Steak, anyone?

Yesterday after I was done with my errands, I found myself at one of my fave malls, The Edsa Shangri-la Plaza.

I'm not a food court person.

But I make exception for this mall's clean, less noisy, less 'smoky' basement location of popular eateries. I have a few usual food hangouts at this particular food court. Reyes BBQ for their Pork BBQ and/or Bangus belly fare complete with java rice and their peanut sauce.
For Korean fast food, I go to Kimchi for their chicken BBQ and/or their Beef Stew which comes complete with beansprouts, plain rice and clear soup.
For snack I like the special goto (with chicharon and egg) at Goto King.

Yesterday though I was in the mood for some juicy steak. It has been ages because I've been watching my diet, kuno. I naturally headed for the House of Minis. Their complete steak meals include plain rice, few pieces of veggies and corn soup. The mini steaks are served on a hot plate which sizzles when you pour yummy gravy. The more gravy, the better! You choose whether you want them rare, medium rare or well done. The best thing though is they are quite affordable. I was really devouring my Fillet Mignon (served with bacon) with gusto while desperately trying not to think about my so called diet. =)

Children parties

On the rare occasion that D and I socialize, we usually end up going to the birthday parties of kids. His friends/co faculty's children in various ages, sizes and shapes. I am constantly amazed by how the whole party is turned into this grand production number. Complete with an emcee, a game show host, clowns, magicians - all of them trying their darnest best to entertain the guests. It is all very festive with loud music blaring in colorful balloons infested venues with buffet style dining. It is fun and entertaining. It brings out my inner child and I am totally amused by the tricks of the entertainers.

I also get a kick observing the other parents. Their minds wondering if attending these sort of parties would encourage their children to demand their own bongga birthday party. You know a sort of 'keeping up with the Joneses' attitude. Anyways I'm sure every parent just wants to provide the best for their children.

Speaking of parties, I laughed out loud yesterday because of something D said. The emcee interrupted his spiel during a game to announce "Mommies and Daddies you can now line up at the buffet table for your snack". My funny hubby turned to me and said "Papaano yan hindi tayo puwedeng kumain, hindi pa tayo mommy at daddy". Ha ha ha

Let's play Pool

D likes to play billiards. In fact, I'm proud to admit he is pretty adept in the game. So I'm sure he will find this website multiplayer games,8c1.net.http://www.8c1.net quite interesting.

It is a multi player billiards game, online. You simply register on their website. This gives you the chance to invite your friends to join as well. You either play with players worldwide or create your own room where you can play exclusively with your friends. They also have a forum section for friendly interaction with other players.

The best thing is that it is entirely free.

So join now and let's play pool.

Jose Rizal

Today marks the 148th birth day of our national hero, Dr Jose Rizal. I'm sure he will not be happy (wherever he is!) to find out that the facade of his ancestral home in Calamba, Laguna has been turned into a 'buko pandan cake'.

Click here to read about it. Such a pity, really. Instead of preserving the remnants of our rich historical past, we turn them into monuments of ridicule. So sad.

It has been ages since I visited "Ang bahay ni Rizal". It was sometime in the mid 1980s. So I'm posting a picture of D. It was taken a few years back (I think it was in 2005). It was taken in Calamba where they attended some conference/seminar and our paths had not crossed yet. Heh!

Back to School

Along with the millions of college/university students trooping back to school today to hopefully enrich their idle minds with knowledge are the teachers/faculty members. This naturally includes D, my hubby. The extra week vacation due to the postponement of the official opening of classes due to the A(H1N1) scare and the torrential rains was a welcomed surprise. It gave us more bonding moments especially during those chilly bed weather days.

So after almost 3 months of spending it being spoiled rotten by my dearest homebody hubby, I am now home alone yet again.

To try to drone out boredom by being online most of the time.

To think of meals to prepare so I don't end up starving.

To have more time to catch up on the novels I've stopped reading midway.

To turn to the DVD Player for amusement as the pile of films I've yet to watch is gathering dust on the shelf.

For more alone time to quietly reflect on our future.

Now if only our noisy neighbors would stop being such a pesky nuisance, I might just enjoy this home alone time without missing my hubby too much!

Let them eat cake

I have a confession to make. I have a sweet tooth. In fact I can minimize my intake of rice and viands but when it comes to sweets, I falter. Aside from the local delicacies (kakanin), my fave desserts are cakes. But I prefer my cakes to be of the "mild" variety. Meaning they are not too sweet. Yes I know that defeats its main purpose but what the heck that's how I like them. On special occasions like birthdays and/or Christmas our table won't be complete without the sinful presence of a cake.

Our top favorites are the mocha roll from either Red Ribbon or Goldilocks.



This mocha walnut cake from Kookie Korner. I ended up buying two of these cakes for my mother's recent birthday. One for them (my parents) and one for us (D & I). Although I admit that I was the one who basically gobbled it all up since D isn't too fond of sweets.

Asbestos exposure

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral found in the surface of the earth. It contains strong fibers that have excellent durability, fire resistance and insulating properties. This substance is commonly used in the shipbuilding industry, housing and construction business. Its fibers are 50 to 200 times thinner than a human hair and it can float in the air for a long time. It can be invisible to the naked eye and can also be breathed into the lungs.

Yet prolonged exposure to this toxic substance can lead to the risk of cancer. Specifically Mesothelioma which is a fatal form of lung cancer incurred from Asbestos exposure. This disease is most likely to affect employees in industries which use asbestos materials like construction workers, contractors, auto mechanics and those in the shipbuilding business.

The use of all forms of asbestos was banned nationally since 31 December 2003. Since its ban, cancer victims have a difficult time asking for compensation. An experienced Mesothelioma Lawyer will be a good ally in their fight against these giant corporations. The companies knew about the toxicity of asbestos but they didn't reveal it right away. As a result thousands of people were needlessly exposed to this lethal substance.