Wednesday, May 20

Summer House

You know what? The weather is really the favorite topic in any conversation. I think it's the ultimate ice breaker. As for me, from the time that we have arrived and summer has really kicked in, I think I have blogged about it for four times (whaaat?!).
I just had a thought awhile ago (in the shower) if the weather was also one of the reasons why Americans have summer homes. Was it to beat the cold weather from where they were based? I have noticed in some American movies that I have seen, they have two houses - they have their own house and then they have the "summer" house where all the summer activities take place. Initially I thought that it seems to be a waste of money having two houses aside from the kitchen gadgets and furniture that you had to buy to make both houses 'homey'.

However, now that we are experiencing this much of heat (today, the heat index might reach up to 40 degrees C according to TV Patrol, ABS-CBN), I am really thinking hard if we should get a house as a summer escape from this terrible heat that we are experiencing.

Yes, people do go to the beach or stay in Baguio for a few days but that's it - the perks of being a working individual. I guess the idea of staying somewhere for a month or two is really just for people who owns their time - entrepreneurs, work-from-home individuals or OFWs (these are the only group of people that I can think of right now).

If you dream with me, I have seen a few summer homes on the internet (thanks to Google!).

photo grabbed from elysium.in of Elysium Properties 
I like this summer house. It's near the lake wherein you can take a quick dip if the weather gets really hot and then explore your surroundings or just be one with nature.

photo grabbed from realadventures.com
I like that this house is surrounded by a lot of greenery (something that we lack here in Mandaluyong and to be honest all over Metro Manila). It can be a bit smaller since it's just a summer house. Usually with these houses, it is better off to not equip it with wifi or cable. Yes, of course a television is still necessary but if you can get local channels only, I think that should be fine (as long as you can get the news). If I live here, I would want to get another cooker because I have a feeling that I can bake and make excellent dishes (yes, I think I can do so especially if I am  not feeling all sweaty :/)

I have to stop or else, I might convince R that we need a summer house. I just had another thought... Maybe instead of creating a home in the city, we can do that in the suburbs and then invest on a condo unit in Manila? Hmm... very tricky but far from happening.

Oh well, I just need to endure the heat for now because rainy days are coming very, very soon (I really hope it's sooner!).

Tuesday, May 19

Rib Rubbin' Good at Rub Makati

My friends can attest to the fact that my family loves to eat. We are always on the hunt for the next best thing or the latest food restaurant to open. Okay, we are not literally going there when they open. We actually try to give them time. Read reviews from sites like Zomato, Booky or also based on our friend's recommendations.
I am still trying to learn the ropes on how you'll know where the people go for food so I kind of rely on my sissy to lead where we should go especially when I have the whole family with me. First, my dad is a big eater. He loves his rice and will not hesitate to have more than two cups depending on the main dish that was delivered to our table. Also, we go for the size of portions.

R and I were accustomed to the portions in Dubai that when they say it's for sharing - they meant it. Here in the Philippines, it's not the case. When they say for sharing, it actually means two girls with size 26 as their waistline.

The sister said that there seems to be a lot of buzz for Rub, a restaurant at Poblacion Makati that she said we should try. You see the main purpose of the get together was also a despidida for my mom when she left for Canada.

As told, I immediately searched Zomato and checked what their usual commenters said about the resto and at the same time, I checked the prices.

It seems to fit the bill so off we went.

BBQ Ribs Super Duo 

Grilled Fish (was a bit soggy) 

Unsure if this is their chicken buffalo wings or chicken tenders 

For a group of four, this was actually enough. We also ordered a few sides. 

The ribs were great. We initially thought that it was just half a slab so imagine our surprise when there was another slab hidden! Hahaha! We don't have anything but good words for the ribs. It was tender and juicy. 

The grilled fish would have been good too I think but it was soggy. We think it is because of the lemon butter sauce. It would have been better if it was just put to the side or maybe brushed to the fish. Of course, that is just a suggestion. 

The chicken was good too but I prefer a different dip. Maybe they can offer other dips to complement with the chicken. 

Overall, it was worth the price and the wait (yep, there was a bit of waiting however it moved fast probably because people were already seated and having their food when we came). 

I guess on hours where there are not a lot of people, it would be nice to just chill there. I wanted to catch my breath from all the eating that we did however looking at the line of people outside, you will feel guilty if you do. 

I might ask R to come back next time when they are off-peak. I wonder when will that be? Maybe we can try their branch here at Pasig. 

