The One with the Thai Food

I have been mentioning that I have a love affair with food. Food never rejects you, doesn't call you fat or doesn't ever think you're undeserving of any love or comfort. Furthermore, food never judges you. So here's a fabulous treat for me as a foodie. 

My first serving of Thai food (ever) was at Som's Noodle House. It used to be a hole in the wall, literally. It was a virtual unknown until people started flocking to it by the multitudes to sample its authentic and delicious choices for food. Check out Jane Chua's review of the place in 2008. 

But now, it's turned into something light and airy with the fresh aroma of Thai spices filling the air. It's almost amazing how the food is cooked and delivered right to your table and how spectacularly it could assail your senses. 

Obviously, I was with my favorite foodies (no love affairs with food, cos food and I have a monogamous relationship...) Jessie and Candy were actually the first ones to take me here and made me appreciate the delicious curiosity of Thai cuisine. We started with the usual, some fried food to balance the crunch and the taste of what was to come next. It's some shrimp cakes and it was fried to perfection. 

We had to start with some appetizers, obviously. Check out the shrimp cakes. It's actually a viand on its own! 

My favorite food enthusiasts. Candy with some fried rice. 

No Thai food adventure would be complete with the sought-after Tom Yum. It's an experience having a bowl of this. It's tart and sweet with a slight tinge of heat and some well-married flavors like shrimp and basil. I couldn't imagine it being compared to the Filipino Sinigang, but it's a close second. 

Tom Yum soup with shrimp, basil, a little lemongrass and a lot of other ingredients I can't quite decipher. It's a good reason to try Thai food.

It's actually a good soup to try with an entire meal. 

We wanted to try something common and yet something with a Thai twist. It's a perfect combo of their Chicken Fried Rice (amazingly cooked with a lot of green spring onions, real huge chicken pieces with some curry and cumin action) and their Green Beef Curry (loaded with beef strips and rich, thick and creamy green curry sauce). 

See the huge lump of tomato there? That's just blanched to perfection! Along with the huge strips of chicken in this dish, you won't want to order a viand! 

That's Green Curry - sauce is rich, thick, creamy and super amazingly good. I could eat it for days! It's got baby eggplants sliced thinly, some red and green bell pepper and some coriander. It's just an amazing treat! 

All of this was capped off with their delicious iced milk tea. Make sure to ask for it.

If you're in the Alger St or Rockwell vicinity, check out Som's Noodle House. They don't have a website just yet but they do have a number if you ever need directions. 

Jane Chua is a blogger and enjoys fashion, food and fun. Check her out in her fashion and fun moments Between Bites. 

Candy herself is a blogger and a food enthusiast but she loves learning more. Check it out as she Defines life, love and other things. 

The One with the Hiatus

Sometimes, when you share a lot of your life online, you tend to forget what that life is about. For someone as private as I am, sometimes, it's hard to find things that you can share.

In this digital age, you kind of need a few days to think through what you want to accomplish. Because there is so much happening in the world, you tend to think of the future casually and documentation becomes only a second priority in your life.

There's a stop sign somewhere when you need to breathe. 

That's what I realized while I was on blogging hiatus. I didn't really quite force myself. I did get busy for the last week, running errands, doing things that I wanted without thinking of how I am going to tell that story to people.

I was on sick leave last night too. I have been doing too much too soon and I just didn't realize how it would affect my daily cognitive functions - functions I value a lot in my work.

So yes, sometimes, believe it or not, it's okay to hit the stop button once in a while. Maybe when you hit start again, things will go faster, smoother and way, way more interesting.

Booting up in a couple of mins... System downloading... 

No photographers were harmed intellectually during the making of this post. All pictures were obtained legally and safely via Stock Xchng. 

The One with the Sunday Trip

I love weekends, because as my bucket list says, I love reconnecting with people. This Sunday, I got to reconnect with me! For some reason, I just realized that I haven't really gone to other places. I'm so used to going to the mall I love hanging out in, we have an SM next to us which I frequent for groceries, toiletries and yes, even clothes.

So when the opportunity to go to Marriot was presented to me, I had to grab it by its horns. Chloe was kind enough to be my host for the amazing experience I was about to embark on.

First shot of the plaza. Amazing autumn tree with Chinese lanterns. 

