Day 186 Oct. 11, 2012

Pili Nut:

This is what is used when we talk about the famous Bicol pili nut which is turned into many differing snacks or desserts. There's the Pili cake, the pili nuts cooked with sugar, hence having a sweet caramel-like coating, and there's the pili tart. But I have never seen the nut in it's natural state... until now.

This is how the pili looks when not yet opened (we remove the outer cover to get to the nut) and one can then eat it as is... just like any nut, or cook it, or grind it to become part of another product. Whichever the case, I love to eat these nuts. My favorite is the tart or the brownie like product, which I can consume in one sitting.

Day 185 Oct. 10, 2012

Marie lecturing:

This is a Testing-related class, specifically Applied Test Design, and Marie is going through the paces in teaching the participants (who are mostly part of the Testing capability of Accenture), and one other - a sit in, who I understand, will most likely be doing this conduct from here on - which means our Testing training days are numbered. Oh well...

Regarding the shot, I decided to go for a no flash option - relying on the natural lighting coming in from the windows. Lucky for me, these windows are on the far end of the room, hence not a bother for over-exposure, thus rendering everyone as just silhouettes. But there was also enough overhead lighting to prevent all these dark shapes, and... as can be seen, the light from the projected slides gave off some blueish tint. The intent was not necessarily getting everyone's faces clearly... as you can see, most of them are covered by the monitors. Nope... it was to capture the training from an observer's (albeit, up front) viewpoint.

Day 184 Oct. 09, 2012

The A.Z. Gangnam style!

I just met A.Z. in this party at John's place, for the Makati Red Cross volunteers - a quarterly thing, I believe. I mean, this party is a way for the Red Cross to thank their volunteers - it also doubles as a recognition night.

A.Z. seems to be a new Director for the Red Cross - aside from likewise being a member in John's Rotary Club, though I still need to consider what his actual roles may be. Still, it was great to meet him - A.Z. is what I would call, a game person... after all, if he were not, he would not have been convinced to do the Gangnam style (which is the latest dance craze, and most viewed music video world-wide).

Day 183 Oct. 08, 2012

New Starbucks in CG2:

While I'm waiting for my turn to facilitate in training, I decided to hang out in this new Starbucks (it's been open for less than a month now - I think), and it replaces the older - and much smaller Starbucks on the other side of the building.

This new Starbucks is brighter, though there is not access to it from outside the building - outsiders will have to access this place by passing through a guard checking bags and packages - a purely security-oriented reason, mind you. Anyway, this place can really be a great place to hang out - really making it the 3rd place between home and office.

Day 182 Oct. 07, 2012

Mommy's Birthday:

I must say, as pictures go - this one is a nice and touching family picture. Mommy (Barbie's mom; my mother-in-law) surrounded by her children and grand-children (at least, the ones here - as nearly half of the others are in Dubai).

Mommy's smile is really nice, complete with the thumbs up sign... this is frame-worthy, and is a significant birthday celebration because it's her first after Daddy left us. The affair was a simple get together, but none the less happy. Our being there was helped by the fact that her birthday really fell on a Sunday. So you could say that the    universe aligned the schedule for us all to make it. One again, happy birthday Mommy!

Day 181 Oct. 06, 2012

Fruits:

I'm more conscious these days of the need to have fruits as part of my regular diet... be it when I travel (in which case, I try to make sure I have a fruit platter as part of my breakfast, and I likewise buy some for my room), or when at home (at least some ready to reach bananas, papaya or grapes).

I'd eat more, if they were easily available and affordable (most are, when you think about it), and they are better snacks than many junk food. Take this fruit bowl - pre-chopped and ready to eat... this is available at groceries (in this case, Robinson's supermarket), and once in a while, when I feel like I have not had some fruits recent enough, I buy these and have them for my mid afternoon snacks. I cold easily consume two bowls of these - but am satisfied enough with one.

Day 180 Oct. 05, 2012

Dad's surprise 75th birthday:

This was planned as early as three months ago - although the continuous planning and coordination proved a bit difficult for the people involved.

