Let’s Play Street Food Tycoon!

Aia and I were talking this one time, I can’t remember what lead us to the topic but she suggested that I play Street Food Tycoon. I’m not really big on gaming. Well except for the year I was hooked on Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts but that was a totally different era. Anyway, I decided to download it on Chewie and give it a try.

First impression? I loved it!

The tutorial was short and simple; the way a tutorial is supposed to be. I have no patience for a lot of jibber jabber. To me  this game is like a cross between Cake Mania and Lemonade Tycoon. So yes, I did enjoy it very much. In fact, I played this game 4 hours straight. Be warned; it’s really addicting.

Another thing I love about this game is that it’s so Pinoy, you have your Qwek-qwek and fishballs, Mercato and local celebrity characters!

The only thing I don’t like about this game it that it encourages me to procrastinate.

A Gantea; Simple Bliss

Being half Sri Lankan I do know a thing or two about tea. Frankly I don’t like it. But with the sudden boom of the Milk Tea culture here in the Philippines, I just have to give tea a second chance. So yes I’ve tried almost everything from Serenitea to Happy Lemon to Gong Cha and what-have-you.

It was only yesterday when Francis had me try this new place in Greenbelt 2, A Gantea. They have this snazzy little place just across Italianis.

Francis suggested I start with the QQ Milk Tea, but I have this thing for Tapioca. So I opted to have it removed and I’d just go with the crystals. Then Matthew said he’d like the Cocoa Milk Lid. I decided to change my order. Yes, they had me at Milk. Best decision I’ve ever made for this week.

This drink contained  the very essence of my chocolate milk-filled childhood. A sip just brought you back to that familiar place and time.

Now the trick to this drink is not to use the straw. You get to the chocolate so fast that you skip on the milk lid part. Its the perfect symphony of salty and sweet. The flavor just rolls in your mouth like sweet caramel and salt fused together. Amazing taste I tell you.

If you’re ever in Greenbelt, give it a try! Definitely worth the trip.

For the Love of Middle Eastern Cuisine

I have always been a fan of Middle Eastern Cuisine. I guess it’s because I grew up in the Middle East. There’s just something about the flavors and spices you just can’t let go of.

When I first got to Manila in 2005 I would get these weird cravings for Hummus, authentic Chicken Shawarma, Kabsa, Tamis and Falafel. Sadly none of the places I’ve been to, that claimed they served Arabic food met up to my expectations. I just waited for my mom’s care packages or yearly trips home to satisfy my cravings.

One fateful day my best friend was telling me about this place in Jupiter Street where they had real Arabic food. I was skeptical at first. But we gave it a try. Let me tell you this, the first bite of that Chicken Shawarma oozing with Garlic Sauce takes you back home.

I usually take my childhood friends to Manaish. And they all say the same thing; it’s definitely the best in Manila.

Last 2011, I met Francis at a supposed watch-harry-potter meet up with old friends. I found out a couple of days later that he grew up in Oman. I was itching to tell him about Manaish. We eventually had dinner there with a couple of our other friends from our Photography Club. Needless to say; Francis was speechless after his first bite. If only I had a photo of his reaction.

Check out his story here.

I just got back from Bacolod the other day and being away from my dear friends for almost 2 months called for a celebration of some sort. Francis invited us to have dinner at Manaish.

They had us try their new dish; Baked Chicken and Beef Shawarma

It’s technically the same Shawarma but the Kofta Bread is baked along with the chicken or beef. This definitely gave it a different texture. Highly satisfying.

For appetizers we ordered the Mezza Platter but customized it with four servings of Hummus and four servings of Moutabal. Our friends loved the Hummus, unlike most Arabic restaurants in Manila, the Hummus in Manaish has a milder taste with a very smooth texture, heaven is an understatement to how good Manaish’s hummus is.

We also ordered the  Manaish Pizza. I had it the last time I was there with friends and I wanted Francis and the rest to give it a try. Unlike your usual pizza, Arabic pizza has more flavor play. Various toppings laid on a thin crust baked to perfection.

