Looking Forward to November....

I've been browsing my favorite blogs, reading the paper, and basically, have been trying to get updated on the latest events and happenings in the metro. Wow! There's really a lot to look forward to in November! I can't wait! Have a look at some of the events. You might be interested in going to one of them. ;-)

MICHAEL JACKSON'S "THIS IS IT" CONCERT/TRIBUTE
WHAT: See how Michael Jackson -- a true legend and talent, prepared for what his concert would-have been. He truly was an incredible talent. He knew music well, could outdance anyone, and had a very big heart. Get to know the real "MJ" through this candid documentary. He was just misunderstood, that's all.

WHEN: October 28 - November 11, 2009

WHERE: All local movie theatres

FOR MORE INFO: Click the City Site (cinema schedules)


YULETIDE SOUK BAZAAR '09
WHAT: A fundraising event brought by the Got Heart Foundation. They'll feature 100 independent designers and entrepreneurs. I imagine this will be an excellent opportunity to discover interesting, creative, and unique items that you can buy for yourself or as a head start for Christmas shopping! ;-)

WHEN: November 7-8, 2009, 10 am-10 pm

WHERE: Rockwell Tent, Makati City

FOR MORE INFO: PH Best Deals Blog, Got Heart Foundation



ANTON'S ULTIMATE TASTE TEST III
WHAT: This is a venue for home bakers, chefs, etc. to introduce their food products and get feedback on them. With a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and above, you can be featured in the Awesome Planet website too to get more business out of your start-up venture. On the other end of the spectrum, you can join this event to be one of the "taste testers." That's what we're doing. ;-) You'll need to register though and I think they have a cap of 300 people. Get more info in the Awesome Planet website below.

WHEN: November 8, 2009, 11 am-2 pm

WHERE: The Fort, Taguig City (The exact location will be revealed once you register for this event)

FOR MORE INFO: Our Awesome Planet Site


CONSUMER ELECTRONICS FAIR
WHAT: Learn about the new technologies and gadgets available in the market and purchase them on the spot! I'm not too sure about this but most of the stuff here will probably be available at discounted rates. So make sure to have your credit cards handy! But before that, make sure to click on the link below to register to the event for free. That means free entrance! ;-)

WHEN: November 13-15, 2009

WHERE: World Trade Center, Pasay City

FOR MORE INFO: CEL Manila Site


WORLD PYRO OLYMPICS 2009
WHAT: It's the first pyro musical competition between Canada, Australia, China, Germany, Japan, Italy, South Korea, Philippines, and the United States. This is an event professional photographers and "hobby-ists" look forward to every year. Because of its romantic atmosphere (a dinner offered in the VIP area), this is also a chance for couples and "would-be" ones to spend a special evening together -- underneath the stars and fireworks. ;-)

WHEN: November 21, 28 and December 5, 12, and 19, 2009, 6:30 pm onwards

WHERE: Bonifacio Global City, Taguig (near MC Home Depot)

FOR MORE INFO: World Pyro Olympics Site


FIT N' RIGHT FUN RUN
WHAT: A fun run SLASH fundraising event where part of the proceeds will go to the victims of Typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng. There are cash prizes for those who win first, second, and third place in the marathon. Regardless of your ranking, you're automatically entered in a raffle to win a Lenovo laptop too! All these while trying to do something healthy! It's a win-win-win-win situation! ;-)

WHEN: November 22, 2009, 4 am call time

WHERE: Mall of Asia, Pasay City

FOR MORE INFO: Animetric's World Site

"Beautifying" Your Closets and Drawers

My husband LOVES hardware stores! I'm not too fond of them but I tough it out because he does spend hours on end following me around when I shop for shoes and clothes. It's only fair right? ;-) While he's looking at halogen bulbs and snooze-worthy electrical wires, I just try to amuse myself at the Gardening section or the Kitchen Gadget aisle.

Yesterday was one of those days. We were at the DIY Shop at Greenhills. Jojo's latest home project is illuminating that area above our kitchen cupboards. He was trying to go for that homey and subdued lighting effect in the kitchen. It took a while to decide what to get, measuring the wires, figuring out the right intensity of light, the switches, etc. etc. Again, I just tried to walk around the store to try and amuse myself.

It's a great thing that the DIY Shop at Greenhills has this Japanese Store-type area within it. Everything is sold for 88 pesos there. Admittedly, there's not a whole lot of interesting buys there. They've got the usual plastic ware -- coming in different shapes, sizes, and uses. There's Japanese ceramics, a bunch of knick knacks, kitchen ware, and many others. It's just like any other Japanese store in the metro. Nothing too exciting. But there was one thing there though that caught my eye. I'm talking about these pretty, scented drawer liners. It comes in five different colors and scents.

