Saturday, 11.29.08

Stayed home sick with a cold and the worst sore throat of my life. Ended up editing about a gazillion pics from our La Union beach trip two weekends ago (a separate post is in the works for this). Well, at least those pics are all done and posted

Sunday, 11.30.08

Finally went to see Twilight with my sister. We caught the 1pm showing at Eastwood Cinemas,which on the side has got to be my favorite movie theater. It has the perk of reclinable seats not found in most other theaters, without the extra price on the ticket. Each theater seats a comparatively smaller number of people, which means that the whole audience from front to back gets a huge view of the screen. The fact that it’s the closest cinema to the house doesn’t hurt, as well.

Anyhoo, back to the movie. A little conversation just before the movie:

Gwen: I can’t believe we’re watching the afternoon showing! That means we’ll be seeing the movie with a bunch of noisy, swooning preteens!

Genine: I know! I hope we aren’t seated close to them…

And a conversation during the movie:

Gwen: *swoon*swoon*swoon*

Genine: *swoon*swoon*swoon*

Well, at least we weren’t noisy swooning twenty-somethings–we did have the sense to swoon in hushed tones

My two cents on the movie: I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but i thought it was really good. Rob Pattison, who plays Edward, portrayed the restraint his character had to practice really well. The movie was concise, covering all the major scenes and storylines from the book without being dragging. Sure, with the paranormal stuff set aside, it’s still your typical teenage romance, but so what? That was what the book was all about, and i thought that the movie was a pretty good adaptation of the book.

After the movie we found out that Eastwood Mall had recently opened, so we went over to check it out. There aren’t many shops open yet, but it looks like it’s gonna be a great place to hang out in once they do. The layout is very circular, which gives the mall this posh feel (as you can imagine, i’m not very good at describing architecture). But the mall opens out into a terrace lined with shops and dotted with palm trees, so i’m hoping you’ll get what i mean about the posh.

After Eastwood, we went to church I honestly do not remember the last time i went to church. Going back wasn’t as bad as i thought it would be, and i learned something…so maybe i’ll go again this weekend.

Monday, 12.01.08

Went to work early to check on my new schedule for the next two months. As it turned out, i didn’t have to be at work that day. I went home right away, planning to study, but then my sister asked me if i wanted to go to the mall. And i’m not sure if i’m actually capable of turning down a trip to the mall…

We went to The Block at SM North Edsa. I got started on my christmas shopping, and after that we met up with a friend at Bubble Tea, a Japanese pop-inspired place so-called because their tea is served with sago, which looks like bubbles. Will be back for their Japanese green milk tea, which is de-lish.

After that, we just decided to take goofy pictures at the mall. So, like good little kids, we waited our turn to get our pictures taken with life-size Disney Princesses cardboard replicas. Here’s my best shot:

prince charming is mine!!!

I think some of the other kids may have gotten scared.

Wednesday, 12.03.08

TOXIC day at work. In hospital jargon, toxic means very, very busy, with lots of patients who all have lots of problems. Not repeating this again.

Thursday, 12.04.08

My sister and i stopped by Amici’s Tomas Morato, which is not far out of the way home from work, to get our gelato fix.
I had mint chocolate, which is my favorite flavor, so it was safe and yummy. But my sister had hazelnut and it was the best, like having a frozen Ferrero Rocher melt in your mouth. And so, this conversation:

Gwen: How come you always order the best things?

Genine: Because i order what’s special from a place. Like, you wouldn’t order chicken at a steakhouse, right?

Ohhh…so that’s why. And hazelnuts do come from Italy, don’t they.

My sister is food smart.

Friday, 12.05.08

Am missing my kikay kit, last seen in one of the lockers at the nursery, where i’m stationed now. Am hoping for the best but fearing the worst. So, a list of things i’ve lost so far to some wacko(s) at the hospital:

- nokia n series phone –> stolen at the interns’ quarters. while i was asleep.

- thermoscan (the good kind) –> stolen at the ICU.

- kikay kit (?) –> am still hoping this was just misplaced

I mean, who would steal a kikay kit? Most of the stuff in there’s half used up anyway. But the kit itself is all new and pretty and Lancome. And i’m wondering how i’ll be able to survive tomorrow without my oil control film

But i feel better now, after having a bowl of pumpkin pie ice cream. And blogging my heart out.

