Will you...?

In the land of fairy tales, a kiss from prince charming is all it takes to wake up a sleeping princess, and they live happily ever after…

In the movies, it takes a sleeping man for Sandra Bullock to meet Bill Pullman, and amidst all the struggles and confusions, they live happily ever after…

In real life, it takes more than a kiss and definitely not a sleeping man for the hopeless romantics to live happily ever after, it takes guts, a lot of planning, a bit of luck, a good sense of timing.

And a romantic place to, you know, pop up the question.

The time is definitely ripe for that next step for some bells to start ringing. My brain worked overtime, my mind was on a trance whenever I think of all the possibilities, and I, short of harassing, nay, forcing myself for that creative juice, or what remains of it, to start flowing just to come up with the formula on how to do this, when to do this and where to do this.

I didn’t know that it can be this tough! Or I am just putting so much pressure on myself?

I am not known to be a man of surprises, I maybe hiding or sleeping or off somewhere when the 1001 romantic ideas started falling from the sky, I may have grab some but these were crumbs and not the type that can one can swoon over, I don’t have big and earth-shaking ideas, or stuffs that can turn the world upside down, I don’t want things to be complicated, in other words, yours truly is just your plain and simple Juan.

But this time, I want to be different. I want this to be memorable, especially for her.

And you know what, I was also surprised with what I did.

To be continued...

Bachelor's guide to food

got this from my inbox and I can help but smile that, yeah, it can be real and I can almost relate to some of it, especially with vegetables hehehe (the indented comments were mine)

BREAD: Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds are the only officially acceptable "spots" that should be seen on the surface of any loaf of bread. Fuzzy and hairy looking white or green growth areas are good indications that your bread has turned into a pharmaceutical laboratory experiment. (Maybe the cure to all sickness can be found there, who knows?)

CANNED GOODS: Any canned goods that have become the size or shape of a softball should be disposed of. Carefully.

CARROTS: A carrot that you can tie a clove hitch in is not fresh. (guilty!!!!)

CEREAL: It is generally a good rule of thumb that cereal should be discarded when it is two years or longer beyond the expiration date. (Oh, I am proud to say that cereals and oatmeals don't last a week on my ref)

CHIP DIP: If you can take it out of its container and bounce it on the floor, it has gone bad. (At least, you can play ball with it hehe)

DAIRY PRODUCTS: Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt. Yogurt is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese. Regular cheese is nothing but spoiled milk anyway and can't get any more spoiled than it is already. Cheddar cheese is spoiled when you think it is bleu cheese but you realize you've never purchased that kind. (Does a melted margarine/butter inside a mayonaise bottle with something white growing around it is also spoiled? hehe)

EGGS: When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the egg is probably past its prime. (This is probably not a very hot way of having a chick/s on your house, and inside your refrigerator, scary!)

EMPTY CONTAINERS: Putting empty containers back into the refrigerator is an old trick, but it only works if you live with someone or have a maid. (Half full bottle of cola, a box of milk, some stuffs on a jar that you can no longer remember what, and of course, water containers - lots of it - can do the trick. hehe)

EXPIRATION DATES: This is NOT a marketing ploy to encourage you to throw away perfectly good food so that you'll spend more on groceries. Perhaps you'd benefit by having a calender in your kitchen. (They have expiration...dates?)

FLOUR: Flour is spoiled when it wiggles. (Just imagine that's where the Sandman resides)

FROZEN FOODS: Frozen foods that have become an integral part of the defrosting problem in your freezer compartment will probably be spoiled (or wrecked anyway) by the time you pry them out with a kitchen knife. (Oh no, I already have a trauma when it comes to frozen food and kitchen knife, it's bloody!)

GAG TEST: Anything that makes you gag is spoiled (except for leftovers from what you cooked for yourself last night).

LETTUCE: Bibb lettuce is spoiled when you can't get it off the bottom of the vegetable crisper without sandpaper. Romaine lettuce is spoiled when it turns liquid. (Why is it that lettuce has this bad habbit of going to the bottom even though it's always placed on top of all vegetables?)

MAYONNAISE: If it makes you violently ill after you eat it, the mayonnaise is spoiled.

