Friday, January 30, 2009

Mugen Puchi Puchi and Mugen Peri Peri for sale!

Just got some from Japan:

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<-- 550 pesos each
<-- available colors are Black (1), Blue (2), Pink (1)

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<-- 500 pesos each
<-- available colors are Green (1), Blue (1)

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<-- reserved already ^_^

I can ship via Aboitiz 2go. I can fit up to 5 mugens in the small pouch for 125 pesos. (Delivery in 1-2 days + Online tracking) ^_^

Let me know if anyone's interested. ^_^

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Nigella = Happiness

I have another Glucose Test scheduled next week but I couldn't resist it -- I flipped open a Nigella Lawson cookbook and succumbed to her words.

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I'm not a good cook and I'm a terrible baker -- but I love reading cookbooks and I have a lot of them -- for some strange reason, my sibs (and Johann) got me cookbooks as gifts in times past.

I enjoy reading Nigella Lawson -- she experiences such an honest pleasure over cooking and eating -- which I think is rare in our time. She's also quite funny and she inserts little tidbits even in her cooking/baking instructions. ^_^

Here's a lovely recipe from How to be a Domestic Goddess --

If anyone can make this for me, I will love that person forever (or until the next craving) --

Snickers and Peanut Butter Muffin
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
3 1/2 full-size Snickers bars, chopped

12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the peanut butter and mix until you have a bowl of coarse crumbs. Add the melted butter and egg to the milk, and then stir this gently into the bowl. Mix in the Snickers pieces and dollop into the muffin cups.

Cook for 20-25 minutes, when the tops should be risen, golden, and firm to the (light) touch. Sit the pan on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes before taking out each muffin in its paper cup and leaving them on the wire rack to cool.

Makes 12.

* * *

My sister and Johann are both very happy --


Because they finally got this book.

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The two of them held "friendly" negotiations last night over who gets to read it first -- Johann, who, despite expressing numerous times how he hates bringing hardcovers to work, lugged this one willingly and with a song in his heart to work this morning.

My other Barry Hughart blog entry.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Booksale Haul! --

It's been a while since I last dropped by Booksale -- it's hard to go there during the weekends because it's usually crowded and we have Seth with us.

This morning, I had to meet someone there for an Ebay transaction and I decided to spend a bit of time browsing through the books and magazines.

These are what I came home with:
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Johann loves to pick up old issues of MacLife because of all the nice tips on how we could maximize our Macbook and his phone. These days, even my sister (who used to be a die-hard PC person) reads it and loves all the gadgets that they feature.

I was also happy to find a copy of Real Simple -- love, love, love this magazine. ^_^

I picked up the copy of Locus Magazine because it's supposed to contain a "Year in Review" for Sci-fi and Fantasy novels, which Johann and my sister read. (My sister already read the magazine and said it was dangerous because now her list of wants has grown longer.)

I also got this book on a whim:
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I'm happy that I have another non-romance novel to read. ^_^

* * *

I am a proud Mama --


I'm a relatively new Mac convert but I can safely say "Apple Forever!" -- (Johann echoes this sentiment) --

I want Seth to grow up with a Mac -- and he's off to a good start. He already knows how to unlock his Papa's phone and scroll through all the Apps. (Johann has installed a fun App for Seth and it proves useful when we're waiting at the doctor's and Seth is super restless.)

He knows the Apple logo and he knows where the volume controls are (and the power button). <-- the last two are meant to annoy us.

Yesterday, I caught him fiddling with the Mac and I told him I'll be taking some pictures of him.

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<-- this button makes things loud, which annoys Mama and wakes Papa up

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Wow! Iloilo! --

Every now and then, my mom would ask us if we have any regrets about moving back to Iloilo and our answer would always be "No, but --" (It is appended with needing to go to Manila once in a while for books and other things.)

It amazed and befuddled me how enamored my mom was of Iloilo and how she felt that she didn't need to go anywhere else.

I sort of understand this now --

About a week ago, I stumbled upon some blogs that were about Iloilo and that lead me to websites and forums -- I've spent a few afternoons now reading up on my city and I am, admittedly, embarrassed to admit how little I knew about Iloilo.

I've been entertaining (read: boring) my family with all the fun facts I've learned -- did you know that, considering how small the city is, we have 4 SMs? And, rumor has it, they are thinking of building #5? ^_^

Another interesting development here is the number of new, local restaurants that opened in Smallville (a popular nightlife area). We tried one of them last Tuesday -- Mojave Grill and Steakhouse --

And, after dinner, we hopped over to the dessert place next door called "Nothing But Desserts" --

(Photos plus more comments on the restaurants to follow ^_^)

In terms of food places alone, there's still a lot that we haven't discovered. Then there are the old places to rediscover -- the downtown area with its offering of cheap cloth and other knickknacks. (I had a brief glimpse of this when I went to Iloilo Shanghai, located in downtown, last December to buy ribbons.)

So now I'm excited -- and I can't wait for it to be Tuesday (date day) so that Johann and I can try something new again. ^_^

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Some things that confuddle me --

1. Where is Cagayan Valley and where is Cagayan de Oro? (And where is Dave G from? ^_^)

2. What's the difference between purple, violet and indigo? (Discovered that I didn't know this one when Seth and I were learning about colors.) In line with this, why do some oranges look like red but are called orange and why do some reds look like orange but we call them red? (Again, this is poring through Colors picture books.)

