TODAY, I JUST NEED A REALLY GOOD LAUGH....=)

Yup. And just as I was cleaning my email inbox (which was bursting at the seams and shutting down), I ran into an old e-mail that I deliberately did not erase because I found it too funny, but also too true. So there, I read it one by one, and found myself feeling a bit better. A bit. Not entirely better, but every bit helps. *Sigh...Smile. =)*

In any case, I don't know who Bob Ong is--and yes, this made the e-mail rounds quite a bit of time ago, but it is one that is worth revisiting. Heck, o, sya! Yes, it is even worth "immortalizing" in my blog. Haha! =D

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BOB ONG QUOTES

PAG-IBIG

"Kung hindi mo mahal and isang tao,wag ka nang magpakita ng motibo para mahalin ka nya."

"Lahat naman ng tao sumeseryoso pag tinamaan ng pagmamahal. Yun nga lang, hindi lahat matibay para sa temptasyon."

"Gamitin ang puso para alagaan ang taong malapit sayo. Gamitin ang utak para alagaan ang sarili mo."

"Huwag mong bitawan ang bagay na hindi mo kayang makitang hawak ng iba."

"Huwag mong hawakan kung alam mong bibitawan mo lang."

"Huwag na huwag ka hahawak kapag alam mong may hawak ka na."

"Parang elevator lang yan eh, bakit mo pagsisiksikan ung sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sayo. Eh meron naman hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin."

" Kung maghihintay ka nang lalandi sayo, walang mangyayari sa buhay mo.. Dapat lumandi ka din."

"Pag may mahal ka at ayaw sa'yo, hayaan mo. Malay mo sa mga susunod na araw, ayaw mo na din sa kanya, naunahan ka lang."

"Hiwalayan na kung di ka na masaya. Walang gamot sa tanga kundi pagkukusa."

"Pag hindi ka mahal ng mahal mo wag ka magreklamo. Kasi may mga tao rin na di mo mahal pero mahal ka. Kaya quits lang."

"Bakit ba ayaw matulog ng mga bata sa tanghali? Alam ba nilang pag natuto silang umibig e hindi na sila makakatulog kahit gusto nila?

"Hindi lungkot o takot ang mahirap sa pag-iisa kundi ang pagtanggap na sa bilyon-bilyong tao sa mundo, wala man lang nakipaglaban upang makasama ka."

"Kung nagmahal ka ng taong di dapat at nasaktan ka, wag mong sisihin ang puso mo. Tumitibok lang yan para mag-supply ng dugo sa katawan mo. Ngayon, kung magaling ka sa anatomy at ang sisisihin mo naman ay ang hypothalamus mo na kumokontrol ng emotions mo, mali ka pa rin! Bakit? Utang na loob! Wag mong isisi sa body organs mo ang mga sama ng loob mo sa buhay! Tandaan mo: magiging masaya ka lang kung matututo kang tanggapin na hindi ang puso, utak, atay o bituka mo ang may kasalanan sa lahat ng nangyari sayo, kundi IKAW mismo!"

PAG-AARAL

"Mag-aral maigi. Kung titigil ka sa pag-aaral, manghihinayang ka pagtanda mo dahil hindi mo naranasan ang kakaibang ligayang dulot ng mga araw na walang pasok o suspendido ang klase o absent ang teacher. (Haaay, sarap!)."

"Nalaman kong marami palang libreng lecture sa mundo, ikaw ang gagawa ng syllabus. Maraming teacher sa labas ng eskuwelahan, desisyon mo kung kanino ka magpapaturo. Lahat tayo enrolled ngayon sa isang university, maraming subject na mahirap, pero dahil libre, ikaw ang talo kung nag-drop ka. Isa-isa tayong ga-graduate, iba't-ibang paraan. Tanging diploma ay ang mga alaala ng kung ano mang tulong o pagmamahal ang iniwan natin sa mundong pinangarap nating baguhin minsan..."

