Helping the Environment In Our Small Ways

Take care of the environment, print only if necessary ...

My friend Bel sent me this line in her email. She found it in someone else's email. I'm thinking of using it in mine too.

Now a days the push to help the environment due to global warming has been increasing as they use different forms of media to educate us.

Last Friday, over coffee, my friends and I started to think of different ways to help the environment. Small things that can eventually make a difference if everyone takes it on. So, let me share with you some of my friends small efforts to save the earth.

1. Melody - Collecting plastic bottles of water that you use. Don't throw them away. You can sell them (or give it to) groups or people who knows how to recycle them properly.
2. Meggy - gets the trash that she sees underwater every time she dives
3. Pam - stopped using the escalator and uses the stairs to go to work (saves on electricity and exercise pa!)
4. Bel - no more printing of emails
5. Bel - no unnecessary use of facial tissues. If towels can be used, that will be better.
6. Lyshiel - use cloth bag as often as possible. Get the foldable ones that you can put in your purse or use the cloth bags you can buy in the supermarkets
7. Edgar - refusing flyers distributed on the street or in the malls. Save trees everytime you say no.

What's your small way of helping the environment? Add it as a comment so we can have a longer list.

Photography, anyone?

The timelessness of a photograph is what has pushed me to take photos where ever I go. Taking it one step further, I purchased a digital SLR. My little baby, a Nikon D40. Now, what is an instrument if I don't fully understand how it is used, right?

After 6 months, I have enrolled myself in the Basic Photography class of Jay Alonzo. It was convenient for me since the classes are held in the Filipino Heritage Library across Manila Peninsula Hotel. It runs for 3 Saturdays and I just finished my second class last weekend.

I love that I can actually understand the use of my camera and the basic techniques in taking good photos. I enjoy our exercises and assignments. It is not just taking photos now. It's taking photos that matters to me. It's capturing moments in a manner that touches my heart.

It is not a cheap hobby though. The equipment are expensive but making use of what I have at the moment is the biggest challenge I want to take on.

I'll be posting more and more photos on my pbase account (www.pbase.com/lysh)

Non-stop Christmas Cheers

Nothing beats the festivities of a Filipino Christmas. Food, Family, Friends and non-stop laughter and gifts make this season merry.

This year is no exception. Ed and I have been going to different dinners, lunches and get togethers to celebrate the season with people closest to our hearts.

Christmas eve was spent with my family. Having all the people I love in roof, enjoying a good meal and laughing our hearts out while giving gifts to each other is my greatest joy!

I wish I can spend Christmas day with Ed's family but I had to go to Batangas to fulfill an annual tradition which is kind of getting old for me. Its a gift-giving, raffle and games thing that my Dad has started so I had to go.

Dinner with the SE 5 people in Tagaytay was also one of the best Christmas dinners I had this year. It's great to see all of them again especially Jo who I have not seen in forever. I think the best part of the dinner for me though was the girl talk that Jo and I had in the car on the way to Tagaytay. Women can REALLY talk! It's unbelievable!

The dinner with Patty, Jimmy, Ron , Kimmy, Patrice and Carol on Christmas night was also something new. Food, drinks and non-stop talking abound.

Last night's get together with the Friday night group has proved to be loud and crazy as we always are. Too bad I didn't get to take photos of this night but I'm sure Bing will have some.

Of course, in addition to my family's Christmas eve dinner, the highlight of my Christmas is when Ed surprised me with two huge boxes in my room when I got home. His gifts were all well thought off! He gave me all the stuff that I've been wanting to buy for myself but never really got around to getting. The two big boxes is a lamp that looks so perfect in my room! I super love this guy talaga!!!

Merry Christmas, everyone and I hope that you enjoy every get together too. Its the best time to catch up and show the people we care about how much they mean to us.

Heny Sison's Culinary School in Makati

Update: As of November 2008, Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts (MIHCA) took over the Henny Sison School in Waltermart Makati. I saw the sign outside. I'll try to call or go there get more info on their classes. I'll probably take a baking class there soon. I'll keep you posted.

For those looking for cooking classes around the Makati area, try The Maya Kitchen. Here's their website, http://www.themayakitchen.com. They also have short and weekend classes.

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Henny Sison just openned her newest culinary school on the 5th level of Waltermart Makati.

I saw the schedule of classes on my way to the grocery so I decided to pay them a visit yesterday. Since I got there around 7 and there were no more classes for the day, I just looked around for someone to ask. To my surprise I met Heny Sison herself and Chef Vicky... very pleasant surprise.

