What's In My Bag

Hello, hello. I'm not actually planning to do this, but this morning, this happened:

And I thought the spill was only contained inside my kikay kit. But no, it actually went straight into the whole bag and before I knew it I was taking out all of my things in panic. After examining the culprit, I then arranged all my stuff in to my desk and had my bag breath for a bit after wiping the inside like crazy. That is when I took pictures.

Starting from left to right:

iPhone charger and EarPods - As you may well already know, iPhone5 batt sucks big time. I actually ordered a power bank online and is expecting it to be delivered first week of July. You guessed it right! I ordered a pink one.

Baby wipes and tissue - I'm a mother. Don't judge.

Medicine Kit - I was born a girl scout plus I always have some tummy issues - hyper-acidity, GERD, and the likes. I love how spacious this thing is. It also contained a little sewing kit, my nail cutter, tweezers, and some band-aids:

My wallet - It's red because Fossil ran out of Salmon colored ones.

Scissors, pens, and liquid eraser - For self-defense, writing, cutting, etc. I've been carrying around liquid eraser since high school.

Passport holder - A gift from my sister which also contained all my government IDs. It has a little notepad inside so it's ready handy.

My kikay mirror and oil control film - What can I say? A girl should always have a mirror. And I tend to oil a lot during hot season.

Umbrella.

Scarf - Just in case I feel cold outside. A quick cover up.

My kikay kit - Which contains all my re-touch necessities and my almost empty bottle of perfume.

Not in the picture is my phone which I used to take photos. And yes, its case is of color pink. You may probably know my favorite color now, do you? Just in case you still do not have any idea, let me share with you my office cubicle:

Lunch Date at Wee Nam Kee and Poco Deli for Desserts

We made a little trip to Ayala Triangle after reporting to our company's head office yesterday at lunch. We were a bit lucky because by the time we arrived, it was past lunch time already so almost all of the restaurants are not jam-packed. We passed by at each restaurant looking at their menu and only one dish caught my eye this time. I bet you are now aware that I do not eat pork and beef dishes for the mean time that is why when I saw Wee Nam Kee's photo of their Roasted Chicken Rice I knew instantly that I needed to try it.

Php168 for personal set, Php 248 for small, Php 488 for medium, and Php 888 forlarge

The personal set we had was served together with Chicken rice and Chicken soup. The meat was boiled to perfection while maintaining its taste and tender texture. Now don't get me started with the crispy skin that  is obviously bathing in fatty oil and seasoned sauce. Boy, it was delicious! And considering that they were priced just right, I guarantee it's super worth-it. I can't wait to bring my husband to this place. He would definitely share the same sentiments that I had. 

For dessert, we checked out Poco Deli's cakes. Poco Deli's specialty are of sausages, meat slabs and several cheese. You would also find an array of wines to choose from to go with your meal. They have limited cakes to offer but I'm telling you, those are enough. I had the red velvet cake while my friend and pigout buddy Madz had their carrot cake. 

Carrot Cake. Php 150.

Red Velvet Cake. Php 150.

The icing, we think, are made of delectable cheesecake as it was a little hard but still creamy. At first we wanted to comment about how small the serving size is but after devouring almost half of the slice, we realized that the serving size is just enough. In fact, because each slices is so rich and powerfully sweet, we weren't able to finish them. Nakakaumay! But I would definitely go back to try their Black Out Chocolate, which is claimed to be one of the best chocolate cakes in Manila, and their interesting homemade ice cream flavors. My husband would surely love their bacon slab and their selection of sausages. 

