My June To-Do List (Final Update)

As of June 30, 2011, here are the last updates from my list this month.

1. Buy all June issues of my men's magazine collection (Wasn't able to get UNO and Playboy).

2. Attend DPP's 5th Anniversary Party (Done and enjoyed the event)

3. Take my wife and child to their respective doctors for their vaccine on the 20th (Done for both)

4. Control myself from buying those groupons. (I FAILED and bought 3 XD)

5. Try to renew my passport (Might reschedule it for the nth time)

6. Settle my SSS and Philhealth quarterly contributions (Done)

7. Settle our electric and internet bill (Done)

8. Control my spending habits when eating (Not doing good here XD)

9. Attend the Toycon 2011 on the 18th (Done)

10. Join the Hidalgomez Photo Contest sponsored by Canon and Camera Shops in Hidalgo on the 19th.(Wasn't able to attend because of continuous rains)

11. Find a way to attend The First Blogger's Buffet at Carol Texan 5 on the 23rd.(Done and found a way XD)

12. Continuously edit old pictures and Migmig's Project 365 (I'm doing good here XD).

Next would be for July. XD

Chuck's Deli Revisited

Chuck's Deli

Yesterday, we went back to Eastwood Mall in Eastwood City to have a different view as well as use my 2 remaining coupons I got from Pakyaw a few months back. I tagged my wife and baby girl with me since she said that its up to me where to eat. I have been planning on visiting Chuck's Deli again after my first visit there a few weeks back.

Some condiments and a hand sanitizer XD

When we got there, we have the place to ourselves. Its atmosphere was really warm and cozy. Probably because there were no people at that time when we got there. We sat along a long couch so we could put Migmig to sleep there while me and my wife enjoy our late lunch. I had what to order in mind even days before we went there so choosing  what to eat didn't took us a long time after handing them two vouchers I used my 2 remaining vouchers from Pakyaw that helped us save at least 50% off. For 300 pesos worth of voucher, we got to enjoy at least 600 pesos worth of food from them. We just added some cash for extras.

Before she took a nap XD

One Hungry Mommy XD

While waiting for our food, They served us Cherry Coke (upgraded from my slabwich meal) and Strawberry Milkshake (165 Pesos). The first time I had chocolate milkshake a few weeks back, it felt like heaven on earth as every sip is really flavorful. When I had my wife try her milkshake, she liked it very much.

Cherry Coke and Chocolate Milkshake

First off, we had Broccoli and Cheese for the soup (145pesos). For a change, we tried a different soup instead of looking for the usual Clam Chowder or Pumpkin Soup that we usually have whenever we eat. We liked the texture of the soup as I tasted bits of broccoli on it with a hint of cheese. For me I would recommend this to those who doesn't like vegetables as you won't notice any taste of veggies on it XD.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Next served was their Wiki Salad (185 pesos). Trying a Japanese-themed salad was something new to us as I wanted to see my wife's reaction after she tried it. And she loved how the greens, kani, mango, egg, and wasabi mayo mixed all together. It was a delight to see her like it (it really taste good after trying a few bites).

Wiki Salad

Before digging-in

Then for our 2 main orders, we got a slab of The Buffy Slabwich (445 pesos) and Philly Cheese Steak Subwich (295 pesos). The Philly Cheese Steak was a foot-long sub with heaps of beef, American cheese bell peppers, onions and mushrooms. Good for two, my wife and I shared it as the beef was really tasty especially with a good combination of mushrooms, onions and melted cheese. Paired with potato chips, this was more than enough to feed one hungry couple.

 Double-fried french fries and potato chips

Philly Cheese Steak Subwich

My Half. XD

Our other order The Buffy, was a really heavy looking slabwich as it has more than a pound of boneless buffalo chicken coupled with garlic sauce and coleslaw sandwiched between two huge ciabatta bread that is crispy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside. At ten inches long, I never imagined a slabwich this big that I would even have a hard time finishing all of it all by myself or even with my wife. The slab was quite spicy (which was ok for me) but still very satisfying especially if you add their special Chuck's sauce (which is quite spicy as well). One bite of it will make you scream for water I swear.

