Sony PSP God of War bundle

The Sony PSP Limited Edition God of War bundle is a slimmer shiny red PSP with silkscreened Kratos art at the back, God of War game and Superbad UMD movie.

From the day Gilbert first held it, he can't hide the smile on his face. He carries his gadget everywhere he goes. He even bought a red Capdase Alumor casing to protect it from scratches and dirt.

My hubby is a game enthusiast. He constantly clamored for this amazing handheld gaming console. I now understand why.


This sleek portable device has 4.3 wide screen LCD and powerful graphics. Aside from playing games, you can do a whole lot of other things such as store important files, listen to your favorite music, watch a cool DVD quality flick, preview your pictures, read an e-book and surf the net. Neat companion, eh?

Intercourses

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Looking at its front cover, I'm already seduced into getting a copy of this cook book. Intercourses by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge is a collection of classic aphrodisiac recipes and sensual food art.

Oysters, honey, chocolate, strawberries - ahh, sexy and yummy!

Seven Pounds: Movie Review

"I did something bad once and I'm never gonna be the same."

Starring:
Will Smith - Ben/Tim Thomas
Rosario Dawson - Emily Posa
Woody Harrelson - Ezra Turner
Michael Ealy - Ben's Brother

Directed by: Gabriele Muccino

I have to admit that we decided to watch this movie only because of its mysterious movie trailer.

I'm glad we did.

The story revolves around a compassionate IRS agent names Ben Thomas and his quest to track seven individuals who are in desperate need of help. The start of the film will glue you to your screen as it slowly unveils his intentions to make up for something he has done in the past. Seven Pounds highlights true feelings, sacrifice, forgiveness and selflessness.

Gilbert and I were strongly moved by this movie. We were sobbing! It is indeed an intense, mind boggling, rare and fantastically acted movie - definitely must see! It started slow but it ended with a sweeping conclusion. And if this movie won't touch the deepest part of you, you're not normal.

Five out of Five stars for me.

Is that our name?

Yesterday afternoon, we were at Robinson's Supermarket to grab a quick snack when I happen to notice the name of one employee.

It's a combination of me and my husband's name. I couldn't help but ask for a picture of his ID. Totally amazing!

The Right Cooking Oil For You

Filipinos can't get enough of frying almost any type of food - Fried Chicken, Fried Fish, Fried Hotdogs, Fried Rice, Fried Squid (Calamares), Fried Vegetable Rolls, Fried Eggplant and the list goes on. All that frying means we have to choose the healthiest cooking oils for our everyday meals.

Our bodies need fats because it provide essential fatty acids. Doctors still encourage us though to limit both Saturated Fats and Trans Fats in what we consume because of its association with cardiovascular diseases. These fats are found primarily in meat and dairy. Butter, vegetable shortening, and margarine also contain these bad fats so you may want to reduce them in your cooking.

Choose cooking oils with high concentration of Monounsaturated Fats and Polyunsaturated Fats because they lower the bad cholesterol.

For frying foods, use oils that will not burn in high heat such as canola oil, corn oil, sesame oil, or sunflower oil.

For salad dressing, add a little more flavor by trying avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil or walnut oil.

Other tips:

1. If you want to recycle the oil, use it two (or three at most) times only. More than that is unhealthy.

2. Separate the oil for fish and pork to prevent rancid smell.

3. Use oils sparingly in your cooking and preparation.

4. Store the cooking oil in a cool, dry place to keep its goodness.

Recipe: Torta (Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce)

Kapampangans call this recipe Torta but I learned from my mother-in-law that this is called Giniling in Tagalog. If you're a busy person and you don't have time to cook everyday, this is the perfect recipe for you. You can cook it on a Monday then store the rest in the refrigerator. Just re-heat a serving portion in the microwave and you have something to eat for the rest of the week.