Since it's presented in a hard-cover folder, it's actually easy to mistake it as stationery. But inside it, you'll see five 22.5 x 17" drawer liners with a floral design, folded nicely. One set is more than enough to line a whole closet, really. I only needed two sets -- one for the closet in the master's bedroom and the other, for the drawers in the guest room. It took me a while to decide since they all smelled nice. But I eventually went for the Lily-scented one in beige and the Bamboo and White Tea-scented one in green. Between the two, I prefer the scent of the Bamboo and White Tea one. It has that fresh linen fragrance. Nothing like detergent, of course. I guess a cross between fresh linen and a Victoria-Secret type mist or something. The Lily one has a mild floral scent. A little bit on the "talc-y" side. But not overpowering. To be honest, I chose it because of the color. The beige and white combination would go well on our wenge closet. ;-)

The best part of all is that I got the drawer liners for only 88 pesos per set! That's only 176 pesos altogether! I'm not sure how long the scent will last. But I do know one thing. My closet looks very pretty now! ;-) I'm really loving them. I'm thinking these liners will make excellent stocking stuffers for Christmas. For its price, you can give each of your friends or relatives all five sets and variants of the drawer liners! If they're as "OC" as me, I'm sure they'll be loving them too! ;-)

Revisiting T.G.I. Fridays

Every Friday, my husband and I often go out for what we call our "Date Night." ;-) Yesterday was a long and exhausting day at work. And with the traffic, Jojo and I didn't get to meet up later that day until 7:00. I was waiting for him to pick me up at Bonifacio High Street. We had planned to go to Mall of Asia, initially. But because we were already starving, we decided to just stay put.

As usual, I was craving for something cheesy. Jojo, ever the "typical" guy, said that at the moment, he could eat anything as long as it had rice and the servings are huge. ;-) To suit both of our requirements, we found T.G.I. Friday's to be the perfect choice. We were third on the waiting list but surprisingly, we were accommodated in a couple of minutes!

There's a myriad of choices at T.G.I. Friday's. It was so hard deciding! Jojo wanted the baby back ribs. You would think it would be that simple. But with the back ribs, there's the option of either glazed in barbecue sauce or Jack Daniel's. I wanted chicken. But which one? As garlic primavera pasta, alfredo, in burger form, glazed and served with side dishes, or on top of my salad??!?? Man, when you're hungry, you just want to eat them all! ;-) Well, it took us a while. But Jojo eventually ordered the Half Baby Back Ribs with Tangy Barbecue Sauce (595 pesos). There's one side dish that went with it. Jojo got the fries and eventually ordered an extra side dish of Rice Pilaf (65 pesos). I ordered the Jack Daniel's Chicken (365 pesos). It came with corn-on-the cob and I opted for their cheddar cheese mashed potatoes.

Jojo was quite happy with his Baby Back Ribs. It was indeed, very tender. But he commented that the flavour of the marinade or glaze did not seep through to the inside. It was, nonetheless, still good. But he was being frank when he said that Rack's ribs were better.

I really liked the Rice Pilaf though. It was tasty and it went so well with the meat dishes. Jojo thought it was okay. He likes his rice more garlicky. I, on the other hand, just think he's a weirdo. ;-) Hahaha! ;-)

My Jack Daniel's Chicken was just the way I liked it. The sauce was sweet and a bit "plum-y." My three pieces of chicken breast fillet were tender and very filling. The corn was sweet and it went well with the chicken. A lazy part of me wished the corn wasn't served on the cob though. It gets stuck in your teeth and it can get a bit messy.

Although I loved the chicken that I ordered, it was not the real highlight of this meal. What I wanted to rave about was T.G.I. Friday's cheddar cheese mashed potato. I've tried a lot of mashed potatoes in my whole lifetime. But I would have to say that T.G.I. Friday's is the best! It was smooth and it glided easily in my mouth. At the same time, there were bits of potato skins in there that gave it texture in every bite. It's quite hard to spot the cheese just from looking at it. But when you take your bite, oh, it's definitely in there! Everything went so well together! For a cheese lover like me, this side dish was pure heaven. And it definitely upstaged the chicken! ;-) After that first bite, I remember telling my husband that I could eat T.G.I. Friday's mashed potato everyday and never get sick of it. ;-) I absolutely loved it.

