Mushroom Patties

Since I have not eaten a burger for a year now, I've been wanting to make my own mushroom patty so I have searched the web for a recipe that will suit my liking. Unfortunately, nothing came close. So, I've decided to make my own and I'm loving it... of course Edgar loved it too. :-) It's healthy and yummy! What more can you ask for?

Ingredients:
3 cups of different kinds of mushrooms (shitake, oysters and button mushrooms) chopped
1/4 cup butter
3 tsps mushroom seasoning
1 medium sized carrots diced to small pieces
3 tbsps spring onions chopped
1 medium sized onions chopped
8 cloves of garlic diced
1 cup of spinach leaves
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 tsps of soy sauce
2 large eggs
1 cup of breadcrumbs
salt and pepper


Procedure:
1. Saute the chopped mushrooms in melted butter until tender. Add mushroom seasoning for flavor.
2. Remove from fire and let cool.
3. Combine carrots, onions, spring onions, garlic, spinach and parmesan cheese in one bowl. Mix well.
4. Pour in the mushrooms to your carrots mixture.
4. Add in the soy sauce, eggs and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until the mixture is thick enough to be made into a patty.
5. Form into burger patties. Fry or grill and enjoy with your favorite hamburger buns. :-)

I made a lot already so I can just put them in the freezer and grill or fry as I want them.

My life... NOW! :-)

Two months ago, I was on a crossroad. I had to make a decision that would affect a number of things in my life. In my 31 years in this world, this is one of the pain staking decisions I had to make.

When I realized that I was not happy and that means, I will make the people around me miserable, I had to do something to re-align my life. I had to find a deeper meaning and reason in everything that I am doing.

Now, two months have passed and admittedly, I still have not found the deeper meaning I am looking. I still am trying to find my passion in life but I have come to accept that its ok not to know... It's fine to be in this situation... for "Now". In this present moment, life is teaching me something and I have to be open to. I'm trying not to fight it. I really am. It's not easy but I feel I'm learning a lot of things at this moment.

I am an eager beaver. When I want something, I want it now. That works well for some parts of my life but not always. If I ask God that I want to find a deeper meaning in what I do, I don't think He will give it to me as soon as I close my eyes and go into prayer. I accept it more than ever that this is a journey I have to take.

I'm so blessed to have this time to be by myself and enjoy the free time. I have a hard time just staying put and not planning my activities but now, I am learning to be in the "Now". When I am at home and just reading a book, I enjoy it. When I am just sitting down and watching tv, I feel the breeze or the surroundings that I have and i love it. Everyday is a different experience, not the type that I am accustomed to but I need to accept this, before I move on the next chapter of my life. I have to go through it with acceptance and the openness to learn.

People who know me would wonder why I have not lined up my days one activity, class or event after the other. That's who I am. I don't like idleness but being alone and spending time with my family is enough for me for now. I will have time again for all of those but now I am happy spending time alone and in my parents' house.

This free time is not forever! I will miss these times very much when I start working again but I think God knew what I needed at this time in my life and He gave it to me... the purpose, passion and meaning will come as long as I have once again regain and reminded of who I am inside.

Eat Pray Love

I've put off buying an ipod until now. I didn't think I needed it. I was in the office all the time and I can use my computer anyway to listen to music. But now, I don't think I can leave the house alone without it.

Yes, the music keeps me company but what I found as my new companions are the audiobooks! I love reading books but I can't seem find the time to sit down and read. Now, where ever I go, I read (or listen!) as the case maybe.

My walking companion these past few days is Elizabeth Gilbert. In her new book Eat, Pray, Love, she narrates her year of travel all around Italy, India and Indonesia. Her voice is so soothing that I get sucked into the experience that she's telling me about. The way she described the pizza she ate in Naples, Italy made me melt into pieces and wished I was there eating the double cheese margherita pizza with fresh tomato sauce on a thin but gooey crust that just melts in your mouth. Ohhhhh.... That's heaven in a pan!

Her journey from being an unhappy wife to self-discovery enchants me. Her depression and sadness was described beautifully but I still can't fathom how such pain, feeling and thoughts can happen to one person... I get bits and pieces of it from experience but I really am praying I don't experience that much helplessness. I love her adventures though and how she's trying to get out of that rut.

Some of my favorite lines from the book:
SO LOVE HIM. SO MISS HIM.
Stop putting your wishbone where you backbone ought to be.
** I understand this as accepting how you feel at the moment. You don't have to act on everything that you feel but you can acknowledge them.

There are so many more that I can't remember right now but this book is something I would keep on my ipod and keep listening to over and over again.

