Dimsum Crazy!!!

I must admit... I am Dimsum Crazy.

I've loved dimsum, since I could remember. I remember having Sunday Dinners at Maxim's Tea House in T.M. Kalaw and Roxas Boulevard (right across from the US Embassy) when I was a little kid. We'd order different types of dimsum, which would serve as our dinner. Our parents would order their own food, while we feast on Pork Siomai, Shrimp Dumplings and Beef Siomai.

As I grew older, I discovered other types of dimsum that caught my palate's fancy.

My first dibs on another form of dimsum, away from my usual Maxim's Siomai, were Mr. & Mrs. Teo's Boiled Dumplings and Kuchay Pie from my High School Cafeteria. They became my staple food in High School (since I was saving my absurdly small allowance). Though they came cheap, they were really good! Yum!

Then, I discovered Gloria Maris... Probably the Best Dimsum I have ever had! They had those rolling dimsum carts that go around the tables. I'd grab whatever caught my fancy. And their Shrimp Dumplings (Hakaw)?!? WOW! Just the thought makes my mouth water...

Then, my equal fascination with Japanese Food lead me to discover Gyoza, which, right now, makes me realize something... It tastes just like Potstickers!!! But, anyway...

When I went to the States, for a brief vacation, my cousins taught me the art of eating Potstickers! We'd buy frozen Potstickers from Costco and boil them. Mmmm... Good with soy sauce... And Chili... And Lime! Mmmm...!!!

Since I got back to the Philippines, I haven't had Potstickers. I've been looking high and low for frozen Potstickers, and couldn't find them! Then, one night, while contemplating on where to order food for delivery (it was a holiday, so almost everyone's closed), I chanced upon North Park Noodle House. I requested for a copy of their Menu via fax, then... Lo and behold! The most beautiful words popped on their Appetizer Menu... POTSTICKERS!

And I had a choice between Steamed and Fried! Being the steamed dimsum freak that I was, I ordered 6 pieces of Potstickers (along with some steamed rice and North Park's Aniseed Beef Tendon Stew).

When my meal came, I just couldn't control myself... It was love at first bite! I couldn't get enough of my Potstickers! I ended up completely ignoring the rice and Beef Stew! Lol!

Though it kinda hurts my pockets to buy from North Park, I just couldn't help myself. I'd order my Potstickers. Just this afternoon, I shared some with my Sister. We had a North Park Lunch at home.

Now... How can I make myself some??? Hmmm...

All Souls' Day Wish

November 2 is marked as All Souls' Day in Catholic Calendars. It's supposed to be the day when we solemnly celebrate the lives of our departed loved ones. But since time immemorial, we observe this "tradition" during All Saints' Day (November 1).

It is during this season, which has been commercially known as Halloween, that people, continuously, talk about ghouls, ghosts, and those things that come bump in the night. TV Shows would also have specials that were designed to scare the crap out of anybody.

Last night, I got to thinking... If we could make wishes for our birthdays, why not make a wish that concerns our dearly departed?

I have always wished, since I was a kid, to see my Maternal Grandparents just for one day. My Maternal Grandparents died just 10 Months apart, back in 1988. It was quite a traumatic year for us, when they died.

Both of them had sudden deaths. My Grandfather died after suffering from a massive stroke in their house in Malolos, while my Grandmother was visiting us in Manila. After just a mere 10 Months, my Grandmother died at the Light Rail Transit Station, after suffering from a heart attack. Both were declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

I was only 8 years old when my Grandfather died, and 9 years old, when my Grandmother passed. I loved them both very much and I've since longed to see them once again. I want to know how they've been... How they've felt about everything that happened to us... How everything could've been a lot more different had they been alive.

But what I really want to do, most of all, is to hug them and kiss them both. I haven't touched them for 17 years, and life has been really cold and miserable without their touch and presence.

Just writing this entry makes my eyes water. I miss them so much. And celebrating All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day doesn't ease the pain.

If God could just grant me that one wish, I would be happy.

I miss you, Lolo and Lola. I love you. Until we meet again.

Random Facts

I was tagged by my dear friend, Duke, with this pseudo-quiz.

It's actually not a quiz, but more of a means of sharing random facts about yourself that only a number of people know about. For me, it's more of a self-analysis. An introspection, if you will. There are things that even I do not know about myself.

Anyway, according to what Duke wrote, I have to put down 20 Random Facts about myself, then tag the same number of people as the number of minutes that it takes for me to finish this. And since I know I'm gonna take forever, I am tagging everyone on my Email and Blog List! Lol!

