hi

it's been almost a year since i last posted... i even forgot my password when i signed in. te and i are ok, doing great actually. we're celebrating our 9th year in exactly 10 days. life is good.

Virgins at the Opera

Last Saturday, te, carla and I trouped to the CCP to watch our first opera, La Boheme staged by The Philippine Opera Company.

Love story and bohemian lifestyle conveyed through opera... in italian nonetheless.

Two Words... Acquired taste ;)

10 more operas and we're in business.

Only 4 verifiable, justifiable comments:
1. The CCP box office sucks. Before purchasing our tickets, we asked the lady in the box office if there are better seats in a better section and she said nada... We went up a few steps to the main entrance and whaddayaknow lotsa center tickets, front row available. Grr diba?

2. I'm sure I would've been tickled pink-er from all the romance if "Rodolfo" was younger and more good looking... hihihi... Sorry, I can't shake of all the romantic trash that pop culture has filled me with. His voice was exquisite though.

3. Mimi cannot possibly have tuberculosis if she's chubby. Don't get me wrong, she's a beauty and has a superb voice and I'm more than chubby too... but I'm not claiming to have tuberculosis! :)

4. Filipino artists are outstanding.

Yun lang. Other than that, wala na kong "K" i-comment.


Sneaking one lame picture.

Carla dalaga...

Carla dalaga and one binata... hehehe...

Carla dalaga and one hot mama... bwahahaha...

I've forgotten how nice CCP is...


Ate at harbour view after "the opera".

I love you my two babies.

Abogacious Abbondanza and Te 's "Shitty" Amezcua Experience

Chapter 1 - Abbondanza

Finding an unexpected pocket (a deep one at that) of free time that we can spend together is precious. Days like these, our first instinct is to look for, what else, a new dining destination. We took our time, got lost in ortigas and found ourselves at Abbondanza. It's an Italian Restaurant located behind the University of Asia and Pacific. I think it replaced the old Ramen Tei.

The theme was casual Italian bistro. I like the open kitchen concept as well but I wish their kitchen staff are more good-looking. Hahaha...

As expected, we ordered a lot of things on the menu (for our review to be fair dba? as if anybody cares! hahaha).

This pizza (I forgot the flavor :)) was not very good at first bite but the crust was promising. As soon as you put that magic garlic oil and chili flakes though, all the flavors emerge and in the end it became a hit to both of us.



Sorry, i didn't like the texture of the mushroom risotto i ordered. I wish it was creamier :(

I love my roasted chicken! It was tender and oh so flavorful!

Te thinks her tender osso buco goes very well with the risotto. She liked it but I thought it was just ok.

Sarap ng tiramisu! Not so sweet, melts in your mouth.




It was the panna cotta that was too sweet for our taste. And there was something about it, i just don't get :(

So will i go back to Abbondanza? I think so, if we found ourseleves in the area. At least i know what to order next time.

CHAPTER 2 - AMEZCUA

After indulging at Abbondanza, next stop was Amezcua Wellness Center. You see, Te is eternally constipated. Thus, for our anniversary, I gifted her with a series of Colonic Hydrotherapy with Live Blood Analysis. What??? Colonic Hydrotheraphy is an alternative therapy used to cleanse, maintain and restore optimum colon health. It involves the use of low-pressure water administered (you know where) mechanically by a trained therapist. In short, they'll try to clean out all the shit that has built up in te's colon over the years. Bwahahaha.... I know. It's so unusual to be giving each other presents like this, huh? (For my last birthday, te gave me some kind of an executive check-up package.) But what greater gift to give but the gift of health :) So off to Amezcua we go.

That's my baby modeling for Amezcua. Baby, you need a haircut :)

Tina, the lovely nurse, gave us a brief tour of their facilities before we dive into the program. The compound was divided into the spa and the medical center. They used mainly natural materials such as wood and stone for the Asian-inspired interiors. Simple, relaxing, clean, aromatic and beautiful. And the staff are wonderful! They're very sensitive and attentive to your smallest needs but unobtrusive at the same time. So unlike the last spa we went to! (Click here)

This is their "scrub room". I'm trying out their delicious-sounding scrubs next time!

