bluewind

Does this still work?

2010-07-08T22:52:00.001+08:00

Our New Home

2008-09-24T07:50:00.008+08:00

we will soon be moving to our condo unit along EDSA....we're just waiting any day now for word from the developer as to when we can visit the unit. we're very, very excited about the prospect of finally ending our days of renting an apartment and start a new life of owning a HOME!!!

(of course, the prospect of having a swimming pool a few meters from our doostep also isn't diminishing our excitement at all!!! hehehehehehe)

I'm Backl!!!......

2008-09-12T11:47:00.001+08:00

yup! i'm back to blogging again!!!

so many things have happened since the last time i posted an entry here.....the most recent is that i have re-established contacts with Notre Dame of Manila Class '73 high school classmates.....through our own yahoogroup.

consequently, i've been meeting up with some classmates (some of whom i've not seen since our graduation 35 years ago!!!), most notably last sep 7, 2008 (which happened to be a day before the foundation day of NDM), and last night at the California Pizza Kitchen at Shangri-La Plaza.

it's always fun meeting up with friends while they're still "young", active, and alert!!! there are neverending stories of how things were.....and sometimes, there are even different versions of same story!

but one thing is for sure, we did have a very good time during our high school years.....and remembering and reminiscing about them now only extends the fun....as if we've always been together all these years!!!

Keeping a Doctor's Appointment.....

2008-03-04T09:18:00.003+08:00

last tuesday i underwent a regularly-scheduled procedure.... but this time done at a different hospital and performed by a different doctor..... my colonoscopy. whereas 2-1/5 years ago it was performed by Dr. Chante at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, this time it was performed by Dr. Naval at the Medical City Hospital in Pasig City. the reason for the change? mainly convenience..... since the Medical City is nearer to our meatshop.

the colonoscopy was scheduled for 1:00 pm at the hospital's ambulatory surgery unit.... and so i waited for jon to come home from work before we went to the hospital together. i would've wanted to go to the hospital alone but the doctor forbids going home or driving home alone after the procedure. besides, he requests that someone be with the patient during the procedure so that he can explain what he was seeing and doing. (i was also able to see it later because the entire procedure was recorded on dvd..... a copy of which i have in my iPod Touch.... how cool is that??? hehehehehehehe!!!)

during the 45-minute procedure, 3 small polyps were removed from the lining of my colon and according to Dr. Naval last saturday, they were all benign.... thank goodness!!!

my next colonoscopy is scheduled two years from now.

Happy Day.....

2008-02-19T20:00:00.001+08:00

Sign of the Times....

2008-02-11T08:34:00.000+08:00

from the time we opened the meatshop in may 2007 up to christmas time, we didn't raise the prices of pork. since the start of the year, we've raised it three times!!! is this a sign of things to come??? are we pricing ourselves out of the market???

i hope not!!!

one consolation though, our new prices are still lower than wet market prices.

Feb Post......Blasts from the Recent Past

2008-02-01T07:36:00.000+08:00

hehehehe.....here's for february.....

before i continue posting here, let me show first some interesting photos of last year that i recently downloaded to my computer from my cell phone....

dinner with two college classmates and barkada, alice and josie, at kulinarya restaurant at the powerplant mall at rockwell center

jonlounging on a chair by a post at the lobby of shangri-la hotel, makati, while we wait for his family for a buffet lunch at the hotel's circles restaurant

processing fifty (50) pork carcasses in 3-hours' time at the meatshop for a special client one day in late november and another day in early december

buying and partaking of fresh, delicious, sumptous, and cheap seafoods from the seafoods market in baclaran, after a disappointing and expensive seafoods dinner at red crab at the fort

jon getting a tattoo of himself at cartimar's bodyworkz

with cora at the monterey foods corp franchisees convention at the hyatt hotel and casino in manila

flower arrangement from rob's pleasantries flower shop as a birthday gift to me from jon

complementary birthday cake from the gourmet restaurant at the fort where we had dinner with nini, rob, miguel, and cora

opening a special birthday gift from my two nieces, gwen and gail

christmas party of the management and staff and guests of monterey meatshop kapitolyo

by the christmas tree at the lobby of shangri-la hotel makati

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-01T10:15:00.000+08:00

glitter-graphics.com

Happy Birthday to a Fellow December-born.....

2007-12-24T13:59:00.000+08:00

glitter-graphics.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JC!!!

and a

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

Happy Birthday to a Fellow Sagittarian....

2007-12-11T17:58:00.000+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEN!!!

Happy Birthday......

2007-12-06T09:31:00.000+08:00

Happy, Happy Birthday......to ME!!!!

hehehehehehe......

369 days.....

2007-12-05T12:30:00.000+08:00

369 days.....

the number of days that i've been "smoke-free".

369 days.....

the number of days since i had my last cigarette.

369 days.....

the number of days since my lungs started getting fresh oxygen once again!

369 days.....

......................and counting!!!

Wish granted......

2007-11-28T16:43:00.000+08:00

in seven days' time, i'll be celebrating the end of my 5oth year on this planet and the start of my 51st.....how fast time flies!!!

i wished for something.....and i just got it!!!

i'm Touched!!!

Body art (?)....hehehehehehe

2007-11-09T09:53:00.000+08:00

at last, the pictures of my new tattoo ( and how it came about) are finally here!!! there was a slight change though in its location..... whereas, i said in my last blog that i'll have it done on my left arm, the final design was actually done on my right..... the reason being the orientation of the design itself.

and so.... again i present my latest tattoo as it developed into its final form. (for those who do not wish to view such graphic material, you may stop viewing the photos now.)

