Bibingka

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P65 might not be too cheap for the lowly but delicious bibingka. But if you're looking for something to munch at 11 PM after an hour of foot pampering and you fancy something sweet, native and yummy (of course), the bibingka is a good bet. But where do you find this fare at this unholy hour of the night when most restaurants are bidding their last diner goodbye?

With Ma, who gamely joined me despite her affliction with the dreaded diabetes, I happened to satisfy my bibingka fix at Kenya Kaffe Lounge at the Forum. It's more on the sweet side but I'm all for sugar (in moderation) when I'm pms-ing craving.

It's the "Ber" months... Bibingka sure reminds me of Christmas...



Ayan laki tuloy ng braso ko... :P

On Being Appreciated...

One of my first jobs when I got to Cebu 15 years ago was as Accounting Officer of then new SM (Cebu) department store. There were about 10 members under me who handled voluminous transactions on a daily basis. I had to review all their work on a daily basis too. Work was tedious owing to the nature of retail. Plus the work environment was pretty rigid. Nevertheless, the group bonded well and even up to now some are still in touch with each other.

Genny was one of the girls who followed me even up to the next job I had. In this next job, she became an even more trusted colleague and friend who was loyal to the point of putting her job on the line just to show her support. Of course I was talking about an incident that happened about 3 years ago that caused me to move on out of delicadeza after fighting for what I believed in (in futility). Since then, Genny and the team had a new manager on top of them.

Two Fridays ago, Genny and Hazel, another former Accounting "angel", paid me a visit. Genny will be flying to Singapore in a few week's time as she has already passed the EPEC. She intends to invite Hazel as well, as the latter tries to find her luck there too. For hardworking people like them in this dog-eat-dog work environment, I wish them both success in their pursuits.

While in my office, we talked animatedly about the past. It was an afternoon full of reminiscing about the times spent together. I was truly touched when they said they missed the good old days when I was there to lead them, to mentor them, to defend them, to cover for them, and to make the work load bearable even while meeting hectic deadlines. Imagine hearing that and how it made my heart swell with elation. I guess it's an accomplishment for me to be able to have that effect on them, to be acknowledged for something, even when I thought I was just doing my job...



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Hazel, moi, Genny
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Slumber

Zzz...
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To sleep like a babe...I just had to post this one... for posterity.

Letting Off Steam

shot at Max Brenner, Makati
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When you hardly have time to spare after driving the kids to school (at 2 different schedules), picking them up (again at different times), going home for lunch, setting up a new company, taking charge of the household, etc... the last thing you need is a nagging person who constantly makes you feel like you're not doing enough... And that person (God bless her) is not even related to me.

What would you do if you were in my moccasins? :P

Haay TGIF!

Which one is that again?

Except for the 80's, I don't have that much favorites when it comes to the latest music. Sometimes my preference for any genre is mood-driven... I tune in to whatever I feel like listening to...

This afternoon after a trip to the bank, Jerry and I were driving back to our office when John Legend's song played on Y101.

"Let's go to the park
I wanna kiss you underneath the stars
Maybe we'll go too far
We just don't care,
We just don't care,
We just don't care."
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"Hey, Jake knows how to sing that!" I said, turning the volume louder as I loudly sang to it as well. I was amused at how 3yo Jake has picked up singing a song that is not for his age.... only his lyrics aren't exactly what they should be. Hehehe... I have the elder brothers to blame for that...


"Let's make love, let's go somewhere they might discover us
Let's get lost in lust
We just don't care,
We just don't care,
We just don't care."
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Not content with the volume, I fiddled some more with the button, turning it even louder hoping to fill the car's cabin with the cool somehow upbeat tune until Jerry disrupted my reverie...

"Nor, that's not the volume", he said. "You just turned the aircon knob to "high"..... TWICE.", he teased. HAHAHA.

What the heck?! I should get to know this new car better 'no. LOL

10:45???

Today...

6:00 - Jerry drove the boys to the bus stop.
7:00 - We got ready for bath / breakfast.
7:30 - Jake woke up.
8:00 - I played and spent time with Jake while Jerry did some paperwork.
8:30 - Jake took a bath while Jerry & I went to pick up a check from Sta. Lucia then proceeded to work.
9:00 - Both Jerry and I were in the office...

Everything's pretty normal...We managed emails, answered phone calls, had short meetings, set appointments, updated status reports, coordinated with team/counterparts via IRC, YM and Google talk....

10:45 - Jerry barged into my office in a state of surprise....

I looked at him in bewilderment as he spoke, his voice in attempted whisper but sounded more like a scream : "Nor... WE FORGOT JAKE!!!"

(Jake's class starts at 10 and ends at 12).

Safe(r) Trips Ahead...

I remember turning 180-degrees on a street in Sto. Nino after dropping off Ma at my Aunt's place. Before I could complete the bend, BOOM, I heard a loud popping noise from inside the engine. All of a sudden the steering wheel wouldn't move and dark fluid from the Pajero's bowels started to gush. Uh-oh. It was 9:30 PM. I was driving alone with no idea on car troubleshooting and the car was blocking half of the street!

Once, on our way to Jake's birthday party at City Sports Club, the car just went dead on us. After several attempts with the ignition...still nothing. Darn, just perfect... We were dressed for a party with then 1 year-old Jake cramped together with everyone in a taxi cab. We were running late for our own hosted party.

Last Christmas, we were going up the mountain to take Junnie and Mitzi to the Mountain View Resort when one of the giant hoses just burst open. We were stranded up there for a good hour until help came.

Just recently, at 5:30 PM, I drove from my office parking slot to the boys' bus stop. I noticed that the airconditioning system wasn't cooling enough. Freon problem, I thought. Jerry would be home the following day, he'd handle it. As I was driving back to my office with the boys, we noticed an unusual sound. I looked at the temp and LO! We were overheating!

Another car mishap here...

Ah, the travails of having an old car... We felt it was time for us to look for a replacement. There were a few options. We test-drove a few models. Criteria: 7-seater, CRDi, automatic transmission, no cash outlay, with trade-in program, and below commercial interest rate. After some negotiations, one dealer was just God-sent. ALL factors for consideration were actually met by this one. Yay!

Earlier this morning, we brought our 2-day old car to the church for blessing.

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Have a safe week everyone!