendly. Adult friendly too except for the pink parrot that bit my hand after I fed him seeds. Ungrateful little bully! I swear, he even did a mean dance after biting me. Good thing he was in a cage or I might have given him my “power pitik“.

The warthogs

Eeyore

Adi with Cusco & George

Lorenzo Llama
(according to the husband)

You’d think the fun was over….nooo. On our way down we grabbed a quick bite at Buon Giorno and guess who I ambushed….

Posted in D'kids, Funtime, Philippines, Vacation, travel | 21 Comments »

OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by kongkong622 on March 24, 2008

My whole body aches. My legs, my arms, my butt, my abs (1 pack…as of the moment). Everything hurts like hell!! Why? YOGA!!

Yep, I’ve signed up for a yoga class as my way of revving up my body for my upcoming date with middle age. Ouch.

For those who don’t know, I am turning a sweet-40 this June and I’ve decided that I want to infuse a bit of physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental activity into my daily routine to make my transition a wee bit more palatable. To put it mildly, I don’t want to turn 40 and look 40.

So 2 weeks ago I went online and started searching for an authentic Yoga institute. I came up with several but the one that really got me interested is the Ananda Marga institute in Quezon City. I had visions of yoginis in flowing robes with lithe bodies and rock hard butts. And when I went for a visit I was so surprised to find folk just like me. Of course, there were a couple of solid practitioners who were in robes with lithe bodies and rock hard butts (and abs) but they were really nice and accomodating.

To start of, I was interviewed by one of the teachers, Dada Seva, to find out about my physical impediments and illnesses. This was for them to be able to assist me in some asanas that would target this particular need.

I don’t want to sound too informed because I’m not. Not yet. Suffice it say that I had a really good time. Despite the fact that my whole friggin body hurts….it’s worth it.

For now allow me roll out my yoga mat, take a couple of deep breathes and practice my bow pose and fish pose. Yep, they both hurt too.

Posted in Fitness, Yoga, me-things | 17 Comments »

Biyernes Santo Kapampangan Style

Posted by kongkong622 on March 22, 2008

Yesterday we went home to my husbands hometown in Bacolor, Pampanga. Yes, this was the same town that was buried by lahar a decade ago when the mighty Mt. Pinatubo awoke from its slumber. Since then the people of Bacolor have literally risen from the ashes and rebuilt their homes and their lives. With this they have also managed to continue with some of the traditions of their ancestors.

One of these world-famous traditions is the “penitensya” which is done every Good Friday. Here you will see the streets of Bacolor being walked by several penitents (usually drunkards, gamblers, and womanizers…and others….on other days) while whipping themselves to a bloody pulp. This is not for the faint at heart, I must admit. It took a supreme amount of courage for me to jump out of the car and watch. My husband flat-out refused to look because it is actually a bit gory. I did manage to get a bit of blood splattered on my supremely white shorts and had to make a quick dash to the palengke (they were closing at noon) to buy an outfit to wear for the rest of the day. Luckily, I managed to find a pair of walking shorts and a nice shirt for only Php 350…with tawad.

Another form of penitensya is carrying the cross. These men supposedly walk the path that Jesus took to Golgotha to be crucified. You will see these men either robed or shirtless and with their faces covered. In some instances some of them stumble and some of the locals volunteer to carry their crosses for them. I wasn’t able to take the photo of one penitent who couldn’t walk anymore so a kind pedicab driver put the cross on his bike and gave the poor fellow a ride.



In the late afternoon we headed for the town proper to watch the grand procession. This would begin at the San Guillermo Parish church, the same church that was buried halfway in lahar during the eruption. According to my mother-in-law, this procession dates back to the 1800’s when the old-rich families of Bacolor would parade their santos in their grandiose caros every Good Friday. The tradition was so important to them that a certain portion of their harvest was allocated to fund this procession. The procession today isn’t as spectacular as it used to be since the old santos and caros are now buried in several meters of lahar. Some of the families have already left Bacolor for higher ground…like…Manila. Those who have stayed have decided to tone it down a bit but to an outsider, like myself, it was still awe inspiring.