Missing kikay kit updates will be posted on this blog.

I really enjoyed the author’s witty, honest, down-to-earth storytelling. I loved how she showed how much food plays a part in everyday life, whether it be at a gathering of friends at the table, or a romantic dinner with that special someone, or a solo meal enjoyed just for the sheer pleasure of the food itself. Food brings people together; it nourishes and comforts; it can make you smile or laugh or cry.

I made this rule a few months back, that whenever i bought a cookbook or a cooking magazine, i would have to make at least one dish from that book/magazine. So for dinner tonight, i decided to make lamb chops from chapter 14 of Hesser’s book, Dinner When No One Wanted to be Alone.

I chose the recipe not because i particularly craved for company tonight, but because i wanted to make something a bit more special than our usual dinners but at the same time was really easy to prepare. I coated the chops in a mixture of rosemary, garlic, and olive oil and left them in the fridge for about a day. I added salt and pepper before broiling them in the oven for about 3 minutes each side.

The chops came out nearly perfect, brown on the outside and pinkish on the inside, and really flavorful. The olive oil and the fat from the chops gave the dish a creamy texture. Both my sister and i thought that the chops needed more salt, but that was probably my fault, as i’ve never been good at estimating how much salt or pepper to sprinkle over anything. In the end, it was still a really good, satisfying meal that my sister and i thoroughly enjoyed chomping down

We get weekends off at work all this month, so Friday night four of us took the 8-hour bus ride from Manila to Camarines Sur.

I slept away a good chunk of the trip (the bus had lazyboy seats!), and it was dawn when we reached our destination. Getting off the bus, i would’ve thought we were in the middle of nowhere, save for the abundance of cute tourist villas in the area.

Our home for the next few days would be a trailer park with brightly colored trailer homes. After checking in, we proceeded to our trailer, which was green and housed rooms 108 and 109. I had packed expecting trailer home life to be like a camping trip, bringing soap and a roll of toilet paper and almost kicking myself for forgetting to bring a towel, but one look inside the trailer had me thinking that it was possible the classiest trailer in the world. It had a bed with clean sheets and big soft pillows, cable tv and a dvd player, and best of all, a hot and cold shower.

Our trailer

I was a bit reluctant to leave the trailer, but we eventually headed over to the lake at Camsur Watersports Complex, about a five-minute walk from the trailer park. The place is a dream. The lake is pretty big (for a manmade one anyway), with a series of ramps coursing around it making it a haven for professional wakeboarders. Cabanas-small, open huts-line its banks, where you can eat and at the same time watch the wakeboarders or catch a breathtaking glimpse of Mt. Isarog.

Camsur Watersports Complex

I started with kneeboarding since I was a first-timer. i was instructed to stay low, close to the board, and to hold on for dear life to the handlebar that was attached to the conveyor belt-like system that would be pulling my board, through the water. It looked easy enough, but it was hard holding onto the handlebar, especially during the sudden, forceful pull that It was totally fun, and thrilling, from the sudden, forceful pull of the handlebar that looked easy enough, watching the other wakeboarders, but it was hard holding on to the handlebar, especially during that first sudden, forceful pull when your board first launches into the water, and during turns. But it was exhilarating, too, the wind whipping through your hair, sprays of lake water in your face. i made it all the way around the lake on my third try. I did a couple more rounds that morning, and by that afternoon, i had such a bad case of muscle soreness that any sort of motion would produce pain.

Lakeside

When not wakeboarding, we’d eat lots (although the food at the CWC resto was pretty pricey), swim in the pool, sleep late/watch tv at the trailer, and play foosball and billiards. It was a vacay to the max.

Sunday night came all too quickly, and soon enough we were on the bus en route to Manila. The trip was a great way to spend one of the precious few free weekends of the year. Hmm…i wonder what I’ll be doing next weekend?

Tutta carne pizza

i know meat’s supposed to be the star of this pizza, but one of the things i loved most about it was the soft, creamy, melted mozzarella cheese–not at all gummy like what you’ll see in other, more commercialized pizza joints. Fresh herbs sprinkled generously all over the pizza also gave the dish a lot of great flavor.

Risotto di mare

Soft, fluffy saffron risotto with seafood with clams, mussels, and prawns–this dish was light and clean on the palate.

