July 31, 2013

Barbecue at Ineng's

I have a lot of backlogs! Right now, I have four drafts awaiting to be written, excluding this one! To reduce the number of my backlogs, I sneaked in a little time while working to get this over and done with. Hehehe.

Let's begin with our first time to eat at Ineng's. Three weeks ago, I blogged about eating at Giligan's. That time, we resolved to try all the restaurants in SM Lanang Premier's Sky Garden. So the other Sunday, after going to Crocodile Park, we went to the next restaurant, which is Ineng's na nga. 
Ineng's Special BBQ


I was crushing on the gray dining set, the one you can see at the bottom of the photo.
Unfortunately, my mudra did not include it in the pic!





Inside the restaurant.




Bored and eating bread sticks :-P






















































































Service: Service was rather poor. There was only one girl who tended to all  the tables inside the restaurant. This made the wait longer. Also, kawawa sya. There is one other guy who manned the cashier. Later on, another guy arrived to help the girl. Buti naman.


I loved the open kitchen. At least you know how your

After maybe 30-40 minutes, our order finally arrived. Since the name of the restaurant brags their 
barbecue, we decided to order a mix of pork and longganiza barbecue, plus an order of chop suey and a round of lemonade.

We wanted to order a couple of other dishes, like dinuguan and chicken, but they weren't available. Boo!

Please forgive me for the following photos! We were so hungry that we immediately dived into the food. By the time I remembered to take photos, our food already looked like this:

Sowree!

Oh diba, nakuha ko pang magcloseup sa lagay na to? Pork BBQ

Chop Suey

Longganiza BBQ

Lemonade
Despite the sorry state of the photos, I must tell you that the food tastes good! Promise! The sauce was so savory and the meat was so tender. Parang commercial lang, I know.

I know it wasn't just because we were hungry. Both my sister and my mom are pihikan when it comes to food (I'm the same with my father - walang pili! OMG!), but both of them really enjoyed the food. Promise masarap talaga sya! No wonder they claim their barbecues as special! 

Prices:

2-pcs Premium Pork BBQ on 12" stick - P139
1-pc Premium Pork BBQ on 12" stick with Longganiza BBQ - P137
Pinoy Chopsuey - P175
Lemonade - I forgot #walangkwenta (Or I think it came with the barbecues na?)

To burn off what we ate, we walked around the Sky Garden muna. Actually, it's not a big space, so it's more off running after Yuri. Haha!

Let's cap off this post with Yuri's photos. :-P







Yuri's outfit peg that day is "UP Student." If you get what I mean, apir!

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July 30, 2013

Rainy Day Essentials

Rainy days are here na for real.

I love the rainy weather. Don't you? Of course, I could not say the same thing way back when I was working in the office. But now that I'm working from home, the colder the better. Ah.

What I don't like about rainy weather, though, is the increased tendency to get sick. Just last week, Job was down with fever and flu. George also told me that my inaanak, Andrei, had singaw yesterday. Now, it's Yuri's turn. Last night, he suddenly had sipon dripping from his nose! (Sorry, TMI! Haha!)

Nevertheless, I don't fret because I already prepared our Rainy Day Essentials (read: cold busters!) way ahead of time:


1. A canister of Boogie Wipes that I have won the other month
2. Disudrin to combat sipon 
3. Lotsa lotsa water
4. Vitamin C, which we take everyday: for days with cold, though, we take double dosage.
5. Paracetamol in case of fever: we usually use Calpol but today, we only have Biogesic.
6. Nasal aspirator (I forgot the brand): I usually use this for Yuri at night.
7. KinderCare digital thermometer: I have two other digital thermometers (one in my diaper bag and one in my first-aid kit).

Not in photo: Lotsa lotsa fruits and vegetables

Yuri was a bit hot when we woke up but the temperature immediately subsided when we went downstairs. He still has a cold, but it's not bothering him as much as it did last night. I claim that he will be healed today in Jesus' name. :-)

What about you? What do you usually prepare to combat rainy day illnesses?

Oh, and another thing I don't like about rainy weather is the sleepiness that comes with it. Instead of preparing my blog posts late at night, I find myself sleeping almost as soon as Yuri does! I have a lot of backlog now! Gaaah!


