haven't updated my blog in a while. it's weird, when i have a lot of things to write about, i don't have much time to write about them. [insert music: ironic by alanis morissette]
will blog about the following soon:
- mom and keena's visit
- my attempts to decorate our apartment
- filipino dishes i cooked since i got married
for the past few days, i've been busy rearranging the apartment since phil moved out. i'm trying to add some accessories to "soften" the look of the place. been frequenting ikea, target and walmart. will post pictures soon.
that's it for now.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Friday, April 08, 2005
Thursday, April 07, 2005
english errors
i was typing a comment at my good friend aa's blog. i typed, "please bare with me." but it didn't look right. thank God for the internet, researching on these seemingly unimportant things were made easy. in a few seconds, i found the answer. i came across this site, common errors in english. it explains the difference between bear and bare. well, bear means two things. bear as in teddy bear, that's pretty simple. bear can also mean to carry. example, a pregnant mother is "bearing a child." bare on the other hand, means undress. strippers bare their bodies, hence the word barenaked right? read more about it here.
i almost asked aa to "bare with me", as in "undress with me". hehehe... funny!
i almost asked aa to "bare with me", as in "undress with me". hehehe... funny!
Thursday, March 31, 2005
part two - kansas city!
sunday, march 27
easter sunday. woke up late again. around 12:30pm, leo, marky and i had lunch at long john silver's. we kinda gave up deep fried foods for lent (and for health reasons too!), so we figured that eating at ljs will hit the spot. i just love ljs! just discovered them last january. the very first time i ate there was in vegas. two days later i found myself eating there again. that's how much i like the food.
at 2:00pm, we went to visit uncle mario (marky's godfather) and his family. we were surprised that it was actually a late lunch. the tumanuts, also good friends of marky's family, were also there. i was already full but i still ate some of the food. they served good ol' american food (mostly casseroles, ham and turkey). i really liked it. i admire the way everything was served, made me wonder how i'll be like as a host. i haven't invited anyone over at our apartment for lunch or dinner or anything (for fear of being sued! hehehehe). it was such a homey feeling, made me miss my family so much. sunday lunch at our house in manila means fresh seafoods (read: crabs, shrimps, mussels and fish) and lechon kawali. of course, it wouldn't be complete without kuya richo's delectable sawsawan. yummy!!!
my favorite part of the meal was the dessert. it looked like a strawberry triffle. even if i was full already, i made sure there was room for that. after the scrumptious meal, they played a game of mexican dominoes. reminiscent of my days in manila, when the grown ups would play mahjong right after lunch. i watched them play two hands, and tried playing with them then after.
after our american lunch, we went to visit filipino friends of leo. such hospitable people, a very common filipino trait. for most filipinos, it wouldn't be a party without karaoke! hehehe... i wouldn't deny that i love singing, doesn't matter if i can carry a tune or not. i had a blast with their magic sing. i even got leo and marky to sing too.
after i had my fill of karaoke, we went to harrah's where marky and i will be staying in until tuesday. that doesn't end our day though. come 10:00pm, marky and i felt hungry. i tried telling myself that last time we ate was 10 hours ago. although i think, our food intake so far for that day was good for 2 days. we went around the hotel and decided to eat at winning streaks. marky ordered a cheeseburger while i ordered a meatball sub. i've always wondered how it tastes like since it's joey tribbiani's (of friends) favorite sandwich. i wasn't expecting much from the place, but it turned out alright. i liked what we ordered, and i realized how much i love pickles.
monday, march 28
marky had to go to cerner to work. that's the primary reason why we went to this trip. ordered ham and cheese omelette for breakfast via room service. it was a huge order, so i saved some and decided to eat it for lunch. i just stayed at the hotel and watched tv. there was an earthquake in indonesia earlier, so it was all over the news. it was too sad and scary for me to watch. i avoided anything that talked about the earthquake. mostly watched courtTV, featuring michael jackson's trial.
that night, we went to meet up with the racelas at the posh loch lloyd country club. yes, food again! i got the grilled new york reuben sandwich with fries. i thought it sounded fancy. they way they described it on the menu sounded fancy too; corned beef (not the one from the can), swiss, grain mustard, 1000 island dressing, cabbage slaw on toasted swirl rye bread. mark got the turkey bacon club sandwich with pasta salad on the side; home smoked turkey, havarati cheese, alma bacon, lettuce, vine ripened tomatoes and chive mayonaisse on toasted egg bread. the food was good, but i think i've been eating so much for the past few days. so i couldn't appreciate it as much as i should've.