They have their December 2007 schedule already and its very interesting. I can't wait to take the Brownie Collection class, The Pasta Workshop and the Introduction to Japanese Cooking. They have weeknights and weeekend classes.

Two more classes I found interesting are the Quick Classic Cafe Food for those who are thinking of starting their own cafes and their Cupcakelicious where they teach how to make different flavored cupcakes. :-)

Their school is pretty big with two fully equipped classrooms. The fees range from Php1,500 to Php3,000 per leisure class (these are the ones that last for 4 hours each class). They aslo have the Special Essential Cooking classes for those who want to become chefs.

Since they just set up an office, they still don't have a fax machine. The website is also under development. I can share with you mine. Email me at lyshiel@yahoo.com and I can fax you a copy. You can also call them at +632 3862210 to 11.

31st Birthday Treats

I turned a year older last week! :-) I am a fabulous 31 year old now.


My birthday celebration started when we left for Paris in October 27. Since that's my birthday gift to myself, I indulged myself to a month long birthday celebration. My friends and I went to Prague, Vienna, Reims, Versailles and Paris for two weeks. There are so many stories about this trip and I promise to put some more blogs about it later on.

Three days before my birthday, I had the chance to have lunch with DJ and Meine. We had a 3 hour lunch just catching up in CPK Shangri-la Mall. Girl bonding always gives me a good perspective on things.

On my birthdate, my office mates gave me a cake. It was so sweet of them to do that. :-)

And for dinner, of course I was with Edgar. :-) He gave me a bouquet of flowers and we had a simple dinner in La Grotta, followed by dessert in Bizu. It was a relaxed and no worry birthday celebration that I really enjoyed just being pampered and loved by Ed. Just when I thought that the date's over, he gave me my gift. Aerosoles boots! :-) hahaha! Why? Because I had a breakdown the weekend before... none of my shoes matches any of my clothes -- even though I have boxes of shoes lined up in front of me (of course any girl who's been through a wardrobe breakdown can understand my dilemma). hahaha! It's a super nice ankle high boots. I can't wait to wear them.



Last Friday, my friends treated me to a great dinner in Queens on Jupiter St. Since Melody figured out that I am so worried about my skin aging (hahaha!), they got me the Clarins Lift Visage. It was really really sweet of them.

I wonder what's in store this year. I'm sure it's fun, fantastic and fabulous. Just like me. :-)

Racks Restaurant, Magallanes

Racks... The Best Ribs In Town. Or so they claim...

Since Racks Pasay Road closed down, I have always wondered when it will open a branch within the Makati area again. When I used to eat pork, I can not get enough of their ribs, and their sauce... oh... their sauce. YUM!

So, when we saw that the Racks branch in Paseo de Magallanes was open, we were all excited to have the Racks Ribs for my brother's birthday. Well, whatever they served did not match our expectations at all.

My family is a huge meat eating group. So, when we saw the menu and all its delicously photographed food, they could not stop themselves from ordering the baby back ribs. Check out the photo on their menu. It looks really good. Big portions with a good helping of those sidings. It was really presented well and it looked like something you cannot resist.

Imagine our disappointment when they served this to my parents.

Maybe its the presentation or maybe its the dryness of the meat but the dining experience I had in this particular branch of Racks was a big disappointment. It's false advertising.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, maybe the food stylist of the menu is really good (kudos to you!) but the presentation of the chef in the house is not even close to acceptable. The meat was even drier than I remembered it to be. The chicken was the same. Smaller than in the photo and the meat was drier.

It might also because they just opened a month or two before we dined but then again, there should be standards that should be followed, right? If the menu displayed a scrumptous dish, you don't serve one that's not been plated well nor has been cooked within the Racks standards.

I really hope they improve or the excitement of having the Best Ribs in Town is going to fade really quickly.

Barbara's Restaurant

After hours of walking inside the National Museum and Luneta, we finally decided to sit down and have a snack.

Surprisingly, there's a small and cozy Spanish restaurant in the middle of a beautiful garden. Barbara's restaurant is situated inside the Orchidarium. Its homey spanish interior blends well with the relaxing view of the flowers, trees, waterfall and pond.

For snacks Ed ordered Sotanghon with mango shake and I ordered the combo of grilled ensaymada and spanish chocolate. The chocolate was nutty and tasted like choc nut. It's good but I didn't get to finish it since its nutty flavor was too rich for me. Try dipping your ensaymada in the spanish chocolate to eat the Filipino way. Pretty good! :-)

All in all our bill was about P355. Not bad for a snack for two in a nice place like that. Their entrees though are a bit pricey ranging from P250 to P450 per dish.

