Happy Happy Cream Puff!!

After reading from Our Awesome Planet about Happy Cream Puff's newest branch, I made time to walk Buendia towards Malugay to check out the place.  

And I did...  

The smell of newly baked cream puff as I entered the shop really made my stomach jump... 

My favorite in their line up of products since 2006 are their eclairs.  I was looking forward to having the eclairs for my snack this afternoon and it was all that i can think of the whole time .... but there were none available during my visit... Disturbed by this fact, i had to quickly get over my sadness and choose something else.  So I did...

While waiting for them to inject the cream puffs with their ever delicious custard filling.  I had a quick chat with Maricel. She remembered me as the one who ordered boxes after boxes of eclairs and cream puffs and had it delivered in Shopwise Alabang.  They had a shop in Metropolis then and we held office in Shopwise Alabang during that time.   And I was surprise when she said my name as I left her store. :-)

I chose the Box of 10 assorted mini puffs at P180.00/box.

        

I just had the one with the crushed almond. The last time I had happy cream puff was Dec 2007.  And I can still clearly recall how the consistency of the custard filling feels inside my mouth.  And this was what i was looking forward to when i took my first bite.  It tasted the same but felt different.  So i chose another puff and tried to investigate what the difference is.  Its the vanilla bean bits.  These are dark dots that they mix with their fillings which can be easily mistaken as mold or dirt.  I think they put less now than before.  It used to be really visible but now i only saw a few dots...  

Anyway, Im on to my third puff...:-P

So did it make my day?  yes it did! yes it did! 

Did it make me happy?  yes it did! yes it did!   :-)

Bulaklak para sa LP

Ang bulaklak ay isang malaking sangkap ng isang kasalan.  

Heto ang isang litrato nung kasal ng aking Kuya nuong  Dec 2006.  Ginamit ito ng mga flower girls, kasama ang aking anak na nagsuot nito.

Maligayang huwebes sa lahat!! :-)

Rockwell's Scavenger Hunt

Hey yah moms and dads!  

Any one up for the challenge?? Pre registration for this event here. 

Hurry!  I'm hoping to make it to the list.  This will be a great opportunity to spend some quality time with my daughter. :-)

**inhale... Exhale...*

Q:  What can really ruin a good day?

A:   A grumpy husband 

You feel guilty for being late for work.  So you work your ass off for the first 1-2hours on your desk.  Then you realize, the husband who's in a far away land haven't sent any message for the last  12 hours so you start to worry.  You get so worried that you stop everything you're doing, ignore all the capital R-U-S-H stamped papers, and dial his number.  You then get to talk to him.  And find out that he just woke up and did not realize it was almost already too late. Then you tell him of your late night out and that you got and also lack sleep.  Then he asks you why.  Then you tell him, you should read your messages.  You say this to him because you took time to update him, 1)last night during the party; 2)early morning when you got home from the party; and 3)later in the morning when you were on your way to the office.  Then he annoyingly reacts saying "Not today.  You don't know what i went through".  Then you asks why he's reacting that way.  Then he answers again with the same line.  You then wonder what you said wrong that made him angry/annoyed.  Then you agree with yourself there is nothing wrong with what you said but you realize that you try to do something nice by calling and asking how he was.  Then you also start to get annoyed and feel bad.

Sh*t.  You think it'll ruin YOUR day if this happened to you? 

Para kay Kikay

Academy awards Slammer

Slumdog Millionaire got 8 awards during yesterday's Academy.  

I saw this film last around 3 weeks ago and the only reason why i bought the dibidi (dvd) is because of it winning the Golden Globe.  It was one of the 3 for P100 dibidis i bought in Ruins during a weekend trip with my husband.

Thanks to late night news for the Academy Awards run-down of winners.  With 8 awards  (Cinematography, Editing, Original Score, Director, Original Song, Sound,

 Best picture and Screenplay), I spent a good 30 minutes trying to remember the scenes i like most in the movie... 

And the winning scene is...

The dance finale in the train station!  This scene knocked me off my seat laughing.  