1. last photo of my right arm without a tattoo:

2. Tattoo artist Ricky Sta. Ana preparing the design template from a picture projected on his lap top:

3. Design template and outline transferred to my arm:

4. Tattoing the outline with black ink:

5. Filling in the design with black ink:

6. Filling in with colored inks:

7. It's all done!!!

8. Two days later:

9. Seven days later: (today actually!)

so, there you have it! i'm really very happy and satisfied with how my latest tattoo turned out 'coz not only did i get the design i preferred most, i also believe it was done perfectly! in fact, because i've been wearing sleeveless shirts everywhere since last week, i've been getting a lot of compliments about how beautiful the tattoo is from friends as well as from strangers.... even in the malls!!! lol.

to those who tried to guess the final design, i'm sorry noone got it right.... mabelle though had the closest guess.

and kuya, i can't promise this'll be my last tattoo.....'coz i do want a japanese design too.... to remind me of my 4-year stay in tokyo!!!

Body art....Part 2

2007-11-02T07:54:00.000+08:00

it's 8:02 AM. in a few minutes jon and i will be leaving for skinworkz at cartimar. i'm having a tattoo done on my left arm. below are my top ten choices (in order of preference) for the tattoo design. depending on how well ricky sta. ana can do it, i'll choose the final design at his workshop. can you guess what design i'll finally have??? guess now and we'll see later if you got it right!!! of course, i'll show the final design later!!!

Body art.....

2007-10-23T09:27:00.000+08:00

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!!!....

2007-10-16T13:33:00.000+08:00

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!!!

2007-10-12T15:45:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-12T15:17:00.000+08:00

another delicious recipe from monterey.....

Meatshop Grand Opening.....The Giveaways

2007-10-09T15:49:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-03T17:01:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-03T15:55:00.000+08:00

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

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

2007-10-03T13:35:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-03T12:21:00.000+08:00

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!

Meatshop Grand Opening.....Part 7.....The Food

2007-10-03T11:57:00.000+08:00

catering was provided by Conti's, and consisted of assorted canapes (mini sandwiches, mamonitos, ensaybites, seafood tartlets, and petite chicken pies); pasta allegria; assorted sweets (food for the gods, chocolate brownies, butterscotch bars, pineapple bars, and coffee butterscotch); and cream puffs. additionally delicious Pao Tsin deep fried dimsum and dumplings were also served. drinks consisted of viva mineral water, magnolia apple and lemon low calorie health teas, and carlo rossi red wine.

Meatshop Grand Opening.....Part 6.....The Speeches

2007-10-03T11:37:00.000+08:00

as with any grand opening affairs, speeches are part of the ceremonies of welcoming guests, friends, and family; of telling the story of how the business came about; of wishing for success and prosperity; and of giving thanks and expressing gratitude. short, concise, and heartfelt speeches were the order of the day during this grand opening!

Meatshop Grand Opening.....Part 5.....The Meat-Cutting

2007-10-03T11:13:00.000+08:00

monterey foods corp. has a special ceremony known as the "meat-cutting". here, the franchisee/s cuts a specially-prepared piece of meat with the help of monterey officers and special guests. when the meat is cut, it reveals on its cut surface the letter "M" - signifying the official opening for business of the monterey neighborhood meatshop (nms)!!!

Meatshop Grand Opening.....Part 4.....The Blessing

2007-10-03T10:43:00.000+08:00

right after the ribbon-cutting, the local parish priest proceeded with the blessing of the meatshop and its premises. this was topped off by the shower of blessed coins and candies to signify and attract prosperity, good sales, and good fortune!

Meatshop Grand Opening.....Part 3.....The Ribbon Cutting

2007-10-03T10:27:00.000+08:00

after the motorcade........after all the vehicles and our guests have returned to the meatshop.....the ribbon-cutting ceremony was conducted with my mom, jon's mom, and the officer-in-charge of the barangay serving as ribbon-cutters. they were assisted by the officers of monterey foods corporation as well as by jon and i.

Meatshop Grand Opening.....Part 2.....The Motorcade

2007-10-03T09:11:00.000+08:00

to drum up support from , publicity, and information campaign on the community, the grand opening celebrations was started with a motorcade participated in by our vehicles of suppliers, dealers, friends, and family. it was also made lively by the presence of Monterey's mascots as well as by showering of leaflets and candies to the people lining the motorcade route.

Meatshop Grand Opening.....Part 1.....The Preparations

2007-10-03T08:55:00.000+08:00

finally, our meatshop had its Grand Opening and Blessing last friday, september 28, 2006.....which actually coincided with the anniversary of San Miguel Corporation as well as the start of SMC's Oktoberfest celebrations. but in spite of these, our celebrations were still very exciting and very meaningful.

some pictures of the grand opening and blessing have been posted in jon's blog. here, i post some other pics for you to enjoy!

Happy bday bez......

2007-09-18T14:57:00.000+08:00

now you are as old as the rest of us (most of our classmates and i) are!!! enjoy the start of a new decade in your life!!!

Crocs and escalators.......

2007-09-18T14:03:00.000+08:00

first it was static electricity affecting medical equipment......now, it's escalators that are proving to be dangerous when crocs footwear and these escalators meet!!!

the home page of our pc at the meatshop's office is Yahoo.com. when i turned on the pc this morning and clicked the internet explorer icon, this was the first thing i saw on the monitor click here , complete with the accompanying picture!

naturally, i googled the words crocs and escalators together......and a list of articles, as far back as august 2006, about the dangers of wearing crocs footwear in escalators appeared. there was even an account that happened close to home entitled Killer Crocs and Escalators .

how come its only now that i'm being made aware of all these??? why is it that when i finally found something i enjoy having and wearing, they're turning out to be "killers"??? why??? waaaaaaaaaaa!!!

looking on the bright side though.....maybe all of these bad publicity about crocs would result in decreased popularity of the footwear.......which means fewer people would buy them.....which in turn means they'd have to lower the price......which means i can then afford to have all of them styles in all colors!!! bwahahahahahahaha!!!