Chinese lanterns adorn the facade, to celebrate Chinese New Year. 

Took a picture of the people right below me as well. 

Beautiful square next to the Casino. 

My trip, as usual is peppered by a nice dinner with Moussaka and some Chicken Gyro and pita bread. I can't get enough of the drinks though. I had a drink after weeks of preventing myself from doing so. I love, love, love Mojitos and I can prolly a drink a gallon of it. Along with the drinks came a show.

At first it was POSH, an all girl group that was scantily-clad (think Japanese schoolgirl costumes with butt cheeks showing and all and for their second costume change, they had on some glittering brassieres and silver stretchy pants... it's enough to make me want to crawl back into my oversized black poncho) but singing 70's and 80's songs. It's funny cos at a certain point, they went down to the audience part and passed the mic around. Renz, one of the girls sat beside me and made me sing "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".

Then came Prince of Persia, where there were, of course, scantily-clad women dancing a belly up routine which made me think that I should prolly take up belly dancing cos it looks so darned sexy! They also danced the cancan, which made me think that it had nothing to do with Persia. Another portion of the dance was a Latino Flamenco type of dance that I enjoyed so much.

As we were heading home, Chloe said that it was the perfect revenge, being happy without the guy that tore my heart apart and I looked at her. For a moment, I had to really dig through my mind... And truthfully, without any hesitation, I told her that I forgot about him. I think honestly, I've learned to let go and I'm moving on. It was a Sunday trip I won't forget. I may have lost something along the way, the man I was supposed to marry... but I gained something else - friends, family, my life.

Me and Chloe, hanging out at Cafe Med... Happy after Moussaka and Chicken Gyros. 

Watch out world... I'm back! 

All pictures from this post were taken with a Sony DSC Series camera. 

The One with the January Bucket List

The Bucket List was such a moving story for me that I decided to review it years ago! I loved the concept, I credited Jack Nicholson for the beautiful, softer side he showed during the eulogy scene for the death of Morgan Freeman's character. It made me cry, laugh and finally sigh.

The bucket list is a collection of things that you want to do before you die. Every month, I promised to post little things that I wanted to do if I were to die this month. For some reason, I'd rather post about my bucket list towards the middle of the month. I really have the tendency not to tell people what I want to do until I'm sure I want to do it. So here it goes.

Yup, sometimes, you have to believe that you're dying to live. 

Meg's January Bucket List 
1. Get to reconnect with people I haven't seen for a long time.
Status: Done. But January's not over. 
2. Read a good book. Haven't done so for ages!
Status: Uhm, when I get a free weekend off. 
3. Establish a good habit (as opposed to quitting a bad one).
Status: I have posted pics of it. But well, we'll have a month-ender review of the bucket list. 
4. Find an activity partner and go to places you haven't gone to before.
Status: Several activity partners whom I love spending time with! 
5. Learn something new everyday.
Status: Trying to witness the world with wide-eyed wonder (alliterating much?) 

If I was to believe that I'd die tomorrow, I would probably find more things to do. Looking at my life in hindsight, though, I can easily say that I lived my life with no regrets. Adventure doesn't quite thrill me though I would love to know what it feels like to jump off a cliff barely hanging it via a piece of rope. I want to center my life with great and amazing people that can see the good in the world.

It's a fancy, amazing thought to finish everything at a glance. It's just 5 things but some of them, I haven't even started just yet. I am ready to face the world thinking living. Bring it on!

No photographers were harmed during the making of this post. 
All pictures were obtained legally from Stock Xchnge. 

The One with the Undateable Meg

Disclaimer: 

This was written in the purpose of poking fun at what happened to me recently. I was hanging out with a "couple friend" and they were trying to pair a tall Information Technology guy with my petite Foreign Affairs Liaison girl friend while I was sitting right across the table - the plus-size Instructional Design goddess (and my mother agrees so I don't care what you think....lolz!). My mind was actually screaming the word propinquity but hey, why say it when I can just blog about it? 

I was hanging out at a coffee shop the other day with a few friends. Two of them, a married couple and one single chick. We were a fearsome foursome as one by one, law students from a nearby grad school started leaving our area. I think they were bothered by how loud and despicable our conversation was getting. 

Fact 1: Couples love to hook people up. 