At the first leg of the procession there were around 150 people in black robes holding up banners and objects. Their faces were covered with black veils, their heads crowned with leaves, and they were barefooted. This was supposed to be the parade of things used before, during, and after the crucifixion of Jesus. There were all sorts of things there like rags, drums, dice, palanggana, a foot, and all sorts of banners in Roman and Capampangan. Again, this was a family tradition so whoever was walking now inherited the task from an ancestor. And since this was a family tradition, there were several of them who had children behind them holding on to a rope tied on their waist. This meant that the tradition was to be passed in the next year or so to the child holding the rope.


The main event was the parade of santos and caros. As always, the Capampangans never fail to disappoint. The caros where beautifully decorated and the santos were dressed in such marvelous finery that would put any queen or king to shame.

When the Mater Dolorosa made her entrance, an orchestra of violinists accompanied by around 50 women sang for her in Spanish. I was just standing there with my mouth open…it was both eery and beautiful.

Next year I’m planning to make the trek to see the Crucifixion. I heard that around 30,000 people went this year. We’ll see.

Posted in Celebration, Philippines, Traditions, summer activity | 16 Comments »

Thank You Jesus :)

Posted by kongkong622 on March 14, 2008

I just had to post this. This was Gaby’s Nursery Class’ special number for their graduation. It served as the opening prayer for the ceremony. Watch and weep. I did :)

Posted in Celebration, D'kids, school, singing | 13 Comments »

Congratulations To All The Graduates!!

Posted by kongkong622 on March 14, 2008

To the graduates of 2008…..

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

MY GRADUATES
Taken at Goodstart Educational Centre’s Preschool Graduation rites
(March 10, 2008)


Posted in Celebration, D'kids, school | 2 Comments »

Da Signs

Posted by kongkong622 on March 7, 2008

This was a text sent to me by my future bro-in-law.

Iba’t ibang makahulugang signs :

“Bawal omehi dito. Ang mahuli bog-bog. Tsaka molta Php1000.”

“Don’t Parking.”

“Wanted Boy Waitress”

“Ponkan : 5 Pesos per each”

“Sweat Corn. May luto.”

“Ukay-ukay. More on the 2nd floor upstairs.”

“Sorry we’re close. Lunch brake.”

“No urinating over the walls.”

“Tol box”

“We refair electric pan”

“Buy one, take home“

And these were some signs I actually saw.

“Wanted Waitress : Boy or Girl”

“Don’t trow the garvage here”

“Towel 9pcs for 100 pesos : Just horn me” (on one of the vendors on Edsa)

“Wanted : Denter (latero)”

“Ear holing available here” (at a derma clinic)

That’s about it. And now I shall rest a bit because I think I’m getting a headache.

Posted in Funtime, me-things | 7 Comments »

A Belated Palawan Post

Posted by kongkong622 on March 5, 2008

I’ve been meaning to post on my Palawan trip, I just haven’t gotten down to doing it until now.

So here are a few more photos from my trip to our country’s last frontier. Just seeing them again makes me want to book a flight asap.

Palawan cherry blossom
Irawan Forest Reserve
Palawan anitos in the palenke

Baby crocs

Skin of the largest croc
ever caught in the Philippines

Getting friendly with a baby croc

Getting friendly with another
Palawan visitor (Chiqui Hollmann)

Posted in New Places, pictures, travel | 22 Comments »

Food Tripping

Posted by kongkong622 on March 4, 2008

Whenever there is an opportunity for me to eat out…..I eat out. Thank goodness for my slightly elevated metabolism…..care of my slightly over active thyroid….I can eat…and eat…and eat.

And as luck would have it, I have an equally “takaw” husband and an even more “takaw” family.

Here are some meals that I’ve had in recent days that made a mark on my stomache.


MALCOLM’S PLACE

If it were not for a “tito” who lives in the next building, I wouldn’t have known of this fantastic hole-in-da-wall dynamo. I had a quick lunch with some business associates a few weeks ago and I was so impressed that I urged my hubby to try it with me over the weekend.

After scouring the Salcedo market last Saturday we took a short walk to Malcolm’s. Yes, it’s within walking distance of the Salcedo market. And since lunch at the market was out of the question…there was no place to sit anymore…..we decided to go there instead.

Malcolm’s is known for “Wagyu” beef. I’m not a big steak eater and neither is the husband so we opted to have the sandwiches instead. And Malcolm’s doesn’t disappoint.

