|real_happiness_from.the_littlest_things|

happy, happy, happy, joy, joy, joy.

amidst the tons of load at work, series of unfortunate events that transpired recently, and a whole lot more, there are still more reasons for me to smile and be thankful for than to mope.

thanks to the people behind the Philippine Blog Awards 2005 for nominating my blog for the Best Blog Site Of The Year award. it's just a nomination but it feels like i'm a winner already. congratulations also to the other nominees.

|shots_from_all_around|

flowers from home

living in an apartment is very much different with what i've been used to. from our home up in the mountains, i've moved to a vertical structure that's concrete all around where space is limited and seeing plants and flowers is at a minimum. one thing i truly miss seeing everyday would be my mom's flowering plants, each of their names i couldn't even remember. good thing i get to go home every weekends and during this time, i get to take pictures of the various flowering plants that we have.

massive cucaracha annihilation

living in an apartment building has its ups and downs. a definite downer for me is living amongst creepy crawlers. i cannot be with roaches. the fact that multitudes run around the kitchen counter, apartments walls and bathroom is a definite no-no for me. what more if these start flying around? all hundereds of them! initially when we moved in, i tried and finished 2 aerosol cans of roach sprays and two sticks of roach chalk to get rid of them. then i tried using blattanex ultra gel upon recommendation of a colleague--a bit pricey for such a tiny amount but it was worth a shot. this roach killer from bayer is in gel form and is neatly placed in a small syringe. according to the product label, the 5-gram gel is good enough to cover an area twice as big as the apartment. so this must be good!

after identifying places frequented by roaches in the apartment, a drop 5-mm in diameter was placed all around the apartment. within minutes, they started eating the bait containing the neurotoxin and soon enough they started dying. blattanex was the hero of the day! i'm so happy to be living in a roach-free environment! thanks to bayer for a wonderful product to get rid of pests.

the urban facelift

this is one of two fountains under the buendia flyover in makati city. i only noticed this while walking to the newly opened makro superstore. this could be part or the start of the beutification campaign of the metro. it's a good thing, i'd say. it's a cosmetic facelift that should have been started a long time ago. it's about time that we start spending on these things. another challenge to all these would be to maintain all these beautification endeavors.

|food_adventures|

it may not look like it but i love to eat, i really do. not only do i love eating, i also like taking pictures of the food and blog about it.

shushiya robinson's galleria

this taken was sometime september when we had one of our family dinners to celebrate chel's birthday. so-so japanese food, not bad at all. great place to go for your japanese food cravings.

teriyaki boy glorietta, ayala center

this was my second teriyaki boy dining experience. the first one was in sm baguio. the place was also pretty crampped but the food and ambiance was great.

buttered garlic tiger prawns delight

cooking at home should not be difficult and should taste as good as if you're eating out. for this, the cleaned and washed prawns were soaked in some sprite for about an hour. chopped garlic and onions are sauteed in butter until golden brown. the prawns were added next and some of the sprite marinade should make the dish a bit sweet. let it cook for about 2 - 3 minutes (depending on the size of the prawns) or until bright orange in color. added salt and pepper to taste.

san sung korean restaurant

makati avenue, makati city

i finally got to dine with my korean students and their family before the halloween long weekend. i got to experience korean food cooking in an authentic korean joint that they own. the food was very tasty and was a different dining experience all together. they served soup, rice, kimchi, tofu rolled in kimchi, kim bob and so many more. the main course of pork slices cooked on a hotplate in the middle of the table was something that i'll remember with the distinct taste of sesame oil as you wrap the meat, rice and some soybean paste in lettuce leaves. yum!

cafe breton at the podium

i'm not a big crepe eater but i always like watching how it's been prepared. their swift movements show how they've mastered the craft from dropping the right amount of batter on the hot crepe machine to get the desired thickness to neatly folding of the crepe and topping it with ice cream, whipped cream, thinly sliced nuts, confectioner's sugar and a drizzle of chocolate. and of course, you can't help but notice them smiling when they serve it to you. they must like what they do! who wouldn't?

dulcinea greenbelt 1, ayala center

dulcinea is one of my favorite restaurants because they serve the best churros con chocolate in town. it's a pleasant merienda to have on a warm sunny afternoon. as the staff welcomes you and take you to your seat, you enter the laid back cozy atmosphere. it's very inviting as you see their pastry cabinet, light orange walls, wooden tables and chairs and tungsten lighting.

must trys would be their seafood paella (good for two).

max brenner greenbelt 3, ayala center

i am addicted to milk chocolate. enough said.