Thoughts become Things

The quest for my Nokia Lumia Win-8 phone

2013-04-18T07:00:00.000+08:00

I originally wanted a Nokia Lumia 620 because it was the same size as my HTC Mozart phone. And having a small hand, I didn't think a bigger sized phone would do me good. Everything was set and I was ready to buy until I held the model device... the touch response was slow (slower than my 3-year old windows phone). It broke my heart.

A week later we were down to two contenders 920 vs 820. The 920 is of course 10k more expensive than the 820. That's already a huge point against it. Although it's technologically in the higher end, it doesn't seem to be the features that we would feel lacking if we get an 820. It has a bigger screen, and frankly that's actually not something I would prefer to have.

The 820 is great.
It's heavier than an iPhone5, mind you. It's not heavy. But it's definitely, noticeably heavier.
The touch response is as expected.

One feature didn't work though, the tap-to-transfer thing. I don't need it or anything but since they said it should be working I don't know why it doesn't.

Oh and why they hell is the windows phone 8 Draw Something app messed up? It's not only late in the market, it's not even working properly. In a week, it deteriorated until it's practically unusable.

Chili's

2013-04-17T07:00:00.000+08:00

Always a sure bet for a hungry crowd.

Especially if you get the bottomless nachos. They ruin your appetite but that's fine.

Club sandiwch

Chicken Caesar salad

Fajitas?

Some kind of cheese melt burger

Tacos?

Guinea pigs - alone in the backyard

2013-04-16T07:00:00.001+08:00

Apparently we can leave our guinea pigs in our backyard and since our cat is castrated, they were fine on their own. Saved us time and effort having to refill their cage with food every couple of hours.

Look at these three cuties!

Manila Pop Up's Barbacua

2013-04-16T07:00:00.000+08:00

Here's the food you guys missed.

Soi - new Thai restaurant in Glorietta 2 - decent

2013-04-15T07:00:00.000+08:00

We were craving for Thai so we headed to this new cute restaurant in Glorietta 2.

Great:

Fried spring roll

Papaya Salad

Pad Thai

Good:

Chicken satay -- we've discovered we're not a fan

Free nuts

Chicken satay ~P170

Chicken Pad Thai ~P250

Papaya salad ~P150

Fried spring roll ~P150

Slice @BHS for breakfast

2013-03-06T07:00:00.000+08:00

I know I always say Slice at Bonifacio High Street is a great place for dessert and that you just have to keep coming back to try out everything, right? Well, this time I have to say that their breakfast is probably their trump card.

They call it champorado. Every Filipino loves champorado. Every. one. of. us. loooooves champorado.

If you're not familiar with it, imagine cooking rice in chocolate. Because that's practically it. Although you don't actually do that. You buy a champorado mix from the grocery.

It's the best food to eat when it's raining hard outside and you're stuck in your house with Reddit to keep you occupied.

So, yeah, Slice. Slice's champorado took the Filipino local favorite and pushed it to the limit. First of all, it's multi-grain instead of rice. Then, instead of powdered chocolate, they serve it with thick, hot, dark chocolate and milk (mix it according to your own preference) and then they make it absurd by giving you peanut butter.

I think the banana slices are supposedly palate cleansers in case you mix it in too tasty and you need a break to finish everything. Buuut I dipped it in peanut butter and ate it with everything else.

Can you just look at how beautiful that is?
That's the perfect breakfast right there.

Mom and Tina's for dessert

2013-03-05T07:00:00.000+08:00

It took us such a long time to finally try out Mom and Tina's (http://momandtinas.com). They're located near Greenbelt but I saw on their website that they actually have several locations. We were interested to try it out because it's always full when we pass by. Figured it must be good... but can it be *that* good?

For lunch we had a burger (OK), pasta (Sundried tomato something; meh), lasagna (good).

I wouldn't mind eating there again although I wouldn't really crave for their food if we're only talking about their main dishes. But if we're talking about dessert, they have my tongue in ball and chain. We had an orange muffin (delicious) and a brownie (small but terribly wonderful; this can easily destroy your diet).

Body Sculpt by Beyond Yoga Day 01

2013-03-04T07:00:00.000+08:00

This is not a paid advertisement. This was simply me trying out Beyond Yoga class in BGC. My Tita is a yoga instructor (in a different studio, with a different company) and she invited us to this class for the experience.

So, onto the story.

Apparently this was not a regular class. First of all, it was two hours long. An hour for each part. First part was a strength and endurance test for the legs, the core, and the arms. Half of the time was all legs. The second part was the actual Body Sculpt class.