Roast chicken

Moist, tender chicken infused with rosemary.

Spinach fusili montanara

Spinach corkscrew pasta with a creamy tomato sauce with Italian sausage and mushrooms. Am such a fan of mushrooms.

Here comes the dessert!

As you may surmise from the photos below, i had trouble choosing a flavor. i ended up with mango jubilee, a dreamy creation mango creation topped with a tempting combination of strawberries and blueberries. The gelato was delightfully dense and creamy. i thought it could’ve used a bit more tang, to highlight the mango flavor, but it was still good, nonetheless.

i also got to taste the sans rival and mint flavors. i liked mint the best, but then again, it always has been my favorite flavor.

The menu

French onion soup

Roasted Portobello mushrooms topped with mozzarella cheese

One roasted bell pepper sandwich

Mojitos

I made French onion soup as a starter. French onion soup has a classy ring to it, but it turns out it’s not so classy when you’re slicing the onions, your eyes all stinging and tearing up (from the volatile acids released by slicing the onion, which cause eye irritation). i resisted the temptation of asking the maid to slice them for me, just so that i could say that I cooked something by myself for maybe the 5^th time in my whole life.

Preparing the dish was an experience not only of taste, but of sight, sound, smell. The hiss of sliced onions hitting a hot saucepan, the rich heady smell of them sautéing in butter, the slow transformation of color from a raw white to translucent to a light caramel made for a true feast for the senses.

The caramelized onions went into a pot of beef stock. the soup was ladled into individual bowls, topped with a generous helping of velvety Colby cheese, and served with toasted French bread on the side.

Genine and i thought cocktails would be fun. We started making the Mojitos while we waited for the peppers to roast, so we could have a little drink before dinner. The Mojitos in the recipe called for white rum, brown sugar, crushed mint, and lemon juice. It tasted great, sweet and citrusy with a kick, although it looked nothing like the photo in the recipe. (I don’t see how mixing brown sugar with white rum can still produce a crystal clear drink; ours turned out sort of mud-colored.) It was so good that i ended up guzzling half my drink. By the time dinner was ready five minutes later, i had developed the worst case of lightheadedness in my life. It was so bad that i may never mix a cocktail again.

Anyhoo, we started dinner off with the French onion soup and the Portobello mushrooms. Both dishes turned out great. The soup was rich and creamy, topped with a generous helping of Colby cheese that melted into the steaming hot broth, and served with French bread on the side. Roasting the mushrooms gave them a great, meaty flavor, and mozzarella cheese has got to be one of my favorite things in the world.

Genine made a roasted bell pepper sandwich from different varieties of bell peppers she bought on a recent trip to Indonesia. The peppers were roasted at a scorching 500oF, cooled, then marinated in balsamic vinaigrette. The filling was scooped on top of a slice of French bread and topped with Colby cheese. They sandwiches were supposed to be our main dish, but we were so full after the starters that we ended up sharing one tiny sandwich. Anyhoo, Genine explained that it was one of those dishes that would taste better the next day, when the peppers had overnight to soak into the vinaigrette.

And so my most recent attempt at cooking met its happy ending in one satisifying dinner. I’ll probably be doing this again sometime

love my new haircut!

i got a new haircut earlier this month at azta urban salon, katipunan. the salon reminds me of a trendy college apartment, with orange, dark blue, and beech as a color palette. prices are student friendly too, as the salon gives a 20% discount on all services if you present your student id.

i’m not hair-savvy at all, so i really appreciated how the stylist, mody, both listened to what i wanted and knew which cuts would suit the shape of my face. basically, i told him what i wanted was a cut that had a different shape from my old one but was still short and manageable. i loved how my new cut turned out–it’s a bob that’s longer in front and tapers towards the back. i actually think it’s kinda hip, for lack of a better description.

mody suggested that i have my hair relaxed, since it would be hard to maintain its shape outside the salon. i had that done the following week. now my hair is much more manageable, and retains its shape with minimal styling. i’m pretty satisfied with the results, although since relaxed hair tends to be dryer and more brittle, it needs maintenance with more extensive conditioning and a regular hair mask.