The Buffy

Her Half XD

Our lunch was so heavy, we had to take-out half of each with us back home. I would definitely recommend Chuck's Deli to all sandwich lovers and those who wanted to get heavy after eating their slabwiches.

Leftovers to take home.

Empty board. XD

We will go there pretty soon to try their flatwich, burgers and others that we weren't able to try the first time.

The week that was (June 19 - 25)

Sunday: I got up early but my body felt numb from last night. I was supposed to attend the Hidalgomez Photowalk until my daughter gave me a "Dad, stay home look". I smiled at her and stayed home the whole day. I just watched TV until all of a sudden, I felt so sleepy I went upstairs and join them to get some more rest. When I got up again, I had this very terrible headache that took me probably 3 cups of strong coffee to overcome the pain. I also got my haircut in the afternoon and looked younger again XD. My day was just spent at home with the people that mattered the most to me. I got to watch some documentaries of Jose Rizal before going to bed.

Monday: I got up early but the sun wasn't out due to rainy morning. Instead, we prepared early to take Migmig to the hospital for her 6-in-1 vaccine. I was able to watch WWE's Capital Punishment before we left at 10:30am. We took a cab going there and it was really quick. Also when we got to the hospital, there were a few patients and the place was deserted (given that its a non-working holiday). Migmig's check-up was really quick and after that, we waited for my wife's doctor only to find out that they don't have a clinic that day (being a holiday).After that, we took a cab and went to Sunrise Bucket's for our late lunch (I'll make a blog about it) before finally going home. Then I took a nap for at least an hour before going to SM Manila to buy my baby a cake since its her second month already. Despite feeling so tired, I got to buy not what satisfies me, but what satisfies my family as well. We enjoyed the night before going to bed.

Tuesday: I got up early to take Migmig out but due to bad weather, we just stayed inside the apartment and we went back up to her mom. I watched TV only to feel very sleepy and I went up and joined them and dozed-off until almost 10:00am. I got to do some more errands before getting myself ready for work. I got in the office ahead of time which means I got to do other things aside from work XD. By 6:00pm, I went out to buy lunch at Buffalo Wings and Things again and I got more before going to The Soup Kitchen to get two more soups. I went out with 200 pesos and I got back to the office with 300 pesos so go figure how? XD. I was able to enjoy dinner while doing the rest of my work very much satisfied XD. After my shift, I went home right away to be with my wife and daughter. Even it was raining, I turned on the air-con and enjoyed the night as all 3 of us went asleep.

Wednesday: I got up at 6:30am but I wasn't able to take Migmig down because she was hungry and her mom attended her right away. I did some errands before going back up to take her out for her sunshine. We didn't stay out that long as it was already hot outside. I left home early and got in the office with some time to spare.  I've been very pre-occupied at work that I haven't been able to blog much during my free time. For dinner, I had Lechon for the nth time this month and I hope I could beat the demon in me and choose a healthier dinner for the next few days. After my shift, I went home right away to be with my two girls and enjoy the rest of the night. But I noticed that I wasn't able to log-in to work.

Thursday: I got up at 7:30am and informed my colleagues that I won't be able to report for work because of personal reasons that I had to take care of XD. I stayed home almost the entire day and refrained myself from going online to take care of some things. My wife craved for sour cream french fries and spaghetti from Jollibee which I had to buy her to satisfy her cravings. While online, I tried to look for a possible church and restaurant that will hold at least 50 people for Migmig's Baptismal a few months from now. I found some options but I wanted to get more to make sure my wife would be able to choose from those. At 5:00pm, I went to San Juan despite the strong rains to attend The First Blogger's Buffet at Carol's Texan 5 (I'll write a separate blog about this). After the event, I went home right away but got side-tracked as I tried to get myself familiar in an unfamiliar territory XD. At 11:00pm, I'm home and my daughter was asleep when she woke up all of a sudden. I calmed her down before going back online for my Mafia Wars update. I think we slept at 1:00am as me and my wife were talking about things and Migmig's future.