"Hikayatin mo lahat ng kakilala mo na magkaroon ng kahit isa man lang paboritong libro sa buhay nila. Dahil wala nang mas kawawa pa sa mga taong literado pero hindi nagbabasa."

"Dalawang dekada ka lang mag-aaral. Kung 'di mo pagtityagaan,limang dekada ng kahirapan ang kapalit. Sobrang lugi. Kung alam lang 'yan ng mga kabataan, sa pananaw ko eh walang gugustuhing umiwas sa eskwela."

BUHAY

"Nalaman kong hindi final exam ang passing rate ng buhay. Hindi ito multiple choice, identification, true or false, enumeration or fill-in-the- blanks na sinasagutan, kundi essay na isinusulat araw-araw. Huhusgahan ito hindi base sa kung tama o mali ang sagot, kundi base sa kung may kabuluhan ang mga isinulat o wala. Allowed ang erasures."

"Mangarap ka at abutin mo. Wag mong sisihin ang sira mong pamilya, palpak mong syota, pilay mong tuta, o mga lumilipad na ipis. Kung may pagkukulang sa'yo mga magulang mo, pwede kang manisi at maging rebelde. Tumigil ka sa pag-aaral, mag-asawa ka, mag-drugs ka, magpakulay ka ng buhok sa kili-kili. Sa banding huli, ikaw din ang biktima. Rebeldeng walang napatunayan at bait sa sarili."

"Tuparin ang mga pangarap. Obligasyon mo yan sa sarili mo. Kung gusto mo mang kumain ng balde-baldeng lupa para malagay ka sa Guinness Book of World Records at maipagmalaki ng bansa natin, sige lang. Nosi balasi. Wag mong pansinin ang sasabihin ng mga taong susubok humarang sa'yo. Kung hindi nagsumikap ang mga scientist noon, hindi pa rin tayo dapat nakatira sa Jupiter ngayon. Pero hindi pa rin naman talaga tayo nakatira sa Jupiter dahil nga hindi nagsumikap ang mga scientist noon. Kita mo yung moral lesson?"

"Nalaman kong habang lumalaki ka, maraming beses kang madadapa. Bumangon ka man ulit o hindi, magpapatuloy ang buhay, iikot ang mundo, at mauubos ang oras."

HALO-HALO

"Wag magmadali sa pag-aasawa. Tatlo, lima, sampung taon sa hinaharap, mag-iiba pa ang pamantayan mo at maiisip mong di pala tamang pumili ng kapareha dahil lang sa kaboses niya si Debbie Gibson o magaling mag-breakdance. Totoong mas importante ang kalooban ng tao higit anuman. Sa paglipas ng panahon, maging ang mga crush ng bayan sa eskwelahan e nagmumukha ring pandesal. Maniwala ka."

"Ayokong nasasanay sa mga bagay na pwede namang wala sa buhay ko."

"Hinahanap mo nga ba ako o ang kawalan ko?"

"Hindi dahil sa hindi mo naiintindihan ang isang bagay ay kasinungalingan na ito. At hindi lahat ng kaya mong intindihin ay katotohanan. "

"Sabi nila, sa kahit ano raw problema, isang tao lang ang makakatulong sa'yo - ang sarili mo. Tama sila. Isinuplong ako ng sarili ko. Kaya siguro namigay ng konsyensya ang Diyos, alam niyang hindi sa lahat ng oras e gumagana ang utak ng tao."

"Obligasyon kong maglayag, karapatan kong pumunta sa kung saan ko gusto, responsibilidad ko ang buhay ko."

"Masama akong tao, tulad mo, sa parehong paraan na mabuti kang tao, tulad ko."

"Mas mabuting mabigo sa paggawa ng isang bagay kesa magtagumpay sa paggawa ng wala."

"Iba ang walang ginagawa sa gumagawa ng wala."

"Iba ang informal grammar sa mali!"

