4th Year Of You&Me

Four years of a steady relationship. There were ups and downs, sweet moments and misunderstandings, hots and colds, smiles and tears. Made it through though, and that brings happiness to my soul.

I wish for a hundred years or more of those tears, misunderstandings and down moments as long as they are all with you. For in you I feel most that I am loved like no other.

Yesterday - Not So Good

I had been bothered by a speckle of dust (or some other smaller particle) getting stucked in my iris (eye) since Saturday. It was not washed away by tears, water or even eye drops and was making me cry after working in front of the computer for less than 30 minutes. Considering how most (if not all) of my work is done on the Internet, this is something I cannot live with. So, I decided to proceed with the seemingly-inevitable yesterday and did what I do not really like doing. I went to the doctor.

Unlike other people who do not like vising the doctor for fear of bad things, I am a proud part of the stingy group. I hate going to the doctor simply because such an act costs a lot of money here in our country (which is due to what a failure our system is as was again pointed out by my idealistic brother at dinner yesterday). The whole visit was stupid. I waited for almost an hour for a procedure that took less than a minute. The doctor simply took out the speckle (of whatever) using a needle from my eyes, gave me a prescription for an eye drop that I have to use every three hours to avoid getting any infections. At the cashier, I had to pay P500 for the procedure and P350 for the medication. This is the reason why I hate going to the doctor. I was told to go back two days after for checkup, but I definitely doubt I would do that.

Photo taken from solanoeye.blogspot.com

After I decided not to buy the eye drops (since a colleague gave me one already), my sister and I had late lunch at the mall. We saw an advertisement at De Los Reyes Optical about their 2 complete eyeglasses for P999. Since I work almost 24/7 in front of the computer, we decided to avail of this promo. When we asked one of the girls in the shop, she clearly said (which I should have recorded) that the price of P999 is for two complete glasses, which includes frames and lenses for both. If I choose to go for multi-layered glasses for protection from the glare and radiation of computer monitors, she said I would have to pay another P500. It was not a bad deal at all, so we agreed. Unfortunately, the whole amount charged to us after the entire check-up and choosing of frames was P2200. When we asked how come it reached that amount, the girl told us that the P999 was for frames only. I was going to flare up, but my sister asked that I do not create any scene. So, we proceeded to pay but would definitely not go back to that shop again.


Yesterday was not so good. Today was just so-so. So-so is better though than not good. However, there is still tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. So, I guess, it is not so bad to be alive :))

Wandering Thoughts' Welcome Me Mini Giveaway

This is my first time to join a contest like this online, and I am really excited. I hope I am lucky enough. :)

I read about Wandering Thoughts' contest through Lucky Zoan
who is on the list of blogs I follow quite religiously.

I have been wanting to try joining something like this, but it is only for this specific contest that I finally took the courage to do so. This is largely because of how simple it is to join the contest. It takes only a couple of minutes really.

With this blog post, I am done with the first step. Onto the next one I go!

The Chef Of South Polar: Of Ramen & Lobsters

As announced and detailed in a previous post in this blog, a week-long Japanese filmfest is currently taking place in Ayala Center Cebu as of the time this post is written and posted. Today is Thursday, August 4, and the festival was opened on Tuesday, August 2.

Despite the large crowd and uber long line of people piling for the show, we still managed to get a seat for my friend, boyfriend and myself. It was not in our most preferred spots though. Well, better than nothing.

After a short program to formally open the celebration highlighted by the free film showing of award-winning Japanese flicks, the first show was set to roll.

Entitled The Chef of South Polar, it was actually about a group of 8 men from different walks in life who had to spend a year or so together somewhere in the Antarctica. It was a team sent and sponsored by the Japanese government to do some research. Making up the team were eight different personalities with different background in different fields. Although most part of the film was told by the chef, it actually tackles each individual’s issues, problems and way of thinking as the film progresses.

The chef was a father of two who previously worked as a cook for the Japanese army. When his superior was unable to take on the mission to go to Antarctic to be the team’s chef, the responsibility fell on him, despite his lack of desire for the position. Although it was shown in the film that his wife and kids do not think much of him, he missed them a lot as shown in how he kept his daughter’s tooth which fell out before he left for the mission. This is in a small container that served as a locket of some sort.

Moto-San is the head of the main research program being done during the mission. He loves what he does and is serious about it. He celebrated his 45th birthday on the camp, and everyone had a good time with food, drinks and a lot of merrymaking. In a phone call he made home that day, his little girl sang a birthday song on the line, but his wife refused to talk with him. He shared with the chef later that day that his wife does not like his job and had been constantly threatening to fire a divorce every time he is set to go away for work.

