My First Year Blogsary Fail!

FAAAAAAAAAAAAAIL!!! That's all I can say after planning a really nice blog post for my first year anniversary of running this blog. I started about two weeks ago, thinking of an article to write about...but then I lost track of time, things happened in between, and before I knew it I had missed the day. Crappy crap crap! >:[

Oh well...87 blog posts and one year later I'm still a mess, but I still manage to update this blog...so not bad for someone who has commitment issues.

I haven't come up with anything yet so here's a yummy photo of Häagen-Dazs' apple something (that is no longer available because they're gone) instead. I rushed out in search of a cake for 
the anniversary photo this afternoon, but I wasn't craving for a cake today...so I used an old photo dating back last 2008 instead. 

But I am preparing a better entry for a more worthy blogsary post...but maybe I'll do that this long weekend. So...many...pending...posts.

Pre-Christmas Shopping

Before I knew it Christmas songs are playing, a few weeks more and we'll start the Simbang Gabi (which I attend only on the last day...because I am never going to be a morning person.) As what I now consider a personal Christmas tradition, the first gift I will be buying for the season is mine. A well deserved annual compensation on top of my weekly compensation. This year one of my self-presents is a Herschel backpack for Php4990.00 but I got a 500-peso discount from a promo that they were having. If you buy a 5K worth of Herschel products you get a Php500 discount coupon. I asked the guy who sold it to me to grant me the discount since it's a ten-peso difference from 5K. He called his boss and bwahahahaha! I got it for Php4490.00 at Bratpack, Greenbelt 5. The store there is bigger than other locations, thus the selection is more diverse than other branches. 

I have a thing with the blue-brown combination since last year...except now I'm more into the aqua-teal-ash blue kinda hue and the one on the left was love at first sight...but I also love the darker one on the right. So I sorta figured a way to trick my brother into buying it so I get to borrow the bag. Bwahaha! I've been eyeing on that Herschel bag for a long time now. Finally, I got "two".

Then I bought a M&S canvas bag for Php325.00 (if I recall correctly) then got a 95-peso discount at the counter. Marks & Spencer has this thing about surprising you with discounts only when you pay them at the counter despite being marked with a regular price on the rack...this isn't the first time it happened to me. The chocolates were also discounted by a few pesos, like 15-25 I think. Cost me about Php65 (red) and Php85 (brown). I like M&S chocolates, especially the one with the biscuits attached. The bag though, I'm thinking of giving it to my aunt who seems fit the bag with her fashion sense.

The lamp and the light bulb are also part of the weekend purchase. The lamp and light bulb were bought at Home Depot in BGC. I love the whole modern-industrial-cafe-like look of it so I bought the piece for our kitchen light. Cost of the bulb was around Php400.00, and the lamp for about Php1800.00 because of the 20% discount. The bulb is the 40-Watt with the cute squiggly filament seen inside. The lamp is a drop-light with a nice grey-tint glass and a classic shapely curve. I love it with all of my heart...for now.

  

QLC Moment #14

Balkan: Yugoslavian Home Cooking

When you enter a restaurant for the first time to try a dish for the first time you really cannot set standards, just expectations. In this case the only basis I have is service, price, ambiance, and personal taste. I am absolutely clueless with anything-Yugoslavian. I wanted to order something I couldn’t pronounce, and I was also in the mood for crepes. So I ordered crepe which name they fancied up as Palacinke claiming that it’s a traditional Serbian crepe filled with chocolate. The server guy said they used Goya chocolate…not a fan. Then they call their creampuff Princes Krofne, which we also ordered. Apparently it’s simply the Serbian translations for crepe and creampuff. The price was as average as their fillings, but I did like their crepe though because they were chewy and porously good.

I like the big light bulbs and the simple white-washed setup with splashes of colors from knickknacks.

Coffee is good, drink it!

Gravity

Gravity has intrigued me with its trailers since I first saw it. Effective teaser. Then I found even more reason to watch it because it's Sandra Bullock, then George Clooney. Yes, Sandra Bullock played more interesting roles than Mr. Clooney whose character is one-dimensional more often than not. One sad fact about watching this movie is that I didn't get to watch it in 3D. It could have gone from a 9 to an 11 out of 10 had I seen it in 3D...oh regret, I feel you.

It's one of the very few 2013 movies that actually got a 97% critic approval rating in Rotten Tomatoes...and those guys are vicious. They also got pretty high grades in other movie websites.

The setting may be out there, but Sandra's in-your-face acting was controlled enough not to set you off the edge. The story gives you a different perspective on a glimpse of man's nature represented through Ryan. If it wasn't such a big budget film with big screen names, I could have mistaken it for an indie film with how it was presented. The movie scared me more than Insidious 2 because the fear I felt was raw. Although the possibility of me being in the same situation as Ryan is as remote as me going to space, it made me feel glad I didn't pursue on my dream of becoming an astronaut. I've never seen space more up-close than this, and it is beautiful as it is dangerous. 

