Feast One Hundred & Nineteen

Checked last Friday morning and the questions weren't ready. And because I was out in the afternoon and the whole weekend, I wasn't able to post mine. Anyway, better late than never! Come dine with me!

Appetizer
Have you ever changed a flat tire by yourself?
Never!

Soup
Do you have an "innie" or an "outie" belly button?
I was supposed to say "Go figure!" but nah, that would be ridiculous! Anyway, I'm an innie!

Salad
Name a new paint color and describe it.
Mild-and-Wild. A magical combination of black and white, and gold & silver. Quite sums up my personality. Haha!

Main Course
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Noche Buena & Media Noche. Can't you see? I love to eat! lol! And the family get-togethers & gift-giving that come with the season. ;)

Dessert
If you were a cookie, what kind of cookie would you be, and why?
Crunchy
and fruity (coz i love citrus scents!)
and with a choco filling (i mean, i have a lot more to offer! lol)

I couldn't quite imagine what that would create, but think of it as Cadbury Fruits & Nuts that became a cookie!

Click below for more flavorful servings!

Bored? Let's Play!

Cool Stuff at BlingJam.com

The Cupcake Revolution

I am among the first few customers of the bakeshop that boosted the cupcake craze, Cupcakes by Sonja at the Serendra, The Fort.

It was a Monday and we were on our way back to Ortigas from our weekly meeting when one manager said he'll drop by and grab some cupcakes there. He said his wife was at the opening of the store the previous week (Sept. 21, 2006, Thurs) and could not stop buying these mini sugar-boosters eversince. Our supposed-to-be quick dropby resulted to almost an hour of flavorful afternoon cupcake snack.


Aesthetically, that quaint lil store is close to perfect for that homey, inviting feel: striped pink-and-white wallpapers, charming picture frames galore, nice sugary decors all around. It was amazing and ironic that, while the bakeshop has all surrounding stores still under construction, Cupcakes by Sonja was packed with customers. Sonja’s fans may have spread the word by mouth.

Among those that we tried—and we are happy to have chosen the delectable bestsellers—were the Melt-in-your-mouth Flourless Chocolate Cupcake and Berries and Cream. Super.

Prices, you ask? Originally, the cupcakes were priced at Php45-65 apiece during their soft opening, but I got news that their prices now range to as much as Php130. Quite pricey for a piece of cupcake, but it wouldn’t hurt to try, would it?

And oh, for those who love the cakes, a box of these could be a nice Christmas gift idea to your friends.

Cupcakes by Sonja is located at Serendra Piazza, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Contact Sonja Ocampo at (632) 856-0308, mobile (63 906) 477 0833, or email cupcakesbysonja@gmail.com.

Thanks to Anton for the pics.

Feast One Hundred and Eighteen

Appetizer
Do you believe there is intelligent life on other planets?
I sure do. Who knows how vast the universe is? Only God knows! Who have explored planets than those in our galaxy? None yet! Ergo, the possibility of the existence of life other than ours is inevitable.

Soup
What is one thing you said you'd never do, but you eventually did?
That I'll never fall in love with... but I failed. Haha. :)

Salad
Who is the teacher that influenced you the most in school?
Dr. Elvira Zamora of our Operations Management & Management of Innovation classes in grad school. She is exceptional. Stimulates our minds, open to criticism, very consistent, secure and unassuming. I always look forward to attending her classes. Her impact on the way I perceive work and business and organization is just so immense.

Main Course
If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be and why?
I'd like to trade places with my child. A two-year old's mind has so many things in it that an adult may not understand. I'd like to know how she views things and events around her. I'd like to be able to understand her for me to develop a little more patience. ;)

Dessert
What is your favorite dish to prepare?
Shame on me, I'm a bad cook. (I just love to eat!) But I love preparing desserts like refrigerated cakes. I also like to do quick fixes for snacks like pizza. Ho-hum.

For more servings, click here.

Quotes on Queue 2: Madness is Passion

The only people for me are the mad ones,
the ones who are mad to live,
mad to talk,
mad to be saved,
desirous of everything at the same time,

the ones who never yawn
or say a commonplace thing,

but burn,
burn,
burn,

like fabulous yellow roman candles
exploding like spiders
across the stars...

Jack Kerouac

LSS: Losing Sanity over a Song

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along...

My Immortal, Evanescence

I am sure you have those days in which a song keeps ringing in your head like crazy. LSS, which stands for Last Song Syndrome, is what they call it.

Last song syndrome

To listen to music before going out of the house, and having the last song you hear before leaving stick in your head all through your journey, and beyond. Is usually accompanied by subconscious humming. This syndrome is particularly dangerous when the song happens to be the most pathetic, crappy, albeit catchy song ever.

