New Resto's to try

Tried a couple of new resto's the past month, Passion at Maxim's (Newport), Crystal Jade La Mian and Xiao Long Bao(Greenhills), Bon Chon Chicken(Ayala Triangle), Tao Yuan Restuarant(Malate). Passion was good, we had lobster with cheese sauce, and brocolli with scallops and noodles. Ambience is a very nice, very festive. Love the lanterns in the ceiling.

At Crystal Jade,i tried the Noodles with Spicy Chicken. It was so-so. I like the Noodle Soup with Shrimp Wonton that Dad ordered though. Its probably because I always liked having a bowl of hot soup. Its my ultimate comfort food.

Bon Chon is one of the newly opened restaurants at Ayala Triangle. Tried the spicy chicken wings. Super yummy!

I heard about Tao Yuan from one of my officemates. Hainan Chicken Rice is extremely a must try. And don't forget the Oatmeal Prawns. Yummy!!!!!

I want to try these restaurants next:

1) Maitre Chocolatier Boutique Cafe

Unit 2A, #28 Jupiter cor. Astra Sts.
Bel-Air, Makati City Philippines
Tel. No. 897-8559

2) Wee Nam Kee Hai Nan Chicken Rice

Ayala Triangle Gardens

In pursuit of the perfect travel shoe

I'm going to Xiamen early next month on a business trip. In this year alone, I've traveled three times to three different places. Some required a lot of walking, as in the type that made me want to soak my feet in warm water all night. I wonder, is there such a thing as travel shoes, shoes that were made for the rigors from walking all day long. The characteristics, I believe, that the perfect travel shoe should have are:

1) Lightweight- I hate carrying around heavy luggage. Although I rarely bring more than two pairs of shoes, unless its a business trip and I have to bring a pair of heels. Also, lightweight shoes probably allow air to permeate, compared to the shoes made from thick material.

2) Easy on, easy off- Since airport security checks now require that passengers should take off their shoes and put it through the Xray machines, it would definitely be easier if the shoe were easy to take off and can easily be slipped into.

3) Super comfy- the bottom line is that the shoe must be extremely comfortable. The type that I can wear hours on end and not feel tired.

4) Versatility- This is a bit optional though. If there were a shoe that could take me from work to gimmicks to shopping, or to just about everything. That would be awesome! Talk about one shoe for all.

I've been checking out a lot of shoes lately. I've been looking at two brands in particular, Aerosoles and Converse. Still thinking about which to buy. hehe

interesting

While at the office, I was able to surf the net for a while while waiting for IT Center to give us the go signal to continue testing.

Here are some interesting sites I found out.

1) Japan Paper Cup Towers- these towers were set up without glue or tape or anything.. coolness! Also they have an association for people who are into this kind of art.

2) Top 10 Cool USB tricks - List of the 10 things, not all are applicable or useful, that I can install on my USB to make life easier

3) Top 10 Reasons to Fall in Love - interesting read. hehe

buhay call center

spent the night at the office...DR Drill and preparation of head office audit reports. Dropped by Golden Fortune and Monteland to grab some siopao and dimsum for breakfast before heading home to rest. As soon as my head touched my pillow, I was out. Next thing I knew was it was 4pm. hahaha I didn't feel tired while I was at the office though.

Its so unnerving that one minute it was dark outside and then when I stood up to take a break, the sun was already starting to come up. The morning air is so fresh...something I haven't experienced in a long time.

I realized that I may get way too preoccupied with work when I am at the office...I realized that lately, with all the hectic deadlines, I've been neglecting myself a bit...not getting enough sleep, putting in too many hours at the office, not drinking enough liquids, eating lots of junk food to help get rid of some stress while I work(I think I gained weight again). So it is true that its more beneficial if a person gets up and stretches once in a while.

On a good note, I got promoted at work...Although it seems that it may be because one of my officemates resigned and there was a "vacancy". But still it feels good in a way somewhat.

random musings

Fate..Destiny..Choices..People often say that we are in charge of our destinies, that our choices affect what happens in our lives. As in what happens is the effect of what we have done or said. But isn't it that what we do is a reaction to what's happened in our environment or the people around us? So in reality, we are in a way governed by all the elements surrounding us. And its really the circumstances that dictate what will happen.