So hurry on out to T.G.I. Friday's to fulfill that craving for an All-American meal! Don't forget to order that cheddar mashed potatoes though. Whether you end up liking or not liking what you ordered with it, trust me, the cheddar mashed potatoes will definitely be worth its price. ;-)

Awesome, Non-Mainstream Christmas Music Finds

The Filipinos are known to be a resilient bunch. You'd think that after Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) and Parma (Pepeng) devastated many homes, we'd be feeling completely down in the dumps. Rather, with strength and a strong sense of community to back us up, we deal with it, wipe the dust off of our sleeves, and get on up again. Now everyone seems to be all smiles again. The weather is a bit chillier now, the malls are beginning to get packed, there's Christmas trees and decor everywhere, and Christmas songs fill up all public intercoms now. Yes, it's Christmas season once again (all four months of it!) and there's no stopping the Filipinos from celebrating their most favorite holiday of the year! ;-)

To get you and any "Grinch"s that you know in the Christmas spirit, allow us to share with you some of our recent Christmas album finds. These are not mainstream and I doubt that you've even heard of these artists. In fact, Jojo and I have never heard of them too until now. Jojo enjoys discovering new and unknown artists on the web. He's focused his energy lately on finding Christmas albums. Some of the albums on the list sound quite sentimental and a few are upbeat. Either way, I hope that you'll enjoy these music finds. We'll even tell you where you can download them. ;-) Enjoy! ;-)

1.) WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS by Anthony Evans

I was taken by Anthony Evan's sweet and melt-your-heart vocals. Definitely a voice that will make you fall in love! ;-) I especially loved "Where are You Christmas" and his version of "The Grown Up Christmas List" and "O Holy Night." His is what I classify as "chill" music. Perfect background music for bonding with loved ones and friends around the Christmas tree. ;-)

Click HERE to download.

2.) CHRISTMAS IS... by Mark Masri

Some of the tracks on this album showcase his classical training. There are a couple of songs that have that "lullaby" orchestration. One song sounds like it's straight from a broadway production. There's pop, ballad, and the traditional/classic Christmas take in there too. Mark Masri collaborated with Jim Brickman and Olivia Newton-John on 3 of the songs in the album. I liked his duet with Olivia Newton-John, in particular. "Everytime It Snows" was totally full of heart. I think that's one of Mark Masri's strengths. Just like he did for the track "A Christmas Time With You, " it's obvious that he truly sings from the heart. Whatever your preferences are, there's something for everyone in this album. I think you'll love it. I consider Mark Masri's "Christmas Is" album a perfect one to listen to with a cup of egg nog or hot chocolate. In other words, perfect "senti" music for those who would like to emote...;-) Hahaha! ;-)

Click HERE to download.

3.) WINTER WONDERLAND by Emilie-Claire Barlow

Wow, her voice is so sultry and sexy! I love her voice -- most especially her low register. Just beautiful! I absolutely loved every single song in this album. She's a real delight to listen to. They're all jazz -- though a few songs are more upbeat than others. I consider "What are You Doing New Year's Eve" to be the perfect song for a slow dance with your partner. ;-) Emilie-Claire Barlow shows off her musicality, excellent breath control, and range in the uber-upbeat "Sleigh Ride." She's playful in "Santa Baby,"Baby It's Cold Outside," and "Jack Frost." There are a few senti songs too. But her version of "Let It Snow" will have to be my favorite among all of them. Overall, I think this album is perfect background music for when wrapping Christmas presents. In there, there are songs that can make you giddy. There are "chill" music in there too to alleviate some of the stress that the Christmas season may bring. Overall, it's a delightful album that can keep you company whatever you're doing this Christmas. ;-)

Click HERE to download.

4.) THE MUSIC OF CHRISTMAS by Steven Curtis Chapman

The strength and beauty of this Christmas album lies in the beautiful, inspiring, and touching lyrics of the songs in this album. Close to about half of the 12 tracks were written by Steven Chapman himself. For instance, "Going Home For Christmas" is a song that talks about the first Christmas after the death of an important member in the family. "Christmas is All in the Heart" reminds us about the real essence of Christmas despite the many struggles that we encounter everyday and during the season. "Precious Promise" retells the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of a beautiful promise through Jesus Christ. There are a few other songs originally-composed songs -- all bearing positive messages about Christmas and what it really stands for. Other than these, the album also has other Christmas classics such as "Angels We Have Heard On High," "O Come All Ye Faithful," "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," and many others -- mostly presented as a medley.