Its an interesting movie.  Its social relevance is something that should be taken seriously.  But honeslty, i only got to appreciate it more upon searching and reading more about it.  The spoiler in IMDB says it all.

But here are some other inetersting  trivias from IMDB:

• Mercedes-Benz asked that its logos be removed in scenes taking place in the slums. The company, according to Danny Boyle, did not want to be associated with the poverty-stricken area, fearing that that might taint its image.
  
  
• The actor whose autograph young Jamal gets is Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan is a very real, and very famous Indian actor, the original host of the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", and also the father-in-law of Aishwarya Rai (or Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan as she is known after marriage).
  
  
• The cricket match being shown on television in Javed's house is the 1st one day international of the Future Cup between India and South Africa played at Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast on June 26 2007. As shown in the movie, Sachin Tendulkar, the Indian batsman, was run out on 99. India went on to score 242 and South Africa won the match by 4 wickets with 3 balls remaining.
  
  

• The film used a prototype Digital Cinema Camera from Silicon Imaging. When used in Mumbai, there were SI technicians on set constantly to deal with any problems the prototype had, of which there were many.
  
  
• Director Danny Boyle placed the money to be paid to the 3 lead child actors in a trust that is to be released to them upon their completion of grade school at 16 years of age. The production company has set up for an auto-rikshaw driver to take the kids to school everyday until they are 16 years old.
  
  
• Chris Tarrant, the host of the UK version of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' featured in Danny Boyle's debut film Shallow Grave (1995). He appears as the host of another TV quiz show 'Lose A Million' but only on a TV screen.
  
  
• In the opening chase scene where Jamal and Salim jump down from a building to the ground is an reference to Danny Boyle's Trainspotting(1996) in which the main character Renton jumps down into the frame at a drug dealers to eventually overdose on heroin.
  
  
• In the scene where the adult Salim's phone rings soon after the adult Jamal finds him, the ringtone is part of the theme music from A.R. Rahman's work on the Indian movie Swades: We, the People (2004). Rahman is the music composer for Slumdog Millionaire.
  
  
• The current exchange rate for 20,000,000 Rupees (the grand prize on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire") is USD$411,600.
  
  
• The film was originally intended to receive a PG-13 rating. In the end, it received an R rating because of its intense tone. With no time or money for appeals, the film was released with its given rating.
  
  
• Approximately 20% of the movie's dialog is in Hindi (with English subtitles).
  
  
• The second Danny Boyle film to feature a protagonist diving into a toilet, after Trainspotting (1996).
  
  
• The pile of excreta that the young Jamal jumps into and was made from a combination of peanut butter and chocolate.
  
  
• When Salim goes to Javed's den to announce that he has killed Maman, the movie playing in the theatre nearby is the Sunil Shetty starrerMaseeha (2002). Mahesh Manjrekar, who plays Javed, made his acting debut in Kaante (2002), which was released exactly a week after 'Maseeha'.
  
  
• This movie almost was released straight to DVD instead of getting a theater release.
  
  
• A.R. Rahman took just 20 days to compose the entire soundtrack.
  
  
• The song "Jai Ho" was originally made for movie Yuvvraaj (2008), composed by A.R. Rahman and lyrics written by Sampooran Singh Gulzar, but the producer Subhash Ghai did not find it fitting in the movie for the actor 'Zayad Khan', so he let the song be used for this production.

Tipanan sa simbahan: para sa LP

Ang San Antonio de Padua Quasi parish sa Silang, Cavite.

Bakit ito ang aking nilathala sa tema ngayong linggo?  Dahil dito nangyari ang pinaka memorable na date ng buhay naming mag-asawa, kung saan kami ay kinasal nuong March 24, 2007.

At ang simbahan ay isa sa mga pinaka-madalas na venue ng mga "date" ng mga magsing-irog.  Isang oras sa isang linggo, para lang magkaron ng pagkakataong magsama at mag dasal (daw) :-)

My Freebie Valentine

Husband and I never really celebrated this day.  As a matter of fact,  I've never had a lovely (as it should be) Valentines day for the past how many years. (previous entry here)

And I'm very happy to share that i had a great V-day this year. 