For one, they were able to do it five years ago - that is, plan for a surprise party, and they really got him surprised. But once fooled, the second time would be a whole lot harder - specially if he's half anticipating such moves, so the 75th was simpler... more austere - as the real gift would be a surprise U.S. trip for him and Grace. But like the first one, I noticed the outpouring of love in the messages taped from the different sales teams in the different parts of the Philippines.

Pop's surprise bash came a bit early, but it still was a nice surprise for him - but yes... the real surprise (as I said) was the mock-up plane tickets for the U.S. This would mean that the usual annual dinner in his place would not happen... but hey, pop deserves the trip, so he, and the rest of the 'seniors' can have their reunion in New Jersey.

Day 179 Oct. 04, 2012

Stretching:

Finally, after days of wet weather, it's dry and sunny, and naturally, our two pets take this opportunity to run around, play and sun bathe in the garage.

It was also, by coincidence, a free day for me, so I got to let them play out in the garage... after all, I don't think Ate, our house help, lets them out to play all the time. So this is a rare occasion for them to run to and from our door to the gate.

Of course, this gets even better when all the cars are gone, giving them all the space they can need to do their sprints. After such an exercise, they will just lie on the concrete to rest... or if the sun is really hot, will prefer to get back into the apartment and look for the nearest electric fan (in this case, an industrial fan) and place themselves strategically where the fan's winds are strong.

This, plus the coolness of the shade, will lull them to sleep until the feel hungry, or someone... say a noisy neighbor, wakes them from their idyllic rest.

Day 178 Oct. 03, 2012

Keeping dry:

These pigeons at the Piazza in McKinley Hill, are doing their best to stay dry from the rains, and that includes either staying under the tent at the middle of the open grounds, or staying above-ground, specifically under the gutter, as can be seen by this picture.

Since the rains were abating (but not totally stopping), Jinkee and I decided to have dessert at the Piazza, and we ended up at the newly opened Cara Mia to try their ice cream... specifically, their affogato.  What I can say is this... as far as having a variety of desserts, Cara Mia is great - you've got ice cream and cakes and ice cream cakes - but when it comes to affogato, I'd still go to the place I frequent (Sol Gelatto) - because there, I can choose what ice cream to place as part of my affogato.

Now, it was as I awaited my dessert that I looked around and indeed spotted the pigeons - and using my telephoto lens, zoomed in on them to take this shot.

Day 177 Oct. 02, 2012

Rainy training day:

can anyone tell me what exactly is different about this picture of my training, from that of other pictures I've been posting for some time? If you mentioned the presence of so many umbrellas - you'd be right.

You don't have to guess what the weather is outside... these umbrellas should give you a strong clue. Yes, it's a rainy training day - and despite that, people still came in... albeit, slightly later than usual, but they still showed up for their training. I, too, came in. But one has to remember that I've a strong advantage with the fact that I have a car, while others need to take several rides to get into McKinley. Naturally, when I saw all the umbrellas, I thought this was something you don't see all the time, so I took a picture of this scenario.

Jinkee, who's my partner here, also came in a bit late due to the bad weather - but it's okay... I took over the morning session, just to make sure we stayed on track.

Day 176 Oct. 01, 2012

Red Wine:

It's not that I'm regularly drinking wine these days, it's just that such happens to be the drink that Barbie and I prefer to partake between us (as opposed to my making cocktails for a group). The fact that I have not had the opportunity to drink at home with friends is a testament to how busy everyone seems to be these days (hopefully, until the year ends... and preferably beyond even that) - hence the wine.

In fact, if you're observant enough to notice... there's just one glass - and I'll be darned if I still have to mix cocktails just for me... not that I can't, mind you... it's just that the least difficult path to take is to put a bottle of wine in the freezer. So yeah,,, in this particular instance, I am drinking alone - with Barbie elsewhere.