Friday: I got up at 8:00am as Migmig was already crying again, hungry for milk. I took care of it before going down. The weather was all-gloomy before I reported for work. For some reason, I wasn't stuck in traffic at all.In fact, when I left home at 11:30am, I was anticipating that I would be 30-45 minutes late due to very bad weather. But I got in the office at 1:02pm. which means that I got to check my facebook again before doing some serious work. I had an early dinner of oatmeal with raisins as I felt hungry quite early. Then at around 9:00pm, I felt hungry again so I went out in and went to Banapple to have dinner there. The rain was so strong I felt water spalshing through my skin even if I'm covered with my jacket. I had 2 dinner meals at banapple just to make sure I'm fully nourished until the end of my shift.I took a cab going home and I was surprised to be home in less than 30 minutes even if some places were still flooded. My baby girl was sleeping soundly before I joined them as felt tired for the day.

Saturday: I got up at around 7:30am as Migmig was crying out loud because her diaper was already full of poop. After that, we fed her first before taking her down and just stayed there until her grandmom carried her to sleep again. I got to watch TV for a while before going to SM Centerpoint at 9:45am to buy my daughter her diapers and her mom's milk. I spent an hour there as the stuff I bought were quite heavy (unusual for me). When I got back home, I prepared my things for work and I asked my wife if she'll be using her laptop. She said no and told me I could take it for me to edit Migmig's baby pictures. I left home at 11:45am and got in the office at almost 1:00pm. I set-up my laptop first since my colleague was still using my workstation and began choosing some sets to edit. I'm still having problems editing pictures smoothly as I get preoccupied with other things. I had tapsilog at banapple for dinner and continued editing pictures until the end of my shift. I took a cab going home to get there early as well as to protect my bag among other things. When I got home, I set it up for my wife but she was too sleepy to work online so I joined them once more XD

A Rainy Blogger's Buffet at Carol's Texan 5

Backdrop wall

I'm really thankful that I was one of a few to be invited to the first ever Blogger's Buffet. I didn't even expect to be invited since there are a lot of foodies out there that has a better chance of being invited than I am. But luck helped me to get one at least XD. I need to pull a little magic for me to be able to attend in this event XD. It was one rainy afternoon that I still decided to push through even if raining was non-stop and I promised my wife that I'll be home early.

Celebrity wall

After an hour of traveling through heavy rain, I got to the Carol's Texan 5 at almost 7:00pm almost soaking wet. I saw some bloggers already there with some of them having their laptops and probably blogging. As I get inside, someone approached me and introduced himself as Tristan Maharlika Mirasol, the brainchild of Ten Minutes Tops and Club Travel Now and offered me a seat. After getting a good position, I took out my camera and started shooting things that fancy my eyes in a different angle.  

Ms Carol Texan: Carol Chan

Before dinner, there were some introductory remarks by Tristan and introduced Ms Carol Chan (the brainchild behind Carol's Texan 5) to us. To those who don't know, Carol's Texan 5 came from 5 specialty dishes that Carol would usually prepare for her friends. These 5 dishes were: 1) Dynamite Wings, 2) BBQ Ribs, 3) Fish n' Fries, 4) Tomato Basil Pasta and 5) Roast Beef. Aside from the dishes, the place gave me a Texan atmosphere of red, white and blue as it reminded me of one of the TV shows I watched on cable saying when in Texas, everything is up-sized. Before dinner was served, there were some trivia games and getting-to-know-you portion with fellow bloggers. Early birds got some awesome giveaways courtesy of Fern and Carol's Texan. 

Coffee Maker.

Texan Five

We got to try 3 of these 5 delectable dishes for us to savor and satisfy our palate. I had all 3 dishes in one plate (and my plate got really full). The ribs were just right for me plus it falls-off from the bones which makes it more chewable. Not too spicy though I prefer my ribs a bit spicy plus the ribs were really big (2 big bones really filled my stomach, what more if I got a whole slab). The dynamite wings was a winner for me as it complements the tomato basil pasta especially when the wings are drenched in its white sauce.

Dynamite Wings

Ultimate Texan Pork Ribs

Then we ended the night with desserts by Magnolia Ice Cream. Of course I love ice cream but I wasn't able to take a picture of it as I ran out of battery for the event (Bad! XD). Carol's Texan 5 would include some dessert creations by Magnolia Ice Cream in the next few weeks so I would definitely come back.

My Plate! XD

Definitely, I'll be going back to Carol's Texan 5 within the next few months to try-out their other dishes with my wife and kid. By the way, the place has WiFi so you would be able to go online while enjoying the Texan food and atmosphere.

