weng's happy day

another august celebrant, weng celebrated her birthday last thursday at syempre, we wouldn't miss it for the world kaya in full force ang mga adik. 

as usual, sarap ng mga fud na mostly ay niluto ni tserman, partida pa dahil walang tikiman yon huh!  may masarap ding crema de fruta si pops and maccoy at ang walang kapantay (sa anghang hehehe) na lumpiang sili ni shiela and ren.  busog to the max na naman kami. 

happy bday weng and i hope magkatotoo na ang wish mong another baby para may kalaro na si sofie! 

ganda ng setting courtesy of macahilo's catering 24 hrs service

(ano nga ba yon ren?... hehehe)

ang happy birthday mom

syempre pray muna kami before anything else

tapos binigyan ni mister ng bouquet si misis...

kaya naiyak-iyak ang celebrant dahil sa sobrang touched!

syempre masaya din kami dahil pila na for da fud!

hindi ko na binanggit ang age nya pero kita pala sa cake! hahaha!

si chef macahilo nagpapahabol pa yata ng additional menu

romy, junc with his shirt na bagay sa akin (hihihi) and maccoy

matt, ega, raoul and me

ang mga blue ladies!

eto ang buong adiks at ginulo na naman ang kwarto ni ega

sofie:  ano ba yan! 

valerie:  oo nga... ang gugulo nila!

ang hapi-hapi na bday mom with the two loves of her life - baby sofie and hubby ricky

HAPPY BDAY WENG!

the lions - first roar

august is a celebration-filled month as far as my friends (sama na po ako don!) are concerned.  one of the first to celebrate his **th bday (darn my numeric keyboard isn't working! hahahaha) is cesar - an old (i mean long-time hehehe) friend who, after 5 or 6 years of hibernating in jeddah came back to khobar and had the chance to celebrate his aug 4th bday once again with long-time friends.

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well, the years that passed hasn't taken away his flair for lively conversations peppered with his funny/witty anecdotes that make dinner a lot more enjoyable.  i'm sure steakhouse was a place unusually happier that night. 

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thanks for that lovely dinner my friend and happy bday again!

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birthday boy (in white) with loooonngggg time friends! (i dare not say old, puro bagets pa sila! hahaha)

with the steakhouse managers

(baka maka-discount? hehehe)

the years hasn't changed cesar much.  but i dont think i can say the same thing for myself... what with that  plump face (taba ko nga pala! hahaha)

tukayo on the left, gilbert in the middle and manong boyet

here comes the birthday cake...

cesar:  bakit lima ang candles????  hehehehe

dunno what's his wish but i do hope it'll soon come true

a big hand for one happy celebration!!!!

goin' country

i'm not really into country songs but right now i'm playin two of them on a repeat mode.  one is a haunting tune that talks about yearning for someone sung by the better lady in the music scene right now.  the other is a cover of another country/love song originally popularized by shania twain but given a breath of fresh air by the latest idol winner who sounds like past winner david cook but has a more likeable personality.  play 'em and enjoy 'em.  they can easily be in your faves list too.

hotnothot 34

Hothot: PNoy’s first SONA. Hearing (or in my case reading) PNoy’s first State of the Nation Address is just like hearing a Senator who uses his privilege speech in the Senate to expose anomalies specially those that are perpetuated by his political foes. Dahil ginamit ni PNoy yong speech nya to expose the atrocities that Gloria’s regime left behind lalo na pagdating sa mga pondo ng gobyerno. Pero sabi ko nga sa mga kaibigan ko, these exposes are nothing but blurbs until something happens. Yong makapag-sampa sila ng matibay na kaso at may mangyayari sa bandang huli. It will be a big challenge for PNoy to come up with criminal conviction to these ‘crimes’ that the past government did. Pero hindi yon ang main hothot ko. What I find in PNoy’s speech, kahit nong inauguration niya, is that he uses Tagalog in most parts of his speech. Mas madaling maintindihan ng masa. Afterall, sa masa sya nagre-report, hindi sa mga konyo at elitist. Dahil dito, PNoy is enjoying a very high popularity rating. And if he keeps communicating directly to the masses, mas maiintindihan sya anoman ang gagawin nya sa kanyang pagka-pangulo. With that, maaring hindi sya makakuha ng negative at sadsad na rating na ilang panahon ding inani ni Gloria.