Consider it my aperitif after a long day, and being bored this Monday evening. Besides, I have no intent in finishing the bottle - just having a glass (or more likely, two) as a way of living healthy. After all, many health sites say that a glass or two of red wine is healthy. So who am I to argue? O yeah... with this bottle of Merlot, I'm enjoying some cave aged cheddar cheese and green grapes. It's definitely a nice way to unwind... with or without company.

Day 175 Sept. 30, 2012

Me - as of September's end, 2012:

With all these pictures that I've placed here, I have to remind myself that I need to post a picture of me once in  a while to sort of place me (how I look, at the least) in my Photoblog. Well, here's a picture of me holding up a picture of Steve Jobs' autobiography... a book I've yet to really delve into. I know... I've had it for months now, but I forget about it when I'm doing a lot of other stuff.

Where was this picture taken, in MyThai restaurant along Wilson street. I'm having dinner with my family - which we normally do after attending mass in Mary the Queen. We tried for this place called BBQ Republic, but it was really full, so we opted for MyThai instead. Not that this isn't good - we were just curious about BBQ Republic, as it was new.

This place, on the other hand, we've been in at least once (or twice), so it really isn't new. We also know how spicy things can get here, so we needed to inform the waitress taking our orders not to spice up things too much (or spice it down a bit - if that's the proper manner of saying it). Anyway, as I said earlier... this is me - for posterity's sake. I will finish this ebook... just as soon as I find time, that is.

Day 174 Sept. 29, 2012

Global Innovative College:

Since September, I've taken over an Internet Marketing class and have been meeting my students and teaching them some lessons on Internet Marketing... the concepts, the ideas, the trends and issues surrounding doing business in the Web.

It's different than when i teach in Accenture, and it has it's challenges - mostly, in keeping things interesting so the students listen. Thing is, days like this where I just planed in from Cebu the night before (arriving at 10PM), I hardly have time to prep myself for the next lessons. I also have to work around certain limitations - as this picture shows, the classroom looks nice, but the internet connection is slow. There seems to be an unfocused direction on what they are supposed to do, and Saturday lessons are so few and far between. But it's a challenge I took, and I aim to finish it (I hope).

I don't know if I;ll take another load next semester, more so if these Cebu trips continue. But I'm not closing the door either - it's just that, Saturdays would usually be my rest day. So now I wonder if it's all worth it.

Day 173 Sept. 28, 2012

Lunch with Dennies:

Meeting Dennies hardly happens these days... after all, with him permanently based in Cebu these days, it's not as if we can just decide to meet when we think about it. For these things to happen these days, Dennies would either have to be in Manila and hope we're free to meet him (like the last time), or I would be in Cebu and he'd have to find some free time to meet me.

Well this particular lunchtime, he did make time. We met at the Mooon (yes, that's three 'o's) and had some Mexican inspired food. We talked a bit and caught up with each other's family and career, plus talked about common friends.

I must say that Dennies looked great. Thinner than I last saw him - and I guess, it's because he is really working hard with Ayala Land. Hearing him talk reminded me of just how much of a gung ho person Dennies was even during the days were were both active in Toastmaster. It was fun hanging around with the guy... even if only for lunch, as I had to return to my training for the afternoon, and my flight back to Manila would be this evening. Maybe next time he is in Manila... or when I'm in Cebu again, we could catch up some more. Meanwhile, thanks for the lunch treat Dennies.

Day 172 Sept. 27, 2012

Nautical tools:

I took a shot of these displays from Gilligan's in Cebu's Ayala center, while Marie, Brian and I were enjoying the night. Marie having her mixed drinks while Brian and I were having some San Mig Light.

The place was filled with nautical stuff, and two aquariums - all to give the impression of a sea voyage. It was interesting to look at, and so I took some shots in between conversations that we had - and what conversations they were too... I mean, what started out as simply unwinding ended up with us closing the mall down (and my consuming the equivalent of seven bottles of beer). The daring part? We still had training the next day.

Day 171 Sept. 26, 2012

Off to Cebu... again.

This is the NAIA terminal 2 - the domestic flights waiting area. Specifically, one of several laptop tables arranged for travelers to plug into an outlet, so they can charge their batteries or use their laptops or pads while waiting for their flights.