Time Start: 10:32 PM

1. I always thought that my blood type was A, until my Annual Physical Exam Result read Type O!

2. People say I am a very good writer. My only problem is, when I write something in English, some of my friends had to whip out a dictionary to understand the words. Same thing goes when I write something in Tagalog.

3. I have an excruciatingly LOW Self-Esteem. So low, that I don't even know if I am good at anything.

4. I have never been in a serious relationship. The only man in my life, right now, is my nephew... Matthew!!!

5. I hate slow drivers. On second thought, make that Filipino Drivers, in particular (save for the very few exceptions... like Myself! Lol!).

6. I get depressed when I think about my old friends who I haven't had a chance to talk with for a long time.

7. I secretly wanted to be an actress/singer.

8. Frogs, rats, bats, insects, ghosts, scary movies, snakes and reptiles scare the bejeezuz out of me!

9. I cover my eyes and ears, and sing as loud as I can, when I watch a scary movie (Much to the annoyance of my Siblings and Friends!)

10. I have always felt Unworthy of God's Love.

11. I'm a Certified Korean Wave Addict!

12. I have absolutely NO Sense of Fashion (ask my siblings about it!).

13. I'm torturously and insufferably shy (Which explains why I refuse to go into things and situations outside my comfort zone, and which explains why people tend to think I am arrogant, snobbish and aloof).

14. I tend to be very particular with grammar and spelling, when it comes to English.

15. Aside from Angelina Jolie, I've had crushes with the same sex, way back in Grade School (Exclusive Schools do that to you...)

16. Like Duke, I am Claustrophobic. I'd often wake up sweating and crying from a severely claustrophobic dreams!

17. I'd rather be in the office than be at home.

18. I always wished (and still do...) that my Maternal Grandparents were still alive.

19. I talk to myself, make little speeches, think about the future and make lists every chance I have alone.

20. I never had a close friend who considered me to be the same.


Time Finished: 11:00 PM (See! I told you it takes long for me!)

Now... For the people I want to tag... Get ready! Mwahahahaha!

1. Meels - My lawyer buddy.
2. Chie B. - My Bespren in the Bay Area
3. Mitzi - The Proud Ilocana
4. Binoy - The Pogi Boy!
5. Ambe - Wifred... loves (to be) Happy!
6. Eric H. - My High School Buddy!
7. Candido - CJ! Kyan Douglas' long lost Brother.
8. Sho - Madaming Hidden Random Facts itong taong ito! Reyna ng MTS!
9. Mona - Isa ka pa!!!
10. Zsazsa - My Manager...
11. Mommy Shee - J-Lo's long lost Sister!
12. Daisy - Ang Certified Heartbreaker ng MTS!
13. Annie - Ang girl na may pinakamahabang buhok sa buong MTS!
14. Aissa - My dear cousin...
15. Ate Candy - My very successful cousin... Libre naman dyan! *wink*
16. Ditch - Hey Ms. Annaliza!
17. Fritz - Aminin mo na... Mahal mo pa rin si Regine!
18. Iris - Bakluuuuurrr!
19. Duke/Kim - Since mahilig ka rin naman sa mga survey-survey...
20. Joremel - My Rocker Fissan! Rock On!!!
21. Melo - Kamusta na kaya ito?
22. Cristy C. - A friend from waaaayyy back in the day.
23. Stels - Ang dakilang addict kay Regine... Watch out for her on QTV!
24. Owen - A dear friend, I've lost touch with.
25. Sweet - One of my favorite singers
26. Vicky S. - My cool cousin from SF.
27. Tito Gene - The coolest Ninong! Ey! Where's my gift?

Okay... I ran out of other people to tag... So sue me! But if you get this, and your name isn't on the list, consider yourself tagged! You can go ahead and answer it and forward to your friends. Don't forget to forward it back to me so that I can also get to know you better.

Anyway, hope you guys get to answer as well. It'll be cool to get to know y'all better.

Take care and Enjoy!

Rainbow Brite

You are Starlite!

You are full of talents that no one else seems to have! A gift of the gab is definitely among them... and an ego the size of Rainbow Land. That's only because really, you're perfect! Just try not to point it out so much. You're definitely a horse of a different color, any way you look at it!

Which Rainbow Brite character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

-= o O o =-

As a kid, I remember loving Raibow Brite. My sister and I even had Raibow Brite Dolls and stuff.

