What Doesn't Kill You Will Only Make You Stronger...

...or put a huge dent and deep scratches at the rear bumper of your car!

Just this morning I got into an accident. I had just crossed the intersection of Buendia and Makati Avenue and about to turn right on H.V. dela Costa when a taxi in front of my car stopped. So obviously I had to stop too. Unfortunately the cab right behind me didn't and hit my car from behind. The impact was a bit strong, so thanking my fast reflexes, I stepped on the brakes harder and pulled on the hand brake just so I wouldn't hit the cab in front of me and prevent further damages on my car. The result:

A pathetic looking rear bumper. It had a HUGE dent and an awful lot of scratches. Plus my bumper looks like it's about to fall off. THIS PICTURE DOES NOT ENTIRELY SHOW THE DAMAGES. But it's painful to look at all the same. What's even more painful is that the taxi that hit me only got a bent hood, and I got this.

I wanna thank my friend Mariko, who thankfully was already up and about at 7AM, for helping me with this situation. It's my first real accident ALONE, so I had no clue on what to do.

So we went to the Traffic Bureau beside the Makati City Hall and filed a police report and our sworn statements. NO BREAKFAST YET. It was killing me! Since we were obviously the first "customers" of the day, we were entertained by an unusually jolly government employees. We both wrote our written statements and surrendered our licenses and car registration. It was pretty fast, although Manong Driver took his time writing his sworn statement.

Here's the good part, I talked to SPO2 Christopher Millares, and he was VERY, VERY ACCOMMODATING. He really helped me with the process. He asked about my comprehensive car insurance (which I am so thankful to GOD for!) and told me about this car shop that was accredited by our car insurance (Prudential Guarantee). He told me if we get the car in at that shop we could waive the participation fee from the insurance company (which costs about P2000 to P4000) and they'd be the ones to process the police reports and the other documents needed to avail of the service from the insurance.

After about 2.5 hours at the Traffic Bureau, I went to check on the car shop named Ambassador Inmogo along Bagtikan St. in San Antonio Village. I talked to Kuya Ramir Bitangcor who was by then already briefed by SPO2 Millares. I thought that it was pretty fast! Kuya Ramir accessed the damages, took photos of the pathetic-looking-barely-hanging on rear bumper and was very helpful. I'd be bringing the car in this Saturday, hopefully the papers would've been processed by the insurance company by then.

This then brings me to thank SPO2 Millares of the Traffic Bureau. Thank you so much! You made my life so much easier! Thank you for giving Kuya Ramir a heads-up! I will make sure your boss knows about it and that you get commended for a job well done! :)

I would also like to thank Kuya Ramir of Ambassador Inmogo. Thank you for the quick assessment of my car and for putting me at ease that my baby Huey would be in good hands as you guys spruce him up and make him look brand new again.

But in line with this, I'd also like to say sorry to the driver that hit my car. You see he's an old guy with a bad leg. He was limping and looked rather weather-beaten. I was surprised when he told SPO2 Millares that he was only 56 years old, he looked WAY OLDER. I know it was an accident, I do not have ill feelings towards you. Your quick apology and no-fuss attitude was what really got me. I really hope you still keep the job since you said you were just driving as a sideline today and that you get into no more accidents. Hope everything's ok after I left you at the Traffic Bureau.

To all my fellow drivers out there, just be careful. Don't lose your cool. And don't ever think that just because a jeepney, bus or taxi driver hits your car, and you know deep in your gut that they won't have means to pay for the damages, don't ever make them feel inferior. Accidents do happen, that's a fact. Lahat naman ng bagay naayos sa mabuting usapan. Accept the apology, don't make a huge fuss about it, forgive the guy, and just let the insurance company take care of the problem. Don't let your anger out on these drivers. They make a living too. It's just really unfortunate that the accident happened, and a lot of time was wasted. You see, it's only YOUR TIME THAT GETS WASTED. These drivers lose potential customers, their only means of getting by. So just keep it cool! :)

This Made my Day! Thank you Coffee Bean and Geiser Maclang!

First of all, let me apologize for the absence in blogging. I've been struggling at juggling studying for masters, work, blogging, and my so-called life hahaha! I promise I will make time to finish my Cebu trip blog. I'm so sorry!

