Leng's e-Scrapnotes

And Then There Were Two Birthdays

2009-06-26T11:00:00.012+08:00

What if you found out you were celebrating the wrong birthday? I did. Or maybe I did not.

My whole life up to about age 16 I had a June 26 birthday. Before entering college, I was required to submit an official copy of my birth certificate and to my surprise, it said June 27. I asked Nanay about it and she insisted I was born on the 26th, she couldn't explain why a different birth date is written on the certificate. Strange, isn't it? I was offered possible explanations by many people, but how can I dispute my mother's facts?

Since then, I'd get confused whether to say I was born on the 26th or the 27th of June. Other times I say I have two birthdays. At least I can choose which day to celebrate, I can even celebrate on both days. yipee!

Blast from the Past: former UP Thai Canteen rediscovered

2009-05-22T15:19:00.010+08:00

I never thought I'd taste the best Tom Yum again. Ever.

In my books, it was the former UP Thai Canteen that served the best Tom Yum and mixed seafood toppings. Back when I was in UP, Ches and I would occassionally take trips to that little canteen located in Balara to enjoy Mommy Thai's recipes. Last we heard, she moved to another location and since then, we've been looking for her around Katipunan not knowing that she reopened in Ortigas. And that her new place is called Khao Pad. When I learned about this, I said I had to be there. And fast.

I was very excited on the idea of smelling and tasting Mommy's Tom Yum again. We found her new canteen... er, restaurant, easily as soon as we reached Ortigas Home Depot along Julia Vargas. We found Mommy in the kitchen area, smiling very brightly at us (maybe she was amused because our excitement definitely showed). We ordered and proceeded to the dining area upstairs. And waited. It was the longest Tom Yum wait of my life.

Then the dishes came. There it was, the old familiar smell of Mommy's masterpiece: hot, smoking Tom Yum Soup. The spicy hot soup I craved for so long. It was as if I was back in Balara, ten years ago. Simply delicious... and orgasmic.

I am definitely going back. And I hope Mommy's old loyal patrons find her again in her new home.

Khao Pad (Formerly UP Thai Canteen)

Ortigas Home Depot, Julia Vargas Ave.

Tel. No. 7063528

Enzo is a genius

2009-03-31T10:39:00.018+08:00

Okay, so maybe not. In fact, I think that every parent believes that her child is a genius and I sometimes find this weird.

I remember catching a segment on a morning show a couple of weeks ago about child-giftedness. The host and a guest-expert briefly discussed this topic and enumerated "signs" that a child is gifted. Most, if not all, of the signs mentioned indicate that my little boy may be gifted. I must admit, I get surprised everytime I discover that he can do certain things I normally wouldn't think he could. Barely three years old, who would have guessed that he can google, and choose which to click among the search results, all by himself? Maybe that's because for him, playtime means puzzles and writing and building blocks. I would rather not run down a list of the things he can do because it might be boring. And, I don't want to sound like I'm justifying that he could indeed be gifted just because relatives say he is. On the contrary, I'm trying to force myself out of that mindset.

At this time of Enzo's childhood, I honestly would like to think he is simply talented and enthusiastic to learn. He could really be brainy just like his dad, Ches. But I'd like to concentrate first and foremost on him being a child, not a genius or a gifted kid.

Four Things Why Losing Weight Sucks

2009-03-20T10:32:00.039+08:00

Losing weight isn't all good.

Indeed, weight loss translates to more than just benefiting the health. In my case, I am happier after shedding 18 lbs off my weight, especially when I see myself on the mirror. Who wouldn't be? But I don't wanna go on blabbing about the wonders of dieting, the web is full of these.

As the title suggests, I am listing four of the things why losing weight sucks:

1. Restaurant buffets no more.
Ches and I love eating. We usually celebrate occasions with food tripping, from cheap meriendas to pricey hotel buffets. Every peso we spent on eat-all-you-can meals were worth it. However, since we started eating less, the size of our tummies seemed to adapt to the amount of food we eat. Lesser food led to smaller tummies and smaller tummies mean lesser space for food. Ugh. Sayang ang bayad sa buffet. :P

2. Wardrobe overhaul.
I thought it would be exciting to fit in my clothes better once I lose inches off my waist and arms. True enough, I started getting compliments four weeks into my diet. By eight weeks, I was struggling to make sure my pants don't fall off. Heck, I even use safety pins to keep my pants in place. Right now, there is no single pair of pants in my closet that does not require pins to be worn. Clothes-shopping emergency! Grr. Gastos na naman!

