Barrio Fiesta's Kitchen Crew's Racket

I think it was over a couple of years ago when we’ve last been to SM North. So for a change, I purposely altered the routine of SM Fairview or Trinoma to SM North when we looked for our exercise machine last Sunday. 

The jam packed SM North Mall

Our leisure walk in the mall cum treadmill shopping was highlighted by sumptuous family dinner at a popular restaurant.  Actually, the true reason why I wanted to look for the treadmill at SM North was to have dinner at the well known Barrio Fiesta via the voucher I bought months ago for only P490.  The meal promo consists of one Seafood rice, one whole fried chicken and 1.5 liter of coke which is good for 4/pax.  Sounds like great savings for a nice dinner eh!  As hubby was oblivious   of the existing voucher, I proudly declared it’s my treat! Then I showed them the voucher, and they looked dissatisfied with only a whole chicken and a big bowl of seafood rice.  And they began to order for more.  The economical dinner that I thought would be was a big flop.  It turned out to be the contrary. 

Seafood Rice

Crispy Pata

Laing (Taro leaves in coconut milk)

Fried Chicken (with an issue)

But it was a great one anyway, even if I had to shell out additional P1000.  Still no regrets!   Opss, I must say almost, if not for one irritating thing!

We asked the waiter to wrap all the unconsumed food especially the chicken which was left untouched except for the tip of a wing.  So I was expecting that what we had in the doggie bag was a whole chicken.  But to all my dismay,  one fourth of the chicken is gone.  One whole leg was cut off from the waist to the back part of it!  It really is so infuriating! I was indeed, very disappointed with Barrio Fiesta!  Don’t they know that it would be very obvious to steal a part of an unchopped chicken?  I regret not having reported this to the Barrio Fiesta management. This is a big turn-off for the dining patrons like us.  Or could it be that they did it purposely because it's only part of a promo meal? It's just not fair!  But on the second thought,  it is also possible that the management is not aware of their kitchen crews racket.  Or are they?  Hmm.. okay, I still give them the benefit of the doubt. 

 So for anyone of you who plans to visit Barrio Fiesta, especially their SM North branch,  just be aware of their crew's stealing antics!  Haha..  no big deal actually, but still disappointing!

It’s treadmill for us

In my previous post, I have mentioned about cornering the financier (hubby) to buy us the workout machine we need. We dragged him to the mall (SM North) yesterday and coerced him to buy us the workout machine we’ve set sights on. :)  We are grateful he didn’t react negatively. Well, in fairness to him, he hardly ever declines our requests. That, always earns him 'pogi' points! haha!..  Thus, daughter and I took advantage of him again yesterday. Wink!

We picked treadmill over the elliptical after hearing it’s better than the latter.  As soon as it was brought out of the car, we all took turns in trying it out.  Certainly, it’s fun and beneficial to have such fitness machine right inside our home.  I can't thank hubby any better!

Treadmill or Elliptical Machine

 

My reflection on the mirror tells me I need to be serious with my fitness workouts.  The bulging tummy seems really difficult to deal with.  Daughter and I used to carry out a hip hop aerobic fitness exercises religiously, a ‘feel good’ kind of exercise for us.  However, seems like the excess belly of mine is too stubborn to leave my sexy body. (Aha haha! Of course, that’s a big joke!)

All along, didn’t know that daughter is genuinely troubled with her increasing weight as well.  Although for me, it isn’t as bothersome yet as she thinks it to be.  Nonetheless,  it’s undeniable, we both feel troubled somehow with our own physical fitness.  And we are determined to upgrade our workout regimen.    

What we plan now is to corner the financier (hubby) to buy us a good exercise machine.   He’s out of the house at the moment, but in the meantime, we are now trying to find which one is good for us.  A treadmill or an elliptical? Can you help us decide?

We hope to have one asap.  Hopefully too, the financier won’t oppose our plan. :)  Gotta wait and see!

