[Funny] Signs of the Times

I saw these signs when JC, his folks and I went to Divisoria last Sunday. I stopped walking and thought really hard what tropelo could be. After reading it three times I finally got it.

Aaah.

Throw pillow.

Upside Down Umbrellas

Saw these cute umbrellas in a Sunday Market that JC and I went to when we were in KK a few weeks ago. 

Turtle House

Where in the world is this turtle house?!? Steve Niles did not mention. But wow. A turtle house.

The Ultimate "Call Me Maybe" Cover Collection

Because admit it, you can never get enough of this song and the hundreds of covers that people from all over the world did.

This song is crazy catchy you gotta love Carly Rae Jepsen to bits. Enjoy!

Komoro Soba Saves the Day

We failed in locating Abbondanza in Megamall (we really couldn't find it for the love of food!) but Komoro Soba and its Japanese food saved the day.

Back when I was still working in Ortigas, Komoro Soba are my friends/officemates' go to restaurant when we want quick and delicious food. Never fails.

Pork Tonkatsu

Cold soba

Bento box

Tempura meal

Then we dropped by the newly opened branch of Chatime for what more, milk tea fix! In their Megamall branch they serve tons of pastries and mini cakes almost reminiscent of French Baker haha.

With my girrrls!

Chatime's interior colour designs are so refreshing in the eyes. Wala lang.

Wee Nam Kee in Serendra

Lunch out at Wee Nam Kee in Serendra with Ten and Reg. First time! :)

Barley Juice

Quirky lights in cages. Unique!

I opted for the roasted chicken rice instead of the usual original chicken rice (or whatever it was called. steamed? haha. not sure).

Roasted Chicken Rice

Chicken Rice

Rounding Up This Week's Mount Everest Stories

For seasoned mountain climbers, May and October are the best months to attempt summitting the highest mountain in the world: Mount Everest.

image from CBC

Lately I've been in the loop about various teams and nationalities attempting to scale the summit of Everest. For these people, summitting Mount Everest is a dream of a lifetime that requires not only months, but years of extensive training, demands skill and mountain knowledge beyond the ordinary and admittedly, involves a lot of money too.


So hearing about deaths of climbers - 4 to be exact - made me really sad. All of them died from exhaustion and altitude sickness while descending from the summit.

Everest may be very, very perilous and difficult to ascent but it's possible to come out of it alive. Too bad that due to unforeseen circumstances such as worsening weather conditions or traffic jam in the death zone none the less, lives have to be claimed.

Climbers know that they must turn around and abandon all plans of summitting at a particular time and if the weather is playing death-and-seek. The risks are even greater, for the climbers and the sherpas alike, if you're too stubborn to still summit after noon.

My prayers go out to the family and friends left behind by climbers Ha Wenyi (China), Eberhard Schaaf (Germany), Shriya Shah (Nepal-born Canadian) and Song Won-bin (South Korea).

###

In other news, 73-year-old Japanese Tamae Watanabe has successfully summitted Mount Everest for the second time, breaking her own record as the oldest woman to summit the mountain.

Wow. I wonder if I can still climb Gulugod Baboy when I'm 73 haha.

Congratulations! You are one kickass lady :)

BRGR PROJECT With Spice Team

Note: this is a very late post. About 2 or 3 months late hee.

Ate Patty treated the Spice Team after a long day of product delivery in Alabang then taste testing in Cubao. Yay! 

Thank you Ate Patty dear!

The gang!

Pero syempre there's a catch. We need to order Sun Dried Tomatoes for our basic toppings! I honestly didn't know at that time that Paw Paw Lai also supplies Burger Project. Ang galing!

Ria

El Presidente!

Leo

Ate Patty

Kuya Mac

Mitch hiding

et moi

Ordering was so funny kasi Ate Pats has specific budget for all of us haha. So avail na lahat ng pwedeng ma-avail for free then save the best for your purchased toppings. I got the Canadian bacon once again.

We also ordered fries and onion rings. Masarap!

Mitch and her burger

My own burger

Thank you so much for the free burger! Our bellies were so full and happy. Worth it ang paggising ng maaga, pagsuot ng polo at paghihintay na matapos ang delivery :)

Paoay Kumakaway!

I gotta admit, Paoay's tourism slogan, corny as it may sound, is truly effective. You won't go an hour without singing (or simply uttering) that line haha. Kudos sa kung sino man ang nakaisip nyan (sino nga ba Gov.Imee Marcos??)! That lady has done wonderful things up north in all fairness. Laoag City is so clean and orderly! Paoay Church is well-maintained and preserved, kitang-kita naman.

Paoay Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the four Baroque Churches we have here in the Philippines (which luckily I've completed seeing last, last year woohoo).

It was JC's first glimpse of the church as he was not able to come here when he first toured Ilocandia with his family.

I don't know much about designs and architecture - okay make that I don't know anything at all - pero ang masasabi ko lang, napaka-impressive lang ng facade ng simbahan na 'to. According to wikipedia, it's reminiscent daw of Borubudur's architecture. Ang bongga!

The bell tower standing next to it is equally breathtaking.

I learned something new today. These fortress-like walls are called buttress pala. They are meant to support the structure especially during earthquake occurrences, something that totally complement its style. Baroque na baroque talaga!

Herencia Cafe: Birthplace of Pinakbet Pizza

When I first made my way up north - specifically Paoay - I was not yet aware of Herencia Cafe. I don't know how my friend and her family (who I was with that time) missed it but somehow we did.

No worries though as I was given another chance just a few weeks ago! After rehearsing and recording Ate Patty and Kuya Mac's wedding dance performance in front of Paoay Church, we ran into the comfort (and shade) of this restaurant. There was some slight problem though, there were lots ABS CBN crew as there was an ongoing shooting at the time inside the cafe. The staff, with their oven and boxes of pizza, were kicked out of their own place. Si Erich Gonzales daw! But we never saw her naman haha.

You got it right, Herencia Cafe is home to the famous and must-try-kahit-once Pinakbet pizza.

We ordered a 2-n-1 sampler one half of which was Pinakbet and the other half Dinuguan.

When the pizza was served to us, we were all wondering where the blackness of Dinuguan went. It was more like Bagnet pizza to us mmm. Upon closer inspection, you'll notice that under all the cheese there you'll find the dugo. Ang fun lang!

The verdict: Pinakbet pizza is something that vegetarian (and vegetable lovers) will enjoy but for regular carnivore folks like us, it's definitely something new to our palate. I'm more used to eating garden vegies on pizzas not this gulay ulam, but it's alright. You'll certainly come across a yummy okra in one bite then be chewing bitter ampalaya on your next one. Surprises, surprises!

As for the dinuguan half, it was simply delicious. Sorry palpak talaga ko when it comes to describing food, basta masarap sya, promise!

Back from Kota Kinabalu

28

I didn't get a cake on my birthday, instead I got this cutie cupcakes from the Cheese.

red velvet TMNT cupcakes

We all had a long day from work, then flying out to Laoag in the evening and walking around the city in search for an empanada. We promptly went back to our hotel a little before midnight.

Leonard lit the sparkler candles and all five of them in our room sang me a happy birthday song. Humabol na lang sina Ate Patty and Kuya Mac from the other room.

Oiliness is next to godliness

Wow, I'm 12! lol

Here's a close-up of Raphael the cuppy.

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday whether on phone, fb, twitter, email or in person. It was nothing fancy but I'm happy I was out of town that day and in company of people that I love. Nuks.

Two more years and I'll be 30. I can't wait!