This place is often a venue for wedding receptions because of its romantic setting. Their branch in Intramuros is equally as beautiful with its brick walls and intimate interior. They have wedding packages as I saw in their brochures.
A different place to visit and to try out while in Manila. :-)

Location: Orosa St. cor. Finance Drive inside Luneta Park
Tel. no.: +632 5229647

Khas Restaurant, Quezon City

Inside the campus of UP Diliman are several restaurants and eateries that the students and faculty enjoy. When I was working with some of the people in UP, they brought me to this small meditteranean restaurant. The flooring of the place is cement, the tables and chairs are made of plastic and there is no airconditiong in sight but I remembered how good the food was.

So, in our journey to Quezon City (It's not often that we drive to this area), we went around UP to look for this place. We were literally asking every student on the road for directions to get to the restaurant. The reactions that we get from each person we ask was hilarious. Two of them were just snickering at each other... knowing the place but not knowing how to give directions at all.

Anyhow, after about 20 minutes of going around the campus, we finally saw it. The flooring has been tiled and the chairs and tables are now wood with steel but the food is still as I remembered it.

What really struck me with this place is the variety of food that they offer at very reasonable prices. They offer vegetarian meals (either pure vegetables or with veggie meat), poultry and beef. I'm not sure if they offer pork. I didn't notice it from their menu or I might have just missed it.

Every day, they also have a dish called "Its not what you think". This is a surprise dish that changes daily or whenever the cook feels like it. You can order it with meat or vegetarian style. Interesting! :-)

Also, since its in front of the International Center, there are a number of foreign students or teachers who frequent the place. The owners, as we were told by Remy, our server, is a couple... Filipina married to a Pakistani. They started the place in the 80's and has continued serving the students, teachers and food afficionados like us.

Ed, since he's really hugry from the going around the campus, ordered a vegetable rice (P75) and Spanish omelette with chapati (P85). The lasi that he ordered is much better tasting than the lasi we ordered in Queens Restaurant. Even I liked it and I'm not a fan of lasis. I ordered a chicken biryani with basmati rice (P135). The sauce was really tasty and goes well with my wheat bread. Too bad I could not eat a lot of the basmati rice. The basmati rice was really good. I could not resist a spoon of rice so I gave in. Hay! :-)

One thing to note though, their soup is not very tasty. You might want to put a little bit of soy sauce or salt to make it tastier. It's like a bland broth with vegetables.

All in all, the experience of driving there asking for directions and finally having a good meal was a lot of fun. The price is very reasonable. The servers are courteous, friendly and very attentive. The food is yummy and worth going back to. Surprisingly, even if there's no air conditioning at a warm October morning, their ventilaion is really good since I didn't hear Ed complain that it was hot. hehehe!

If you want an adventure, try this place out. It might be worth the trip inside the campus, if you've never been there or a trip back if you haven't visited your alma mater in a long time.

Average cost per person: Around P100 to P150
Location: Inside the swimming pool compound, in front of the International center - Magsaysay St. (Not sure about the street though)

Directions: From Katipunan, make a left towards M. Guerero and then right on Magsaysay. It will be on your right side inside the Swimming pool complex. (I'm not very certain about this though. It might be better to ask the students in the area and get a kick out of their reactions. hehehe!).

A Day in the National Museum

Holiday Friday with nothing much to do, Ed and I headed to Manila for the National Museum. In all of my travels, I have always been fascinated by the different cities that I have visited. My home city, Manila, has been a place I always pass through as I go to one particular destination.

Today though is a different story. I wanted to see the Spolarium of Juan Luna but ended up realizing that the whole city of Manila was strategically built (or at least they planned to) to house the important structures essential to the administration of the city and the country. It also has it's different areas of interest to boost the Philippine culture. It's sad though that this has not come to full fruition and parts of what have been completed is not well-maintained.

So, we headed to the National Museum. They have two buildings, the old Congress building which re-opened last July holds the Spolarium of Juan Luna and numerous paintings of Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo. The newer building plays host to various collection of artifacts from sunken San Diego ship to the different porcelains and vases of the Chinese era. There are also a number of collections from the numerous tribes in our country.

In my very limited exposure to the arts, I feel that they could add more collections in this building. There are 5 stories in this building and very well ventilated with cold air conditioning for each room. Since each room is named after big Philippine companies, I assume that they have been funding the maintenance of this building. Big thanks to Meralco, Ayala and the other companies that I have forgotten the names.