Our crocs & static electricity

2007-09-17T17:11:00.000+08:00

these are just some of the 10 pairs of crocs that jon and i own....(technically, jon will say he owns only 1 pair and i own the rest!).....but that doesn't matter.....they're soooo light and comfortable, i wouldn't deny that nowadays they're the only footwear i use......(except for a pair of nike sneakers i use when i go out and exercise).....especially when i stay at the meatshop the whole day!!!

there's one thing that i observed though ever since i started wearing them.....i seem to generate or be hit by static electricity everytime i go near large metallic objects or equipment housed in metallic casings......which are practically what we have all over the shop......like stainless steel tables, upright and chest freezers and chillers, metal display racks, even hanging metal display racks for products in sachets!!! i've told jon and the people in the shop about this but they wouldn't believe me.....they thought i was kidding around whenever i'd suddenly jump in surprise and a little pain....i swear, i could hear and see the static whenever it hits me!!!

curious, i googled the words crocs and static electricity together.....and lo and behold, the phenomenon seems to be happening in some parts of the world as well.....more significantly, it has been observed in hospital settings where nurses wearing crocs footwear were observed to have generated static electricity which were powerful enough to have affected medical equipment. in fact, in some hospitals wearing them has been banned!!! so that means, i have not been dreaming of being so "statically" powered after all!!!

should i ban myself from wearing crocs at the shop? no way jose(lito)! what's a little bit of temporary stinging pain compared to countless hours of rest and comfort??? besides, the people at the shop seem to enjoy whenever they see me suddenly jerk my hand or jump in surprise whenever i get hit!!!

if only i can amass, harvest and use this to power the shop.....we would've saved a lot in electricity costs!!! hahahahahaha

This one gave me the creeps.......

2007-08-23T16:55:00.000+08:00

jon googled the term "aswang" and the search came up with a picture purportedly showing a flying aswang caught on camera. i traced where the pic came from and i saw another shot and close ups of both shots showing the aswang more vividly.

these pics gave me the creeps because they are very much similar to what boyce and i and another friend saw one early january morning (before sunrise) in 1975 at boyce's province of antique!!!

Don't turn the cubes.....

2007-08-16T12:56:00.000+08:00

lynn in a Rubik's cube.....

Clowning around the store....

2007-08-16T10:47:00.000+08:00

it was close to closing time.... no customers in the store.... we were just waiting for the clock to strike 8:00 PM so we can call it a "business" day....

Boyce leaves.....

2007-08-16T10:20:00.000+08:00

boyce left for the U.S. early tuesday morning. last night, jon chatted with him through YM. it's good to know that his flight home was uneventful and that he got home safe and sound..... albeit very, very tired and sleepy!!!

unlike jon, i'm not too sad about his leaving..... maybe because i've seen him come and go for more than 5 years now..... plus the fact that i know that he'll be back again in ten months' time!

or maybe sooner..... there's a strong possibility that he'll be back in manila by december this year.....

bye boyce.... take care..... it's always a pleasure to have you come and visit us.....

Signs of the Times....

2007-08-16T09:29:00.000+08:00

having been at our meatshop everyday since the time it opened, i'm bombarded by signs posted inside the shop..... which remind us of how we can provide quality service to our customers.

here are some of them..... (oooooooops! i mean, most of them!):

as one enters the meatshop, one is of course welcomed by a sign that says that the store is open.....

right inside, on the post between the glass doors and the glass window, is a sign that informs our customers of how we conduct business in the store.....

and by the cashier's table hangs our business license permit issued by the city hall......

as well as the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) reminder to ask for receipt to ensure that we pay the right taxes.....

by the cashier's table too, we inform our customers that we give discounts to senior citizens.....

at the entrance to the Preparation Room, we make sure that only qualified people enters the room and handles the meats.....

we remind our staff to always keep the place and the work areas clean.....

and we are continually aware of putting "safety first" especially when using sharp instruments and equipment......

to ensure the freshness of our meats, we practice the "first in, first out" system in storing and retrieving meats....

and personal hygiene, as well as workplace cleanliness are taken very, very seriously.....

and so is personal comfort......

at the end of the selling day, we are sorry to have to close our doors to our customers..... but then again, we're glad to welcome them once more the following day!!!

To a Very Special Niece.....

2007-08-06T16:00:00.000+08:00

22 years ago today, my niece was born at a hospital in Manila.... that evening when she was born i was at the hospital with the rest of the family celebrating with kuya and ate liz.... and gwen.... that was also the first time that i laid my eyes on gail monique.... as she lay on her bassinet.... all plump and healthy. today, she's still healthy but not plump anymore!!! hehehehehe

to a very special niece....

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Fun Around the City with Boyce...

2007-08-01T12:13:00.000+08:00

boyce, my best friend who's visiting Manila from his home base in Pennyslvania, U.S.A is still here...staying with us in our humble abode. being the gracious hosts that we are, we've been taking him out.... when time permits.... or he just stays with us at the meatshop.... messing around with the meats!!! hehehehehe

Special Day!

2007-07-31T22:29:00.000+08:00

today is a very, very special day..... it's Gino's birthday!!! yipeeeeeeeeee!!!

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GINO!!!

A lucky Birthday?.....

2007-07-07T17:20:00.000+08:00

it's 07-07-07...... and it's Mommy's birthday today!!!

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!

The Mandaluyong City Hall Gardens.....

2007-07-03T10:55:00.000+08:00

for the longest time, ever since i started exercising at the Mandluyong City Hall rotunda, i've seen the transformation of the immediate surroundings of the old and new City Hall buildings into one continuous garden. when planning and contruction of the meatshop started in late april 2007, i stopped going to the rotunda for my daily exercise.

so you can just imagine my surprise and my delight when i returned last week and experienced the gardens for the first time!!!

every available vacant space between the old and new buildings of the city hall was converted into foot paths, beutifully landscaped corners, manicured lawns, a raised pavilion, several smaller gazebos, garden trellis, comfort rooms, etc.

in one corner of the gardens, there's even an enclosed butterfly garden that you can enter and spend some time in.

all in all, i'm glad i've rediscovered this oasis of beauty, life, and health in the urban jungle that is Mandaluyong City!!!

Commercial Model (?)