later that night, we went by to see the racelas house. i love houses that has so much character. everytime i see a house here in the US, it inspires me to work hard and have one of my own soon (or when i start working at least). it was a lovely evening and i had a nice time spending it in the company of such good people.
tuesday, march 29
it was our last day at kansas city. marky got up early and went to their client site. i spent the whole morning trying to pack. i think we overpacked! or i overpacked, since i think i did most of the packing. i thought it was going to be really cold. i checked http://www.weather.com before we left for KC. it said that at average, temperature would be at its 50s. and on our last 3 days in the city, it didn't feel that cold. i didn't have to wear too many layers . good cause i'm not really a big fan of cold weather. bad part is, i had a hard time packing our stuff. i tried to squeeze in our clothes in 2 hand carry luggages. i guess it's a skill that i'll develop through time.
for our last meal at kansas city, we decided to eat at gates barbeque. when they get your order, they yell out, "HI, MAY I HELP YOU?". they're not mad at you, i think it's part of the experience. locals yell back their orders. marky and i gave our orders in a normal decibel. we ordered a beef and ham sandwich for leo. marky and i shared a half order of ribs. food was good. then again, i had so much food for the past few days so i didn't get to enjoy it as much. and at this point, i was already worried about my weight (and my health!!). it's second best barbeque in the city (you can read more about it here).
we still had time to kill, so we went to crown center. crown center is actually the home of hallmark cards! marky and i originally wanted to go to kaleidoscope. it's an activity center where kids can "create their own out-of-this-world art in outer space or under the sea, design their own puzzle, make art on the back of a giant bug, build their own skyscraper or draw funny faces" (taken from the kaleidoscope site). too bad it was just for kids. we went inside hallmark's visitors center instead. for details about the exhibit, you can read about it here. my favorite part is the ribbon making machine! you just press a button, and out comes a tiny cute ribbon. i got 5!
that concluded our kansas city trip. i had so much fun with my marky. aside from the pleasant memories, i've taken home something i don't really like. excess weight... ugh!
easter sunday. woke up late again. around 12:30pm, leo, marky and i had lunch at long john silver's. we kinda gave up deep fried foods for lent (and for health reasons too!), so we figured that eating at ljs will hit the spot. i just love ljs! just discovered them last january. the very first time i ate there was in vegas. two days later i found myself eating there again. that's how much i like the food.
at 2:00pm, we went to visit uncle mario (marky's godfather) and his family. we were surprised that it was actually a late lunch. the tumanuts, also good friends of marky's family, were also there. i was already full but i still ate some of the food. they served good ol' american food (mostly casseroles, ham and turkey). i really liked it. i admire the way everything was served, made me wonder how i'll be like as a host. i haven't invited anyone over at our apartment for lunch or dinner or anything (for fear of being sued! hehehehe). it was such a homey feeling, made me miss my family so much. sunday lunch at our house in manila means fresh seafoods (read: crabs, shrimps, mussels and fish) and lechon kawali. of course, it wouldn't be complete without kuya richo's delectable sawsawan. yummy!!!
my favorite part of the meal was the dessert. it looked like a strawberry triffle. even if i was full already, i made sure there was room for that. after the scrumptious meal, they played a game of mexican dominoes. reminiscent of my days in manila, when the grown ups would play mahjong right after lunch. i watched them play two hands, and tried playing with them then after.
after our american lunch, we went to visit filipino friends of leo. such hospitable people, a very common filipino trait. for most filipinos, it wouldn't be a party without karaoke! hehehe... i wouldn't deny that i love singing, doesn't matter if i can carry a tune or not. i had a blast with their magic sing. i even got leo and marky to sing too.
after i had my fill of karaoke, we went to harrah's where marky and i will be staying in until tuesday. that doesn't end our day though. come 10:00pm, marky and i felt hungry. i tried telling myself that last time we ate was 10 hours ago. although i think, our food intake so far for that day was good for 2 days. we went around the hotel and decided to eat at winning streaks. marky ordered a cheeseburger while i ordered a meatball sub. i've always wondered how it tastes like since it's joey tribbiani's (of friends) favorite sandwich. i wasn't expecting much from the place, but it turned out alright. i liked what we ordered, and i realized how much i love pickles.
