the takoyaki quest has ended

i've been one of those people who have been exposed (and addicted) to takoyaki balls ever since i was kid i fondly remember going to SM Makati usually after mass to do some grocery shopping. while waiting for mom to pay, dad and i would head over to the samurai stall and order ourselves takoyaki balls. either to share or one order each.

all the while i thought this was the authentic one. then discovered this stall when our office was located in robinsons galleria. but i wasn't the same as the one in samurai. it was more of a veggie takoyaki ball.

then, a good friend (hi shar!) revealed a secret. somewhere tucked in makati a jeepney ride away from our house, authentic takoyaki balls are made. i must find this i say and try it out.

and try it out we did!

upon entering the area, we were greeted with a japanese man manning the glorious balls. oh yes my babies i shall taste you soon, i thought. we entered the restaurant, and greeted with more japanese men. a golf game in japanese was showing on the tv.

we proceeded to order. (sorry no photos to share here. :( totally forgot to do so, being excited and all) first off, we ordered the cubic steak which was one of the specials that day, chicken cordon bleu and of course, those lovely takoyaki balls. hubby ordered grape shake while i ordered mango shake.

can i just say that the cubic steak was good! as in really good. they are of course in cubes (duh, cubic steak haha) and the meat was actually soft and melt in your mouth. the steak were resting on potatoes ala hash brown thatwere really good too. for sure hubby and i will order this again when we come back. the chicken cordon bleu on the other hand, was a bit so-so. i couldn't taste the cheese and the ham. and i just foun it odd that it was topped with tomato sauce.

now, do i really have to do a review of the takoyaki balls?

it was the best! among all the others i have tasted, this was indeed the best there is. and as mentioned, all ingredients were authentic - stuff you'd find when you do order one in japan. even hubby who had the shock of his life when he found out that it was made up of octopus bits and not squid. but he actually had more pieces than i did. and yes, he said these balls were much better tasting than the ones he tasted before (galle takoyaki balls).

total bill for this late night dinner cost us around P800.00 which is ok considering we were really satisfied with our food. and for sure we're going to go back and attack those balls and try out the other restos as well.

(hubby got quite disappointed when he found out that they don't serve sashimi or even california maki)

we're definitely going back to hana in little tokyo. :)

want to know more about Hana? check out Kitchen Cow's review HERE

Pregnancy update #2: coming down with the flu

around 4pm this afternoon while finishing a proposal to be sent to a client, i suddenly felt all heavy and tired. must the colds i was having since Monday, i thought. but as the afternoon passed by, i wasn't feeling any better. it felt as if something was brewing inside me.

another fever wants to break out. and i don't want to entertain the thought at all considering that i just cam from a 3 day sick leave from a very unfortunate incident that happened on friday the 13th (which deserves another post soon). i can't gamble losing my salary for the end month - how will i pay for the bills this end month then?

so anyway, been "drowning" myself with water in the hopes to flush out this impending fever inside me. i don't want to stress out the baby again and cause another worry-wart session between my ob and i.

i sure hope by tomorrow, i would feel better. i guess i just need more rest than usual. this baby's quite the sensitive one. =)

The Pregnancy Update begins

i've decided to create and (hopefully) maintain a pregnancy update if not monthly, weekly if time and the right moment permits. i realized that i didn't document much of the two boy's progress while they were still inside me. heck, i even failed to upload my birthing story of keon which has been stuckin my 2006 starbucks planner all this time.

and i a venture into another milestone and another baby on the way, i think it's time to create a disturbance in the system - so to speak.

on with the pregnancy updates then!

where have i been hiding?

So, what has kept me all quite these past few months from blogging? A lot, really. From work, to personal issues to the homefront, the family and everything else in between. So I have decided to to al ittle of a looking back the past few months had fared.

November 2008:

The much awaited wedding in Cebu. The much awaited travel outside metro manila to the visayas for the very first time. It was the best experience ever with friends and a much needed bonding time with hubby. Which we really deserve.

Work wise, it was my first month as the sole digital sales team for advertising. The one woman team as they call me. It was a bit of a struggle at first, but the stream of clients was steady enough to put a smile on my boss’ face. But it took a lot of elbow grease to keep things moving.

December 2008:

A lot of revelations were unwrapped along with presents for the holidays. One of which was the fact that sales for digital would be shared with the advertising team from print. No complaints from me, but one thing that worried me was that the accounts that I handled were the ones that will be turned over to them. Which meant more time to get a move on.

Revelatation number two: found out after the holidays that I was with baby number 3. a shock and a ray of sunshine at the same time. Had a hard time finding the right moment to tell my boss before spreading the word to everyone else. The morning sickness was hell versus the past 2 pregnancies I had.

And secretly I was praying for a girl this time.

It didn’t matter that people are talking behind my back about being pregnant for the 3^rd time. I don’t care. Let them talk. We will raise our kids even if it takes us not to eat 3 meals a day as long as we can provide their needs. Since they are our priority. And the means for us to get the money is with good intentions.

January 2009:

New year, new beginnings. Enough said.

February 2009:

I’ve decided to start fresh. Reinvent myself, my outlook, my work habits and everything else that needs some positive juju. And so far so good, things are falling into place.