2007-07-01T10:11:00.000+08:00

in search of a light...... to drink or not to drink....

(havana hat and shades c/o boyce, shirt by bossini, coca-cola by three sisters restaurant)

Barangay Kapitolyo Garden Update.....

2007-07-01T09:28:00.000+08:00

in one of my previous posts, i mentioned that relatively near our meatshop are two gradens which one can visit - for rel;axation or for exercise. i have featured one of them before..... and now, here is the other one.

this garden has foot paths as well as a large open are for aerobics exercise, for tai chi, or for badminton. it's located right beside the Kapitolyo barangay hall and next to the Kapitolyo covered amphitheater. on mondays,wednesdays and fridays a group does aerobics here, while on tuesdays and thursdays another group does movement exercise akin to tai chi.

Meatshop Update....

2007-07-01T07:25:00.000+08:00

wow! i've been so obsessed with the grand opening of our meatshop, i didn't realize it's been more than a week since i last made a post here! anyway, i've since given up on hoping that we'll have our GO soon..... my philosophy now is... it'll come when it comes!!!

many things have happened at the shop.... some subtle..... some more pronounced. for instance, do you notice the difference between the two photos above?

well, they've changed our delivery number from our actual phone number at the shop to the Meto Manila-wide single call center number. their reason: they said that with the former, we have a distinct advantage over the other Monterey neighborhood Meatshops in Metro Manila who use the latter..... the 633-meat number.

nonetheless, it was interesting to see how they changed the numbers, and so, i documented it in pics:

GO na...Malapit na!!!

2007-06-21T16:09:00.001+08:00

this morning, the business development officer of monterey Foods Corporation assigned to our store dropped by the shop and gave us the tarpaulin posters to be used for the motorcade as well as the brochures to be given away during the Grand Opening (GO) of our store.

yipeeeeeeeeee!!! that means that we just have to pass an audit of the systems and SOP's in the store (to be conducted Monterey people), and then we'll be allowed to proceed with the GO!!! yay!!!

here's the brochure to be given away during the GO, particularly, during the motorcade:

take note.... we're giving away monterey insulated bags (good for picnics, trips to the beach, out of town trips, etc.) to lucky customers for a minimum purcahse of P500.00 of Monterey Timplados (or prepared, ready-to-cook meat dishes).

and look at the mention of our Monterey Meatshop Kapitolyo... complete with the address... i've long dreamed of seeing our shop's name in a wonderfully printed brochure!!!

Mission (Partly) Accomplished....

2007-06-20T17:43:00.000+08:00

whew! i have just finished cleaning and putting boyce's "room" here at home in order. it's actually our computer room.... but it comes with a small bamboo bed and its own air condition (not to mention a complete pc with a printer, a scanner, a web cam, and a fax machine)!!!

so, there boyce.... your bedroom is ready and waiting!!! hehehehehe

Cleaning House.....

2007-06-20T08:23:00.000+08:00

yesterday, jon didn't come to the office the whole day.... and today, i'm leaving the office early and go home. why? we're cleaning the entire house in preparation for the arrival of a very dear friend from the U.S.

actually, he comes home every year to spend summer vacation (because he teaches at a university in Pennsylvania) here in the Philippines. and whenever he's in Manila, he usually stays with us.

he's a very close friend of mine, in fact he's my best friend... and we've known each other since the 70's when we were at the vet school... first as undergraduate students, then later as faculty members of the college.

his name is boyce.... and we're always very excited to have him back....

welcome home, boyce!!!

A Very Nasty Sight.....

2007-06-18T16:59:00.000+08:00

lately, every morning, on my way to the meatshop, i've been seeing this sight.... which never fails to catch my attention. this is a pig carcass that's been left outside the doors of the shop that sells, among other things, pork meat also. obviously, it's delivered very early in the morning (when the shop is not open yet) and is just left there hanging by the shelves touching the ground. sometimes, flies hover around it.... and who knows? maybe even a stray dog comes once in a while near it!!!

this shop is located about a hundred meters from our shop's location.

i wonder what the shop's customers will think if they see this for themselves????

Just Looking Around....

2007-06-16T10:00:00.000+08:00

this morning i was able to leave the store early enough to be able to see both the aerobics group and the tai chi group in action in their respective gardens. i didn't join any of them though and instead just did some brisk walking.

the aerobics they were doing is a bit advanced..... with complicated dance steps, while the tai chi is a westernized version complete with a broadway musical score in the background.

until now, i'm still not certain which group to join..... maybe i'll end up not joining any.... or joining both!!! hehehehehehe

by the way, these photos show the compact garden where the tai chi group meet every mondays, wednesdays, and fridays.

A New High....

2007-06-15T19:09:00.000+08:00

Stars Glitters

today, the shop hit a new high in it's very short sales history.... it hit double it's average sales so far!!! yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

actually, the putting up of the big signs had a lot to do with it..... 'coz ever since they were installed, daily sales have been growing.... until today's new high.

i wonder how the shop will fare after we've had our grand opening???!!!! hehehehehehe

For Lack of Exercise.....

2007-06-13T07:47:00.000+08:00

it's only 7:48 am...and yet i've been in the store for almost 3 hours now!!! i feel a bit bored because i was supposed to be on my newly-found "energy" to exercise daily..... but today is my car-coding day, and so, i wasn't able to do what i started yesterday.

very early in the morning yesterday, i went to the store in my shorts, rubber shoes and exercise shirt. after helping out opening the store, i left and walked around the place. i visited two gardens nearby but it was still early 'coz the outdoor aerobics (in one of the gardens) and the tai-chi (in the other garden) haven't started yet. that left me just doing a brisk walk all over the place discovering new streets, new mini neighborhoods, a big covered amphitheater, and even a parish church. i so enjoyed my walk that i went back to the gardens after more than an hour.... but still the aerobics and the tai chi haven't started yet!!

since it was already a bit late, i decided not to wait anymore.... and went home, took a shower, dressed up, then went back to the store.

i felt so refreshed and energized.... having started exercising again.... i hope i can keep it up and make it a daily routine once more!!!

