My Asinine Thoughts

I had dinner with my high school friends at Zao the other night to celebrate Sabrina’s birthday (part 2). I organized the get-together this time around and my hair almost turned white because it was so difficult finding a day when they would all be free. We finally settled on Monday night and when I got to Serendra, the place looked almost deserted because: #1 it was Monday, #2 it was raining incessantly, #3 it was Monday.

It’s probably been a few years since we were complete like this because I’m always out of the country and Cresta is always either out of town or out of the country as well (she’s an FA). This dinner was also important because it would be a few years before we could ever get together like this again since Rosey is moving to Texas and I’m going back to California.

It’s stupid to think that things will not change when everything changes all the time. Someone gets married, someone starts a family, someone moves abroad, someone is always busy with work, or someone’s mobile number and home address keep changing (Mawee? Where are you?). But I’d like to think that the one thing that cannot be changed is the friendship we started when we were kids. These women will always be my friends no matter where I am or no matter how many years have passed since we saw each other last.

from left: Neth, Rosey, Sab, Crez, Me, Jo

newlywed Lyneth, ready to move Rose, MIL sufferer Sabrina

sexy Cresta, crazy Me, supermom Jo

may nakita si Rose sa kabilang table na mukhang interesting so nag order din kami

Mukhang kropek, amoy kropek, lasang kropek... it's KROPEK!

Jo's dessert (Chelsea)

Zao: The shaking beef was tasty and oh so tender.

Chelsea: The chocnut and nutella cakes were yummy! I want to try the cookie dough cheesecake next.

I went out with Jeff and Gina for dinner in Taipei yesterday to unwind after a week of hard work (just Gina actually). Jeff had a discount coupon for this poshy Thai cuisine restaurant located on the 6th floor of the Eslite building in Xinyi, so we succumbed to the promise of glorious food. It was an eat-all-you-can place so Jeff and I made sure we didn’t eat much for breakfast and lunch. In fact we only had french toast for brunch. Jeff did the cooking, and I did the washing up (my usual role in these rare forays into the kitchen). Jeff made a pretty decent french toast, I must admit. I have been encouraging his interest in the culinary arts for purely selfish reasons of course.

When we got to the restaurant, we were told that the coupon Jeff had was no good during weekends so they offered us a 10% discount instead, a couple of beats to make a decision…
Syempre go pa rin! We’ve been thinking about Thai food since the other day and you know how it is when you’re so looking forward to something that you can’t seem to see past it. There was no seeing past my desire to eat pad thai. No way no how.

After spending more than 2 hours in the restaurant, we stumbled out and headed straight to the bookstore where I RESISTED TEMPTATION! I didn’t buy the latest Empire magazine (aray! aray!) because it costs NT$410 or around $13 US. The price didn’t go up, it’s my money that has gone down is all. I also wanted to buy the latest Details magazine with Christian “swoon” Bale on the cover, but Gina was with me and she stopped me and put some sense into my head. Mental note: never bring Gina whenever I go magazine shopping (haha! joke! joke!)

I also wanted to visit my favorite bookstore located in the 101 mall and I was curious to see what it looked like now that it’s smaller in size (according to Jeff). I went, I saw, and I was so disappointed! It’s a shadow of its former self, my poor poor favorite bookstore of the past. It has been chopped to almost half its size I think! People should read more and buy more books, really!

In Reno…I just saw my brother for the first time in almost 7 years.
In Reno…it’s very very cold, but no snow yet.
In Reno…there’s A LOT of static. I’m afraid of touching the doorknob, my computer, other people, the dog, the car, the microwave, my bangs, the light switch, the… ok, I’m afraid of touching a lot of things right now.
In Reno…we went to an eat-all-you-can sushi restaurant. Am I in Heaven?
In Reno…my face breaks out. I’ve never had so many zits in my life. No exaggeration. I’m silently panicking inside and about this close to asking for a visit to the dermatologist as my Christmas gift this year.
In Reno…one can find my brother’s house and it’s a very nice place to veg. I’ve barely moved since Monday.
In Reno…there’s my sister-in-law Aileen’s treadmill, which I haven’t used yet.
In Reno…there are a lot of casinos. This may be common knowledge but I didn’t know. I played for a couple of minutes and lost all the money I put in. Shit.
In Reno…I had an In-N-Out Burger for the first time and I now understand why it’s called In-N-Out. After eating our burgers, my brother, my sister-in-law and myself had an upset stomach and had to move our bowels right away. In, then out.

The Third Turkey (11/22/2007):

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Jamie’s family in Daly City (where there are about a billion Filipinos according to the J-man). I had a lot of fun eating, eating and eating since his relatives made a lot of food for everybody. I had lumpia, salmon, mashed potatoes, pancit, sioma, biko, cream puff, chocolate cheesecake, and of course turkey! Great combination ano?

The Second Turkey (11/21/2007):

Atsi still had work the day before Thanksgiving so I accompanied her to her school and joined her class in the celebration. We had to cook and prepare the food first though. Atsi’s students are really sweet and nice and I felt like I was a kindergarten teacher again although this time the students were a hell of a whole lot bigger!

Atsi’s first ever turkey (that she had to cook herself) turned out to be more than edible, it was yummy! Success!

