Lavender & Coffee Stains

Dear Me,

I'm now a grown-up! Hehehe.

I've got nothing special, really. I'm not the type to celebrate the day I popped out of this world. Not my kind of thing, honestly.

But...

I totally, absolutely appreciate all the messages and greetings.



Thank you everyone for taking the time out to write a note, call in my mobile phone, post in my Facebook wall, send me a text message. :)

Dear Me,

Yes, I have previously booked a 2-nights stay at the newly-opened hotel in Cybergate Plaza.



When year 2010 started, I was (and still is) beset with anxiety and fatigue. So much that I felt (still does) depressed and burnt-out.

Normally, I will just leave the metropolis and escape to the coolness of Baguio. Pack my bags and ride the next bus.

Well, I cannot do that now when I have to address the dilemma of traveling with a toddler. I think I am not up yet tagging my little boy to any place my heart desires. Maybe I should learn how and be comfortable with it. That will be fun. Hehehe.

As mentioned, I was thinking of escaping to Tagaytay or anywhere near Manila. I could not think of any so I let it go and allowed myself to wallow in melancholy. Ang drama noh?

And a savior came along, in the form of a towering structure somewhere in EDSA. I heard the buzz about gohotels.ph from some blogger friends. But it was only through Melo's travel blog that I first read about it.

Recently made accessible to the public last May 19, gohotels.ph works on the same system as booking your flight via Cebu Pacific. The earlier you book, the cheaper/more affordable rate you are going to pay.

According to their webpage, there are eight reasons why every Juan should choose this hotel.


click the image
I hope I will not be disappointed with the experience. I am expecting that they live up to what they are claiming to be.

A place for every Juan, affordable in the pocket yet with hotel-quality sleeping experience.

Dear Me,

Aside from company outings, family reunions and buddies' escapades, shopping mall sales left and right make summer all the more exciting!

So here's another one from Trinoma: The Green Light Sale from May 28-30, 2010.



Shop, dine, and play for a chance to win a Philippine Islands cruise trip for 4, HP Minis, Canon G11 & Ixus cameras, and World Traveller luggage!

GREEN means GO Shop, GO Places!

GO for DISCOUNTS and PERKS!

GO for MOVIE and TIMEZONE PROMOS!

GO for TRAVEL!

GO for WINNING!

Tara, Let's GO! :)

Dear Me,

Seriously? For the like of me, I don't think I would even attempt of doing it. It is hard enough to arrange books as it is.

First, it will take so much time. Just thinking of how to start will drive me nuts. Even the thinking part will steal precious time.

Second, I think every bookworm will need so much space for this. Pulling out the books from the shelves down to sorting them by color before placing them back in the shelves calls for a humongous open space.


image borrowed from the article
Third, I don't think I will go for a color-coordinated mini-library or den anytime. It may be fun for a while but for sure, time will come that the color scheme of my interiors will be such a bore.

I organize my books in the shelves accordingly. I have a shelf for:

• books newly-bought;
  
  
• books to-be-read
  
  
• books I have read but want to keep
  
  
• books which are favorites
  
  
• books I can read anytime
  
  
• books by series
  
  
• books by theme (selected ones like writing, travel)

Sometimes, I wish I have a bigger home to house them all. :)

For those who do, I think they all have my three "excuses" considered. Now the question is, are they really OCs as the article seems to point out? What do you think?

Dear Me,

Despite shopping for groceries in the supermarket a week ago, I stayed out of the vegetables & meat section. Just purchased milk, diapers, baby shampoo & body wash, cereals - all for my little boy's needs. The plan was to do a separate shopping in the frozen section a week after.

Days after, I had the desire to whip something out for lunch. Alas! I only found some potatoes, onions, ginger and a pack of chicken breast in the fridge.

With limited ingredients, I thought of preparing Chicken and Potato Stir Fry.


chicken and potato stir fry

sorry about the lack of presentation in this photo;
was in a hurry to eat :p

It was not much of a recipe for I only worked with what I had in the kitchen. But the output, it was better than I expected. The chicken was tender to chew and the potatoes tasted crunchy.