Hotnot: Ang kwento ng nabubulok na Bigas. Sa dami ng pasabog ni PNoy sa kanyang SONA, this could be the one that sent my teeth clenching. Bigas na nabubulok sa kung saang tambakan? Samantalang napakaraming tyan ang kumukulo sa Pilipinas, ke mga pulubi o mga taong nagkukumahog mag-trabaho pero kulang at kulang pa rin ang kakayahan para sayaran ng pagkain ng mga bibig. At dahil lang sa kung sinong herodes, sa kung anong kurakutan, sa kung anomang red tape, pinabayaan lang mabulok ang bigas kesa ipakain sa mga nagugutom? I find it so revolting. Para sa akin, this is criminal. Dahil hindi ninyo nararanasan ang kumalam ang sikmura, ang magutom ng ilang araw, ang mahilo at mag-hallucinate dahil walang sumasayad na pagkain sa sikmura, wala kayong pakialam. At wala kayong pakiramdam sa mga kababayan nating nagpapakamatay na lang dahil sa kawalan ng makain. You could have done something to ease their pain. Ang ipakain sa kanila ang bigas na binili rin naman ng pera ng taong bayan. Mabulok sana ang mga kaluluwa nyo kasama ng mga bigas na yan!

Hotnot: A Congressman in HK prison. One of the most scandalous events to hit the headlines lately is the arrest of Congressman Ronald Singson in HongKong for possession of illegal drugs. Despite an obvious news blackout that successfully kept the event from the press for a couple of weeks, it was his father Chavit who gave the confirmation readily followed by a public apology for what’s an obvious misdeed in the part of his son. Bumilib ako coz it showed humility on the father’s side to have done the admission and the apology. Kaya lang, bakit kailangang sundan pa ng press releases like : baka nasulsulan lang. For goodness sake, he’s already in his mid-30’s, old enough to father a high-school student himself. Or yong angle na dahil broken-hearted daw. Jeez, I’d still say the same thing – magku-kwarenta na sya and still nurses a broken heart like it’s his first? Pero ang pinaka-off na nabasa ko eh yong kwentong hindi daw talaga kay Ronald yong drugs, sa isa raw sa mga kasamahan nya. If this angle is being played out to picture the guy as a hero instead of a criminal, then mali pa rin. Dahil kung hindi talaga sa kanya at inako lang nya to save his friend, it’s still irresponsible to put the welfare of his friend above his duty to protect the integrity of the Philippine Congress. Mas malaki ang obligasyon nya sa Kongreso, sa kanyang mga constituents at lalo sa mga kabataan na pinabilib nya sa pagi-sponsor nya ng isang anti-drug law.

Hothot: Wowowee finally off the air. If it will mean bringing down Willie back to earth, it really is something hot. At least ABS-CBN is finally showing this guy who’s the boss. Ang papalit daw na noon-time show ay Pilipinas Win na Win starring Willie’s girls plus Robin and Kris. Originally, Pilipinas For The Win (FTW) ang title nong program but just a day after the station announced it, binago agad sa Win na Win. Ang sabi ng mga intrigerang showbiz writers, bistado raw kasi na yong FTW is F**k That Willie. Hahaha! But let’s forget Willie now and let him wallow in his defeat, lick the deep wounds this blow has inflicted upon his hot air-balloon-sized ego. Gusto kong saluduhan ang ABS-CBN sa ginawa nila. Not just for finally kicking Willie’s ass but most importantly for putting Robin Padilla and Kris Aquino together in a show. Matindi talaga ang eye nila for business. Alam nilang may mabubuong kontrobersya sa mga hosts na pwedeng i-capitalize ng show para sa ratings. With Robin’s charms and Kristeta’s vulnerability from her recent marital debacle, siguradong ngangawa si Mariel Rodriguez soon. Bakit? Sus magpaka-intregera din kayo paminsan-minsan!

presenting... MA the songwriter!!!

Remember MA (em-ey), one of my dear friends from my Magnus stint?  I mentioned in my march 16th posting (see One Lovely Reunion under label of friends and more) that this charming Coca-Cola Phils lady exec is also a talented songwriter who's just starting to explore her God-given talent.  