I chose the Wagyu Cheesesteak Sandwich because I love Cheesesteaks. This one is really fantastic. The beef is so tender and juicy. The servings are huge too. I could only manage to eat one of the sandwiches and took the other one home in a doggy bag.

Wagyu Cheesesteak Sandwich

My husband had the Wagyu burger and that was great too. Not too many seasonings on the patty so you could taste the all-beef flavor of Wagyu. Great!!
Wagyu Burger

After the very hearty meal I had to have my dessert. And I was happy to see that they had my favorite Apple Crisp ala Mode on their dessert menu. Honestly, this wasn’t too good. The pie they sent us must have been a few days old and it tasted that way too. Still, the whole experience was truly tops. As of the moment, Malcolm’s is on my “favorite eating places” list.

Apple Crisp ala Mode

SIZZLING PEPPER STEAK

Our visit to Sizzling Pepper Steak was very spur-of-the-moment. We were in the mall one Saturday morning and we just decided that we wanted to have an early lunch so we could beat the lunch hour crowd.

I was craving for Japanese and the sign outside the place looked “japanesy” enough so we decided to try it out.

To put it bluntly, the place is not much of a Japanese resto as it is a sizzling plate place.

And since I couldn’t get my Japanese food fix here, I decided to just go with the “must order” items on the menu. I got the Sizzling Pepper Chicken which was, well, ok. Nothing great but tummy filling and piping hot. I like my food piping hot. So points for that.

Sizzling Pepper Chicken

To go with my chicken I got the Pepper Rice which was basically rice with some sauce with lots of pepper. It actually tasted like rice with spicy teriyaki sauce and it didn’t go too well with my chicken. However, I could have had the rice on its own and I would have been happy with that.

Pepper Rice
My husband ordered the Rib-Eye and it was also, just ok. Maybe we were waiting for something authentic…japanese…unique. Sadly, we didn’t get it.

All things considered, though, the place isn’t so bad. The food isn’t so bad but it isn’t so great either. Tummy filling..yes. Value for money…yes. Would I go back….maybe.
Sizzling Rib-Eye

CYMA

Dinner at Cyma wasn’t my idea. We had to give in to my then-pregnant sister’s last minute Greek-food craving. She was going to be banned from eating too much in preparation for her impending delivery and as a “last meal” of sorts, she wanted to eat at Cyma. So the entire family went along with her whim and its a good thing we did.

Like the previous resto, this was a spur of the moment thing. It’s a good thing that we live a mere 10 minutes away so we didn’t have to brave any form of traffic getting there. Otherwise we would have taken a rain check if the resto was not that near.

Since it was a “last meal” we went all out and ate.

For starters we had a Greek Salad. This is really a favorite of the clan since we love cheese and we love olives. And this salad is loaded. This is a meal in itself but since we had other ideas, this would have to be just a prelude to another night of great eating.

We ordered several plates of the “Flaming Cheese” but sadly I wasn’t able to take any photos of that because I had to hold Gaby while the servers ignited the cheese and shouted “OMPA!!”

Those appetizers didn’t stay too long on the table as we just love it!! We must have ordered around 4 orders of that just to show that we are cheese fans. OMPA!!

Greek Salad

For the main meal we ordered “Baby Back Ribs”‘ (full rack), “Angel Hair Pasta with Baby Clams”, and “Osso Buco Pasta”.

The ribs were soooooo tender. You could literally suck them off the bone. Yummy.

The “Osso Buco Pasta” wasn’t and will never be a favorite. My sisters love it, though. I find that the spices are just too overpowering. And for some reason, I feel my arteries clogging up with every bite of this dish. Way to rich for my taste.

The “Angel Hair Pasta with Baby Clams” ….. now that was great. Very light and very tasty. At the risk of sounding like a pig, I must have finished one third of the entire bandehado. What can I say…..it was just too good.

Osso Buco Pasta

Angel Hair Pasta with Baby Clams

Baby Back Ribs (Full Rack)

I’m not a very big fan of Greek food, really. However, this meal was definitely a good one. Will I go back….I already have. OMPA!

Posted in Eating-Out, Food, New Places, food find, me-things | 18 Comments »

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