" Para san ba ang cellphone na may camera? Kung kailangan sa buhay yun, dapat matagal na kong patay."

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=)

STAR TURN! =D

Before I move on to the rest of the Bora posts, 'just need to make this yabang. Haha! =D

Check out Hubby Sweet's interview in the Stoked, Inc. site. (Pic also borrowed from the Stoked gallery =).)

Wakeboarding has taken over his (and consequently, my) life. Haha. His star turn. Read on. Click here for the full interview. =)

HOLY WEEK IN BORACAY / APRIL 8-10,2009 =D

The impossible has finally happened. I found myself in Boracay last Holy Week. ACK!

Those who know my family well know that it's bawal for us "kids" to go on gimmick trips during these holiest of weeks. "Bawal magsaya, patay ang Diyos," I remember Lola Sinay saying as she tried to shush our giggling. We were kids and did not grasp the full gravity of Christ dying on the cross to save mankind.

This year, I had to struggle with having to tell my mom that Hubby Sweet and I would be flying to Boracay for Holy Week. The fact that I had to do it for work (!) did not lessen the gravity of the....uh....for lack of a better word....offense. Naku! Lola Sinay and Noni must be turning in their graves. Still, Mother understood that I had no choice. Quite honestly, I love spending Holy Week in Manila. It's the only time one can find Manila peaceful and quiet--and traffic-free. You want the perfect place for silent meditation during Holy Week? Stay put in Manila.

I was not looking forward to all the parties. Maybe I've grown old and turned corny, but Boracay during Holy Week means endless parties (one of which I must attend as it was the primary reason for me flying there in the first place), and I've pretty much outgrown the partying-till-dawn-days-of-my-youth. But miracles do happen, and for some weird (or DIVINE! ;P) reason, this year, the council declared that no parties will be allowed in Boracay from 12:00 a.m. of Good Friday to 12:00 a.m. of Black Saturday! Good. =)

So there we were, Hubby Sweet and I, walking along the practically deserted beach (as people seem to have made the most out of the last night of partying allowed on the island before the clock struck 12). I was clicking away on my trusty cell (because our darn digicam which was supposed to be water-proof clunked the day before, long story). I wanted to show Sister Pusjing just how much Boracay has changed since we were there last. Even on that relatively slow day, you can see traces that the Boracay we once knew is no longer there.

Sculptures on the sand. Made by kids. Beautiful at night, especially with the lit candles. Charming, yes, except that you have to "donate" if you want to pose beside them. Naku! =)

Brand activations have also taken over the island. Maybe it is less so during non-peak months (we're going back in September; I'll know then), but during Holy Week, you can't escape them. You walk past them--booths, banners, models-cum-sellers, etc., etc.--as you walk along the shore.

You see them on the water from sunrise to sunset. (The pic was taken at low-tide. During the day, these paraws actually sail a good distance from the shore. Still, this basically shows that the old fishermen's bancas that we used to swim to and use as makeshift diving platforms have all been replaced by "billboards on water".)

There are even creative ways of getting people to act as your "walking signboard" without paying them a single centavo. Come to think of it, this was particularly clever because people were clamoring to get these floaters "for free". On a "limited basis", Havaianas gave them away to people who bought P800++ flipflops from the Havaianas store in D'Mall. Yes, there is now a Havaianas store in Boracay. Oh, and yes, a Starbucks too. =)


So there we were, enjoying the relative peace and quiet (never mind the visual clutter) when from afar, I saw what I thought was a swarm of people.

I panicked. No. I PANICKED. In big, bold letters.

See, the thing is, I've always heard that Boracay is teeming with people from all walks of life during Holy Week. People tell me about it. I see it in the news. But nothing prepared me for what I saw coming toward us.

"Oh, my Gooooood," I thought, "It seems like the whole country descended on Boracay." Ngyar. =(

THEN, upon closer inspection, I heaved a sigh of EXTREME relief. What I thought to be a swarm of tourists descending on the island was actually....well....a swarm of tourists joining the local Holy Week procession on the beach!

