Get a move on!

So yes that's it, I'm now officially 45 years old. We had my birthday lunch at Chili's, a restaurant which was my favorite hang out while we were stationed in Dubai, UAE way back in 1995 until 2001.

It was and still is a very special place. The venue where I had dates with my exes as well as dined with good old friends of mine (most of whom I've lost touch with since we are located in different places, nowadays).

It has been ages since I partook of their meals and although the menu is quite different from the one located in Dubai, it still brought back many fond memories for me.

By the way, I didn't order any margaritas as my drinking days are way behind me.  In the distant past, I could still walk straight after downing 4 -5 margaritas. Ah yes the good old days of lush and lust. hehehe

Now that I'm done with celebrating turning a year old, I've got to get my groove back as I have tons of errands and chores to do.  First is to get our passports renewed.  Second is to find the appropriate dates for our Christmas vacay at where my sister is based.  Third is to find the cheapest flights to get to our destination.

And you all know how hectic it gets before a trip.  Millions of things to attend to which can be quite tiring. So I have to get a move on, no time to be lazy.  

Today I'm Forty Five =]

Recipes

One of my favorite past times online is to read food blogs as well as some reviews of newly opened restaurants in the lifestyle section of the web edition of local newspapers.

I like reading about food.

Why?

Surely not to add to the repertoire of my very limited culinary skills. Neither do I have the luxury of time or to be honest the budget to dine at most if not all of these eateries. I just like the way it satisfies my vision and in some sense my appetite.

But truly there are rare occasions when I do venture out of my cave to satisfy my discerning palate. 

When it comes to choosing where to eat when we are at the mall, my dear hubby ALWAYS leaves it to me to decide. Heck, I even order for him and he just eats whatever is laid down in front of him. 

I decided to try RECiPES, a resto known for Asian fusion cuisine. Upon checking the menu I notice it is mostly their version of local dishes

I ordered Thai Spring Rolls for appetiser. 9 tiny pieces with a tangy sauce. 

Then Gising Gising (minced pork with tiny slices of green beans mixed in coconut milk) and Chicken's General (crunchy boneless chicken with some sort of sweet and spicy sauce).  I told the waiter to specify the dishes must only be "mildly" spicy.

The portions are a bit small for two persons so it would be wise to order two mains + appetisers. 

The ambiance was cosy. not too claustrophobic as there is enough leg and elbow space between tables. 

The place is well lit and minimalist in its interiors decors which is fine by me. I don't know about you but I prefer to focus on the meals than the walls of any eating establishment.

As for the price range, it is affordable given the small portion of its dishes. Our bill amounted to less than a thousand pesos, this includes 2 plain rices along with 2 cans of softdrinks.

My overall satisfaction rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

Funky mood

So ever since I got back from a week of fun bonding moments with my sister dearest, I've been feeling funky.

You know the sense that you are either too tired or just plain lazy to do the million things that is expected of you.

Given that yes I am lucky I am a stay at home wifey, there is always something that needs your productive attention.

I've chalk it to a number of (valid imho) reasons like PMS, my apprehension about turning a year older in a week's time, fatigue and/or just plain old laziness!

Either one or all of the above reasons could be to blame.

It seems all I've done is watch whole seasons of TV shows which my kind sister dutifully saved in 2 USBs for my viewing pleasure.  You all know that on average one season is roughly composed of 8 to 12 episodes. Each episode is about 45 minutes to 1 hour. So you do the math and that is how much time is wasted by yours truly. 

Hopefully I snap back into a more productive mode and be more enthusiastic about turning forty five next weekend.  Goodness! 

Return to basics

I'm back in circulation. My beloved sister was in town for a week. She spent her 42nd birthday here with her family. We all had a great time as we were complete again. 

I will get back in the swing of things once I've gone through the backlog of online activities as well as household chores. 

Special day

Today my hubby turns 49 so we went out in the pouring rain to celebrate.  We had Japanese fare which consisted of California Roll, Seafood Yakisoba and Ebi Tempura.

Happy birthday Hon =)

Where have all the hours gone?

Often times I tend to complain (only inside my head and then I post about it on my blog) that my life is one big boring existence.  I'm mostly at home doing household chores while maintaining my online activities.

But ever so often, something comes up and more often than not they tend to stack up one after the other that I end up feeling tired from so much activities.

Yes I complain way too much, don't I?

I complain when I have nothing to do.

I complain when I do have many activities to attend.

Heh.

But the main gist of my post is that being away from an Internet connection for a certain period of time would merit an accumulated backlog.

Suddenly there are more posts to compose, more movie reviews to write, more photos to upload, more status updates to describe and the general pile of online websites I miss reading. Now that I got my new smartphone I may not miss out on reading blogs and websites but it is a totally different matter when it comes to blogging.  I don't know about you but I rather not strain my eyes and my fingers typing on a minuscule keyboard just to come up with a blog post.  

At the end of the day, sometimes it feels like there aren't enough hours to squeeze in everything I have to do.  I need to better manage my time instead of wasting it playing Candy Crush or Temple Run on my phone.  Yes get used to the fact that I will be mentioning my new phone ever so often in my blog ... so deal with it. 

Chef's Noodle, SM North The Block

I heard so much about this restaurant so when it opened a branch at SM North (just a few minutes away) I wanted to try their dishes.  I had a difficult time finding it because I forgot to jot down the exact location.  I asked the information desk and the lady at the counter directed us towards another wing. So we decided to go to another eatery for lunch because I was already hungry.

Lo and behold we literally stumbled into Chef's Noodle as we were heading towards another establishment. I had a misstep and almost fell and when I got my bearings back the Korean restaurant was within sight.

It is a rather small place with a second floor or rather a loft. We were directed to a table for two at the loft.  Another place where they maximize every single space so the tables are pretty close to each other.  

I ordered the dishes on their chef's recommendation list. We had their signature soup dish Chef's Noodle which is Korean fresh noodles with beef, anchovy broth topped with leeks, bean sprouts, fried tofu, spring onions, egg roll and beef Bulgogi. It was still boiling hot when it reached our table.

Japchae -  Sweet potato glass noodles with beef and vegetables.

 

Bibimbap - traditional Korean steamed rich with seasoned beef, vegetables and fresh egg.

The portions are of decent size. In fact, they can be shared for two persons well because I don't really eat much.  But the best thing about Chef's Noodle is how affordable the dishes are.  Our bill was less than 500 pesos (meals + beverages) which is a good deal for people on a budget. So if you are in the Q.C area and craving for Korean cuisine, I'd recommend you try Chef's Noodle. 

P.S
The pictures are c/o of my new smartphone. In fact those were the first images I took using the new phone. It was mostly a trial and error basis as the settings on the camera were still unfamiliar to me. I almost dropped the phone into my soup because I'm not used to utilizing a phone to take pictures. he he he But overall, I was quite satisfied with the resolution and the quality of the images.   =)