Wife: Oh I think my friend Mel would love to go out with Harry. She's been pretty bummed about being single.
Husband: They're perfect together, Mel has cats and Harry has a one-man armpit band! *snickers* 

You're not an established couple until you have done the following: 

1. Fought over dishes. 

2. Scrubbed a kitchen or bathroom floor cos you're just plain disgusted - and it's not done out of love 

3. Hooked up his old high school/college/pro-football buddy with her old high school/college/tap dance classmate at the Y (or vice versa, but yikes, wifey played pro-football?!)

4. Decided on which way you're going to raise your kids (disciplinarian dad and maternal mum VS doting dad and meticulous mom) 

5. Established what religion you will follow

So, number 3 is always - ALWAYS - something that happens. I'm pretty happy I have tons of married and non-single friends cos they really tend to hook you up. Sometimes with the weirdest, wildest and most unthinkable matches, down to the macabre, scary and disturbing ones. Yes, I was once paired with someone who told me that if you stab someone's liver, the guy would die if 15 minutes lapses OR black blood comes out, whichever comes first. Yeah, my reaction was... "Uhm, you like livers pala <read: apparently>?!" The guy never called me back. 

So lo and behold, when they were talking about a guy, let's call him Mr. I (as in I think I may have missed my chance with you, but hey, let's put it out there for the world to know Mr. I), I thought, oh well, perfect, I just need to meet said guy and I'll be either one boyfriend nearer to my goal of finding "the one" or I have meet Mr. I and he can teach me something about love and life and maybe we'll best friends. 

The couple wanted Mr. I to meet my other single friend. 

Normally, I would taken offense and said, well what about me says I'm undateable (if such a term exists)?

1. I'm not desperate - yeah I write a blog about being single but it doesn't mean I'm advertising myself for the world to see... (Hmn, if anyone's interested, please PM me your number.) But I got standards... (Must be male, at least 5'7 in height, with a pleasing personality) and morals (Must know how to explain filial piety) and smarts (Must know how to switch a computer on). 

2. I earn money, a little at a time, but I do! 

3. I am smart (Did you read the word propinquity up in the disclaimer? Yeah...I use it a lot, like ostensibly or something...) 

Fact 2: Couples will try to explain as a unit why they decided to not hook YOU up. 

There are a million reasons why you can be perfect for someone but there's only one reason why you can't be hooked up with someone... 

Wife: Yeesh, I told you she'd be touchy about it.
Husband: Yeah, yeah, yeah... I'm trying to come up with a way to get out of it...  Yeesh! 

And I never found it cos we had to go home. It was pretty late. Anti-climactic huh? Did I mention that I'm freaky smart? Like ostensibly? 

Ending disclaimer (ie: this is the real blog post):

I really don't mind being unable to date anyone at this point. There's a ton of things I want to do with the free time that I have. I want to write and express myself, I want to find my passion and I want to fuel me. I want something to drive me and I really want that to be me (Like ostensibly! Lolz... BTW, I know what ostensibly means after looking it up and reading it 3x). I just fear sometimes that even my friends think I'm undateable. 

Another Disclaimer: 

No photographers were harmed intellectually during the making of this blog post. 

All pictures legally came from Stock Xchnge. 

The One with the Boys

So along the lines of being single is also dealing with the constant (hmn...) barrage of men. Don't get me wrong, they're not at my doorstep, trying to get my attention. In fact, quite the contrary, I'm trying to get theirs. Hahaha!

When I first became VERY single in June, the thought of even trying to find someone to date was virtually impossible. I was very repulsed with the idea of even dating or going out with someone, but well, here I am now. I am coming up with my elusive and reclusive hot men of 2011...

Ladies, are you ready for this?

One of the guys I have been fantasizing about for ages is...

Dean Cain

Why yes, believe it or not, I have this terrible crush on Dean Cain. I never got over the "Lois and Clark" days. You can call him the B-movie guy, you can call him a washed-up actor but to me, just one look at those smoldering eyes and it's enough to make me melt. This man is smart... He attended Princeton and founded his own company called "Angry Dragon Entertainment" in 1998.

Another man I will not deny a crush on is this guy...

Zachary Levi makes me sooo... happy! 

Yes, you met him on "Less than Perfect", and now you know him as "Chuck". He's such a talented and fun and amazing actor that he ventured into singing.

Don't believe me? You'd have to be living in a cave to not know this song by now...