I'm not sure if it is a problem for me as a mom but my little boy lives and dines like an American eating breakfast. He can simply survive the day with his milk and any type of bread. So I'm bent on re-introducing veggies in his meal, without rice. It was a major fail when I fed him with rice and veggies or rice and meat. He just "juiced" it or stuck the food in his mouth. So, I'm checking if feeding him veggies will work out.

Well, it was a struggle at first but throughout the meal, he got used to the crunchy potato. Of course, I always had to remind him to chew the food in his mouth.

On the other hand, the dining style sort of worked for me, too. I'm a big-eater when it comes to rice. I have been taking one rice meals a day. When I prepared this food, I just picked on the stir-fried bite-sized chicken and voila, I felt full to the stomach.


Ingredients:

3 pcs potatoes, squared
1 small ginger, cut into strips
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1/4 kilo chicken breast, cut into bite-size
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
2 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of corn starch
3 tablespoon of oil
1/4 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

1. In a shallow dish, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, corn starch, water and garlic. Add the uncooked bite-sized chicken and marinate all-together for 15 minutes.
   
   
2. Preheat skillet over medium fire. Pour in oil and saute onions for a few seconds.
   
   
3. Add the potatoes and cook for about 2-4 minutes. Set aside.
   
   
4. In the same skillet, stir fry the ginger strips followed by the bite-sized chicken for 3-4 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.
   
   
5. Return the potatoes in the skillet together with the stir-fried chicken and stir for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper according to desired taste.

There you go.

Dear Me,

I'm picking out a new book to read today. I just finished reading The Killing Art by Jonathan Santlofer.


************

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
  
• Open to a random page.
  
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
  
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
  (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From my shelves in the bedroom, I picked a new book to read, authored by Cornelia Funke. She's a German author of children's fiction and known for her Inkworld trilogy.



Here's my chosen teasers:

They were all very tired, but none of them fell asleep quickly. And even when they did, the bad dreams were already lurking underneath their pillows.


~ page 267, The Thief Lord

Dear Me,

My heart is broken.

Bones just bade me farewell this season (5). In my heart of hearts, I was longing for something else to happen. On the brighter side of things, the possibility of what I am really expecting to happen is probably (and should definitely be) waiting for me in the next season.



After that awesome 100th episode, I think this season's finale surely did not fall short in comparison.

Despite that, I did not expect a lot of questions hanging in the balance while they are all cooking away with the new season (surely there will be one, noh?).

Yes, relationships as in human connectivity were all left dangling in the air especially that of Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth.

Brennan will be off to Maluku Islands to be part of a team conducting research on hominid remains for a year. On the other hand, Booth will be re-enlisted in the army to train soldiers in Afghanistan.

Sometimes when we're confused and in a certain crossroad in our lives, we wish to leave and go elsewhere to clear our minds and be able to focus on a dilemma with clarity. I assumed that it was what Brennan want. The research project was really an intellectual and career advancement opportunity for her. She would really grab it anytime. But the project also unveiled another chance for her to examine her true feelings for Booth as revealed in a conversation with Brennan and Angela, her best friend.

Angela: You're allowed to make life changes without picking a fight with your old life.

Bones: But I need a break from that life. I'm worried all the time. Worried that Booth might get hurt on a case, and I can't prevent it. Worried about what our partnership means.

Angela: So you want to get away from Booth?

Bones: No. It's just...I just need some perspective so that I can view my life with some objectivity.

No matter how much we try to justify our thoughts and actions, I think the best way is to really talk about it. (I think I should practice this myself - as always, easy to say what should be done). Talking to the other party what is really bugging your mind and heart will somehow lighten the baggage created by conflicting emotions.

Booth: I don't do really good with change, I guess.

Bones: Well, you're better than I am.

Booth: The pyramids are better at change than you are. It's a joke. Hey, I was being affectionate.

Bones: Oh. [Pause] Will you go back to the army?

Booth: It's what best for me right now.

Bones: I'll only be gone for a year.