MEAT: If opening the refrigerator door causes all stray animals within a three-block radius to congregate outside your house, the meat is spoiled. (Hmmm, so that explains why there are a lot of stray cats in the neighborhood...)

POTATOES: Fresh potatoes do not have roots, branches, or dense, leafy undergrowth. (What? They don't have roots??? And onions and garlics should have leaves, right? Right? And ginger, too?)

RAISINS: Raisins should not be harder than your teeth. (At least, not as hard)

SALT: It never spoils. (Thank God!)

UNMARKED ITEMS: You know it is well beyond prime when you're tempted to discard the Tupperware along with the food. Generally speaking, Tupperware containers should not burp when you open them.

GENERAL RULE OF THUMB: Most food cannot be kept longer than the average life span of a hamster. Keep a hamster to gauge this. (Okay, now, where do i put the hamster, inside the refrigerator?)

c",)

Caramoan dreaming

For the last three years, I've been dreaming of setting foot on this very remote island, climbing the rock formations, having a blast on its very still and very clear water, shooting until my batteries and memory card give up and enjoying the beach with its fine sand to my heart's content.

Since the arrival of a P200-million development plan and the media mileage it gained from Survivor France and GMA-7, I don't know if the scenes I am dreaming of will still be the same. Cavanas have already been built and even before I can call it my own, commercialization had begun.

Sigh, but I still want to go there and I will go there.

Do you want to know a secret?

Closer, let me whisper in your ear...

But I won't ask you to promise not to tell because the world deserves to know this.

The other weekend, we discovered another gem in dining experience amidst the garden and the orchids around. Tagaytay? Nope. Baguio? Nah. Laguna? Cavite?? Those were far, you just need a taxi, bus, or even an MRT ride to go there. Where? In My Mother's Garden (formerly The Garden Room) in Pasay City. Yes, just in Pasay.

This By-Reservation only restaurant is situated in 2650 Zamora Street in Pasay, in the 1940 house of National Artist for Architecture Pablo Antonio. It is being run by the mother and daughter team of Malu and Letlet Antonio Veloso (who are very accomodating and will make you feel that the place is yours to enjoy).

They are offering a set menu ranging from P700.00 to P900.00, we opted for the P700-menu of Seafood and Chorizo pasta, Mustard Chicken (I give it a two-thumbs up approval) and Melanzane. All menus come with a garden fresh salad, freshly squeezed fruit juice (the watermelon juice made us craved for the beach!) and the best fruit tarts that can give those expensive Serendra cupcakes a run for their money.

The pasta is very filling (their serving for two can feed four hungry souls!), and i love the combination of shrimp and chorizo! I don't know how to call it but the tomato and black olives add-ons also give the pasta a kick and a very rich taste, which for me deserves a standing ovation! bravo!

Don't be deceived by the rather very discreet presentation of the mustard chicken, for its awesome taste, it deserved a better one. The chicken is their specialty, and I must say it should be because it's so darn good! Just for the mustard chicken alone, I'll go back to eat there! Trust me, you'll crave for it. (Sorry for the picture, I am busy eating hehe).

And the desserts? Oh, you don't need a sweet tooth to appreciate this. It was heavenly!

I don't remember being served with Melanzane, maybe they did or maybe they don't, but I don't see it on the table or maybe, just maybe, the turn of events that came along with the tray of desserts may have overwhelmed me. What events? Let's just keep it a secret...for now. hehe.

HOW TO GET THERE:

From Makati, take Edsa going to Taft Avenue. On the right side, the street before Taft, sandwiched by the MRT station and Watson's on the other side and where Kabayan Hotel is located, is Zamora Street. Turn right there and just cruise until you reach No. 2650.

CONTACT NUMBERS:

My Mother's Garden - (02) 8318407

Malu Veloso - 09176008886

Letlet Veloso - 09187022125 (or email bootsieveloso@yahoo.com)

Next time, we'll try going there during lunchtime to appreciate the garden because last time, we ate there dinner time and the ambiance and the low-lighting was just perfect and very ideal for a romantic date. yihaa. hehe.