PS: If you have time, please visit this post of mine: 10 Instax Shots, 4 Places, 1 Jolly Family! We went to a couple of places in the city, went to the mall, stayed at home for a mini pool-party, and took photos using an Instax 210 camera provided by Jollibee. I hope you like it!

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July 26, 2013

Slave of Stats: How Bloggers become Narcissists

Last night, I had an epiphany.

It all started when I came across an article circulating around my Facebook feed. It was about the connection between narcissism and taking selfies. Like what I usually do, I downloaded the article into my Pocket app to read it later in the evening.

I was confident enough to read it because I felt I wouldn't be affected (I barely take selfies). Midway through the article, I realized that one could replace the word "selfie" with "blog" and it might as well have been about a narcissist blogger.

Photo: www.123rf.com
































I was taken aback because the article contained many parallels to blogging. Here they are:

1. A narcissistic person posts a selfie for likes. Do we, as blogger, write posts for hits?

2. When a narcissistic person takes a particularly hotter photo of himself, he expects more likes. When we exert more effort into a post, do we expect more hits and comments?

3. A narcissistic person "feels like shit" if her photo doesn't receive likes or comments. Do we feel the same when we don't get read?

4. A narcissistic person detaches himself from a poor photo of him, thinking it does not depict him as accurately as a good photo does. Do we, as bloggers, think that only our better-written posts define our blogs?

5. Finally, a narcissistic person's ego gets fueled easy through likes. As the number of likes increases, she begins to compare herself to others and think they are not as attractive as her. She views herself as better than others.

Do we, as bloggers, attempt to check other blogs' stats to assure ourselves that we are, in some way, better than them? Above them?

Do comments and hits and ranking get into our heads and fuel our ego?

I am affected because I've never been a narcissist. Because some points above are applicable to me, does it mean I'm becoming one?

I wanted to examine myself. Am I no longer blogging to capture memories? Am I now blogging for hits and followers? Who is the God of my blog?

Please don't get me wrong. I appreciate getting read because it means that somehow, somewhere, my written work made its way into another person's life. Affected her. Inspired her. Made her chuckle. Annoyed her and made her decide never to visit this blog again.

However, I don't want to make "getting up there" as my ultimate purpose. I don't want to get tied to stats. I don't want to check my stats every now and then. I don't want to lose sleep over performance issues. Like the thought of my blog not getting the same number of hits as it did yesterday. Because these are superficial. Egotistic. Narcissistic.

But to tell you honestly, these things are getting to me. I check my stats a few times a day. I want to know how many hits I've gotten. I take pride in getting read.

What I wanted to do was just blog for the sake of telling stories, taking photos, keeping memories, making something that my family can read in 20 years.

Those used to be my purpose. Now, I'm not so sure. Why am I doing this? Who am I blogging for?

I want to prove to myself that it's not too late to stop being a narcissist blogger. That I can actually blog without committing sin of pride. Here's my challenge to myself (and to you, if you want):

1. Stop looking at my own blog's stats for 10 days. It's gonne be hard to do with Blogger (because you know how the dashboard is), but I'll still try.

2. Stop looking at other blogs' stats, hits, and number of comments. Be happy for those that are doing well and don't get competitive.

3. Just don't care too much about how many times I get read. Instead, focus on how I can make an impact on those who read me.

Not all bloggers are narcissistic. I can see who are and who are not. It's their choice actually and I laude the latter who just blog for the sake of blogging. No politics. No competition. No stroking of ego.

I want to be like those bloggers. I want to stay true to my purpose. Now, am I ready to take on the challenge? How about you? I say let's do it!


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July 25, 2013

Throwback Thursday: Fatso Preggo

Just a few minutes ago, I posted this photo on my Instagram:

Que horror!

That's my SSS ID, taken last February 2012. That was only 1 year and 5 months ago. I was about 8 months pregnant at that time and weighed what must be a hundred kilos. Just kidding. 72 kilos. Hahaha hindi rin nagkalayo. 

The thing about pregnancy is that even if  they say you're "blooming," it takes a toll not only on your weight but also on your skin. It's not noticeable in the photo above but in the actual ID, klarong-klaro ang aking oily skin. Because my skin became too oily, for the first time in my life, I had acne. Klaro rin sa photo. Plus, there are pigmentations on my skin, making my neck look dark.

