It’s so nice to see you again.

The long wait is over. It’s back.

Naks parang bongga, wifi connection lang pala. After two months, our internet connection can actually connect–finally. It’s still not that stable though and the speed could be really, really pathetic at times, but hey, at least it’s now working with our Belkin router. Yes, I have to say that we have a Belkin router because BayanTel thought that we have one of those cheapo routers na pwede nilang laitin. They tried actually, kaso may in-you-face moment when their technicians slowly read B-e-l-k-i-n on the body of our router. In yah face man, in yah face. BEH.

BTW I still had to pay for the two months of hassle that BayanTel provided us with. Akalain mo yun, ikaw ba naabala, ikaw pa magbabayad. What can we do? It’s their system and what they really care for is the money. (I told the super supervisor that. Hahaha. If felt so darn good.) Wala na raw way to adjust the billing, so okay, bongga bitch na ko. Nagsayang ako ng pera, I need to tell them how ridiculous their system is. Nakakuha naman ako ng moment ko. Wheeee. On a lighter note, feeling ko tuloy ang yaman ko. Bumibili na ako ngayon ng sakit ng ulo. I shall kebs all this though–karma is a bigger bitch than me, sya na siguro bahala sa BayanTel.

♥ Dyosaimma

My First Teacher Shoes

I got myself a pair of teacher shoes last week. I handle a toddler play group class in the morning and we jump, dance and move around rubber mats all the time, so bye bye chunky platforms muna ang drama ko.

Charles & Keith flats, P1599. Parang P1200 yung worth ng mga bato, tapos P399 yung sapatos. Yes, I bought this dahil sa mga bato. Feeling ko may special powers ang mga ganyan eh.

I wasn’t really a flats girl, kasi ang liit ko na nga diba tapos naka-flats pa ko. But then again, they’re practical tsaka safe sa work place, so ayan, flats! I’ve only worn this pair once last week, I paired it with a dress, I wanted to look cute for church kasi. I got the look that I was gunning for, kaya lang by the end of the day, my feet were killing me. I’m going to give these shoes another go this week before I buy those gel inserts that provide more comfort. Sana naman these shoes are better the second time around.

♥ Dyosaimma

This Week in Books

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein — This is a very heartwarming book, written from a dog’s point of view. For hormonal and pa-deep people like me, this is perfect. Tayo ngang mga taong may means to express what we want to say, nahihirapan pa, what more yung mga aso. The story is so simple and honest that it hits the right spots, matitigilan ka na lang tapos wala na, mag-e-emote ka na.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart + The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins — I like to read these kinds of books because they make me calm and normal. It’s easy to zone out when you’re reading these types of fiction books kasi ang saya saya mawala sa imagination. I’m rereading both books, para nga makalma. Hihi. Tsaka malapit na showing ng Hunger Games!! I want to do the Harry Potter treatment with it too, yung before ko panoorin yung movie eh binabasa ko muna yung book. The poster for the Hunger Games movie is so nice, BTW. I can’t wait for the movie.

♥ Dyosaimma

Maginhawa Leg of The Foodie Froject: Cafe Quezon

For the first leg of our Maginhawa Project, we got to try three places: Cafe Quezon, Sancho’s and Kiss the Cook. Since we weren’t really hungry and we didn’t want to be that full either, Cafe Quezon was our first stop.

Cafe Quezon is at 179 Maginhawa Street–medyo malayo sa “central” Maginhawa. It’s a pretty small cafe, actually. When we got inside, I had this probinsya feel. It sort of looked like a cafeteria with nicer tables. Too bad may ginagawa sa tabi ng Cafe Quezon, so it was really noisy. Merienda time nung pumunta kami, so we didn’t order rice. I’ve heard that their kare-kare is a must-try, pero hindi sold sa amin yung idea ng kare-kare at 4PM. (Maybe next time, go kanin.)

The food in Cafe Quezon, in terms of the price, is very student friendly. Meals are served with rice and iced tea–for P100-P180, pwede na. Desserts are P60-P120, mostly cakes tsaka Filipino merienda food yan. They had a banana cinnamon dessert, I think that’s sosyal na banana cue. They also have pasta dishes, around P120-P150 naman ang price range.

Since the idea for our Maginhawa Project is to try something new, we had a glass of their lemon ginger tea (P65). I’ve tried other lemon ginger teas before and I know that it’s not supposed to be that strong, otherwise, para ka ng umorder ng salabat nun. Cafe Quezon’s take on the lemon ginger tea is soooo strong. The moment I took a sip, feeling ko tumanda ako. Gingeeeeerrrrrrr!! I think with some honey, medyo mag-me-mellow yung kick ng ginger. Or maybe if they used the sweet ginger, siguro mas ok ng konti. I’d have to say that the lemon ginger tea was a bit disappointing.