The procession snaked through the sand and all the establishments (restaurants, bars, lounges, etc.) that have since set-up on the Bora shores before proceeding back to the Station 1 chapel.

It seems like the Boracay Council (upon the request of the parish) was right. Make it illegal for people to party at least on this Holiest Day of Days, they will learn to remember what Good Friday really stands for.

Good. =)

SPAGETTINI IL CLASSICO @ CIBO =D

The Hubby not being a pasta fan, I haven’t been to Cibo in ages. Recently, I visited the new kid section for a quick gift-buying gift for Dos, BFF Mart’s second baby. I was going to be ninang at his baptism, but I could not attend because I’d be in Baguio with the fam for Mother’s birthday. So she decided that I will be the ninang who attend the baptismal seminar on behalf of everyone else. Haha!

The seminar was at 8:00 p.m. From Siob-Siob’s baptismal seminar (which Hubby Sweet had to attend), I knew it was going to last at least an hour. While waiting for the folks at Baby Co. to finish giftwrapping, I decided to sneak in a quick dinner.

I must say, taking my first forkful of Spaghettini Il Classico felt like meeting up with a long-lost friend. I had loved it from the time Cibo was still in the hallway across the old Sukhothai in Glorietta. It wasn’t even a proper restaurant back then, but it piqued our interest because (1) it was in a weird location, and (2), it had shiny stainless steel chairs and tables with orange, paper placemats. (Ang babaw namin, haha.) It was love at first bite, and I think I would forever credit Cibo (and Italianni’s) with my education that there is more to pasta than hotdog and meat spaghetti. Hehe. =)

Garlic and chili flakes in olive oil. Al dente pasta. Simple. Uncomplicated. Delicious. One of my favorite comfort foods. Perfect break for busy, stressful lives. Perfect for that Tuesday when I had to go to the office before 7:00 a.m. and when I had to work through lunch to finish all business requirements before 5:00 p.m. so I can sneak out of the office to buy the gift for Dos before I brave the horrible traffic on EDSA and Ortigas on my way to Mary the Queen in Greenhills and make it to the 8:00 p.m. baptismal seminar with time to spare. Whew! =)

With every bite, time stopped.

At least for the entire duration of my meal, there was peace.

‘Twas good to be back. =)

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Cibo is now in the new kid's section @ the top floor of Rockwell where the old bowling alley used to be. Bigger and better than their old ground floor location beside Starbucks. =)

STRESS RELIEF =D

Most people say that their work-related stress is instantly relieved as soon as they walk through their front door and their kids start rushing to them with their antics. These are my kids. For now. Haha! =D


A few weeks ago, Hubby Sweet got to try out Father's new ukelele @ House Better. Already quite an adept guitar player, he was fascinated by the "new" instrument and spent a good part of the weekend learning how to play it with instructionals downloaded from You Tube. Wanting to continue the lessons in House Pioneer, he decided to skip over to Megamall one time and while he was "tuning" his new ukelele, we stumbled upon this hilarious antic from Barrioca.


Maybe Barrioca and Buster J really are built differently. While Barry was totally affected, Buster J is, as usual, deadma. Haha! =D

NOT SO HOT DOGS =(

I have a confession to make. I have long wanted to try this one out. I pass by it in Rockwell with its shiny red seats filled with people having their fill of gourmet sausages and I always think it’s a must-try. Thing is, with Hubby Sweet on a health quest, I was never able to—until one night when I serendipitously found myself with time enough to have a quick dinner between a trade check (@ Rustan’s) and a late-night FGD/consumer visit in a call center somewhere in Mandaluyong.

Finally, my chance! =D

Sadly, I was disappointed. =(

See, the thing is, I had visions of….well…visions of me being able to replicate the experience of the wide variety of sausage sandwiches I once wolfed down on the streets of Vienna with BFF Cheffy, Ade and Gnie-Gurl during The Wander Years. Maybe it had something to do with the darn place being called WORLD. BANGERS. HAUTE (!). DOGS. I mean….darn.

