Ang Babaeng Kuripot

This blog documents the experiences of Jen as she goes through the world while trying to make her every peso count. [email protected]

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BLOG BREAK

                                                                    Resuming the blog after a few weeks. Day Job comes first.

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Fun-nest show ever! :D #fuerzabruta (Taken with Instagram at Fuerza Bruta)

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Can't wait for the show. I'm ready to be amazed. #fuerzabruta (Taken with Instagram at Fuerza Bruta)

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Underwhelmed with Cajun Red Rock @ the Mega Food Sale

Went to this yesterday:

Chose to eat here:

(Image from http://www.foodforbigboys.com)

The Deal - PhP 1 the creole chicken pasta (worth P250), the original classic burger (worth P245), the red rock salad (worth P270), or the bottomless iced tea (worth P99) with a minimum order of Php 500.

Ordered this all to reach PhP 500:

                                                          Tony's Favorite Chops (PhP 310.00)

Everything about this meal is OK (note that I wrote "OK", not "good"), except for the pork chop itself. The meat was thin and tough.

                                                                Crispy Mojos (PhP 90.00) 

We think that this is the only good thing we ordered. The mojos were made from sweet potato (sosyal-speak for kamote). The sweetness of the sweet potato is complemented by the breading.

                             Chunky Tomato Soup (PhP 135.00)

They should have called this dish "Chunky Crouton Soup" instead.  Saw more corn and bell pepper than "tomato chunks". The soup was bland, no tangy-ness of tomatoes, if that's what you're looking for. 

And this is our PhP 1.00 "discounted meal" (tandandandan...):

                                                      Cheesy Mini Meatball Spaghetti

Note that the pasta originally in the deal was the creole chicken pasta. In fairness to them, they said that it wasn't available and this (the photo above) was the pasta avilable for the deal. But they didn't warn us that this pasta is not as palatable to the adult palate. The sauce was too sweet and bland. Your mom's "Happy Birthday Spaghetti" will definitely taste better. I will gladly pay the full amount for a Jolly Spaghetti than PhP 1 for this.  On hind sight, wish we got the burger instead. 

This was our first time to eat at Cajun, and looks like we're not going to return based on this visit.

We're too "down" with our meal that we got our usual picker-upper:

        Green Tea & Cocoa with Rock Salt & Cheese: Does the trick every time. 

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Food trip to the highest level!

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A Night of Livin' la Vida Imelda with Carlos Celdran

I have been following Carlos Celdran in Twitter for a while, and I have been waiting for him to bring his "Livin' la Vida Imelda" show to Manila (it premiered in Canada). And now that it's finally showing, and thanks to my friend Ale's initiative, we finally got off our asses to watch the show at the Silverlens Lab Art Gallery.

The show began with a "spicy" introduction of our heroine - Madam Imelda Romualdez Marcos. A woman who is born into luxury but raised in humility. She is a woman who grew up with nobody to identify with in social limbo - not dirt poor but also not that "cultured" that she is shunned by the bourgeoisie.  What's a girl got to do? She took control of her own destiny.

And control she did.

She went on to being a pretty provincial lass to a persistent beauty queen to a powerful First Lady to a cultural icon that she is today. Hers is a life filled with oxymoron and ironies, and this show features her life's contradictions - things that you will never, ever find in any history book.

Whenever Carlos Celdran speaks as Madam Imelda, he takes out a white handkerchief, while the actor playing her only mimics him.

What is interesting about this show is that you will try to anticipate which side he will take. But as the story goes, you will be given enough facts and puns that will leave you to assume its meaning. What might begin as staunch critiques will be ended with thought-provoking questions that appear to rationalize their actions (hers and her husband's, the former President Ferdinand Marcos). The beauty of Carlos' delivery is that you can never pin him into taking sides, again, leaving you to think for yourself.

The "tour spots" proved to be great "conversation pieces" in telling Imelda's story, and how it all figured in her life and our own history as a country. These very,VERY ambitious projects (namely the CCP, Folk Arts Theater, PICC, Coconut Palace and the Film Center) are the realizations of her aspirations and a reflection of Philippine politics which provided significant plot-points in the timeline of their reign. 

      "We can do this at home": Mocks of the chandeliers in the PICC and CCP.