3. Considering that it's only one nut per fruit and seeing the abundance of cashew products in the supermarket, are there really that many Cashew trees? (Some of the mystery of the cashew has been debunked for me by Andrew Zimmern when he visited Thailand.)

4. What is barbecue? (We recently saw an episode of Barbecue Paradise on Discovery: Travel and Living and it's very different from what we do.)

5. Which goes first: the end quote or the comma? "He said," or "He said",
On a similar note, which goes first: the end quote or the period? --> His name is John but we call him "Buck." or His name is John but we call him "Buck".


... share the things that confuddle you! ^_^

Friday, January 16, 2009

When all else fails, there's always comic books --

I forgot about Johann's stash of comics!

He brought home two bags full from his recent trip -- so I kept busy last night reading:
The Umbrella Academy Series 2 Issues 1 and 2
<-- Sayang lang that James Jean is no longer doing to cover art but it's a great series. ^_^

Neil Gaiman's The Dream Hunters adapted by P. Craig Russell <-- great artwork! What blew my mind was Russell's transformation of the Dreamworld to fit the Japanese theme. (Cain and Abel are cuties!)

Green Arrow and Black Canary #15
<-- Too bad Judd Winick and Cliff Chiang left this project. The new writer is promising but the art is so-so compared the Chiang's.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

*Sniff* --

Saw this ad earlier this evening --

Made me cry.



Also made me want to go to McDonald's and get fries and a chocolate sundae. (I don't eat them together -- but Johann does. O_o)

More on books --

So Johann came home from Manila last Monday and gave me a copy of Rumors, the second book in the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen.

Like the first book, this one was a page-turner and I finished it in two afternoons (during Seth's nap time) --

Now I'm itching for the third book, which will be released late this month.

The good news is, I'm looking for non-romance novels to read and I now have Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers on my bedside.

It's a bit difficult to scrounge for a book to read right now because Johann and my sister are in "Fantasy-mode" and I don't read Fantasy. (They are currently reading The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney -- which is like 300 but has 10000. <-- Johann's blurb. O_o)

Monday, January 12, 2009

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Starting the year right --

When I was doing my year-end lists, I was a bit appalled by my list of Top 5 books. It took me quite some time to remember the non-romance books that I read in 2008.

Just so I don't have the same problem at the end of 2009, I've been spending the first few days of 2009 reading.

So far, I've finished:
1. Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture by Juliet Schor <-- I've seen this book many times at the bookstore but never bought it because it was hardcover and too expensive. It went on sale recently and I asked Johann to get me the copy. Very interesting read --

2. The Gospel of Judas edited by Rodolphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer and Gregor Wurst <-- saw the documentary on National Geographic and was curious

3. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen <-- a YA novel. This was referenced in one review of Gossip Girl and was curious about it. I was able to find a cheap copy and couldn't put it down. Had to sleep late for 2 nights straight. ^_^

It's a series and book 2 (Rumors) is currently available in hardcover format (saw this at National Bookstore Katipunan the last time I was there) and the paperback edition will be released late January.

I'm also tempted to reread Nigella Lawson's cookbooks but I haven't yet -- considering that my sugar/diet is being strictly monitored, I'm not sure it's a good idea. ^_^

* * *

On packing bags for my hubby --


My hun cannot fold clothes or pack a luggage to save his life. If I let him have his way, all of his clothes would end up wrinkled and the space wouldn't be maximized. So I pack for him.

He needs one of these:


He left for Manila today. Last Monday, I asked him whether he planned to (a) check-in his bags. He answered no, he didn't want the hassle of waiting for his small bag to roll around in the luggage carousel.

Then he went over to our cabinet and looked at the clothes that had just come back from the laundry.

This is how geeky he is -- he told me, "Hun, pack my superhero shirts." O_o

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He also has this shirt, btw:
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* * *

Which one is the video camera?

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Me, Johann and my youngest brother chipped in and gave one to my sister for Christmas. It's a nifty little thing that can actually record 60 minutes of video! And you can connect it to your Mac via the USB. ^_^

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We first heard about it in MacLife where it was reviewed. It was also reviewed in Real Simple. It comes in many colors and is actually quite affordable. ^_^

More info here.

* * *

Oh, yes, we also got Pocky --

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When we saw the Giant Pocky in the box my bro sent from Japan, I went "Whoa" -- and then worried about how Seth was going to eat it. (He hasn't yet -- and we might not let him.)

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To date, Seth has already consumed the Milk Pocky and has started on the small chocolate Pocky. He is so cute when he asks "Open Pocky Please." >_<

I'm seriously thinking of starting a Pocky of the Month Club -- sending out a Pocky flavor every month to everyone who subscribes to it.

Insane idea, I know. ^_^

* * *

This also came with the Pocky --

Another laugh-out-loud moment was unearthing these two from the box my brother sent.

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<-- it's the Mugen Puchi Puchi (INFINITE Bubblewrap!!!) <-- there's a Wii version, btw.

And the other one is the Mugen Periperi. (INFINITE box/letter opening experience!!!)

We're giving these as gifts to two unsuspecting (poor them) friends. ^_^