Harsh Brown Friday

I did not spell it incorrectly and it's not even a food blog. Although it can be if you want. I'm currently addicted to this little monster but I did not expect that I'll relate this to how people think of me.

I am as HARSH as a Hash Brown. I hurt people because of how I react to things. 

I'm mostly quiet but when I feel like we are close already I often speak out whatever is in my mind. This is of course of how I know you. If we usually throw green jokes with each other, I can ride on. I can be your green friend. I can be bitchy. 

But not all people understand. Some take my jokes as harsh. Others offensive. 

I'm not sure if sorry is enough for all those people I offended. But I want to say sorry nevertheless. I promise to try not to comment anymore. Or I'll try to avoid Facebook! That's even better!

What a Downer Friday :(

Second Month @ Boun Giorno

It's not fastforward guys. We just didn't celebrate our first month so you are now seeing our second month celebration. So to make things up, we (actually it's I) decided to take our date to a notch higher. It's literally higher because we dined in Tagaytay! Of course with Choco Banana! 

We met a rider friend on the way. We tried to catch up with him in the very traffic South Service Road, but we failed. He lost us. aww

We left BGC at around 5:30, we arrived at The Cliffhouse Tagaytay at around 7:30. 2 hours travel? Not bad! Our choice of restaurant was an Italian Restaurant inside The Cliffhouse. I read a lot of good reviews so I decided to dine there instead of the usual Leslie's or Antonio's Grill.

I was first impressed by their menu. It's made of wood -

 

Our Story

Took this out on the Pages tab. Preppin to revert back to personal blog now. But I can't get rid of this post totally. So here you go --

Unexpected. Really. It's a very long read. If you have time, then indulge. :D

The story started in Laguna. 

From Rizal, I travelled all the way to Laguna to put my ECE degree into use. The place is haven for people like me, who has great pride of enduring low pay and long working hours as long as we are in the industry (that was me before :P ). But more than that, I was also mending a broken heart. And I thought, a new world can help me forget. Then came an opportunity from TFPC.

Two months after, D was hired as Mechanical Engineer. Our first meeting wasn't really nice. We sort of like judged him by his looks and acts (sorry! :D ). Can't blame me though. He was sporting this weird-looking long and straight hair, plus the eyeglasses and baggy clothes. To top all that, he owned this mirror -a big white empty compact mirror! So gay! :)) 

In terms of work, we were civil. I'm from Electrical, he's Mechanical. We clashed once in a while and blamed each other for tester failure. 

But outside production, we're cool. We shared interests in eating, drinking, club-hopping, travelling, fooling around and most specially, in cam-whoring:

We have totally different personalities, but we jive with being talkative. He talks a lot -mostly about escaping from an ex-gf while I talk about anything. Right there and then, he became one of my closest friends in Laguna.

Although we were already close, I was disappointed when I learned that TFPC will send me to China with him. Why not Jhaba or Tom?! hehe :P. Little did I know that, that will be the start of our upgraded level of friendship. Why not? If in a foreign land you know no one but him. And believe me, even his common axe body spray smelled wonderful there. :P

I'm really not sure what happened next. All I knew was that one day I'm in love with him - I don't know why, how or even when. But for me it didn't matter. That was then July 4, 2007.

Life was better, but it was never easier. We've faced several roadblocks, some of them nearly put us to brink of breaking up - the biggest of which was the nightmare of a long-distance-relationship. But we conquered it -Thanks to Skype!

Some said we won't make it, but they were wrong. Through the years, we are at the lovest of love. And now, we are engaged. The 'unexpected couple' will soon tie the knot. Give us more years, and we'll show you that love is lovest. ALWAYS. 

Let's Par-TEA!

In our desire to be more healthy, we decided to start with the horrible D word again. Diet for you, Dreadful for me. haha! Anyway, we started to skip rice already during dinner. I know, I know it's not enough. Let's take it one step at a time, ok? You have to understand - it is really hard to go on a diet without a STRONG motivation. Last year it was the wedding, Now, it's supposed to be summer outing but it has no effect! Damn! It can't be! I can't be a losyang wifey. 