Similar to his tours, this show is still a one-man show, though he has actors in the background who served as live "visual aids". With or without the actors, I think Carlos can still deliver with the same zest. Nonetheless, the actors did provide a good mood to his stories, especially during the discussion about Martial Law where the actors pointed mock-guns at the audience for any sign of self-expression (mostly laughter) and "forced" the audience to take a break during the 15-minute intermission.

                                                 The ensemble singing "Bayan Ko"

History is just interesting with all the back stories (a.k.a. chismis). Watching him, I thought that my grades in history class could've been higher if he were my teacher. You just want him to go on and on. But do open your ears, because he talks FAST.

On top of all the juicy stuff that I learned about Imelda, I had two basic take-away from this night:

1. Politics is basically just power play which, unfortunately, shapes what we will all become

2. Don't believe what history books tell you (hell, the Japanese "sanitized" their participation in WWII in their text books, as if it will change what actually happened)

At the end of the show, the audience will be left with an impression that despite all her flaws, Imelda will always have her redeeming qualities that have placed the Philippines in the map. And in spite of the things that history books says she did or did not do, she will always keep us mere mortals in awe of her person.

I absolutely recommend every Filipino (or any history buff, for that matter) to see this show. Livin' la Vida Imelda will run until March 10, 2012 at the Silverlens Lab in 2/F YMC Building II, 2320 Don Chino Roces Extension, Makati City. Tickets cost PhP 800 (50% less for students).

To know more about the show, the schedule, and how to secure tickets, please visit Carlos Celdran's site (carlosceldran.tumblr.com).

                                              Me with the star of the show :)

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Excited for Livin' la Vida Imelda :) (Taken with instagram)

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Authentic Korean Meal @ Min Sok

One night, after watching Asiong Salonga (the only MMFF entry we watched, and yes, this post is THAT delayed) at the Power Plant, Dax kept on insisting that we eat in this authentic Korean restaurant he read in a blog. After all the popcorn we ate has vaped out from our tummies, we drove a few meters to Don Pedro St. and had to choose between two restaurants. Since Manna Korean looked posh-er (read: more expensive), we decided to have dinner in Min Sok.

When we went inside, we bumped into our business partners/occasional eating companions/foodie resto hunters Pit & Ciara, and we ended up getting their table (they just finished eating and were about to leave when we got there). They told us that they just came from Manna Korean and got so bitin from the serving they jumped ship to Min Sok and ate again.

They recommended that we order the Deungsim (beef tenderloin steak platter - PhP 450), which comes with a bunch of refillable condiments and side dishes.  The Korean owner is so cute; she asked us in Tagalog, "isa pa?" Ready to pig out, we also ordered the Samgyupsal (pork strips - PhP 300).

  The steaks were as big as breakfast steaks and were cut by our waitress before serving. The meat didn't look like marinated at all, but tasted good and tender. More or less, it took at least 5-10 minutes for the meat to be cooked and ready. 

For us, the clear highlight of this meal were the never-ending serving of the side-dishes.

                             Not shown: the endless fill of greens (cabbage and lettuce).

It was my first time to eat kimchi, and I was just hooked! And I didn't need to order rice 'coz the greens served as (healthier) carbs. It got me full and ready to pop.

Nobody taught us how to properly eat this (which is to wrap the meat and condiments inside a leaf, similar to wrapping a siomai), so we just slammed everything in our mouths. The Koreans weren't giving us odd looks anyway, so I guess it's OK. 

And since we got two orders, they gave us free yet a generous serving of Spicy Miso soup. 

Definitely coming back for more. :)

Min Sok is located in 5644 Don Pedro St., Poblacion, Makati (between Rockwell & the infamous Burgos St.).

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Share Tea: My New Comfort Drink

In case you haven't read my post about Moonleaf, I love, LOVE milk tea! And it's one of my missions to taste all the tea places that I can find. Just crossed of my list: Share Tea.

Being a huge fan of Happy Lemon's Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese (or as some of my friends call it, "Sampaguita" tea), I'm happy to find that Share Tea has their own version of it, especially since not all tea places carries this. For my first try, got the Oolong RSC (just had to make an acronym 'coz it's just long).

         Mine's the last on the right, the darkest one. All the rest are Green Tea RSC.

For the virgins, this is how you properly drink a RSC to fully-appreciate its goodness:

  Like almost all tea shops, you can choose the level of sweetness in your drinks. I don't like my tea very sweet so I always request for 50% sweetness.