Just a quick observation though... since it was just Ed and myself going around the building (this is in the new building) it felt eerie. It started on the second floor hall. Ed really liked that hall area with its marble structures and its stained glasses so we were reading the history of the city and all that when I started getting nervous which is weird since I was the one who wanted to go to the museum. But the pounding of my heart went on as we moved to the each gallery. It began beating faster when we entered the San Diego hall. Ed felt it too but he chose to ignore it. I couldn't for the life of me. When it came to the Archeology hall (I've forgotten the name -the area where they show the burial rites and ways in the olden days), I couldn't make myself go in. I let Ed go inside and I waited for him outside. When he went out he said that it was eerie inside.

The tour of the Congress building though was amazing. I loved the different paintings of Luna and Hidalgo.

Take a stroll to the Teodoro Valencia Circle with the big monument of a Rajah. I think its Rajah Sulayman but I'm not sure. After all these, go inside the Orchidarium and have a grilled ensaymada and spanish chocolate in Barbara's. This is ony P110.

Ed and I know that we have so much more to explore in Manila. We haven't even began to touch the surface but it excites me that now, I can actually tell my foreign friends that there are interesting places to visit in Manila and not just the beaches outside nor the malls in the city.

Entrance fee: P100/ adult (New building)

P75/ adult (Congress building)

If you go to both buildings on the same day you get in for P150/ person

Location: Finance Rd. Manila.

Directions: From Makati, take Roxas Blvd. Make a rt on P. Burgos then another slight turn to Finance Rd. You'll see Barbara's Restaurant on your right. The two buildings are right beside each other.

For more photos, click here.

Washington Sycip Park, Makati

In the middle of the bustling CBD of Makati is a little oasis on Legaspi Village. Not far from Greenbelt 1, a small garden has been built to act as a little haven and area for relaxation.

This morning, being a holiday, I decided to take my camera and shoot some photos of this park. The sun was out, there were not a lot of cars on the road and there were a few people enjoying a relaxing morning at the park.


Each entrance of the park was well planned with it's jars, rocks, and plants planted all around the doors. There are three entrances to this park. You can enter through Rada St, Gamboa St or Legaspi St. Each will lead you to a small pond with fishes and DUCKS! Yes, people! There are ducks in the middle of Makati. I was lucky to chance upon them walking from the garden to the pond.

It was great to see kids with their parents enjoying the park and feeding the fishes.



There are also benches underneath the trees and gazebos which some people use for studying, reading a book or just passing time.



There are security guards who man the place to make sure that everything is in order. The grounds are surprisingly clean. Thanks to the administrators of this park. I really hope that they maintain this little oasis for us who needs to get away from the madness of the city life. It's no Central Park but an area to sit down and read a book with green surroundings is always welcome.

For more photos on this park, click here.

Brian and Audrey's Wedding

Weddings are fun celebrations especially if you know that the couple getting married are happy to be together and sincerely in love.

Ed and I attended a very beautiful wedding last Saturday. It was the wedding of our friends Brian and Audrey. The ceremony was done at the Paco church while the reception was in Le Souffle at the Fort.

The wedding was one of those fun weddings and everyone enjoyed the great food and drinks that night.

I know that preparing for a wedding, even though you are just a guest, is difficult. You need to look for a gown, shoes, accessories, make-up artist and hair stylist. I think this is the first time that I actually enjoyed prepping up for a wedding.

My gown that night was beautiful. Designer Jan Garcia created this beautiful gown for me. The cloth is a saree that I bought from India but the assymetrical mermaid style with a greecian flare is all Jan's idea. The german guests loved it and everyone in the room complimented me on my dress. Good work Jan!

Patty also introduced me to Rudy and Angel who did my hair and make up. My make up was subtle which suit my dress. Rudy's expertise is eyebrows so my eyes really looked elegant that night. Also, my hair was in a nice french twist that highligted my face.

Ed said I looked beautiful that night so that just made all my gown fitting efforts, going around for shoes and accessories all worth it.

My very good looking boyfriend wore a suit and looked very regal. He enjoyed being a photographer that night. Snapping shots at everything that was happening in the room.

I enjoyed hosting the event as well. With a fun-loving couple like Audrey and Brian, making the reception a PARTY is not difficult at all.

Best wishes to the newlyweds: Mr. and Mrs. Brian Jacob Quinn! :-)

If you want to get in touch with Mr. Jan Garcia, you can go to his shop at 2925 Alger St. Poblacion, Makati City. Near Rockwell and Soms. His mobile number is 09193373131. For hair and make up, contact Rudy L. Adriatico at 09196915841 (Please reserve in advance since they have a lot of bookings for TVCs and TV shows). They do home service.