Ed and Johann's birthday dinner

After listening to The Five Love Languages for Singles, I realized that one of my love languages is Time. Yes, time spent with my loved ones. No matter what we are doing. I really do appreciate the time and effort they extend in spending time with me and the people I love. Now that puts all my feelings into perspective. hahaha! I was confused for a while.

Last Saturday, our friends took time to buy Ed and Johann's gifts all the way in Marikina and they gave them a really fun, nice and memorable dinner in Amalia's Magallanes (yes! They have opened a branch there!).

The food was good... we ordered all three kinds of paella and finished them all. :-)

After dinner, we had dessert as Ms. Melody treated us to everything that we saw in the ref! Hahaha! Too bad there was no Banofee Pie that night. I guess that's why we ordered every cake that we saw. It was one of those nights when the laughter just won't die down, at least for Ed, Johann and Meggy. hahaha!

Pam was there too... She was tired and sleepy after staying out all night in Capone's and going to work early the next day... Despite that, she spent time with us and I appreciate that very much. Drinks followed in Kublai's that night... Relaxed drinking but fun!

Thanks, guys! I know it wasn't my birthday but that night was fun! Thank you!

Ed's birthday dinner

It's my Love's birthday yesterday. Yahoo! :-) For his birthday dinner, we tried the amazing buffet in Spirals Softitel. It was eating non-stop and filling our tummies to the hilt. hahaha!

We got there right before sunset but the dark clouds were looming so we were not able to try the Sunset Bar near the pool area. It's nice to just sit down and enjoy the bay. The waves were pretty strong that day and it was a bit on the rainy side so we were not able to stay outside for a long time.

Nonetheless, my honey enjoyed the sound of the waves and the nice breeze by the bay and pool side.

The buffet is so varied from Italian, spanish, chinese, japanese and korean dishes. Super yummy! Ed's favorite though is the long dessert table. He can't stop feasting on the chocolate fountain and everything chocolate there. He even placed chocolate on his puto bumbong! hahaha! Yes! That's how much he loved it.

His smile alone when he started eating his dessert plate was enough to make me smile the whole night.

Mixed Vegetables with Japanese Dressing

If you feel like having vegetables with a Japanese dish taste, try this really appetizing recipe. It's healthy and very tasty.

Got this recipe from Asian Vegetarian Recipes Periplus Mini Cookbooks (of course, I've tweaked it a bit). :-)

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: around 20 minutes
For 4 people

Ingredients:
10 dried shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup Kikkoman
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup mirin - available in japanese groceries or in the Asian section of your favorite supermarkets
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic (add more if you love a more garlic taste)
1 tbsp mushroom seasoning - available in the Asian section of the supermarkets
1 c. of oyster mushrooms
2 pcs. medium carrots
1/2 cup cauliflower
1 red bell pepper
1 bunch spinach
salt and pepper

1. Soak shitake mushrooms in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain but leave 1/4 c. of used mushroom water.
2. Cut the mushrooms in quarters.
3. Mix Kikkoman, ginger, mirin, white sugar and reserved mushroom water.
4. Add the mushrooms and stir well.
5. In a wok, sautee garlic and add the oyster mushrooms and mushroom seasoning.
6. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper.
7. Add carrots, cauliflower and bell pepper
8. Pour prepared liquid and bring to a boil.
9. Add spinach and simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Serve hot with steam rice.

Enjoy!

Avenue Q High

Braving the winds and the rains, my friends and I trooped to RCBC Building to watch the Farewell Run of Avenue Q in Manila. It was so worth it! Every scene had us laughing and yet thinking at the same time. It's not often that you come out of a theater with a lot of learning and a need for introspection. It was fantastic how points raised in the play became major topics of conversation over dinner.

I think I was hooked from the first song, "It Sucks to Be Me!" and it went on to "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist" to "For Now".

The play dabbles on different touchy subjects that people can easily relate to. Yes, we all are a little bit racist sometimes and if we do accept that it is there, then we can probably live with a little bit more harmony.

Also, the idea that everyone looks for their purpose in life is noble and fantastic, but sometimes it does not come easy and you just have to ride through it... or, it does not come at all but it does not make your life any cheaper or sadder. It just is, at least "For Now". :-)

It also is true that we do experience "Schadenfreude" in our lives. We do find happiness in the misery of others. Don't deny! :-) There are very few people who are spared.

Aiza Seguerra, playing the role of Gary Coleman is a revelation to me. I know she can sing but she was really good in this play. I think she has chosen one venue for her talent where she can really shine. Her voice is fantastic. I never realized how good her singing voice is until I saw this play.