Then, I stumble upon this quiz on Trina's BLOG. I just felt the urge to reminisce about the olden days, and see which Rainbow Brite Character best describes me. I always thought myself as Shy Violet, but it turns out I'm more like Starlite! Some of the Characteristics shown above are quite true, and many can attest to that.

Here's to seeing which of the Rainbow Brite kids represent my Friends...

Venting Out

Since I haven't been blogging the past few weeks, I've acquired some angst and peevishness that's been wanting to explode. But since the site has been blocked by our Office's Servers, I didn't have any means of slowly letting them off.

Anyway, its been bothering me a lot these past few days, and right now it's at the homestretch. I really don't want it to reach the point of no return, so I decided to vent out a bit, despite the time (It's already past 3:00AM!).

I'll get things started with the less irritating up to the downright infuriating.

First off... Don't you just hate it when you're on your day off or on leave, after weeks of hard work and never-ending overtime, then your colleagues call you with some "Urgent" matter, which turns out to be something that they can very well manage themselves? That's just WRONG!

Well, I got 4 Missed Calls on my Mobile this afternoon, while I was taking a much needed nap, from a colleague who asked me to "urgently" call her up. I've kind-of learned my lesson not to make or take that call, especially if it's from that particular colleague. She'd always call on somebody when she receives a call from a client that involves a particular quotation or endorsement that she did not make or could not find. Then, you'd end up miserable for the entire time you're out of the office.

In short, I ignored the call back, and went on with my day.

Another "non-family" thing that's irking me at the moment, is the feeling of being deceived by someone who we have considered as a friend. It's a bit sad that all this time that we've tried to connect with her, being open to her, shared laughs, concerns and little triumphs with her, she wasn't being totally herself with us.

I take it as a personal blow, because I've tried to put myself out there to connect with her in any way I could, trying to befriend her and trying to find a little connection. Then, I find out that she's been putting up a front for about a year or so. Even the person closest to her in our small little group was shocked to find out something that she'd never admitted to him.

Now, she's completely dissociating herself from us, and if that's what she wants, I'd be more than happy to oblige. Whatever floats your boat, dear. It's just a shame to have wasted your year with our existence.

The next event, or should I say, people, that's getting under my skin are 2 of my relatives. My Uncle and my cousin.

I just hate freeloaders, don't you? I know I still live with my parents, but that does not mean I get everything for free. And in no means do I expect to "ride on" my parents' incomes. Well, that's what's ticking me off with these 2. They're practically living off my poor, ailing grandmother's good graces. Actually, not just hers, but almost everyone who'd unwittingly fall for their charms.

It's okay to ask help from your relatives once in a while, but of course, you'd have to prove yourself worthy of that help as well. But alas!

Thank goodness, my immediate family is independent and tough enough not to fall into parasitic relations with them. Though we still regard them as family, we don't give them any opening or opportunity to suck the living daylights out of us.

Though I shouldn't be too affected by their free-loading ways, I just feel so bad for my Grandparents and my Uncle and Aunt who've tried to help them out, but to no avail. If only they'd showed interest in becoming more independent and self-sufficient. But no... They continue to live off of the family. Even their own immediate family is getting pretty frustrated with the lack of enthusiasm and drive that my Uncle and cousin has been exhibiting.

I think the most infuriating thing that's been bothering me this week has been the flagrant exclusion that our relatives have been doing to my family. This isn't the first time it has happened, though. And I suspect that it wouldn't be the last. It's been going on for quite some time now. I don't know if it's a conscious thing, but it's so damn obvious, I wanted to scream!

My Aunt, who has been out of the country for 16 years, came back for a 2 week vacation. At first, a lot of plans were made for this homecoming, then, everything fell apart. Now, everything revolved around what my other Aunt would schedule for my Aunt from the US. Most of which, excluded my family.

If my Aunt and my Grandmother hadn't asked my sister and I for some help in acquiring a Rental Van, we wouldn't have been invited to go to Baguio with my Aunt.

Then, yesterday, there were talks of going to Tagaytay today, to bring my Aunt's best friend around. Though everyone talked about it, even inviting my other cousins, no one said an "inviting" word to us (My Siblings and Myself), even if it was quite obvious that we were free for the weekend.

What really rubbed me the wrong way was when they stopped over our house, just to wait for our other relatives before leaving for Tagaytay. No one even asked if we would be interested to go with them! My Aunt did ask if we were doing anything today, to which I answered to the negative, thinking it would be a subtle enough hint that we would like to go with them. But I think subtlety is ineffective for these people.

