Loony Mooony Me

Well, well, well. What have we got here? This is the unplanned souvenir of yesterday's lunch with Kid A and Regina Spektor at Mooon Cafe at The Terraces. I swear I did not do it on purpose. I alternately used this table napkin and my hanky and I DID NOT notice I placed both inside my bag. Ugh, the shame.

The pig out was courtesy of Kid A. He got promoted (it is to remain a secret for now, so no telling please) and he gave in to my demands of a treat. We were going to have lunch at Handuraw; they were supposed to offer buffet lunch and dinner on Sundays but yesterday was different. The place was reserved for a group of people so buffet was available only for dinner. We ended up at Mooon Cafe instead.

It was going to be my first time at Handuraw but apparently, it is not to happen just yet.

Jeepney Chronicles in Pictures: Huwag po, huwag po! (No, please no!)

Woman driver (rushing out of MLhuillier): Sir, ayaw lang sir! Nagbayad ra man ko sa MLhuillier!

CITOM Officer (writing something down): Asa imong lisensiya?

Woman driver (on the verge of tears): Sir, ayaw lang gud sir. Kadali ra man kaayo ko nag-park!

CITOM Officer (with that grave baritone voice): Pakit-a ko sa imong lisensiya.

Oh, the terror CITOM officers induce! Wouldn't you love to wear that uniform?

Breakfast at Jacobo's Bistro

People working at IT Park never run out of options on where to eat for breakfast. There's McDonald's which serves breakfast meals as early as 2am at The Walk, there's Jollibee and KFC (on weekdays only) at I2, there's The Breakfast Club, Chowabungga, and Ila Puti at I1, there's Mocha Blends, Kul's, Brown Cup, IGrill, A'den Delicatessen, and Ron's Grill at Skyrise Bldgs 1 & 2 and there's also Tara's Cafe at Skyrise 3 which offers daily breakfast buffet. And of course, there are more than a few carenderias in Apas or fronting TESDA if you're looking to spend below Php30 on your meal.

My shift ends at 4AM and I don't usually stay at the office long enough to greet the sunrise but lately, I have been overstaying just so I could have breakfast with different sets of friends at a newly discovered "it" dining place.

I'm talking about Jacobo's Bistro located at Skyrise Building 3, Asiatown IT Park, directly behind Tara's Cafe. My friend Xtie and I met up for a planned activity two weeks ago and we were going to eat at KFC (the usual) however she, who visited Jacobo's for the first time the day before, insisted that I try it there, having been impressed with the food and the service. Jacobo's Bistro offers all-you-can-eat breakfast with free 1 round of iced tea or coffee for only Php100 plus 10% service charge from 7AM until 10AM everyday. (Now please don't react on the service charge; once you've visited the place, you'll understand why there's a need for it.) Jacobo's has nice interiors; it's quite small but oddly enough, it doesn't feel crowded at all. But what I primarily like about the place is the food. The dishes are well-prepared, they're tasty, and the selections are diverse. It doesn't matter whether you're the type who prefers toast or pancakes or if you're the typical Pinoy who prefers rice meals, you'll find what want in their menu. One may give a shot at eating all of their meals in one seating but I highly doubt anyone can go beyond 6 orders. I can only take 3. For first-timers, I recommend you try my top 3 favorites. (I prefer them in this order but you need not do the same)

Bangers and Egg with Potato

Crispy Pork Binagoongan with Tortang Talong

Pancake with Bacon

I might as well enjoy my visits at Jacobo's Bistro now while there's still not much competition because I know that it won't be long before people start lining up to demand for their breakfasts.

Baby You Can Drive My Car

As previously ranted, I am the most physically-uncoordinated person that ever walked. I'm a klutz; grace seems to elude me.

It's not one of the traits she's proud of but sadly, I take after my mother in this aspect. When I was 12, my father taught my mother how to drive. On Sundays, the entire family would go to the public school grounds and while we children played, my mother got her driving lessons from my father. I can still remember the last time my mother occupied the driver's seat of a car; they almost got into a mishap. The details are vague but if my memory serves me right, they almost ran into a kid so my mother swerved. Then she lost control and they would've fell off a ditch hadn't my father reacted fast enough. My mother swore off driving after that.

Now, I believe that what happened in your childhood influences the way you think or act in your adult life. For every time I imagine myself learning how to drive, I'd automatically think of this event and I'd lose my nerve. I would take on every reason that comes to mind just so I could put it off, scaredy cat that I am. If my best friend hadn't pushed me and nagged me into getting my SP and enrolling for lessons, the year would've ended with me none the wiser.

So how did I do? Brushing aside the occasional panic I induced on my instructors and the much-repeated "sa starting gani, kung buhi-an ang clutch unya dili nimo gas-an, mapalong jud nang sakyanan", I think I fared pretty well. I was uncharacteristically agile at following verbal instructions. I once maneuvered the steering wheel to the right using my left hand and at the same time set the gear to 1 using my right hand. I can multitask!!! It's truly unbelievable. It's empowering. This may not be much to you, but it's something I thought I'm incapable of doing. There may just be hope for me, after all.

Image from Google Images.

Jabbered Onion

Jabbered Onion, Bora, Feb '09

You were
a mentor, an advisor,
a listening ear, a sounding board..

You were
diversity and open-mindedness,
intelligence and spontaneous thinking..

You were
courage and boldness..

You are
an inspiration..

You'll always have my immense respect and belief. I know the grass is greener on the other side of the fence for you. We'll miss you!

Unwell

I like to say I'm healthy. I rarely get sick. In rarely, I mean I'm unable to recall the last time I had fever or the common cold. It's that rare. I've only been admitted in the hospital once and it was when I gave birth, which made it necessary.

That being said, I was adamant to admit that my body has finally succumbed to its mortal weaknesses. Last weekend's to and fro between cities, the whirlwind of events, and the lack of sleep has taken its toll. Sudden, jerking movements made me lightheaded so I walked around like I had five heads. There's this constant pounding in my head which made concentrating difficult and I had the urge to vomit every after eating. I was arrogant enough to think that all I needed was a good night's sleep but after getting sufficient sleep and feeling no improvement, I had to acknowledge that my body needed more. I took medication, I made sure to get as much sleep as I could, and I put off doing my laundry. Already, I'm feeling better and I expect to be my usual robust self by the end of the week.

Image from Google Images.

Jeepney Chronicles in Pictures: Jollibee Went to Town

A bee running wild in the streets.


Hey! Where do you think you're going?!

Jeepney Chronicles in Pictures: Air Drag Me to Hell

You're right. It's an open windshield. It only gets to be closed when it's raining. My father, who I was with during the 2-hour trip from Mati to Maragusan, did not think it was worth mentioning. By the time I realized what I was about to go through, it was too late to transfer. So I put my sunnies on and braved the wind and the cold. I'm never sitting in front again.

Let me let go

Gloomy, cold day,

like it knows what's to happen.

Enough. Let go.

Never again,

no more you.

Image from Google Images.

Maybellive

Premature demise brought about by my perpetual klutziness and my awfully slow reflexes.

Again.

I hate it when this happens.