I ordered the Swiss Cheese & Mushroom Melt Haute Dog. OK, so now I have SWISS CHEESE added to my darn expectation of how a WORLD. BANGER. HAUTE (!). DOG. ought to taste like.

I had visions of a gigantic, peppery, strongly-flavored sausage smothered with gourmet cheese, laid out on a special, lightly toasted, freshly-baked roll.

This is what I got. A ton of fries with a sausage sandwich on the side. Ngyar. =(



I wouldn’t have minded if the sausage sandwich was divine. After all, I once listed French Fries as the one dish I would gladly eat everyday for the rest of my life if I were forced to. The thing is, the sausage should have been the star of the show! How do I describe it?

Think pan-grilled Purefoods Beef Franks laid out on an unheated/untoasted (noooooo!) store-bought hotdog roll topped with sautéed mushrooms then smothered with heated Chiz Whiz. Which is a pretty good combination when you think about it—if I prepared and ate the darn thing at home! =(

More importantly, it would have been a good combination when you think about it—if I did not have to pay MORE for the darn thing than what I would have shelled out if I just used the ingredients at home....=(

I had a hard time eating it pa because the roll was too small to hold everything that was in the sandwich so the entire thing kept collapsing everytime I picked it up. After several tries, I gave up and ate it with a fork and knife. And you don't really eat a sausage sandwich with a knife and fork, do you?

Maybe I should have ordered some other sausage sandwich instead. Like the Ceasar Salad Haute Dog (?). Maybe I wouldn't have had such grand expectations. Oh, well. Hay...=(

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The other new sandwich place in Rockwell that I want to try is Elbert’s Cheesesteak, but after this sad, sorry experience @ World Bangers, I’m afraid to waste good money na naman. Has anyone tried eating @ Elbert's and is it worth it? Tell me before I go!

FRO-YO!!! / JUST TO GET THIS OVER WITH =D

I'm getting my blogging up to speed. The photos in my special blog folder is bursting at the seams. Haha. =D

So it's about time I write about FRO-YO since everyone else seems to have written about it. Frozen yoghurt. Technically, healthy--except that, well, we bungle up the healthy stuff with all sorts of high-calorie good stuff. Haha! =D Now, unlike most foodies who seem to have gained a Masters in Frozen Yoghurt, I make no distinction between the right tartness level of this brand, the too-creamy-texture of this other brand, etc. etc. I am not equipped to make the distinction. When I see frozen yoghurt, I see white goo that suspiciously looks like all the soft ice cream I consumed as a child while waiting for Mother to finish her grocery shopping @ the old South Supermarket in Magallanes, and...well....all of a sudden, my mind no longer cares how authentic it is.

I see frozen yoghurt, I think healthy. I think yum. Ngyar. =D

Which brings me to my point. This post is not about which Fro-yo brand reigns supreme over all other brands currently available in the metro. They're all the same to me. The only difference lies in what toppings I eat them with.

FRO-YO DO. =D This was from Lulubelle in Rockwell. Instead of the usual FIC pistachio ice cream scoop, Hubby Sweet and I decided to try out Lulubelle after his birthday meal @ Pepper Lunch. Good thing Lulubelle is owned by the same owners as FIC because we haven't been back to FIC since. What sets Lulubelle apart from the rest is that you can either get Plain, Strawberry or Green Tea yoghurt as base. You can even do a combo. As a tribute to all the soft ice cream I consumed as a child while waiting for Mother to finish her grocery shopping in the old South Supermarket in Magallanes (haha), I usually go for the plain & strawberry yoghurt mix. (I haven't tried the green tea version though, but I intend to do so next time.) This one I mixed with mango, mochi and sugar cornflakes. Winner. =D But only if the mango is in season and would therefore be naturally sweet.