I had the honor of hearing her first composition (2nd vid below) in her car's cd player on our way to our small reunion in Greenbelt.  That song was her entry to the songwriting contest by Regine's Diva show in GMA 7.  Though it didn't win, it still won my heart coz it was one beautiful love song. 

It took a while before it happened but here she is, sharing that song with  friends plus another ballad which is equally heartfelt .  In turn, let me share them with you too so you can claim you've heard it first in DS before it exploded huge in the airwaves. Contemporary love songs that'll sure make it big anytime soon.  Nice work MA!  I'm mighty proud of you!

apdeyt-apdeyt!!!

Last Wednesday I had no choice but to comply with the latest requirement from the bank where I do the transfers of my hard-earned money to the Philippines. The bank is now implementing a new procedure where they will ask for more explicit information about your work in the Kingdom as well as your details back in whatever country you’re sending your money to. Hindi ka pwedeng mag-transact hangga’t hindi ka magpapa-update nong info mo.

Actually second attempt ko na yon. The first time I went there a couple of days before, noon ko lang nalaman yong update-update na yon. But because I wasn’t pressed to send money that time, inurungan ko yong mahabang pila. Nakita ko kasi kung gaano kabagal yong proseso.

But after receiving SOS messages from a couple of my self-imposed responsibilities back home, kailangan ko na talagang magpadala ng pera.  Kaya napilitan akong bumalik nong Wednesday. Buti na lang maaga akong nagpunta, wala pang 10 yong nauna sa akin sa pila. Despite that, inabot pa rin ako ng more than one hour doon pa lang sa updating part.

Mainly because si kabayang bank officer na gumagawa nong update is frustratingly slow. Sa dami ng details na ipapasok nya sa account mo like your current salary, company address, home address and phone number in Phils etc, gusto ko nang agawin yong keyboard para mapabilis yong pagta-type. Aside from that, dalawang beses sya tatayo per client kaya aabutin ka talaga ng indulto.

Una, lalabas sya ng office nya dala ang Iqama mo (residence permit) to ask one of the arabic staff outside to read/interpret your sponsor’s name and your position (which is actually the position stated in your visa when you entered Saudi Arabia).

After that, babalik sya para i-type yong info na nakuha nya. And he’s one of the slowest typist I’ve ever seen dahil parang hinahanap bawat letter na pipindutin (parang hindi normal for an office staff, much more a bank employee yong bagal nya sa keyboard! O baka dahil medyo maedad na si kabayan). Nakakatawa pa coz he mumbles as he was typing, parang kinakausap yong monitor. Kaya may tinatanong na pala sa akin, hindi ako sumasagot dahil akala ko yong monitor pa rin nya ang kausap. Hahahaa!

After entering the details, ire-review nya yong buong 4 or 5 pages yata ng data sheet. Saka nya ipi-print. And then he'll get up from his chair again to fetch the printed document coz the printer is located somewhere outside his office! Nak nangggg!!!! Anyways, natapos din kahit paano.

Ang paliwanag ng mga kabayan natin sa bangko, requirement daw ito ng Saudi government. Hindi na raw pwede yong mga information na nakalagay na dati sa database nila dahil kulang-kulang. Kaya ngayon, kino-kopya talaga lahat ng details na nasa residence permit unlike before na kung ano-ano lang ang information na ibigay mo pwede na.

I understood it better when I was watching the news that night. Talaga palang hindi lang yong bangko na yon, in fact, hindi lang banks in KSA ang nagi-implement nito. Worldwide requirement na pala ito coz even in Europe, they will be implementing in August. Ang pagkakaintindi ko sa report, banks are obliged to supply data to the US government whenever requested to.  Epekto yata ito nong anti-terrorism campaign. They wanted better traceability of bank transactions dahil sa mga dubious bank transfers daw kaya nakakalusot ang funding para sa mga terrorist groups.

That is why this updated information will be visible to authorities should they decide to scrutinize your transactions for whatever reason they deem necessary.  It looks like banking giants in Geneva, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg and other countries known for it's bank secrecy policies will soon be saying goodbye to their reputation.