Thanks guys, for the visit! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Coping with Frustration

As I was sort of affected by an awful feeling the other day,  I went bowling.  I think I've already mentioned that in my previous post. I made a not so good score average in that one woman game. However,  what's more  important is that I was able to release the looming frustration within me.  

In our day to day living, we know we can’t avoid being frustrated at times.  Displeasure of not being able to accomplish our desire is not easy to handle.  Hence, it depends in our careful judgement how we can treat such intolerable feeling.  There are many ways how to deal with frustration.  I found few suggestions in the net.

Here they are:

1. Take a mental break to clear your mind and forget about whatever it was that was     frustrating  you for a moment.
   
2.   Exercise to release your frustration. Take a jog, do some push-ups, take a yoga class or take a walk to physically release the tension.
   
3. Allow yourself to cry if you need to.  Sometimes having a good cry is just what you need.
   
4. Write about whatever is frustrating you in a journal, on your computer or even on a scrap paper. Letting it all out on paper can help to clear your mind and start all over again.
   
5. Do something enjoyable and relaxing that will calm you down. Go see a movie, listen to music, etc.
   
6. Vent to a friend or to someone you trust.
   

 And if all has been tried and the feeling of frustration is still there, just PRAY!  It works!


Have a marvelous day and God bless!

Got to fix my mood

(photo not mine)

 I miss going to RJ Bistro at Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City.  All I want now is to listen to Ramon Jacinto’s music of the 60’s and the 70's.  Yes, it may only be four months ago when we last visited the place with an old pal.  But unluckily, it wasn’t RJ’s band scheduled then but a band of youngsters with sexy young crooners belting out some unfamiliar pop songs.  Oh, they weren’t bad!  I did enjoy them too.  It’s just that I wanna listen to some RJ’s music, live!

Unfortunately, the husband here can't make it tonight. He begged to move it next week.  I might as well just carry my bowling ball and aim hard to hit the head pins for a strike then ultimately releasing the frustration brewing inside me. It would be just as entertaining, right? 

Alright!!  I gotta go now to prepare for the waiting bowling lanes.  Brb!

Roses for Valentine

Hubby kissed me goodbye for work this morning while I was still half asleep. I didn’t remember hearing any Valentine greeting or anything to that effect at all. Hence, I was pretty much upset! My day is already ruined. ... or so I thought! Until Janina, my daughter, called and asked me If I have already seen the box of roses laid on top of my lappy. She handed it to me and instantly, my mood changed. I presumed he left it in the car and just brought it out this morning. That’s him, always playing mean to me!
Mean or not, I love this man! (ahem!) Thanks for the pleasant surprise, dear!


Happy Valentines to everyone! I hope you all had a blast!

Dinner at Romeo’s in Antipolo

Yesterday, a Sunday, the husband here was out again pedalling with his biker group.  The daughter was with officemates enjoying the Hot Air Balloon festivities in Clark, Pampanga while the son was with his gang on the village’s basketball court.  And me.. I was alone with my "angel" who is mute like, coz she's too lazy to speak a word. I was so glad my friend Lyn very timely asked me to go bowling.  In a dash, I was all set to go.  Out we went and did at least four games with good enough scores while Art, Lyn’s hubby watched us play with all intent.

After bowling, Art suggested we go on a road trip and have dinner in Antipolo. It was easy to say yes, coz I would just comfortably sit at the passenger’s seat of their car while Lyn would do the driving.  Nonetheless, I was also hesitant at first.  But not until I realized I had already prepared my family’s dinner earlier.   With nothing to worry on my part, Lyn stepped on the gas, sped off and  we’re in Antipolo in no time.  We attempted to park on one or two good eating places we passed by along the highway but we were not lucky to find a space.  Finally, we ended in Romeo’s, the eating place my family used to frequent whenever we were in the area. 

Romeo’s, I found out, shows a totally different ambiance in the evening than in daytime.  The hanging colourful lamps, the soothing piped-in music plus the cool evening breeze would make you want to hang out much longer not to consider the fantastic view overlooking the Metro’s flickering city lights.  If only we could stay there all night, we would. The place is awesome and the food was great with the exception of Grilled Tuna Belly which turned tough due to over cooking. But other than that, everything is A-okay! 