I may have been silent, but I have been living a very spectacular life the past few months. But I think it’s time to share it with people who would spare a few moments to drop by and read my thoughts and feelings and a few grammatical errors and typos along the way.

I am still human after all even if my kids see me as supermom. =)

LP46: Tipanan

di ba't napakasaya tignan ang pinagkainan ng malinis at ubos ang pagkain?

isa ito sa mga paboorito kong kainan na balang araw eh maisasama ko ang aking kabiyak para matikman din nya kung gaano ka-sarap ang pagkain nila.

sa susunod namin tipanan, dito ang tungo namin.

happy LP sa inyo! ako'y muling nagbabalik! =)

my little boy turns 2

and it felt like t was yesterday when we were silently watching you take your first steps, your first smile, all your firsts. and now you're two. somewhat short of a little man that i'm seeing you become.

i now have two toddlers in my hands and seeing you grow up everyday right before my eyes, makes me beam and burst with all the pride i have inside.

but forever you will still be my little chuchibear. and you'll forever be your kuya's baby.

happy birthday keon! you still have a long way to go, and we're all here behind you.

mommy and daddy love you so much! same goes for your kuya kyle and (hopefully,) baby sister :)

the red cups are here!

as some of my close friends and hubby know, November is a special day for me. it's where a yearly tradition is kept - whatever it takes.

and Nov. 4 marks its arrival. last year it was Nov. 7 (methinks). it's here! it's here!!

come to momma toffee nut latte, and you too 2009 Starbucks planner.

*last photo credit to: MAVER

alternative is the best!

rock on! a few classics here and there

apologies for the youtube vid spamming. :)









*the quality's not that great since this vid is one of those rare ones. and i'm glad i was able to see one. better than nothing.



these 3 songs are on the my top 20 best alternative songs ever! when my kids grow up, they will be exposed to them. and i am sure they're going to like them as well.

what's your favorite alternative song/s?

tagged #6

tagged by Mars

and obviously a very delayed post.

The Seven Deadly Sins Meme.

1. wrath:

who did you last get angry with?

-my mom, she was being all dramatic again. All because of the laundry

who did you last get pissed off with?

-keon’s nanny. I sometimes catch her staring at the tv instead of watching keon who’s walking halfway the room already with unsteady steps on a MARBLE floor.

who was the last person who got really angry at you?

-my mom. Same reason as the first question.

do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily?

-I don’t keep grudges. Forgive but not forget.

2. sloth:

what is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven't done in a long time?

-continue my beading

what's the latest you've ever woken up?

-when I was single and not yet a mom: 2pm

who have you been meaning to contact, but haven't?

-some clients. Haha

how many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock today?

-just once then sleep again. I usually set the alarm 30 minutes before. Hehe

3. gluttony:

meat eater?

-definitely

what is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting, outing or event?

-this was in college. An assortment of hard drinks ranging from tequila, lambanog, scotch, gin, and some I can’t remember.

have you ever used a professional diet company?

-Nope.

4. lust:

how many people have seen you completely naked?

-my kids and hubby. Of course not counting my parents when I was a little girl. Hehe

ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a member of your gender of choice during a normal conversation?

-nope.

what's your fave part of the body?

-opposite sex? Eyes and chest.

have you ever made a proposition with a prostitute?

-eeew

5. greed:

if you had $1 million, what would you do with it?

-save for the kids’education, some to finally experience splurging, give 1% to charity, some to my brothers, some to pay up my parents, pay off bills and the remaining, to save up for retirement.

would you rather be rich, or famous?

-If I'm rich, I will also be famous. – agree with you mars!

6. pride:

what is the one thing that you've done that you're most proud of?

-graduating on time, having 2 great kids, and getting the job I want

one thing you have done that your parents are most proud of?

-drama mode lang: I don’t think I ever heard them say they were proud of me – based on achievements. Except the one time when my mom said I know how to take care of my kids.

what would you like to accomplish in your life?

-travel, earn an MBA, have a business and see my kids finish school and see my grandkids.

what did you do today that you're proud of?

-didn’t procrastinate.

7. envy:

if you could be anyone else in the world, who would you be?

-I’m happy being me. Why would I want to be someone else?

have you ever wished you had a different physical feature?

-more junk in the trunk and a size c boobies with toned arms and thighs.

feel free to grab this tag! :D enjoy!

time to save up

the economy is down, prices are going up, so where do we stand? how do you cut down on spending but at the same time make sure your family is living comfortably?

one of the things we cut down on spending is buying newspapers on a daily basis. with news being available and up to date when we access the internet, it's not a practical choice anymore to buy newspapers daily. and considering almost everyone in my family is out, either in school or at work. so, we opted to buy them during the weekends when the whole family is at home and not glued to the pc. we not only save the environment but at the same time save up on having my parents visit their eye doctor and have their eyes checked, their eyeglasses checked and if their lenses require an upgrade to a higher grade. Buying new eyeglasses and lenses is no joke, it must fit comfortably and it wouldn't cause a lot of strain on the user. thank god for stores that sell affordable eyeglasses.