It's a good thing too - after all, if one is requested to check in 2-hours before their scheduled flight, things can get really boring. Of course this would be pointless, had NAIA's management not considered installing WiFi access to the Internet - which they did, so waiting has become less tedious; at least... from this terminal's waiting passengers' perspective. Now if only they could do the same for the Cebu terminal.

Day 170 Sept. 25, 2012

Grilled Salmon:

One of the great finds Barbie and I have in the Greenhills weekend market is a steady supply of fresh Salmon. In the past, I've ordered several kilos and had them cut it into grill-able sizes, as well as sashimi bits.

We usually get Salmon belly and have it for Sinigang (a sour soup style, for you non-Filipinos), and let's face it. It may be a bit pricey, but it is healthy - as Salmon is very rich in Omega 3, so yeah... this is still part of our 'healthy eating leads to healthy living' routine.  Not that we coined the slogan or anything like that - it just popped into my mind. Besides... Salmon tastes great, no doubt about that.

Day 169 Sept. 24, 2012

Asparagus:

Another one of Barbie's idea for healthy living (and mine as well) is the cooking of Asparagus - again we either steam it or fry it... heck if we really want to enjoy it's taste, we even fry it in butter and lots of garlic (as shown in this picture).

Aside from broccoli, this is another vegetable that the kids like, so we try to buy this when we can (in the weekend market) and have a healthy dinner with this. I mean, I can have this for dinner served with the usual brown rice and that would be it... I'd end up satisfied. One thing stopping us from totally pigging out with these (and it is, technically, a healthy pig-out) is the fact that these can be high in the cause of uric-acid - not that it is a current problem of mine, but I should be watching out for this as well.

I guess anything in excess is bad, huh? Even if they taste so good... and to me, asparagus does taste good.

Day 168 Sept. 23, 2012

Home Cooked Chops:

There are times when the food cooked at home somehow, some way beats those cooked at the usual fast food places... or even is some restaurants. I mean it. Small wonder that home cooked meals are the in-thing when it comes to people too busy to do their own cooking.

Classic example (so I'd like to think) are these Pork Chops cooked by Barbie - yes, we rarely eat deep fried stuff these days, so you can consider this our 'cheat' meal, so we won't crave for these things too much. But, just because they are fried chops doesn't mean they can't be cooked in a healthier manner. For one, these chops are cooked in olive oil and two (as the picture would indicate) they are fried with lots of garlic - heck, I love these deep fried garlic so much I try to get all of them while eating the chops with brown rice.

So yeah... cheat day... but we try to make sure there is some semblance of health in the dish - without sacrificing taste, to make the chops really great for meal time.

Day 167 Sept. 22, 2012

Zucchini salad:

In our effort to live a healthier life, both barbie and I have made it a point to try fresh greens and fruits. She goes through the internet with the intent of learning more about the food we can eat - ones that are both healthy and filling.

One of the vegetables that always come into our sights is the humble zucchini - it has the least calories, yet seems to have the greatest manner to let it's consumers feel full. It is usually consumed either fresh as part of salads or simply grilled with olive oil. So far, we've tried it as part of a vegetable salad... with a few walnuts for added taste.

This is my dinner... and with it, a less caloric intake, while also having less salt, sugar and hopefully a very healthy dish. A bowl of this should be good enough as a meal, and  I can attest to it's ability to arrest hunger. Taking this for lunch makes me full until dinner time.

I need not take too many snacks in between... and it also is very fibrous. So you can imagine another effect of this, when it comes to - ahem, a n effortless bowel movement.  Barbie has found other ways to enjoy zucchini, and I imagine we will be trying them out real soon.

Day 166 Sept. 21, 2012

Really red apples:

Back from Cebu and already up in the morning to accompany Barbie to the weekend market in Greenhills - and I noticed how sunny it was and how great the fruits looked this particular day. Naturally, my camera is not too far behind, so in the middle of our getting produce and other stuff, I whipped out my camera and took pictures of come fruits.