The First Turkey:

I suggested we watch this movie.
I HATE Zack Helm now.
I’m never going to live this one down.

I Miss the breakfast food:

Fan Twan. There’s rice, pork floss, fried egg, buchi, and something else but the result is yummy!

Hwo Tway Tan Ping (egg pancake with ham)

Piping hot tow tsiyang (soy)

I Miss the bread:

This is my favorite. There’s chocolate and cream filling and the bread is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I Miss the street food:

Fried Noodles

Jeff & Joyce’s favorite sa night market: Onion Pancake

Xiao Long Pao! My favorite mini siopaos right at the entrance of the night market

Street food near Jeff’s place. Most of the dishes there are winners!

I just got my e-ticket today. Grabe! Ang mahal! I thought the peso was strengthening against the dollar? How can I ever fulfill my dream of traveling all over the world if ticket prices are so steep? (Get a job for one, loser!)

I should have been more careful with my money when I was in Taiwan so that I could travel around Asia during my Pinas break. Cebu Pacific fares are so cheap! Even if I add the leche fee at immigration, pwede pa rin! I was supposed to visit my best bud Cheryl last August and I bought the ticket already and everything, but forces beyond my control prevented me from going to HK. Bwiset.

Definitely next year when I come back from my vacation (from my Pinas break), I will make sure to put aside enough money for traveling and further studies when I start working na. I would love, love, love to backpack through Asia. All I need is the money and a traveling buddy or two who wouldn’t mind roughing it a bit since it’s going to be an el cheapo trip all the way!

I’m 29 today and I’m depressed as hell. I chose to postpone my birthday celebration tonight because I’m just totally bummed out with life. I asked papa not to buy cake or cook anything because I’m really not in the mood. Since I was feeling down, I decided to go on a diet so that hawa-hawa na. Dieting always depresses me (I do it so often, one would wonder why I’m not stick-thin yet) and since I was feeling depressed anyway, might as well make the most of it.

Bawi na lang next week because I have several cakes in mind that I want to eat. There’s Honey Crunch Cake and Mango Torte from Dasma, Chocolate Mousse from Red Ribbon, Choco Roll and Plain Mocha Birthday Cake from Goldilocks, and the Frozen Brazo that ditsi made me try when I came home a couple of months ago. I couldn’t find Kookie Korner anywhere in Glorietta but I haven’t given up. I’ve also been dreaming about Japanese food for the past few days. I really really want and I’m requesting some of my friends to humor me and eat at a Japanese restaurant when we go out. I can practically taste the Philadelphia Maki with Salmon! Yum!

A few days after I moved into my room, I heard a racket outside my window. I thought some of our neighbors were fighting but I still went to the window to check and saw: a bunch of people playing sabong in front of the house at 7:30 in the frakkin’ morning! That’s Caloocan for you.

When I leave the house, I still see a bit of blood on the ground sometimes. Poor chickens! Although it is hypocritical of me to feel bad at the way the sabongeros treat the chickens since I have probably consumed more than my fair share of chicken. There’s fried chicken, roasted chicken, barbecued chicken, broiled chicken, steamed chicken, grilled chicken, chicken nuggets, popcorn chicken, chicken curry, chicken kebab, chicken pie, and other kinds of chicken. Chicken chicken chicken. I can eat chicken everyday for months!

Whenever I think about becoming a vegetarian, I think of chicken and the moment passes.

My family is also into chicken. Our parents were able to raise us because of fried chicken after all. My siblings prefer the drumstick and thigh parts while my mom likes the wing part. My father and I though prefer the breast part. I don’t like seeing blood on my food and the meat in other parts isn’t as soft or doesn’t look as clean. We will NOT eat anything but the breast part, even if we’re really really hungry. I might be persuaded to eat the neck though provided the cook uses our own special seasoning, but only as a snack.

It makes ordering chicken a bit of a hassle sometimes since I’m so particular about the part. I remember ordering ChickenJoy once at Jollibee Buendia and requesting the pecho (chicken breast). The idiot counter boy handed me a thigh. I told him I wanted the breast part, pecho in Filipino! He insisted that pecho didn’t mean breast. Minutes passed as we argued and then I took a deep breath… and shouted for the manager.

I came across this a few years ago. Very funny.

I haven’t had a Coke Light in exactly 1 month. While other people are addicted to coffee, I have a Coke Light addiction. I luuurrrvvv Coke Light. We had a rocky start before when it abruptly replaced my much beloved Diet Coke, but after several weeks, the taste grew on me.

Sadly, my carbonated drinks consumption must come to an end. I had to go to the hospital last month because I was having difficulty breathing. The doctor told me I had reflux and hyperacidity so I had to cut back on soda, chocolate and tomatoes among other things. All three are part of my basic food group! It would kill me to eliminate all at the same time so I started with the soda. I’d probably start cutting back on tomatoes when I turn 40. I also luuurvvv spaghetti you see.

The chocolate I think I’d give up when I’m dying already. Life has no meaning without chocolate. Which reminds me, I have to buy the chocolate cake from Kookie Korner soon before I leave. I don’t even know if there’s still a Kookie Korner in Unimart or Glorietta. Guess I’ll find out soon enough.