So last night, D took out the tea set one of our principal sponsors gifted us. It's so chic that I stashed it in storage right away because I wanted that to be for visitors only. But hey we can road test it right? Since we do not have yummy special tea with us, we just used my Lipton Green Tea. Look - 

Par - TEA!

Tea served by the semi-topless Chinese Boy (daw!)

Oohh I have this great desire to stock up yummy teabags and coffee now. Dedma na my palpitations due to caffeine. :S

Who doesn't love Archie?

Show that loser to me!! Kidding. :P

Archie was a great part of my childhood. I grew up with Archie - along with Batibot and Starla. hehe. I have several comics back when I was younger. But over the years, I only managed to keep one. I have a very poor memory to remember who borrowed which issue. Aww

So imagine my giddy self when I saw this in the bookstore - 

Even if my budget's tight that day, I just have to buy it. I wish they made one for Jughead too (Actually, I like him more than Archie).

My name is changed

Have I told you that my name is changed already? I guess I forgot. The first thing I did as soon as I get back to work 2nd week of January was to process my papers for change status. After a week, my work email was already reflecting my new name - 

yiiiiii

The week after, I received my first ID on my new name.

My government status are now set to Married but I have yet to apply for the IDs. It requires personal appearance. I'll do that after my project. Passport and bank accounts require NSO Marriage Certificate. Since I'm married just last December, I have to wait at least two months before applying to be safe.

Oohh I still have bunch to do.

Hay Majayjay

One thing I asked D during our wedding preps was to refrain from joining his group's ride. Why?

1. We need to save money. I know expenses during rides are minimal. A motorcycle's fuel tank can be full for more or less P500. His rider friends are usually cowboy guys so they can eat even the cheapest food. But still, every centavo we can save is crucial.

2. We have to follow orders. Our elders wanted us to stay away from long rides because of the pamahiin that soon-to-wed couples are prone to accidents.

3. D needs to get less dark. Oohh I know I can't make D whiter in just a few months but at least I can make his complexion even by avoiding sun exposure. hehehe

So going back, my last ride was in July 2012. Technically, it's not a ride because we just strolled around Bohol in a motorcycle. Given that reasoning, my last ride will then be our North Loop Ride last Holy Week 2012. D's last ride was his Bagac, Bataan Ride with Team LS2 last September 2012. Right after the wedding, I felt his itch to ride his motorcycle again. But our finances blocked him. Yes, all that expenses on buying furnitures, deposits for the house, and paying debts. But a rider is bound to ride no matter what. And as a supportive wife, I have to let him ride. Of course with me! hahaha

So last Sunday (February 17), Choco Banana went back to track! We were Majayjay Falls-bound! 

The group (Club CB110) left Shell J.Vargas around 5 in the morning with all these riders. That many! The official count was 50 motorcycles (so that's 50 riders, plus 7 backriders). 

I posted this photo on Instagram with caption:

Kelan ba bumibilis si Choco Banana?

1. May hinahabol na magandang motor

2. Peer Pressure :P

Otherwise, NEVER!

Choco banana is back! Kinalawang nga lang :)) #theyellowroadtrip

First weeks of Married Life

I know you are all getting tired of me saying sorry because I haven't blog that much lately. But geesh married life is so full of actions! Before, I wonder what the hell are those housewives doing. They are just staying at home yet they say that they are busy! Now I understand. It seems like chores never end. But I'm not complaining (I shouldn't! I have a lifetime to do this). 

I wash and iron clothes, sweep and mop the floor, clean the toilets (yes we have two! who the hell said we need more than one? :S), get rid of the dust, water the plants, do the grocery, get wet in the market, cook food (this I love!), organize and decorate our things from our respective old houses, entertain the guests... and at the same time be the sweetest wife ever. That's all hard work. And with that I salute all the housewives who do all these everyday without complaining (I have to learn how to do that!)

Oh by the way, you might have noticed that I skip washing the dishes in the list. No I didn't forget. Aside from tidying his 'motorcycle' things and occasionally fixing the broken stuff at home, that's one thing I tasked D to do everyday. And he does that sexily (i mean topless), every night!

Since we are always rushing in the morning, he does the dishes every night

As I've mentioned, of all the chores I do everyday, my pet peeve is cooking. D now blame that as the reason behind our weight gain! I gained a whopping 9lbs since the wedding. Sad! Maybe I should learn to cook healthy food instead. But my MIL makes it harder for us. Occasionally, she makes us take home food from her house.