Wee Nam Kee Locations:

Ayala Avenue, Ayala Triangle

Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines 

Phone Number

(+63 2) 846-8924

Ground Level, Glorietta 1, Glorietta

Ayala Center

Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines 

Phone Number

(+63 2) 478-8477

Ground Level, Serendra Piazza

Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines 

Phone Number

(+63 2) 822-7095, (+63 917) 828-5025

4th Level, TriNoma Mall

EDSA cor. North Ave.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines 

Phone Number

(+63 2) 576-6318, (+63 917) 828-5017

Ground Level, New Wing, Alabang Town Center

Alabang-Zapote Road, Alabang

Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines 

Phone Number

(+63 2) 478-9103, (+63 917) 815-7959

Poco Deli Locations:

Ayala Avenue, Ayala Triangle

Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines 

21 East Capitol Drive, Barangay Kapitolyo

Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines 

Phone Number

(+63 2) 477-4332, (+63 922) 892-9211

While Working From Home

I love Mondays and I love waking up at around 7:00 am just to stare fondly at my little dragon:

I love that I'm at home making sure to that our house is ready for the whole week while not missing out from my work. I hope I can keep all my Mondays like this but I guess I have to say goodbye to this kind of lifestyle soon. But that would be on a different blog post. For now, allow me to immortalize this simple luxury that I'm receiving right now through this post. 

I am such a proud parent because lately I've been seeing my son open a book like a pro. He would stare at the pictures diligently and would point out pictures of familiar objects when he sees one. I'm so happy that he can already associate things to their use and purpose. 

When he was still 13-months old, he used to put his foot on top of a picture of a shoe and it never failed to amazed me even up to now. But lately he got his eyes on his father's shoe. He would take them himself from our shoe rack and would put them down on the floor just so he can wear them. Don't worry, I always make sure to wash his hands with soap and water after, so germs are least of your concerns (smiley face)

Yesterday he kept showing me a page in his book full of transportation and then he became restless like he was looking for something. When I saw a picture of a bus I assumed he was looking for my iPhone and wanted me to play the video of this:

My instinct was correct. As soon as I started playing the video, he kept pointing back and forth from the picture of a bus in his book and to the image in the video while saying 'booo! booo!' (we figured long before that this is how he calls a bus). It was as if he was telling me that the picture in his book is the same as the image in his favorite video. All I could say at that moment are the words "oh, they're the same!" and "ang galing galing naman ng baby ko!". I swear I made hundreds of kiss on his head that time. It is such a joy knowing that your kid is discovering things day by day. I'm just so grateful that I have an additional day besides my weekends to witness such things. But not only that. I also get to experiment in my kitchen during my work from home schedule. Because, you see, we don't have yaya Alma during the weekends, so cooking and baking during these times are a bit challenging. Although I was able to make some breakfast consisting of waffles, bacon, eggs and some turkey deli last Sunday, still, I was only able to accomplish that while the baby was still sleeping. Here's the waffles, by the way. It's my second attempt to make one. The first try was a disaster.

Anyway, I'm just so blessed that we were allowed to work from home 2 days in a week. Otherwise, my dream of becoming a good parent and a good cook would be very hard to attain. Here's a dish I was able to prepare last night. 

A couple of chicken fillet, some carrots and beans, cauliflower and some cabbage stir fried in oyster and fish sauce and I made us a hefty dinner. Oh, I can't wait for Thursday already!

Mrs. Waffle Goes Korean in Matgalne Restaurant

With over 20 unlimited side dishes and eat-all-you-can-grill pork and beef, who can say no to that? I didn't. Even if I don't actually eat meat, except for a little poultry here and there and some seafood. Anyway, I still can't say no when my friend Madz asked me to join her in this mini Korean trip in Makati. 

I've been to a Korean restaurant a couple of times and I'm used to having my Bibimbap served to me already prepared. Image my surprise when I was faced with this:

I made a little scoop of some warm rice, topped it will some stomach-friendly looking sauteed/seasoned vegetable and took a photo. LOL.

My bowl looked pathetic compared to my friend's bowl so I'm posting her finished product here. I swear I have no idea what I was doing but it totally made the whole experience fun and entertaining.

"Mixed rice" it is! But my ignorance didn't stop there. As I've mentioned, they offered over 20 side dishes to choose from. Boy! That was very challenging.