**This review was made by the blogger alone and not with any sponsorship from the store.  

Saturday, May 16

What's in your News Feed?

Whenever someone will ask me about this, I feel funny. Well, first being a Journalism graduate, I have this idea that I need to always have a newspaper in hand. Be the one to report about the news and so on.
But I am not.

I think it's safe to say that my dad reads more of the hardcopy version than I do.

I don't read the newspaper but I am super engrossed in getting short tweets via Twitter, news alerts via Facebook (yes, I know they are kind of reliable for me) and compressed news feeds via email.

When I was in Dubai, I subscribed to Arabianbusiness.com, would surf the major dailies like GulfNews and The National. This is to keep me informed of what is happening in the country and if there are any upcoming events that I may want to visit or try. Their news is different from how we handle reporting here in the Philippines. They do not disclose the names of the people involved in a crime scene even if convicted or arrested. They will mask it and identify the person via his initials. Fortunately or unfortunately, you will know about that person if you are associated with him or her.

However, I can say that from over time, some dailies have changed the way they report the news. The only thing is, there is really not a lot of juicy stuff to report about. I guess the crime rate there is contained and there's not a lot of natural disasters that take place (not that we want that to happen).

Now that we are back here in the Philippines, I am currently subscribed to Philippine Star and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The thing with our news companies is that they report news by the minute or by the hour because true enough a lot of events do happen in this country of ours. May it be big or small, every information counts because we Filipinos are emphatic and some do like the drama (you have to admit).

Though when I get too tired about the ever-fluctuating crime rate, I resort to reading the Opinion section of these news feeds or their Lifestyle section but still online.

I don't know if it's because it's easier to maneuver through our gadgets.

What about you? What do you prefer as a medium?


Thursday, May 14

Being Married

I know it is already pretty obvious that I am married :) to the most patient, understanding and supportive husband in the world.

We got married and stayed out of the Philippines as we decided to settle in Dubai whilst we have commitments and debts to pay.

While I was cooking dinner, I realized that I already have.... 

That was the start of this draft when I wrote it September 2013. Two years have passed and I guess when you reach a certain age, you forget what the next line will be (Yeap! That's what happened to me right now).

I did try adding something to the sentence but I just cannot remember so maybe the best way is to start fresh but still use the same blog title - Being Married.

R and I have been married for seven years now going to our eighth this year. Like what all married couples would say, being married and staying married is difficult if you do not have the respect and love for one another. I am not going to delve into the details but our road to marriage was not your normal "love story".



Yes, boy and girl felt an attraction, decided to act on that feeling, realized that they love one another and then get married. The general concept is the same but ours had a lot of twists and turns. The road was bumpy but I think where we are now in our relationship is because of those bumps. Those hiccups made us stronger and stand for one another.

I like the fact that we now consider each other a friend. I know they say that you should be friends first before you become lovers? For us, we went from being lovers and then have that friendship. We may not be the best of friends but I know that I can count on him and vice versa.

Of course, there would still be days when you are frenemies (hahaha) but that is because of your individuality and I like that (Yes, I am weird). Why? Because it shows that we are still two different people with different tastes and ideals. I think you need that in your relationship to avoid being monotonous.

This is all just me and my opinion (to each his own, ika nga).

I love being married and I am so glad that it is R that I married. Even with the hurdles, I know we are a perfect fit.

Being the man that he is, he might contest what I have just written. Fortunately, he does not like reading my mushy blog because he prefers I say it or 'show' it :) 

1 Peter 4:8 
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 

Friday, May 8

Another role added: Mother Doggie/ Dog Breeder Wannabe

I might have hinted already or you might have seen it in my posts (like the previous blog post) that we have puppies in the house. Actually, I bought Sugar (our lovable shih tzu) back in 2009. I think she was about four months old then. I did not have any intention to buy here then but the look on her face captured my heart (oh yes and I thought boys can only do that to you).

Sugar dressed for her pups' check-up
Since we were OFWs, my mom presented herself to be Sugar's caretaker until we decide it's time to settle back here in the Philippines. Every year or every chance I get to go home for vacation, I will always make sure that I will visit Sugar (well I have to since she lives with my mom, right?!).

Last February, my mom got her Canadian tourist visa to visit my brother and his family. To make the long story short, Sugar is now with us... only thing, she was also pregnant (background: since we were thinking of different ways and means to earn, we thought of getting Sugar pregnant and try out our hand in dog breeding).