Because of the free movie ticket and popcorn from Rockwell, (entry on that here), It had to Powerplant for us that day.   So we left the  kids at home and headed there. 

 

As instructed, we presented the tempo tickets to the Cinema counter and got the actual tickets and other coupons from the friendly cinema people. We still had enough time to go around the mall so we did.  As expected, the mall was filled with couples.  Boys and girls either holding a bouquet of flowers or balloons.  

After walking around for almost an hour, and desperately looking for a place to eat that would fit our budget, we finally settled to treat ourselves to Pepper Lunch.  I've

 been wanting to try them since last year so I was really happy to accidentally passed by it after visiting Rustans Supermarket. 

It was only during dinner when it really dawned to me that it was, indeed, Valentine's Day... I remember seeing the lips ad somewhere but it never occurred to me that we would be part of the promo! 

I swear to God I blushed big time when they asked us to kiss! I then realized why there was clapping inside when we were still waiting in line outside.  They ring a bell for every kiss, a signal for all staffs to clap and greet the couple.  Naturally, all eyes will be on the couple in the counter when the bell rings!   What people do for free dessert! 

So they served our food.  Sorry for the photos, I only had my cellphone with me, Did not remember to bring a camera... 

              

I had the Chicken Pepper Rice while the husband ordered the Combo Cut Steak and Hamburger...  

The Pepper Lunch dinner turned out to be the highlight of our night.  Good food and not very expensive. Value for Money.    And the free dessert, was really good.  For Valentines 2009, Pepper Lunch budgeted to spend additional P12,000 for their Valentine Treat to a free Molten A la mode for the first 100 couples to kiss. Wow, what could be the treat for next year? 

I told my husband how much freebies we got for the week. (Valkyrie on Monday, Tiendesitas Gimik on Wednesday, Tsubo on Thursday, Audrey Hepburn on Saturday, Plus free Dessert in Pepper Lunch) 

And so after the dinner and stick of cigarette, we then headed to see Breakfast at Tifanny's.  

They really set the cinema to the theme.  The carpet on the way to theatre was filled with rose petals.  And its amazing how many were inside the cinema, I was surprised to know that a lot of people still appreciates classic films.  And again, I fell in love with the seats!   They were even more comfortable than the ones in Glorietta.  I was also glad that they did boost the aircon so high.  It was just right.  So right that the husband, fell asleep in the middle of the film, well he's into classics but somehow the slow pacing of the movie lulled him to sleep for a good 5  minutes.  

After the movie, we headed back to Rustans to buy something for the kids.  A chocolate muffin from Le Gourmet.  I should have taken a picture!  It was delicious!   I did not actually expect it to be that good.  But I liked it so much i might drop by Rustans Makati later to buy some. 

Well, that's about it.  We then headed home and spent quality time with the kids. Sang nursery rhymes with Taal as he tried hard to copy my Eensy Weensy Spider actions before he slept, and watched the movie Great Expectations with Ada, which we did not get to finish because we fell asleep.  

Even with the "episode" last night, I still had a great Valentine weekend. 

D for Drama

The plan was to write about my V-day with the husband but i feel there are more pressing emotions that needs to be exhaled.

I have always admitted, well, at least to myself, that i have issues.  Issues from the past that's been affecting my present. If there's anything in my adult life that really puts me down is rejection.  That is one of the few reasons why I'm thankful to be a female, as a guy, i would not know what to do if i get turned down by a girl i like.  

Last night, the husband and I had a huge misunderstanding that started from a wickedly small thing.  Too petty yet it made way for the other bigger issues to come out. And my eyes are still suffering until now.

The moral of the story, make sure to keep an emergency stick or 2 of cigarettes,  so buying a pack wont be used as an excuse to get out.  

We all need the drama once in a while.  To make us realize that all the world, is indeed a stage, and we are merely actors in our own little theaters.   The episode made me know myself better, and in my head,  I'm still working on the thesis to make me wiser. 

I would still happily share my V-day with the husband a little later.  I feel a lot better now. 

Kumak by TSUBO

Our trip to Cubao last night was not only to attend a post-xmas party but to buy a pair of shoes for the husband in Res Toe Run.  Everyone who knows him well should understand why he needs one. His last good footwear purchase was way back 3 years ago!  

