Lil Green Patch

I am not often in Facebook, of the two widgets there, (of which I am not really fond of) I like sending plants, weeding other people's garden and chasing rainbows in Lil Green Patch; maybe because I like the idea that the sponsors pay for saving a square foot of the world's rainforest if people continue to play with the widget, so here I find myself logging in everyday excited of the plants I receive or I get to send to friends. Proudly, I saved 11 square feet of rainforest and hopefully more before the game ends.

Fancy Nails

I rarely paint my fingernails for practical reasons, they chip off easily if you constantly wet them or if you work with your hands. But one boring Friday, I was out brainstorming for a birthday present for a friend when I came by The Kuku Bar (The Nail Bar) and without much of a thought, decided to have my nails done. I have seen this featured on T.V. in "Rated K" and I hadn't thought much about it until I saw the shop.

Of course, the choice of color is red with white flower prints. I basically had to choose in their catalogue the design I wanted and then they print the design on my nails. Initially, they coated the nails with white nail polish. When it is dry, you have to put your hands in a "printer" where your nails get sprayed with the design, and in just 3 minutes per hand, you get fancy nails. Believe me when I say, that it relieved me from boredom, when I type, I can't help but smile looking at my nails...some may call it vanity but to me, it's art. Nail art.

5.00 AM along De la Rosa St. Makati City

If you work the night shift, and you are out to go home early in the morning, you will catch this scene along De la Rosa Avenue going to Makati Medical Plaza. These are possibly the newspapers sold all over Makati during the day. Assorted newspapers, tabloids and magazines being sorted on the street, a sight unseen for a person up and about during the day.

Elephant-Shaped Chocolates

This was gift from a very good friend when she went to a conference in Thailand. I was so thrilled with this elephant-shaped chocolates with almonds in its core, that I refused to eat them until I took a picture of them.

Trip to Talisay, Batangas

I am lucky to have an Uncle who lives 10 minutes away from the shore of the scenic Taal Lake and though I never get to take the boat ride across the lake to the volcanic crater, here are the photos I took of the view...the ordinary market life, the boats, the houses with low fences and the vast wonderful sky.

The small boats unloading tilapia from the fishpens sold just a few minutes walk from the port. Occassionally, the fish vendors would walk to the edge of the lake and dip a net full of fish still struggling for its last breath.

The lake may look calm but in the middle, it can get rough...

The fishpens from a distance. The major source of water pollutant is the fish feed that simply sinks at the bottom, undissolved causing the water to be murky, affecting as well the taste of the fish.

The Lamp Post. The swirling, cottony clouds. The bright blue big sky...

I took this photo because I find this a rather unique scene in a Philippine wet market. I have never seen live tilapia sold from a makeshift fishpen, where fish vendors simply scoop them out, weigh them and clean them for you.

Tawilis. The fish Taal lake is known for. My aunt wanted me to buy a kilo to bring back to Manila. I was averse to the idea because even if it is cooked, its messy to bring fish if you were to travel one hour and half or more to Manila -- in an airconditioned bus where it will possibly smell nasty of fish!

There are a few of these old, traditional houses around the town. It amazes me how the fences are low (it means a few burglars or none at all?) Even for the modern style houses which actually resembles the old ones. What caught me is that unlike the elaborate, rather luxurious designs of Visayan houses, this is more of the miniature version, compact and space-saving.

MP3 Site

I was just checking out this MP3 Site: http://www.mp3-codes.com
Just trying out the html if it's going to work for this blogspot
as well. ;)




Nicole Sherzinger - Baby Love

Which Super Villain are you?

I get all these quizzes from friends and just for the fun of it, I would often check it out.
Your results:
You are Mystique

Mystique 90% Catwoman 83% Dr. Doom 80% Apocalypse 75% Poison Ivy 75% Dark Phoenix 74% Green Goblin 74% Magneto 72% Mr. Freeze 70% Riddler 70% Venom 68% Two-Face 66% The Joker 65% Lex Luthor 60% Kingpin 51% Juggernaut 50%

Sometimes motherly, sometimes a beautiful companion, but most of the time a deceiving vixen.

Click here to take the Super Villain Personality Test

The Donut Test

You Are a Glazed Donut

Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that. You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness. Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone dig you. And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten.

What Donut Are You?

Want to Know What Kind of Lover You Are?

