Litratong Pinoy: Ihip ng Hangin

Ito ay kuha ko gamit ang aking lumang kamera bago pa man siya tuluyan ng bumigay, masira at di ko na magamit upang kumuha ng larawan. Nakakalungkot dahil marami rin kaming napagsamahan -tulad na lamang nitong isang paglalakbay sa Subic na ginawa naming magkakaibigan sa opisina.

Bawat taon ay binibigyan kami ng kaukulang salapi ng aming kumpanya upang gumawa ng kahit ano na para sa amin ay masaya. Naalala ko noong isang taon may mga grupong umakyat ng Mt. Pinatubo, mayroon naming umakyat ng Taal, may iba na sumisid sa dagat, naligo sa dagat, nag-wake-boarding, nag-rafting sa Cagayan de Oro, mayroon din na kumain ng buffet sa Spiral at iba pa. Ang naisipan naming gawin ng aking mga kaibigan ay dumayo sa Subic at makiisa sa kalikasan – binisita namig ang Zoobic Safari Zoo, Ocean Adventure at ang huli nga – kami ay nagparasailing.

ang aking mga kaibigan sa kanilang paglipad

Ako ay nakaakyat ng mataas at habang ito ay hila ng isang mabilis na bangka – naramdaman ko ang hangin na umiihip sa aking buong katawan. Kasabay nito ay ang pakiramdam ng kapayapaan. Ito ang pinakamataas na narating ko kung saan pakiramdam ko ay malapit ako sa langit. Habang pinagmamasdan ko ang malawak na karagatan – napagtanto kong malawak at maganda pala ang mundo. Tahimik at payapa. Nawala ang aking takot. Ang humigit kumulang na apatanapung minuto na iyon ay ilan sa mga masasayang minuto ng aking buhay. Hindi ko ito malilimutan at sana ay maulit ko uli.



Ito ang aking unang lahok sa Litratong Pinoy.

The Big Little Store of Gilmore

The Chinese food trip saga continues! Since that day (several months ago, sometime last year) where we went to Gilmore to have my computer fixed, Gilmore became to me more than just a computer mecca. I associate Gilmore now with authentic, really good Chinese food. Amidst the bustle of the techie industry lays this quaint store and restaurant. It’s called The Big Little Store of Gilmore – the irony of which amuses me.

Pardon me for the lack of research. Perhaps on my next visit, I would set aside my hungry stomach and chat for a while with the owner or some people there. Now my curiosity of how the store came to be bothers me. I’d make a mental note to know about that on my next visit (perhaps it’ll be when I buy my own baby - a new lappie!).

The Big Little Store is divided into three sections. The left part is where the store is where they sell a variety of Asian food products and some local products even. The center is where the counter for ordering is – as well as for the display of food. The setting of which resembles that of a canteen. The right part is the restaurant – where one is seated and waits for the food upon ordering.

The grocery section sells a variety of products. They offer a variety of Asian condiments (like chili paste, soy sauce, and curry pastes), herbal teas, dried mushrooms, vegetables and frozen dumplings. I am not sure though if the prices are cheaper compared if you buy them at stores from Chinatown in Binondo. My eyes feasted though on the assortment of products – half of which I do not even know on what dishes I should use them for.

E and I opted for beef noodle soup, Chinese lumpia and siomai. How I loved the taste of what we ordered!

As the soup was served to use, its gingery scent immediately emanated. It just felt relaxing to put my hands on the hot bowl and smell that ginger scent. The soup was definitely better than what we had at Mongkok. Although I found the soup a little oily. But just that – it still tasted good and I enjoyed eating it.

I first tasted Chinese lumpia at a trip at the Salcedo weekend market. It was an instant hit for me. I don’t usually find Chinese lumpia as part of the menu so I only knew that if I wanted one – I will be getting it at the Salcedo market. When I saw it at the menu at The Big Little Store, I knew I’d be getting it. I was not disappointed. The mixture of fresh vegetables was just succulent. E also loved it.

And of course – the siomai! My top two favorites would be siomai from North Park and from this store.

If you are a Chinese food lover like me – or just looking for good tasting food – I would really recommend eating at this place. Reasonably priced food that would give you a remarkable Oriental experience – that is definitely worth trying!

The Big Little Store is located at:
Ground Floor, Gilmore IT Center
Gilmore, New Manila
Quezon City

I cooked Beef Caldereta!

It may not look good at the pic but both E and my brother said it tasted good.
Check my recipe blog for a copy of the recipe.

E ate it with wheat bread and added chili pepper for that extra zing!

Dinner at Conti's

I’ve been eating at Conti’s for several times now and I realized that it’s a hit and miss. Yes, as much as I can rave about their dishes – some simply just seems ordinary. Nothing to rave about. That’s how it went when E and I ate at their Serendra branch last Friday. I ordered callos (my first time to try the dish) while E ordered pasta allegria.

The callos made of ox tripe, knuckles and chorizo bilbao cooked in tomato sauce tasted just fine. I finished it off in a flash as I was really hungry that time.

E had the pasta allegria – oil-based pasta of spaghetti noodles with chicken, shitake mushroom and sun-dried tomatoes. I loved, loved that pasta! It specifically loved the combination of oil and sun-dried tomatoes which created such a flavorful taste. E wasn’t that satisfied with the pasta though. He said that he prefers those from Amici.

For dessert, we shared a slice of choco mousse. I’ve already tried their mango bravo, strawberry shortcake and banana cream torte (and loved all of them!). For this visit, we decided to try something we haven’t had before at Conti’s. I like the base chocolate cake of the choco mousse but otherwise, it wasn’t near spectacular.

This visit was probably more of a ‘miss’ but I still won’t discount how I loved their grilled herbed porkchops served with paella rice, NZ baked mussels and the desserts I previously had there. If you are really hungry though, you might want to eat somewhere else. One dish just won’t satisfy you. As E said, Conti’s really stands for few. LOL.

After dinner, we strolled along Bonifacio High Street and window shopped. After a time, I got tired and so we sat down to rest. I told E I was craving for balut and pansit. Off we went to Market Market and ordered a serving of Pansit Lucban at Buddy’s. It was so goooood and the pansit only costs around P120. At last, we felt full.

Reading and Wifely Steps!

I love reading books . . . as a kid, while I was growing up, and up until now. I absolutely love my book collection and (as most of those who know me know) I can just sit on my bed and stare at my books for a time. I’m happy that way.

- one of my bookshelves -

Lately though, I find it difficult to have the time to read. As well, with so many things to do – graduate school, work, dates with E, household chores – I find it difficult to read and decide which book to read. You see, I undergo a phase when it comes to books. There was a time when all I read are books by Judith McNaught and then Erich Segal and then Sidney Sheldon and then Paulo Coelho and then Jefferey Archer and harry Potter series and the list goes on. I also went through a phase where I seem to be reading books with serious themes that I then underwent a phase where all I read are the ‘chick flicks’ or the Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes books. The last book I read was Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I still can’t find (can’t decide) on my next book.

I’ve discovered though that I love blogging and reading blogs. It feels like every entry is a chapter. I just have to keep reading and reading. One of my daily reads is Toni’s Wifely Steps. I remember that the first entry I’ve read was of course – about books. It was an article about “The Painted Veil.” From then on, I checked Toni’s oldest entry and read the articles thereafter. I realized then that reading online and reading books are two totally different yet related experiences. I find each entry entertaining and I’m glued and I just have to continue reading it.

Here is a link to Toni’s blog – definitely a part of my daily reads.

And she’s celebrating 5 years of blogging (that is such a feat!) And she has a gift for her readers . . .

Happy anniversary Toni!