Swabeng Food Trip: An unexpected lunch at Sunrise Buckets

Last Monday was a rainy day for us as after our baby's check-up, we had to look for a place to eat. Our first option then was at Chuck's Deli but my wife objected as heavy rain kept on pouring. 

We took a cab on our way home and decided to use my Metro Deal Voucher at Sunrise Bucket to have lunch there. For only 175 pesos (valued at 395 pesos), we got a pound of buffalo wings and 2 iced teas, and we paid extra for extra orders.

When we got inside, we were welcomed to a lazy and laid-back atmosphere. The place was a surfer's haven/beach bum paradise where you would notice some surfboards on display. The music was soothing though it was a bit on the colder side. We made ourselves comfortable and took a seat on the long couch (whenever we go out and eat, we look for a long couch so Migmig could rest there). After placing our order on the counter, I took some pictures despite the place being dimly-lit.

The first we tried from their menu was Nachos Overload (165 pesos). Its basically baked nachos with a generous servings of ground pork, sweet chili salsa, and melted cheese. Being a lover of nachos, its a must on my list. But its best consumed while warm, otherwise, it gets soggy when already cold.

Then came our buffalo wings. First was a pound of Sunrise Original Wings (295 pesos for 1 pound). The wings were really flavorful and has this American taste one would really love. It is also juicy with a hint of zest and spiciness as best dipped in bleu cheese.

Sunrise Original Wings and Garlic Parmesan Wings

Then came my Garlic Parmesan Wings (220 pesos for half pound). The wings were coated with their special garlic-butter sauce then smothered with herbs and grated parmesan cheese. Compared with the first garlic parmesan wings I've tried on a different resto, it tasted just the same, or probably its my palate that is having problems again. 

My wife consumed more wings that I've expected as she gets hooked to it lately. We enjoyed eating so much we forgot to use the plastic gloves XD.

I got to take some more pictures before going back home after staying there for probably 2 hours. We would definitely go back to Sunrise Buckets to try other flavors of their wings as well as their other list from the menu that they offer.

The week that was (June 12 - 18)

Sunday: I got up a bit early again to take Migmig out for her vitamin D before taking her back to her mom up in the room. Then, I took her back to our room for her morning nap. After giving her a bath, its our turn to take ours. I tried my best to stay home the whole day but at 6:30pm, I went out to buy Migmig her milk because its almost running out. After going to 2 SM Malls, I went home empty handed XD.

Monday: I got up early and took Migmig out for her vitamin d. We went to St Anthony Shrine but it was full since that day was his day. Then we went back to her mom upstairs. I was able to watch Game 6 of the NBA Finals and my bet (Dallas Mavs) won their first NBA Championship XD. By lunchtime, I am off to Robinson's Galeria to settle our Internet Bill at Sun as well as have lunch at Hyphy's (I'll create a separate blog for this). After lunch, I settled our bill at Sun before going to SM Megamall to buy Migmig's milk. When I got there, I went straight to the supermarket but I got the biggest can of milk for her plus 3 cartons of apple juice for my wife. I went home after since I felt dizzy again and I got home in less than an hour. I went upstairs to get some sleep but my daughter was up and active so I played with her until she fall asleep instead XD. Then I went online outside for an hour before trying to get some nap at this time of the night. I was able to get my1 hour nap before doing some more errands and watch TV. By 11:00pm, we were upstairs and playing with our angel before falling asleep.

Tuesday: I got up early to take Migmig out for her sun. When we went back up, I dozed off for two more hours and got up at 9:00am before beginning my day. I left for work at past 12:00pm and I got there within the grace period (2:03pm). Work was just as steady as it was and for dinner, I bought sisig from Sisig Hooray plus two slices of pizza while waiting for my sisg at The Landmark. I logged-off at around 11:10pm and got home in less than an hour. My daughter was sleeping soundly hence, I didn't turn on the lights (and kept our dim lights open instead) while relaxing for a while before going to sleep.