What's unique about their RSC series is that the topping is really, really thick to sip. It's akin to the consistency of Nestle All-Purpose Cream. It was kinda hard for me to drink it "the right way" and I had to mix it with my drink and sip it through a straw. Nonetheless, it's still yummy. Maybe I just got used to Happy Lemon's more frothy consistency. I have to practice more often (hehe!).

As for their regular Pearl Milk Tea, it has a similar taste to those of other tea shops. No surprises, just your regular lip-licking, comfort-giving tea. :)

Price-wise, I find it a teeny-bit more expensive than the others. But no large discrepancies, just a few pesos. See their menu below to compare:

A very big plus for me is that they DELIVER! Check out their contact details on their website and FB fan page.

                                   The fun & quirky staff indulged me in a group photo.

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The Legend of Kainan au Gusto

So much has been written about this famed carinderia operated by Cafe Juanita, and it's still our go-to place for cheap and tastier-than-the-typical lutong-bahay fare.

One of the charms of this place is the rustic interiors filled with eclectic mix of antique fixtures.

                                            Just like going home to Lola's house.

Food options are served in chafing dishes, eatery-style. For better appreciation of their menu, really.

Typical meal (1 rice + 1 viand) costs PhP 70-80. More expensive than a normal carinderia, but a lot cheaper if you consider the fact that (rumor has it) it's the same food being served in Cafe Juanita in smaller servings.  You can order more viands to share if you're a big group so you can taste a lot. Although, it's rather unfortunate that the best seller (and my favorite) Caldereta increased it's price from PhP 85/serving to PhP 125 (...or PhP 100, forgot the actual amount). :( 

That night, we ordered Asado and (if I remember correctly) Mechado.

To cap off our meal, we ordered some Banana con Hielo. :D

If you haven't been here, please come out of the rock you've been hiding under. This Kapitolyo institution should not be missed.

Visit them at United cor. West Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig (beside Microwarehouse and in front of the Pepsi Warehouse). They're open everyday for lunch and dinner, and anytime in between.

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"Whether we’re talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down."

Warren Buffett (Investor, CEO, Forbes' 3rd Richest Person in the freakin' WORLD)

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Easy DIY Home Wi-Fi Router by D-Link :)

I think I'm one of the few people that didn't have an internet connection at home for the longest time (yeah, I'm a loser like that). Six months into our PLDT DSL subscription - which by the way needs to improve their unstable bursts, or lack thereof - I finally got a Wi-Fi router at 50% off, thanks to a deal via Groupon Philippines. :)

                                             From PhP 1,500 to PhP 750. Not bad at all.

Installation was a breeze, perfect for trying-hard techies like me. Now there's a good reason I have a laptop. :D  

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Care for some RamenCool?

Before anything else, can I say that I just LOVE Kapitolyo?! It's the foodie's heaven! Days before Christmas, the most anticipated resto on my list finally opened. :)

The interiors are really enticing from the outside. Its a fusion of traditional Japanese elements (i.e. Kimonos, Cherry Blossoms) executed in a clean "modern" way.

Since we're a big group when we had lunch here, I got to taste all our orders. And instead on going about how good they all are, I'll just whet your appetite with this:

On top of that, I have to give special props for their Sukiyaki (PhP 215/serving). It's good enough for two, and it tastes really good.

                                            Is that sulit, or what?

However, here are a few unsolicited constructive criticisms:

- Their Matcha Shake was waaaaay too thick and rich for me to enjoy. It's like drinking a pint of molten ice cream in one seating. As a dessert, its actually better to split it two, or even three, times. Tone down the consistency, and it will be more enjoyable.

                                               Too thick for my liking.

- Given that seafood do nothing to enrich the taste of broth, the Seafood Ramen needs more "oomf" in its taste. I'm no food connoisseur, but it definitely lacks something. More salt, perhaps?

- I appreciate that they don't use straw for the good of the environment, also that their drinks' serving are more than the average, but I do hope they can use shorter glasses. It's hard to lift and sip from a tall and heavy glass. Maybe they can serve their cold drinks in carafes instead.   