Another member of the team is the doctor. Not a lot was tackled about his past. However, he constantly exercises out in the snow even during the part of the year when the sun does not shine. This, he said, kept him strong enough to win a triathlon, which he planned to, and did, join after getting back to Japan.

Another interesting characteris Hiro-San, a ramen-addict who could not sleep after not being fed with ramen, which the team ran out of after late-night attacks on the said noodle by two other team members. This became an inspiration for the rest of the gang to come up with an idea to make ramen, and the chef was able to successfully do so. Happy was an understatement for Hiro-San’s feelings when served with ramen soup later on.

There was the Chief, a mechanic who was in-charge with all the motor-operated vehicles needed by the team. Not happy about the assignment, he spends his day reading manga inside a vehicle in the middle of the snow. There was a time when he pretended to be sick, which made another team member really angry.

When he went to find the Chief, he chanced upon him taking a long and luxurious bath, which involved putting a lot of water to waste. Mad at the guy, he run after him with a desire to beat everything out of him.

At that time, the chef just caught another member of the team munching on butter. he was taking it away from him and trying to find a place to hide when he caught up with the Chief in his wet briefs and hair with unrinsed shampoo.

Lastly, there is the youngest member of the team. Deeply in-love with a girlfriend left in Japan, he is seen always on the phone talking with her during the first parts of the film. When the girl started to get cold and eventually owned up to seeing someone new, he proceeded to talk with the phone operator, with whom he met when he got back to Japan.

These eight people made an impact on each other’s existence. They were able to develop flexibility as well as they try to accommodate each other’s presence and different personalities. The film shows how good food can mend anything from a frosted hand to a broken heart. It shows the human nature of people, which is kind and encompassing especially when confronted with something from nature. The entire film is a fun thing to watch. It was mouth-watering as well since the chef ended up preparing a lot of gastric delights at different parts of the film. I was a hungry girl when the film ended.

Probably the best thing about the movie is how it emphasizes the many essentials in life. Food. Family. Friends. People. Because we are social animals after all.

Creamy Carbonara

I am a pasta fanatic. It started out with the very classic tomato-based spaghetti and has incorporated a large selection of pasta dishes over time. My true love when it comes to pasta is carbonara.

Ingredients:
30 grams spaghetti
- Ronzoni (with 100 calories) is highly recommended for those who are on a diet
56 grams smoked ham
- Farmer John's fat free version comes with 50 calories only
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
Salt and Pepper (To taste)

Procedure
1. Cook the pasta as directed in the package.
2. The ham can be cooked as desired. For those who wish to go oil-free, the ham can be poured into the cooking pasta around three minutes before it is completely cooked.
3. Drain both pasta and ham. Place them in separate containers.
4. Mix the egg and milk in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Beat them until the entire mixture becomes one.
5. Set a pan on high heat, and pour the mixture. Stir it vigorously using a wooden spoon until the egg starts to get cooked. The process takes around 20 seconds.
6. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Serve hot.

Of Weddings And Love

Inspiration: Message In A Bottle


The Message Inside The Bottle (Invite)


(One of) The Giveaways


Nice & Banz' Invite

Dong Juan - Another Appetizing Option

Since my overall partner in crime and I are without a private ride (yet *winks*), the original place has been a constant future destination. It is a bit out of the way, and so the only taste of Dong Juan that we had was when my sister brought a DJ burger home. It was so different from the usual burgers in town that I have constantly been yearning to visit the place.

In April, my boss took me to the place for a quick lunch meeting. The visit was short, and it was very much all about business that I was not able to take in everything about the place and the food.

Good thing DJ's management has decided to put up another location for its burgers and other appetizing treats to be available for everyone. Luck must have been with me these days because the said new location is right at the Persimmon in Mabolo, which is highly accessible and a favorite place of me and the gang. We love Mr. Coffee at Persimmon.

I was planning to bring my friends there and introduce them to the wonders of Dong Juan. Various things have kept us from visiting the place though. In the end, it was me and my friend who ended up having our first taste of DJ.

His burger and Her salad


Their menu

(Additional photos from dine-out with friends, sister at a latter date)

Cousin's burger steak and the aftermath


Pasta plus Fish & Fries


The place was quaint and nice. Although there was a group of around 6 girls seated behind us who were laughing aloud like tambays, it did not completely ruin our mood for the sumptuous delight DJ has to offer. I would love to go back and get a taste of the other stuff on their menu. In fact, I am looking forward to Saturday friendship night dinner this weekend at Dong Juan at the Persimmon in Mabolo.


Dong Juan Guadalupe
Emilio Osmeña Street
Barangay Guadalupe,Cebu City
Contact Number:(63-32) 256-1796

Dong Juan Persimmon Mabolo
The Persimmon Plus
M.J. Cuenco Avenue
Contact Number:To follow