And since Francis and I are huge fans of garlic sauce, we ordered three servings of their garlic cream. I kid you not when I say this is not the usual garlic mayo you get in local markets. This is the garlic sauce of the middle east.

After dinner we all had Shaii. Compliments of Manaish. I’m not a fan of tea but Arabian Shaii is different. It’s a bittersweet blend with a hint of mint. A splendid way to end a meal.

If you’re around Manila, looking for the best place to satisfy your craving for authentic Arabic cuisine, visit Manaish. Located  at Jupiter Street, just right behind the Jaguar/Land Rover showroom. You can’t miss it!

Taking A Leap

I’ve done a lot of crazy things for love. My best friend can surely attest to that. I’ve commuted all the way from Laguna to Mendiola on a school night with a cake to say I’m sorry. I’ve driven from work to Cavite every single day just to be with that someone. I’ve learned to accept baggage no matter how big and disturbing they are. And the craziest perhaps is that I’ve learned to love with no bounds despite the fact that I’ve already been left behind.

Stupid? Cheesy? We all go through it. So what’s the craziest thing you’ve done for love?

Watch PhotoMNL’s latest;

Friend Zoned?

Ever wondered what being on the friend zone actually felt like? Or are you experiencing the symptoms of being in the friend zone and you just need confirmation? Look no further!

Watch Bebelyn played by my dearest girl friend Aia Solis as she friend zones Patrick Ian.

Yes, I’m such a stage friend. I demand that everyone watch this! <3

Obsession With Black and White Photographs

It’s no secret that I love monochrome, desaturated and gray-scale photos. If you can make a photo look great in black and white, there’s no doubt that you can make it look great in color.

My plans for going on a solo photowalk have been foiled due to my rather busy schedule; I have my grandma to watch at night and business responsibilities to take care of in the day, technically time is a luxury I cannot afford at the moment. So instead of flipping through channels by my grandma’s hospital bed I have decided to convert some of my old shots and update my Tumblr with my black and white set.

Follow me on Tumblr!

To The Mooon and Back

I’ve already featured Mooon Cafe before, see here.

I was supposed to meet up with Renz that day, we were scheduled to have some cake from Calea. So I decided to wait for him in Robinson’s Bacolod.

Opted to have lunch without Renz since it was taking him forever to get there. Decided to try Mooon Cafe again. While deciding on what to have for lunch I ordered their Pumpkin Soup. Apologies for the photos, I didn’t have Seth with me at the time. I just used my iPod.

It was superb. I have never tasted a creamier bowl of Pumpkin Soup in my entire life. I love the way the taste of the Pumpkin still lingered on my tongue moments after my first sip. Yes, I have a thing for pumpkins.

After and hour or so, I’ve decided to order my main course. Renz wasn’t replying and it was already raining hard. I decided to order the Fish Fillet Melt; breaded cream of dory with melted mozzarella and tomatoes. The breading was kind of thick but the creamy texture of the fish made up for it. The tomatoes were not ripe enough tough. This was sort of a disappointment, they could’ve sautéed ripe tomatoes with basil or even just a little salt and pepper. Unfortunately all I got was heated tomatoes swimming in bland tasting tomato juice. This dish definitely needed improvement. Note to self: Next time order the Beef Stroganoff

Nevertheless, they still had really affordable meals for a classy place. I hope they open up a branch in Manila soon.

Jane By Design

I was advised by my former nanny to watch this series. I don’t usually trust her taste since we like different things; she’s into asianovelas and other dramas, something I really don’t get or like. But since I just had to take advantage of the 400 kbps download speed, I ended up downloading the entire series!

Oddly enough this series reminds me so much of my BFF in the US; Loraine.

I’m no fashionista. I can’t count the times I’ve stressed this. But I enjoyed this series because of the relationship Jane and Billy have. I guess I could relate but I don’t plan to get into that on this post.