Some soups:

 My plate ended up with the following side dishes:

Some of my favorites that made me go back are the following: The seaweed roll that is called Kimmari, dried seaweed rice ball called Jumeok Bap, sweet potato noodles stir-fried with vegetable called Jabchae, Zucchini Jeon, some onion rings, banana turon and Mattang - korean version of camote cue (finally, something familiar!). And lastly, you have no idea how happy I was to find Dak Kang Jung or sweet and spicy chicken in the selection, because after a few minutes, we were served with this:

Fresh meat ready for grilling. The sight of it was mouth-watering yet still, I didn't partake in this. But this time I have an idea how to eat the grilled meat well. You see, before I started my no pork/beef diet, I also had my fair share of experience wrapping a grilled meat with a lettuce and dipping it in salt and pepper sauce or chili pepper paste. Yes, totally YUMMY!

They also have several leafy vegetable to choose from:

Did I mention that for eat-all-you-can-grill meat and unlimited side dishes you only got to pay Php399.00?  Fair deal and a good price for a semi-healthy buffet, right? But wait, there's more. Right now, they have a special lunch buffet promo of only Php299.00 until June 30, 2013. So if you are looking for a Korean getaway in the metro, I recommend that you should try this place. The food did make me feel like a Korean. (LOL. That was a little exaggeration) 

Location:

Matgalne Restaurant, Main Branch
4768 Kalayaan Avenue Corner Mariano Street, Poblacion
Makati City, Metro Manila
Tel #: (02) 890 – 2949

Matgalne Restaurant
2F Millenium Place BIdg., Meralco Avenue
Ortigas Center, San Antonio
Pasig City, Metro Manila
Tel #: (02) 632 – 9714

Lunch buffet starts from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
Dinner buffet starts from 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM.

Random Find: Merry Moo! Ice Cream

Lately I've been a fan of salty and sweet combination ever since I got to try Happy Lemon's Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese. But this post is not about that. I just want to share with you one of this month's yummy discovery: Merry Moo! Ice Cream.

It was my friend Madz who introduced it to me. When she mentioned that they have an ice cream that got salt in it, I was hesitant to try it first. But then I remembered how powerful their combination can be and so I bought one for myself, too. They're a little pricey though, but worth the try.

Sea Salt Caramel. Php 70 for a large scoop (equivalent to 2 small scoops)

They got other unique ice cream flavors, too. Some of them I'm afraid to try. LOL. But I'm still curious. I wonder if the Rosemary and Cheese tastes like a pizza (like that of J.Co's Cheese Me Up, got me fooled if you ask me.) And look! Do they really have real bacon in them?

Website:

https://www.facebook.com/Merrymoo.icecream

Locations:

SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City M.M.

2nd Floor, across Topshop

Open daily 10am-10pm 

Food Choices, Glorietta 4, Makati City, M.M.

3rd Floor, beside Dulcelin in food court area

Open weekdays 11am-10pm, weekends 11am-11pm

Midnight Mercato Night Market 

Corner of 8th Avenue and 34th Street at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Fridays and Saturdays from 9pm-3am 

Salcedo Saturday Market

Salcedo Park, Salcedo Village, Makati City

7am-2pm, Saturdays

Eastwood Mall Weekend Gourmet Market (temporarily out)

2nd Floor , Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City

11am-11pm on Saturdays, 10am-10pm on Sundays 

Mezza Norte Night Market

UP-Ayala Techno Hub

6pm-3am, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

Podium Mall Weekend Flavors Market 

3rd floor, Podium Mall, Ortigas, Pasig

10am-10pm Fridays to Sundays

Cucina Andare

Glorietta Park, infront of 6750 Building, Makati Shangrila Hotel, Glorietta

Makati City

4pm to 3am, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

Legazpi Sunday Market

Legazpi Park, Legazpi Village, Makati City 

7am-2:30pm Sundays

Revisiting Banapple

Oh how I miss this place! We used to eat here a lot when I was still working near Katipunan, QC. It brought  about a lot of fun and yummy memories I had with my colleagues/friends. But this time I had to settle with no pork and beef menu (that's a different story). It was difficult to choose, mind you. But nevertheless, I was glad to revisit Banapple once again.

I didn't order Banoffee this time, but it is still one of my favorites. Since I was annoyingly craving for some cheesecake (since time immemorial, I think), I had Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake for dessert:

Php 110

For my main entree, I ordered Chicken Breast Parmigiano, thinking that it was all  chicken with no pork and beef or whatsoever. I was wrong. It had some meaty sauce in it that it became a challenge for me to remove the chicken from the entire sauce. But I did good. 

