2008 February archive at blog.chesca.net

Archive for February, 2008

18FebAI 7 Crush!

I caught up on American Idol 7 yesterday and watched the remaining Hollywood audition episodes. I have a crush on someone ohmygad!

It’s David Archuleta ♥ (!!!). (Haha! Until now, I can’t seem to remember his surname.. Had to copy-and-paste it from a site. What kind of a crush-er am I?!?!)

Loved him the minute he sang at his audition in San Diego. He had vocal chord paralysis but still sings well. He sang Waiting On The World To Change by John Mayer, by the way. Plus points for singing a John Mayer song. ;)

Here’s David in Hollywood, singing Heaven by Bryan Adams. (Aayyy Kilig! ♥)

And as our beloved Simon Cowell puts it, “You’re young, you’re likable, and you’ve got a great voice. Not a bad place to be, right?”. Couldn’t agree more.

I was doing a bit of searching in youtube and found a clip of him singing AND playing the piano. This kid is uber talented, I tell you.

I’m in laaav! So what if he’s only 16. lol (I’m such a teenybopper! Teehee!)
I so hope he does well in the succeeding rounds *crossesfingers*.

in TV and Video. 2 Comments

17FebWeekend Post

From everyone’s blog.

Creepy that quizzes like this one, which really doesn’t have any scientific basis, would actually produce a result that has some truth to it. I will highlight what’s applicable to me.

You are 2:11 a.m. (Yep, I’m quite nocturnal. I’m currently writing this entry at 2:08 AM..)

Your time of day has a split personality — sometimes it’s sweat-streaked and loud, and you’re on the dance floor, getting your third wind, and shouting lyrics like you’ll never run out of energy. You are the time of night that carves itself into your memory forever, because you’ll never forget how much you love these people and this moment and this song. It’s not always about unforgettable parties, though. Sometimes your late night (err… early morning) burst of energy happens when you’re home alone. Those are the times when you say, “I flat out refuse to go to sleep until I finish reading this book, or typing this page, or reorganizing my entire closet.” In either case, you are the time of night when it feels sort of forbidden to be awake, but you love accomplishing something special long after everyone else went to bed. And hey — you can always catch up on sleep tomorrow, right?

10% of the people who took this quiz got the same evaluation. (I’m unique haha!)

***

Random events for the past 2 days

Met up with a good friend of mine back in college - Tanya, who like me is a closet kikay. We talked about work, make up and skincare. Sooo not like us. Nonetheless, it was a very fun and informative conversation. Can’t wait to try your make-up recommendations. lol. We should have this more often.
Watched the anti-Arroyo protesters march along the streets of Ayala Avenue from my window.

***

Catchy

My current LSS (Last Song Syndrome) includes:

Matchbook Romance - Monster
Good Charlotte - I Don’t Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Anthem)
I’ve also been listening to Amy Winehouse’s album a lot. My favorite track is Back to Black. Love her voice. ♥

***

Movie to Recommend

I watched Juno last night. Loved everything about it. From the intro, to the plot, to the script, the soundtrack, the retorts, the characters, everything. I found myself literally laughing out loud at Juno’s witty lines. And Michael Cera’s dorkiness is adorable, just like in Superbad. I crush him! ♥ lol

The 2-minute opening to Juno:

***

3-day Sale

There’s a 3-day sale at SM Centerpoint (which is just a few steps away from our house). I just found out when I dropped by a while ago to get my hair trimmed. I decided to look around and see if there’s anything worth buying. And I think luck was on my side today because I kept on getting good deals. 1) P30 off from the original price of my haircut+eyebrow threading 2) VMV superskin2 toner, moisturizer and cleanser - all gotten at a discounted price. As in 100/150-peso off from the original price. And as if the discounts weren’t enough, I got another 10% discount because I exceeded P1000. after all the maths, I ended up paying only P972 for all 3 products. So happy! 3) New shoes from Celine. no discounts here, but i’m very happy to have found a pair that fits well, and for only P599. Lately I’ve been having a hard time finding shoes my size. Don’t know if my feet had shrunk or size 5 got bigger . So thank God for this pair.

Overall, I’m happy with my purchases. Yehey!

in College, Daily insights, Friends, Movies, Music, Shopping and Work. 0 Comments

14FebHappy Puso!

“Look, in my opinion the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what-have-you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out of your ass.”
— from the movie, Juno.

Happy Valentine’s/Single Awareness/Whatever day

***

Yay Sango day!

We had our team valentine’s day thingy a while ago. This time, we had burgers at Sango. Due to an unforeseeable event, I wasn’t able to bring Helga (my camera) along. I was able to take pictures using Suzy’s camera though, but I have no copy of the pictures yet, so I guess words will do for now.

