April Showers

Its raining... its pouring...

and what better way to spend a lazy, rainy day than snuggling in bed with a hot cup of choco (where's that bag of mini marshmallows when you need it!)

sipping hot chocolate while watching Snatch......now that's my kind of day!

i love european films and british films are a favorite. hubby is catching the craze as he can't stop laughing at the comic lines intertwined into the action suspense plot of the film. it must be my self proclaimed compulsory trip to cine europa because is it me, or is it getting easier to ask him to go with me every year?! *giggle*

im happy that hubby's happy because he's good natured enough this morning to allow me to indulge in my little obsession which will be arriving in the mail in two weeks! whooohooo!

it looks like the april showers are bringing blooms in may!

Imagination and Good Food

i remember as a child, i was always told not to play with my food. it was hard at times because my imagination had a tendency to run wild (must be all those story books as a kid).

today, several years after leaving the comforts of home to start my own, my creative imagination can still be as rich as it was back then.

now, doesn't this look like a centurion to you?

a yummy one at that! i had taken notice after biting into what seemed to be the best empanada i had ever tasted in my life. i could not resist taking a photo to document my great find and after looking at my shot, my imagination just got the better of me! hahaha!

i first tasted San Lo's Famous Empanada after sampling one at Rockwell's Bakers Dozen.

after sinking my teeth into the sweet crust and savory chicken filling, i was hooked!

each of the empanada costs around P55, a little steep for an empanada you might say, but its well worth a try. to say the least, if i was asked to eat just the crust of this delicious pie, i would gladly ask for seconds, thats how good it is! its sweet, buttery and crispy crust, and the hot, creamy chicken filling is such a treat...yuuuum....

i confess, i gobbled up the centurion in less than 2 minutes, craving for a second one! now thats good food!

Favorite Meal of the Day

i just love breakfast!

it must be because our mom never let us out of the house when we were small unless we ate our breakfast. now, hubby's home is not fond of morning meals as everyone just seem to rush out in the morning. so when we got married, it was a tug of war whether to eat before leaving or not. but because hubby is mr grumpy early on in the day, weekdays are packed breakfast but weekends are according to my preference.

early morning meals are never complete without eggs

sausages and hash browns are great with my favorite condiments of ketchup and mustard

and of course my favorite cup of coffee or hot chocolate

i do love breakfast! there's nothing better than a good meal to start your day!

what's your favorite meal of the day?!

Oddities

there are only 2 people i know who does not like chocolates: a good doctor in training and my hubby.

yes, i, the chocolate lover, married a non chocolate eating man! but because he loves me so, he allows me to store tons of chocolate bars in the fridge and buys me my favorite chocolates when he goes on trips.

the last time he was gone for 2 months, he brought home my favorite reeses pieces (the gigantic kind!), raisinets and a box of truffles from cousins C&RR (thanx so much!).

opening the box, i was faced with a serious dilemma

honestly, i just couldnt choose which to sample first. but i picked a truffle and one thing lead to another...

the maple and raspberry variety became my favorite.

and as i took a bite at the last truffle, i thought to myself, why would anyone not want to eat chocolates?

odd indeed!

Lights and Shadows

hubby has always been into photography and i must say, he's got talent!

his equipment started with a digital camera upgraded into a DSLR. various lenses were acquired and now, its flash that he's crazy about.

ive never liked the camera flash because, well, i prefer warm lighting in my photos. but when i saw what strobes, and creativity could do, i was amazed!

i never knew lights and shadows could be so beautiful in photographs

but its all very complicated, the angles and lighting and other technical equipment...

...i think ill stick with my macro shots and let him take care of the strobes

Flipping Through Pages

ive always loved books.

infact, my favorite place as a child was the city library (obviously not in manila as i wish they would make libraries here more updated and enjoyable to visit). hubby has always dubbed me as a nerdy bookworm because of this fact but honestly, i've never outgrown my love for reading.

now, if it wasnt for Toni of Wifey Steps, i wouldnt have known yesterday was World Book Day!