This is where I had my Aromatherapy Massage. Spacious, quiet, with a private shower booth. I am definitely not in Ahavia! Hooray!



These are their foot spa and foot massage areas. No television here! Just peace, quiet and delightful pampering.

First on the agenda is Te's live blood analysis. Through pinprick collection of te's blood studied under a high-power microscope, the test revealed her nutritional deficiencies, cholesterol, uric acid crystals, digestive problems, presence of bacteria and even organ stress. Stop smiling baby, you have bad blood! Full of uric acid and cholesterol! Eeeww... Watch my honey's blood while it's still alive in this video...

My baby being prepped for Colonics. She can still smile at this point. In about 10 minutes, she won't be smiling anymore... Hehehe... Baby, you really need a haircut. Hahaha...

Ok, so here's the Colonic Hydrotherapy machine that semi-tortured my baby for 45 minutes while I was having a most delightful massage in the next room...hihihi... According to my honey, the process of inserting the tube in her butt was not painful at all. However, once that water started filling up her colon, her tummy growled and rumbled very much like she was having a major LBM attack! She felt super uneasy because she thought the tube will explode with all her shit! Hahaha.... But of course it did not and the process cleansed her well. She's not looking forward to it, but she's still doing the next one this week (she needs to do it 4x within a month to really cleanse that colon of hers).

On our way home, I felt relaxed and refreshed (my masseuse was really good!) while te felt weak and violated. Hahaha... What a gift huh? But babe, you know it's good for you. I need you to live long and healthy so you can take care of me. Hehehe....

Everybody should do these (the colonics and the massage) and start taking care of their bodies better. We're slowly, very slowly (like turtle slow) focusing on our health because just like the GMC ad, we want to LIVE BAD LONGER...

(Postscript: I took another baby step in taking care of my health. I started practicing bikram yoga. O diba? At this point though in my practice, my only goal when in class is to breathe and not faint... hehehe... More of yoga stories in the future.)

8 this 2008

Te and I celebrated our 8th anniversary last sept.27. Uuuyyy... we made it this far :)))

Bryan: Pa-burger naman kayo dyan! Burger! Burger! Burger! Burger! (corny ka if you don't know this. I didn't at first. hehehe)

5 years nalang malalagpasan ko na ex nya. Hahaha.... In observance of this thrilling milestone, we spent our weekend at The Peninsula Manila. You know, the hotel that Trillanes and other Magdalo soldiers messed up? Hahaha...

The Peninsula has always been one of my favorite hotels. I just love their grand lobby. Don't you think hotel lobbies nowadays are not so impressive anymore?


Our room was small but tastefully decorated. It suited our needs. It had a comfy bed to which we glued ourselves to for 2 days, talking about life before, during and after our 8 years together. We basically did what we do every saturday but in a much more private and fabulous ambiance. Stayed under heavy sheets the whole day staring, kissing, laughing and doing other things I cannot write here if I want to keep my career. Heavenly that's what it is. I was sad, to the point of tears :( when we had to leave. I'm such a drama queen. We're actually together everyday. Hehehe...



Bathroom pictures....








That's me setting up our anniversary lunch.



I prepared a salad with arugula, roasted bell peppers and seared steak with balsamic vinaigrette which te loved.
And seafood risotto which I did not love at all...


We also had dinner at Hossein's that night and we decided breakfast at Nielsen's was one of the best.

Spending time, making memories, sharing love is just wonderful. Raise your mugs, your bottles, cups and glasses to us... KANPAI!

(Click here to kanpai)

Join us on our 9th year! Or maybe not... because we will be in EUROPE!!!! Or at least we think so....

A'hava Lotta Hate for Ahavia

Sunday nights are special for next day work bound souls like us. We want to chill. We want to stretch time and dwell in a bubble of serenity and peace to recharge us for another week of hard labor (well ok, not that hard but it's still kinda hard :)) I'm sure you can relate.

That sunday, i don't remember who's bright idea it was, we decided to try out a spa that we've seen along wilson street in san juan named "Ahavia". We're fond of spas and we've been itching to try out this place because from outside, it looks quite promising. So I drove all the way to my honey's place (on a sunday!) to pick her up and set off to ahavia.