Videoke Night Surprise

I have always been amazed at how obsessed filipinos are with videoke and singing. No filipino party is ever complete without a videoke. When we were cruising the rapids of Pagsanjan, we even heard a videoke machine blaring in the midst of those greens and water. I won't be surprised if there are areas of this country without proper waste disposal but with a TV and a Magic Sing.

Well, my boyfriend and my friends are not spared by this madness. Personally, I'm not a singer. I can dance all night but my voice will make the infant next door cry till the wee hours of the morning.

One Tuesday night, after a dinner at our newly discovered Thai restaurant, Thai Pad, we decided to go back to my place to check out movie schedules. It might be laziness to walk back to the car but for some reason, Ed just pulled out the microphone and inserted his DVD Videoke in the machine. And that's where all the fun began!

Me, not being a singer, enjoyed taking photos of each of them just enjoying every note of the song. I sang a couple of songs but I finished them before the guards of my condo building start calling me to say I'm disturbing the peace. :-)

Needless to say, I think, we as a resourceful nation, has found a non-expensive way to bond, laugh, belt out and release the stress of the whole day's work.

This year, 2007--- Paris, Vienna, Prague

This year's destination, EUROPE!!! :-)

Since 2004, my friends (I think this started in 2002 but I only joined them in 2004) and I have been travelling to different parts of the world. Yes, God has blessed me with this chance of visiting different countries with my friends!

In 2004, we went to Cambodia and Thailand. In 2005, we ventured into the colorful and artistic world of India and Singapore. Last year, we toured Qatar for a day and visited the exotic country of Morocco. This year, 2007, we are going to the fashion capital of the world, France and the country with one of the best architectural wonders, Prague - Czech Republic.

As of today, we have booked and paid for our tickets with Singapore Airlines. Meine, one of my closest friends and travel buddy found the "Double the Miles" promo of Singapore Airlines. Now, we have a free trip to anywhere in South East Asia which we can avail upon our return. We've already decided that we are going to Yangon, Myanmar next year for a weekend. That's going to be another exciting trip! :-)

Unlike our other trips, we are not joining any tour groups. We'll be touring on our own. This is going to be exciting but we have to do a lot of research before we leave so we can go to the best places too. I'm in charge of researching on Prague so I better start! :-)

For accomodations, we are renting an apartment in Paris and we might also do the same for Prague. I'm just checking if we can do the same for Vienna. These would make our accomodations cost about 40% cheaper than staying in a regular hotel.

Preparing for our trips give all of us our natural high. We prepare for this the whole year and now that its only a couple of months away, it's getting more and more exciting!

Filipinos unite against Malu Fernandez

After reading the whole article, I felt like my blood was at its boiling point. I've always known the capacity of a human being to diss his fellow humans but I could not believe that this was published by Stargate Media.... in People Asia Magazine.

The person that I am, I wanted to find out what action has been done by Manila Standard Today and People Asia regarding this matter. So I called Manila Standard and asked if Malu Fernandez has been fired. According to the person I spoke with, Malu Fernandez is not an employee of Manila Standard Today. She is just a contributing writer for the paper (who has a column once or twice a month) so they cannot fire her. In addition, they said that the article did not come out in Manila Standard but in People Asia. The two are not connected in any way, he says.

So, the next question I asked is, "Will you still let her write in your newspaper?". The answer to me was "It would depend on the editors of the paper.". I guess the question that we are posting to the editors of Manila Standard Today is, Will you still let her write in your newspaper knowing the kind of person and writer she is?

Now, another question we post for People Asia, did you even read the article before publishing it? I hope that the editors of the magazine are not losing a sensitivity chip in their system and will make a statement not only the OFWs but to all the Filipinos who have been hurt by this article.

I think People Asia is the publication that we need to boycott for publishing this article (page1 and page2) and to boycott Manila Standard Today if they ever publish any articles by Malu Fernandez again.

If there's anyone who can give the number of Stargate Media, publishers of People Asia, that would be good so we can all give them a call and voice out our opinions and make a stand against this woman.

Walking under "Egay"

It might not be obvious from the photo I posted but the rains last Friday night in Makati was incredibly strong. Egay is to blame. Egay is the latest typhoon that visited the metro and it was so erratic. It would be raining so hard one minute and then drizzle the next.

Afraid that there will again be a flood at the back street of my condo, we decided to take the car to my office basement parking at 1:00 am. YES! We took the car to my office in the middle of the storm and walked back to my condo!