Na-redeem naman ng Cafe Quezon ang sarili nya dahil sa Doña Aurora Pasta (P125) at sa Pastillas Cheesecake. The Doña Aurora Pasta is basically spaghetti with meatballs with egg. The spaghetti isn’t exactly the Filipino spaghetti, pero hindi rin masyadong maasim. I’d like to call it the adult spaghetti–you know, tamang asim, tamang tamis type. The meatballs were the star of that dish though. It was salty and crispy enough for the spaghetti, tapos hindi masyadong ma-juice at hindi rin naman masyadong siksik. The meatballs with egg, which they call Doña Aurora, can be ordered for P95.

Cafe Quezon has a number of cakes that one could choose from, but the Pastillas Cheesecake stood out. Well for one, unique sya, so we tried it. It’s actually good! Think modern pastillas, ganon. The sweetness wasn’t too much and the cheesecake vibe wasn’t lost with the cake at all. Very, very good! It’s sulit for P95 per slice.

Cafe Quezon is at 179 Maginhawa Street, Teacher’s Village, QC. Around P100-P250 per head, drinks and dessert included. They have free wi-fi and they will allow you to stay for a while if you need to read or study, that is kung wala masyadong tao. It is air-conditioned, kaya lang tapat na tapat sya sa sikat ng araw during the afternoon so hindi masyadong malamig. Stay away from the lemon ginger tea and try the meatballs. Be sure to order cake and try new flavors, you won’t be disappointed.

♥ Dyosaimma

Imma the Explorer and The Foodie Froject

It’s day one of The Foodie Froject! Para masaya, teaser muna:

Two mouths. Three restaurants.

Ang plano, mag-ji-gym. Sa gym pala, maraming pagkain? Cool. Project Foodie blog posts, tomorrow! Wheeeeee. So many calories, so much fun.

♥ Dyosaimma

Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia!

We were all smiles after watching Mamma Mia! last week. It was the musical’s last Friday night in Manila, so there were a lot of people. Mga 98% siguro sa mga nanood eh mayaman. Kami yung two percent. Chos.

We got Balcony 1 seats, which weren’t exactly bad. Actually sa tingin ko tama lang eh. We weren’t that close to the stage, pero wala rin naman kami sa nosebleed section. The best thing about or seats is that medyo malayo sya sa stage at pwedeng maging malikot!! I was nodding my head and clapping–syempre dapat feel na feel ang Mamma Mia! I couldn’t really relate to other songs, pero I enjoyed nonetheless.

I’d have to say that the entire cast of Mamma Mia! is oozing with talent. TALENT TALENT TALENT!! Umaapaw silang lahat sa talent. Pero walang sapawan, kahit lahat sila magagaling. They sang as if they were going to lose their voices after the show and they danced really, really well. I love Donna, Rosie and Tanya! The moment they stepped on the stage, performance level agad. Amazing. They performed Dancing Queen syempre and it got the loudest cheer from the crowd. And they really deserved all the wheeeeeee’s and the whooooooo’s!

This is Ticket World Manila’s video teaser that I saw in youTube:

Syempre nakanganga ako sa Dancing Queen. We didn’t buy the CD that they were selling in CCP kasi kami nga yung 2% sa audience na hindi mayaman. I borrowed a friend’s CD kaya napapakinggan ko yung songs. Oh my. The kilig doesn’t really go away.

♥ Dyosaimma

VDay is Phone Day!

There are those who like to spend gazillions of money for food on Valentine’s Day.

And there are those who are happy with Iceberg’s sulit meals:

There are those people who spend a lot for flowers on Valentine’s Day. Matagal ang pag-iipon at dumadayo pa sa Dangwa para makamura sa bulaklak.

And then there are those people who get new phones on Valentine’s Day. Matagal ang pag-iipon at dumadayo pa sa Manila para lang makamura:

If I can only share what happened before we got our phones without giving away ourselves too much, ikekwento ko. Ang mga kuripot nga naman, gagawin ang lahat, makatipid lang. Ok na maging kuripot kesa magnakaw nooooo. Diba? Diba?

We finally gave in and bought new phones. Nandun na kasi kami sa point ng buhay na uma-attend na kami ng meeting at parang mandatory maglagay ng cell phone sa lamesa, so medyo necessary ang level up. I got the E6 and Dremon got the Lumia 800. I’m suuuuperrrrr happy with my phone. Wheeee. Kahit na gusto ko yung features ng phone ni Dremon, dahil sooobrang cool ng Lumia 800, I need a phone with a physical keyboard. I’ve been using a QWERTY phone for more than six years kasi and it’s so convenient for my fat man hands. Hindi ko rin masyadong habol ang Android phone because I’ve got the iPod Touch. Keri na yun.

The E6 is a business phone actually and it’s in the touch and type series too. It’s soooo convenient and fun to use. A good review (at least for me) for this phone can be read here.

As for the Lumia 800, I love it! Ang fun fun nyang tingnan. Kakalikutin ko nga next time yun. Heehee. It also has a reaaaaalllllyyyy good camera. As in really good.