Booth: Me too. So, hey, what's a year?

Bones: It's the time it takes for the Earth to make a full revolution around the sun.

Booth: In the scheme of things. You know, the grand scheme of things. I'm just saying a year, you know, it's not too bad.

Bones: Right.

Booth: Right?

Bones: We can come back, pick up where we left off. Nothing really has to change.

Booth: No, things have to change. You know what? Hey, I taught you about eye contact, you taught me about evolution. So...here's to change.

Bones: To change.

Hehehe. Bones aka Brennan will always be a lovable squint for me. Yeah, what's a year? Aside from the known scientific fact, things do change. Things happen. In a year, a lot of things can and may happen with them far apart. *sigh*

I'm a Bones' fan so, here's to change!

Another relationship that was off to the "change sphere" was that of co-squint Daisy who got in the research program due to the brilliant recommendation of Brennan. Her wedding to FBI psychologist Dr. Sweets will be put on hold indefinitely. It seemed like Daisy had no qualms leaving Sweets behind. After all, she looked determined to go, being in the program meant great headway for her career. She even did her part researching for things Sweets could do in the islands should he give up his FBI work & be adventurous for once in his life.

It's only for a year for both Daisy and Sweets, too. But Sweets said not to wait for him and that she should do the same. Even though the episode did not show it, I could feel despair from Sweets. I have seen the episode before when he proposed to Daisy because he did not want life to pass by so swiftly without him experiencing new joys just because he waited too long.

The 'near-tears' moment for me was the scene at the airport where everyone bid Brennan (and Daisy) farewell. Hodgins received an 'I love you' remark (thanks to Booth) from squinty Brennan after the former gave her a guidebook to poisonous bugs and reptiles and Angela's fervent wish - "I hope you find something that just changes the entire notion of what it means to be human."



The 'shed-tears' moment was when Booth came to finally say goodbye. I thought he would not come but of course, I truly did not believe that. Booth came in that army uniform (*sigh* so guapo). I could feel my heart beat over my throat. I was waiting for what was about to happen. They held each others' hands so tightly. They both agreed to meet a year from that day next to the coffee cart by the reflecting pool in the National Mall.



Still holding hands, holding to each other like physical distance would be so unbearable...and they walked away. Oops! They stopped and turned back to face each other again. Oh my, I thought they are going to run to each other and hug like there's no tomorrow. It would have been great if they run to each other and professed their feelings for one another. *sigh* They walked away for the real goodbye.

Here's to change!

Dear Me,

This was taken two Sundays ago. I had been trying so hard to take a decent snapshot and finally after so many attempts, I shot a nicer one. Such a beautiful phenomenon.




For more Wordless Wednesdays,
take a peek at the WW Hub and 5M4M.


View More Wordless Wednesday Participants

Dear Me,

I think anyone who had traveled near or far had surely found herself/himself guffawing or racking her/his brain over a signage. Charged as guilty! :)

Here are some quirky signages from overseas:


Bethlehem
India
China
China
China
Japan
Myanmar
South Korea
South Africa

And my most favorite:


Thailand
Stumbling over these strange sign boards is not foreign to us. In fact, we have our very own, Pinoy style! :)






Have a nice day!

Dear Me,

I spent most of my time online. It's not that I am always in front of my laptop. In between doing mommy duties and practicing domestication (sounds like raising pigs...hehehe) in the house, I check my inbox, connect with friends and strangers virtually, blog whatever is in my mind and surf the web when I feel the need to do so. It helps in keeping me sane, reading and learning new things at my own time.


image courtesy
Sometimes, I would just spend my online time surfing the web and clicking links after links and browse what other people have to say. Most of the time, I end up bookmarking those interesting sites in the hope of sharing them to anyone. The outcome: the bookmarks tab has countless pages that they get lost and never to be found. Sometimes, even the links have died on me.

And so the decision to make a weekly entry was conceived.

I will not be categorizing them at the moment since I have no idea yet how this thing will go.