make-up shopping at the face shop

walking inside one of the face shop‘s boutiques is refreshing–the interiors are all white and clean and simple. their makeup is the same way, clean and no-fuss. last week i got a baked eyeshadow trio consisting of two shades of pink and a light yellow. baking the eyeshadow makes for long lasting wearability. mine lasted from 7am until i washed it off at 12am on a duty night. i also got a shimmery light orange lip gloss. i love the simplicity and minimalism of the packaging, too.

am without a camera at the moment, photos to follow

photo mosaic

1. Gwen Stefani, 2. linguine pesto, 3. A light atop a hill, 4. llibreria – bookstore – Amsterdam – HDR, 5. McDreamy in scrubs, 6. EAT! Vancouver 2005 – Food and Resturant Show at BC Place, 7. Entering Hyperspace, 8. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 9. perfect?, 10. Love XOXO, 11. when did you leave heaven ?, 12. Glacer Masque

Make your own:

The concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste the html into your blog or Flickr stream. Or use the Mosaic Maker at fd’s Flickr Toys.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Look up your Flickr name and see what pops up.

Current read

Right now i’m halfway through A Year in High Heels by Camilla Morton. It’s really a book on everything—a collection of interesting vignettes on fashion, music, literature, and pop culture. There’s a chapter for each month of the year, and each month features a book review, a muse of the month (a short bio on a woman who rocked the world), and a shoe of the month (to boost your fashion IQ!). Camilla also offers advice on everything from how to write a proper thank you note to how to buy a house to how to be A-list for the Oscars.

Vogue calls this book “The must-have guide to year-round fabulousness,” so read it if you want to be fabulous, or already are.

Favorite reads

Anything i’ve read more than once earns a spot in this category, and in recent years, there have only been two. Lots of books have served as good entertainment, but these are my comfort reads, the ones i pick up when i need to feel good, or be inspired:

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I love this book because it’s like a fairytale, but for grownups, or for those who should but aren’t quite ready to grow up yet. Stardust is set in the 1800s in the tiny village of Wall, so named because of the wall at the edge of the town which separates it from a whole other world, a world of magic and strangeness. No one is allowed to pass through the wall, except once in nine years, when people from the other side come to sell strange and exotic goods at the village fair.

Stardust tells the story of Tristran Thorn, son of a farmer and a mother whom he never met, who left him on his father’s doorstep shortly after he was born. Tristran is in love with Victoria, who of course happens to the prettiest girl in the village. To win her heart, he promises to bring her back the falling star they both saw fall on the other side of the wall.

So Tristran goes on this reckless journey on the other side of the wall, and in the process, he finds out that what he thinks he wants isn’t what he really wants.

Stardust is a coming of age story, a story of a boy who discovers that he’s more than a farmer’s son and that he’s destined for more than just the prettiest girl in town. Read it if you’re a hopeless romantic, shamelessly, like i am Or if you want to try out one of Gaiman’s lighter novels.

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

This is the third of seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia series, the author’s only works written for children. Coincidentally (or not), this is another coming of age story. It’s about Shasta, a fisherman’s son, and Bree, his talking horse, who both run away to escape a life of slavery. On the way, they meet Aravis, a rich girl, also running away to escape an arranged marriage. In the end, a scared boy discovers that he’s meant for greatness, but not before he learns courage and how to take responsibility for himself and for those around him. A spoiled brat learns to think of people other than herself.

Read it if…you’re just about anyone. I’d actually recommend the whole Chronicles of Narnia series to anyone. It’s classic, imaginative storytelling.

Yoh-gurt Froz logo

Yohgürt-Froz started by selling soft-serve frozen yogurt without the tang, which you could flavor with different fresh fruits or sweet choices like cookie bits or Oishi Pillows. Fruit (snack bits) and yogurt then go into this machine that blends them together, and what comes out is flavored frozen yogurt that’s like ice cream, except that it has a more natural, fresh taste. Plus, it’s healthy.

Recently, Yohgürt-Froz came up with Fro-Yo, which is tangy frozen yogurt which you can top with fruits, nuts, chocolate, or whatever they have on the toppings bar. I was reluctant to try their new product at first. Shops selling this kind of frozen yogurt have been sprouting up all over the city, and I hadn’t been impressed with any of them so far. My previous experience with tangy frozen yogurt was tangy = sour = icky.