As we entered, I instantly felt a sense of tranquility mixed with excitement and anticipation for the pampering that awaits us. The smells, the dim lighting and the overall ambiance immediately calm your senses. The reception area is modern, elegant and inviting. The owner's artful taste is evident in the details found here and there. The lady in the reception was also very friendly. She explained to us their signature treatments and proceeded to assign our masseuse. Te chose their signature massage while I chose to have a foot spa and a 40 minute spot massage (the official names of these massages escape me now). Te was brought to the private areas and I went to the "express room".

Up to that point, I was still in spa heaven. However, as I entered the "express room", I was rudely pulled back down to earth. The room consisted of 6 lounge chairs a foot apart from each other and separated by sheer curtains. A couple occupied two of the spots before me and I was welcomed by the sound of the video they were watching on the flat screen tv in front of all of us. Hmm...Interesting. Thoughts of soothing slumber quickly vanished as I heard Cameron Diaz arguing with Ashton Kutcher in “What Happens in Vegas”. I watched the film and I liked it but watching it again while having my foot spa and massage was not exactly what I had in mind when I went to the spa that night :( So there. I endured the rest of the loud tv sound while trying to relax with a magazine. However, the racket did not end there. The room quickly filled with more patrons and pretty soon it was full of spa goers and staff. That shouldn’t be a problem but I immediately noticed that their staff created too much noise! Door squeaking every few minutes because of staff going in and out, glass (or what sounds like it) banging on the floor, stools being dragged carelessly and god knows what else! And the most annoying of all is their foot spa machine that made a kkkkrrrrrrrrr noise for at least 15 minutes! Aaaahhhhh!!! That, combined with the tv and the staff noise gave me an instant headache! I later learned from Te that she could hear the tv from the private massage cubicles in another room. It was that loud.

Knowing I couldn’t do anything about the racket, I asked my masseuse to ask Te’s masseuse how many more minutes before her massage ends. She came back and said 20 more minutes. Since my foot spa was done and it was time for my 40 minute massage, I told my masseuse to scrap that and do a 20 minute spot massage on me instead (they have that option). I did not want to spend a minute more than I had to in that place!

After my massage, I went out right away (ever more stressed than when I got there). While waiting for Te, I approached the nice lady at the reception to settle our bill. I informed her that I changed my mind about the 40 minute massage and chose 20 minutes instead. I expected of course to be billed for 20 minutes only. She called my masseuse and asked her what part of my body she massaged. My masseuse answered “ulo po at likod mam”. Correct. Then the nice lady said “oh I still have to charge you the 40minutes kse iba yung package sa ulo at iba yung sa likod”. From what I remember, she explained that there was a 20 minute massage package for the head and there was also a 20 minute massage package for the back and shoulders. Since I got a little of both, then I still had to pay for 40 minutes even though I was just massaged for 20 minutes. Hmm… I told her that I was not informed by my masseuse that there was such an option or condition. All I told her was to massage me for 20 minutes but I did not specify any part of my body. (I was just killing time then remember?) She said "but that’s our policy". Ok. She wasn’t such a nice lady anymore at that point. Still, I did not wish to argue and all I wanted was to get out of there so I said ok I’ll just pay for the 40 minute massage but next time to please tell their staff to inform their clients accordingly.