Parang ano. Don't say it!

Add to that the hormonal changes (read: mood swings) and the constant feeling of nausea (I had morning sickness throughout my pregnancy), it's no wonder why I didn't want to go outside the house!

Fast forward to now


After seeing this photo (the ID arrived after 6 months, September 2012), I also realized why random strangers would tell me if the baby is a boy. Nakakaloka! 

Boy rin naman ang royal baby, diba? I don't think Duchess Kate ever looked like that!!!

Me: With this ID, parang ayoko ng gumawa ng transactions. Ayoko ipakita!
Job: Okay lang yan, at least inspiration ka sa iba.
Me: Baliw!

Hindi rin inspiration. More likely panakot sa daga! Bet?
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July 24, 2013

Sunday at the Crocodile Park

We're always at the mall at Sundays (you would know that if you've read my blog for some time now) and para maiba naman, we decided to visit a new place, something educational naman. For a change, we decided to visit Davao Crocodile Park. Woot!

The Crocodile Park is one of Davao City's "zoological" attractions. However, among all of us, only my younger sister has been there recently (through Assumption's field trips). Ako naman, the last time I have been there was... 2001? That was 12 years ago. Woah. Both of my parents haven't been there at all, which is why they were very persistent to visit.

So last Sunday, we finally pursued the plan. Here are some of the photos we took (We actually took more than 150 photos! Don't worry; I just chose a few):

Davao Crocodile Park

We arrived just in time for a bird show! And we didn't even know it! Lucky!

Here's one of the kuyas, showing off the cockatoo

After the bird show, they called for a female volunteer among the audience. Good thing I was holding Y while taking photos; I will never volunteer! Meanwhile, ate here was volunteered by her companions (hehe). She was asked to close her eyes (eek!) and guess the animal.

She started freaking out even before the animal was brought out. Kung ako rin naman, no! Then, another kuya brought an albino python. After feeling it, ate jumped all over na. Ako rin, no! 

ZOMG!

Eek!
After the show, we toured na around the zoo. The first thing we visited was Pangil, Crocodile Park's resident crocodile. I already met Pangil more than 10 years ago (huhu!) and he wasn't that large yet. Now, he's grown bigger. Not nearly as big as Lolong was, but still big enough.

Sorry for the poor photo; he was underwater.

Hello there, little cockatoo!

There was a bridge over a swamp full of crocodiles. My father has never seen a live crocodile in his life, so we went there next.

Here's the bridge.
Crocodiles on your right

And crocodiles on your left

And yes, more crocodiles

Fambam picture without me!

Mama requested for a solo hehe
We went down afterward and saw children coming to a part of the zoo with animal statues. Gora!

Someone's not happy!

Yuri kept looking at the elephant's big nose. :P

Finally! Our only decent photo there!

Ssshhh!
We moved on to the next spot: the ostrich farm!

Hello there! They're so big!

We saw a lot of another animals: bats, deer, birds, snakes, turtles, iguanas, monkeys, etc. But my most favorite animal is this:

Orangutan!

Awwww, doesn't he (or she?) look like a baby?

I'm seriously SMITTEN with the orangutan; I want to take it home!




On the way to SM:

Me: Ang cute, cute, cute talaga nung orangutan!
Papa: Isipin mo na pinapakain sya sa crocodiles.
Me: Bad!
Mama: Isa lang ang orangutan nila, no?
Me: Oo. Lonely sya. :-(
Mama: Samahan mo kaya?

Okaaaay fine! Samahan na kung samahan. CHOS!

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July 22, 2013

State of the Baby Address! (SOBA)

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm glad to say that my day (although I had a falling out with Job - a.k.a. J - last night) began on a very good note. I got an invite from a very nice establishment in the city (secret muna) and I don't think the organizer was even aware that the owners are my neighbors. Hehehe. Anyway, I hope your Monday morning is good, too! :-)

So lahat siguro tayo aware that it's PNoy's SONA today. I'm not a big fan of Noy (feeling Kris!) - I didn't even vote for him - but I try to respect his decisions. This is because according to the Bible, Romans 13: 1, we are to submit to our leaders:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (NIV)

Which means that, no, this blog post is not about the President's SONA. Instead, I created a new category for Yuri - State of the Baby Address! Woot!