3. Smaller bumps and booty.
I'm not blessed with big bumpers and booty. Needless to say, they got smaller when I slimmed down. Even if I had big ones, of course they'd still get smaller haha! Too bad they're emphasized because of my now-loose clothes. Geez. I really need a new wardrobe.

4. Keeping it off.
Losing weight was difficult but keeping it off is worse. Calorie-counting, salt and fat content checking, nutritional information vigilance... these are all time-consuming. Doing the maths make me dizzy. And, regular exercise! It takes some real effort to make sure the muscles get enough exercise. I must admit, I am sometimes too lazy to even think about it.

Losing weight is hard and really sucks but I'm not complaining. The advantages always outweigh the disadvantages.

Fifteen pounds to go.

The Transformation of a Loser

2009-03-05T21:05:00.015+08:00

My husband spent about half a year planning to lose weight. He has put off this plan for the tenth (or maybe fifteenth?) time, since both of us love eating. It looked difficult, if not impossible, to pursue this plan because I love to cook for him, too. The perfect timing came when a Globe colleague initiated "The Biggest Loser" competition among his office peers right after the Christmas season.

The competition (of which I made the rules myself) lasted for eight weeks, with no particular diet plan required for each "competitor" to follow. Participants also had the option to undergo liposuction if they had enough money to burn =). Each participant was required to pay a couple of hundred bucks to join, and the money from the joining fees is to be awarded to "The Biggest Loser". I heard that the total pot money amounted to nine thousand. Isn't that cool?! Pogi/maganda ka na, mayaman ka pa! It's a win-win contest.

It was a great struggle, especially for the first couple of weeks. I had to join him in his weight loss program to get him more motivated. Of course he needed a karamay. (Okay, i know i need to lose weight too!). After eight weeks of hard work, he's lost more than 15 lbs and 6 inches off his waist:

Big difference, eh? =) He looks a lot younger now. His "Before" photo shows a guy who looks like a loser. The "After" photo, also a loser. I like the latter better.

when Curacha strikes

2009-02-23T17:01:00.029+08:00

My sister, Neng a.k.a. Flor, is an incredible lady. I refer to her as Curacha, ang Babaeng Walang Pahinga (Curacha, A Woman Without Rest).

Why Curacha? No, I am not comparing her to a crab nor a sex worker (played by Rosanna Roces in the movie of the same title). I call her Curacha because she hardly ever rests from work on weekends as an HR Director of R2 Holdings. She is also the unofficial Operations Manager of the company-owned Vivere Salon with branches all over the metro, and soon, as far as San Pedro in Laguna. Maybe in the future, Vivere will go internatonal and so will she. Who knows?

Yes, she is as hardworking as hell. It's a wonder she works 16 hours a day (without overtime pay), still look fresh in the morning, AND have time for family, friends and most especially her little pumpkin Nikki. There are things, though, that she needs to sacrifice like her MBA classes, which she put on hold a few semesters ago. I am sure she'd be able to complete her MBA in the future, once her schedule gets better. For now, she is planning to take driving lessons. Let's see what a 16-hour work day can do.

I know that anything is possible when Curacha strikes! =)

Yogurt Treat at Cold Spoon, Angeles City

2009-02-22T21:30:00.014+08:00

Being a yogurt fan, i have been wanting to try Cold Spoon restaurant along Friendship Highway in Angeles City.

Today, I did and I was pleasantly surprised! They serve really good stuff. The plain yogurt has just the right creaminess and tang. For 'a la carte' and 'on the dish', there are several toppings to choose from, which include different types of syrup, cookies, and fruits. Aside from these, 'Lassi', or Yogurt Smoothie, is also available.

When you're on the go, you may opt to drive thru and enjoy Cold Spoon frozen yogurt on the road.

Cold Spoon is definitely two thumbs up!