April 23 has been chosen by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property. their aim is to encourage everyone, especially young people, to discover the pleasure of reading.

so here are my answers to Wifey Steps' World Book Day questions:

1. What books are you currently reading?
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

2. What books are on your to-be-read list?

* Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
* Summer crossing by Truman Capote
* Dust by Martha Grimes
* Your first job by Neslson Dy
* Blue ocean strategy by Kim & Mauborgne

-my outlet for stress, aside from discovering new food finds that is, is hanging out at bookstores. now, during the past month's stressful event, i had gone crazy book shopping which leaves me with a number of new books on my shelf still untouched!

3. What book/s would you recommend?
*To kill a mockingbird Harper Lee -such a moving novel and is one of my favorite!
*Orange girl by Jostein Gaarder - a book brilliantly composed!
*The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- it talks about your "personal legend - what you have always wanted to accomplish. whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because it's your mission on earth". a wonderful read!

4. What book made you fall in love with reading?
Nancy Drew mysteries: the hidden staircase =)

i got so hooked with nancy drew when i was a kid!

5. Do you have a book collection you’re proud of?
ive been wanting to complete Jostein Gaarder’s novels but i just havent gotten around to doing it. some of his books are so hard to find! i think only 9 of his novels are translated in English but the rest are in Norwegian. So far the 3 books that i've read (Orange Girl, Solitaire Mystery, and Christmas Mystery) are really wonderful! they start out with a classic plot but turn into a story so interesting its hard to put down.

Now its your turn to share...

what books have you been flipping through the pages of lately?

Walking Down Memory Lane

i was looking through some old photos and came across the surprise dinner hubby planned a few months before we walked down the aisle.

i remember i kept asking him where we would be having dinner that evening but he would only say it was a surprise. and as i love surprises, i sat in the car quietly with my high EQ, wondering what we were doing driving through salcedo village's streets of condominiums. and when we finally parked i looked around and didnt see any restaurant signs anywhere. so puzzled, we walked into the crown tower's then almost deserted lobby. but as we stepped outside the poolside area of the condo, i saw a singly prepared table for two with candle lights!

i was not as passionate about new food discoveries 2 years ago and so did not know of Switzerland trained Chef Popit DeLeon's well loved dishes.

we had an eight or seven course dinner (i dont clearly remember, so please excuse the lack of the usual descriptions, as the dishes were just remembered as delicious, and nothing less!)

i remember feasting my eyes on the walnuts on this salad and how good the vinegarette tasted!

chicken cordon bleu

lamb steak (after a piece was sampled! *giggle*)

creme brulee in another of our signature "opps we forgot to take a photo before eating" shot!

now, this dish i remember well, as i was a dessert enthusiast long before i fell in love with food photos. this generous serving of creme brulee was delicious! the crisp caramelized top melted in your mouth and blended with the creamy custard.

when i think about it, that dinner set the ball rolling for my food photography passion. after that wonderful dinner, there was no turning back, i was a foodie!

i found out chef Popit cooked at Charley's, a restaurant in an equestrian farm in Lipa. we had always planned to go there but it unfortunately closed down late 2007. an article in click the city mentioned that he opened another restaurant in Lipa called Hacienda Amelita, but we've never got to planning the trip and had almost forgotten all about it. maybe soon...

Earth Day

today is earth day and what better way to celebrate than by remembering our conscious endeavors to save mother earth!

here are a few of my own ways of helping our planet

1. using recyclable bags when shopping

2. bringing my sigg when im out so that i wont have to buy bottled water to quench my thirst

3. using products with non toxic ingredients like messy bessy

4. getting my weekly dose of eco living tips from ideal bite

5. and using my collection of starbucks tumblers (or a mug) when im getting my caffeine fix

what have you done for mother earth lately?

Happy earth day everyone!

Happiness is...

im missing my hubby and cant sleep. he went on his company's outing and because ive an event tomorrow today, (goodness, its early morning and im still blogging!) i could not go out of town with him. so what do i do when im home alone? i make long distance calls to my family.

i had a great chat with my mom and sister yesterday (my brother was too busy getting rich! hehehe!) and the girly chit chat did me well.

they're going through a little house warming and butter and bubbles seem to be adjusting to the change of environment just fine. since only one bed was available the first few days, the two girls decided to share!

butter, the pug who does not own the bed (and no she's not pregnant, she's just naturally round!), is hogging all the space leaving bubble's tail end on the floor! *giggle* talk about giving way to the Ate!

this is the cutest thing ive ever seen!

these funny stories are the little things that really make me smile.