Urban Dictionary

Today, there seemed to be an iPod right inside my brain which plays Evanescence's My Immortal. Not that I hate that song. Quite the contrary. It's just that sometimes, LSS can be very irritating specifically when it is a song you swear should not have been composed at all.

I remember one time my LSS was It's All Coming Back to Me Now. Argh! It gives me creeps! Worse, a duo recently did remake of that song. It was the song which I associate to a very uh, memorable experience with my college girlfriends and one hunk of a guy. Don't ask me where we were that time and the reason as to why we were in that place. You wouldn't believe it. XD

Tell me about your worst LSS.

What Kind of Food Are You?

I am stressed out today, I felt I needed to squeeze in a quiz to let my mind wander off from work even for a few minutes. :)

You Are Mexican Food

Spicy yet dependable. You pull punches, but people still love you.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Now that made me tummy growl... and made me all the more stressed out! :)

Tell me now, what kind of food are you?

High Performance. Delivered by Moms.

Saw this in our pantry and I made sure I photograph it. The larger text reads:

Working mothers may be the only people who know more about high performance than we do.

accenture High Performance. Delivered.

SAHMs should not fret. Mothers, whether or not they are engaged in professions, are all working. For their families. For their children. For their future. In any or no profession, mothers are always delivering and performing at the highest levels possible.

Wouldn't you agree?

My Big Little Pumpkin

Here are the latest pics from my little pumpkin. With her plump cheeks and big, round belly, "pumpkin" is just about the apt name for her.

Bad mommy me.

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After a great lunch out with my friend, Luwee, we passed by a hair accessories store on our way out. I got my pumpkin a nice pair of hair clips! I tried to control myself against buying lots of pieces. XD

She hates wearing anything on her hair. She'd take off ponytails & ribbons and everything which would make her bobbed locks look girlish. I am hoping she'd like to put this on. What do you think? :)

What's in a Name?*

Got this from Kay. Cool! (But not for the faint-hearted! lol)

flor -- [noun]: A person who is constantly high 'How" will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

As if that isn't enough, see this:

*Gasps* Can we delete the 'O' instead? :)

_______________

* R-18. Parental Guidance is advised.

A Performance Review for My Boss

I am among the fortunate professionals on earth who has a boss whom everyone can dream of having. Well, I know that there are lots of good bosses around and I may have sounded too immature and irrational. Yet, I can't help it: I think my boss is *almost* perfect.

For the half-dozen companies that I have been with, I could name only two bosses whom I can rate as exceptional. No, I didn't mean to downplay the other superiors that I had. In fact, I believe that all of us, at the very least have grown professionally from the mentorship of our previous managers. It would be tremendously sad if we did not learn from our boss, however unreasonable we think they are in their leadership or supervisory practices.

My current boss has taught me a lot of things: integrity, trust, developing & sustaining high morale among members, honest feedback, love for work, confidence in your own potentials and a lot lot more. I would say she is the most influential person in my professional life. For the total number of years I have been working, half was spent under her mentorship. Now that I am reading John Maxwell's Becoming a Person of Influence, I must admit I have her in mind all along. I know it would be immensely difficult to follow her steps but I will make sure I remember them.

Given all these, if I were give an upward evaluation, she would receive A+ no less.

Any person whom you can identify as influential to your life? A boss, a colleague, a friend? You might want to share your experiences.

Mentors impact eternity because there is no telling where their influence will stop.
John C. Maxwell

Upside Down

How time flies.

I still remember my reaction when--watching the thin red strip of that test kit creep up until my eyes welled up with tears for all emotions imaginable!--I confirmed I was having a baby. Now, all twenty kilos of Nikki (yeah, you read that right!) are enough to make my heart heavy with joy and enthusiasm and love. Never mind if I have to carry around all those 44 lbs of a baby around when she gets tired of strolling in the mall. Never mind if I have to answer innocent questions and babbles and words she says which I constantly need to put together in order to make sense. Never mind if we end up messing the table after eating her fave spaghetti and chicken with her bare chubby hands. All I know is that each day with her counts and that is what is important.

You changed my world upside down, my lil girl. It's better that way than living each day without any meaning.

For when a child is born, the mother also is born again.
Gilbert Parker

My Secret Life

This postcard is so intriguing. Offhand, I am sure it came from a mom. What do you think is the story behind this woman's dilemma? Did she mean having a baby would be suicidal? The mere fact that a new life begun inside her means she herself is living a new life altogether.

Sometimes, I am thinking, "What if I send in my own secret?" If I decide to, my next question would be: "Which among my millions of secrets would I send?"

For PostSecret fans, you'll never know. Maybe you'll chance upon my secret right there one of these days. :)