Signs of Things to Come....

2007-06-10T17:16:00.000+08:00

yesterday, the last of the major requirements for our store to have a grand opening was installed. two signs, advertising our shop, were put up just outside.... announcing to one and all that indeed, we are here and we have arrived!!!

one of the signs looked so massive, we all thought it wouldn't hold up..... or rather, the wall to which it was attached wouldn't support it. but we were wrong.... the signs after all were just made of a hollow steel frame covered by a light panaflex (a sort of tarpaulin-like) material with the words written on it.
with these signs put up.... we're ready to take on the world!!!.... or at least your orders!!! hehehehehehe

Eating Out.....Again!!!

2007-06-08T08:54:00.000+08:00

with all the fuzz involved in putting up the meatshop and making it finally run, we hardly had time to indulge in one of our favorite pastimes..... going out and eat.... that is, until last night!!!

with the meatshop already open for business, we are now able to enjoy sampling again the metro's finest cuisines.... and last night, we went to crustasia at the power plant mall at rockwell center in makati for dinner. since we were able to go there only after the meatshop has closed, we were only able to invite cora to join us 'coz she's willing and able to stay awake quite late.

cora had the crab maritess, jon the deep fried salt and pepper crab, and i the singapore sweet chili crab. for carbo, we all had the vietnamese paella rice cooked and served in bamboos.

before calling it a night, we passed by ucc coffee.

it felt so good having time for ourselves again!!!

Internet Connection Now Available at the Meatshop!!!

2007-06-06T19:07:00.000+08:00

yipeeeeeeeeee!!! this morning, the guys from smartbro connected us (through our office pc at the meatshop) to the internet via their wireless broadband service... that makes us wired again and ready for blogging, surfing, and chatting at the office anytime!!! yipeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

hey guys, we can now resume our weekly saturday morning chats... one that i've missed so very much!!!

earlier this afternoon, jon and i went to the mall to buy a wireless router so we can have our shop a wi-fi zone too. however, we weren't successful in installing the router properly. somehow, our wireless broadband internet access doesn't work when it's connected with the router (or at least that's how it looks!). or maybe the fact that our office pc uses vista as its operating system has something to do about it! anyway, we'll try again tomorrow 'coz we won't rest until we've made the shop wireless... so that we can use our lap tops anywhere in and out of the office!!!

attention all you computer geeks out there.... any suggestions???

today was also the first time i installed our office pc and turned it on... which means it was also my first time to use "vista". i'm reserving my comments for later.... haven't really gotten the hang of using it!!!

Regaining What I've Lost....

2007-05-25T23:10:00.000+08:00

now that most of the difficult tasks involved in opening a meatshop is behind me, i hope i regain the joy and excitement i used to feel in blogging. but for that to happen.... we still have to apply for a dsl connection at the shop so that we'll be able to have a decent wireless internet access.... just as what we have here at home.... hopefully, it won't take as long as how it took having our business phone line installed!!!

Fulfillment of a Dream....

2007-05-25T22:07:00.000+08:00

finally..... today our meatshop was finally opened to the public. here are some pictures that led to today's soft opening....

Meatshop (and Blog!) Update....

2007-05-12T22:49:00.000+08:00

it's been a long time since i last posted an entry in my blog..... i've been kinda busy taking care of getting the meatshop started. if nothing goes wrong and our plans push through, we'll have the soft opening of the shop on friday, may 18th next week!!! yay!!!

today, i spent the whole day at the shop accepting deliveries from our equipment suppliers. we have almost all of the required equipment already installed.... there's just one or two that still have to be installed and/or tested and calibrated.

tomorrow, i'll post pics of the shop as it looked last week and this week.... 'til today when we left the shop for what probably is the last time that we'll be having weekends (or at least Sundays!) off!!!

Overnight Swimming (Among Others!) in Los Banos

2007-04-29T23:00:00.000+08:00

The Way - weekend this week was spent at a private pool of Uray's cousin in Los Banos, Laguna. we found ourselves on our way to LB early Saturday afternoon.

The Place - the place was awesome.... it's like an oasis among lots of commercial and ordinary private pools in the area...

The Activities - our primary activity was of course swimming. however, we also indulged in others such as scrabble, picture-taking, book reading, etc.....

The Non-activities - when not doing any activity, we were busy relaxing, sleeping, resting, etc!!!

The Food - any outing of ours is not complete without the food....

Health Alerts.....

2007-04-25T22:45:00.000+08:00

after bringing Daddy and Mommy home to Quezon City last night, jon & i didn't go directly home but instead proceeded to Makati Medical Center to visit Nini. she was brought to the hospital suffering from an acute amoeba infection.

while there, i told them about how i experienced a sudden high blood pressure attack yesterday morning. nini & roberta urged me to see our cardiologist this morning and seek advice. and so, after jon came home from work, we saw Dr. Lapitan at MMC and he added a diuretic to my usual hypertension drugs.

after seeing the cardiologist. we went back to nini's room and stayed their until she was discharged from the hospital.

Shop Visit...

2007-04-24T23:15:00.000+08:00

from our graduation banquet in paranaque city, we went to pasig city and visited the meatshop site. for the most of the family members (present & future), this was the first time for them to see the place.... and their reaction about it.... the place, the surroundings, the size, the appearance, etc.... were all positive!!!

A Milestone in the Family!!!

2007-04-24T23:00:00.000+08:00

The Graduate: Gail Monique, the youngest of two daughters of my Kuya, was graduated today from the University of the Philippines in Manila.

The Gift: Being the "Blog Queen" and a self-confessed computer geek, what better gift to give her than a router which will make their home in Quezon City a wifi facility???

The Marketing: To celebrate this event, Kuya and Ate Liz (together with jon & i) went marketing for the food that we'll share with the rest of the family.