We were lucky to avail of the 50%-off sale on Tsubo footwear. But ofcourse I had to make sure it also fit me well.  The advantage of having almost the same foot size as your husband :-). Actually i have bigger feet than him...

The husband needed something rugged, something to use during field work and Tsubo's Kumak are just perfect.... Over Sanuk, which are not actually shoes, but sandals.. :-)

The footbed - our obsessive attention to detail means we use double density polyurethane footbed/midsole, so it's firmer in the heel where added support is needed and softer in the foreparts to give extra cushioning and comfort. Feet get hot when used - we all know that which is why we have perforated air channels to allow air to circulate around your feet on the right side of toasty warm. The midsole provides contoured lateral and longitudinal support. 

My favorite part is the sole...

The sole - No one wants to slip over, it makes us feel stupid and can ruin our clothes. Which is why our rubber soles are both abrasion and skid resistant. Banana skins, do your worst. Another unique feature of our shoes are our bubbles. And not just any old bubbles, but rubber ones for shock absorption. And believe us when we say your knees will thank you in later life (source)

photo source

Rockwell treat: Audrey Hepburn movie fest

Thanks to Rockwell Powerplant Mall for the free tickets! 

I still can't believe I convinced the husband to go...  Actually its me who's doubting to go. I just hope we dont do a last minute cancellation. 

VALKYRIE: trivia from IMDB

• Tobias Moretti was slated to play Adolf Hitler, but had to decline due to schedule conflicts.
  
  
• Carice van Houten, who plays Nina Stauffenberg, is the longtime companion ofSebastian Koch, who played Stauffenberg in the critically acclaimed German TV movie Stauffenberg (2004) (TV).
  
  
• Initially, Germany's Ministry of Defense would not allow filming on Bendler Block. They relented after appeals from Tom Cruise and Screenwriter/Producer Christopher McQuarrie. The entire crew started every night of filming with a moment of silence in memory of Stauffenberg.
  
  

• Eleven extras playing Wehrmacht soldiers were injured on the set when they fell out of a moving lorry (truck). One suffered a serious back injury, the rest had bruises, cuts, and head injuries. An insurance company investigation concluded that an extra closed the side panel improperly, causing it to open while the lorry was in motion.
  
  
• Some scenes had to be re-shot when the original film was destroyed after being treated with the wrong chemical during development.
  
  
• The film was originally scheduled for release on August 8, 2008, then moved up to June 27, 2008. The producer couldn't find a suitable location for the battle sequence in which Stauffenberg loses his eye and hand, halting production and moving release to October 3, 2008. Filming resumed in June 2008, and release was moved to February 13, 2009. After a successful test screening, release was finally moved to December 25, 2008.
  
  
• Cruise was attracted to the role after seeing a picture of Stauffenberg, and noticing how similar he looked.
  
  
• Germany has strict laws against displaying the swastika, though artistic displays are specifically exempt. Filmmakers usually use incorrect swastikas to avoid causing public outrage. The producer wanted swastikas for authenticity, so the crew posted warnings around the filming locations. Still, a local resident filed an official complaint with the city, who pressed charges against the owners of some filming sites.
  
  
• Patrick Wilson was originally cast in the film but he dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
  
  
• Carice van Houten, Waldemar Kobus, Christian Berkel and Halina Reijn appeared in Zwartboek (2006), Paul Verhoeven's movie based on World War II.
  
  
• When Hitler signs the revised Valkyrie, the fountain pen clipped to Colonel Stauffenberg's bag is a Pelikan M100, produced in Germany during WWII.
  
  
• Three actors in the movie are born on December 12: Kenneth Cranham in 1944, Tom Wilkinson in 1948 and Bill Nighy in 1949.
  
  
• Four cast members also appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean films together: Bill Nighy (General Ollbricht/Davy Jones), David Schofield(Von Witzleben/Mercer), Kevin McNally (Dr. Goerdler/Gibbs) and Tom Hollander (Colonel Brandt/Lord Beckett). Hollander and David Bamber (Adolf Hitler) have played Mr. Collins in different productions of Pride and Prejudice (the 2005 film and the BBC miniseries, respectively).
  