Steven Chapman accompanies his songs with an acoustic guitar. Because of this, the songs have that reflective, introspective, and sentimental touch to it. I think it's an album that's perfect to listen to in your car. When the traffic, chaos, and stress of the Christmas season gets to you, this album will definitely help to relax you and remind you of the true purpose of this season...;-)

Click HERE to download.

5.) SENTIMENTAL CHRISTMAS by Kathy Troccoli

From this list, I think it's pretty obvious that I'm partial to jazz. ;-) I love it when my Christmas songs are jazzy! They just go so well together don't you think? Another new discovery that fits this list perfectly is Kathy Troccoli's Sentimental Christmas album. Because of its orchestration, you can hear subtle hints of jazz in the songs. But altogether, Kathy Troccoli sticks to the traditional take on old Christmas favorites. The songs sound just like their original counterpart except this time, adding Kathy Troccoli's smooth, alto vocals. There's a touch of Big Band music in the songs too thanks to the trumpets and drums. The songs, overall, are upbeat and are sure to make you giddy about the Christmas season. ;-) I classify this album as perfect background music for Christmas shopping. It's one to put everyone in a good mood at the start of your Christmas party or Noche Buena! ;-)

Click HERE to download.

There you go! That's our list for now. I'll try to update as soon as I discover another interesting Christmas album. Have a musical Christmas season everyone! ;-)

List-Mania!!!

We admit. My husband and I are not exactly novel-readers. This could be attributed possibly to our short attention spans. ;-) But really, we prefer "Bathroom Reader"-type books or The Book of Lists. We enjoy learning trivia and delving into mysterious and unexpected bits of info about certain events, figures, and how things came to be. There's so much intrigue and conspiracies to uncover. It's all REALLY interesting stuff!

So you can just imagine my excitement when Jojo - my husband, shared NOT a book, but a website with such information with me. Think of the convenience, the accessibility, and the wealth of trivia and information I could find right at my fingertips! I'm talking about a website called Listverse at http://listverse.com/ . Here, you'll find Top 10 lists of anything unexpected and unimaginable! There's one on the Top 10 Most Famous Penises, Top 10 Fascinating Deathbed Confessions, Top 10 Mysteries of the Bible, Ten Truly Bizarre Relationships,
and many, many others!

This website is an excellent stress reliever at work. If you're bored, it's a website that can amuse you for hours on end! The website has been consistent with churning up a new list everyday. I'm loving all of them. They're as random as they can get and that's just the way I like it. ;-) Have fun! ;-)

Cheap, Chic Notebooks (Now say that 5 times fast!)

One thing to know about me is that I'm a big fan of lists. I write grocery lists, "Things to Do" lists, "Places to Go" lists, "Movies to Watch" lists, and probably any other list that you can think of. These lists come in handy when I'm too busy and overwhelmed or when I'm bored or even when I'm feeling a little down. My lists give me that "sense" of order and it reminds me of the many things that I can look forward to as well.

Mind you, when I write these lists, I don't jot them on just some random loose leaf sheet. I get really picky about what I write on. It has to be a notebook -- and a pretty one at that. The sheets have to be lined, white, and crisp. Additionally, the notebook has to be light and easy to lug around.

I find that Fully Booked has the prettiest selection of these kind of notebooks. I love those chic and graphic Jordi Labanda notebooks. They also have a bunch of other ones with a hard cover or even the moleskin type. The cheapest notebook that you'll find at Fully Booked cost around 350 pesos. It's not bad, actually. But I found an even cheaper alternative at the School/Office Supplies section of SM Glorietta. Just go to the third floor, near the Children's section.

I'm talking about these chic King Jim notebooks. You could easily mistake them as a Jordi Labanda. It's obvious where the inspiration came from. But the good thing is, these notebooks are VERY cheap! They have the same lined, white, and crisp pages. The cover is hard and sturdy too. Definitely "luggable." Their notebooks come in three different sizes to fit all purses. They also come in a number of styles and designs. Just have a look at the ones that I bought below. The larger blue one cost 89.75 pesos. The smaller one went for only 62.75 pesos. It comes in an even smaller size. Since my writing is big and lists are often long, I didn't think I would find use for a notebook that small. But I think that one went for less than 40 pesos.

Nice huh? Definitely a great find! I'm sure these are available at National Bookstore and other SM branches. I got mine at SM Glorietta and I was really happy with the selection that they had there. I'm not too sure whether the other branches will have the same varied selection though.

Alright, that's that. Now excuse me as I write my grocery list in my suuuper cool notebook...;-)