Wednesday: I got up at 6:30am to take Migmig out. Then I recall I took some pictures of her while my entire body was freezing from our air-conditioned room at 4:00am which made me feel sleepy the entire morning. Then we went back upstairs after I gave her milk from the bottle. I was able to go online to upload some pictures for my blog though it took a while (2 hours) to upload less than 10 pictures. Then Migmig was crying again for some milk so we gave her bottle after giving her a bath. Then I went to Llanas to look for my after shave but I wasn't lucky finding one. I left home at past 12:00pm and got in the office in the nick of time for the second straight day. My other colleague won't be able to report so I have the shift all to myself. Work was still good despite working by my lonesome. As I do my online routine, my name was included in the upcoming Bloggers Buffet on the 23rd of June. I was so excited and at the same time concerned. Well, I'll have to do something about it XD. After having oatmeal with raisins and bananas for dinner, I felt a little bit dizzy and craving for burger. But I am swamped with work so I had to take care of them first before anything else. After my shift, I went to Jollibee to satisfy my craving for burger by ordering a Champ meal but I had to wait for almost 20 minutes to get my meal. Once they gave it to me, I took the bus on the way home and got there at past midnight. My wife and daughter were sleeping when I got there. I told my wife the good news and my concern about it before sleeping.

Thursday: I got up at almost 6:30am as my wife kept on telling me to take Migmig out again as she already sees the sun. When we got out, the sun wasn't out yet so we had to go somewhere to get some sun before going back home at 7:30am. I gave her a bottle of milk since the last time she was bottle-fed was at 5:00am early morning. Migmig is growing at a steady rate as she is getting hungier for milk. We went back up to get some rest (sleep for me until 10:30am).Then it was all business as I gave Migmig a bath before reporting to work. For the third straight day, it was a buzzer-beater for me logging-in. Good thing my other colleague was already here and that made work much easier for all of us here in the office. For dinner, I couldn't resist the craving for Lechon so I got myself 1/4 kilo of lechon from Elar-Z plus two orders of rice. Another high-fat dinner for me then. After shift, I went home right away and got there in less than an hour.

Friday: I got up at almost 9:00am as I felt guilty of not waking up early to take Migmig out for her daily sunshine. There was something missing in me for not doing that and by the next day, I'll make it up to my baby to have more quality time with her. I got to do some daddy work before leaving for work 30 minutes earlier. Instead, I got there 15 minutes late. So much for buzzer-beater moments when logging-in XD. Work was quite ok but my PC was having network problems so I shut it down for a couple of minutes and went down to buy myself a new after shave. Then it was all business for me as I was able to do some work before my wife texted me telling me to buy additional diapers for our little girl. At 5:30pm, I went to SM Makati to buy some diapers and went to The Enterprise Center to buy myself chicken wings from Papa J's Wiches and Wings. When I had my dinner, my chicken wings were really huge. It's like a portion of the chicken was included in the wings though they need a lot of improvement on their dips. I just enjoyed the rest of my shift until I logged-off and went home. When i got home, it was really hot and humid so we turn-on the aircon and got to sleep peacefully.

Saturday: I got up early this time but Migmig was still sleeping when it was time to go out. I waited for her eyes to open before going out. While were out, I felt something wet in my shirt. It was my daughter's diaper over-leaking already plus I smell poop too, probably why she was crying so early in the morning. We went back up and changed her diaper before going back down to feed her. I feel that at two months, she should double her milk intake as she grows fast. Then I quickly prepared for the day as I left home at 10:00am and got in the office at almost 11:30am. I cooled down a bit before going to SM Megamall to attend Toycon2011 (I'll write a blog about it). I spent 5 hours there before going back to the office to continue my shift. I had my dinner take-out at Chowking but the gravy in my fried chicken is missing. Anyway, I still got to enjoy dinner as my shift was totally stress-free and I got to do some online stuff before going home XD. As I got home, my wife was up and my little girl was just about to get up and greet me Happy Father's Day. Awww, such sweet girl I have XD.

Defenition of Father's Day

 Taken from Google

Today and every third Sunday of June marks Father's Day. According to Wiki , Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in many countries and on other days elsewhere. It complements Mother's Day, the celebration honoring mothers.

Though this special day varies from country to country, Celebrating Father's Day should not just be done every third Sunday of June but everyday as they (or we) work hard to ensure that their families would have a better life for years to come. 