Kaya pala sabi ulit ni kabayan sa bangko, one effect of this updated info is the powers given to the police to investigate anomalous bank transactions. And by anomalous they mean transactions para sa mga questionable beneficiaries as well as those involving unusually large amount of money. Ah well, I'm sure hindi ako kasama don dahil wala akong questionable beneficiaries aside from the 14 names listed under my account na napag-diskitahan ni kabayan kaya pinagde-delete yong mga inactive na beneficiaries.  And yes, kakapiranggot naman ang padala ko kaya siguradong hindi naman ako pag-aaksayahan ng panahon ng kung sino.

To view Euronews’ report, click here…. http://www.euronews.net/2010/07/08/eu-s-new-bank-data-sharing-deal-with-us/

vapiano... non troppo buona!

I should have read Keith’s (see Leap of Faith blog) review carefully and remembered it well. Basta na lang kasi tiningnan ang pictures at na-impress eh talaga namang maganda ang pics coz the author is a superb photog himself. Kaya last Thursday nong nasa Ikea kami and decided to have dinner, sabi ko sa grupo, i-try na lang namin yong Vapiano kasi nabasa ko nga sa LOF.

While waiting for our food, Raoul mentioned na hindi nga raw maganda ang review ni Keith don sa place. And that’s the time I remembered that it wasn’t Vapiano Keith was praising, it was Bona Banana! Eh nandon na kami nakaupo at naka-order so just for the heck of it, sige na stay na lang.

Hindi nga maganda yong ginawa nilang self-ordering scheme (na sabi ko nga kay Keith reminded me of Streetlife in Glorietta). Considering na 6 pa lang kami sa group, hirap na akong i-memorize yong individual orders nila. Hindi naman pwedeng patayuin ko si Tserman at sya ang pa-orderin ko, hindi ako magaling na host pag ganon. Asar naman kung hahanap ako ng paper and pen, aba hindi ko naman pinangarap mag-order taker, gusto ko kumain lang.

So, relying on my memory with a little prayer that it’s still as sharp as it was, I went to the counters where you have to order the pasta, pizza, salad and beverages separately. At least I remembered much of them but in the end, my memory failed me. 1 gig na lang yata ang capacity kaya yong iba nakalimutan agad. Darn! I have to ask Ega to check back on the other two kung ano yong order nilang drinks!

After a while, the food came and I eagerly dove into each and every plate of them. I wanted to placate my growing impatience dahil sa nakakalitong pag-order, sa maingay na crowd (pero mas maingay yata kami! Hehehe) and the place na hindi rin conducive to a fine dining mood coz being in a mall, the ambience was a bit street-like with waiters and customers running back and forth. Kaya nadidismaya na ako and I was hoping the food will salvage my mood.

Kaso, I didn’t find anything that would merit my usual ‘hmmm sarap’ seal of approval. Pwede na yong Carbonara, pwede na rin yong Canillone, pwede na rin yong seafood pesco and the other two dishes na nakalimutan ko na (this time 0.8 gig na lang ang memory! Hahaha). Eh nothing impressive nga kaya nakalimutan ko na. Tapos eto ang coke ni Ega na hindi man lang inalis sa bote, nilagyan lang ng straw. Pati ang apple juice ni Ricky at John, served in bottle din. Minahalan na ang presyo, nilagyan pa ng service charge pero parang bumili ka lang sa bakalah ni Khaldi!

One thing I like about the place is the honesty of the staff na mga kabayan natin. The guy who explained the card system went to the lengths of giving us tip on their bestsellers. Which saved us from ordering a plate of something I would’ve probably given them a thumbs down. Pati yong sa beverage section, sinabi talagang hindi masarap yong death by chocolate nila. Which made me change my mind and ordered just 2 instead of the initial 4 servings I asked for. Tama si kabayan, talaga ngang nakaka-sisi yong cake. Kung sa Bennigans sa Glorietta eh talagang you will ‘die’ because of the heavenly piece of chocolate cake, dito, mamamatay ka sa inis at sa tigas! Parang swelas ng sapatos na pinatungan ng chocolate syrup na ewan!

So what’s my rating for Vapiano? Not so good. Not counting the slight commotion that happened as we are about to leave the place (it’s something that I won’t hold against the resto itself but against an arrogant old man who saw what it’s like when Tserman lost his cool!) but I already said Vapiano is another place I’d never visit again. At sa mga regular sa DS, alam nyong may kasunod yong linyang yon. Unless may mang-libre sa akin para bumalik don! Heheheh.

Place : 3

Food : 3

Service : 4

Price : 3

Total: 13