I've had this tickle account for ages and I was browsing through the tests and found this. Should you wish to know about your love personality type visit this site: http://web.tickle.com/tests/lovetype

If you are curious of my love personality result, read below. The letters above classify my personality it said I match with four other personality type and one of those is INTJ.

About 12% of the US population possesses the combination traits that make up this personality type.

Being as ESTJ, you stand out among the crowd for all kinds of reasons. Among your unique qualities are a strong determination and a sharp mind. Together, this means that an honest day's work isn't likely to strike fear into your heart. On the contrary you're one who can truly appreciate commitment to a job well done. This steadfast nature usually carries over to your relationship as well; you're rarely one to run off because things have gotten tough. This is an admirable quality. Your philosophy of relationships appears much like your work ethic. You're the kind who believes that what you put into the relationship is typically what you get back. Because of this no-nonsense approach, you aren't the type to overwhelm others with your warm and fuzzy ways. However when people want to hear the truth, they should knock on your door.

This is sooo true about me. Excited to find out what your result will be too? Then take the test.

What You Probably Don't Know About Using Google

There is only one search engine that I use and that is google. Not only do I like the clutter-free, minimalist design of the webpage, I when I search something on the web is always come up with more options than my the search engine of yahoo or msn. There is all the more reason to love google, unless of course, you already know the following tricks:

10. Get Local time. Type what time is it, followed by any city to get the current time.


9. Track Flight Status. Enter the airline and flight number to find out the departure time and estimated time for arrival for any flight.


8. Convert Currency, Metrics, Bytes and More. Google has a built-in converter calculator. You enter quarter cup in teaspoons, seconds in a year, US dollars in Euros, and countless others.


7. Search for pages that are "Better than," "Similar to," or "Reminds me of:" Enter Better than + keyword" or "similar to + keyword" to find webpages you never knew existed.


6. Use google as a free proxy. Enter Cache:website.com to view a website that's been blocked in your computer from using.


5. Remove Affiliated Links from Product Sources. To avoid seeing search results from certain sites: Enter site:website.com


4. Find Related Items: Enter ~ before any search term to find related items as well.


3. Find music and comic books. Enter -inurl:(htm\html\php) intitle: "index of" + "last modified" + "parent directory" + description + size (wma\mp3) "band or comic book name" to find music files and comic books



2. See Images of People, Objects etc.: Type in a search term, and click on images to see photo of the results.


1. Search for Faces. If you're looking for a a photo of a person named Rose and don't want to see photos of a flower, add &imgtype=face to the end of your image search. It will show you only images of faces.


Source: Lifehacker.com, 2 January 2008

My Very Own Baby Back Ribs!

Nothing is as delicious as to nibble, bite and chew on a bone. This recipe is the result of my gastronomic adventures to Burgoo, Chili's, Tony Romas and even Kenny Roger's. I came up with my very own version.

My friend, Lissette and fiance was the first to taste it, as my way of congratulating them for their coming wedding next year. I guess I'll be seeing them around since they'll definitely come and visit for dinner some time soon.

Scenes from Jupiter Street (Part 2)

The so-called Red Light District of Makati and how it looks like in my time when I happen to pass by it. I don't go there everyday. Who knows how it will look like ten years from now?

Scenes from Jupiter Street (Part 1)

Me and Mox (my auntie's godson) was walking home from Coco Cabana and passed by Jupiter Street. Unexpectedly, as I was taking some random pics I come across the new Magdalenes of the night.

They unhesitatedly posed for my cam, with Mox in the middle and when I was done, they came to me too excited to see the picture I took of them. Then they walked away and disappeared at the end of the street.

Coco Cabana

Last night was Thanksgiving and was a holiday in the U.S. -- no work for us (I am talking Philippine time). It was perk night organized by our office. It was fun night where we get to witness some of the account's talent sing, dance and play in a band. This restaurant and bar is located in Kalayaan Ave, near Jupiter Street, Makati City.

Back to Basics

It's as if I have never applied for a job before but as I was updating my resume, I realized that I put in details I don't think is relevant to the job I wanted to get in. So, I did a quick internet search and found a useful site that exactly described that the way I want my resume to be: simple and concise.

I used to remember how my cousin complained how a pain in the neck it was to edit his father's 20 page long resume, with data that dates back to the 1970's. When he has successfully cut the pages down to seven, my uncle had to intervene and say enough -- maybe my uncle needs this site or anyone out there who may want to rethink how their resumes should be done.

