Unwind

Last night, I had an ultimate unwinding evening.

I went to the salon and had my hair cut really short.

After which, I had about an hour foot massage in a different venue.

Gawd, I really needed to unwind.

After all, I just found out I didn't get promoted.

Diagnosis

Having a baby is not easy for hubby and me.

We have been visiting the doctor for a couple of months. Hubby and I have been trying to conceive but to no avail.

There are no words to express how frustrating it has been for us. For me, especially. I don't think I'd ever feel fulfilled until I hold our baby in my arms.

Once, our director asked a bunch of us, what would we want to be if money was no issue. Some of the folks answered a photographer or an owner of a small business. Me? I replied with, "A mom."

I knew since I was 20 that having a baby will be difficult for me. Being diagnosed with not ovulating, ob-gynes told me to get married soon and start having babies at the age of 25. It seemed like a lifetime then and I didn't want get saddled down too early. I thought that science would catch up and cure me.

Almost ten years later, I know I made a good decision. Else, I wouldn't have married the love of my life. But a part of me wish I met hubby years earlier and we would have about 3 kids by now.

I have 11 more days to wait to actually find out.

Else, it will be another series of medicines. Another series of tests. Possibly A.I.

Coach Potato

I have been watching TV way too much this week.

It all started with The Batman. Hubby and I have been watching four seasons off and on. This week, we had started on season four and we couldn't get enough off it.

I was able to download the 2008 World Series of Poker. Each week I wait for the new episode and we watch it over a meal.

Yesterday, I downloaded the first episode of House season 5. We watched it over dinner tonight.

Telly has always made me relax. I am thinking it may be a good thing. But everything done in excess is always a bad thing.

This is why we have not slept more than 5 hours each day.

Hectic Weekend

This weekend went by in a blur.

Friday night. We played poker at an officemate's house and I ended up winning the big pot of PHP1,000.00. That was a win from behind since I was the short stack. I guess cooking them pasta made them amicable for me to win.

Saturday morning. I had an appointment to the doctor and she had some tests for us to do. (This deserves its own post. When I'm ready to tell.)

Saturday lunch. We went to my parents' house to have lunch and visit the property in Antipolo. Lucky me, hubby liked the place enough to think of building our house there. After our trip, I decided to go to my favorite salon to have mani and pedi done. My brother came with us and he ended up bonding with his "kuya" at Starbucks.

Sunday morning. We started our morning early by going to Las Pinas and visiting hubby's family for a get-together lunch. I went with the girls to ATC then for a little window shopping.

Sunday night. Hubby and I headed home, attended mass, and did a little grocery shopping. We ended up watching a couple of Batman episodes and Iron Man to cap our weekend.

Thinking (and typing) about it makes me feel so tired. I had some cat naps in the car and in the office earlier today.

I think I'll go to bed now.

Land-Ho!

To most people (in the US), 9-11 would be a very traumatic day.

For us, husband and wife, it's a magical day. About 9 months since we got married, we have purchased ourselves a 418 sq.m. lot!

Though, it is not our first investment as couple, it is essentially the biggest buy we ever had. Notably, we got it at a very low price, as the person selling it, happens to be our godfather at the wedding (and my godfather since birth.)

Quite frankly, it's a bit far from where we live, more far from his parents' home down south. But it's a very good investment for the meager savings we have. In the next 18 months, we may have to scrimp in order to save more for our monthly amortization.

Realistically, hubby could not imagine us building our home there. With the traffic on the way to work, plus the distance we will be traveling. Somehow, I like the green (even though I'm generally blue!) and the comfort of a place to call our own.

An ad provided a brief description that could really make you fall in love with the place.

Title Choice Residential/Commercial Lots Available
- Ready For Housing
- Live Community
- Within The Business District Of Antipolo City
- 25 Meter Grand Entrance
- Playable World-Class Golf Course By Jack Nicklaus

Features & Highlights

- Residential Community
- Multi-Level Village Clubhouse
+ Two-Swimming Pools With Waterfalls
+ Two-Covered Courts
+ 8-Lane Bowling Center
+ Exercise Gym With Lockers
+ Chapel
- 30-Meter Wide Grand Entrance Gate
- Landscaped Guardhouses
- Aqua Park
+ Nature Spring Pool
+ Waterfalls And Winding Slides
+ Surrounding Flora
- Childrens Playground
- 2-Meter Wide Jogging Path
- 10,12,15 And 25-Meter Wide Concrete Roads
- Concrete Curbs And Gutters
- Paved Sidewalks
- Meralco Electrical Facilities
- Concrete Electrical Posts
- Centralized Interrelated Water System
- 75,000-100,000 Gallon Capacity Water Tanks
- Underground Drainage System
- Perimeter Wall
- Commercial Center
+ Various Shops From General Merchandising To Specialty Stores
+ Various Establishments Offering General To Educational And Other Professional Services
- Golf & Country Club
- Two-18 Hole Championship Golf Course Designed By Jack Nicklaus & Arnold Palmer
- Golf Clubhouse
+ Mens And Ladies Locker Rooms
+ Dressing Rooms, Sauna, And Showers
+ Full Pro-Shop
+ Fine Dining, Banquet & Function Rooms
+ Card Room

Available Cut Lots
- Min: 281 Sqm
- Max: 1,662 Sqm

We're still in the market for our own house in the Quezon City area. Somewhere near where we (more I than we) want to send our kids to school.