Happiness...

one of my favorite columnist, francis kong, hit the bullseye on being happy with his his write up yesterday. and with my long time motto of destiny by choice, i found myself nodding as i read the list.

Being Happy is a Decision
BUSINESS MATTERS (BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE) By Francis J. Kong Updated April 18, 200
The song carries a very catchy tune. There’s even whistling in the background.

And then the words came out saying: “Don’t Worry…Be Happy.

The song became an instant hit. Bobby McFerrin conveys a message of being happy to everyone simply telling them not to worry or fear, just be happy.

But here is my problem. I’m an eternal optimist. (This is why I have not yet given up hope on this country…) yet I am a realist. You cannot be happy for happiness’s sake. You cannot be happy in a vacuum. Lunatics do but not you and me.

I have always encouraged people to look at the positive side of things. The reason is simple. When you try to be positive you will be able to handle a difficult situation better than being negative about it.

But I am a realist. I do not live in denial. And denial is not a river in Egypt. And there are more pyramids in the Philippines than in Egypt. This is why I am a very realistically practical person. Ask the many who have attended my talks and trainings. They will confirm this fact. I have never told people to smile when they wake up in the morning, smile when they go to work, smile at their boss, smile at their friends and smile at everyone you meet and this message is brought to you by the National Mental Institution….I don’t do that.

But being happy is a decision.

Living a happy, resilient, and optimistic life is also good for your health. The killer stress, tension, anxiety is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. And when you are hit by it, you will realize the uselessness of having to go through all the negative stuff when you had the opportunity to positively deal with it.

To be happy is relatively easy; it begins with a decision. Simply decide to be a happy person.

Here are the following things you need to do in order to be happy:

1. DEVELOP AN ATITTUDE OF GRATITUDE.

We have so much to be thankful for. You’ve got a job, be thankful. You’ve got people who love you be thankful. You’re healthy be thankful. Most people in the world would gladly have the many things you now have. You just have to learn to appreciate so you can be happy.

2. BE IN THE COMPANY OF HAPPY PEOPLE.

Stay away from chronic complainers. It feels so good to be in the company of happy people. They rub off on you.

3. LEARN TO GIVE A HEARTY LAUGH.

Most people do not know how to give a hearty laugh. Maybe they have been trained to suppress their laughter for so long they fail to understand that recent medical findings have indicated that when you suppress a good laugh, it reversed itself and spreads to your hips.

4. LOOK FOR INSPIRATION.

I start the day with the Good News and I am referring to The Bible. Most news is bad news so get less of it. Some people just can’t start their day without their daily dose of the bad news.

5. MANAGE AND ORGANIZE.

In a 24/7 environment, do not try to manage your time but you need to manage your tasks, manage your schedule and manage your energy.

6. DO REGULAR EXERCISE.

Ask those who have a regular regimen of exercise and they will tell you they feel great, they have more energy and thus they are happy. Being sickly all the time is no fun at all.

7. BE HONEST AT ALL TIMES.

Do you know how stressful it is to be dishonest? You need to remember what you said the last time. Some people lie too often such that when they admitted they are lying nobody believes them.

8. CONTINUE LEARNING.

Learning is a happy experience. When you try and learn something new everyday, it challenges you, it stretches you but it affords you the ability to accomplish new things and this will make you happy.

There are still many things you can do in order to be happy but one of the most important things you need to do is to let go of the bitter pains inflicted upon you but the people you loved and trusted. Let go of those layers and layers of negative emotions.

Do what you have to do and never mind the losers who want to pull you down. The Bible talks about forgiveness as a very important act of obedience and this we need to do. No one has the right or the power to make you unhappy. Being happy is a choice.

Ask The Lord to fill your heart with gladness and allow your happiness to graduate into genuine joy.

(Francis Kong will be the lead trainer for the Dr. John Maxwell’s “Developing the Leader Within You” leadership program this April 29-30 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries contact Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. 632-6872614)

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Happiness is a choice! have a great weekend everyone!

