Body art.....

last sunday, jon and i left the meatshop for a while and went to SKINWORKZ at cartimar in pasay city to have our latest tattoos done. the shop is owned by ricky sta. ana who is the present president of the PHILTAG (Philippine Tattoo Artists Guild); as such, we are assured that the methods and procedures performed there adhere to the department of health's guidelines on running a tattoo shop and doing tattooing..... because as a microbiologist myself i'm pretty much aware of the dangers of getting tattoos from unsanitary places and untrained personnel!!!

here are some pics (in proper sequence) of how my latest tattoo came about..... for those who do not wish to see such photos, you may close this window now!

1. drawing the design by ballpen and stencil:

2. the finished design:

3. tattoing the outline with black ink:

4. the finished outline in black:

5. Putting in the colors - blue:

6. putting in the colors - red:

7. the finished tattoo:

the tattoo i got is what i have envisioned it to be. i'm very much satisfied with it.... and compared to my first tattoo (which is a green gecko to cover up a rather big appendectomy scar) this one was not as painful even though this was entirely against bone! the reason for this maybe because tattoing technology has improved since i had the first one 3 years ago.... for instance, tattoing needles used nowadays are finer than say 3 years ago.... and therefore results in less tissue damage and less scarring.

footnote: i got my first tattoo from AVATAR in Malate, Manila, the shop owned by the then president of PHILTAG.

Pepsi anyone??? I guess not!!!....

what do these photos have in common??? you're right......i'm in every one of them!!! bwahahahahaha!!!

when one is in the store every single day, there comes a spot in the store that becomes one's favorite....for me, i guess it's anywhere as long as the coca-cola cooler is in the background!!!

after all, i'm not a self-confessed coke (light) addict for nothing!!!

No to diesel fumes!!!

ever since I quit smoking last December, I’ve gained approximately an additional 30 lbs. in weight. because of this (plus the fact that I was diagnosed with hypertension also last December), I’ve been very eager to work out more regularly than before….in the hope of getting rid of them unwanted pounds.

i still work out in the mornings….except that now I don’t do it together with the aerobics group at the mandaluyong city hall park….



nor with the aerobics group at the barangay kapitolyo park.

i now do it at the gym at slimmer’s world international at SM megamall!!!

the reason for the change in venue? It’s this article in the New England Journal of Medicine on increased risks of diesel fumes on heart patients. “They found that inhaling diesel fumes while exercising changes the electrical behaviour of the heart, implying that air pollution reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the heart during exercise.”

Remember, both the parks where I used to do morning exercises are surrounded by roads frequented by diesel-powered jeepneys (more so the former than the latter)….and the air around metro manila itself is polluted by diesel fumes….hence it’s not wise anymore to exercise outdoors!!!

Of course, I still get to use my aerobics t-shirts in the gym!!! Hehehehehe

Herbed Pork Medley

another delicious recipe from monterey.....

Meatshop Grand Opening.....The Giveaways

one of the giveaways that we gave to our customers (and still continue to give....while supply lasts!) to celebrate our store's Grand Opening is a set of recipes that come in postcard-like form. the front of each card shows the name and picture of the finished foodstuff, while the back shows the recipe.

in order for me to share with this blog's readers this giveaway, i scanned each of the cards and i'm posting them starting with today's entry......enjoy!

Meatshop Grand Opening.....The Day After

the following day, it was back to the normal grind (pun intended! lol) for the meatshop.....except that the store was lovelier, livelier, more colorful, and more fragrant.....because we brought in all the flower arrangements and we retained some of the baloons that were used for the grand opening and blessing. there they stayed until at least last monday; thus, ensuring that our customers have something to talk about (aside from placing their meat orders) once they enter the shop!!!

Meatshop Grand Opening.....Part 10.....The Franchisees

then, the dreamers......now, the successful meatshop owners!!!

Meatshop Grand Opening.....Part 9.....The Staff

they worked hard in order for the meatshop to be opened. they worked harder in order for the meatshop to have a grand opening. they're working even harder in order for the meatshop to continue succeeding and eventually branch out!!!

Meatshop Grand Opening.....Part 8.....The Families

jon's auntie, mommy, brother-in-law, sister, nephews, and nieces:

my niece gwen astrid and his bf, john; my daddy and mommy; and my niece gail monique

although jon and i have known each other for a long time, this occasion was really the first time our families met face to face!