Needless to say, it was a really fun experience walking under one umbrella and enjoying the craziness of it all! hahaha! We were just laughing while the rain was pounding hard on our huge umbrella and getting us wet. Yes, we looked really funny in the photo but that 5 minute walk that we did that night was one of those unexpected dates that I'm so thankful I documented! :-)

Healthy Living Update # 2

I'm on my 3rd week of this new lifestyle and I'm doing pretty good. I find the weekend to be the hardest for me, mainly because of eating out and not a lot of good salad choices. I'm sure that there are good restaurants out there with good salads, I just need to find them. :-) I will let you know when I find them. If you know of any (other than Friday's grilled chicken ceasar and Cyma's Rota Salata [ugh! this salad is to die for!]) please let me know!

Here are the eating places I tried this weekend and my personal rating:

a. Indulgence (location: along Perea St. Legaspi Village, Makati)
-- My friends and I love this cozy restaurant. The owner is Ms. Ressa, who's is a super sweet lady. She (or her husband) is also very aristic and is into wonderfully created pottery. You can also buy the different pieces you see in the resto.

When we started hanging out there, the biggest come on is the tasty tinola and the super yummy desert. Those are really must tries. Last Friday, I just had a serving of their fish curry with rotti bread. It's filling but I'm not really a fan of tuna so this one is just so so for me. Their green salad with fish shreds was not available that night. For dessert, I tried their Brownie cheese cake. Very creamy but not sweet! I loved it! You must have it with a friend though coz its too rich to be eaten alone.

Not a lot of salad choices but they still have a few choices for non-meat dishes.

Rating: ***

b. Cafe Meditteranean (location: Power plant mall, Rockwell)
-- I think Ed and I indulged ourselves too much in this resto! :-) We ordered the fish kebab pizza (good for 2 people) which is really tasty! It took about 20 minutes to prepare but its so worth the wait. Ed also ordered the vegetable soup (I forgot the name of the soup!) which he really enjoyed since he's also in the vegetable and seafood diet.

We also ordered my favorite chicken kebab! It's grilled so there's no oil! Always super yummy! Eating this with the garlic sauce and extra tabouleh is the bomb! :-) Try eating it with the whole wheat pita bread! Yummy and still healthy.

Rating: ****

c. Legaspi Village Orangic Market (location: Behind the Corinthian Plaza Bldg near GB1)
-- My family got very curious about my stories of going to the Salcedo Saturday Market that they decided to go around the Legaspi Village Market and decided to have lunch there. This one is not as big as the Salcedo Market but it also has its share of interesting greens and food. If you are used to the Salcedo Market as a big grocey, this one will look like a small sari-sari store for you. :-)

One thing I like here is the fresh chinese lumpia that they are selling and the japche noodles. :-) Also, you can get the greens and bring it home for an organic lunch! :-)

Rating: ***

d. Di Marks (location: Greenbelt 3, Makati)

- Big disappoint this weekend is the meal in Di Mark's in Greenbelt. I tried their tossed salad... WWAAAHHH!!! I wanted to cry. It was full of really sour and unpalatable italian dressing. The Mushroom Pasta in Tomato sauce was not something you would want to order. To top it all, the Roasted Garlic and shrimp pizza had 5 or 6 slices (note: not pieces but very small sliced shrimps!) per slice! Never again will I go back to that restaurant!!! It might have been really good in the past but they have not been able to keep up with the restos in their same market.

Rating: 0

e. Heaven 'n Eggs (location: Glorietta 4, Makati)
-- This is my Dad's new favorite restaurant! He loves the Fish Taco which he made me try. Not bad! Not much dressing which gives more flavor to the fish and enough vegetables to fill you for a snack.

Next time, I'll try their Baja fish dish and their salads. I was too full from the lunch to eat more than the fish taco. I'll also try their salads. They sounded interesting from the menu.

Rating: ***

f. NYPD (location: Greenbelt 3, cinema area)
-- Ok! Ok! I know that this is not a restaurant but after the meal in Di Mark's, I needed something else to eat. This place actually surprised me. They have 3 to 4 choices of salad, from Steaks and Greens to Ceasar Salad! Not bad for stall in a mall. They also serve pasta which is only around P100 to P200.00/ serving.

I will definitely try their salad soon.

I have only tried their mushroom soup which was good enough to get me through the night after the unappetizing Di Mark's experience!

Rating: soon...

Since it's a holiday today, I decided to cook lunch and prepare the stuff I would need for my meals this week. I just got the August edition of Yummy magazine and I tried a couple of there recipes. What I enjoy about this magazine now is that they have a good portion for non-meat eaters and healthy eaters that I can try!

