Yummy Gensan: Baby Back Ribs at Bigby's

The Baby Back Ribs - the look of it makes me drool. This is Laiza's meal at Bigby's which I chose as a feature for this post. I cannot say anything about the taste because I don't eat pork, at least the ribs but I was almost tempted to because its glazy appearance is 'seducing' me. 

I first wanted to feature the Cream of Lettuce because it's my first taste of lettuce in a soup and not in a salad. Plus I love anything in cream. Plus I love anything hot and not spicy. But it's not in their menu regularly. It just happens to be the soup of the day.

I then wanted to feature their fried chicken but it would have sounded not so interesting because fried chickens are everywhere. We can even make one at home. But here's the take. Bigby's fried chicken tastes homey unlike the fastfood-y ones, which by the way I also try especially when I'm in a hurry because FASTfoods are served FAST. :)

Now read this. This is really the reason why I featured Laiza's baby back ribs... I was scared... Just look at her... The way she holds her knife makes me tremble. Good she was satisfied with her meal or else all that was left of me were my ribs. Eee... Creepy. Ok, I'm kidding. Mabait talaga yan. Gutom lang. 

I also grabbed these photos from Bents which were taken first day of this year. Their nachos are the best I've had so far. The pastas, fries, chips are all served BIGby's.

Location: Veranza Mall, General Santos City

Life is a Celebration

I love surprises! I especially love doing something special for someone special on a special day. Haha! That's a bunch of specials in there! The gang cooked something up for Ate Doli's 30 something birthday :) We wanted it to be truly a surprise giving her no clue of what was instored for her.

We were in the office earlier that day passing papers for our messages for her, planning who's going to get the flowers, the cake, who's going to bring her to the venue and making sure that she didn't have a plan in the evening. Plans were all set!

Surprise Ate Doli!

Oh boy! She was really surprised! She was crying for a couple of minutes, getting her hanky first before receiving her flowers. Rendon almost looked like a desperate lover following her around. But good she was 'busy' crying because Maam Berl and I were still lighting the 30+ candles so when she was done with her tears of joy, the candles were also ready for the birthday blow. Yey! Happiness!

Ate Doli with her presents

 Trivia: Ate Doli adores red! And pizza! So we gave her a red wallet and took her to a pizza restaurant.

Jypzie, Laiza, Me, Rommel, Rendon, Ate Patty, Maam Berl, Ate Doli, Sir Jay

With the boys

With the girls

Dear Ate Doli,
         You inspire me in many ways especially in being diligent, punctual and organized. :) You're a joyful wife and a loving mother to a beautiful child. You're a happy colleague. You're a fun-loving friend. And you're a person with good heart. You may have grown a year older but you're looking younger :) Maintain the figure. Hehe. Keep up the positive vibes because you radiate from within. You deserve all the great blessings in your life Ate Doli because you are a great person! Happy Birthday!!! :)

Yummy Gensan: Clam Soup at Congo Grille

What's the best way to ease a growling stomach? Yah. That's right. A soup! The moment you look down at the soup and the hot steam hits your face is just priceless! And you slowly take a sip, swallow the hot liquid then you feel it on your throat until it finally reaches your stomach. And you know you just have to slurp again and again until your stomach calms. Ahhhhhh... That feeling of comfort. Actually, it was more than just comfort to me. I felt I was treated big time because I was in deep need for food at that moment. :)

I was patiently waiting for the clam soup still trying to look composed but deep inside, I wanted to be like this monkey on their menu minus the smile. Imagine me with the toque and the ladle going wild. :)





My equally hungry buddies...

Ate Doli, Laiza, Rendon

Finally! Look at these sumptuous dishes at Congo Grille! Yummy treats for a hungry stomach!

Clam soup, Lechong kawali, Chicken sisig, Salted rice, and Kinilaw

Ooppss. We forgot all about table etiquette. Told you. We were hungry!



Location: Al Fresco of SM General Santos

A Night at the Carnival

Who doesn't want to go to a carnival?!? C'mon! It's where absolute fun is! It's where the child in us hops for joy. It's where all our craziness pop up. :) And that's where the gang went on the eve of a local holiday here in Gensan. 

Rommel, Paul, Doli, Jypzie , me, Laiza, Rendon, Jose

On this side of the world, this is how a carnival looks like - pretty simple. :)

The creaky rides and the games of chance.

And the shooting-shooting something. Laiza was a master of this. The last time, she got me a box of my oh-so-favorite Curly Tops. And she did once again. Plus a Nagaraya courtesy of the boys. Yey!

Simple Joys

The ferris wheel was not like those gigantic ones but I was still so chicken to try it because the last time I did, I found my world turning around like crazy. I swore not to do that again. 

But the boys felt they were brave enough. Looking so confident huh!