I hope Valentine’s Day turned out to be a good day for most people. It shouldn’t be about flowers, chocolates and kisses entirely. I mean, pwede namang araw-arawin ang flowers, chocolates and kisses dibaaaa. Why choose one day when it can be everyday? Hihi.

♥ Dyosaimma

Nung bata ako, akala ko nag-uusap sa loob ng box yung mga munchkins sa Dunkin’ Donuts.

Isa sa mga nicknames na binigay ko kay Patricia ay Munchkin. Pinapili ko kasi sya kung Siopao or Munchkin, sabi nya, kung pwede eh wala syang pipiliin.

Bali ganito ang nangyari:

Me: Pili ka kung anong itatawag ko sayo, Patricia. Munchkin o Siopao?

Patricia: Haaaa? Ano? Ayoko!! Patricia na lang!

Me: Ang haba eh! Pili ka dali!

Patricia: Kailangan talaga?

Me: Oo. Munchkin o Siopao?

Patricia: Munchkin na lang. Ayoko ng siopao, may pula yun sa ulo eh! Tsaka may papel sa pwet.

Hahahaha!! Shiz. May point nga naman sya.

On a more serious note, hindi ko ide-deny na medyo pinagtutuunan ko ng pansin si Patricia. Well, there’s a reason for it. Lagi kasing umiiyak si Patricia, lalo na pag tinutukso sya ng mga tao sa paligid nyang ang taba nya, ganon. And I sort of know how it feels to be in her place. Nakita ko yun nung una pa lang eh, kasi she doesn’t want her picture taken kasi nga raw ang taba nya. Kaya whenever I can, I always tell her that there’s nothing wrong with being a fat kid. Tomorrow, I will show her my kalabaw pictures para mas mainitindihan nya yung mga sinasabi ko sa kanya. Last Friday kasi umiyak sya dahil nga may nang-asar daw sa kanya. Patricia is verrry dear to me, lahat naman ng students ko pinagkakasya ko sa puso ko eh, kaya ayokong nakikitang may umiiyak sa kanila.

Anyway, Monday na bukas! Wheeeeee. Makikita ko ang mga makukulit kong mga alaga.

♥ Dyosaimma

Dove Hair Therapy is the shiz, man.

It took me days before I finally got to try the Dove Hair Therapy  Intensive Repair 2-Step Treatment. Ubos sa lahat ng puntahan kong groceries. Delamar (of RX 93.1′s The Morning Rush) is one of Dove Hair Therapy’s brand ambassadors and she’s been raving about it for days already, kaya kating-kati na akong makarelate.

SORRY FOR THE PICTURE!! Hahaha. Nakakatamad gamitin ngayon si Baby Gaga.

So there, I’ve tried the Dove Hair Therapy Intensive repair chuchu. (Ang haba ng name!) At first, medyo worried ako kasi ang liit ng tube, so baka hindi kasya sa makapal kong buhok. A strand of my hair is about three to four times thicker than a normal person’s hair. The first tube is like a conditioner that has to be rinsed off after three to five minutes. Ginupit ko sa gitna para masimot ko yung laman–that’s how I am with products in tubes. (Who is kuripot?) Yung second tube naman, hindi na kailangang gupitin kasi mala-oil ang laman nya so lalabas lahat if you squeeze the tube hard enough. Leave on product yung second tube–I think nandun yung magic ng buong system. Haha. Wala lang, feeling ko lang yun.

O kumusta naman? WHOOOO! WHOOOO!! Amazing, amazing results. As I’ve said, I have very thick hair. Sabi sa akin ng stylist ko, my hair is not really bad, I just happen to have too much of it. I’ve been using the straight and silky variant of the Dove Hair Therapy line for a week, so I guess that also helped with the result that I got after using the two-step intensive repair treatment. My hair is so behaved and is soooooo soft. Walang sticky feeling from the leave on product. Feeling ko ang ganda ko.

The shampoo would cost about P190-P210 for a 350mL bottle and the conditioner would be cheaper if you’ll buy it in individual sachets, P33 for six 10mL packs. (Yun nga lang maraming basura.) The good thing about the Dove Hair Therapy products is that it’s soooooo thick! You won’t be needing too much shampoo and conditioner, so in the long run medyo matipid sya compared to other shampoos and conditioners.

I guess I found my ganda shampoo. Hihi. Thank you, Dove!

♥ Dyosaimma

It’s not us, it’s the song.

I saw this on Jessica Zafra’s blog:

The article pretty much dissects tearjerker songs and I think it’s really, really cool. I’d love to hear Adele sing “Someone Like You” live and I will not try to stop the tears kahit pa nasa public place ako. Hohohoho. I hope Adele will visit Manila soon.

Read the article here.

So para sa mga apektado sa Someone Like You dyan, it’s not you. It’s the song. It’s a tissue paper song, so gooooooo, iyak!

♥ Dyosaimma