The first recipe I tried is the Pasta with Mushroom. I also used whole wheat spaghettini. (That's my find for the week!) I thought it would be grainy and very different from the regular semolina flour spaghetti but it was surprisingly GOOD! They also have penne and a couple of others on sale in SM Makati Supermarket. Check out this page to find the recipe for Pasta with Mushroom.

Lunch today had Mixed Greens with a choice of Herbed cheese dressing or Orange Zesty dressing.

I've also been able to maintain my work-outs almost daily, 3x a week minimum. Doing pretty well and excited to get to my third week!

Find for the week:
1. Wholesome Moisson "whole wheat" Spaghettini - Found it on sale in SM Makati Supermarket. P49.95 per pack.

Healthy Living Update # 1

It's been a week since I really put myself into this new lifestyle and I'm enjoying it. :-) I realized that I can make it exciting for me too. Finding new substitutes for my old unhealthy food is fun! It's not as bad as I thought it would be.

The only downside of it, food is not as cheap as the normal unhealthy food. A usual rice and viand can cost around P40.00 to P70.00 from Mc Donalds or the jolly jeep. Salads from KFC, Mc Donalds and Wendy's range from P70 to P100.

Variety is also the key for me so I can continue to enjoy my new lifestyle. Different kinds of salad dressings excite me now. I've tried the Honey Mustard Dressing of Gourmet and its pretty good but I'm sure there are so much more bottled dressings out there that's equally good.

Last night I made a Creamy Garlic French Dressing which is pretty good. I've also started to prepare the salad toppings so I will have a variety of things on my salad so I won't get bored! From feta cheese to hard boiled eggs to marinating chicken... the fun never stops! :-)

The organic market in Salcedo Village, Makati every Sunday can also provide you with a lot of salad dressing choices. I noticed that they have different varieties of dressings from Gourmet that they don't sell in grocery stores. I also tried the Strawberry and Orange dressings of (Oh no! I forgot the name!), that's when I realized I'm not very fond of fruity dressings. Maybe not at the moment. I'm looking forward to Saturday so I can get the Herbed Cheese Dressing and Garlic Dressing of Gourmet!

I want to share with you my new product findings in the market that you may also find yummy, affordable and healthy!

a. Fruit Juice Yogurt -- my favorite is the Strawberry flavored one! Super yummy and gives me energy when I'm hungry in the middle of the day. This only costs P10.00.

b. Nestle Fruit Yogurt 0% Fat free -- I like the strawberry and the mango. I have yet to try the Berries flavor. This is also one of my energy food. This only costs about P32.00 each. They have different flavors too that I'm sure are as yummy as my strawberry.

c. Nestle Fitness and Fruit Cereals - I don't want to sound like a Nestle fan but it seems like Nestle's products are very helpful for people like me who are shifting to a healthier lifestyle.
This cereal is made of whole wheat grain and its really tasty and crunchy. It also has dried fruits that makes it tastier. I normally eat this in the morning with Skim Milk and chocolate syrup. Perfect way to start my day! This costs P149.50 per box.

d. Alaska Skim Milk - Yes, it's 98% fat free but its still tasty and you can still taste the creaminess of the milk without the over powering fat content. This costs around P58.00 per box.

e. Hershey's 50% Lite chocolate syrup - Yes... I still indulge on this or I won't be able to eat cereals with just milk alone! :-) One bottle is about P140.00.

f. Village Gourmet Whole Wheat Pandesal - A perfect substitute for white bread. I bring a couple of these with me to work everyday so I can snack on them. I tried it with Saranggani Bangus in Olive Oil! YUMMY!!! A pack of of 8 or 10 is about P68.75.

Partnered with yoga, pilates or lite cardio work out daily, I'm enjoying the benefits of this new lifestyle. I've also quit smoking so I can breathe better and my body feels lighter. It's a big plus that I look good in my clothes too! :-)

I still indulge in pizza, pasta and rice once in a while but I don't overwhelm myself with them now. If there's a better choice, I would opt for the healthier option. :-)

More updates later...

A Healthy Living Lifestyle

Funny thing about a medical scare is that it presents different ideas for you to change your whole perspective on how to have a healthier life.

A week ago, during an unscheduled doctor's visit, my doctor felt a lump on my right breast. After a few more tests, i have decided to have it taken out by August 25. They said that its a minor procedure but this is my first operation ever so I'm nervous about it, but... it is all in God's hands. I claim that with God's grace, my lump is benign and God has a wonderful future in store for me.

Well, this early detection can be a great blessing in disguise for me. First, I've always wanted to have a healthier lifestyle but have always put it off for one reason or another but I think its about time for me to be serious about it.