If your heart hasn't melted with a guy that can totally say he's into Jesus Christ, drives a Nissan GT-R for fun, can sing, has his own company and is smart enough to retain a character so loved and adored all over the world, then well... I have another one for you...

I'd marry him in a heartbeat! 

Swoon! Notice anything similar? Let me know cos I haven't figured it out yet.

The One with the Books

So I have been fantasizing about writing my own "Singledom Chronicles" for sometime now. I have a list of things I want to accomplish this 2011 and one of them is to pool all blog entries I have written and actually compile them for my 30th birthday. Don't get me wrong, I'll never get on Oprah's list, but I truly believe that if someone out there is willing to print a book with reptilian take-overs of the world and postulates that the Queen of England is actually a cold-blooded reptile, someone might want to print a sarcastic 30-something girl's takes on being single, food and friendship.

What to share today? My books. I went on a shopping spree for gifts. Talk about weird? I rarely had time to go to the mall back in December and I filed for my leaves way before the Christmas season started. I wanted to reconnect with my officemates this January by giving them little trinkets for the new year, and also, I wanted to tell my friends I appreciate them so much.

Got them bands. 

Love this one. 

 What did I get for myself? NO year is complete without my Belle du Jour Planner.

That's the current cover. Why I love BDJ? It's a nice companion, especially for long cab rides and more importantly, for times when you need to re-examine your goals and priorities. 

As you can see, it's filled out... I need more space. No one can understand the chicken scratch I use to write though, lolz. 

So what else am I planning to do this very single month of January? Well, a few things. One of them is to read the tons of books I was lent and books given to me.

Yeah, I'm not very good with books. They actually tear when I use them, but hey, that's a sign of a good book. You actually bring it with you. It's a story of this newly single chick that became the life of the party. Excellent story-telling.  

Borrowed this from Jessie who borrowed this from Candy. Liked it from the get-go. Seems like I'm gonna want some success for this year. 

Chloe's gift. Hmn... Have I become that pathetic? Hahaha. 

I also spruced up my room.

Why yes, I love patterns. 

I love mixed patterns. Lolz. 

I am also planning to increase my wardrobe collection this year cos I like colors!!! I realized that I don't have to settle for just blacks and whites and tons of blues and grays.

That's my closet. Hahaha, well, what seems like my closet. See the predominant color? Black. 

Improving now. I have pinks and blues and browns. 

And speaking of color...

Guess what's on my head... Lolz! 

Here's to a colorful January 2011! Woohoo!

The One with the 2011 Wish List

I promised myself that I'd come up with a "bucket list" every month.

If this was my last year to live, I'd want to say that I lived a fab, wonderful life.

So here are the things that would make me happier...for 2011...

1. My family to be healthier... Nothing can beat that! They're already healthy enough as is.

2. My friends to remain by my side no matter how difficult, different or disoriented I or they may be. (I totally hate losing friends). And for me to remain by their side no matter what.

Cos they make you laugh, smile, amused, bemused...
At Presidio, with Aileen and Yogi 

Cos they make work (no matter how awful and tiring) seem like a lot of fun!
With Belle and Jessie at Sentro. We actually have Candy with us, but she wanted her own solo shot, hahaha! 

Cos you wanna celebrate their birthdays with them, and you wanna celebrate yours with them too.
At Discovery Suites, with Aileen, Arnel, Michelle, Libby, Matt, Anne, Alvin and Yogi 

Cos random drinking sessions feel and look better with you dressed up as punks... Hahaha
At Icon, with Iris, Candy and Russell 

Cos every milestone counts.
At Medical City, visiting my godson, Xander for the first time, while mom Aileen and dad Arnel looks on. 

Cos you just know that some friendships last a lifetime.
At MOA with Cym, Irish, Mary and Chloe 

3. Higher pay!
Yeah, good luck with that...

4. Get a Jaguar - fine, fine a Sorento would do!

5. Set-up a small business.

6. Take my masters degree in Developmental Communication, or Pharmacology. It's a toss up. :)

7. Be healthier - less smokes, no more alcohol, fruits and veggies and more fish!

8. Be nicer to people.

9. Live large (Hahaha, not the size, but really live large, go Lasertagging, go to a Casino, have fun parties, go get coffee with old and new friends, attend Cosplay and have a kick-ass 30th birthday party!)