Not to say the least, it was a very good day. We made our first property investment.

Pasta... Yum! Yum!

Ever since I got married, I have learned to cook. I didn't know that I had it in me, until now. My husband says I can wing it and can generally go without tasting what I am cooking.

Honestly, I cannot bear to eat what I cook until some 30 minutes later. I feel overwhelmed with the smell that I become desensitized. This is why my husband is my taste tester.

After that time, I am OK to eat and I have to say I eat a lot!

I am attaching here my favorite pasta, as well as hubby's favorite pasta. These are easy to cook and takes about 30 minutes of your time. Of course, when I was starting, it took me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to prepare. I wasn't so used to chopping, cutting, and even boiling pasta then.

My fave: Bacon in White Sauce a.k.a. Carbonara

500mg pasta ( I like elbow macaroni or shells for this.)
1 clove of garlic - pressed
1 white onion (red onion's too strong a flavor)
1 can of cream of mushroom
1 can of jolly sliced mushrooms
1 cup of milk
1 small red pepper
1 small green pepper
250 mg of bacon
salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta. Drain water.

Cut bacon into small pieces. Fry them but not over cook them. Drain.

Saute garlic, onions, then bell pepper. Add the bacon and let it cook some more. Add the cream of mushroom and champignons. Add the milk and stir. (I use the can of the cream of mushroom to measure milk.)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix sauce with noodles. Cook over low heat.

Hubby's Fave: Tuna in Basil and Olive Oil

400g spaghettini noodles
2 chopped onions
1 clove chopped garlic
5 chopped tomatoes
250 ml olive oil
2 cans hot & spicy tuna
2 cans tuna in brine
fresh basil
salt and pepper
1/2 small block cheddar cheese, grated

Cook spaghetti noodles until al dente. Drain the water.

Drain the tuna.

Saute garlic, onions, and tomatoes in olive oil. Make sure not to burn the garlic. Add the tuna.

Sprinkle rock salt, basil and black pepper. Simmer.

If mixture dries up, add more olive oil.

Mix tuna mixture with noodles. Cook over low heat.

Serve with grated cheese on top.

It really can't get any simpler than that.

Single Weekend

I spent the weekend playing poker, going home to my parents house, walking in Serendra, having a pajama party, buying board shorts, and watching Disney and poker.

Friday Night.

Office ended early Friday night, with lights out at 6:30pm. Lights out means that every one gets to go home early, unless you want to work in the dark. Not my thing so some friends and I left the office early to play poker.

We gathered in a condo unit near the office, where we played three games. We played some 6 hours and I ended up winning PHP200.00.

Hubby went home ahead of time because he had to pack for his overnight team building. I was so sorry for making him wait for him but my phone died and there was no charger available.

Poor guy. Only had two hours of sleep and had to drive all the way to Batangas.

So sorry, love.

Saturday.

I spent the afternoon in my parents house, singing a few songs and eating goto, okoy, and pancit. A cousin went home from the U.S. to spend a couple of weeks home. This was after 5 years of not going home.

Technically, Bing is not a cousin. Rather she's a distant aunt. I got her mom for the catering of my wedding, while her dad is one of our godfathers. Though the blood lines are distant, but our families are pretty close.

After a sumptuous early dinner, Bing and I took a cab to Serendra. We walked along to Bonifacio High Street, before settling at Figaro. We took time catching up over coffee. However, age has caught up with us and we ended up going home at 10:30pm.

It's been awhile since I had a guest sleep over. Lucky me, my guest did not complaint much. I had to fix the place a little bit since the overnight was not planned at all.

We talked ourselves to sleep, which was after she read through my blog. =)

Sunday.

Bing and I woke up at 6am and 8am. She tasted my sinigang na baboy and ended up liking it. Really heavy breakfast. I promise to give her a box of tamarind mix before she leaves.

We ended up bring the car to my parents' house as I didn't want to take a cab anymore. Actually, we had a couple of stopovers which is why I volunteered the card. We tried to pass by Mom and Tina's but it was still closed. Then we passed by the bank, after which Starbucks to have some coffee.

I brought Bing to a shop I know where they sell really cheap clothes. It's not ukay-ukay stuff but they are export overruns. I found a couple of shirts that I bought in Europe for 1/6 of the price. I bought a couple shirts for hubby and some board shorts for me, him, and brother-in-law. Bing had a lot of fun shopping, too.