I have to salute dog breeders out there who are totally hands-on because it is really difficult. R and I had to make a few sacrifices like losing sleep, waking up in the middle of the night (a lot of times) and more. I feel so overwhelmed with how R handled taking care of these puppies. Of course, he would complain from time to time but he adores them a lot (and actually has a favorite between the two pups).

Spice and Herb - 1 day old 

I also have some good and bad days with them but seeing them being their cheerful self is worth my time. To be honest, a day passes by without me noticing that it's already the afternoon especially if we are playing with them. I felt really proud of them especially during those days when they were trying to walk around their cage and then the house (now, we find it hard to locate where they are though most of the time, they are underneath the sofa... always).

These puppies are like our babies for now until the real one comes along. Initially, we thought of selling these puppies but right now, we have decided to keep them. Who would have thought that you can really get attached with them? These cuties makes us really excited to come down the stairs because we know they will be at the end, waiting for us.

Wednesday, May 6

Writing Seminars and Literary Festivals

You may or may not be aware but I'm a Journalism graduate from the Royal Pontifical University however I was only able to make use of the techniques and methods for only 7 to 8 months of 2003.

The reason? 
Well, it was to be with the love of my life (I have told the story countless times and I even won a Valentine's day contest for this story but I just never get tired of it). Back then, Dubai was not really open for other nationals to penetrate the Arab world of journalism. After a few years, more and more British nationals opened up magazines to suit the locals and the expats desire of being informed about the latest gadget, fashion and food available within the country but most importantly, outside of the UAE.

Though I have witnessed how the country opened its doors for expats to be part of their TV shows or newspapers, I was not able to give it a try. I guess it was more of me wanting to look after my parents than chase my dream (the love chasing was enough). However, I still try to make sure that I keep my writing skills in practice by maintaining a blog. I had a few blogs then... I was not really sure why I thought of having a lot that in the end, I abandoned them all.

Aside from blogging, I have also tried doing some online work which were successful only problem is my 'actual' work got a bit loaded that I had to let my writing take a backseat (again!).

Now that I am free to chase my lifelong dream - that is to write and hopefully become a novelist, I thought of attending writing seminars here in the Philippines.

When I was in Dubai, I got exposed to the literary festival there. The group would invite different writers in different fields or genre to talk about how to write well, how they come up with these brilliant masterpieces and so much more.

I am hoping to see this in the Philippines too though I think National Bookstore has already started the first ever Philippine Literary Festival last year because there was a talk conducted by Inquirer's Pam Pastor . Unfortunately, I was not able to get a lot of details about it (It could be because we were still trying to move things around the house).

Aside from that, I would want to still attend writing seminars and reading this entry from about.com as to why trainings or seminars are good for online writers (ahem, yes I kind of consider myself to be one).

I need this and I hope to find one that is not too pricey or if it is, it should be worth it for the price.

So, while I wait for that, I will just check bookstores like National or Powerbooks and possibly some online references too. I hope someone gets to read my blog and let me know of any upcoming events :)

image courtesy of wikipedia.org 


Saturday, May 2

Summer Heat

For the past few days, the heat has cranked up a notch and the temperature rises day after day (and at times hour after hour)! Since we have the puppies to look after, R and I cannot just go out and spend our day in the mall (yes, we have grown soooo attached with these cuties) even if we really wanted to so that we can have a taste of the "free aircon" the malls are providing.

Our doggies namely Herb, Spice and their mom, Sugar

I am pretty sure you are also having a hard time dealing with the heat and is actually itching to switch the aircon and worry about the electric bill later (I pray Meralco will not have another increase).

In order to beat the heat, here are some handy tips on how we have handled the heat:- 

Fans for air circulation.
We have two fans open here in the living /dining area. This is so that the air in this part of the room will circulate.

Low lighting
Since the sun is out most of the time, the house do have some natural light coming in. Fortunately for us, a slice of the light comes in but not enough to add more heat inside (one of the perks of being in the middle of two houses). Also, R says it's a good idea to use low lights so that the glare of the lights will not contribute to the heat that we are feeling. 

Drink lots of water 
We have also been consuming tons and tons of ice cold water all throughout the day. This is important to keep you hydrated. It does not necessarily have to be cold but you know enough to keep the fluids from circulating.

Another tip that I may add is to take a quick shower.This will definitely freshen you up and make the rest afternoon bearable.

Hope this tips will help you out one way or another.

Though if you have friends who have vacation homes in cooler places like Tagaytay or Silang, Cavite, now is the time to think of organizing a mini-get together :)