Anyway, this totally made my day today. I opened my e-mail and the subject said: "Someone left a drink for you at The Coffee Bean". So I opened the mail and saw this:

I was thrilled to the bones. I SUPER LOVE COFFEE!! I have about 4-5 cups of it every freaking day! It was a huge sacrifice for me to give it up for Lent. Every time my friends and I would hang out, it'll almost always be in a coffee shop.

When we get sick and tired of the usual Starbucks, we go to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. BFF Trency has a swirl card already, so we go there frequently and use free wi-fi!

I love Coffee Bean's Vanilla Iced Blended and Cafe Latte. The latte is super good with any of their pastries, especially their cakes. I don't know if I'm the only one who thinks this but I think Coffee Bean has one of the BEST CAKES compared to some coffee shops! I particularly love their New York Cheesecake! Paired with a Cafe Latte, it's simply heaven!! YUMMY!!!

Hope you guys get to receive one of these! It was a huge surprise for me. I'm claiming mine in my usual branch - Four Seasons Condominium here in Salcedo Village. Thank you so much Coffee Bean and thank you Geiser-Maclang! :))

Food Trip: Legaspi and Salcedo Weekend Markets

I am not a big fan of markets AND waking up early to go to the market. It's my Mom's frustration for me to start learning the ways. But thanks to these cool concepts, your market-ing can be really fun and really sosyal. Makes waking up early totally worth it!

I've been delaying my posts on these two popular early morning weekend markets, but after a so-so visit to Mercato Centrale with 2 friends last week, I think it deserves a good blog entry.

The Salcedo weekend market happens every Saturday morning at the Jaime Velasquez car park. As early as 6am 'til 2pm the weekend market serves a variety of stuff - from fresh produce, flowers, plants, organic stuff, to ready-to-eat-FOOD! It's the place where your vendors are either foreigners or girls who speak in straight English. It's almost funny! And the folks who live in the condos around Salcedo Village troop down to the park to buy their stuff.

Mom and I love the barbecue stall, Mang Ineng's. Since we have to leave our house early, we have our power breakfast here. Sometimes the food choosing in this place can drive you insane. There's so much food! Anyway here are some snap shots I took from the Salcedo Weekend Market.



This is going to be the only place in the Metrowhere eating dirty ice cream would actually LOOK COOL! :p


Last year, Mom burned her forearm because of this. They make small pancake-like stuff here, haven't gotten the chance to taste it. But it brings bad memories for Mom haha!

I really love this French guy! He makes really good crepes, too! :D




Then on Sunday mornings, it's time for the Legaspi Weekend Market. Also in a carpark right beside the Legaspi Active Park, it's just like the one at Salcedo. But before there used to be fewer concessionaires. But I've noticed that this year, there are more who offer other products.

The Legaspi market also has a wide variety of food to choose from, although compared to the Salcedo market, this one has more concessionaires who sell other trinkets such as paintings, dresses, furniture, organic stuff, shoes, and bags. It's a bit more diverse, but of course they also have the fresh produce.

But food trippin' is actually fun-ner here. They already have Chef Laudico's BFast and Pampanga's renowned, Everybody's Cafe here. Then you also have the good ole barbecue stalls and other home-cooked meals. You just have to patiently go around, twice or thrice, to pinpoint that one thing you want to have.

So here are some photos I took of the Legaspi Weekend Market!










I've noticed huge families and groups of friends come here to eat and just hang out. It's actually really fun, if you don't mind the heat. In Salcedo, I see a lot of call center people coming down to have breakfast. It's that much of a hit! So if you want to hit the MARKET IN STYLE, I totally suggest you come and check this place out. It'll give a new twist to your usual, boring trip to the market. Then again, don't be too shocked with the difference in prices. It is more cheaper in Nepa-Q Mart or something, but at least your feet won't get dirty (hehe)!

My (Chocolate) Fire Just Got Extinguished

"Di ko na ma-take!" (I can't take it anymore!) - Gonzalez, 2011

Let's just say that sums up our Chocolate Fire experience last Friday. Put up in Melbourne, Australia in 2006, the Philippine franchise opened last year to the delight of chocolate fanatics!

I was so psyched to eat here because I've been passing by this restaurant every day since our office is just 2 blocks down. So the curious foodie in me just had to let me try this restaurant, and together with the BFFs, it was time for a new foodie adventure.

Sticking true to its name the restaurant is indeed CHOCOLATE HEAVEN! Trency and I got there first and while in line to order (it implements a self-service rule) we were tempted by this huge cooler purveyor of all things chocolate-y!




