Afternoon Tea

I haven't done anything productive since I can't locate my car key at 10 in the morning. Congratulate me! I was supposed to go to a mass service but when I fished out the key, I can't find it. Panic! Panic! I must have dropped it inside the car - Friday night. Yeah, my car key was inside the car. Galing ko, no? Person A had to come over from Caloocan to open Jellybean with his spare key and retrieve the missing one. 

And since I haven't practiced the art of doing nothing for so long, I welcome the non-stop rain and lay in bed. Now I got tired of it so I am having afternoon tea. Ang haba ng intro. I am addicted to tea. If you've been following me, I live for tea. Okay, OA but I love tea. What makes my afternoon tea special is that I have a stroopwafel stash to pair with it.

Stroopwafel is caramel-filled waffle from the land of tulips and windmills. They were first made in Gouda, Netherlands in 1784 using breadcrumbs dipped in syrup. Poorman's bread.  It tastes sugar-syrupy sweet from the filling. 

The box I have right now is from Person A. Gouda's Gilde caramel waffles are baked according to the original recipe from 1864. 

I first tasted this pastry five years back when Person A introduced this to me. His company's headquarter is in Netherlands. A local brand sells this but it's far from the authentic taste.  Starbucks and Coffee Bean also carry the stroopwafel but it costs around PhP 50/piece whereas we can get a disc of 10 for as low as 2 euros. 

How to enjoy your stroopwafel. 

Soften the waffle and caramel over steaming tea. It will be biscuit-hard if you don't.

After 2 minutes, wash down the sweetness with tea. A tip: don't overheat your waffle, it will soften and get soggy. 

Person A and most people like theirs with coffee. Brewed is better since it washes and tempers the sweetness.

What cup are you enjoying this afternoon?

Sebastian's

Let me share with you Person A's favorite ice cream. Sebastian's. It's home-made ice cream with unconventional, rich flavors. 

This is our his and hers.

Butter Pecan (PhP 100/scoop)

His is Butter Pecan. 

Pecan-flavored ice cream complemented with butter and caramel. I can't tell you how he's addicted to this scoop. I like it because it's creamy yet the texture is crumbly. I like crumbly ice cream. It's cold but not frozen. It's sweet from the butter and caramel but salty from the nut. 

Once in a Blue Moon (PhP 140/scoop)

Hers is blue-cheese ice cream.

Interesting, no? Can you see the amag? This is divine. Cold, crumbly blue cheese with creamy-taste as the ice cream melts in your mouth. And since it's cheese, it's salty too! This is topped with honey and walnuts to temper the saltiness and give additional texture. I am okay without the honey. 

Enjoy your Sebastian's at Podium, Mall of Asia and the BonChon Building in Katipunan, Quezon City. I wish they open more ice cream freezers all over town. The one at Alabang Town Center is already closed. Thanks Sebastian's for the clarification. -(",)-*wink*

A lot of people would surely love it. 

Chocoholic

Who can resist chocolate?

I can't. If only I can have bars and bars in a day without piling the pounds, I would! I do take a piece or 2 a day because... I can't resist chocolates. In my last trip to the salon, I thought hard on the color to paint my toe nails with. It's been 3 weeks since I had my nails cleaned and more than 2 months since I had them painted. Then this bottle caught my attention...

Lovely shade of deep brown, reminds me of rich milk chocolate. Chocolate toes might help curb my chocolate craving. 

If you like dark shades, this is a good choice. It's not the typical black and matches with most colors of footwear. It also makes my feet fairer. I have been wearing the polish for a week now and it hasn't chipped nor showed signs of wear. 

This will be my top choice when I am in the mood for dark color.

I Don't Believe in Make-Up: Organic Peppermint and Organic Cranberry Lotions

I have to admit that soft, silky skin makes me feel confident. I consciously take care of my skin: I drink LOOTTTSSS (3-4 L a day) of water, eat fruits and vegetables, use mild soap and constantly moisturize with lotion. It would be no surprise that I read the labels in the lotion bottles that I purchase. My go-to product is Nivea but from time to time, I try new products. 

When I found the Avalon Organics on sale in the grocery store, I was convinced to get it.

Avalon Organics Peppermint (~PhP 480, PhP 240)

Helps prevent and relieve extra dry skin. Contains organic peppermint essential oil, organic aloe, and vitamin E.

The consistency is thick but not heavy on the skin. You can feel its richness and once the lotion is fully absorbed, skin feels silky for at least 6 hours. It gets the job done. Peppermint smells extra nice but the major downside is the extra cool sensation of peppermint. It's no fun when you apply it at 5 in the morning and just before you sleep. Trust me. It wakes you up! For this reason alone, I won't get the peppermint variety.

There's another organic lotion that works really, really well on my skin.

