(Foodie) Lovers? Yes, We Are!

...and I think the fact that my waistline is getting bigger is enough of an indication.

(Note to self:  must start hitting the gym really soon.)

Sweetie and I tried out Chef's Quarter two weeks ago with my mom.  We all worship at an evangelical church right behind SM Megamall, so scouring the humongous store for good food at lunch time comes naturally for us.  We three agreed to try out all the restos and fastfood chains at Mega, since we don't like repeating whatever we've eaten the previous week.  Some weeks we come across some lucky "food deals".  Other days are just...well, let's just say that's going to be my last visit.

Would you care for an entree?

Steak, steak and steak!

Pasta, anyone?

I'm loving the old-world charm of this mirror and vases.

Nice lighting.  But the air-con wasn't working properly.

Mom and I both ordered cream dory in a sauce that I forgot, while my Sweetie Pie got himself fish and chips.  The food was great, but the serving was just too small, even by women's standards.  It took them too long to serve the food too, plus the air-con was awful.  

I would want to come back since the food was good, but I think it'll take me a while -- maybe a year -- to set my feet on this resto.  

We walked out feeling a bit disappointed with CQ, especially comparing it to our previous week's euphoria with our last foodie find.  But then I remembered that I was supposed to treat the three of us to Tutti Frutti, so we hurriedly left and proceeded to TF's tiny outlet.

Don't be fooled.  Yes, Php 20 per oz but since you just pile and pile....

pile and pile all sorts of chocolates, fruits, nuts.....

This cup cost me around Php 130!  Whoa!

TF has many yogurt flavors to choose from:  original, mango, peach, green tea, choco-raspberry...

blueberry, pomegranate, death by chocolate....but my favorite is peanut butter!

Tutti Frutti is one of our most visited stores at the Atrium, and we can't get enough of their wide selection of yogurt and toppings.  Sarap!!!!!

Last Sunday, fresh from reeling about our Chef's Quarter lunch, we proceeded to HK Choi for some Chinese dishes.  I thought it's run by the same owner of Mr Choi at Galleria, but they're different.  They may make the same meals, but each one is good.  And yes, I'd love to drop by again for a visit. 

Chinese style!

It's much like Savory or Super Bowl, but the food was great.

My supermom took this photo.  We're happy about the food, as the smiles show  :-)

I'm loving the Chinese decors too!

This was my plate before they seved the food.  Guess what it looked like after we left the store.  :-)

The food was fantastic at HK Choi.  We ordered chicken and pork rice bowl, while Sweetie Pie ordered chicken rice bowl. It was absolutely mouthwatering.  We added siopao to the list, and boy, I just had to have tea thrice over from everything I put inside my mouth!  This weekly foodie gimmick is becoming too hard to resist, I'm surely gaining more inches and all in the wrong places!

Do drop by HK Choi Megamall,  and if you have the space, throw in a visit to Tutti Frutti.  These are the simple pleasures that make our Sundays doubly fun and exciting.

Level Up! A Pit Bull Experience

Yes.  You read it right:  I pampered a pit bull.  Scary?  Nah.  I think it was a wonderful experience, especially for a dog-scared (read: doggie phobia stricken) person like me.

Thankfully, this doggie was in a good mood when we took this picture.

People normally think of pit bulls as these monstrous, big bad doggies fit only for people with the same mean character and image that these four-legged creatures project.  I couldn't blame them.  Some years ago, even the U.S. banned the propagation and sale of these dogs because they have gained so much notoriety for being so fierce and aggressive.  Even dog behavior expert and National Geographic's Dog Whisperer TV Host Cesar Millan acknowledges that pit bulls have that willd and aggressive side that always comes out from time to time. It's no wonder they're the top breed involved in dog fights, something that animal rights advocates have long been rallying against.  

Dog behavior expert Cesar Millan with long-time ally, Daddy the pitbull.

Picture credits:  Cesar's Way

Cesar Millan's well-mannered pit bulls:  Junior and Daddy.

Picture credits:  Cesar's Way

I thought I'd never see an actual pit bull.  I only read about them from books or the internet.  But one day, a neighbor of ours decided to take care of a pair of newborn girl and boy pit bulls.  Sweetie and I curiously visited them, and to my surprise, they were not aggressive at all.  They were friendly, and instantly took to us as if were long-lost friends.  Soon, Sweetie and I found ourselves paying them a weekly visit and having them smell and lick our hands.  That was my closest encounter even with a dog, because the doggiephobic in me absolutely never touched a dog in my whole life.

Sadly, the puppies have been sold when our neighbor got sick recently and was no longer allowed to go near dogs or cats.  Sweetie would have wanted to buy the pit bulls but when we failed to show up at our neighbor's the week before, they auctioned them off to the first buyer waiting to buy the handsome doggies.  They were only two months old, but they were absolutely cute and behaved.

Last week, I found out that Tiendesitas was sponsoring a dog show only for pit bull breeds.  So predictably, Sweetie and I decided to celebrate our first year anniversary together in that part of the city.  And we came home happy and amazed because I upped the ante this time --- I touched a pit bull, err... I carried a pit bull puppy!

Level up!  :-)

Watch as I lovingly stroke this pit bull's head

I love this puppy!

Breakfast at Ortigas Ave

Come the 30th of this month, Sweetie and I will be celebrating the first year that we've been together as a couple.  Unfortunately, the 30th is a holiday for most of us, but not for him since his sched follows the American calendar.  So we did the next best thing: celebrate it in advance.