The Graduation Banquet: We brought the raw food we bought to a nearby restaurant to be cooked. We then had a grand time partaking of them. Even Daddy and Mommy enjoyed the feast!

Sunday Post

2007-04-22T18:49:00.000+08:00

late morning today was spent by nini, cora, jon, and i attending the baptism of a friend's baby girl (their 4th child) at the Don Bosco church in Makati. the privately catered reception was held in time for lunch at a hall attached to the church.

from there, my craving for pancakes drove us to go to Rockwell where we had post-lunch meals at the Pancake House. it was a hot afternoon and the Pancake House's single working air conditioner didn't help alleviate the heat at all. to make ourselves more comfortable and relaxed, we proceeded to the UCC Park Cafe where we had some more things to eat!!!

btw, all these eatings today were not done for no reason. there is a reason for all these seemingly senseless binge eating!!! right now however, i won't tell the reason.... hehehehehehe!

Old Place, New Place

2007-04-22T17:37:00.000+08:00

late afternoon of April 19, thursday, we went to makati glorietta to buy gifts for jon's brother-in-law, niece, and Metrobank friend. we then met up with nini, cora, and miguel - who were also at glorietta together with nini's switzerland-based friend and her two children. after nini's friend left for their dinner appointment in quezon city, the rest of us went to Tony Roma's for some old-fashioned steak dinners.

we topped off the evening by trying the new UCC Park Cafe at the open space just outside Glorietta. as usual, i had the Sumiyaki Coffee Jelly concoction.... my UCC favorite (in much the same way as the Mocha Frapuccino is my Starbucks favorite!!!)

2007-04-22T08:48:00.000+08:00

last wednesday, april 18, after coming from the nms retailing training at Legend Villas, we visited the shop site to inspect the progress of construction and to give to our contractor the 2nd 30% down payment. from there, we proceeded to cafe juanita for dinner. cafe juanita is just a few meters away from the shop and we're eyeing it to be one of our institutional clients!

NMS Update

2007-04-22T08:17:00.000+08:00

April 20, 2007 construction progress photos

April 18, 2007 construction progress pics

April 16 to 18, our staff at the neighborhood meatshop (nms) and i attended the last 3 days of lectures for the meat retailing training conducted by Monterey. while waiting for our own nms to open, we continue to do store immersion training at Monterey nms's in Katipunan & Marcelo.

A piece of paradise in Matabungkay beach.......

2007-04-15T18:33:00.000+08:00

Food...Food....Food!!!

2007-04-15T18:18:00.000+08:00

Some Creatures Found in Matabungkay During the Past Holy Week!!!

2007-04-15T17:54:00.000+08:00

Meatshop Update.....

2007-04-15T13:15:00.000+08:00

(just to update everybody on the progress of our Monterey Meatshop business. the latest in the series of photos shown here were taken yesterday afternoon.)

march 30, 2007 - we were informed by the Monterey guy that our application for a franchise has been approved. he contacted the winning bidder (contractor) to inform him that they could start construction as soon as possible.

april 2, 2007 - the construction gang began arriving at the site and started working in earnest.

april 3, 2007 - the meatshop staff and i met with ms. armi at the monterey head office for orientation. after the orientation, we proceeded to the katipunan meatshop for store immersion. they come back to this store at opening time until 3:00 pm on april 4, 7, 9, and 10, 2007.

april 11, 2007 - we met at the boni mrt station at 8:00 am and proceeded to the legend villas hotel where we attended hands-on seminar on inventory & stock management and different computations made in the meatshop.

april 12, 2007 - seminar at legend villas continued with more computations, etc. from april 13 until 15, 2007 the staff continued it's store immersion activities at the katipunan avenue store.

Someone Seems to be Lost.....

2007-04-01T17:42:00.000+08:00

where am I? I can't see!!! anybody there???

bwahahahahahaha!!!

Flower Burst Wallpaper....

2007-04-01T17:13:00.000+08:00

last night, i downloaded this photo of a makahiya plant... that looks like a fresh burst of color coming from a lowly plant. i made it my lap top's screensaver and this morning, i found it a beautiful foreground as i took pictures of everybody. see for yourself!!! (i downloaded the picture of the flower from a blog called "Woodman's Secret Garden".)

Palm Sunday Lunch.....

2007-04-01T17:01:00.000+08:00

lunch for today came almost as if when we had just had breakfast!!! (for bebs & rob, in fact, it was!!! hehehehe).

Palm Sunday Breakfast....

2007-04-01T16:46:00.000+08:00

today is Palm Sunday, the official start of the Holy Week here in the Philippines. as in the past several weekends, we're spending today at nini's place. she and miguel haven't arrived yet from their despedida overnight affair at Tara Farm.... but we're sure they'll be joining us soon.

breakfast was the usual "-silog" variety... consisting of:

Saturday Dinner....Without Nini & Miguel

2007-03-31T23:45:00.000+08:00

dinner tonight was without nini & miguel 'coz they had to go to a despedida overnight affair at bob's family farm for bob's sister's family who are migrating to new zealand for good. notwithstanding, dinner was sumptous.... in spite of the absence of any pork or beef meat!!!.... hehehehehehe (not for marissa though!!!)

Philippine Fashion Week....

2007-03-30T23:00:00.000+08:00

in connection with the ongoing Philippine Fashion Week, we were invited by marissa to attend the Penshoppe show at Glorietta in Makati. one of the bands who performed during the show was KALA - marissa's son's own band! the show was topbilled by some famous television personalities as well as by local celebrities in the fashion world.

after the show, we passed by Paraiba (nini's newest jewelry store at Glorietta) and bought some items.

from there, we proceeded to Modern China Restaurant for another sumptuous chinese dinner.

SM Fairview....