If I were the only one affected, I would've let this pass, yet again. But, unfortunately, my Sister was also affected. Since, like I've mentioned, it wasn't the first time they completely excluded my family from something, it prompted my sister to repeat what we always love to say in these occasions... "Sila-sila lang naman talaga ang magkaka-pamilya, eh!" (Translation: "They're the only ones who are related anyway.") But what can we do? I can only nod in agreement to the statement that says, "We cannot choose our Family."

All I can do now is sigh and leave all these things to God. I know it would be un-Christian to retaliate, and the best way to release all these pent up frustrations is by airing them out. I'll try to sleep on them tonight, and maybe it'll be better tomorrow.

Another Test Run

Okay... I made a few adjustments on my Blogger Settings since my last Email Post was not published on my BLOG .

 

So, this is just another Test Post using Blogger Email.

Email To Blog

Alrighty... I'm just testing if this Email-To-Blog Feature of Blogger really works. Checking in after a few minutes...

Blog Addict

I just discovered that a good friend of mine, Josephine, is a BLOG Addict! Lol! She even got her 2 Sisters into the habit now!

So, Jops...

WELCOME TO THE BLOGGING WORLD!!!

So guys, I invite you to check out her BLOG by clicking here! Have fun!

Updates...

Okay, okay... I'm falling back into the habit again. Darnit! I've been procrastinating around making updates to my BLOG lately. I dunno why.

Anyway, let me just start off by gushing over my little angels again. Since my last entry, I've seen my babies 3 more times! First was last September 22, when I went to their house after work.

Matt was just so cute! He showed me how he's become a Big Boy! He'd dance (which was, basically, jumping up and down incessantly) and sing (in gurgles and screams) whenever he'd hear a fast song being played on the TV. He also ran around after his cousins, pulled my hand to go somewhere and behaved himself. He became more familiar and comfortable with me. He'd always try his charm with me (which, always works!) and snuggle up next to me when he wanted attention. Really cute!

Auie, or Luisa, on the other hand, has gained a little more weight. She's no longer as fragile as before, but is still precious, nonetheless. She's definitely showing her personality now. Like her parents, she's very headstrong. If she doesn't get what she wants, she'd scream her head off (not literally, though!). And it's definitely hard to put her down to sleep! But it's still so adorable the way she looks up at you with those big, expressive eyes, as if she's studying your features, down to the last details.

These kids are really worth every trip I make to Cainta (which is quite far from where I live). And I am quite honored and priveleged to be their Godmother. Yes, both Matthew and Luisa are my Godchildren! Luisa has just been dedicated last Saturday, October 1.

Speaking of going to Cainta, I met an accident last September 26 (Monday) on my way to Cainta to interview our prospective maid. My car got pinned between 2 Delivery Trucks along Amang Rodriguez Avenue in Pasig City (which is a shortcut to Marcos Highway).

You see, I was already at a Full Stop before the intersection of Amang Rodriguez and Ligaya Street, when I suddenly heard a BANG and felt my car lurch forward quite violently, which caused me to hit the Delivery Van infront of me. The rear bumper of my car was crushed, the trunk badly dented and damaged (I can't open it anymore), and the tail-lights cracked. That was just the rear-end damage. My front bumpers were forced into the front grills and into the engine from the impact to the metal bumper of the Delivery Van infront of me. Thankfully, I was able to get out of the accident unscathed, just shaken and confused.

We were already in the far side of Amang Rodriguez, towards Cainta, and the Traffic Enforcer who assisted, wanted us to go to the Philsports Arena Compound (ULTRA) where we have to file the Police Report. I was still shaking from the accident and I was very afraid and apprehensive about driving the car all the way to ULTRA, which was quite far from where we were, just to file the Police Report. I was scared that the car couldn't be driven that far after it had been damaged as bad as it had been. With the counsel of my cousin, I just decided to make arrangements with the 2 other drivers with regards to the settlement and payment for the damages. I made sure that the Traffic Enforcer signed all the documents, just in case I would need it.

I was able to get an Estimate for the Damages already, and it's going to cost around PhP 55,00.00 to repair the damages made to the car! My goodness! Fifty-Five G's! Good luck to that Driver who crushed my car!