Among all my shots, I have to say that this one came out real well. It was a combination of the right lighting, with great looking subjects. I hardly needed to make some post editing as the colors of these guys were really great - and they tasted real great too.

Day 165 Sept. 20, 2012

Testing:

Day 2 of Testing, and I'm really glad it is the last day, because it means I get to go home after technically four days away from home.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Apparently, this is the e-block section of the Cebu IT park, and Accenture has set aside several training rooms on the 16th floor. Our students are not that many... and in this particular case, it seems (for some reason) Tess is less than thrilled with the non-reaction of our participants, hence I have to make sure any possible negative vibe the students may have, are lessened or removed by the end of my conduct. Oh well... On another note, this room looks exactly like the ones in the Accenture Libis location. If I had seen this, I would have thought it was the Libis training rooms.

Day 164 Sept. 19, 2012

Summit breakfast:

One cannot really say they have experienced Cebu without having eaten danggit... a small, smoked, salty but crispy fish. To battle the saltiness, I teat it with some eggs - in this case, an omelet and dip the danggit in some vinegar.

It's a simple native breakfast, and I can't really remember when was the last time I had danggit. Maybe I can review this photoblog and discover it, assuming I captured such a time. Needless to say, I liked my breakfast, and waited for Tess before we both would go to Accenture for our Applications Testing School's day 1.

Day 163 Sept. 18, 2012

Packaged Application Design School:

PADS is a three day course, focusing on how to analyze and design packaged applications like SAP for any client. It covers different ideas and tools, and is usually conducted by Jinkee and (in this particular case, at least for day 1), me.

The picture shows Jinkee conducting the workshop - as I await my turn, since we usually take turns (e.g. Jinkee in the morning and I in the afternoon). The Cebu participants are bright and usually pick up the concepts real fast. Their classes are also, usually smaller - thus easier to manage. As I said, we're just together in this for day one - as I shall be joining Tess in another training by tomorrow.

Day 162 Sept. 17, 2012

Fuente Osmena at night:

Yup... I'm in Cebu for a few days. I'm here to help Jinkee and Tess handle some technical trainings, and had to plane in Tuesday evening, so I could prepare for a Wednesday conduct.

I was billeted in Summit Circle - apparently the old Midtown hotel which I last visited some decades ago. Lucky for me, it's been newly renovated, so it looks fairly decent for transients like me on a budget. This picture was taken from the hotel's 12th floor - where I was billeted (a non-smoking floor, thank God for small favors), and took this picture from the hotel elevator lobby window.

Day 161 Sept. 16, 2012

Storm:

The skyscraper on the background can hardly be seen... as it almost disappears from our sight, due to the torrential rains buffeting the Metro this particular day.

Classes are suspended, and Barbie, Bryce and I decided to use this free time to go to Pasig... particulary the Mega Mall area (parked in Podium though).

Once we were done, we decided to go home - after all, with rain this strong, it may be necessary to make sure the cars are in safe locations against flooding. But yeah... at least, I was able to capture an image of this torrent.

Day 160 Sept. 15, 2012

Broccoli:

This is one of the rare vegetables that our entire family eats... usually we have this partnered with some beef that are thinly sliced into strips, sauteed and served as Beef and Broccoli. Other times, we have this just baked with olive oil and cheese - preferably the mozzarella variety and naturally get a treat eating this with all those stretchy cheese.

Broccoli does not come cheap, though, so Barbie and I - on certain occasions, go to weekend markets in Greenhills, and are able to get a lot of fruits and vegetables (including this broccoli) at a much cheaper price than what the usual grocery would offer.

This particular market is at North East Greenhills, and said weekend market is a Sunday market, and is slightly larger that the one in the Greenhills parking lot on Saturdays. Though we frequent the Saturday market more frequently, it's nice ot know that should we miss said market, we can always go for this Sunday market. The place, however is a bit wet and slightly muddy, despite that fact that it's all cemented here - owing to the rainy weather we've been - and are still having. Goes to show how dedicated we seem in getting our veggies, huh?