All my family and friends know me as the most unhealthy eater in the group. I don't eat vegetables and I love fatty foods! A stick of cigarette and a cup of coffee kicks off my day. I love carbs, ok, ok... I love rice. I can eat two cups of rice with fried pork and a lot of fat anytime of the day. HAHAHA! Ok... so I'm pinoy. What can I say?

The change all started when I had to go through an emotional stage in my life. You know those sad, depression stages that leaves you with no appetite! OH!!! I love the effect of not eating. It made my tummy smaller and I lost weight drastically! People noticed that I became skinny which, in my eyes, is perfect!

Well, the problem with losing weight that way is that its easy to gain it back. If you don't watch what you eat, you can easily gain the pounds back. So, like what they said, eating healthier is the best thing to do.

In addition to staying fit, I'm using my medical condition to start having a healthier lifestyle. Hahaha! It really has to take one major beating for me to really decide on this. Hopefully I can keep it up.

I resolve to:
a. Excercise at least 3 times a week
b. Have salad at least twice a day
c. Enrich myself with protein together with my salad
d. Lesser rice and more of whole grain bread and pasta
e. Lesser junk food
f. Lesser soda
g. Quit smoking
h. Healthier snacks like yogurt and fruits

This is not going to be easy but if I look at it as difficult from the beginning, I know that it will be something that I will always think of as a challenge. I should think of it as a decision and a choice that I made. To live a healthier and happier life.

Ok... I will post more updates as the days go by!

100 Things that make me happy

1. Seeing the ocean
2. Sitting on a beach
3. Sunsets
4. Catchiing an episode of my favorite tv series on cable. One that I haven’t seen before
5. The first sip of a really good cup of coffee in the morning
6. A hand holing mine
7. Hearing a song on the radio that I haven’t heard in a long time
8. Anticipation of a trip
9. taking a nice photograph
10. Mornings that you just wake up with a smile… with no apparent reason
11. Driving without much traffic
12. A comforting hug
13. A genuine smile
14. A phone call from an old friend
15. Non-stop laughter
16. Soft bed sheets
17. A real good doughnut
18. Finding a lost item
19. A good sweat after a work out
20. A sip of water after a long work out
21. Really tasty adobo
22. Getting a surprise bouquet of flowers
More later….

See more progress on: identify 100 things that make me happy (besides money)

Weekend Smiles

I end my Sunday with a huge smile. Just got a message from Ed that he's home after spending the whole weekend with me.

Friday night dinner was more special this time. I think we've been holed up in my condo for weeks that since my Thursday night boxing, I feel much different. I realize that I do feel clucky when I'm just at home and doing nothing... hmmm... should I say not spending. :-) It does not have to cost much but I really need to do something different once in a while or my blood does not circulate well.

Anyway, after a good dinner in Market Market, we walked around Serendra to enjoy the summer night and our Krispy Kreme donuts. Shortly after midnight, we headed home. The next day will be packed so we wanted to sleep early.

Saturday started with a big smile and getting ready to go to Avilon Zoo in Montalban, Rizal. It was a different and fun experience that I'm glad I shared with my friends and with Ed. From snakes, to birds to lions and leopard... all of it is part of a wonderful and exciting experience of this warm and fun Saturday.

After resting for a couple of hours, we headed out to dinner at the Salcedo Nights Jazz Dinner. Mon David with the UP Jazz Ensemble was playing. Its not our normal Saturday night gimmick since we normally have dinner and coffee at different restaurants. On this particularly warm Saturday nigh, we had dinner at the Salcedo Park listening and watching a good jazz concert with our friends Bing, Meine, Lindsay, Kat, Bel and Berwin. The night was capped with a drink at the place where Ed and I met a year ago, Capones.

After a whole day's activities, I was feeling sick and my body was not really being nice to me so we decided to just rest for the night. Smile!

Smile! Sunday breakfast of yummy scrambled eggs and hotdogs was prepared by my honey. He's way fantastic! After having lunch with my family in Kikufuji and hanging out in my condo for a couple of hours, we rested for a bit (Smile!) and headed out to have snacks in the mall. After an enchilada and taco meal at Mexicali, we went around to look for shoes and a top for myself. Ed is the ever loving patient boyfriend just waiting for me as I finish doing my stuff. He said that he's trying his best to be the patient boyfriend. :-)

Once the purchase of a top, a Fruit Magic Buko Pandan and waffle was out of the way, we headed back home. Stopping by the other mall to get The Holiday DVD. The weekend ended with a fun and cute movie The Holiday! :-)

It's one fantastic weekend!