Over-all, Ramen Cool offers good modern Japanese cuisine for a sulit price. With the ambience and the food, it's good for memorable occasions (i.e. birthday blow-out for friends) or casual dates

...or just good ol' lunch. :)

(Scroll down for their menu)

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The Best Cheap Siomai in the World! :)

There are a lot of dimsum food carts scattered everywhere (heck, I can even see PhP 2/piece siomai sold on the streets). But Master Siomai, for me, is the best tasting food cart siomai ever! 

                                               Master Siomai in Cherry Foodarama

                                                               Beef Siomai ♥

For a good siomai fix, just look for the Master Siomai nearest you. :) 

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Buy 1 - Take 1 Gym Membership @ Slimmer's World

It's been a while since I have done anything "fitness"-related. I have cancelled my Fitness First gym membership eons ago (it's getting crazy expensive and I'm not even using it), and months have passed since I stopped running because of (1) the pollution, (2) the erratic weather, or (3) just plain laziness.

When Dax's sister mentioned that she availed gym membership with good ol' Slimmer's World at half-off, we decided to run to their Megamall branch the following day to inquire.

First thing that the consultant did was to weigh us (I'm not going to share how much I weigh now, but it's a far cry from my fit self a decade ago). Then, she gave us options on the packages to avail. You can avail of their membership for a month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, all of which can be availed "Buy 1 - Take 1" - either take the free months all for your self or share it with a friend. Dax and I got the 6 month packaged @ PhP 900/person/month.

And by the way, they have a lifetime membership package for PhP 40K per person, equivalent of paying 2 years worth of membership with Fitness First or Gold's.

I took some photos of the facilities:

The Good:

1. The people there are there to get fit; in other words, kebs. I'm more comfortable knowing the fact that I can be in an old T-shirt while slaving myself thin, versus, for instance, going to Fitness First where everyone is in their best fitness outfits.

2. Your membership fees include free consultations from their in-house trainers and  nutritionists, an additional cost with other gyms.

3. The equipment, although a little bit old, are in good shape. The members have the discipline to wipe of their sweat after use (with face towels provided by the gym which are conveniently hanged on every machine) and return mats and weights after use (except for some people).

The Bad:

1. The Cardio Machines have limited use. You can only use it for only 30 minutes at a "First Come, First Serve" basis. The first ones out are the Treadmills, which I love.  

2. Although they have apparent "reservations" with lockers, I was a bit irritated that my assigned locker for a day was just grabbed by someone else. And when I told the attendants about it, they simply advised me to just look for another available locker. No problems with that, I just wish they didn't make that rule in the first place if they're not going to implement it anyway. 

3. The first thing that welcomes you when you enter the gym floor is the smell of sweat, which I eventually got used to. They have exhaust fans, I wonder why they're not using it.

4. A clear advantage of Fitness First gyms are their classes (i.e. Body Jam, Combat, Spinning). On the other hand, Slimmer's Worlds' aerobic classes, for me, simply sucked - a flashback of Carmi Martin in "Working Girls" circa 1980s (in full gear of tanga over tights with matching leg warmers). I hope they can "modernize" their classes. I'm willing to pay extra for that.

- - - - - -

I guess it depends on the branch, but for Megamall, the best days to go there are from Thursday to Sunday (Saturdays are the best!). The worst are during the beginning of the week.

Now, I'll shut up and pump some iron.

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Yummy Milk Tea by Moonleaf

Because of a "mock campaign" about tea that we did in college, I'm proud to say that I was a big fan of Milk Tea waaaaay before it swept the city off its feet. Now that it's a big craze now, I'm happy that people can now understand why I choose tea over coffee, or why I choose to pour milk over my regular brewed tea (to the odd looks of most people).

I'm also happy that a Milk Tea chain opened just near our office.

Being it my first time, of course I tried the most weird-sounding on the menu. I got the Hakka Milk Tea (made from Oolong Tea) @ 50% sweetness for PhP 75/tall cup (an additional PhP 10 for the add-ons) .

It tasted REALLY good! Although I wish that I just added Pearls instead of the Nata de Coco, which is too "fragrant" to match with the Hakka Tea (for my taste, at least).And what I love about them is that they also offer the "Basics" like Black tea, Jasmine, Wintermelon and Oolong @ only PhP 45.

For Moonleaf in Kapitolyo, please refer to this map:

For their full menu and other branches, click here for their website or check their Facebook Like page: facebook.com/moonleafteashop.