JASON Cranberry Lotion (~PhP 450)

According to the JASON website, "a group of independent thinkers drew upon the pioneering spirit back to natural ingredients proven safer and proven to work together in naturally effective ways. And so the JASON (which means "healer" in Greek) brand was born."

Akala ko July, August, September, October, November.The cream-colored lotion has extra fine texture. Skin feels lovely after application and lovelier once it is absorbed: very silky, very smooth and skin looks well-moisturized. If applied overnight, you'll get the softest skin in the morning. I am pretty sure there are fancier and more expensive kind that can deliver the same effect but for the bottles I've tried, this is the best: value and result.

What lotion works for you?

Seryna: Little Tokyo's Gem

To be clear, I am still "eating around" -(",)-*wink* Life (work, family, friends and other extra-curricular activities)  is happening too fast around me and I apologize for not having restaurant updates. However, I will address that gap this rainy weekend by sharing our Seryna experience.

If the name sounds familiar, that's because the foodie community considers the restaurant as one of the institutions in Japanese dining. I have shared a number of times that Person A and I love Japanese food and our favorite place to get our fix is at Little Tokyo. Due to Seryna's popularity, we tried to walk in 4 times and we've been turned down 4 times, too. Surprise! Surprise! When we headed out at 6PM, one Friday night, we were lucky that one table is reserved for 8PM, hence we got accommodated.

The Place

The place is already buzzing with locals by the time we claimed our table. By locals, I mean Japanese men who already rolled their sleeves and enjoying sushi at the bar. 

This is definitely a good sign! The place is cozy, warm and brown, and exudes a neighborhood vibe. It looks clean and well-maintained. Wines adorn one wall and tables for 4-8 people are available.

If you are a big group, you might want to ask if they have a separate room or can arrange their tables so it can comfortably seat everyone, I have doubts based on the length-biased dimension of the place.

The Food

We started off with his and hers sashimi. We agreed to disagree so the lady ordered tuna sashimi while the gentleman had salmon. Both orders were excellent!

Maguro/Tuna Sashimi (PhP 215)

Five, thick slices of fresh tuna. It tastes really fresh, chewy but firm. It's not salty nor doesn't have the iron-y taste of blood.

Salmon (PhP 240)

Five pieces of pink salmon flesh. The fish tastes so fresh and of "young salmon".  Look how pretty those lines are. One of the better ones we've tried.

Yaki Tori (PhP 240)

Five skewers of different chicken parts and products: chicken fillet, chicken liver, chicken heart, chicken balls and gizzard. All skewer is juicy and tender. What takes it from good to great is the "charcoal" taste rendered by the teriyaki sauce or the grill itself.

Buta-Buta (PhP65)

Pork belly skewer. We ordered an additional stick because the little girl prefers pork any given day. Same as the chicken version, it's juicy, tender and tastes good with the sauce. Worth the try.

Matcha Azuki Milk Kakiguri (PhP 210)

Shaved ice flavored with green tea and milk and with real beans! The ice is finely shaved but big enough to prevent it from melting prematurely. Green tea and milk are added generously. The beans provide an additional texture and complementary flavor. For shaved ice, this is premium. The serving can also be shared by two. The flavors are so generous that it already borders halo-halo with minimal sahog. And now, I am craving halo halo on a stormy night.

Tiramisu(PhP 240)

This got to be the priciest tiramisu, ever. For starters, the width is 1" thick while the length is about 3". I tell you, that's really small! Espresso is strong while texture is that of cream bordering gelato. Had it been bigger, I would recommend it but it's not, so better get this dessert elsewhere.

In Summary

1. The place is great for welcoming the weekend with friends and family. It can work for romantic dates as long as your partner doesn't crave for a fine dining ambiance and loves Japanese cuisine. 

2. Food is divine, really great. We enjoyed the sashimi, the skewers and the premium shaved ice. Be careful with the teeny-weeny tiramisu serving.

3. Surprisingly, price is comparable to restaurants in the area and in fact could be cheaper. 

Seryna 

Little Tokyo, 

2277 Chino Roces Ave

Legazpi Village

Makati

63.2.894.3855

Meet the Reeds, the Queen of Thorns and Blackfish Tully

"... it's gonna be as intriguing, as spectacular, sexy and violent as it has been up 'til now"

Here's what the big guys at HBO revealed during the San Diego Comic Con.



The new cast for Season 3! And it will be released March 31, 2013.

Awww... too long a time to wait. Until then and until the Winds of Winter release, I will just re-read the  first 5 books and watch show re-runs.

1 Corinthians 13

These verses from the bible never grow old and if I forget how to love, I always go back to this chapter.