Almost 20 hours of fun, we separated ways. My cousin, we should do this again very soon.

Hubby arrived at my parent's place mid-afternoon and we ended up watching Nemo. Midway through Ratatouille, we headed home. He was too tired so he took a nap. I ended up watching (still am) 2007 poker while cooking nilaga. Woke him up to have a small dinner, clean-up, and sent him back to bed.

Now, I end my weekend blogging.

Had fun on my own. But I don't wish it always.

Maybe some six months later. =)

Sick Leave

I wasn't feeling well today. My tummy hurts.


After a meeting yesterday in Manila Peninsula, I may have succumb to some food poisoning.

I went to work, only to leave the office around 12nn.

My husband, the office mate, brought me to a taxi stand. Part of me wanted a sweet hubby who will take care of me, while I'm sick. But the practical part of me knows that it's not a good idea.

In any case, I'm the Queen of Wishful Thinking.

Experimental Chopsuey

Sarita helped inspire to re-create this recipe.

You see, my college friends and I have been emailing recently. Trying to catch up on who's pregnant and who's not, who's working and who's not, who's here and who's abroad. For the longest time, we have been amiss in emailing each other. Now, all of a sudden, everyone's back from dead. This includes those who rarely reply. (I admit I am one of them.)

One of the topics brought up was eating healthy. Sarah was asking for simple vegetable recipes and so I tried to recreate the one I cooked in Germany (some months back.) All I can say is this, it's sooooo much easier to get ingredients when they are written in English (or Filipino).

Without further ado, my simple experimental vegetable stir fry.

What do you need:

a little oil
1 clove of garlic (chopped)
1 piece of onion (sliced)
2 tablespoons of cornstarch (mixed in a 1/4 cup water)
3 tablespoons oyster sauce (approximately)
1 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste
and of course, vegetables you like... (Lucky me, the supermarket has mixed vegetables, peeled and cut, so it takes less time to prepare this.)

For this one, I used the veggies that I love:

1 small cabbage
1 medium red bell pepper
1 small carrot
1 small cauliflower
1 small broccoli

What you do:

Heat the oil in a wok (preferably non-stick skillet). Saute the garlic (make sure you don't burn it.) and add the onions. Stir-fry the vegetables harder to cook (like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, etc) and put the easier ones to cook last. Add the mixed cornstarch in water, oyster sauce, and water. You may put more oyster sauce and water as you like. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Let it simmer in very low heat for about 10-15 minutes (depends on the vegetables you use.)

The sauce (cornstarch in water + oyster sauce + water) will have to be proportional to the amount of vegetables you cook. It will be thick and may take quiet awhile for the sauce to appear.

Disclaimer: This is a non-professional recipe. I learned this when I first started cooking, without a cookbook and using ingredients named in German.

A New Look

I have no complaints about the templates of blogger. But a part of me wants to be unique.

I guess nothing could be more unique than pictures from my own wedding. My flowers and our rings may not be as uncommon as we think but it was made to our specification and the rings were given to us by my parents.

I realize now, looking at the wedding photos of my friends who got married, that all the poses are the same. It is really up to the bride and groom to bring life to their pictures.

Needless to say, my husband and I, together with our loving families, did not hesitate on taking advantages in making some pretty unique photos.

Monday Night Basketball

No. I don't play basketball on Monday nights. Obviously, if not me, who else?

Sometimes I do go with him and watch him play. But recently, I realized, it was his thing. I mean, I can watch if it was a real game and not just some practice that he does weekly and bond with his friends. I mean, he has got to do his own thing.

Hubby is an introvert and doesn't mind having friends within the number of his fingers. For a long time, before we got married, I had encouraged him to reach out with his friends and build his relationship.

Now, he has. I am so proud of my little (big) boy.

The thing about Monday night basketball (not to mention us working in the same office) is that I hitch a ride with him because I am too lazy to commute home. If I could drive, I don't think he'd mind if I bring the car and he ends up commuting home. The thing is, I still don't know how to drive.

So, in effect, his Monday night basketball ends up to be my Monday night watching basketball practice.

Tonight is an exception because it's my uncle's birthday. He ate and run, whereas I chose to stay. At least for an hour and a half to chat with relatives. After all, it has been awhile since I last saw them.

Getting home ahead of hubby is new to me and I'm starting to think it's necessary. Working in the same office and living in the same home do not give much needed alone time.

I have to think of doing some things on my own, as well. Aside from blogging, of course. I do have poker nights but it isn't a weekly thing. Besides, it's not exactly a strenuous activity, like an exercise.

I think I should really (re-)join a gym. Or even just go swimming in the mini-pool at the Penthouse.

But as I said earlier... me too lazy.

*sigh*