Torta with Chinese Buns/Mantou

What you need to prepare:
-skillet

Ingredients:
-1/2 kilo lean ground pork
-2 medium potatoes, washed and diced
-1 medium green bell pepper, diced
-1 medium carrots, diced
-5 small tomatoes, finely chopped
-1 small pack of tomato sauce
-1 medium onion, sliced
-1 small garlic, crushed
-1 tbsp olive oil
-a pinch of salt
-a pinch of pepper

Let's start cooking:

1. In a skillet, saute garlic and onions with olive oil. Add ground pork until light brown or thoroughly cooked.

2. Add tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and green bell peppers. Stir fry for two minutes. Then season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour in tomato sauce and 1/2 cup water. Cover and let it stand for five minutes.

Serve with love!

NOTES:

1. My mom would add sliced hotdogs and green peas in this recipe while my mom-in-law's giniling recipe isn't complete without raisins.

2. You can eat this recipe with a hot bowl of white rice or Chinese buns (Mantou).

3. You can buy Chinese Buns in Robinson's Grocery, Nepo Mall. 12 buns is around Php50.00. Just steam the buns about 3 to 5 minutes and they're ready to eat.

4. For a more flavorful experience, try this recipe with a combination of 1/4 lean ground beef and 1/4 lean ground pork.

Sweet Suggestions for February

Love is still in the air! Here are eight ways you can show your man how he rocks your world. Some are taken from books or articles that I've read. The other suggestions are just from my mind - yet to be fulfilled.

1. At bedtime, put some lotion on his feet to moisturize them during these cold times.

2. Celebrate the chilly nights with an ice kiss. How? Melt an ice cube in your mouth until your mouth becomes cold and then plant a kiss that will give him chills!

3. This Valentine's Day, let him mess up your clean kitchen by cooking his special gourmet thing.

4. Dab a tiny drop of your perfume on his handkerchief or collar. He'll think of you the whole day.

5. Snuggle up to him while sipping that hot chocolate or watching the sad-ending movie.

6. Learn how to whisper in his ear with your mouth open.

7. Dig through his baby pictures and frame his funny or witty poses.

8. Conduct a careful study of his erogenous zones and make use of your knowledge.

Edsa Shangri-la Hotel - A Review

What I like about it: This is one of the best hotels in Manila, that's for sure! Just before you enter the lobby, there are K9 groups that will check your car and luggage that make you feel safe. The location is a major plus for tourists. It's just a stone throw away from Mega Mall, Shangri-la Mall and my favorite thrift mall, St Francis Square.

here's a view from my room

my room

I stayed there for three days and I get a nice bowl of fresh fruit every day.


The bed was comfortable, pillows are huge and fluffy.


And my favorite part, the bathroom! It's complete with a fresh flowers, lovely bath tub, telephone extension, and pipe-in television sounds.


I must say the breakfast at Heat is also superb. It's an open kitchen with varied choices of Chinese, American, Japanese and delicious local buffet. I was utterly confused on what food to eat first because there were like 50 dishes or more.

What needs to be improved: The front desk personnel were polite but I can't understand why checking-in should be a long wait. They stare at the monitors forever, not sure if they need upgraded computers or time management training. No problem for me because I wasn't in a hurry that time but I noticed several guests who are starting to be impatient with the waiting. Overall, I enjoyed my stay!

My ratings for this hotel are:
4 of 5 = Check in / front desk
5 of 5 = Quality of Service
5 of 5 = Value for Price
5 of 5 = Rooms (Bathroom, Kitchen, etc.)
5 of 5 = Cleanliness

Read more about Edsa Shangri-la Hotel.

Touching God

During a speaking activity in one of my training class, a quiet, bashful lady stood up and answered the question, "If you could take away something from someone, what would it be?"

The first two minutes of her reply was plain and sometimes humorous as she talked about her best friend. The last minute of her answer was a bit different. She suddenly turned emotional and her face red. There was a moment of silence inside the room. She chastely shared the ailing condition of her best friend's mother. I remember it vividly when she cried, "I want to take away her mom's illness. I want to help my friend but I don't have enough money. All I can do is pray for her mother."

I waited for the right time within the day and when I had it, I came closer to her and whispered, "You're doing your friend and her mother a really, really big favor." She gave me a confused look so I continued, "Prayer is the most powerful and most precious gift you can give someone. You don't have to say that all you can do is pray. Instead, you can tell her that you will continue to pray for her mother's recovery. That is a very big help, more than you can imagine." I embraced her tightly and she cried even more.