If I could speak all the human and angelic tongues, but had no love, I would only be sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, knowing secret things with all kinds of knowledge, and had faith great enough to remove mountains, but had no love, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I had to the poor, and even give up my body to be burned, if I am without love, it would be of no value to me.

Love is patient, kind, without envy. It is not boastful or arrogant. It is not ill-mannered nor does it seek its own interest. Love overcomes anger and forgets offenses. It does not take delight in wrong but rejoices in truth. Love excuses everything, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

Romantic love is a commitment to make each passing day a fairy tale experience for your partner, no matter what the circumstance is.  I am blessed that I am with someone who believes in the same thing. And we've done a lot of "the works" to make each other feel special.

And let me share one of our  "kilig moves"

With the golden ratio. You got it right, his favorite number is the golden ratio. 

Don't ask.

16 on his basketball jersey.

My favorite number.

I thank God for the gift of love.

I Don't Believe in Make-Up: Kiehls Lip Balm #1

I have extra dry lips, the kind that cracks and bleeds when left dry. I am not kidding. If I don't apply petroleum jelly before I sleep, it's guaranteed the moment I wake up, I have a spot of blood on my lips. Hindi naman ako vampira. So the first vanity product that I own is a lip balm, at age 10. Mama bought it for me.

I have tried and tested numerous products in my 16 years as a lip balm user. As much as possible, I buy balm not gloss. I am not sure on the technicalities but I think gloss is more for vanity purposes while balm has healing and soothing benefits. Don't quote me on this.

I've used mostly Chapstick and Body Shop Born Lippy Lip Balm. The former provides the basic benefits while the latter moisturizes and at the same time provides a nice I've just been kissed look. However it tends to get too shiny. My perfect moisturizer is petroleum jelly but it's too sticky and you can't eat anything if you use it. It's only good for overnight use as you get the softest lips in the morning.

Out of curiosity, I tried what the rave is all about Carmex. 

At PhP 99, it sounds like a steal considering that everyone swears by it. With its moisturizing content: petrolatum, lanolin, Vitamin E, Shea Butter, Aloe Butter, Cocoa Butter and more, it has all the good stuff in it that can moisturize the lips. It gets the job done although it tends to get my lips looking shiny but pale bordering grey. I put it in the league of Body Shop Born Lippy. 

Still in search for my perfect balm, I gambled on splurging for a 15-mL tube of Lip Balm #1. 

At ~PhP 500, it contains, petrolatum, squalene, lanolin, Wheat Germ and other soothing ingredient. The consistency is that of liquid petroleum jelly without the greasy feel! It's wonderful. It makes my lips soft, supple and brings out my natural lip color which is pale pink! Hahaha! Perhaps, I am hallucinating or I am delusional.

At 35 deg C heat and with Lip Balm #1 on. 

Until I find another better lip balm, this will be on top of my list. 

Great one Kiehls!

The Best of the Mind Museum

According to its website, The Mind Museum is the first world-class science museum in the Philippines. With over 250 inter-active minds-on and hands-on exhibits, the museum will be a venue that will present science as entertaining, fun, and engaging. 

The exhibits are divided into 5 parts:

1. The Story of the Universe: Its Beginning and Majesty
2. The Story of the Earth: Its Story Across the Breadth of Time
3. The Story of Life: The Exuberant Varieties of Life
4. The Story of the Atom: The Strange World of the Very Small
5. The Story of Technology: The Showcase of Human Ingenuity

Person A organized a Saturday afternoon date with some friends to explore the museum. We also want to see the star that I named after him 2 years back.



97% of the exhibits are highly interactive and meant to be discovered on your own: you should be curious enough to try it, to figure out how things work and well to enjoy it. I won't go through what is inside each exhibit, a lot of bloggers have done so. What I will share are the things I find most enjoyable.

1. Stan, the Tyrannosaurus Rex



My first encounter with a real dinosaur skeleton BLEW.ME.OFF. Surreal.

2. Walk through the Fossil Story



Tips on how to become a fossil. Just in case you have plans of becoming one.

3. The magical moon



The moon is huge, about 5-ft in diameter. The texture looks realistic and looks good in photos.

4. Earthquake Exhibit

Wanna know how strong an intensity 7 or 3 earthquake is? Try this exhibit. It's scary

5. The Van de Graaf Generator

I always try this in science museums. Hair-raising at its finest. Just don't make the mistake of disconnecting the complete circuit (e.g. holding the machine with one hand or raising your foot off the ground). You don't want to risk getting electrocuted.

6. Flying Balls with the Bernoulli Principle Machine

It's cool to see the balls defying gravity and at the same time controlling it with your hands. You can also try to be creative and try catching balls, like what these boys are doing.

7. Frequency and Wavelength Machine



This is also a personal favorite. Sound each tube and you can see the wavelength of each - from low to high frequency.

