Celebrity Nails

I love Celebrity Nails Salon Home Service Spa. That's it period. End of blog post.

Nah. Just a little kwento promise. Sometimes I feel guilty going to the salon / spa because that's again time away from my baby boy.

Through the wonders of internet and automobiles (?) hee hee home service spa was born. One such trusted brand is Celebrity nails. They have 11 franchises. The ladies who go to your home are well trained, courteous, and you don't get a feeling na minamadali nila yung service.

Price of course is a major consideration for a stingy  practical mom like me. Their prices are cheaper than some of the nail salons in the malls (but better service if you ask me) and they use imported brands for their polish too (Orly, OPI, Tony Molly and Essie -- sushal right?).

You can check their website for the services they offer. So far I have tried their mani-pedi, foot spa sa face (joke), foot spa sa foot (charoz), foot reflexology, head and shoulder massage, and their facial with diamond peel.

Summer promos include Marie Claire package that offers 5 services for only P1,000. Yan ang value for money. They also have spa party packages. Great idea for those who want to have a more intimate celebration with your best set of girl friends.

Just play some Enya songs in the background. Spray some peppermint on the pillow. Blast the air-conditioning to maximum. There you have it. Instant spa at your very own room. Minus the waiting for your turn and curious strangers making gaya your choice of nail polish. Haha. #babaw

Anyhoo, here a some ebidensya (read: pictures). I've had them over the house 3 times in the last 8 or so weeks.

Here's their set up of their mat. Pink on pink.
See the tampipi sa gilid over there?
What you don't know what tampipi is? Google it!

Pebbles! In fairness effort magdala ng bato. Aminin.

My boy usually picks my nail polish at random.
One particular polish he chose looked like the skin color of a zombie.
Grayish green.
(Yung zombies sa Plants vs. Zombie hee hee.)
I went with it anyway.

Here's him finally deciding on the polish he likes.

This was me having facial.

Me looking very stressed here.

Parang hospital exquiment lang.
This is used for their diamond peel.

Sorry I do not have a clearer picture of their finished product.
But it's a great a idea to pamper yourself from home don't you think? =)

I usually call their central hotline: 502.7332 or 0917.812.0479. You may check the rest of their information here.

Pork Stir-Fry

Found this recipe in Yummy Menu for a Month booklet. I had no idea what to cook and I was having around 9 people for dinner. I grabbed the copy of the recipe book and chose the menu with the simplest ingredients because I had only 45 minutes until my guests arrive.

End result: they loved it. I cooked this 3 weeks back and we are having this again tonight.

What you need:
1 kilo pork strip (I used pork kasim because it is tender)
8 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons honey (use the pure ones)
3 - 4 cloves of garlic
2 cups of sliced Baguio beans
2 packs of frozen mix vegetables
2 - 3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 large bell peppers cut into strips
1 big can of button mushroom
2 - 3 pinch of cayenne pepper (I added this for the additional omph)

What you need to do:
1. Combine soy sauce, honey, and garlic. Add pork strips and marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. (I added cayenne pepper because hubby wants everything spicy.)

2. Cook the beans in salted boiling water until crisp tender, about 2 minutes. Add the frozen vegetable and cook for another minute. Drain.

3. Heat oil in a wok (note from me: the older the wok the better hehe) and stir fry the pork over high heat (ala Iron chef). Add bell peppers and mushrooms. Lower the heat and add the pork marinade. Add the vegetables and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Season to taste as needed. (I used salt, pepper, a dash of Worcester sauce and paprika as seasonings.)

Another tip: if you want the stir-fry to be more Chinese food tasting use sesame oil to stir-fry the meat instead of olive oil.

I love simple recipes. Ingredients are simple. Process is simple as well. Takes about 20 minutes cooking only.

Pictures!

Lovely colors after blanching.

Pork stir-fry

Seasons of Love

I have never been good with goodbyes. Beginnings I love. Endings I tend to dread.

But another season will soon come to pass.

Am I ready? No one is ever ready I guess. I am the yellowest person there is. I have been crying everyday when I came to terms where my heart truly is.

But is it easy? Definitely not. So I wish there was no need for goodbyes ever.

Just hello. And I will definitely see you soon. Or thank you's. Thank you's are the best.

Because each one, in one way or another has taught us a lesson or two. Has put a smile on our faces one time or another. Has caused us to see beauty both obvious and abstract.