Just look at those pretty things! This is every chocolate lovers wet dream! From mini, pop-in-your-mouth sizes, to slabs, to liquid, and to CAKES! It's chocolate in every form you could imagine!

But then again, I skipped the dinner part! Which unfortunately didn't meet our standards - the taste was just so-so, really small food portions, thus making it EXPENSIVE. Which also lead to Amanda blurt out that quote above. Here's what we ordered:

Trency ordered Turkey Sandwich.

It was actually good but it was small, and not much turkey in it. I'm amazed she only ordered this, it wouldn't even reach MY GUT! Super bitin!!

I had Penne in Bolognese sauce.

First bite, I already got disappointed. The penne noodles were TOUGH. Although it was a bit heavy and really filling, the sauce was on the umay side. Nothing special too, I've had better and cheaper bolognese!! Case in point, for lunch I ordered penne in bolognese and cheese sauce at Friss Point (a small carinderia at the building right beside Chocolate Fire) and it was sooo much better. It was so good I influenced my friend Elaine to have it for lunch. And I only paid P75 (USD2) for it! Annoying when a cheaper version gets to be much better than the expensive one!

When Mike and Amanda arrived they ordered this salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce. I do not remember them finishing this.

Mike had Tortellini.

Asked for some dibs and it tasted like paper. The noodles looked like shells, but the cuteness factor didn’t amount to anything. It was just so blah!

I am saving Amanda’s meal for last. She ordered pasta in pesto sauce.
I tried it and it didn’t even taste like pesto, actually it didn’t taste anything at all. It was bland, and just way too plain. I remember Amanda asking the guys for salt to give it a bit of taste. And this is when she exclaimed the quote above. It was THAT BAD, she couldn’t take it anymore!

Since we had a meal that was really easy to forget, we decided to order something Chocolate Fire was actually known for – CHOCOLATE. And so we got the fondue.

With a P400 price tag (roughly around USD9), it was pretty good. It had strawberries and bananas, wafers, marshmallows, and nuts. We also had a choice of dark and milk chocolate. But it was just weird that it wasn’t continuously heated. Fondues usually have a candle at the bottom of the chocolates to keep them warm so they wouldn’t harden. But anyway, brushing that aside, we enjoyed this one!

With the fondue, I ordered their Café Latte. It was really good! Being a caffeine addict, I would be including Chocolate Fire’s Café Latte in my list of really good coffee. A must try for the coffee addicts out there!


Oh well, every eating session is a like learning a valuable life lesson. You have to get burned first before you think of doing it again. Chocolate Fire has been around since last year, but they still got A LOT OF UNAVAILABE STUFF. And those were the chocolate stuff, things that are supposed to make the restaurant click. It’s like they’re still on soft opening about a year later.

Plus they have really posh interiors, and from the outside Chocolate Fire looks like some snooty place, but then you have to fall in line and order. Can’t they make up their minds? Do they wanna be snooty or not?

Good thing their staff (although the girl at the counter was a bit slow hence holding up the line) was really cool! They actually saved our short and disappointing stay at Chocolate Fire.

Chocolate Fire
G/F PDCP Building Leviste cor. Rufino Streets,
Salcedo Village, Makati City
Tel. No. 840-3473
Mobile No. (0920) 605-8692
Website: http://www.chocolatefire.com

One Of The Best Forms OF Relaxation

After a long stressful week, don't you just feel like relaxing and actually stop thinking of other bothersome things? And since I was sick for some time, besides eating my favorite comfort food, the next best thing is to have a MASSAGE. And that's exactly what I did on a Friday night, and it was just damn good!!

Salcedo Village in Makati is a more residential area compared to neighboring Legaspi Village. There are more condominiums where expats/other foreigners live, so there a lot of spas located in this area. And one of them of was THE LOTUS.



It's such a simple spa place, no frills at all. When I got there, there where only a few people waiting for their masseuse. I was asked to fill up a form since it was my first time at that spa. I chose their LOTUS SIGNATURE ADVANCED MASSAGE. I was told it was a combination of the Tuina, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, and Balinese massages.

Almost immediately, I had my feet dipped in warm water, relaxing in one of their bamboo chairs. Afterwards, I was assigned a tiny massage room, with a very comfortable massage bed. Like any spa, you'd have to take of your top (bra included), and they just give you a pair of shorts to wear.

