When friends become sisters.

I believe that not all friendships last. As we get older, we somehow learn to filter and just keep the ones who mean more. Yes we have all our so called "friends" in our facebook friends list just like the ones met the week before last week. We know its real friendship when we dont really have to explain ourselves to them. Its a given. They understand. Im proud to say that I have kept the right ones. These women continue to inspire me and make me want to be a better wife to my husband and a better mom to my children. Like some of my other real friends, they are keepers. :) to Straw, Lorelie, Joanne and Cathy, I will always be grateful for your friendship. Thank you so much! 

Chef Laudico Guevarra's.

My sister turned a year older yesterday and what better way to celebrate it than eating buffet style, right? So we all headed to the Chef Laudico Guevarra's in San Juan. 

As we entered the huge driveway, a well lit garden welcomed us and and to the left is an old house that can only be described as stunning. The house is probably form 20's or so era. Painted in white. One can tell by just looking at it that whoever lived there must be very rich. Its even better inside! All white with a touch of dark brown and red chairs. High ceiling, hardwood flooring...the works! 

Now for the food. I decided on a salad to start my meal. Crisp lettuce and fresh tomatoes paired with guava vinaigrette. Deliciously sweet and tangy. On my next trip to the buffet table, I took the bigger plate to accommodate my plans. For my rice, I chose the one with crab fat. I guess I don't really have to explain why, its crab fat, cooked with rice. Together, they are perfection! I also had a serving spoon of the Longganara, its the only pasta on the buffet table. Creamy and delectable. My little boy loved this too. Baked Tanigue Pangat, is not your usual pangat, the fish is tenderly baked and the flavor is gentle on my taste buds. I also tried the other items pakbet bagnet, Angus beef karekare, grilled squid and grilled shrimps. The squid was really tender and the shrimp was sweet. There are other items that I was not able to try. I made several trips to the buffet table just to get servings of the Baked tanigue pangat. 

When I finally had my fill of all that savory stuff, it was time for the sweet stuff. The dessert area offers quite a selection of pastries that will make your mouth water. What I like about it is that you will not see an entire cake there, every thing is displayed in small servings. It will not overwhelm your eyes. They also have a selection of fruits, a white chocolate fountain and latik fountain. They even have soft ice cream machine! The fruit salad, brazo de mercedes and halohalo are served in shot glasses. The brazo took my breath away. Oh my. 

I must say this place is perfect for family gatherings. Kids can run around the garden while waiting for their parents to finish their meal. 

If you are like me and you like buffet, Chef Laudico Guevarra's is located at 387, P. Guevarra St., San Juan. :) 

Food Trip, Marufuku Style

When it comes to food,we all have our favorites. Let me share with you my new favorite Japanese Restaurant, Marufuku!
Marufuku opened its doors quietly mid of last year. Located at the heart of Ortigas Center, this japanese restaurant boasts of authentic Japanese cuisine with a twist of the chef's own creations. For starters, we had a serving of Gyoza also know as pot stickers with pork filling. One bite of this prok filled yummies and you know its wasn't done ahead of time. It has this very special clean taste, not so heavy, I wanted more but I have to leave some space for the next item which is Ebiten, shrimp tempura, it looked like your regular tempura until I took my first bite. The first question that came to my mind was, how come its A LOT crispier than the others? I know, tempura is very common in Japanese restaurants, but this is really really crispy. Crispy to the point of crumbs falling off. Yeah. It was that crispy. The shrimp of course was of the freshest. really tender and sweet. Gyoza and tempura for starters and my taste buds were screaming for MORE!

Ebiten Shrimp Tempura

On my first visit here last October, I tried the Marufuku roll, I was totally taken by it that I asked for it again, Cathy recommended the seafood roll instead, and again, I was not disappointed. Think maki and super size it! The seafood roll will surely take your love for makis to a different level. It has everything I want in a roll. Totally satisfying. I think I had three of them.  Moving on to more heavier items, the next item was the chicken teriyaki. We also had this on our last vist and the quality is just the same. Tender slices of chicken breast served with stir fried vegetables. The chicken has a very subtle sweetness to it, not over powering the chicken. The next heavy item is the Wafu Sirloin. Now this you have a choice of ribeye or wagyu) I believe we were served wagyu.

Wafu Sirloin

 I like meat. But this went beyond everything I ever expected from meat. Juicy, tender, succulent, oh, words are not enough to describe this beef experience. By the end of the savory beef and chicken meals, Joan had a sudden craving for salad. Once again, Cathy surprises us with Spicy Tuna Sashimi. This I must say was the most interesting twist made on the tuna sashimi. I took a bite, I taste the tuna, then the spicy sauce, but wait, there's some crunch going on in there..is that chicharon? The spicy tuna sashimi is such an exciting dish, I want to know how its made!

Must trys: Marufuku Roll, Kani Salad and their Japanese Tea.