So here it goes:

Dear Yuri, to whom this letter is addressed to, lend me your big ears. In 10 years or so, I hope you might read this so that you'll know how you were when you were a baby. And yes, you were quite a handful for poor little momma. Here are the reasons why:

1. After a year of waiting, you finally walked on your own. It was a big milestone for all of us, but nothing could have prepared us for the whirlwind that was you. I realized that I need not sign up for the gym after all; just running after you provided the exercise I needed.

I am supposed to upload a video here, but for the life of me, I can't make it work. Di bale, I'll just show it to you when you grow up, okay?

2. You are becoming a picky eater. While you would eat rice and veggies well, it is clear that you favor sweets and other carbs: chocolates, cookies, biscuits and bread. Oh how you love bread! Whenever lolo and lola get home, it's also clear that you know which pasalubong is yours:

Oooh, pahingi?
3. You give me a little heart attack whenever you get too near to the electric fan. It's a good thing we bought that fan cover a while ago. Nakakapagod lang maglakad, no? Kaya chill lang muna:


With little Jabee in tow. :-)
4. At 15 months (going on 16), you still don't know how to talk - which is fine with me. You develop at your own pace, baby, which gives the inkling that you're gonna be a headstrong child. However, you seem to have developed an inclination to answering calls:


Hello, how are the orders coming? Diba I told you to work double-time? Chos.
5. But I'm proud to say that you already know a lot of "tricks" and can even point to someone's nose accurately. Like Jollibee's:

Jabee: I. Can't. Breathe.
6. You love books. I'm surprised that even though I give you real books (which you prefer over cloth and board books), you have not ripped a single page yet. Crumpled, yes, but ripped, no.

Ninang George's gift is our fave book!
7. You mumble along while I read you books. I like that.

8. You now love stuffed toys of any kind. Be it the Winnie the Pooh bear you have in your crib, your new Jollibee stuffed toy, or your aunt's old pink rabbit. You're not discriminating at all.

It's coming after me!
9. You love throwing things. The harder the throw the better. And sometimes, you like throwing your hard toys at my face. I don't like that.

10. You love taking selfies. Well, it's not you who take it, but you love looking at yourself through the front camera of lola's phone, through the mirror, or through the TV screen. Are you vain?

I don't have your selfies in my phone; they're all in lola's phone. Huhu. :-(

11. You love little Ryzza Mae Dizon. You are a fan of her show. This shows that you might be a man enamored with humor and funny girls, just like your dad. Charot!

Your face while watching Ryzza Mae - priceless.
12. You love walking (and running) naked around the house. Which is fine with me because you look cute. Just don't do it in school, ahkey?

Boy Hukas: Ang siga ng Cabantian!
13. Also, you love running around in the grocery.

"Fixing" the alcohol bottles... more like ruining the display!
14. Because of that, I now know that when shopping, the only place for you is the pushcart - or sometimes - the basket.

15. You play weird games.

Uh... what are you doing?
16. But most of all, you like discovering things - running, walking, hopping, whatever. You are not afraid to walk under the sun (much to your poor momma's dismay) and discover the simplicity of everything. In fact, whenever we go out, your favorite plaything remains to be dry leaves on the ground (so sad that I don't have a photo of this). I like how happy you are not with expensive toys but just by being active and free.

My handsome Yuri (and the annoying momma)
By the way, Yuri's outfit peg here is "UP Student." Bwahaha!
There we have it. Sixteen things for the almost sixteen-month old you. I know this is not an extensive list; these are everything I could come up with in just 15 minutes!

However, do know that for this moment, while you are sweetly taking your morning nap, these are the things that popped in my mind. Therefore, these little things are important to me. I hope they are as important to you, too.

Yes, you are a handful, but you fill my heart and there's no other way I prefer.

Notable omissions: You now know how to give when someone says "hingi," you are fond of toys with wheels, you are fond of wearing something (toys, food containers, real hats) over your head, you have a distinctive laughter, you get excited when you see other babies, you get excited when you see animals, you get excited when you see cars (you're pretty much an excitable kid), and you like climbing up furniture.
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