I think I can consider myself a weight lifter if I have to categorize my activities/sports/exercise. And for the past half year, following 5-3-1 by Wendler, it has been mostly about strength: new one-rep-max personal records every month or two. So on the endurance test of the class, it was pretty hellish for me.

My classmates (is that what you call each other in a yoga class?) were all laughing through the challenges. I was dead set on trying to determine my "edge" ("limitation" is too negative a word for our instructor) so if you could hear me speak under my breath, there were no pleasant words muttered. Unlike my classmates who, despite the sweat, looked fresh with smiles on their faces; and you hear the instructor say, "thank you for smiling after that challenge."

At the end of the class, I can say that I can do the second part for two hours easy. I mean, I'd probably be opting for the beginner/moderate challenges instead of the hardcore options.

But I'm definitely not a fan of the strength-endurance test. Buuuut I don't want to get rid of the first part either! It was a good challenge.

That was my first experience of Body Sculpt. If you're interested to try it out, I guess the first question is how much, right? They have their prices online: http://www.igobeyondyoga.com/rates.html

Krispy Kreme's Truffle Kreme - meh

2013-03-02T07:00:00.000+08:00

Title says it all, the Truffle Kremes from Krispy Kreme are a "meh" at best. I would have been much happier eating a hot glazed Krispy Kreme original doughnut, or an Oreo Chocolate Caked doughnut or what about bringing back their Lemon Cheesecake doughnut?

The box is super pretty. If you want to make someone smile, this would definitely do the trick. I have no idea why they didn't release this before Valentine's Day. It would have been a perfect gift for crushes or friends.

The Truffle Kremes only have dough inside. The name is misleading. I expected a gooey chocolate/flavor center. But there was nothing. Disappointing. At PhP 50 per piece, it's a nice gift but not a nice treat for yourself.

Bloated during my period

2013-02-19T07:00:00.000+08:00

When are you leanest?

Do my fellow ladies have a chubby-to-lean cycle that follows your monthly period like I do?

Given that the "first week" is right after I got my period for the previous month, that is when I'm leanest. That's when I measure my weight. As much as possible, that's when I really look at myself and, if applicable, when I get my fat percentage assessed.

Based on my personal observations, I normally accumulate a 2 lb gain from mid third week to fourth week (the week I have my period). Those couple of pounds are gone with my period.

My period also often affect my lifts. Or maybe it's the insomniac-like nights I get as part of my dysmenorrhea. I know for a fact that if I lack sleep means weaker lifts.

Mail on smartphone - most useful app for me

2013-02-18T07:00:00.000+08:00

I have my hotmail, gmail, and yahoo mail synched on my smartphone. So whenever I go online, I immediately receive my messages.

But what actually ends up well used is not reading my mails, it's actually writing them.

I don't have a data plan and I rely mostly on wifi to go online. What I do is simply compose my emails while I'm offline (before bed, while traveling, while waiting for my order to arrive, etc.) and then click send!

These outgoing mails end up on my outbox and once I go online (happens automatically when I reach the office), my emails get sent! It saves me so much time! It's so productive! Imagine writing your blog posts offline then they simply end up as draft posts ready for editing before you publish them!

Sent from my Windows Phone

Sore calves: can't walk

2013-02-17T07:00:00.000+08:00

Just in case you're ever in the same situation as I was:
Day zero: that's when you do the exercise. I felt fine. A bit of jelly legs but I can walk.
Day one: Pain level 10 of 10.
Day two: Pain level 10 of 10.
Day three: Pain level 5 in the morning. Level 1 in the evening.

So only on day three was I confident that I'd survive running from a burning building.

I was on 5-3-1 program (by Jim Wendler) for four months. It's great. I successfully lifted my dead lift 1RM to 80kg (at 45kg) -- yes, I'm bragging about that =D

But a week before I got that personal record, I lifted with wrist wraps. I don't normally use wrist wraps and for that session it helped me push my final reps from I think two to six. But I think I almost wrecked my back because of it. I obviously did something wrong but I still don't know what that something was (aside from the fact that I used wrist wraps; my fiance said my form was good). All I know is that after that final set, I couldn't do another dead lift -- I was supposed to continue with the Boring But Big set. My back was aching like I need to crack it but can't and I don't know how and the next day it felt the same. It was uncomfortable. And that's scary because injury is not an option. I'd rather rest healthy than be forced to rest because I just can't move and am in pain.