To my fellow dads (And to the best dad that I have), Happy Father's Day!

PS. I was about to join a photo contest in Hidalgo but as my daughter looks at me into the eyes, she wanted me to just stay home and be with her. She got her wish granted without hesitation XD.

Events to attend this weekend

It really sucks that you have to work either on Saturdays or Sundays (For July, its both XD). Hoping I could maximize my weekends despite my work schedule. Anyway, here are some events that you can attend to this coming weekend. 

1. Toycon 2011: Being present at Toycon for the past few years, I hope I would see new cosplayers as well as new toys to shoot at XD. If budget permits, I would buy a toy for my little girl as a souvenir.

Taken from Google

2. Manila Food and Beverage Expo 2011 (MAFBEX): Another food expo that I hope I could go to. The event already began since Wednesday and we only have 2 more days to go.

Taken from Google

3. 16th Graphic Expo together with 2nd Photo-Video Expo 2011: I find my first experience here a bit boring. But since its closest to WTC, I might consider this given the time and resources. But I have to resist temptation of buying accessories for my camera first XD.

Taken from Google

4. Spark 2011 and Photographer's Ball 2011: I recall how much I've learned from attending last year's PhPhoto EB. And I'm looking forward to learn more XD.

Taken from PhPhoto's Website

5. The Wedding Summit 2011: I recall that my wife and I have attended almost all wedding fairs last 2009. It's least likely I'll be attending but who knows XD.

Taken from Google

6. Canon Hidalgomez Photowalk: I have registered for this event since last week and I won't pass up on this event even if its a Sunday XD.

Taken from Canon's Facebook Fanpage

Well take your pick for this weekend XD

Swabeng Food Trip: Hippie Lunch at Hyphy

Last Monday before I paid the bill, I had lunch at Hyphy's located in Robinson's Galeria at The Veranda. In a nutshell, Hyphy's is a restaurant that serves Filipino-San Francisco comfort food which is owned by Chef Bruce Lim. He was raised in San Francisco which made him share his culinary expertise and by incorporating Pinoy Food and the ones from San Francisco, each dish would be a different experience altogether. 

I got there just in time for lunch. Thanks to Deal Grocer's voucher, I got a discount but I'll put into that later XD.

The place wasn't filled with people despite lunch time. They could have this impression that they serve expensive food (which was my initial reaction a few weeks back). The place was different among the restaurants that I've been to the fact that I saw several skateboard-like planks on one of their wall. When one of the staff handed me the menu, I was surprised that their selection were affordable.

Now on the menu. First, I ordered their Clam Chowder Sourdough Bread (170 pesos). Its reasonably priced plus the soup was creamy and thick. I got to let the clam and the potato linger in my mouth before swallowing it. This would be the third restaurant (aside from French Baker and The Soup Kitchen) that I've tried clam chowder on bread bowl. The bread bowl was quite big and thicker than the ones I've tried before plus Chef Bruce made these breads himself. But one thing I noticed on the bread bowl is that it was burnt on the outside which made it less appealing (to me). Still, this would probably make a complete meal on a rainy day.

Next was the Sisig Pasta (170 pesos).Before ordering this, I was torn between Malunggay Pesto (150 Pesos), Baked Macaroni (150 pesos), Kalderetang Pasta (250 pesos), and Clam Pasta (270 pesos). With these options, I went for the most unique which was the Sisig Pasta. The waiter told me that the pasta will be a little bit spicy and I didn't mind. When they served the pasta, it had "siling labuyo" and slices of "siling haba" on it. I set them aside and tried the pasta first. True to what the waiter said, the pasta was spicy which there's no need for me to include the "sili" XD. The pasta was also creamy which made me drink lots of water XD. For me, this is a must try.

Last but not the least, The Tablea Chocolate Torte (150 pesos) for dessert. Its a flour-less, ganache type of cake that uses Batangas tablea as its main ingredient. The dessert was heavenly sinful as I made sure I licked my plate clean XD. But this creamy cake is not recommended for those who are on a diet as you won't stop licking your plate clean.

Though I wasn't able to try most of their best sellers, the one that I chose just matched them anyway. We would come back sometime soon to try out other dishes as well.

Coffee is on the house btw. XD