To start:

1. As a mom and bibliophile, I would surely love to have my little boy share my passion for reading books. Here are top 10 tips to make reading more fun for them. I also want to share how I am introducing reading to my two year old son, Miguel. :)
   
   
   
2. Learn a craft and make a business out of it: earn by making refrigerator magnets.
   
   
   
3. I'm not really the kind of person whom will indulge in a business venture. But if I'm going to have one, I will opt for franchising Bibingkinitan since I love baked bibingka.
   
   
   
4. I'm a bag-aholic and here are this summer's best bags. My favorites are (if only I can have them): 1 - the Lanvin 9-to-5 beaded evening tote, 2 - Aldo dream weaver tote with buckle, 3 - the Marni cut-out shoulder bag and last but not the least, 4 - the Loewe leather tote.
   
   
   
5. I have always wanted to have a hair that I can style anyway I want it. Unfortunately, when God showered the world with hair blessings, I was probably hiding in the caves. Here are 2010's best sizzling summer dos. My choicest picks are: (1) ballerina bun, (2) wavy bob, (3) high bun, (4) black headband and (5) textured chignon.
   
   
   
6. Every business venture I know are saddled with problems and headaches at one point or another. Well, here are 10 business stress-busters guides shared by four local entrepreneurs.

More interesting links next week. :)

Dear Me,

I'm writing this entry out here in the veranda. It's only a few minutes after six o'clock in the morning. I'm trying to catch up with the coolness of the early morn for I know in an hour or so, the summer heat will welcome itself in the house.

************
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
  
• Open to a random page.
  
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
  
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
  (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Another new author who is engaging me with his book right now is Jonathan Santlofer.



Here's my chosen teasers:

She hung up, adding frustration to her paranoia and fear, and when she got into bed she could not stop replaying the image of the two men coming out of the mist, and the identities she had attached to them -- Leader and Lifschultz -- and when she finally managed to exhaust that, she replayed the things Daniella Resnikoff had said about her father leaving the New York art scene because he could not take the jealousy and competition, that there wasn't room for another figure painter, and his comment about Zander: "He is dead to me."


~ page 300, The Killing Art

Dear Me,

It was Labor Day when we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon outside. I was pretty adamant in staying indoors rather than sweat it out outside, even before we were able to hail a ride to the mall. You see, the summer heat was so unbearable!

But I got errands to do and could not be put off for another day. I had to ship a parcel via courier service, pay bills and do grocery for I was running out of food to prepare/eat.

Besides, somebody was "slightly" excited to leave the house for a change.





So we (Mama, Miguel and moi) headed to SM North, making our way to the SkyGarden Safari Adventure. It was my dear mother who told me about this kiddie fun place. I asked her how she knew about it and she said that she "passed" the area everyday. After office hours before going home, she would be "malling" to pass up time and traffic. I never knew she was a mall-rat. Hehehe.



A jungle adventure meant for the family especially for the kids, the SkyGarden Safari Adventure sort of brings outdoor fun inside the hallways of the mall. Featuring life-sized replicas of animals in the wild, kids and adults alike would surely enjoy spending time in the animal kingdom. Unfortunately, Miguel was not in the mood after waking up from his interrupted nap in the cab. I was asking him to pose for a shot with Mama but the little boy was uncooperative. I was meaning to take snapshots instead of the mechanized animals but even I could not stand the hot air enveloping the area. The plan to mingle with the orangutans was aborted. Maybe next time. We still have the end of this month (May) to experience and have 'kodaks' with the safari creatures. :)

Visit their site for more information.

Wanting to escape the heat, we rushed inside the air-conditioned comforts of the mall.

Since I was carrying something heavy in my bag, I decided to hit 2Go first. I had to ship out three parcels in the metro and in the southernmost part of the country.

Mama is already in her senior years (meaning she already has her senior citizen card...hehehe). She easily gets tired walking around and everytime she says that, it means we need to sit down and dine. This time she chose The Classic Savory Chicken resto.

And because we were feeling famished (because of the heat), we ordered more than we could finished.


Yang Chow Fried Rice (PhP175)

Traditional Chinese fried rice with shrimps, minced pork, egg and green peas. Just the way I like it. Not too dry, not too bland, not too oily.