Our sunday take-out

I bought us small baunan so our food intake will be limited. I guess I should not compress the rice. hehe

Our baon feast

Onshore Friends

Guys! I'll just take a break on Suppliers' Ratings ha? On second thought, I haven't been doing any ratings lately. Sorry na! I'm so preoccupied with our move-in stuff.

Anyway, right now all I want to blog about is my friend Chelai's homecoming. She's been to London for 10 long months. You might say it's not that long, but the fact that she missed my wedding, for us that's a big separation booboo. But that's work so we can't do anything.

BTW, Chelai is one of the very close friends I gained in Accenture. The other one is Lara. Then the MIA Edwin. Anyway, We had a hard time setting date for this meetup because of our schedule. I am busy with my new house, Chelai on meeting bunch of friends and Lara on her upcoming SG assignment. Yes! Lara will be going to SG in the next few days. Finally! Somehow, it made me feel I'm left alone. My friends has been going in and out of the country while I'm stuck here in the Philippines. But at the same time, I don't think I'm ready. When will I ever be ready??

Well, going back, here's the pictures of our night of fun:

the ever takaw Chelai

Lara, Chelai and I on Seafood Island

Ohh did I mention that our dinner was Chelai's lunch? She was on UK shift so we had dinner/lunch at 8pm. Of course in Eastwood. After, we walked with her back at Accenture's office, just right behind the Eastwood Mall. We took the opportunity to snap a picture of this:

I got to take home some pasalubongs! Thank you Chelai! And bon voyage Lara! :)

{SUPPLIER RATING} Hotel Preps

THE PICASSO BOUTIQUE SERVICED RESIDENCES

http://picassomakati.com/

DAMAGE: 2 Montparnasse Suite P6300/room/night (2012 rates)

Even in pictures, I already fell in love with Picasso Boutique. This is exactly how I want my house to be - Minimalist but stylish. I fell for it more when we did the ocular. So although we saw other hotels before it (the very classy Hotel Celeste and the huge New World Hotel), I decided to get Picasso instead. The light streaming across the room was the selling factor for me.

When it comes to floor area versus price, Picasso is more on the advantage. Its price (P7000 normal price, P6300 early bird discounted price) is cheap for a 88sqm room, definitely cheaper than the surrounding hotels. I liked how the bed was placed strategically away from the living area but still with a good view of the TV set. It comes with stuff too like coffee and water. You can also use the induction cooker, microwave, electric kettle, and ref. The bathroom was so huge that my little sister decided to spend the rest of the night swimming in the bath tub. This was also where my family stayed during the preparations (to stay away from the crowd in the room). It has a huge couch where the coordinators fixed the food on the day. Also, there’s an office table where my HMUA set her makeup stuff and where the P/V did the Prenup AVP (yup! They shared just one desk.) It also has a lot of cabinets! My mother took all afternoon to find where our things can sit perfectly! Haha!

As for the service – we arrived late afternoon of December 27. D parked at the back side as there were no parking slots in front. The bellboys helped us with our things. The check-in was such a breeze. Since the rooms were fully paid in advance, they only asked for P2000 deposit for incidental charges. They then made us choose which room we prefer. At first, I wanted our 2 rooms to be at the same floor. But upon checking my room (rm217), I found it too dark because of the trees blocking the light. I need the natural light for perfect makeup and pictures. D’s room (rm218), which was just on the opposite of mine, was better. I asked if there were other rooms in the upper floors. Lucky there’s one on the 7^th! So we transferred at room 717 while D stayed at room 218. D found a dead cockroach near his door- the attendant was very quick to clean it. We asked for additional coffee sachets, they graciously gave us 4 sets. In the morning, we asked for more chairs, the bed to be set and the bathroom be cleaned. They did that in record time. Plus, they made the effort to call us first every time someone is asking for us. Even the check-out was fast. My PA OTD did that just with me before we go to the church. Now I wonder, if there were issues, would they let me leave the hotel without settling it first? haha!

facade

Montparnasse Room (pic taken from their website)

actual room (pic taken during our occular)

Special thanks to Pres April for this recommendation J