For those of you who love fashion I highly suggest you watch this series. Though it’s kind of predictable and it mimicked Awkward’s highschool cliches I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

Things Lia Says

Lia Portus is one of my favorite college friends. We’ve been dorm mates, club batchmates and all-around hangout buddies in college. Or at least for her first year, she left me for Diliman. Boo! Anyway, this blog post is dedicated to her and the darnedest things she says. For readers below the age of 18, please stop reading now.

1. PENIS/DICK/COCK/TITE/TITI
It’s not Lia’s account if you don’t see a variation of terms of the male reproductive organ in it. You may say that her social media sites hold a never-ending sausage fest.

2. HORNY/LIBOG
When it comes to terms like the aforementioned don’t expect her to sugarcoat them. This is Lia we’re talking about, there’s no such thing as sugarcoating.

3. MAN FLUIDS/SEMEN and variants
I don’t recall the conversation where Lia has mentioned this but yes, this has been tweeted.

4. GAY PORN
Apparently Lia has a fascination for guy-on-guy pornography. Nuff said.

5. MASTURBATION PURPOSES/MASTURBATION PURPOSES
As suggested by Ryan. I found this phrase rather amusing. “Why are you archiving those photos?” “Oh nothing, just for masturbation purposes.” K.

6. PUSSY/VAGINA/PEKPEK and other lady parts
Not mentioned as often but still part of her vocabulary. I do recall us using the word pekpek oh quite so often way back in college.

7. TANGINA/PUTANGINA/POTA
Consistently present in each sentence.

8. TWITTER JAIL
Lia tweets like crazy, currently at 71,104 tweets (as of 10PM, May 26, 2012) she often talks about anime, her crushes, sexual desires, series and gay porn. From time to time she reaches the twitter limit and ends up having to use her @LiaInJail account.

9. SEX/RAPE/IKAMA/KANTOT
I kid you not when I say Lia’s timeline is not for young readers. You’d find a lot of sexually explicit content there. I don’t know how but she has ways of turning something innocent into something green.

10. MWAHUGSEX
If you’re close friends with Lia I’m sure she has said this to you at least once in your lifetime. It’s her way of ending a conversation.

Oh but wait, there’s more! On my next post about Lia, find out the meanings behind her nicknames. For more harassing and R18 conversations follow us on Twitter; @peppermintshots and @LiaTheTuna

On Death and Dying

I hate goodbyes. Never understood the good in them.

My grandma suffered two major strokes in 5 years. She has been bed ridden since then. She lost her speaking skills due to the stroke and the entire right side of her body has been paralyzed.

Now before this… she was completely different. I remember her as our crazy grandma who wakes us up in 3 in the morning so that we can make it to the first mass at the closet church. Yes, my lola went to church every single day. I remember how she takes a nap every afternoon, how she waters the plants every morning, how she gives us random lessons in life and how she scolds us for not following instructions and being lazy; you know, those sort of things. I miss her that way, I miss the way she kissed my cheek and tell me I’m the prettiest even with my dark skin. I miss how she spoils me. I miss every single thing about her.

Just recently my mom told me to go back home from Singapore to take care of my grandma. I didn’t understand the gravity of the situation till I actually saw her. She was deteriorating.

For the first time in my life, I was watching someone die. The deaths in my life have been quick. They just died without me having to see them suffer.

This was different.

Last night while everyone was asleep I was watching her. I had to, she was so full of energy that she kept yanking her feeding tube out. So I rested my head by her arm while I was texting my friends and flipping through the channels. I felt her move her  hand. She scratched her head and then looked at me. She smiled. That’s when I knew that my grandma was still there. She moved her hand into mine and fell asleep.

Aia asked me if I was ready… ready for the time God would have to take her away, honestly… no one can be ready for such a painful event. But in cases like this, I guess it’s for the best.

She’s lived a good a happy life. Gave birth to 14 children, met her great great grand kids and has inspired many over her 99 years of existence.

La, I told you this last night. I don’t know if you heard me or if you understood what I said but we’d all understand if you’re tired already. We’ll be okay… It hurts to see you in pain each and every day. It hurts to see you suffer. If you’re ready… don’t worry about us okay?

I love you with all my heart.