So that's why I switched to Felicia Romero's workout - it's more on the lighter weights, high reps, and a whole lot of variety in the exercises. So on that program, on Day 2, I had to work out my calves. I don't really think I ever neglected my calves because I run at least once a week. But in terms of weighted calf raises, I haven't done that in the past six months so I settled with 40kg on a smith machine (I regularly did 55kg when I was doing it regularly). I did the 3 sets of 15 reps easy enough.

Then tomorrow came. I almost buckled to the floor when my calves wouldn't work. Like broken kind of "wouldn't work". My calves were sore, physically swollen, and stiff. My knees were perpetually bent because straightening them means triggering the calves and my calves are screaming NOOOO!!!!

I thought, fine, I deserve that for not doing my calf raises for so long. But then the next day after, I was worse. So I started reading online forums about being in my situation and all I read was "only time will heal".

Dumaguete-Siquijor 3-day Budget Itinerary: Budget Review

2013-02-16T19:00:00.000+08:00

Originally posted in: http://apps.facebook.com/Ascofamily
Notes:
1. Buy your ticket from airlines' seat sales. Cebu Pacific offers a lot of opportunities to book cheap fights.
2. Book your hotel/inn a couple of weeks in advance
3. Book your hired van (for Balinsasayao) also a couple of weeks in advance

	Activities	Cost in Php
Day 1	Budget [sale] flight (P1500 x 3)	4500
	Terminal Fee (P200 x 3)	600
	Airport to inn tricycle	60
	Honeycomb Inn (P1500 x 2 nights)	3000
	Day 1 Lunch	400
	Anthropology Museum (P10 x 3)	30
	Day 1 Dinner	500
Day 2	Dumaguete to Siquijor ferry (P120 x 3)	360
	Day 2 Breakfast	150
	Siquijor Tour	1000
	Siquijor Tour entrance fees	200
	Day 2 Lunch	400
	Siquijor to Dumaguete ferry (P180 x 3)	540
	Day 2 Dinner	400
Day 3	Day 3 Breakfast	Free
	Rent-a-car to Balinsasayao	1500
	Balinsasayao fees	30
	Balinsasayao boat ride (P250 x 2 hours)	500
	Day 3 Lunch	500
	Airport fees	90
Total		14670

Dumaguete-Siquijor 3-day Budget Itinerary: Day 03

2013-02-15T07:00:00.000+08:00

Originally posted in: http://apps.facebook.com/Ascofamily
Balinsasayao and Danao, Twin Lakes

By 7AM you should have packed, checked out, and consumed your complimentary breakfasts. Your hired van is ready to bring you to the twin lakes of Balinsasayao. It's roughly an hour and fifteen minute drive to get to the registration area of the lakes, another 5-20 minutes to get to the welcoming area (depending if you go by foot or by vehicle) and then a 5-10 minute decent to get to one of the lakes. Once you're at the lake, you will be greeted by beautiful scenery. You can trek around the lake if you're feeling a bit adventurous or you can hire a boat and boatmen to take you around. Or simply do both.

Trek for 30 minutes. Explore the area and jump from one umbrella cottage to the next. Then you’re your lungs are filled with fresh air, take a boat to cover more in less time. It’s P250 per hour – sounds pretty steep but you will not regret it. The ride through the lake is calming. In 20 minutes, you’ve crossed the lake and you’re off for a 10 minute trek. At the end of the trek is a small, pristine waterfall. The water is freezing cold but do jump in anyway! After 20 minutes of horsing around, go back down and back on the boat for your next stop.

Just 10 minutes away is the tree house where you'll finally see both Balinsasayao and Danao lakes side by side. The tree house is right in the middle, surrounded by trees. You may go down to the other lake just to see what’s there. You’ll never get tired of the beauty of the place. At 12noon, start heading back.

Leave Balinsasayao at 12:30PM and have a late, big, well deserved lunch in Jo's. Have their famous chicken inato. If you're into seafood, I highly recommend their kinilaw. We have a 4.45pm flight to catch but don’t rush, you’re right on time.

By 3PM your hired van should have dropped you off at the airport. There they sell Sans Rival's products just a few bucks more expensive than in the store but packed well for the flight. There’s time to kill as you wait for your plane so treat dad to a foot and back massage offered inside the waiting area of the airport. Relax and review the pictures you took of your trip.

Time	Details
6:00am	Breakfast
7:00am	Ride to Balinsasayao
8:30am-12:00pm	Balinsasayao adventure
12:30pm	Ride back to Dumaguete City
1:45pm	Lunch at Jo’s Inato
3:00pm	Airport check-in
4:45pm	Flight back to Manila

Dumaguete-Siquijor 3-day Budget Itinerary: Day 02

2013-02-14T07:00:00.000+08:00

Originally posted in: http://apps.facebook.com/Ascofamily
Siquijor Day Trip.