The ambiance was quite nice. Clean, well-lit and cozy. I say cozy because they have couches. I like sitting on couches in restaurants. There’s an ionizer at my left and some cute animal origami. The munkee origami is the cutest.. I want to take it home! Japanese pop music videos were being played in the flat screen TV and at the furthest right of the room are stacks of Japanese books and magazines (If you can’t read Japanese, there’s Time). Food-wise, the burger was really good. The best part of my Master Burger (yup, that’s what they call their best-seller. ) aside from the patty that’s cooked well (not oily nor too dry) and the soft burger bun, would definitely be the caramelized onions. Loved it! They should put more of that vs. the mustard-covered onions. Imho, the latter makes the burger taste a little bit bitter. Other than that teeny tiny minor comment, it was delicious. I enjoyed it. Enjoyed so much that I didn’t mind that it was kinda messy to eat. Prepare to bring mint though, because your breath would smell like onions afterwards. Enough to ward off vampires. (or was that garlic? haha!) I know mine did. Eww me. Good thing Bigi gave everyone Moo ice cream sandwiches when we returned to the office. (Thanks Bigi!) It sorta helped neutralize that onion-y smell. Oh, and the Sango crew also gave flower origamis to the ladies. So they get plus points from me.

When I get back, I’ll try their rice burger.

in Food, Friends, Holidays and Work. 0 Comments

13Feb99 red balloons floating in the summer sky

Though the balloons weren’t only in red but in yellow, green, blue and even in rainbow colors. I’m talking about the recently held 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival at Clark Field, Pampanga which I attended last Sunday. It was my first time to be part of such event. I tell you, the experience was surreal.. riding one of ‘em balloons. I want to do it again.

My favorite among the bunch:

The Octopus balloon is too cute! Too bad I wasn’t able to take a front shot. I also like the rainbow balloon because rainbow colors make me happy.

More pictures in my multiply.

Special thanks and shout-outs go to: Nhatz for letting me know about this event. My family of course, for giving in to my ~~pangungulit~~ request of driving all the way to Pampanga to attend the balloon festival. Tito Manny and his family for accommodating and feeding us heftily. Food was AWESOME! We were stuffed to the brim.

We had Shrimp with chopped beans in gata (on the left) and Crispy Pata (on the right). There’s also Steak and Ripe Mangoes which I wasn’t able to take pictures of because I was too busy eating haha!

Last but certainly not least, Tita Beth THANK YOU for the passes. Without which, we won’t be able to go “backstage” and ride the balloon (Gulfair balloon FTW!).

I rode that balloon!

‘Til next year! Hopefully by then, my lenses would have improved lol.

X’s: This is me, looking badass hah!

in Family, Food, Friends, Photos and Travel. 0 Comments

10Feba belated Kung Hei Fat Choy

Last Friday, I received this:

Thank you so much Cynthia for the box of Tikoy! Please send my thanks to your mom too! Hope your computer’s working well now.

Today’s merienda. ^-^

in Food, Friends, Holidays and Photos. 0 Comments

08FebHungree?

Today I hung out with the boys of our team and had humongous burgers at Hungree Burgers, located at the corner of Zobel Roxas Makati. We’ve been itching to get our own share of giant burgers after seeing a big box of burger in the office fridge. No, they weren’t kidding when they said they’re the home of the Giant Burgers. As you will see in the pictures below.

hungree burger + mcdo fries

quartered.

my 1/4 slice.

more pictures at flickr
and multiply

Not much of a reviewer, but I will give this my best shot. This is my personal take on Hungree Burgers SuperDooper Burger so please don’t get mad at me if they’re not the same as yours.

The good ones:

+ Originality - Is there another joint serving 8 inch burgers? I don’t think there is.

+ The patty wasn’t dry. Nothing turns me off like dry burger patties.

+ I was surprised that the patty is quite flavorful.

+ I like that they used the quick-melt type of cheese.

+ It actually has veggies! (tomatoes and cucumbers haha)

+ Value for money - will definitely fill the empty stomach.

The not so good ones, imho:

- No lettuce? I like lettuce in my burger

- Since it’s fried, it can’t help but be a bit greasy. I kinda felt oil bursting in my mouth when I bit the edge of the bun.

- They don’t deliver. You really need to go all the way to the store to get your big burger fix.

- No place to eat. Have to look for a nearby Mcdonalds haha.

Other points for improvement:

* would have tasted better if the meat is grilled (This is just me. I like grilled burgers.)

** they might consider improving the dressing. though ketchup and a bit of mayo is fine.

And another thought for the day:

After hanging out with tha boyz: Franny, Bigi and Marlon, it became more apparent, the difference between hanging with the girls vs boys. Boys aren’t fond of group shots haha.