monday, march 28
marky had to go to cerner to work. that's the primary reason why we went to this trip. ordered ham and cheese omelette for breakfast via room service. it was a huge order, so i saved some and decided to eat it for lunch. i just stayed at the hotel and watched tv. there was an earthquake in indonesia earlier, so it was all over the news. it was too sad and scary for me to watch. i avoided anything that talked about the earthquake. mostly watched courtTV, featuring michael jackson's trial.
that night, we went to meet up with the racelas at the posh loch lloyd country club. yes, food again! i got the grilled new york reuben sandwich with fries. i thought it sounded fancy. they way they described it on the menu sounded fancy too; corned beef (not the one from the can), swiss, grain mustard, 1000 island dressing, cabbage slaw on toasted swirl rye bread. mark got the turkey bacon club sandwich with pasta salad on the side; home smoked turkey, havarati cheese, alma bacon, lettuce, vine ripened tomatoes and chive mayonaisse on toasted egg bread. the food was good, but i think i've been eating so much for the past few days. so i couldn't appreciate it as much as i should've.
later that night, we went by to see the racelas house. i love houses that has so much character. everytime i see a house here in the US, it inspires me to work hard and have one of my own soon (or when i start working at least). it was a lovely evening and i had a nice time spending it in the company of such good people.
tuesday, march 29
it was our last day at kansas city. marky got up early and went to their client site. i spent the whole morning trying to pack. i think we overpacked! or i overpacked, since i think i did most of the packing. i thought it was going to be really cold. i checked http://www.weather.com before we left for KC. it said that at average, temperature would be at its 50s. and on our last 3 days in the city, it didn't feel that cold. i didn't have to wear too many layers . good cause i'm not really a big fan of cold weather. bad part is, i had a hard time packing our stuff. i tried to squeeze in our clothes in 2 hand carry luggages. i guess it's a skill that i'll develop through time.
for our last meal at kansas city, we decided to eat at gates barbeque. when they get your order, they yell out, "HI, MAY I HELP YOU?". they're not mad at you, i think it's part of the experience. locals yell back their orders. marky and i gave our orders in a normal decibel. we ordered a beef and ham sandwich for leo. marky and i shared a half order of ribs. food was good. then again, i had so much food for the past few days so i didn't get to enjoy it as much. and at this point, i was already worried about my weight (and my health!!). it's second best barbeque in the city (you can read more about it here).
we still had time to kill, so we went to crown center. crown center is actually the home of hallmark cards! marky and i originally wanted to go to kaleidoscope. it's an activity center where kids can "create their own out-of-this-world art in outer space or under the sea, design their own puzzle, make art on the back of a giant bug, build their own skyscraper or draw funny faces" (taken from the kaleidoscope site). too bad it was just for kids. we went inside hallmark's visitors center instead. for details about the exhibit, you can read about it here. my favorite part is the ribbon making machine! you just press a button, and out comes a tiny cute ribbon. i got 5!
that concluded our kansas city trip. i had so much fun with my marky. aside from the pleasant memories, i've taken home something i don't really like. excess weight... ugh!
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
part one - kansas city!
friday, march 25
we spent most of good friday flying to kansas city. marky and i were going to visit his hometown. he hasn't been there since he left back in 1990. i was excited to see where he grew up. he and his brothers have so many pleasant memories of kansas city.
saturday, march 26
we spent most of good friday flying to kansas city. marky and i were going to visit his hometown. he hasn't been there since he left back in 1990. i was excited to see where he grew up. he and his brothers have so many pleasant memories of kansas city.
saturday, march 26
our first hearty meal was at arthur bryant's. we woke up around 12:00pm (jetlag i guess, it was only 10:00am then in california), i think the hunger pangs woke me up. leo, marky and i went straight to the barbeque place. went to the original 18th & brooklyn arthur bryant's. cindy, a very good friend of marky's family joined us. leo ordered a beef and pork sandwich combo. since he seemed like he knew what was good in the menu, marky and i got the same thing. cindy ordered the burnt ends sandwich. 