This is the exact message of the author Dr Harold J. Sala in his book, "Touching God: Guidelines for Personal Prayer".


Praying for someone is being selfless. It means you are enthusiastic to prioritize the needs of others than your personal interests. This book talks about the awesome power of prayer which is often neglected and under-utilized. It reveals about how the conversation should just flow out of our heart. The daily reflections deepen our spiritual roots as it increase our faith. Some of the chapters are Praying without an agenda, Praying as a couple, If God doesn't answer your prayer, What's on your prayer list?, When you pray, Forgive and so on.

Gilbert and I started reading it last week, just before we sleep. Every page is indeed very inspiring and life-changing.

May you also be blessed and touch God's heart through prayers.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Those sweet bunch of fresh flowers would surely melt a lady's heart on V day.

Make me an exception.

Well, okay, I lied. I like flowers but a single white rose is enough to make me smile. Watching the late night news, I can't imagine how a dozen of roses could cost up to a thousand pesos. With today's global crisis, it's not really practical to use all that money for flowers.

Gilbert knows me too well I guess. He spent the last few days making me my Valentine's Gift - a gorgeous, sturdy kitchen rack. I've been telling him how I like to enhance our kitchen space for my everyday cooking. He bought the steel from a junk shop, repainted and cut it equally. The thick wood and high pressure laminates (HPL) were purchased from the newly opened Wilcon Builders in Dau, Pampanga.

almost done

All kitchen clutter is now gone!

I didn't get any teddy bear, balloon, flowers nor chocolates for V Day. We didn't dine in an overpriced restaurant along with everyone else in the world. And it's perfectly fine.

Gilbert and I enjoyed the company of our families instead with a home-made dinner. No traffic jam, no horrific crowd. Just tons of laughter and stories. Having all of them in my life means more to me than anything else.

Oh and by the way...

I also got this La Senza sheer luxe mesh from my Valentine date. I was totally surprised and I love it!

Thanks sweetie! Happy Hearts' Day to everyone!

Our Love Potion

While most couples spend on expensive figurines, candles or paper weight as their wedding favors, we opted to give our personal brand of bottled water to our guests. It definitely added a mark of distinction on our wedding favors. The idea is cute, unique and most of all, practical.


We operate a purified water station in Dau, Mabalacat so we decided to customize the water label that would fit our wedding motif. Each bottle has 500ml of Liña Agua Purified Water and a personalized label "Love Potion".

I made the sticker sweet and simple. I've included not only our names and wedding date but also our message of thanks to our family and friends for sharing with us our big day. Check out the personalized nutritional facts and the bar code with a note saying "Just Re-married". (We had a simple civil wedding a few months before our church wedding.)

The bottles were placed on the guest tables so everyone can enjoy a cold, refreshing drink while watching the wedding program. If you're interested in ordering personalized bottled water as your wedding favors, feel free to email me.

Recipe: Lechon Kawali (Pan Fried Pork)

This is a classic Filipino food so if you want to cook for a Pinoy friend or guest, this will certainly bring him a wide smile. All meat lovers will also enjoy this crispy, pan fried pork.


What you need to prepare:
-frying pan with cover
-tissue paper

Ingredients:
-1/2 kilo liempo
-canola oil
-a pinch of salt
-a pinch of pepper
-3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Let's start cooking!

1. Rub liempo slices with salt and pepper. Let it stand for five minutes.

2. Heat oil in frying pan until very hot. Have your cover ready. While heating the pan, sprinkle the pork slices with some flour.

3. Carefully put liempo in the frying pan. Cover the pan and reduce to medium heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Turn the pork over and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until light to golden brown.

4. Remove from pan and completely drain on paper towels before serving.

Serve with love!

NOTES:
1.You may also use pork belly however, you my need to boil the meat prior to frying.

2. Sprinkling some flour before frying will prevent the oil to spatter but maintains the meat's crispiness.

3. If you want a less greasy meat, you can simply season the pork slices with salt and pepper and use a turbo broiler. It'll remove the fats and you don't have to worry about the spattering as well.