Hmm...just a random early morning musing. hehe

Happy Sunday!

weighing my options

I've been assigned a project at work, and its opened new chances and opportunities to learn. I am immensely grateful to my boss for that. Except that, there are times wherein I have to double duty and do what I was doing before I was assigned that. So with the mix of deadlines of the new project and the need to deal with clients and do the over the counter transactions, I feel worn out. I don't know how much more I can take. I think it's time for me to move to a new environment. There are some elements in my current workplace that just stress me out. I try as much as I can to finish what I am supposed to do, but I don't see any appreciation for it. So, why stress myself, diba? I am going through my options right now...go abroad or find a new job here? I want to get a Masters degree and I'd like to experience living on my own for a while. But, experience-wise I think that I'm still unqualified to get a Masters. Hmmmm..... Tough decision to make.

Growin up...finally? haha

Back from Hong Kong for about a week now. Been away from home for almost a month. This is probably the longest I've been away from home. There were times wherein I thought I'd go crazy with no one to talk to, and really shopping is no fun if there isn't someone with you giving their insights. But being away from home and having loads of "me" time, I found out a lot about myself.
1) I'm actually an independent person. Here in Manila, everything was readily on hand most of the time, but I found out that there are a lot of things that I never knew that I could already do. Although I find that am still a bit too naive to really survive without being 詐騙by the street veterans who prey on newbies like me.
2) I found the fashionista in me,although right now am still searching for a definite look for me. I used to not really care what I look like(think about it this way, I used to wear crocs to work here in manila), but I was always so conscious of how I look compared to my peers from the other branches while in HK. I never wanted to look any lesser than the others, but of course, I still prefer not to splurge on designer goods. But there are a lot of not so expensive stuff that look great on me. My fashion choices include a mix of simple, rugged and feminine pieces. I’d probably describe it as princess meets rock.
3) I like the independence and freedom of living on my own sched. I hate routines and having to wait for this and that. I like walking and walking and see where my feet take me. I have to admit though, the freedom was a bit overwhelming t first, and I got bored afterwards. Haha Good thing my mom and sis came during the holy week and then had breakfast with Kaka also last April 5 .
4) I’m all grown up now. I was able to explore Hong Kong and go to places I would never have gone with if I had been with my family. I got to eat at the Dai Pai Dong’s and met new friends at one of the Mongkok shopping stalls. It’s been an enjoyable experience. Although there were still some places I didn’t go to because I wanted to be able to share the moment with my family.

_____
Had dinner at Felix with HS barkada last Saturday night... it was the birthday celebration of the April bday celebrants and Honeylyn’s visit here. It was nice seeing everyone again. The T.H.E. group/Props Committee was complete after the longest time. Had fun talking and catching up with friends.

_____
Found a fairly easy kimchi recipe on justbento.com that I want to try soon.
Ingredients needed:
2 heads of Napa Cabbage (cut to your preference) 1 large daikon radish (shredded) 1 bunch green onion 3 cloves of garlic 2 tbsp salt 1 1/2 tbsp red pepper juice from 2 lemons

Make sure that everything is sterilized (bowl, hands, and jars). Mix ingredients in a large bowl, squeezing the vegetables as you go. Eventually there will be a fair amount of juice in the bowl from the vegetables. Pack the vegetables in mason jars, making sure there are not any air bubbles and leaving about a 1/2 inch from the top. Pour the remaining juice over the vegetables making sure they stay submerged in the juice and loosely screw on the lids. Set them aside for about 3 days, check by taste to see if you want to ferment the vegetables any more. If they are to your liking, seal completely and store in the fridge.

Balance

The other day, I met with someone who I have never really(maybe even never ever) gotten along with. I was hoping that everybody would be professional about it, instead some people were doing stuff on their laptop, or showing that someone to read something from a magazine they brought. I ended up being so frustrated that I wanted to walk out then and there. Although if I did, there would probably be no end to their comments as to how I shouldn't have done that if I had.

Anyway, I figured that in any group, there has to be a balance. There's always going to be someone that is extroverted and outspoken craving for attention, and then there's going to be someone that is shy and reserved. Then, there will always be someone who is very capable to take on a variety of tasks and there will be someone that is very willing to pass anything on their hands to others.

People with different traits, personalities, and beliefs were put together for a reason...they put in together a balance that will be beneficial to the group.

That's probably my mindset now when dealing with "difficult" people.