2007-03-29T23:00:00.000+08:00

since the SM Fairview Mall is a bit far from our Mandaluyong, we left our place at 4:00 pm (even though our appointment with tita normie wasn't until 7:00 pm!). while waiting for our appointment, we toured the whole mall.... and would you believe..... we saw a chinese porcelain vase dealer selling clay teapots on sale!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! we were able to add 3 more teapots to our collection!!!

after touring the rest of the mall, we decided to have something to bite at pizza hut.....

at 7:00 pm, we met up with tita normie and her friend, Ms. Salud..... and we had an all-Filipino dishes dinner at Max's Restaurant consisting of camaron rebosado, crispy pata, sweet & sour fish fillet, fried chicken, sinigang na hipon, and garlic rice.

dinner was fun and we had a grand time updating each other on what's happening to our respective lives. after dinner, we brought tita normie and ms. salud home.... where she gave us the padala of diko, ate nette, and gino for mommy & daddy, for kuya, gwen, & gail, and for jon and i!!! thank you guys for the goodies!!!

Tita Normie Calls....

2007-03-28T22:30:00.000+08:00

earlier tonight, tita normie.... ate nette's mom.... called up and arranged for us to meet tomorrow. tita normie's here in manila for a vacation.... from the U.S., and she's staying with a friend (who came home with her) in Lagro. we'll meet and have dinner tomorrow at SM Fairview.... i'll keep you posted about our meeting later....

A trip to Chinatown.....Teapot Town!!!

2007-03-27T22:00:00.000+08:00

we had to go to chinatown this afternoon to give some papers related to our business to our accountant. since we were already there, we went around and looked around the place for teapots that we could add to our collection..... we were quite successful 'coz we were able to acquire seven.... yes 7!.... teapots..... and one (1) gaiwan set!!! yipeeeeeeeee!!!

we got 3 clay teapots from an old lady who you can't haggle with:

a crystal teapot set and a green jade stone teapot set from another store:

a clay teapot set with a clay magnetic tea dispenser from another store:

a white porcelain teapot from a local grocery store where we also bought a bottle of rose green tea:

we even got a portable complete gaiwan tea set with its own bamboo tray!!!

it was a truly successful teapot exploration trip to chinatown that we had this afternoon!!!

A Happy Birthday to a Young Friend.....

2007-03-27T21:00:00.000+08:00

hey miguel.... a.k.a. makak, boogs, migz, hg jr.....

HAPPY, HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY!!!

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How to Enjoy a Peking Duck

2007-03-27T12:06:00.000+08:00

in one of my previous blogs, i mentioned how we both enjoy partaking of a peking duck meal at least once a month. what's so special about this meal is it's distinct taste (latgely because of how the duck is raised and how the duck is roasted and prepared) and the manner in which it can be enjoyed.... 1-way, 2-ways, or 3-ways.

yesterday, we had the 3-ways.... prepared as follows:

1. slicing of the crispy skin...

wrapping of the skin in egg wrapper with spring onion, cucumber, and hoisin sauce....

2. sauteing of the duck meat with carrots, garlic, and onions and wrapping in fresh lettuce leaves....

3. deep frying of the duck bones with meat in salt and pepper

A Very Chinese Lunch

2007-03-26T22:00:00.000+08:00

this afternoon, jon and i met at starbucks at banawe avenue in quezon city.... and we met up with gwen's friends, john and jinx, who accompanied us to the infiniti repair shop for vivi's (jon's car) reconditioning and repair.

from infiniti, we had a late lunch (of peking duck, pata tim, deep-fried shrimp balls, salted fish fried rice, and hot tea & cold watermelon shake) at a chinese restaurant along banawe.

Sunday Dinner Weekender....

2007-03-25T23:00:00.000+08:00

capping this weekend was a light fare of buttered veggies, deep-fried soft-shelled crabs, grilled canadian salmon, and grilled pork belly. a short time after dinner, we left for home..... well-equipped, raring, and ready to start an exciting new week ahead.

Which one is it???

2007-03-25T22:03:00.000+08:00

bored? tired? surprised? or just plain amused???

And Now....Recognition Time!!!

2007-03-25T18:28:00.000+08:00

have you ever noticed all the delicious-looking and delicious-tasting (believe me... they really are!!!) food that we always partake of at nini's??? well, the person who's largely responsible for all of those wonderful food is......tararannnnnn....

YAYA ROSE!!! yipeeeeeeeee!!! clap-clap-clap!!!!

once you taste her culinary creations..... you'll surely dance for joy!!!!

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On a Hot Sunday Morning.....and Afternoon......

2007-03-25T16:01:00.000+08:00

today.... and even since yesterday.... i realized that summer is already here in manila. it's so hot and humid outside that if you're not in an air conditioned room, you'll find it difficult to stay outside even for a short time without breaking into sweat all over!!!

as usual, i woke up and went down early but it was jon who awoke first. while waiting for nini and rob to wake up, jon and i went online and started our sunday lap top session early. as soon as the two woke up, we had a sumptious breakfast (of fresh carrot juice, cilantro-jalapeno bread, majestic ham, pao tsin sharksfin dimsum, spanish omelette, and fresh fruits) followed by a trip to the newly built south supermarket in alabang.

it was my first time at that supermarket.... in fact, i had't been in that area for a long time.... considering that i used to pass by that place everyday (except sunday) when i was still working in binan, laguna!!! there had been a lot of changes in the area.... even the expressway exit was new!

from the supermarket, we went home and had a very late lunch (at 4:00 pm!) because nini's kitchen run out of lpg and we had to wait for a new tank to be delivered before cooking could continue. needless to say, lunch (of spicy tom yum soup, papaya somtam salad,deep fried tilapia, fried daing na bangus, fried vegetarian lumpia, grilled pork belly and ribs, almond jelly, and grass jelly) was worth waiting for.....

A Quiet Saturday.....

2007-03-24T23:59:00.000+08:00

this weekend, it's just jon and i who are at nini's.... and it's only rob who made it 'coz bebeloi is with the other sister. with just half of the gang present the place is relatively more quiet than when all of us are present. add to this the hectic day all of us had (including miguel who did the dance craze the entire day!!! hehehehehehe), by the stroke of midnight all of us were already sleepy..... if not asleep!!! this was a "first" since we started having these weekend get-togethers!!!

but of course, the day's blog won't be over until i've posted what we had for dinner this quiet saturday evening.....