4. A crushed garlic-vinegar dip or plain tomatoes will be a delicious complement for this recipe. Enjoy your meal!

English P and F sound

When we don't know how to spell a word, we normally just write it like how we say it. The only problem is that if we couldn't pronounce it right then we definitely couldn't spell it correctly either.


I saw this sign in one of the city's markets and as a former call center trainer, I know how challenging it is for most Filipinos to speak words with p and f sounds.

The greeting "Good Afternoon" becomes "Gud Apternun". Saying "I feel fine" becomes "I pil pine" or even explaining a situation like "The charge is part of your monthly fee" may sound like "The charge is fart of your monthly pee."

Doesn't sound good huh?

Mispronouncing both p and f sound not only affects your accent but also changes the message that you want to deliver to the receiver.

To produce the p sound: Place your lips together and force out the air very shortly

To produce the f sound: Gently bite your lower lip and push your voice and air out with a continued sound

Try pronouncing these sounds correctly as a simple drill. It may help improve your pronunciation which will make it easier for you to get your message across accurately at the same time.

Australia Movie Review

"Just because it is, doesn't mean it should be."

Starring:
Nicole Kidman - Lady Sarah Ashley

Hugh Jackman - The Drover
David Wenham - Neil Fletcher
Brandon Walters - Nullah

Two thumbs up for Director Baz Luhrmann. Australia is a right blend of romance, adventure, comedy and drama. It's like watching three stories in one movie: first, the social justice for the half-caste or aboriginal generation; second, the epic romance of Lady Ashley and the rugged Drover; and third, the world war/Darwin bombing.

A young half-caste boy named Nulla tells the story of uppercrust Brit Lady Ashley who arrives in the wilds of Australia to look for her skirt-chasing husband, only to find herself caught in a land struggle with a ruthless competitor. With the help of the untamed cattle Drover and some loyal employees, Lady Ashley tries to lead her herd on a grueling trek to Darwin. Their journey gets more complex after they arrive at the cattle station.

The movie is unbelievably almost three hours long but I had a great time watching every scene. The erotic chemistry between the funny, charming Nicole and the hunky Hugh is simply amazing.

It's an overload of characters, events and styles but Luhrmann glued it together and delivered a big-hearted melodramatic entertainment.

Four out of Five stars for me.

You think you don't need PhilHealth?

Think again!

If you're wise and you think about protecting your family, you shouldn't neglect your health care insurance. PhilHealth is a Philippine Government health care program. It only costs Php300.00 every quarter and you get both outpatient and inpatient coverage. It may not be as comprehensive as American health care but it's not bad, eh?

For the past years, I had very little knowledge about my insurance and benefits. My recent resignation pushed me to take a closer look of our coverage. Soon enough, Gilbert and I headed to the Angeles City branch. I was honestly expecting an exhausting and difficult experience like all the horror stories I hear about local government offices. To my surprise, it took us only less than an hour to accomplish what we intend to do.

We were informed politely by the security guard/information assistant on what form to fill-up and which area to proceed. The next lady from the Membership Section was very friendly and concerned about our queries. I deactivated my membership so that Gilbert can add me as his dependent. After about ten minutes, they handed our new Member Data Record so our last step was to proceed to the Cashier and pay for our coverage. It was that easy!

There were enough chairs for everyone and best of all, the entire room was cool enough so waiting for a few minutes doesn't make people frown. Kudos to the management of PhilHealth Angeles City! The office is located at Nepo Mart II, Nepo Commercial Complex, Angeles City.

one month after...

Have you ever been repelled by the dust, bits of food and muck that fly out when shaking your keyboard upside down? For the longest time, I felt like an overused keyboard with all the gunk inside. I know I had to rearrange my life.

Seeing me unhappy and burned out with my job several months ago, Gilbert urged me to quit, remove all worries and just allow him to love me.

And I did.

How can I refuse his sincere eyes, gentle voice and unselfish request?

So one month ago, with a great amount of boldness and energy, I resigned.

Today, one month after, how I wish I made the decision sooner.