Before ferris wheel ride

After the ferris wheel ride

They couldn't find their balance after ;) But they wouldn't stop. More dizzy rides please! The two girls found their courage to join this time... while I was still in the process of finding mine. :)

They seemed to enjoy that! Now I wanna ride!!! 

What ride was this again? Was this the caterpillar?

My gosh! I had the loudest scream! That was fun!!! 

Earlier that day we agreed on spending only 50 pesos for an evening of fun and adventure. Everyone was so worried on how to stick on the budget considering the food, the expenses for fun here and fun there. We were half serious on the challenge. Well, we tried! We really tried! Until we got hungry! :) On the first 30 minutes of our evening, we said goodbye to our 50 pesos.

So we just walked around for the next 30 minutes not knowing where else to go but thanks to Paul - our rides sponsor! If not because of him, we wouldn't have taken the rides because we were already out of our budget. :) He was in a different office so he didn't get the memo. Shhhhhhh. (I'm afraid he will have second thoughts of joining us again. Heehee.)

Until the next 50-peso adventure guys! :)  Or maybe let's try a 25-peso adventure. Hmmm... I wonder what we can do with only that. :)

Amazing Monday: A Heart

Look at this photo! This was from my long weekend getaway. Observe it properly especially that something at my feet. :)

You notice it? See that? That perfectly shaped heart at my feet? Isn't that sooooooo amazing! Amazing is an understatement. It feels like a miracle to me! :) It really made my day! No, I did not intentionally draw a heart with my foot. And how could I draw on a rushing water?

Nature's little surprises are my life's simple joys :)

Yummy Gensan: Spaghetti at Mix n Magic

The most famous pasta on this side of the world is spaghetti! (The one in red sauce). A birthday party is not a party unless there is spaghetti. And where to find the most delicious spaghetti in town? In Mix n Magic of course! They have the creamiest and sauciest and cheesiest spaghetti!

My previous posts have been all about my new favorites. Mix n Magic is in my list of old favorites. I can never go wrong in buying their breads or cakes. But I'm more a fan of their spaghetti because I'm such a spaghetti baby! I'm spaghetti's number one fan in the whole wide universe! If only it has a fan page, I'll create a thousand account to like it a thousand times! Heehee.

Here is Laiza (again)! The most common face (after my face) in my Yummy Gensan series. That's because we share the same passion for food. Actually, she's more passionate and she also eats more. Then I take care of  the talking. :)

Apart from the take-out and the catering, Mix n Magic has also a small dining space in their South Osmena branch which I like so much because I need not to order in bulk when I only need to satisfy my little cravings. :)

Beachy Afternoon

It was an exhausting Thursday afternoon. Yes, it wasn't even Friday yet and it was a Thursday after that long weekend (when I went to the beach and Laiza did too) plus afternoon classes that day were cancelled because of a university event. Wait! There's more. We were from a birthday lunch party where there were lots of singing, laughing and a little dancing. 

So how come we were exhausted? I didn't know, too but there was a unanimous need to go and see the beach. This is when I feel so grateful to be on this side of the world where beaches are just 20-minute rides away.

Beaches have a calming effect on a troubled soul. We sat on the shore and let the breeze take away all our thoughts. I found myself lost in the beauty of the dancing coconut trees. 

The water was so cold we were tempted to take a dip. We were not prepared to go for a swim though. I mean, we didn't have extra clothes.

Photos grabbed from Laiza

We stayed for only an hour but it was enough to be recharged. :) Special thanks to our kind on-the-go driver, Jypzie and for Laiza for convincing Jypzie. :)

Long Weekend Getaway And A Lesson From The Waves

It's great to find time to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life and explore a new place and just be at peace...

To sit back and relax...

... knowing that there are no papers to check, no lessons to prepare, no deadlines to meet. :)

To look down and see the ocean... To look up and see the skies...

... because the beach calms my soul and the clouds inspire my spirit.

To find a long peaceful road and take a walk...

... because I love long walks!

To sit on the grass...

... and even lie down on those greens while singing a favorite song.

To dip my feet in the pool...

....and watch the children play with the waters.

To visit a park... 

... and be like a child myself...

... swinging

...being lost in a maze...

... and entering the big shoe.

        

      

To cross a bridge...

...because there's something more to bridges than just literally connecting a gap.

To wake up with the sunshine...

...and be thankful for my life. 

To play with the waves...

... and laugh my heart out. 

As I was watching and observing the waves, I found that...

 - There was a strong wave that ended weak on the shore.

 - There was a weak wave that ended strong.

 - There was a weak wave that remained weak. Thus, it never reached the shore.

 - And there was a strong wave that was strong all the way to the shore.