Day 159 Sept. 14, 2012

Salami:

Once in a while, specially during certain Fridays (or like in this case, Saturdays), when the stars are properly aligned (i.e. we've got all the stuff to make 'it' happen), Barbie and I do take some wine with cheese, grapes and... when I can find great cold cuts - pepperoni slices.

It's our way of unwinding, and it sure beats going out to have the same things... I mean, had we tried doing this in a pub, or resto, I'm sure our bill would easily reach a thousand plus plus... On the other hand, when at home, we're totally relaxed - and we occasionally share this experience with some friends (or family) too. It's a good unwinding activity, and if we're really lucky, it may lead to some cardio work out (wink wink).

Day 158 Sept. 13, 2012

Ready:

While the room was relatively deserted, I decided to take a picture of how it looked while things were still peaceful.

This being day one of a two day conduct (Retail) with Gina, I normally come in a bit later - but since I did not have to bring Barbie to work in Parañaque, I got to come in a whole lot earlier.

So in this instance, I was able to explore a nice 'shot' with my camera, as opposed to the usual shot with people taken in just some differing angles depending on the room. Well this one is a really nice looking room set-up, so it adds to the overall look and feel of the place. It also shows the viewpoint from the facilitator's desk - complete with seeing both projectors' projection.

Day 157 Sept. 12, 2012

New Starbucks!

Before this became the new Starbucks, this place used to be Grilla. My colleagues and I would normally frequent the place to enjoy a few drinks - and food, specially after enduring a tiring (and at times, challenging week). Sometimes, we also get together and stay at this same lower area - enjoying the same things... drinks, pica pica (finger food) and company.

But the Grilla - just like out memories, are now a thing of the past. Change ensues, and after a few forgetful months of something (which I can't even remember) poorly mirroring the Grilla, it was inevitably destined to close... and with that, any semblance of having a place to hang and drink near the workplace. What eventually replaced it; as can be seen, is a new Starbucks - one opened to serve the usual Robinson's Boni crowd; the Globe telecoms people and maybe a spill-over of Accenture people as well.

So here I am, trying out the new place - not for the coffee, since I know the coffee well, but more for the place. I was curious to see how it looked. I must say that the place looked well lit - and because of it, the place looked bigger, and yes, I don't mind saying that it looked great. Definitely gone is the drinking place... but a new place; one where maybe my colleagues/friends and I might hang around can be possible. After all, isn't that the reason for a Starbucks?

Day 156 Sept. 11, 2012

Teng's birthday:

his was a long time in the planning stage. It started several months ago with a serendipitous meeting with Gassi - a cousin I've had little time hanging out with. Naturally, our very brief conversation (as we had other things to do) led to both agreeing that a get together was long overdue... and the person who could possibly help organize this would be Vincent a.k.a. Teng.

To his credit, Teng did the initial actions - inviting us all in FB to discuss when we could get together. But for some reason, schedules couldn't pull together. So the initiative died. Still, the idea - if not the timing, had merit, so it was just a matter of time. We just needed a good enough reason.

Well today was that good reason. Teng invited us all for dinner at their place - with a few drinks on the side... in this case, some Scotch on the rocks. There was just a handful of us - with my dad and Tito King (Teng's dad), and ironically, Gassi couldn't make it - seeing as it was his idea. The reason for the gathering?  Teng was celebrating hsi birthday, and he invited us all (his cousins) for a simple, private, gathering. Now, I'm not your typical Scotch drinker, but I found that I can handle the alcohol just as well. I guess, if the company's good and the discussion lively, anyone can enjoy - with or without alcohol... and should there be alcohol involved, well, it can be imbibed much better, than when alone. Just a theory, of course. Meanwhile, Happy Birthday Teng! We should do this more often.

Day 155 Sept. 10, 2012

Cherry tarts:

Truth is, I don't really know what they're called - but I do know they taste great. No surprise, as they come from Rowena's in Tagaytay.

These tasty treats were a pasalubong from Bryce as he came back from his FormDev retreat. It was an unexpected treat, as we did not ask Bryce to buy these.