Number 10 is for me to know and hopefully, one person to find out. Hahaha... Singledom is fabulous! Watch out for my posts on Bucket Lists*. I'll add photos of when I get to do them all. ;)

*I promise to publish all bucket lists for the other months. This is gonna be...legendary! 

Have a wonderful start of the year, followers! :)

The One with The List Part 2

So what has the rest of the year been like? Awesome. :) Things I learned via pictures....

Hang out with teammates, bond and actually love working. Made peace with all the places we used to go to.
At the Fort, Starbucks.

Be adventurous in your wardrobe choices. Try something new.
At SM, trying on shoes. 

Own your own style.
At home, after wearing my brown stripper heels. 

Win an award for being really, really dedicated. Actually, I think we rotate the award. But it doesn't matter. I got the award and I'l be freakin' proud of it.
At Il Pirata, Eastwood for the awarding ceremony. 

Work hand in hand with people I love and learn to love them for their quirks, weirdness and charm.
At Makati Shangri-la with the team after a nice dinner. 

Eat at random hours of the morning and the weirder, the better. Be bold in your choices of food.
Jellyfish and century egg at Hap Chang, Neptune. 

Love my friends more cos they really really really love me!
At Highlands, with the gang. 

Appreciate art and architecture for real.
At Malate Church, with Candy and Jessie 

Be amazed at what artists can do in a 3-foot canvas. This really spoke to me.
Lady in Red.
At the National Museum with Jessie and Candy 

Go crazy and be spontaneous. So what if it's a weekend and you've been tired your entire shift? Go have fun and watch a movie if you want to.
With Belle at Rockwell. 

Be there for friends, when they wanna shop, vent, bitch or just be plain fab. If you have a date planned, it doesn't matter, cos men come and go but friends love you for who you are no matter how badly you've groomed your eyebrows.
At Rai Rai Ken, with Yogi. 

Love food even more but have a wonderful relationship with it.
At Ziggurat, having Mezzo Mezze - Khoubiz with 5 dips. 

Go back to your old favorites with a twist of freshness. Throw in some fresh ingredients in your favorite meaty pizza.
At A Venetto with Jack.  

Love your ex's old favorites with a twist. Be there alone or with a good friend and experience it all over again sans him!
At Brother's Burger with Jessie. 

Hold your friends near and dear and cherish EVERY moment with them, because they matter so much to you.
At Presidio, with Aileen. 

Cook for your family. Go back to your roots. Who were you before you met him? Achieve that persona again!
At home, cooking my non-deep fried chicken breast. 

Gamble with flavors, not just with cooking but with life.
Add a pinch of salt to food you've never had salt before. Add cumin, add curry, add all spice and nutmeg. Experiment! 

Be creative, even if it's a routine meeting you'll facilitate. Hype your own crap.
Email sent to the corporate and site teams in StarTek. 

Allow yourself spontaneous coffee time with friends and build relationships... or in my case, rebuild them.
At Persian Kebab with Cee and Jeremie. 

Be with family cos they will NEVER walk out on you.
At Chinatown, with the clan. 

Love yourself and be yourself. Sex it up, calm down, hold your breath, smize!
At home, with a cam, looking SINGLE and FAB!

I can countdown months, weeks, days and everything else. But there's only one word to sum up what I feel for this year - gratitude. I am grateful for everything that has happened. Here's to a wonderful 2011!

December 2010 
Relationship Status: Single AND Fabulous
Health: Better, constantly walking, taking the stairs, feel lighter and better... No alcohol intake makes my skin glow more... Lesser smokes than normal, so I try not to finish a pack... Taking vitamins... constantly dealing with my doctors... Drinking more water and juice at home than soda... less coffee... No more liempo! 
Weight: Uhm, my pants feel lose. 190 lbs with my cellphone, keys and pack of ciggies, heavy jeans and my chunky glasses. So I guess lighter? :P 
Cigarette intake: Depends on my mood? 

Not losing myself again. I had a flirty thing going on with someone over October and November but it's over now. But he really helped me feel so much more confident and so much more in tune with myself. Now, I feel in sync. Yes, there are moments that I feel disgusted with the singledom (yes, I'm coining a term for it). But you know what, what matters most is that for the most part of the year, I am happy.