Yet, being a responsible consumer that I was :) I couldn’t resist giving them feedback before we go. I put forward my sweetest smile along with my saccharine voice and said… “mam, is it ok if I give you feedback?” She gave me a look through her glasses and said “ok”. So I continued… “You know mam, your place is beautiful. The design is so well put together. ( Of course I start with the positives diba) Kaya lang po maybe you can train your staff to be more discreet because they were quite noisy.” Eto na po…. First of all, she wasn’t looking at me the whole time I was speaking. She was going through some papers on her desk. Then she said “Oh it’s because you were in the express room. Next time, you stay in the VIP room” (That option was given to us in the beginning but you had to pay an extra 190 or 200 to be in that room and we decided it wasn’t worth it.) Interesting answer… I said “Mam do you mean I have to stay in the vip room to get peace and quiet?” She didn’t answer me, shuffled some more papers and talked to a couple beside me instead. Boiling Point! I was shaking at that juncture! I said (shaking but still trying to maintain an even tone) “Mam and I hope next time, when somebody gives you constructive feedback, the least you can do is listen and look at the person talking to you.” She replied “I’m busy there are people waiting for me.” S#*&% diba??? I kept my cool and settled our bill. As I paid, I asked for an official receipt. She said if we want an OR then she had to add 12% to our bill. Ano kamo??? I answered “Mam there’s a DTI ruling that whatever you put in your price pages should be VAT inclusive already and it actually says in your menu of packages that the prices are VAT inclusive” Nakakaloka! After a little more debate, sabi nya, “O sige, sige I won’t add anymore.” Utang na loob ko? We just quickly paid and got out of there! Surprisingly, Te was just quiet the whole time. She later told me that I looked upset already and she didn’t want to add to my rage.

In the car, I ranted to Te. How rude is that??? I asked her if my tone was foul when I was giving feedback but she said I sounded really calm and polite. She then told me that there was also a raucous in where she stayed. She guessed that it was beside the laundry or staff room because she heard chatting, footsteps and other noises. She said it was like her massage bed was located beside a highway since all the staff passed by incessantly. Added to that, since the cubicles (also separated by curtains) were located too close to each other, she felt the butt of the masseuse in the other cubicle touching her arm now and then! Hahaha… My poor baby!

To ease my stress, Te treated me for dinner at one of our favorite hangouts, Galileo restaurant. My cheese and cold cuts platter and my honey’s embrace quickly melted my anger away. However, while we were looking at our receipt from Ahavia, I realized we over paid the not-so-nice lady! Oh no! In my rush to get out of there, I failed to check our billing! Te didn’t want me to go back there anymore but I insisted. No way was I going to let that pass! Over paying 300 plus pesos for something that peeved me??? In the end, we compromised and I stayed in the car while she talked to the not-so-nice lady inside. After awhile, she came back with our refund. The not-so-nice lady couldn’t figure out how she overcharged us. Te guessed that she panicked, hence the mistake. Sigh….

What a crazy Sunday. Absolutely unfit to precede a manic Monday :( After that hullabaloo, I badly needed a massage. I made a mental note that next time, I should settle with my reliable masseuse Jocelyn :(

The First Aquino-Fajardo Family Outing... Astig!!!

last august 23, we made history. we brought together my family and te's family to a beach outing in sabangan resort in laiya batangas. wow. momentous. big. very big. i never imagined that day would come. oh and it wasn't just a day, it was a 3 day outing! her WHOLE family and my WHOLE family (complete from parents to babies) bonding, eating in the beach, playing beach volleyball! astig. our siblings joked us that we could have had a commitment ceremony right then and there. i should've brought a gown and surprised everyone! i mean, im chummy with her family, she's chummy with my family and our mothers are chummy with each other for the past years but i didn't think it was possible to actually bring them together for one big family outing. sigh... happiness...

one enormous booboo though honey... we didn't take group pictures! why???

let's just do it again next year. uuuyyyy, nawili.... hehehe.... i'll be sure to bring a gown then ;)

(looks like im skinny dipping, poor sea creatures! hihihi...)

(cool shot of carla)

(bonding with sisters, notice the terno bathingsuit sheesh...)

Sandy's Pizza on a Splendid Sunday

te and i don't usually see each other on sundays...separate family obligations ek-ek. last sunday, i missed her too much so i went to her house just to kiss and bug her. we ended up eating at sandy's pizza. it's really just a kiosk for take-out but we ate there anyway. sarap.

routines are meant to be broken... at least once in awhile.


Yummy four flavors: four cheese white pizza, margherita, thai chicken curry and tocino

Creamy pesto - not so creamy but pwede na :)

Buffalo wings - te can't forget maricar's buffalo wings... Calling armi!!! :) Once i cooked buffalo wings for her and she didn't like it :( Hmp!