Monterey Meatshop Update.....

2007-03-24T23:02:00.000+08:00

March 19, 2007, Monday - today we received the bids of the two contractors for the construction of the meat shop. the bids were quite similar.... differing only by P23,000.00. before deciding on which contractor to choose, we opted to talk to the architect about the bids. after discussing the bids with him, we chose the winning contractor and asked the architect to inform him as well as monterey,

March 23, 2007, Friday - this afternoon, we conducted our pre-construction meeting at the construction site with the monterey representative in attendance together with the architect and the winning contractor. after the meeting, we haggled with the contractor for the final price of the project..... after which we put up the signs informing the public of the forthcoming opening of our meatshop!!! yay!!!

March 24, 2007, Saturday - this morning until way past noon, i conducted interviews from prospective employees of the meatshop. all four were brought to the site (where i decided to conduct the interview) by the owner of the employment agency.... we met the owner through jon's aunt it was quite auspicious because with the start of construction, we'll be starting our training soon!

The Week Just Past.......

2007-03-24T19:51:00.000+08:00

it's saturday night once again..... jon and i are now here at nini's.... since my last post was last sunday, let me review the week just past in pictures:

march 19, 2007, monday - we met up with nini and miguel at virra mall at greenhills shopping center to look at wii set-ups for miguel's forthcoming bday; then we had dinner at the shabu-shabu restaurant at the carpark...

march 22, 2007, thursday - we went out with jon's mom, aunt, and cousin.... first to have lunch at mr. choi's restaurant at robinson's pioneer mall; then to the 3rd floor of the mall to look at the model units of gateway garden ridge; then to the meat shop site so they'll have an idea of how it'll look like; and finally at glorietta in makati where we passed by the nokia care center to get jon's fone, bought macarons de paris from bizu, and ended up at nini's asian finds at home zone where i served them chinese tea.....

march 23, 2007, friday - after talking with the monterey people, we had dinner at hula-hula restaurant at shangri-la mall with a friend whom we've not seen for quite a while. dinner of crabs, vietnamese rice and grilled salmon was fantastic....

The Surprise Continues....

2007-03-18T19:00:00.000+08:00

the trip to tagaytay:

while waiting for our table:

ordering our food:

while waiting for our orders to come:

lunch on this special day was at a very special place.... antonio's at tagaytay city!!! as part of the surprise for jon's bday, nini arranged for a reservation for lunch at this fabulous garden restaurant. all the while, jon thought that we'd be surprising the group with a buffet lunch at circle's at shangri-la hotel at makati.... little did he know that a wonderful lunch was waiting for us at an equally wonderful place!!! just see for yourselves!!!......

what i had:

after lunch:

The Surprise Starts....

2007-03-18T08:30:00.000+08:00

THE PREPARATIONS

THE RETURN OF THE BIRTHDAY BOY

THE SURPRISE

now it can be said!!!... last night, at the stroke of midnight, we surprised jon with an instant birthday party. everyone's in on it except him... even ginger and coco, nini's and rob's dogs, respectively, knew about it. jon didn't even have an inkling that his trip with marissa and cora at 11:30 pm supposedly to pick up marissa's youngest daughter from a party was just a ruse to keep him away from nini's house so we can prepare the place for the instant party!!!

THE BLOWING OF THE CANDLE (AND THE EATING!)

consequently, jon was very, very surprised.... you can almost see tears of extreme happiness from his eyes!!!

THE GREETINGS

THE ENTIRE GROUP

Now It Can Be Said......

2007-03-18T08:27:00.000+08:00

because of the secrecy of the surprise for jon... i wasn't allowed to publish anything about his bday. but now that the secret is out......

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HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON!!!!

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A Very Special Weekend...

2007-03-17T18:27:00.000+08:00

today is the start of a very special weekend!!! we're right now at nini's waiting for the others to come. what's so special about this weekend???....well, see for yourself.... 'coz i can't say anything right now!!! hehehehehehe

Going Nuts....for Donuts!!!

2007-03-16T22:04:00.000+08:00

do you really believe that we'd settle for pieces of apples and oranges for our dessert??? no way jose!!! gotta have some of those sinfully overly sweet krispee-kreme wannabes.... not just one.... but a dozen!!! bwahahahahahahaha!!!

choco mallows

chocolate frost

candy frost

strawberry frost

coffee caramel

nutty cream

pastillas de leche

peanut butter frost

Having Shabu....the Legal Kind!!!

2007-03-16T21:47:00.000+08:00

from our meeting with the Monterey people, we proceeded to The Podium and had an early dinner (5:30 PM!!!) at the Healthy Shabu-Shabu Restaurant. compared to what we've been having lately, this dinner was relatively healthy consisting of shared seafoods and porkloin shabu-shabu sets. even the dessert was not sinful at all!!! hehehehehehehe

Franchise Contract.....

2007-03-16T21:36:00.000+08:00

as we get closer to our dream of having our own business, we once again had a meeting this afternoon with the Monterey people. this time, our meeting was held at their head office in Pasig City in front of The Podium. it was jon's first time to visit their office and during the meeting we were informed that our frnchise application will soon be approved.... hence, they gave us a copy of the franchise agreement for our perusal!!! yipeeeeeeeeee!!!

Love Notes I've Received.....Part 27

2007-03-15T20:27:00.000+08:00

A Preview.....

2007-03-14T20:08:00.000+08:00

during yesterday's bidding for the construction of the meat shop, i saw for the first time the final floor plan for the shop..... since that time, i've been constantly visualizing in my mind how the shop would look like..... praying and hoping that it'll be finished soon so we can start with the business!!! i'm sooooooo very excited and sooooo looking forward to interacting with clients, customers, and employees again..... but without a boss this time!!!! hahahahahahaha