it was really good. one order is huge! marky and i shared a sandwich and i couldn't even finish my half. i let leo finish the rest of it. man, could he eat! i liked the sauce too. i'm a sauce person, poured sauce into my sandwich with every bite. so sorry but i'm no food critique and my palate's not sophisticated. best i could describe a dish is if it's delicious or not.
next stop, was marky's old house. the place where marky gained consciousness. it looked nice (note to self: expand vocabulary, i keep using first grade adjectives). mark said that the place didn't look familiar to him anymore. it didn't seem like home according to him. a realization hit him --- manila is actually his home.
we still had a few hours to kill before easter vigil mass starts. so we went to zona rosa. window shopped mostly at dick's sporting goods. we also went around DSW. i was too sleepy to shop so i didn't buy anything.
easter mass was at 7:00pm. we heard mass at saint therese. it was marky's old parish, right beside it was where he went to school too. it was the longest mass i've ever attended. we got out of church at 9:15pm. there was baptism, confirmation and first holy communion for converts (3 in 1!). i didn't mind the long ceremony, i was actually moved. these people actually decided to be catholic. i totally embrace my religion, but i was born into it. i admire the people who actually decided that they want to be catholics.
after the extremely long ceremony, i was starving! the easter mass vigil marked the end of lent for us. time to celebrate! we headed back to zona rosa and ate at hereford house. again, all i could say about the food is, it was really good! hehehe... perfect way to celebrate easter. service was great too! leo got steak soup and ribeye (described by their menu, as a unique cut for those who know their ribeye steak). marky and i shared (again) their surf & turf special (six ounces of tenderloin medallions, bacon-wrapped and hickory grilled, served with broiled black tiger shrimp scampi) with twice baked potato on the side. the steak soup was pretty interesting. it has a gravy like consistency, with small pieces of meat. really tasty! hereford house knows how to cook meat! i really enjoyed it. it's not a surprise to me that it was ranked as kansas city's best steak house (read more about it here).
we didn't bother to order dessert at hereford. but when we passed by sheridan's, marky wanted to get some dessert. we gave up ice cream for lent (i think this was the only sacrifice we didn't break), so marky's been craving for some. but i was too full to enjoy it.
i had so much fun. i think i may have gained 5 lbs from all the food we ate. but it was worth it.
to be continued...
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
weekly appointment
it can be a poker game with friends or drinking session with old college buddies. up until i got married, my weekly appointment was a visit to the salon. i'd always find something done. a haircut, manicure, pedicure, eyebrow threading, highlights... and the list goes on. VANITY. it was all about me, me me... i always leave the salon feeling so good about myself. [insert music: i feel pretty from "west side story"] shallow? perhaps... basing my happiness on such superficial treatments. i'm not a very deep person i guess, hence the title of my blog, a young soul.
suddenly, the world has turned. well, my world at least. what happened? i got married! i'm not complaining, i extremely love my husband marky. but a lot of things had to change after we exchanged "i dos". i had to leave good ol' manila (my loving family, friends, my pet stimpy, my hairstylist jenny, again, the list goes on...) and move to california. here, going to the salon weekly could cost an arm and a leg (for someone who is currently unemployed at least). at the moment, i just can't afford that luxury.
now, my weekly appointment is at the laundry room of our apartment complex. [insert music: theme song from "psycho"] totally unfamiliar territory. first time i went there by myself, i was on the phone with marky walking me through the whole process. i usually have 2 loads of laundry. colored and whites. 9 quarters per load (5 for the washer, 4 for the dryer). that's 18 quarters, $4.50. it's totally unglamorous and leaves me with extremely dry hands. yes, i pay 4 dollars and 50 cents a week to get my hands dry. oh yeah, and to wash our clothes. folding? UGH!! does anyone know someone who actually enjoys this? ironing you ask? i don't even bother. hayy... domestic issues i never thought i'd be bothered with. yet, despite that helpless feeling i get while doing this chore, i leave the laundry room with such an uplifted spirit. not beautiful, but still a good feeling nonetheless.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
practice entry
i don't really know what i'll be writing in this blog. i don't have a theme... i don't have a goal either. i decided to put this up to rekindle my love for creative writing. at this point, anything goes with this blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)