Php 200

My friend had my all-time-favorites: Banoffee and Lasagna Roll-ups:

Php 105

Php 195

You have no idea how I miss their menu! Good thing I was called to report to our Head Quarters in Ayala that day, otherwise it would be another decade before I can finally eat at this place again (kidding! that's a little exaggeration).

Locations:

206 & 225 Katipunan Ave. Blue Ridge, QC.

(02) 439-2675 (02) 438-2675

2nd Level Il Terrazzo Tomas Morato cor. Sct Madrinan, South Triangle, QC.

(02) 413-2675

Ayala Triangle Gardens Ayala Ave. Makati City.

(02) 756-2675

Connecticut St. Northeast Greenhills, San Juan

(02) 477-2675

Alabang Town Center

Market! Market! BCG

Amoebiasis Can Kill...

But we were able to save our son from it.

One lesson I've learned during those painful and tiring days of my life is this: It is better to be an aggressive parent than a know-it-all.

Same goes to your health, if you feel or see something that is not normal, don't be a doctor. Ask. Consult. Listen. Cause you'll never know. It might be an Amoebiasis or worst, a Cancer. Don't get me wrong, I'm not scaring you... but it was a very scary experience for us, though, and a very memorable one. 

It was the day before my birthday when we've noticed that his temperature is a bit hotter than normal. We couldn't tell directly that it was a fever because it was still within the range of 37.0 °C. He only poop twice that day. A bit soft but nothing alarming so we let it off. The next day, the day of my birthday, his temperature went as high as 38.6 °C. We panicked so we brought him to MMC for a check-up. Our pedia prescribed us medication for the fever and some probiotics just in case our son was just having some bad case of diarrhea. We were also instructed to have our son undergo urinalysis and some lab tests for Dengue and Typhoid in case his condition continues after 3 days. At this rate we were still calm and confident that our son's condition was not severe. 

The next day, however, was a different story. He pooped more than 10 times and vomited twice, so we brought him to a provincial hospital for emergency treatment. We were informed that if a child poops more than 10 times in a day, they usually endorse confinement to minimize the chance of dehydration. Instead, we asked for laboratory tests and waited for the result before finally deciding to have our son confined - That is where we made the biggest mistake. The lab results were fine, nothing was detected but our son continued to poop. Still, we didn't decide to have him confined not because we are not capable of paying (we both have competitive health cards) but simply because 'nakakaawa ang bata pag naka dextrose'. Little did we know that dehydration is much scarier than witnessing your baby cry during IV injection (still painful to watch, if you ask me). 

His finger during the first lab test

The next morning, he continued to poop and vomit so we decided to consult a provincial doctor. He insisted to have another stool sample and lab test for Typhoid. When the results came, it was Amoebiasis. He then instructed us that if our son continues to vomit after feeding and medication, then we might need to bring him back to the hospital for confinement. At this rate he seldom drinks and finally after having his lunch and medication, he vomited, again. Still, we didn't bring him back to the hospital. Why? 'umiinom pa din naman sya kahit papano' - BIG MISTAKE! He already pooped and vomited more than his water intake, at this point we should be alarmed, right? But no, it was only during dinner, after he vomited (again!) that we finally decided to have him confined. I was a bit hysterical while begging my husband to take him back to the hospital. We realized that we should have brought him earlier. He was already dehydrated when he was admitted. 

After an agonizing cry during the insertion of IV.

Too tired from crying after reinsertion of IV. This time on his foot.

During confinement, my son had another blood infection so another antibiotic was administered. I swear, I could smell my son emitting antibiotics smell from his body. Mas nakakaawa tuloy ang baby sa sobrang dami ng gamot na ini-intake nya, but we could only blame all his sufferings to our complacent attitude. It was out fault. 

Dibo 2 days after his confinement. He lose some weight.

So again, it is better to be an aggressive parent when it comes to your child's health. I learned that the hard way.

Dibo, a week after his confinement.