It's an early start as you head out to the docks. You should be there at 5.45 am to take the day's first ferry to Siquijor. Take a nap or enjoy the sea, it's not uncommon to spot dolphins in these areas.

When you get there, have your breakfast in the canteen by the pier. I personally recommend their adobong pusit (squid). For P25 you get five pieces of three-inch long squids!

Head to the tourist center just outside the gates of the pier, beside the canteen to hire a tour guide who will take you around Siquijor (Php1000 for your group). Make sure you see their 400+ year old balete tree and then visit the Cambugahay Falls. I highly recommend that you take 15 minutes to swim here. It's beautiful and the water is relaxingly cool. Tourists only usually pass by so you'd probably have the whole falls to yourself. Somewhere along the tour, your guide will bring you to your lunch stop and to your beach stop. The rest is a surprise!

End the tour and be at the docks by 3PM. There’s a fast ferry leaving at that time. If you miss that, your last chance to get back to Dumaguete is on the 3:45PM ferry ride which is similar to the 6AM ride from Dumaguete.

Once you’re back in Dumaguete, have dinner at Mels Cafe. They have an in house nutritionist! They serve a special pork chop dish marinated in coffee (Coffee Chop) but I recommend their salads (they sell their dressings in big bottles if you one to take it back to Manila) and their version of pad thai.

Walk by the bay and try their curious street food: tempura. I'm not even joking. They do serve tempura on the streets. Let your mom take you to the market - buy some danggit and tuyo (dried/smoked fish) to take home. On your way back to the inn, buy some packaging tape to seal your fish to make them travel friendly.

Now here's the tricky part. You have to retire early because you'll be up and about again first thing in the morning.

Time	Details
5:45am	Dumaguete to Siquijor ferry
7:00am	Breakfast
7:30am-2:30pm	Siquijor Tour
3:00pm	Siquijor to Dumaguete ferry
4:00pm	Back in the inn to stretch and freshen up
5:30pm	Early dinner at Mels Cafe
6:30pm	Market – for some tuyo and danggit
7:00pm	Street foods tripping

Dumaguete-Siquijor 3-day Budget Itinerary: Day 01

2013-02-13T07:00:00.000+08:00

Originally posted in: http://apps.facebook.com/Ascofamily
Arrival in Dumaguete

Check in your family in the cozy Honeycomb Tourist Inn. Stretch, unpack and soak yourselves in the warm ambiance of this old house turned hostel. If you booked the 9.45AM flight, you'd be just in time to start your Dumaguete experience with a lunch at Café Antonio. Don’t be surprised at how beautiful their small restaurants and cafes are and, in contrast, how cheap the foods are. Dishes are usually at P95 to P120 so do try everything that sounds good on the menu!

Walk off your lunch by crossing the street to Silliman University. Visit their Anthropology Museum. In one area, they have a collection of "black magic" items, including an eerie voodoo doll, confiscated by the police.

Walk some more and visit the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral. Notice their ancient and beautiful Bell Tower. Be mindful of the church goers! Across is the Rizal Park where you can snack on fresh fruit shakes (yummy cold ripe mango shakes) and Filipino pancakes. Watch the locals keep themselves fit with group dance exercises.

And oh look! It's time to eat again! Dinner at the most famous Sans Rival. Before diving into their famous pastries, have some savory pasta dishes or sandwiches. For dessert, choose from huge variety of cakes and pastries but it is an absolute must that you try their best sellers: sans rival (duh!) and silvannas.

If you're feeling too pumped (with all that food and sweets!) to sleep, then take a stroll by the bay. You may even end up buying a carved bracelet for souvenir or getting a henna tattoo!

Time	Details
8:30am	Call time in the airport
9:45am	Flight to Dumaguete
11:00am	Arrival in Dumaguete
12:00pm	Check-in to your choice of hotel/inn
1:00pm	Lunch at Café Antonio
2:00pm	Silliman University’s Anthropology Museum
4:00pm-6:00pm	Walk around the city and familiarize yourself with the neighbouring establishments. Walk to the Church (Bell Tower)
6:00pm	Dinner at Sans Rival

Holiday Treat from Nivea!

2012-12-13T10:34:00.000+08:00

Be one of the four lucky readers who get a pack of NIVEA FRUITY SHINE by simply following two steps:

Step 1. Like or Follow Nivea
Option.1. Like NIVEA Philippines on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NIVEAPhilippines
Option.2. Follow NIVEAPhils on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NIVEAPhils

Step 2. Leave me a comment with your facebook link or your twitter link and tell me how you live your life with a smile!