Since I've been mentioning for the past year or so that we both love to eat, the logical place to find us on this day is...yes, at a food joint!  Hahaha but wait, it's not just a food joint.  It's a big big bazaar of foodies galore!

So yesterday morning, Sweetie and I hied off to Ortigas avenue to try out the breakfast being sold there...and our verdict?  We'll definitely be back for more!

There are so many food stall along this road in Ortigas center.  And you can find the best deals.  Php 60 for a biggie size rice meal?  I'd say it's a good buy.

There's a variety of choices for every craving and palate.  There's even an Sbarro store somewhere.

We tried this:  Monster Burger.  The burger is just soooo good and juicy, it's even way more delicious than Brother's Burger.  Promise.

Yes, we dined in front of these buildings.

It's right in front of Oakwood, along the street where you'll find....

Strata 1000 and 2000.  But these booths are there only on Saturdays, 6:00am-11:00am.  Tuesdays to Fridays they're at Robinson's Cybergate, Pioneer.

Wanna dine here?  The place is open air, but don't worry.  The street has been blocked off for ultimate dining pleasure.

See the many people going to this place just to try out the food?  Sweetie even saw some Makati officemates who went there from work just to partake of the morning's gastronomic delights.

Ah, foodie galore!

Take your pick.

A customer thinks about what to choose.

Call center agents waiting for their food to be cooked....

Tempting dishes!

Happy customers!

Happy anniversary, Sweetie!  Thank you for the wonderful breakfast!

Cajun

I've mentioned in one too many posts that Sweetie and I love to eat.  No, we love to gorge on just about anything that comes out of the kitchen.  (Whew!  Mental note to self:  start hitting the gym before it's too late!).  From appetizers to main courses to desserts...wow, in the one year I've been with Sweetie, I can not name the many different places we've been to during breakfasts, lunches, meriendas and dinners.

Anyway, this post is all about this American foodie outlet in SM Megamall we visited last Sunday, and we just loved it!  I still think about that special spaghetti and chicken combo in white sauce.  Sweetie and I have been to a couple of places, and sometimes we leave commenting that the food was too salty, or that it was bland, or that the servings was just not right, or that the food was exhorbitant and that the staff weren't friendly, and so on.  I am so glad that for Cajun, the food was fantastic, the service was excellent, the ambience was just right, and that the price was affordable considering that every food ordered is already good for 2-3 persons.  Great deal really.

Do try out Cajun.  It's worth your every hard-earned penny.  :-)

It's Cajun this time for a food tripping couple...

See?  It's affordable, isn't it?

I think the pictures do the store "injustice" because the food tastes 10X better than how the photos project them to be!

So yummy!

Fish coated with a kind of cheese I forgot...Fried and served with fries...my favorite!

Shrimp and prawns...

I just can't get enough of this.  Mouthwatering chicken pasta by Cajun....

Lovin' My Mondays

I used to hate Mondays.  I said used to.  At some point in my career, I felt exhausted and completely uninspired, and even cared less whether or not I was doing well in this job.  I felt as if I was just going through the notions of reporting for work, and spending the four hundred eighty minutes or so that the law demands from me.  Unknown to many, I even contemplated leaving for another school;  I was just so unhappy that I tried shifting careers. I applied in some companies, and even got interviewed and considered for the positions I stated.  But somehow, something inside stopped me from filing for resignation.  Every time I tried to, something just happens and I had to postpone my plans until finally June came around and I got a scholarship for a foreign language.  The next thing I know was that I got tied to my school for the next two years.  Good thing God stopped me.  It was, after all, a blessing in disguise.

Thank God for His Word.  I got convicted when I opened my Bible and saw this:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people (emphasis mine). Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve."  Colossians 3:23-24 

I am a teacher.  God called me to be one.  I give hope.  I build dreams.  I shape destiny.

And yes, I'm now lovin' my Mondays  :-)

Nihongo + Summer = Fun

:-)

How was your summer?
Mine was super fun yet hectic and quite taxing too...

I learned (and still learning) a new language, and memorized a foreign system of writing.  Throw in a couple of trainings and seminars...and whew!  Summer has ended?  I didn't quite notice it!

Anyhow, here are the pics:

Showing off the origami given by the UP Summer class of Sir Junilo

Cute eh?

Melikey!

How about this for a costume?  hehehehe

Posing with other senseis

Going for A Walk

One of the simplest things Mr. M and I enjoy the most (apart from eating, haha!) is walking.  It's one of our common denominators.  Dealing with men can sometimes be like rocket science to me, so thank God for walking.  We both found something we love to do, and may I add, something that doesn't cost us anything!  Hahahaha! Talk about being romantic and practical at the same time. Whether walking leisurely at the mall, briskly walking from our subdivision's gate to our house, walking slowly as we talk about each other's day, or just walking after dinner to aid digestion, we just love to WALK!


And visiting this wonderful place in Marikina is like perfect icing on my cake last Friday.  Ayos!  FYI, the Marikina Sports Park is open for 24 hours.  :-)

It was already 5:30 PM, but a couple of health buffs still mill around the oval.

 Go, go, go.  A man tries to finish a few more meters.

 Lovers in the track and field.  Sweet, noh?

 Mr. M and I dream of walking through those rubberized tracks soon.

TRIVIA:  Did you know that you just have to pay Php 10 to use the facilities of the sports park (excludes swimming pool and gym facilities)?  That's a very small price to pay for health and well-being!