Carla Guevarra- Laforteza, playing Kate Monster and Lucy Slut has a very strong voice. She can rock the place anytime. I was amazed at how she managed to change voice characters and I think she has one of the strongest voices in the cast. Great work!

Kudos the cast and production members of this play. Hope that you stage more of these so that we, who can't go to Broadway all the time, can experience the beauty of these plays and musicals in our own country. Good luck on your Singapore run! :-)

100 Things that make me happy

1. Seeing the ocean
2. Sitting on a beach
3. Sunsets
4. Catching 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. Staying in bed with my boyfriend
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
23. Watching my boyfriend wash dishes. Imagine a big guy hunched over a small sink washing the breakfast dishes.
24. A kiss and a gentle touch to wake you up in the morning
25. Walking under the rain
26. Being quiet for a few minutes in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel
27. Writing on my journal
28. Having a chat with my mom. After the craziness of teenage years, I appreciate my relationship with my mom more and more.
29. A phone call from my Dad
30. Practicing patience. God knows I’m not the most patient person in the world.
31. Doing a favor for my sister
32. Listening to a good homily during mass. It takes a smart and non-traditional priest for this to happen. Yes, I am catholic but I don’t go to mass since there’s not much to get from the priests’ homilies. When I hear a good one, its a gold in a mine.
33. Smell of a good dish that I cooked

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

Virgin Beach Resort- Laiya, Batangas

For the first time in years, I have decided to stay in Manila during Holy Week. I needed to relax completely and rid my mind of the stress (well, that includes the stress of a long vacation too!). It was a great experience doing absolutely nothing! I haven't done that in a while and I didn't realize it was that liberating! :-)

On my fourth vacation day though, my feet were itching to go out of town so I agreed to join my family to a trip to Batangas.

After a two and a half hour ride, we found Virgin Beach Resort in San Juan, Laiya, Batangas. White sand, clear waters and a wonderful cloudless sky made me smile. The water had some jellyfish but not enough to scare me.

We only went there for a day trip and Virgin Beach Resort is very accommodating to day trippers like us. They have cottages and grills all around the area. The day trippers area is a bit far from the private area of the overnighters but our area is not bad for a few hours stay. It gets packed though so make sure that your ears are ready to hear the different kinds of music coming from every cottage.

The smoke of the grills can either annoy you or can remind you of the good old days. BRING LOTS OF FOOD AND COOK IT BY THE BEACH! :-) That means, marinated chicken, liempo, bangus, kamatis at bagoong and salted egg! UMM!!! YUMMY!!! Oh... and fruits like watermelon, mangoes and turnips (singkamas)!

You can rent a cottage for P1,000 a day. The grill has been set up so you can share it with other people within your area. I guess that's fine since there are a lot of grills all around. They also keep the grounds clean all the time with two posts of trash bins in every cottage and care takers changing the bags every hour.

Parasols can be rented with a mattress and a wooden bed. You can sleep here the whole day for P1,200.

Bathrooms. They have showers and toilet areas. Not the best that you can find in the world but clean enough. I wished though that they have a space where you can place your toiletries inside the shower.

If you don't have food with you, you can avail of their set meal for P600/head. They have a nice restaurant that serves good mango shake and mais con hielo. The restaurant is fronting the beach so just sitting down there on a hot summer day and sipping your shake is like being in paradise!

For those who wants to go on an overnight trip, they have airconditioned casitas (P6,600.00 a night) for 4 people and fan rooms called Bamboo cabanas (P4,400.00 a night) for 6 people. Check in time is 1:00 pm and Check out time is 11:30 am. Additional P1,100/ head for packaged dinner, breakfast and lunch.

If you stay overnight, the area where the lounge chairs are --by the beach-- is perfect if you want to just relax and watch the sunset.

The staff seems to be very nice and accommodating. I've read an article online with the nasty email and I was worried about their service. It turns out that they are very friendly and always ready to help you out.

I can't wait to go back and enjoy the beach and the resort! :-)

Check out additional photos at http://www.pbase.com/lysh/virginbeach.
For reservations, you can call them at +632 815-2584 or 815-2587 or visit their website at http://www.virginbeachresort.com/.

Here's the breakdown of the cost for the day-trippers:
a. Entrance fee: P100/ head
b. Corkage fee if you have food and drinks: P70/ head or Php600.00/head if you're eating at the restaurant
c. Cottage fee: P1000.00 for a whole day
d. Parking fee: P50/ car

For overnighters:
a. Airconditioned casitas: P6,600 for 4 people - (P1650/ head)
b. Food: P1,100/ head (lunch, dinner, breakfast)

*** Add around P500/ head for gas and toll fee in SLEX and Star Toll Way.

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.

======================================

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.