That's it!
Raffle ends on January 31 2013 and I'll send out the prices on the same month.

NIVEA FRUITY SHINE Pack (part 1 of 2)

NIVEA FRUITY SHINE Pack (part 2 of 2)

Happy holidays!

Warning: Robbery at the Fort Bonifacio Global City

2012-10-08T18:06:00.001+08:00

Source: http://boranzohn.tumblr.com/post/33075195592/a-warning

Protect Your Freedom

2012-10-02T10:55:00.001+08:00

Download all your pictures from Multiply

2012-09-26T07:00:00.000+08:00

(1) Use Chrome browser. You can also use Firefox, but that requires a different plugin. I'm using Chrome so this tutorial is based on Chrome. (If you don't have Chrome, install it: https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

(2) Get the Chrome browser extension "Download Master": https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mcceagdollnkjlogmdckgjakjapmkdjf

You know you have it when you see this icon on the upper right corner of your Chrome browser:

(3) Login to your Multiply account and go to your homepage.

(4) Click on the "Download Media" link right below your profile picture.

(5) You'll end up in a page where you can see all links to all your uploaded pictures/videos.

(6) Click on the Download Master button (see picture on #2)

(7) The Download Master will retrieve all links from your page. For simplicity's sake, I just checked "All" then clicked "Download" button.

That's it!

All your pictures will be dumped in your Downloads folder.

Dinner and Drinks at Draft @BGC

2012-09-06T07:00:00.000+08:00

I rarely stay out late. It doesn't matter if it's a weekday or a weekend. Either way, it will mess up at least two of the following days: if I don't get enough sleep, I'll be too tired to work out, I'll be too sleepy to hang out, and I'd probably get a stomach acid attack.

Anyway, this was not one my regular "lights out at 11" nights. We went out to Draft for grub and drinks.

Did I mention I also don't drink alcohol?

Anyway, the drinks were great. You will definitely enjoy hanging out at Draft with friends. The crowd wasn't rowdy. The food... was disappointing. If you're eating there, stick to the "beer food": calamaris, chicken fingers, fish and chips. Stay away from the burgers. I'm telling you. They smell terrible and they taste worse. I'd rather have a McDonald's cheeseburger than eat another burger from Draft.

Calamaris served with tartar sauce

Chicken fingers. Theirs is better than Friday's.

One of these is the Draft burger. It's terrible. Don't order this.

The other is the cheeseburger. Which is even worse. Please, do yourself a favor. Listen to me.

Fish and chips. This. This was good. Order this instead of the burgers above.

An Amaretto Sour. It was too sweet for me. I'd rather go with a Margarita slush next time.

Filipino-Kapampangan lunch

2012-09-05T11:31:00.002+08:00

6-inch squids, stuffed and grilled

I wanted to post this on Facebook but this looks to be the more appropriate venue because my sister rarely visits this blog and I don't want her drooling and getting homesick over these pictures, but they're too awesome to keep. (I love you, atsi)

So this is what my mom prepared for lunch last weekend:

Squid, pork barbecues, and boiled shrimp

Green mango salad. The perfect side dish.

This was for midday snack. Vegetable and tofu fried rolls. We call them lumpiang prito.

Why is my Krispy Kreme donut small??

2012-09-04T19:50:00.002+08:00

It's noticeably smaller than normal.

Krispy Kreme released a new set of donuts this beginning of September. The flavors are KitKat, Crunch, Butterfinger, and Baby Ruth.

I was very excited to try them. So last Monday I dropped by the Krispy Kreme store in RCBC and I noticed that all of their donuts looked small. I wasn't sure at first but then my friends noticed it too.

I don't know what kind of strategy this is but why would you release a new set of flavors but serve us with smaller donuts? I don't get it.

And what the hell is this?

Zong @BGC for the best hakao

2012-07-20T07:00:00.000+08:00

We don't usually eat at Zong's because it's usually out of our budget. It was just a special day - workout and some missed dates in the previous week so we decided to splurge a bit. Here's our recommended order:
1. 2 bowls of plain rice
2. hakao (shrimp dumplings) - the best I've ever ever ever had
3. Singaporean style fish fillet

Playing the Clue board game for the first time

2012-07-19T07:00:00.000+08:00

I know you played Clue when you were kids and it's sad that this is the first time I'm introduced it. I understand your sentiments because this game is AMAZING! Schedule another board game date asap!!