Note to self: Don't go to space.

The camera at times would shift into a first-person view that will either amaze you or freak you out. But mostly it's otherworldly. There's a lot of buzz from critics, all for a simple reason...it's a good watch. They did good. Nuff said. Watch it. 

The Goose Station's Memory

It’s the grand finale of my seven-part birthday celebration, and a fitting end to my passing. What? I dunno, I’m so elated that I make even wronger grammar. When food this good is taken in perfect proportion, it does tend to uplift the mood unlike an eat-all-you-can buffet which often leaves you with a heavy feeling in the end. The meal I had in The Goose Station was different in a way that it fills not only your stomach but also your senses. They say eating involves all five senses, The Goose Station makes sure you will experience just that. It took a long time and a whole lot of longing before the universe found a way to make it happen. This is where I say, thank you Lord for the giving me generous friends!!!  Despite being in business for a few years now it’s still being raved about. Finally, I know why.

To describe the experience, a friend summed it up for me: It’s like sitting on the judge’s panel of Master Chef, getting served with a carefully thought-out dish creatively plated, explained to you what it is the moment it is served, and having the servers stare at you, timing you when you will be done so that they can serve the next dish for you to critique. Of course we’re unqualified judges, but dreams need to start somewhere.

Being a genius, I didn't take a photo of the menu because I thought I would have the knowledge to recall what the servers would be saying. Unfortunately, after our server’s explanation I would go, “what did she just say?” and then she would be gone by then, and my friends would be clueless as well. A friend would just say, “It’s asparagus something” or “It has truffle oil!” So I ended up having to research for this article. Oh well, bear with me as this is all I can come up with.

Shoe Problems

I need new shoes. Three new shoes later, I still need new shoes...WHY!?!?! I'm not into stilettos because I curse heels as my feet hate them, and I'd rather be stuck with my meager height than having to go through with the pain of aching toes, sole, ankles, and spirit. I go for comfy rubber shoes instead since I do tend to walk a lot...it wasn't until a few months ago that I got to experience the wonders of chucks. 

I was so happy with them Muji shoes, so light and bendable...until I saw its edges start to crack after six months of constant use...like twice to thrice a week, walking an average of 2kms per use. Although it cost Php1500.00 for a pair of teal-colored chucks...I didn't get to roughen it up enough before it started falling apart. And they do tend to have bad friction as I get recurring fears of falling on my butt every time I walk on wet tiles with them. No photo of the Muji shoes, they're quite dirty now.

It wasn't until last week that it occurred to me, I need new shoes as I felt a pain on the balls of my ankles, so I bought the Sketcher's Go Walk for Php3,200+ and they feel awesome because it feels like your feet don't touch the ground. When I first walked on it, I almost felt like jumping, sprinting, frolic on them...a week later my right toe has this huge kalyo (callus)...but I love the shoes so much that I'm keeping my kalyo. Plus, it's also waterproof! The very reason why I bought them in the first place! Now I can run and jump on puddles without wetting my feet! A perfect pair for this rainy season...so I use them to work everyday and walk on paddles with ease.

Then I bought Ellesse simply because they were on sale for only Php800.00 at ResToeRun...that's a 70% discount! So I bought it because I want the brand...although I'm not so much into the color. True enough, I wore it out once and I can already spot stains on it. At least it's comfortable enough to walk in. There is nice friction, but a little risky to walk on wet tiles.

And my newest addition to my growing shoe collection, the Reebok Slimtone which I haven't used yet since I bought them on sale just this morning. It cost me Php1,300.00 from it's original Php3,995.00. I'm soooo in love with the color! <3 <3 <3 Aqua and teal with a combination of either brown, grey, or white is my favorite pretty-thing-to-look-at right now. So I'm basically looking for items with those tones, and this one hit me right on the sweet spot. Nice! I'm gonna take it out for a walk tomorrow. <3

But I still need new shoes...

Insidious 2

At a time when I was in need of a serious scare, I ended up laughing. Not necessarily a comedy, but when a friend suddenly yells, "si Ms.Minchin!" after the ghost slaps a little kid wearing a wig and growls, "Don't you dare!" it does tend to be funny.

I never got to watch Part 1, but I think I get Part 2 without having to see it. There are several parts intertwining the two movies, and it impressed my friends who watched the first movie. Me? It was okay. 

There are a couple of scary scenes, this one in particular:

Dragons of Atlantis

If I have an excuse for not getting anything done since last week, it's because of this game. It takes up so much of my time especially at night that I'm seriously considering of giving up on the game soon...but not before I could march into battle with my dragon. Maybe by next week or so...

This is a real-time strategy RPG that involves different races, building an army of several thousands, fortifying your castle, expanding your empire, finding allies within your realm, going into strategic battles, and raising your dragons to be the ultimate conqueror. It starts out pretty quick with building houses and farms within a couple of seconds to eventually leveling them up that can take you days to accomplish.