Now I'm back in the city. How about you, how was your weekend? And which wave are you? :)

3 Things I Can Live Without

There are things that we're so used to having and we feel that we will not survive without them. We feel bare,  incomplete or empty. Well of course, things that have become so part of our every day are so hard to let go. But there are also things that we could just let go easily or... gradually. We may not notice that we're actually living a normal life even with their absence.

I have 3 of these things on my list. It was an unconscious effort of taking them off my system. Other people are surprised that I'm surviving without them. But hey, my life is still so normal and seems to be even better!

1. TV

via Google images

Our television at home is not functioning for the past 3 months. Well actually the sounds are still good but it doesn't show anything. So we don't use it anymore because... my gosh! Who wants to watch TV without anything to be watched?

At first, it was odd getting no news from other parts of the world, no crying over a drama, nor getting updates from my favorite celebrities. :)  Sadness crept during the night because I was so used to watching news and dramas. TV sets are usually the centerpiece of Filipino homes  so not having a TV at home is almost feeling like unpatriotic. :)

But we didn't want a new TV. My father said he would get it fixed but months have past and our TV still remained unfixed. We eventually forgot all about it. And that's great! Because we had more time talking and laughing.

I later realized that I don't need a TV! I don't hear bad news in the morning so I'm able to start my day with positive vibes. No bad news still in the evening so I'm able to sleep without being paranoid. 

I also realized that news on TV can be exaggerated because I don't get the same paranoia when I just read from the web. Maybe some of the newsmen are using the fact that Filipinos love drama so they inflict drama. (This is an opinion. I don't mean any harm.)

I've become a lover of books especially magazines! Well, I've been an avid reader since my grade school. In later years, TV has corrupted some of my reading time. Thanks to the absence of TV. I've rediscovered my love for reading.


2. SODA

via Google Images

Yes! I know what you'll say. How boring my life could be! I love steaks but I don't drink softdrinks. I love barbecues but I don't drink softdrinks. How do I enjoy fiestas without taking in even a drop of soda? How can I not give in to a glass full of coke with overflowing ice? My gosh! Even the thought of it is so tempting!

Well, I'm not totally taking it out of my system. I do enjoy drinking soda as much as I want during New Year's day. I don't want to be mean to myself so I also give in to my gratifications but only once a year. So that's 1 day with soda and 364 days without soda. Still so mean? Uhmmm... When I'm really dying to drink, I eat the ice in the drink instead. There's still that soda taste on it but at least I don't drink the soda. I eat it! :)

This is a conscious effort - a big effort at that. With all the great tasting food around, it's so hard to not look for a bottle of coke. But I want to do myself some good. This is my one way of taking care of my body. :)

3. PILLOWS

via Google Images

The thought that I can sleep without pillows came a surprise to me because I had lots of pillows on my bed before. I couldn't sleep without a pillow at my head, a pillow at my back, a pillow at my feet and a pillow that I could hug. I can't recall how I learned to live without one but I'm still alive! :) Yes, I've survived without pillows! I have to have a blanket though. That's a must.


How about you? What are the things that you thought you couldn't live without but after letting them go, you turned out to be just fine?

New Favorite Movie Series

After ten baking weekends, I've finally had my last weekend all by myself. I stayed at home sleeping, eating, and watching movies. I was hooked on the Fast and Furious series. Yeah, I know time has passed me by. I should have entitled my post as "Old Favorite Movie Series". The series is not anymore in its glorious days after all the vampires and the wolves have come into the limelight but please don't forget how amazing the car races were.

I've only watched Fast Five in the theater. I was overwhelmed with all the beautiful cars, the crazy speed, and the wonderful Brazil. Setting aside the idea that the "good" people in the movie are actually the criminals, the movie is generally visually entertaining. When was that movie shown? Was it last year? But it was only last Saturday that I remembered I wanted to see its prequels. 

I've watched the first three of the series. (Photos via Google Images)

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

                             

The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift (2006)

I've yet to see the fourth film.

                                                     

Realizations:

1. I know how to appreciate cars! Well, I appreciate the style, the paints, the colors. I don't understand anything about the engines and the interiors and the rest of the parts but still I know how to appreciate :)

2. This is so unlikely me. I mean, I don't like some of what the boys like. When my brothers watch boxing, UFC, or play dota, counter strike (did I even get the terms right?), I walk out and go to my cave but we enjoyed watching Fast and Furious together even with my father.

3. One of my favorite movies of all time is Speed which stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves (who by the way is so handsome!) which brought me to a realization that maybe, I really like action adventure movies which theme speed. Oh yeah! I have a little not-so-girly side after all. :)

4. A new favorite actor in my list is Paul Walker (who played as Brian O'Conner). He was also the star in the movie Eight Below. Remember this? I cried a river watching him save the dogs!

Eight Below (2006)