Marufuku is located at the Ground Floor, Crescent Building, San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig.
Open for Lunch and Dinner only.

Chicken Teriyaki

OCTOBER FOOD FEST (part 1)

I have been on a low carb diet since April, so far its working for me and to be truthful, I feel so much better than ever before. I really thought that this was the easiest weight loss program, until October came. The month of October made me love my job a little bit. My client, one of my many favorites, called for a meeting and an ocular inspection of the venue where their company will hold the next event. After making measurements and checking out Isla Ballroom's new look (it was recently renovated), we headed to HEAT for lunch. Buffet style. I cannot even begin to list down everything that I gobbled down my throat but I do have a list of the ones that really got my attention. I started with salmon sashimi,I know this is nothing special but I don't know anyone who doesn't like salmon in any form. Im ashamed to admit this, but I think my plate was filled with 50% salmon, 25% steamed prawns and 25% steamed clams. The waiter asked me my choice of drink, I requested for filtered water, I didn't want any sugared drink to destroy my appetite for my next trip to the buffet area. The savory stuff was my next target. Heat had a wide array of beef dishes, but I went for the basic roast beef with gravy. It was really tender and oh so tasty. My stomach was already sending signals of disappointment after the roast beef attack but my taste buds were just putting on their cheerleader costume and grabbing their pompoms. I decided on a few minutes of rest and chat with my clients. I walked around the buffet area and skipped the pasta section and went straight to dessert!!! The bread pudding with chocolate and vanilla sauce totally blew me off! I didn't even bother to check out the other desserts. This was it for me. I requested for black coffee to go with my pudding dessert and it was a field trip for my taste buds!!! (HEAT is located at Edsa Shangri-la Hotel, Mandaluyong City

2009.....

2009 was a great year for me!!! It all started in March...
Watched Eraserhead's Final Set at the Moa Concert Grounds and I absolutely enjoyed it!!! I had so much fun because I was with friends!! I was never an eraserheads fan, but after that concert, which was hailed as the "CONCERT OF THE YEAR", i was totally hooked. I have their songs on my playlist.:) This was followed by countless gimmiks with friends...getting drunk and happy...and feeling like a teenager again.

Summer was perfect too...spent holy week in Villa Escudero as usual. My boys just love the water. They can stay in the pool for hours taking a break only for snacks. And in May, went on an overnight getaway in Clark with Oj. This marked our 15 years together, it felt like "TANAN" with the blessings of my mom who agreed to watch the kids. Yeah...we had our ups and downs,he's not perfect, im not perfect, maybe thats why we're perfect for each other. But this I know for sure, Oj will be there to sit around with me and will be the one holding my hand when BRO calls my name. Fifteen years together...now happier with four kids....maybe 10 more years and we'll be happier with grandchildren. I'll be the sexiest lola in the world! hahaha.

June is birthday month for me and oj. Mine was simple. I had to work during the day...had early japanese dinner with my family, Dad's treat of course. Afterwards, it was yellow cab pizza with my boys in eastwood. This is also the month my Nino went to a regular school, now 11, he still attends first grade classes. As you all know, my Nino has learning difficulties and attended a school for special kids, but he is sooooo smart, one would wonder what his disabilities are.

July was Dad's 60th birthday and we all surprised him with a birthday party he will never forget!

August was party month with friends...it was joan's birthday month. I must say, that i found true friends in Noel and Joan. In fact I made a lot of friends this year...thanks to oj. It was also bonding month with oj's brothers, spent most Sundays with them planning mama pitt's 80th birthday. Meetings with them also meant eatings! goodness.... these people just know good food! Im lucky I have brothers in law like them....they just love to eat!

September was a big month, Mama's 80th! Ate chi was home for this very special event. And all the planning, meetings and eatings proved to be a success. We had so much fun that night. A week later, Ondoy came. Yes, it destroyed a lot of homes, a lot of cars, a lot of furniture and yes, lives too. But it also brought a Nation together. At this day and age, the Filipinos still has the BAYANIHAN spirit. Donations from both local and abroad came flooding in. Millions of pesos were donated. This only proves that if we all work together, we can pull it off.

October is the beginning of what I call BIRTHDAY SEASON. Starts with Ikey, October 2. He turned fifteen. Amazing how time flies. He's growing up even more handsome than I expected. And in fairness to him..he's a good boy. I know he is. I know that he hates himself when he knows he has disappointed me. But he is a good guy. And I also know that he will grow up to be a good guy. I once told him in one of my "LECTURES OVER DINNER", not to rush things......he will grow up and be able to do the things that he is soooooo eager to do now. I even told him that when the time comes for his first kiss....i wanted fireworks to go with it!! hahahaha.

We have three birthday celebs for the month of November. Nina, Joey and Nino. Nina turned 6, Joey 3 and Nino 11. Nina is growing up looking more and more like yna and Joey too!! hahaaha! joey is yna's look alike. Nino's birthday was probably his most memorable. My dad gave him a trip to corregidor!!!!