Special thanks to Rani our driver for joining us in our road/food trip. Yourethebest!

in Food, Friends, Photos and Work. 2 Comments

06FebVideo Post: ImprovEverywhere

Most of you may have already seen this video by the creative team (slash pranksters) of ImprovEverywhere. 200 agents were asked to freeze in the middle Grand Central Station, NYC.. and remain that way for the next 5 minutes.

Great concept you guys! I particularly enjoyed watching the reactions of the crowd. Priceless!

This was brought up in the office over dinner, some time ago: what if they stage something like this in Manila? Well, we think there’s a chance that this would totally bomb. Worst case scenario would be snatchers, seeing this as an opportunity to grab cellphones/bags/wallets. There’s also a possibility of the plan backfiring. I imagine tambays giving the frozen agents a little tickling or even deliberately agitating them to force them to move.

That would even be more entertaining. It will turn out that the pranksters will actually be the ones pranked on. LOL.

in Funny, Video and Web. 1 Comment

04FebPicturing food: Turning Japanese

There are occasions when I do not bring a camera when going out. So whenever a photo opportunity arises, I have no choice but to take pictures using my phone’s built in camera.
Below are a few pictures taken with my trusty W700i. I was only able to upload them now as I do not regularly transfer pictures to my PC.

Okonomiyaki at Little Tokyo

Taken last October 2, 2007.
It was Bigi who introduced this place to us. Since he has this amazing ability of making us instantly crave for the food he describes in full detail, we (Franny, Bigi and I) decided one lunch time to head over Little Tokyo in Pasong Tamo Makati to have a taste of this so-called Japanese Pizza. Now, Japanese cuisine is definitely my favorite — the sushis, teriyakis, tempuras, sobas, ramens. I so can’t believe I haven’t come across an okonomiyaki dish ever. And I’m very happy that my first encounter with the dish was a delight. The okonomiyaki is basically made up of eggs, chopped meat and vegetables (Unfortunately, I cannot enumerate what we had in our order because it was a long time ago and I already forgot. lolz ) All I remember was that ours was cooked perfectly. For me, what made it more delicious was the okonomiyaki sauce and the added flavor of this green powdery stuff (I found out later on that this is dried seaweed). So thanks Bigi for bringing us to this place. I would definitely go back and bring my family here.

***

Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak at Trinoma

About 3 Sundays ago, my family went to Trinoma to check the place out (first time for us! ) . Part of the plan was also to have dinner. We searched around for good places to eat but we couldn’t unanimously decide on what to choose. We were walking for quite a while and were getting hungry by the minute. Since I’ve read good things about Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak (via our the Project’s Newsletter), I suggested eating there.

We scanned the menu which by the way was laid out well (the pictures were really enticing) and decided to have the Gyu Saikoro Burger Steak, Teriyaki Chicken Steak, US Yakiniku Steak, Beef Papper Rice, Wafu Steak and Hamburg, Chicken Salad, Corn Soup and Tamago Soup.

Unfortunately, the food only looked good in pictures and didn’t live up to expectations. (No offense Bigi.. Probably my fault too because I set my expectations way high haha.) The salad = mayonnaise overload. The Gyu Saikoro Burger Steak tasted like it was stored in the freezer for so long. The chicken teriyaki was undercooked (had to return it to have the plates reheated). I also remember my dad returning the Yakiniku and the Wafu Steak and Hamburg because they weren’t cooked well. We were really disappointed. Even the corn and tamago soup were so-so. The only saving grace for me is the Strawberry shake. And that’s only because I like strawberries. Bigi said that I should’ve tried the Beef Pepper Rice. Well, maybe next time. But I doubt if we’d ever go back. We should’ve just waited for the real deal (Pepper Lunch..coming soon!).

***

Kimpura, Greenhills

One of those ‘spur of the moment’ dinners we had. Last Saturday, after hearing Mass, we initially planned on having dinner at The Old Spaghetti House. But when we’re already in Ortigas, my brother suggested eating at Peri Peri Chicken. When we’ve already parked our car, my mom saw Kimpura and said she’s kinda in the mood for Japanese. Because we haven’t tried that restaurant yet and my dad couldn’t really resist my mom, we went straight to Kimpura. We had a wonderful time at this place. We stayed in a private room (you need to pay extra but when you reach P3000, there’d be no additional charge!) so our family got a chance to bond sans the shoes.

The service was good. Waiters were prompt and food was served on time. And everything is delicious! I especially like their salmon and tamago sashimi and gindara teriyaki. I would have ordered a lot, if only they weren’t too pricy. I won’t go into details about the food. Let the pictures tell you how yummy the food in Kimpura is (which, according to the waiter, they’ve been serving for more than 30 years).

house tea