Hope this is helpful:

http://www.forbes.com/business/2005/06/29/cx_sr_0630bizbasicslide.html?thisSpeed=6000

Sniffing Rugby

This boy posed for my camera without hesitation, water bottle in hand, sniffing the rugby inside.

Seeing it truly breaks my heart...

Rugby Boys

Someone asked why would I take a photo of such a ghastly sight? I said I took this photo because it is an image of a society I lived in. I try to preserve it in my memory so I wouldn't take for granted the fact that every night of my childhood I lie snug in bed, story book in hand, feeling safe and loved.

It may look like any other street urchin but see the water bottle in his arm? Inside is rugby, just an ordinary household adhesive used to glue together a shoe or the torn side of a leather sofa. In a T.V. documentary made by a Karen Davila, rugby was shown as one cheap inhalant popular among teenagers, alarmingly a rampant choice for substance abuse.

Long After it is Gone

I sort of let this cartoon hang here a bit until I am able to collate my thoughts on it. I read somewhere that men love when there is hope and women love long after it is gone...Men simply leave when they are unhappy and being in a circle of guy friends caught up between gal friends, I couldn't help but be sandwiched between the perennial misunderstanding between the sexes in the aspect of relationship, love and commitment.

I am no expert in this subject and so for quite a time after one big failure, I find myself involved in several meaningful platonic relationships. I have observed and confirmed from my guy friends, that men after quite some time in relationships eventually get bored. Often, they make subtle moves to give the girls the excuse to leave them and most the time, this befuddles the girl, clueless of the reason why there are tell-tale signs that the relationship is near its end. As how a favorite guyfriend puts it, "Only a scumbag will initiate a break-up. It's an unpleasant situation but we always give the girl a graceful exit."

That's why love is a commitment. You stay even though you feel like you will "cut and run." There was a study in psychology that men after 25 years of age, are more likely to commit because the frontal cortex of the brain has completed its development. Staying away from men until they are 25 is probably a good choice -- but then each person's mind, maturity and perpective in life has a pace and design of its own.

Grandfather's Apprentice (Part 2)

My grandfather also runs a pizza shop that has three branches. I recall that he modified the recipe of the crust, built the oven and the tin plates to bake it in. Every morning of my early childhood I spent watching him mix the flour and knead the dough. But the exciting part for me and my cousin Andre is in the afternoon, when he gets to inspect for rejected crusts, with us looming in the background, waiting like hungry vultures. Then, he would spread margarine and sugar on top of the "rejected crust," bake it and give it to us for merienda (Spanish for an "afternoon snack").

The old house has several French windows which my grandfather built and I love sleeping in them in the afternoon. This is where you put the pillows in the morning so the sun can shine on them and in the afternoon, when the cool breezes blows, a wonderful time to get a siesta (Spanish for "an afternoon nap").

I have not thought of how he had made much influence in my life not until this Sunday afternoon when I was fixing the broken switch of my study lamp and thought how can I have such a knack for fixing things. Well, not only I have a manual for it at home in Iloilo but I remembered that as a young girl, I would hang like a cloud following my grandfather as he fixes things in the house.

In this more modern times, where families are more nuclear than extended, I feel privileged to have lived at a time when I lived with grandparents, uncles and aunts.

Grandfather's Apprentice (Part 1)

If my grandfather from the maternal side had lived to this day, he would have reached 100 years. I remembered that when he was 97, he used to talk about how he would like us to throw him a huge party to celebrate a century of being alive, that is only if his body had held out for him for three more years.

Of my fondest memories of growing up in the old house, he has left everywhere a tell-tale signs of his resourcefulness and ingenuity. He created doors that lock automatically from the outside and when you pull a string, it opens. He fashioned that kind door to prevent the horde of chickens that run freely in the yard, from entering the house and creating a havoc.

I also remembered that come dusk, when he turns the T.V. on for the evening news, he would sleep within the hour, so from an old baking timer, he created a jack where he could plug the T.V. on, turn the dial to an hour, and it would automatically switch the T.V. off after an hour has passed.

The two huge trees of chicos (a brown fruit with a sweet, somewhat sandy flesh) in the terrace was planted when my mother was only seven years old. He planted them, having gotten the seedlings from the Department of Agriculture where he worked as the head. What is amazing about the trees is that it bears chicos, bigger than your fists and this was a rare variety I have never seen again, unlike the regular breed which bears the round smaller one, as big as golf balls.

P.S. to be continued in part two since longer articles cannot be posted with spaces for paragraphs...