Missing the Caffeine

its been a long time since ive had good coffee, or any coffee for that matter. the weather is just too hot for morning brewed coffee and im too tamad (lazy) to make the iced version.

today my craving got me thinking of the time hubby and i had afternoon coffee at UCC.

i had started feeling sleepy after a disappointing lunch (a whole different post all together) and i decided to redeem our saddened tummies with dessert and coffee.

hubby got his iced latte which looked absolutely heavenly and tasted equally good.

we paired our coffee with UCC's caramel cheese cake.

this was really yummy!

this cheese cake is not your usual new york cheese cake found in coffee shops. this is more of a soft spongy cheese pastry with caramel sauce drizzled over it. it was really good and light, perfect for an after meal dessert.

i had ordered my usual siphon brewed sumiyaki which is a real pick-me-upper. ive never really paid much attention to how this brewer works and that day, i was curious. unfortunately when i asked permission to take photos of the process, the waitress told me it was not allowed so i just went ahead and took some paparazzi shots. *giggle*

the brewing process is done in a chemistry set like apparatus where freshly ground beans are placed on the top chamber and water in the lower chamber. the glass with the water is directly placed over a fire which then boils the water and sends it moving up to the ground beans. this movement, and a few stirring motion with a bamboo wisk, cools the water and sends it back down saturated with the coffee. here's a demo of the whole process taken in a tokyo bar

my sumiyaki was delicious and as always, made my day...

i miss my caffeine fix!

Burning Our Palate

i never really cared for spicy dishes until hubby introduced me to the hot sauce back in college. after that, the search for heat in our dishes has always been a must. of course hubby, the veteran that he is, loves his food really hot while i just like it mild.

last night the new episode of CSI Vegas was available for our viewing and so we decided to munch on nachos and some home made salsa.

now, if it was just all up to me, i would grab some ready made salsa in the grocery and have been content with that. but because hubby is more adventurous, he decided to get canned stewed tomatoes and a bottle of jalapeno.

i thought i would research for salsa recipes but hubby decided to just experiment

no recipe needed, hubby chopped onions

placed them in them in the blender with the jalapeno

and then dunked the stewed tomatoes in the mixture and hit the pulse button

it looked alright as we transferred the mixture into our bowl. and as hubby sampled his little experiment, a smile crept onto his lips and i knew he did well!

...oh, the new episode of CSI was pretty interesting, much better than the disappointing 200th episode if i may say!

Compatibility of Difference

hubby came home, and both of us were excited to share our new finds.

i had wanted to show him the site of my new favorite blog, ichigo, buko and mr roboto and he wanted to show me the work of his new fave photographer joe mcnally.

i of course went first, after my "you're not listening to me" dialogue! hehehe!

ive always loved details in pictures and this blog has tons of it.

it features the fun ichigo, buko and mr roboto has as a family, captured on film digital images.

and when i was done raving,

i let hubby step into the spotlight.

he wanted to show me joe mcnally, photojournalist turned master of color and light.

interestingly enough, the first shots were those of ballet dancers. now, im no anna pavlova but as a child, i loved ballet and at one time i thought i wanted to dance professionally, until i didnt get the lead part at the nutcracker and then decided i just wanted to be normal.

when we saw this shot we sat both in awe, but interestingly enough, it was due to different reasons. i loved the details of the dancer in this photo with a contrast of the shadows on the wall, while he loved the soft lighting and the fact that an SB-900 was used as a slave outside of the studio window in the rain to produce this shot.

with my interest hooked, we watched on.

now you might have thought that this photo up top was the product of a thoughtless shot by a passing photographer. however, i would never have thought that this needed 3 storbes, 2 on the left and one on the floor in front of the subject to emphasize the details i so love in images.

again amazed at the shot, i was starting to get what hubby was so hyped about.

then this photo was shown and we were both blown away.

this was taken at twilight with 12 strobes at different angles and levels, to produce a shot which seemed effortlessly done

this time we were both mesmerized by the same things, the details as well as the lighting. beautiful!

and at that instance i fully understood.

we may look at the same photo but sometimes see different things initially. but in the end, one thing is for sure, our different interests do merge into one. we both love images and details as well as lighting, be it available or made available (if you know what i mean)!