I guess, after their retreat, the group decided to go to Rowena's (it is a known place to buy such treats), for pasalubongs - and Bryce just rode with the flow and got something for us as well. Not taking anything away from what he did though, after all, he could just as easily not gotten anything... so I am grateful. In fact, next time I find myself at Rowena's, I'll probably pay more attention to such tarts (or pies) - like I said, I still have not figured out the name of these treats.

Day 154 Sept. 09, 2012

Yogurt:

When I find myself at the Shangrila Plaza in E.D.S.A., and shoudl I find myself with some waiting time (meaning I have to wait for Barbie as she does something in the mall - be it work-related or just plain shopping), I opt to have my usual yogurt cup with a fruit of my choice.

In this particular instance, it's raspberries, which really go well with my vanilla flavored yogurt. It's a cool dessert or mid day snack - specially if it happens to be a real hot day. In which case, I order this... or another variety of yogurt with fruits, to quickly cool down, both inside and out... and since it's yogurt, I know I'm enjoying something healthy (and let's not forget the health benefits of berries too).

Day 153 Sept. 08, 2012

Pampering time:

Saturdays are usually parlor day for Barbie (and occasionally, Bernice as well). Here we see Barbie patiently waiting for her nails to dry - both for the hands and the feet.

Every other week, I also join them to have my toe nails cleaned and any ingrown taken out , after all; and this is where I will only admit it, as we grow old (and fat), it becomes harder to clean one's own toe nails. So why bother exert the effort, when it is much easier to let the people at the parlor do the cleaning and cutting? Meanwhile, we just sit back and relax - or in some cases, even fall asleep while they do their work of cleaning nails.

Day 152 Sept. 07, 2012

Cinnamon sticks:

Cinnabon is known for it's very rich cinnamon rolls, and anyone can tell you that it's quite popular when one considers cinnamon dessert. Personally, I find it a bit too sweet, hence I find it a bit too much to finish one large roll - not because it is large, but because of it's overpowering sweetness, I easily get fed up with eating them.

So a solution for this is to just have the much smaller roll... or to just have the cinnamon sticks (shown in this picture). Though it's still sweet, as one can see, it's not just got cinnamon on it's surface, but sugar as well - this still pales in comparison to how sweet the rolls are. If only Cinnabon comes up with a sugar-free or less sweet version of their rolls - one I can guiltlessly enjoy. Oh well...

Day 151 Sept. 06, 2012

Pork Rinds:

In out local language, we refer to this as chicharon. This is basically thin strips of pork deep fried until they become really crunchy. The chicharon is known to be eaten alone as a snack; often dipped in spicy vinegar, others add it to other meals - specifically, vegetables like munggo (mung seeds) or just as is with rice on the side.

This particular tasty treat was given to us by Dict. Apparently he had a lot, and decided to share some with us, and the label indicates that this came from Bulacan - too bad I don't know exactly where, so I will still have to rely on Dict, should I opt to want more. This chicharon variety comes with a bit of meat, aside from the skin, and is known to be the special kind (as opposed to that which just has the skin.

People eating this, however, have to be a bit aware that this is cholesterol and fat rich, so people with hypertension may best skip taking this snack... or if they can't resist, at least make sure they eat it in a controlled manner (even if it takes a friend to control them). Ah well... at least, I'm glad that this happens rarely, so a little binge won't hurt. But yeah, I am aware of how this may raise one's BP. Hence I try not ot enjoy it too much.

Day 150 Sept. 05, 2012

My new training regimen:

Although our training have slowed down these past two months (meaning the frequency of said training, of course), we still get an average of two days per week.

Such is the case here as well, and all I can do is bear with it - hoping things improve come the new Fiscal year, with starts this September. Of course, I can't expect changes to happen dramatically, and as of now, it still seems a slow pace. Never the less, I'm glad for any training that comes my way.  Now, as for my new regimen, I have my lemon water, my iPad (specially useful when it's my partner's turn to facilitate), some form of throat candy (in this case, the Ricola), an the occasional coffee, which I take black these days.