I got what I needed - more time with my family, stress-free life, luxury of time, spiritual nourishment, cleaner home, home cooked meals, a sound mind and a sound body. I let go of all my apprehensions about work benefits, regular pay checks and financial matters. Those are not my responsibilities anyway. Those are Gilbert's responsibilities. I'm allowing him to be in-charge. I'm letting him love me.

Chance by Chanel

I received this perfume as I gift and I'm totally in love with it! The clean, long lasting scent is wonderful and it makes me feel sexy too! It has a heavy scent so I suggest you use it at night. Thanks to my good friend for this lovely gift! It's definitely essential in my perfume collection.

Giving Yoga Another Chance

I've always been fascinated with the art of dancing and science of yoga. The discipline and artfully orchestrated movements of the yogis are remarkable if not inconceivable. Way back in college, I bought a beginner yoga book. I read it only for a few weeks and I realized it has been collecting dust in my book shelf since then. My brother gave me a yoga mat few years ago as a Christmas present. Squeezed between a wall and closet, it has never been used nor unrolled. Thanks to my dependable Cosmo planner, I was once again urged to fulfill my deferred desire for Yoga.

I surfed the net to confirm some of its proven benefits. Surprisingly, this unique practice pays off not only my physical agility (which I badly need), mindfulness, or spiritual openness but more so it could rev up my "love bed batteries". No wonder yoga enthusiasts always seem so euphoric. They are more in harmony with their own mind and body, making them a better partner.

Following basic moves a few times this week might work for my new, thrilling adventure.

Oberoi Bangalore - A Review

I fled to Bangalore, India to attend a business training in November 2004. It was my very first time to travel internationally and I was so thankful to have such wonderful experience in Oberoi.


What I like about it: The hotel's location is great for tourists since it is near the market, church and shopping districts. My room was very spacious and I had a balcony with a nice view of the lush gardens.

Because the hotel is in the heart of shopping district and the doors to each room are external, it can be a little noisy. It's not that bad in my opinion though because each room has a hall door between the main door & the bedroom space that could block the street noise.

The best part is the hotel's top class dining. I always look forward to the sumptuous continental breakfast at Le Jardin. My colleagues and I usually eat lunch at the trainng center so when we reach the hotel at night, we feast on authentic Chinese Szechwan style in Szechwan Court. We also tried the fabulous alfresco dining at the hotel's Thai restaurant.

The overall ambiance of the hotel is amazing - lots of greens, streams and ponds. At the end of each day, I soak in the tub for thirty minutes or so and enjoy the relaxing moment.


What needs to be improved: Just a very minor incident upon check-in - The front desk officer is persistent in having my personal credit card. I had to convince her it was a business trip before she finally gave me my room number. She was very polite but she could have just checked our company's reservation details beforehand. When I told my boss about the incident, he was totally surprised because he called the front desk a few minutes before I arrived to confirm my airport arrival.

My ratings for this hotel are:
4 of 5 = Check in / front desk
5 of 5 = Quality of Service
5 of 5 = Value for Price
5 of 5 = Rooms (Bathroom, Kitchen, etc.)
5 of 5 = Cleanliness

homemade body scrub

Scrubbing your skin at least once or every other month will help remove dead skin cells and promote healthy skin. There are numerous spa centers within Angeles City and body scrub service ranges from Php420-Php850. If you want to cut down your personal expenses, just head towards your kitchen cabinet and make your own body scrub.


Begin by hunting for ingredients that will exfoliate and moisturize your skin. I'm sure you have brown sugar, salt or coffee in your kitchen cabinet. Your next step is to look for a moisturizer such as coconut oil, olive oil, honey or avocado. These will keep your skin looking younger and smooth. Then adding a little fragrance or aroma such as vanilla or lemon will make a nice complement.

NOTE: If you're allergic to any of these ingredients, please do not use them as a scrub.

Here's my favorite homemade scrub recipe:

Mix together one cup brown sugar, one cup organic oatmeal, one half cup honey and about three tablespoon of lemon or calamansi juice. Apply the mixture all over your neck, arms, body and legs with gentle, circular motions. Let it dry for a minute then rinse off with lukewarm water.

You don't need to spend a fortune to look and feel great. All you need to do is put together the right ingredients that appeals to you and enjoy your healthy smooth skin!