FRO-YO DON'T! =( What the hell was I thinking?! While walking around the Mall of Asia, waiting for the gates @ The Eraserheads Reunion Concert to open, I coerced Hubby Sweet, Sister Pusjing and G-Genius to join me in looking for Red Mango (this frozen yoghurt place I saw in Thailand). I heard they opened a branch in Manila, and I mistakenly thought that they opened their first branch in MOA. (Sa Trinoma pala. =() Anyway! After going around in circles, the guard finally pointed us to this place. "Prozen yo-gart? Ah.....tingnan niyo dun, Mam. Baka dun yung hinahanap niyo," Manong said as he pointed to a small hole-in-the-wall kiosk. White Hat. Good enough, I thought, except that I was hell-bent on adding mochi to my fro-yo and they didn't have mochi. So I surveyed the line-up of toppings and thought, "Heck! Coffee jelly will do." Yes, I actually thought coffee jelly would do. Then I surveyed everything else for something that would go well with coffee jelly, and thought, "Oh, well...it looks like the only other thing that will be bagay would be the sweetened red beans." Yes, I actually thought sweetened red beans will be bagay with the coffee jelly that was supposed to go well with my fro-yo. Here is my fro-yo with coffee jelly and sweetened red beans. BLEEEEAAAAAACH! Totally against everything that frozen yoghurt stands for. Hahaha. Again .... what the hell was I thinking?! Ngyah. =D



FRO-YO PWEDE NA. =) Sister Pusjing and G-Genius decided to share their first ever fro-yo experience by going for the peach-cornflake-almond-slivers combo. OK lang. Good, but nothing that will instantly widen your eyes as you let out an emphatic "hmmmmmnnnn....". =) I have a tip. From previous experience, tasting the fro-yos of my friends, almond slivers only look good on top of frozen yoghurt, but they don't really contribute anything. They don't taste like anything. The ones available locally (possibly because they're not exactly fresh) don't even provide any crunch. So isa lang siyang sosyal but wala lang na topping. Haha. =D

FRO-YO DO! =D The big winner in the White Hat gig was Hubby Sweet. Choosing to add healthy stuff to his healthy yoghurt, he decided on a kiwi-strawberry combo. (Forgive the fuzzy photo. He was getting impatient with the whole idea of me taking pictures before he is allowed to eat, haha!) I suppose Hubby Sweet lucked out because it could have been a potentially very sour combination, but that night, his choice was particularly light and refreshing. It was so good, I actually wanted to tell him, "If you really love me, you'll give me you're kiwi-stawberry, and you'll eat my coffee-jelly-red-bean fro-yo instead!" HAHA! (He probably would have said, "Tweet, don't be dramatic. Bumili ka na lang ulit." Hahaha! =D)

THE PINAKA-FRO-YO DO! =D If I were to sum up all my learnings re: fro-yo up to that point, it would all amount to this. One can never go wrong with mochi. Adding fruit is a must--if only to stay true to the fro-yo health ek. Sugar cornflakes add a good cruch.

All that changed when I tasted this @ Yogurt Froz inside Landes & Hobbes in Boni High. MOCHI (yes, all my fro-yos must have mochis =D). BLUEBERRIES. STRAWBERRY. Never mind if the fruits are frozen. They only add a certain all-natural crunch to the mix. I've decided that this is going to be the combo against which all future combo experiments will be measured against. =D

So! What's your favorite? Tell me para I'll try it the next time I buy. =D

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Lulubelle is on the top floor of Rockwell where all the kiddie stores are--where the old bowling alley used to be.

White Hat is on the 2nd floor (I think) of MOA. It's almost right after the Entertainment / Activity Center hole (which means it's at the back of MOA). Important to note, unless you actually have enough energy to walk through the whole place.

Yogurt Froz is inside Landes & Hobbes in Bonifacio High Street. I'm not sure if they also have it in their other branches. I suspect that they do. =)