So maybe this is not a chapter that I am closing. Maybe it is just a prologue to a beautiful story still being spun. With characters still being added not replaced.

I have been teary eyed a lot lately. I heard this song and I couldn't believe a new season is about to start soon.

Bittersweet.

Drama at Cuts 4 Tots

Hi! *waving madly*

I am Elijah! I am a year old.

I am back once again. Hello there! You might remember me as my mama's very first guest blogger? I blogged about my love for balls and shooting here.

I want to tell you about the day I bawled my eyes out at Cuts 4 Tots. Normally, I am a very brave and behave boy. My mama is very proud that I do not cry a lot. This was my third hair cut already. During my first two encounter with the barber I was cool as a celery (or is it cucumber? or watermelon?). Or whatever veggie is applicable to descibe a very calm baby.

That's me. I was so cool, calm and collected. I don't know about this third visit. Maybe I wasn't in the mood. Maybe my mama woke me up at a bad time. Maybe it was because of the other kid. Maybe just maybe.

But I did it. I cried my heart out. Looking back, I don't know why I cried so much. I hope next time I am in a much better mood so I do not give kuya barber a hard time.

Let me show yah! Please try not to laugh. I am embarassed already as it is.



It started when daddy tried puting me on the chair that looks like a car.
Or is this a car that's actually a chair? I am not sure I am confused.




I asked (in my mind): "What's happening here?"




When I realized what was about to happen, I just had to get outa' there!




Please dad?! Get me outa' here!!!?!!




Really dad? Is this really happening?




But I am so adorable when my hair is long.
Please make it stay that way forever.




Awww! I hated it.




Even ate Conching knows my pain!




Please kuya barber have pity on me and stop snipping!




I cannot look!




Why are you guys doing this to me?!




Mama tried to calm me down using bubbles!



Dad gave me a noisy toy too.



It was interesting but only for a second.




Until I remembered someone is snipping my hair!



And then all of a sudden it was over.
Then, I couldn't remember why I was even crying in the first place!
Boy! I was in a weird mood that day. Tee hee.

We went to church after.
I was so tired that I slept through the entire service.

It was a nice experience even though I was crying a lot. My dad and mom said that they are proud of me still. =)

Till my next blog entry. In the mean time please continue showing your love for my mama's blog by visiting her blog everyday.

Please. Thank you. Till next time.

How was your weekend?

It all started with an hour long travel in the very traffic EDSA.

First was dinner at Sumo Sam. I had buttery salmon and fresh tasting tuna sushi. I didn't feel full yet so I ordered extra kani salad, which I only managed to finish a quarter of it (sorry Louie! libre mo pa naman to'.).

Then, of course we just had to have coffee. Originally we wanted to go to a tea place (just because this is uso these days). No success finding one, so we went to the most overrated hang-out place (as my husband calls it), Starbucks. There we decided to pass time arguing. Just like the old times. Oh there's a better word for it -- debate. Battle of the minds. So sexy. And nerdy! One of my friends happened to be a Grand champion toastmasters.

So we had to interpret lots of weird Swahilian proverbs. Sample: "When the crocodile jumps around he ends up by receiving the spear." Then it just became plain silly when I decided to form my own club to rival the toastmasters. Imma' calling it Wafflemasters (how original!). Parang lasing lang. We get our cheap fun out of babaw things like these.

Was supposed to follow to my officemates drinking session somewhere in the Fort, but I was not in the mood to brave EDSA anymore.

Saturday morning was spent playing with my son and bribing him to eat. There's a whole lot of mess involved whenever he eats but the fun of the process makes all the cleaning after worth it. 

Then I went to Crossing's grocery to buy ingredients for chilli con carne. I spent lunch at my officemate's cool bachelor pad. His condo on the 18th floor is at the heart of Makati, literally in the middle of everything. How sushal!

We met at his pad, the girls cooked while the boys watched MTV Jackass while drinking beer. How stereotypical right? We ate roasted chicken, ginataang langka with dilis, cucumber salad, and my chilli dog. Desert was mangoes and Tanduay ice. Burp.

Then there was a team's basketball tournament championship to watch. They all went and watched. Hubby and I decided to walk a few blocks and meet up with my sister to show support on her current endeavor. I had an interesting conversation with a stranger while I waited for my sister.