Chopsuey (PhP175)

Classic stir-fried vegetables with meat and seafood. I have been craving for some veggies lately that I primarily ordered this one. It surely looked yummy to me. But I was disappointed when all I could taste was the hard part of cabbages.

Long Life Pancit Canton (PhP195)

Festive braised noodles with meat, vegetables and seafood. My photo didn't do justice as to how appetizing this plate was. Well, probably did. Before taking a shot, we first helped ourselves because my two companions were starving already. Pancit is actually my little boy' favorito. :)

Mixed Seafood with Broccoli (PhP195)

I was too full when this dish arrived. I got turned off because I actually saw our order being passed around by the waiters. It seemed like they "mixed" customers' orders.

Half Cut Savory Chicken (PhP195)

Our take-home order for Papa. From the outside, it looked so juicy. :)

After dining, we headed to the supermarket and bought stocks of my little boy's milk and diapers. Then we headed to Starbucks to try their newest offering this summer, the Espresso Java Chip Frappuccino blended coffee. Honestly, I didn't like it that much. Too bland for my taste.

Instead of lounging in the cafe, we decided to finish our drinks while lining up for a ride in the taxi bay.

It was past nine in the evening when we reached home. Tiring but it was fun. :)

Dear Me,

New York Times wants to know where you have traveled and will be traveling this year. Discovered any beautiful destinations lately?



Do share your discoveries as well as recommendations on your favored places to go to this year on their interactive map. Top recommendations for the best travel spot in the Philippines are Boracay, El Nido and Coron in Palawan, Panglao in Bohol. Boracay made it to top 30 (29th) - readers' choices.

Years ago, I have visited Singapore and Japan. This year, I am flying to Hongkong and visit Singapore again. United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the travel list may be in the near future.

Check out NY Times' top picks for this year's favored destinations. Unfortunately, we did not grab a spot in the travel limelight.

Dear Me,

I am feeling quite better today. I had been experiencing muscle pains for days and the sneezing with the dry cough and fever only caught up with me during the last three days. I blamed it all in the endless lakwatsa and the sweltering weather we are having this season.

I have been meaning to blog something but I just could not find the right mood. I feel so bummed out and so I resorted to browsing my inbox full of blog subscriptions.

I found this particular blog entry and the writing mood and mode is ON. :)

Lipstick Addict is holding a blog giveaway; that is, a beauty giveaway!



Up for grabs are the following:

1. Purple Cosmetic Bag (from Watsons, brand new)
   
   
2. Kojic Acid Whitening Soap (really works in whitening skin!)
   
   
3. Avon UMR in Pretty (mini lipstick)
   
   
4. Skin MD Natural Face, Hand and Body Lotion (Made in USA)
   
   
5. Eskinol Skin Therapy Gluta-Milk Whitening Cream with Glutathione Complex Sachet
   
   
6. Charriol Inspired Bracelet (Stainless)
   
   
7. Bvlgari Inspired Fashion Earrings (Stainless)
   
   
8. Channel Pink Heart Fashion Accessory
   
   
9. Myra Vitawhite Whitening Face Lotion with SPF 15 (added)
   
   
10. Silk Secrets Organics Apricot Refreshing Facial Cleanser from Watsons
    
    
11. Sunblock with SPF45 Made in Korea (sachet)
    
    
12. Very cute peachy pink blush imported and Made in Thailand, SIVANNA COLORS. Peachy pink with gold flecks.

I am joining because I simply love what she's giving away. The best thing would be winning something I like. So if you want to covet the lovely items, too, join NOW by checking out the mechanics in this beauty giveaway.

I'm not really into all those beauty stuff like most girls that I know but I simply love the way Lipstick Addicts - Beauty Reviews and More presents her interesting beauty discoveries. She makes it so simple yet "enticing" (her beauty reviews say it all...hehehe). I already made my list. *winks*

To be up-to-date with her beauty entries, simply subscribe to her blog feed via email (right sidebar through feedburner). :)