And then...the massaging began. I love HARD massages. It relaxes me more and I feel that they really get to knead my muscles well. No more pictures after this, I was busy getting pampered. But I made a mental list of PROS and CONS for this spa. Check it out.

PROS:
- Place was really quiet, very clean, and had a very relaxed environment
- Friendly masahistas (masseuse)
- Really comfortable massage bed
- Room temperature wasn't too cold, but not too hot either
- Masseuse kept asking for constant feedback on the pressure

CONS:
- Main desk assistant kept disappearing to smoke. When I got there I had to wait for a couple of minutes to register. And when it was time to pay up, the masseuse had to look for her outside.
- Too much oil was used. I had to ask for a warm towel to get the excess oil after the session.
- My masseuse, although she was really, really GOOD, had colds. I had the cough, so I wasn't really thrilled to be in one room with someone with colds.
- No brochure nor calling card. Yes, it's that non-descript.

So when you're in the Salcedo Village area, why not drop by The Lotus. Overall I had a really good experience, not bad for my first time. I love how my masseuse, BABY, gave me a hard Lotus Signature, I even got stretched so my muscles are a bit more flexible now.

Click on the images so you guys could check out their list of services, prices, and branches.



If you want a cheap massage with good service, then come on over to The Lotus. I swear, you'll feel relaxed. Had a good night's sleep that night! :)


P.S. Sorry for the crappy photos, didn't bring my DSLR. :)

The Lotus My Massage Place
G/F Vernida IV Bldg.
San Agustin St., Salcedo Village, Makati City
Tel. No. 211-8145
Mobile No. 0917-5409246

The Failure That Was KITARO

After marveling at the cool lights and sounds over at the Ayala Triangle Gardens, it left Mom and me totally famished! It also did NOT help that hundreds of families were having their Sunday night family dinner at the restaurant row! So we were left to find a restaurant in nearby Salcedo Village.

Since it was a Sunday, understandably a lot of the food establishments were closed. It was also a bit late, we were walking around at 8pm...and believe it or not even Starbucks was closed!

We were about to give up on our food hunting, when we saw a lone restaurant still open, its bright lights drawing us to it like moth to fire. It was a miracle...or so we thought.

Kitaro over at the Salcedo Carpark Building was the only resto open, and we were so hungry we decided to just go for it. We saw families, who I think came from the lights and sounds show, waiting for their food.

Their interiors were cozy and bright, and it wasn't really hard for us to find a table. The set-up was ideal for families since they had long tables .

But as soon as we got to take our seats, well...that's when the problem started. There were no servers around, so I had to take the menu from their counter. It was fine, maybe they were busy, so I let it pass.

We ordered our usual favorite Japanese food, Maguro Sashimi, Tempura Udon, and Mom ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Bento Box.

I started looking around, and noticed that 4 out of the 5 families that were there were still waiting for their orders. They had been there before we arrived, and they still had no food. Then I saw that there were only 2 servers that night, and that was why it was SLOW!

There were even 2 gay dudes (no offense meant) who were hungry as hell. They were given menus but obviously there was no server to take their orders so they bailed...A GOOD CHOICE! When they left, I overheard one of them say in a snooty manner, "Ang tagal!" ("It's taking forever!")

We waited a good 30 minutes for our food to arrive, and if you're hungry 30 minutes IS FOREVER! I followed up everything thrice. And when the food arrived this is how it looked:

Maguro Sashimi, that did NOT LOOK FRESH!

Tempura Udon. The noodles tasted like FLOUR, the soup was so-so, and they had so much vegetables and "garnish" you couldn't understand what it really was.

Teriyaki Chicken Bento Box. This took forever for them to make. The chicken was hard, obviously not fresh from the stove.

This totally sucked! I LOVE Japanese food, and will eat at ANY Japanese resto in any given time. But after that experience with Kitaro at the Salcedo Carpark I WILL NEVER EAT THERE AGAIN!

We left and didn't leave a tip. And walking out we saw the 2 gay dudes happily eating at the Mini Stop Convenience Store right beside it. And I wished we just ate there, they have good fried chicken and we would have paid LESS!

If anyone from Kitaro's management gets to read this, please do something about your service. It's really disappointing. Thirty minutes for food, then end up tasting crappy is really bad PR!