At the Homefront, everything is far better now. We used to have a maid who was more like a Master than a Household Help! She refused to do the dirty work at home. She'd watch the TV day in and day out! When my Sister and I listed out the things she had to do (just the basics), she panicked and called my Aunt to tell her that she quit! She also had the audacity to shout at my sister and me when my Aunt came over to dismiss her. The nerve of that woman! My goodness! She stayed infront of the TV longer than the time she actually spent cleaning or just plain doing the household chores! Plus, she smoked in her room a lot, that when she left, the room stinked! It was definitely a good riddance to bad rubbish!

Just last Saturday, after Luisa's Dedication, we were able to hire a new maid. A referral from Juliet, the Nanny of Matthew and Auie. So far, I am very pleased with her performance at home. You can never see her idle. She'd find something to do. She'd rearrange things, fix the cupboards in the kitchen, sweep around the garden, wash clothes, anything! And we never had to tell her what to do at all! She had the initiative to clean around! Whenever I'd invite her to rest and watch some TV with me, she'd refuse and prefer to clean up! As a reward, I treated her out to a movie last Monday Night.

Today, I volunteered to do Overtime for a Colleague who is sick. I'm actually in pain at the moment. My lower back, around the hip area, has been experiencing sharp, piercing pain since I got out of bed. I can't walk, bend, or just plain move, without feeling intense pain. I already went to the Company Clinic to have a brief check-up. The Doctor-on-Duty just gave me a Pain Reliever to make things a little more comfortable for me while I work. He also advised me to go to Makati Medical Center tomorrow to have a Urinalysis to find out if I have an infection in my Urinary Tract. Hope I find the time, though.

See, I'm going to bring the car to the shop to have it fixed, and then, go to the Land Transportation Office to have the cars registered for the year. I haven't even gotten enough sleep yet, and I already have a fully packed day! To think I still have to go to work in the evening! Tough luck!

Well, that was essentially what happened during the 15 days that I haven't been updating my BLOG. Hopefully, I wouldn't take that long to update again...

Radio Idol

After being off work for a week, I'm back in the office. I came back just last Friday evening. I was supposed to come back last Thursday night, but because of the heavy rains that flooded our village's streets, I couldn't get to work. So, I had to extend my Vacation Leave.

I did a lot of things during my Leave, but there are only a very few highlights to my week-long hiatus. Some of which I have already posted up here. But what I didn't share was what I did after the Dermatologist appointment!

After my Mom and I went to the Dermatologist on the day before my Birthday, I dropped myself off in Ortigas Center to audition for Radio Idol of Monster Radio RX 93.1. For those who don't know what Radio Idol is, it's the DJ Search of the hottest Radio Station in Manila, RX 93.1.

It was the last day of auditions, and I wanted to try it out, just for kicks. I was a lot apprehensive at first, but with some encouragement from my good friend, Eric, I went ahead.

Although I looked cool and composed on the outside, I was shaking like a Magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the inside. I was THAT scared!

Anyway, there were only 4 people auditioning ahead of me, so all the butterflies in my tummy started to flutter furiously. To alleviate my nervousness, I spoke with my fellow auditionee to pass the time.

When my time came, I wanted to faint! The guy who facilitated my Audition was the RX DJ, Rico Robles. He's just soooo H-O-T! He's definitely my type. And this made me more nervous! Jeeze!

The audition was more like an interview that was recorded. I was asked to introduce myself, where I came from, why I auditioned, etc. Then, Rico asked me to read a whole paragraph filled with tongue twisters! The paragraph was indecipherable! As in, It did not make any sense at all! It was so funny.

I left the audition relieved that I got it over with. And I was still alive and in one piece!

Nobody knew I went to the auditions. Only 2 people knew. My Mom and Eric. I didn't want anybody to know 'coz I felt embarrassed. Hehe!

Last Friday, September 16, a week after I auditioned, the station played my audition thing, along with 25 other auditionees. Although I didn't make the cut for the next stage, I felt relieved nonetheless. I didn't expect to get in anyways! At least, I can say that I tried! Lol!

That morning, before the auditions were played, my cousin, Aissa, found out that I auditioned, through another cousin who heard my name being announced on the radio as one of the auditionees. She totally flipped out when she learned that I auditioned! She listened to my audition, and we both laughed at the outcome ("Not Worthy!!!")! Hehehe! She did say, however, that I sounded quite nice on the radio.

Well, there's still a next year! Lol! Maybe I could muster up more courage to bring out my innate perkiness! Hahaha!

I am Elaine, and I want to be the Next Radio Idol!!!