And before I forget, thanks to my friend Lyn for the treat  again! I owe you much!

Shrimp Ampalaya (Bitter Gourd)

Tuna Sashimi

Ginataang Kuhol (Scargot in Coconut Milk.)

Maki

Grilled Tuna Belly

That's all folks.  Have a fantastic week ahead! Happy blogging everyone!

Janina's Birthday in Baguio

Baguio is still the best place to be at this time of the year here in the Philippines.  Me and my family were there last Sunday to Monday and we loved every minute of our stay.  Monday happened to be my daughter Janina’s birthday.  I wanted it to be special for her so I thought of using the voucher I bought many months back.  It was for an overnight stay in Mines View Park Hotel.  So glad we used it at the right time.  The weather was 10’C or 50’F.  It was freaking cold but since we never have yet experienced such low temperature here in Metro Manila, such chilly weather was a welcome respite.

If I may add, hubby as usual broke away from us when we reached Rosario, La Union.  He pedalled his way up to Baguio thru his favourite bike trail, the Kennon  Road.  He accomplished his goal and reached the hotel 3 hours behind us. I guess, nothing or no one can stop him from his passion, which is biking mountain trails.  I just pray for his safety everytime.

Daughter and me at the hotel's front yard.

The Mines View Park Hotel

The Hotel's Restaurant.

A tree's trunk curved with Igorot designs.

My family having breakfast.

Hubby's bike resting at the hotel's terrace.

Soul Siren Nina performing in SM Baguio.

Kennon Road.  (photo not mine)

Thank you for taking time to read this post.  Enjoy your weekend! God bless!

Two-day Shopping and Pig out

Few days after our Subic road trip, I packed a pair of clothing and commuted to my Ate’s (big sis) place in Balanga City, Bataan.  It is where I run to whenever I need some de-stressing although I was far from being stressed that time. Ha ha..  Well, I just miss going there because Sis never fails to cook good food. And not only that,  she doesn’t get tired driving me around to shop for some real good bargains and to treat me to the best eating places she knows of, notwithstanding if the restaurant is in Subic or in Marquee in Angeles or in SM in San Fernando, Pampanga. Fortunately for her, her daughter can now drive and she has since then been spared from that job most of the time.

On the day that I arrived there, we went shopping at the town's Tiangge. Came night time, Mae, her daughter drove us to Subic to have dinner at Meat Plus Cafe and again for another bargain shopping on the duty free shops in the area.

The following day, we headed to Marquee for my Fitflops, then to Fortune Tea House at SM San Fernando for supposedly Peking Duck lunch but unfortunately, it was out of stock. (Sigh!) We still had a great fill anyway!

It was a real chillax day for the three of us.  Thanks to my Ate for the grand time I had!

Another Road trip to Subic and Angeles, Pampanga

Because of Subic’s proximity to Quezon City, it is usually our choice whenever we want to go on an out of town day trips.  Seems like I really could never get enough of Subic no matter how many times we’ve visited the place. That’s why when my friend, Lyn asked me to come with her and her hubby for a road trip to Subic, she needed not repeat the invite.  We were there Sunday, January 22.  With her behind the wheel, we drove around and stopped by at every nice place her husband wanted to see. If I may mention, Art, her husband has been partly paralyzed due to stroke. Because of that sensitive health condition, she’s been spending all  her time for his total welfare.  She has become the ever loving caregiver, driver and all to him.  Seeing him getting bored at home, she thought of bringing him to Subic and Marquee Mall in Angeles, Pampanga to somehow lessen his ostensibly growing boredom.  I could dare say that he’s such a lucky man for having such a tough, caring and loving woman like her.  If there is such an accolade as the "Best-est Caregiver-wife" (Lol!.. ) it could be her. Kudos to you my friend!

Thank you for your time here. Have a great week everyone!