8. Mirrors and Laser



This exhibits allows you to manipulate a series of mirrors to shoot a target. Since there are two, this is a fun way to battle it out with a date. We did. As expected, I lost.

9. The Playground

This is also a winner. The park is located outside the museum wherein there are numerous stations featuring slides, see-saw, bars, drums and a lot of bubble activities. What's more? You can visit the park for PhP 100. For the activities you can do, it is worth it.

In Summary:

1. The Mind Museum is full of activity-based exhibits which require interacting and tinkering. The downside, some of the machines are damaged. The building is beautiful in white and spacious. The connecting tunnels through each exhibits are also very interesting and exhibit on their own.

2. My friends and I find it okay. To be fair, we have a strong science background that's why we kinda know how most of the exhibits work. Though, it's still a creative way of spending an afternoon. It could be perfect for high school kids who are still starting their formal and deeper science education. As for toddlers? Well, it won't hurt if we encourage their curiosity.

3. Three hours would be too short to explore all exhibits. It's either you do a whole day pass or visit the other things some other time.

4. The Playground is worth the visit. It's your typical playground but with science-based amenities. I like the huge drum, infinity slide, seeing the world through animals' eyes. You can enter for free if you're a museum guest but if you don't have plans on getting inside the building you can enjoy the amenities for PhP 100. Great for toddlers and kids! 

The Mind Museum
JY Campos Park, 3rd Avenue
Bonifacio Global City
Taguig
63.2.909.6463

An Invitation to All My Boy Friends

And girls, to all your boy friends, too!

The Singles for Christ Makati Corporate Chapter is holding a Christian Life Program exclusive for men ages 21 to 40.

I've been a member of this community since 2009 and I like to share the joy I experience in my journey serving Christ.

Give Chief a call or a message at 0917 879 9695 or you can email (smregalado@gmail.com) or tweet (solskiregalado) me.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cold and Sweet

How are you with the crazy Manila rain? I hope everyone is safe.

Like most institutions, the management sent us home earlier so I decided to drop by the grocer to get some supplies just in case the deluge continues. While doing my routine check on what the ice cream freezer holds, this caught my attention

Uh-huh! Reese's ice cream.

And so ice cream bar on a rainy day is in order.

As expected, it is the cold version of our favorite chocolate. The chocolate coating is extremely thin and easily breaks if you don't handle the bar with care. What I like is the cream filling. It's the lesser sweet version of the chocolate without compromising the peanut butter goodness.

You should try this and compare it with Snickers and M&Ms. Can I reiterate that I love ice cream or anything sweet for that matter?

Goojab Unilever!

Dear Selecta, you know what to do. -(",)-*wink*

The Ring... The Lord of the Rings

I am still here -(",)-*wink*

Last week was all about spending time with friends and getting on with daily responsibilities that yesterday I took a break to do some household chores, try to catch up on the things I have to deliver until I was side-tracked with the Lord of the Rings trilogy on HBO.

Epic story aside, that's at least 8 hours of Peter Jackson goodness. After enjoying what the movie has to offer, I am now convinced to revisit Fellowship of the Ring after I started it 10 years ago. I only got to 100 pages because the narrative was too much for my 16-year-old mind. I am also looking for another series to lull the time away while I wait for Winds of Winter and Dreams of Spring. A 4-book series should be sufficient to consume my 6-months or 6-weeks (depends if I get obsessed) of how-many-more-years of wait for George Martin to finish his A Song of Ice and Fire Series. 

I am still to meet someone who doesn't love the LOTR movies. I like the movie the moment I saw it on big screen a little over 10 years ago. Although, I took it for its entertainment value, I was not in too deep the story. I haven't read the book after all. One thing I missed back then was how THE ring looks like. I know, right? Now, you can sue me!

That fact is important because Person A bought a ring for himself four years back. You see, save for a few watches, he does not own any piece of jewelry. When he saw this specific ring at a jewelry store, he was convinced to get it because it's the one - THE ONE RING, that is. His typical 6 to 12 months of thinking-looking at it-thinking again-checking the budget-looking at it again was set aside and we took home the ring.

And he's been wearing it since.

Oddly familiar?

I am tempted to take it and have the inscription engraved

"One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, 

One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them"

To seal the deal and just for kicks.

So, wish I can get back to reading.

And speaking of movies, I checked out the Amazing Spiderman!

It's entertaining. Andrew Garfield is adorable and Emma Stone is cute beyond words. It's a fresh take on Tobey Maguire's spidey but I can't decide which one is better. I like the latest movie because it's raw and you can see the struggle of the teenager who just got superpowers. The downside, Andrew Garfield's Peter is a bit "hyperactive/extrovert". 

Teenagers?

Do check out the movie and tell me what you think.