  
• Two cast members appeared in "Downfall", about the last ten days of Hitler's life. Christian Berkel played Ernst-Günter Schenck, an SS Doctor. Thomas Kretschmann played SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein, Himmler's adjutant and Eva Braun's brother in law.
  
  
• Philipp von Schulthess, who plays Tresckow's aide in "Valkyrie", is the grandson of Claus von Stauffenberg. In the movie the wife of Stauffenberg is pregnant with the mother of Philipp von Schulthess.

SOURCE: imdb.org

A date! finally!

Finally! A night out with the husband!

And so Mister and Misis PB met up in Glorietta last night for the advance screening of Valkyrie.  Thanks to Fruit Magic for the free tickets!

Bought a 12-inch submarine in Meister (by Almon Marina) and shared it with the husband before the show.  

Word for the night?  AWE. 

It all felt new to me actually, the last time i saw a movie was Dec 2007?  I think that was Transformers. And that was in an SM Cinema so no Taters!  

I wanted to buy their 99peso combo of chips, popcorn and iced tea, only to be told that that combo has long been gone.  The popcorn-2-iced-tea  combo cost me 140 pesos!  Has it really been that long?  

The digital tru-surround of cinema 6 was really amazing.  

The Ayala Cinema Chairs that felt so comfy made me realize why a movie ticket costs so much!

I wonder when we can get to watch again?? 

my weekend expression

And so while the husband was having his weekend basketball dose, a replay of the celtics vs. pistons game during saturday late afternoon, i found myself wanting to get hold of some paints and my favorite brush.   And these were the results: 

I dunno yet what i will do with these  "work of art" (yeah right).  But for now, they're hidden in my pile of similar works inside my sketch pad.

25 random things

Reposting from Facebook Notes:

Here's a list of 25 random things about me. Im tagging y'all if you feel like it making a lit like this :-)  It's kinda fun actually. :-)

So here goes mine:

1. I love shoes. Especially  those inexpensive quality shoes.
2. I never leave the house without a pair of slippers. Either wearing them or in my bag.
3. I took up ballet classes for two years when I was 8 years old.  Not because my parents wanted me to be a dancer but because they think ballet could correct my knock-kneed posture.
4. I was bullied all my Grade 6 year.  My classmates saw to it that I had a hell of year. And hell it was.  But I got over it, some became my best friends
5. I super love supermarkets even before working with one.  I love doing the grocery and I love just strolling along the aisles checking out stuffs.
6. I had an accident when I was 6. Tire of a car scraped the skin off my right foot.  And the scar still shows up until now.
7. My family nickname is “Pizzi” (pronounced like pizza).  Which was actually derived from pizza, because my parents ate all the pizza in metro manila when they were pregnant with me.
8. I named my daughter “Ysabel” because of the movie Fools Rush in.
9. I used to drink a lot during college.  Now I get tipsy after half a bottle of san mig light.
10. I am a huge fan of bookstores.  And I kind of keep up with their assortment by maintaining a huge pencil “box”.
11. I miss going out with my brothers and sisters.  We actually had a scheduled annual outing that went on only for 3 years. L
12. I have always wondered how it could have been if my father-in-law were still alive.
13. I am so looking forward to moving to the continent down below. J
14. Im a coffee drinker, even though im not suppose to drink it because of my hyperacidic tummy.
15. I have a crush on John Lloyd Cruz J
16. I honestly find Kyan gwapo.  I fell for his eyes. J
17. I’ve always thought Kyan was The One.  I was just too much of a coward to accept it.
18. I have this huge thing for pens.
19. I bite my nails and the skin surrounduing it.  And I dunno why I do that
20. I miss watching shows in CCP.
21. I sometimes dream im an F1 racer.
22. I am friends with my Exes except 1.
23. I find it funny how I really found time to make this list.
24. I think I would have been in Events or in stage production had I not been in the retail world.
25. I was in labor for 12 hours before Taal came out last Dec 21, 2007.