December 3 was Mojo's birthday!!!! Met him and his dad at the mall. He requested for a toy that was sooooo affordable!!!! hahahahah. But the rest of the month, though it was the season we all look forward to, went less than i expected, or maybe im asking too much. But im still thankful.

2010 will be my year!!!

LAUGH YOUR HEART OUT, DANCE IN THE RAIN, CHERISH THE MOMENT, IGNORE THE PAIN. LIVE, LOVE, FORGIVE AND FORGET. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO BE LIVING WITH REGRETS. ♥♥♥

gahaman list

I've cut and paste some of my blogs from my friendster account.

I know…. I’ve been contemplating on ditching my friendster account for some time now. I just can’t bring my self to click that “cancel account” button. Now that i’m back, i’ll be posting blogs again. I want to start with food. My favorite topic! My world revolves around food. In fact, i send virtual chocolates to my friends in facebook. All the time! Heres a list of my new and old favorites.

KFC (yup, at this age, im still a sucker for anything KFC), I just love the original recipe! I tried their new product, the pasta, and it was PERFECT!!! If your’e craving for chicken, look no futher, just visit the nearest KFC.

Shawarma, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like shawarma,

Cheeserolls from Mary Grace. ( I won 1000 pesos worth of GC!! yahooo)

Spaghetti, an all time favorite if you ask me.

Rinbee, the cheese sticks. Just had one a few days ago and it brought back wonderful childhood memories. (I let the cheese stick on my thumb and my indexfinger until I finish the entire pack, then i suck the cheese off my finger. Heavenly!)

Coke and Sarsi. I know… which one right? its just that I love them both. Anything wrong with loving 2 sodas at the same time?

Ensaymada from Muhlackmelt. Regular please.

The nissin seafood pancit canton.

Pancit Canton, I had this pancit in a panciteria in Montalban (k4 Panciteria) super sarap! may lechon! I had to eat at that particular panciteria when I was planning an event there. On event day, I actually visited the resto 3 times. I knew it would take time before I get to taste it again!

Tootsie Pop, the lollipop that has a tootsie roll in it. The strawberry flavor is just awesome.

Sinigang (beef, pork, shrimp, fish…name it, i’ll eat it) this old time favorite is a regular at most of the households i know. Its easy to cook and delicous too. Served with hot rice… it heaven on earth.

NYFD. New York Fries and Dips. I like it because the fries are cut really big. With the skin on. And they have a wild selection of dips that you can choose from. I like the sour cream and the Chili Pepper and Wasabi. Its the best to take in the movies because they serve it on paper cups, unlike the popcorn whick not only makes you cough, its messy! Look at the floor of the theaters, theres always popcorn on it!

Brownies….. ah…. quite difficult to point my finger at who makes great brownies. I like the ones from beckys, if you are craving for the regular one, moist and dark, becky’s is the place to be. But if your’re looking for something different, the Brownies store (SM supermalls) have brownies in different variations, cream cheese, pecan, triple chocolate…. and lot more.

Gulaman at sago.

Santol with bagoong.

Eggplant salad.

Cucumber with vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar.

Beef Steak

Liver Steak

Puto from goldilocks (buttered please)

FIC (fruits in ice cream) strawberry flavor.

California maki, Sugi serves big ones.

Gonuts Donuts (pastillas flavor and choco hazelnut)

Crispy Creme (Glaze and lemon custard)

Dinuguan.

the list would go on and on! no wonder I look like this!

Sick

I hardly get sick, and when I do, it's usually tolerab1e and would only last a few days. Last week, I realized, I must be getting old. I caught a flu, and the worst one i've ever had. My whole body was aching. My head was like being hit with a hammer! No amount of Alaxan or Paracetamol worked. I was told to get some sleep, how could I sleep?! I had the biggest headaches of the century! As a result, I had to take three days off.

The five days (including Saturday and Sunday) I spent at home proved to be worth it. My boys were the best nurses in the world! My wish was their command. Joey, my two year old, kept tucking me in blankets. And Mojo would kiss me on the mouth everytime my eyes were closed (as much as I discouraged him from doing that, he would just say because you're so cute mommy). Nino kept caressing my legs.

I have also discovered how firm Joey can be when he says NO. He also learned, during those five days, to say "LABU", short for "i love you". Ikey, however. being a teenager wasn't seen at home that much. I guess at his age he liked the company of his friends a lot.

Being sick has its benefits. You get to spend time with the ones you really love. And you get to appreciate the tiniest gesture that comes from a toddler. Sometimes, I wonder, where have I been all this time, and who taught them to be so SWEET???

Now, im getting ready to go back to work tomorrow. I wonder when will I be able to spend five straight days with them again. Soon. I hope.