Yesterday after work, i invited my sister to Yohgürt-Froz. She’s a huge fan of tangy frozen yogurt, so she ordered Fro-Yo topped with strawberries and blueberries, while i had non-tangy mango frozen yogurt, which is one of my favorites on the menu. Whenever we go out, my sister and i make sure to try each other’s food, so i had a spoonful of her Fro-Yo. Right then, my skepticism flew out the door, because Yohgürt-Froz’s Fro-Yo was del-i-cious. It was creamy, with just the right amount of tang to balance out the creaminess, but not so much that you could call it sour. So then i had several spoofuls of Fro-Yo, until my sister got mad because i was finishing her dessert. So i had to stop and concentrate on my own frozen yogurt.

The fruit toppings were okay, although not great. The strawberries were succulent and mildly sweet, pairing well with the creamy-tangy frozen yogurt. The blueberries were served frozen and turned out to be really watery when you bit into them, so i wouldn’t order those again. But for me, the real star of the show was the frozen yogurt itself, which totally made me look at tangy frozen yogurt in a new, positive light.

Fro-Yo tangy frozen yogurt topped with strawberries and blueberries

mango frozen yogurt

So it seems i may have a new favorite frozen yogurt at my favorite frozen yogurt store. I still love my old favorites, non-tangy yogurt blended with cheese and mango. But Yohgürt-Froz’s version of tangy frozen yogurt is definitely worth trying a second time.

lovely girls enjoying lovely desserts

my kikay kit

1. Oil control sheets. Can’t live without these. I use only clean and clear or gatsby, since the wax paper brands infused with tea tree oil don’t work for me.

2. Revlon eyelash curler. My groupmate, who’s also kikay, gave me this lash curler for christmas, and it’s been one of my favorite items in my kikay kit ever since. It gives a good reliable curl, so i have prettily framed eyes with or without mascara.

3. Gatsby styling wax sachet. Quick fix for a bad hair day, especially for strands of baby hair that stand at the top of your head.

4. Comb. Of course.

5. Covergirl eyeslicks in shimmering pebble. These eyeshadows in pencil form are really easy to apply. Just swish them on, blend a little bit, and you’re all set. Shimmering pebble is a light brown, barely there shade that’s great for highlighting the eyes.

6. Estee Lauder lash XL maximum length mascara. I’ve been applying mascara ever since i read that it brightens the eyes (read for yourself). Contrary to its name, this brand of mascara doesn’t really give maximum length lashes, but rather a more subtle effect. Which is okay with me, since i don’t like wearing anything flashy at work.

7. Eyebrow tweezer. Because nobody likes messy brows.

8. Maybelline cover stick in light beige. This is a cream-based concealer that’s great for dark spots. The downside is that it hasn’t been available in stores in manila for a while. Which is weird, because it’s available at the maybelline webpage.

9. Maybelline perfect concealer in medium beige. This is a liquid concealer. I’ve found that the darker shade works better for hiding zits.

10. Maybelline clear smooth aqua gel foundation in natural. I love this foundation. it goes on super smooth, controls oil and shine, and feels like i’m not wearing makeup at all.

11. Estee Lauder brush. For applying blush, which is the only thing in my kit that’s in powder form.

12. Covergirl blush duet in mink/auburn and vision/auburn. For rosy cheeks. (I actually only use the first shade, since the second one is more of an orange-y shade.) Plus, the powder smells like cinnamon

13. The face shop color-full lip palette 02. This lip gloss quad comes in a cute floral-printed compact (not shown here). I don’t use these glosses as much as i used to, but i still keep the compact in my kit because it doubles as a really handy mirror.

14. Nivea lip care in strawberry kiss. I love how this lip gloss moisturizes and protects my lips while giving them a hint of strawberry red.

15. Philosophy make a wish lip shine in sugar plum. This lip gloss has a yummy sweet scent. It has a super shiny effect, so i use it on days when i especially want to feel like a girl.

16. Clinique colour surge impossibly glossy in camisole. This is the newest addition to my kikay kit. It’s a lighter shade of lip gloss that i haven’t used much yet, but it’s in my kit in case i feel like trying something different.

So that’s what’s in my kikay kit. Because just because i work 34 hours straight, doesn’t mean i can’t look good at the end of the day

“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone.”

~Sam Levenson, American author and humorist (1911-1980)