Sandy's should pay me for this plug...


Don't she just loves to take pictures of me? *Sigh...* :)

Labbing In and About "Lattize"

1. labbing
_______Baduy slang for "loving".

2. labbing

Shortened-coloquialism for elaborating or an elaboration.

To elaborate the truth therefore to lie / be lying.

Yesterday before our usual Saturday cuddling and nap, we checked out a new restaurant in our area called "Lattize". As we entered, we were pleasantly surprised by it's understated, yet chic interiors. My eyes immediately got drawn to the cement wall hangings and the old wood trellis on the ceiling.

Yeeha, another nice nearby eating option. We were seated by Cen, the gracious host/server. He was very attentive to our requests, queries and needs. (I'm guessing not only because he seems very experienced but also because we were the only 2 customers the whole time we were there :) ) We read the menu, ordered and checked the upper floor, which was equally chic and airy. Perfect for an intimate party for less than a hundred. We were told by Cen that a Meralco post situated right smack in the middle of the veranda will soon be moved so as not to obstruct the view (of the street and roof of the houses lang naman). But he said it's bad for feng shui so the owner was willing to shell out 100 thousand plus just for that.

Pretty soon, our food started to arrive. We first had Chicken Mandarin Salad. My initial reaction was to make a "mukhasim" face because it was too sour for me. As I ate through it though, I started appreciating subtle flavors in the dressing until I concluded that its tasty after all. Te thinks some pine nuts and crispy noodles would have further enriched the flavor.

While consuming our salad, I noticed that my honey and I have developed a 'routine' when dining out, especially if it's our first time in a particular place. To begin with, we pray and say thank you for our food, and I always lead. Always. Why, I don't know. I ask her to do it but she doesn't like. Then I take the salad and prep it by cutting and tossing it. Next, i take one of each ingredient to create "one perfect bite", just like the character of Barbara Streisand in the movie with the theme song "I Finally Found Someone" (i forgot the title) Then, i feed that one perfect bite to my honey and wait for her reaction. After that, I make another perfect bite for me and then we share with each other what we think of it amidst groans, mumbles or "mmm" sounds of satisfaction. O diba, feeling connoisseur kame? Hihihi... When te's paella arrived, she did the same thing. She made one perfect bite, (a little of chicken, rice, egg topped by a green pea or two) fed it to me and waited for my reaction. Next was my steak ala pobre and then the wasabi ice cream. In the course of the whole meal, we intermittently fed each other. Now and then, we topped that with a kiss and a gentle hug. Labbing, labbing in Lattize. Truly delish!

I conclude therefore that eating, for us, becomes a foreplay or a romantic dance of some sort. It's no wonder we love eating out! Hihihi...

So what's our verdict of the food in Lattize?

We thought the paella was delicious. The rice was flavorful and was cooked just right. You can eat it by itself. Something like... kanin pa lang, ulam na... hehe...

The steak ala pobre looked scrumptious. When I started cutting through it though, I found it tough :( Maybe it's the fact that I ordered my steak 'medium well' or it's the cut of the meat but I've ordered medium well steak before and most were not gummy. Besides, the inside was still very pinkish and yet tough. Nonetheless, the meat was flavorsome and I like the generous garlic and creamy mashed potatoes.

The wasabi ice cream was a surprise. You put a mouthful in your mouth and exotic flavors dance on your tongue and you go mmm.... Sarap. Then, after a few seconds, it hits you. Your tongue begins to burn like you put too much wasabi on your tuna sashimi and you have to eat another spoonful of the ice cream to relieve the sensation...until it bites you again and again.... It might get too hot for others, although WE could handle it :)

Over all, we gave it a score of 6 - 6.5. Now after we got the bill, we changed our minds and gave it a resounding 8. We'll also recommend it to our friends and family! Definitely, we will be back. Ang sarap nga eh, classy at mura pa! I'm sure it's going to be the next hit so go beat the crowd and visit Lattize asap! (Hihihi... Shhh... kse naman they gave us a 10% discount and Cen said we can avail of it again anytime. Cool huh? Note to all restaurant owners, we're easy to please :)