We went back to the condo but the game was not yet finished so hubby and I decided to wait at 7-11, where I bought the overpriced Magnum. I took a few bites and vowed to walk a mile to burn the fat. #wishkolang

Then it was poker time back at the bachelor's pad. I discovered that I do have a poker face! It was fun. Beer, cards, Jackass, and laughter. 

Then it was time to crash a Bachelor's party. We went to the-place-that-must-not-be-named. Got to see things I will never un-see anymore. Husband kept asking me during the entire "performance" on what my thoughts are. Girls are pretty and how do they address the attrition rate at places like those? Mundane things. 

Morning once again came, and Eli had a playdate with one of my officemate's son. They had a whole chest of toys and they were fighting over a small green car. How cute. Boys. We served them freshly cooked pancit canton with sotanghon. Our first attempt to cook one and it was a success!

Then it was lunch with the in-laws. Inihaw na tilapia, binagoongang liempo, hot rice plus putong pula. 

Afterwards, we heard Mass at the Shrine of the Divine Mercy. It was their feast day.

We then went to my parents home to play and eat kwek-kwek for merienda. Dinner came so we again ate. Stir fried tofu with vegetables, very spicy higado, crispy pata and hot rice.

We went home and watched Bb. Pilipinas.

Life's good.

Classic Carbonara recipe

Hi! And you thought I would go into another one of those blogging break spells noh? Nah, just got busy these past few days.

Busy with my first ever corporate Sugafree shoes bazaar. Busy healing from my recent operation. Busy doing nothing. Busy with my fears. Busy thinking about the scary but wonderful changes that will happen real soon. And lastly, just busy praying a lot because I want God to take away my fear of changes.

Oh well, did that make sense to you? I bet my entire Louis Vuitton collection (which I do not have by the way --- yet! choz.) that it didn't. Hehe.

I've said it so many times that when I am happy I cook. When I am stressed I cook. When I am confused I cook. At any state of my id I like to cook.

So cook, I did yesterday. I prepared mustard-buttered breaded pork chops (will tell you about it too) paired with classic carbonara.

I have two carbonara recipes. The first one I've been making since I was innocent (read: highschool) is a filipinized carbonara (will post recipe of that soon). Filipinized because it has cream, bell peppers, onions, mushroom, etc. The Italian forefathers will roll over their grave if they had known what we've turned their carbona into. Hehe. It is still carbonara because well... it has bacon.

Anyway, what I am sharing with you today is the classic carbonara recipe. It has only 4 major ingredients apart from salt and pepper. And yes, if you have never cooked anything in your life, I would say this is a good dish to start with. This dish is so subtle, yummy and classy at the same time.

It is so easy that the sauce is no cook! How can you beat that?

So end with the yakking and let's start with the cooking shall we?

What you need:
 •250g picnic bacon cut into small strips
 •4 fresh egg yolks (use only very fresh eggs)
 •150g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
 •500g pasta (I suggest Angel hair or spaghetti)

What you need to do:
 1.Cook your pasta as per the packet instructions. If you are using Angel hair pasta (as I did) cooking will just be quick 4 - 5 mins while spaghetti usually takes about 7 - 8 minutes. (Important tip: salt the water as this is the only time you can put additional flavor to your pasta.)
2. Put the bacon in the pan (no need to put oil). Let the bacon render its own fat (as in lutuin sa sariling matika hehehe) and fry until it is browned but not too crisp. Set aside.
 3.Place the egg yolks and cheese in a large serving bowl, together with a generous grinding of black pepper. Mix well with a fork.
4.Drain the pasta, put this in the pan where you crisped the bacon first.
5. Remove pasta and bacon from pan. Add immediately to the cheese and egg mixture.

So easy right? Anyway here are the pictures to guide you too. :)

All you need is just four ingredients.

Slice the bacon like so.
I bought a block of bacon instead of buying the strips.
(Tip: if you are using bacon as a cooking ingredient, it is
cheaper to buy it in block.)

Use fork to mix egg, cheese and pepper.

I incorporated the noodles in the pan where I fried my bacon
so it absorbs all the fatty flavors of the bacon.
(My mantra in cooking: more fat more fun!)

The heat from the pasta will cook the eggs
and turn it into a creamy sauce.

Here's what it looks like on the plate.

My satisfied and poging endorser: kuya Keithy!

Happy Palm Sunday friends. Always live your passions!