Weekly Photo Challenge: Indulge

When I hear the word “indulge” what comes to my mind are FOOD and VANITY!

I indulge myself with things that would feed me (literally and figuratively speaking) whenever my time and my money permit.

* * * * flooding with self-portraits and lots and lots and LOTS of food!!! * * * *

New Year = New Look ! ! !

Every six months or so, I’ll visit the salon and have my hair rebounded. I wished to have a fiery-red hair just like my old wig but I also feared that my boss would kick me out for doing such. December came and so did our beefed-up salary. I really wanted a new look! I disregarded the fear of losing my job and I hurried to Heaven’s Salon (Rizal branch) right after our trip to Mindoro. Haha! It was long and tiring because we spent almost ten hours to get everything done. Since my hair was originally black, dyeing it hot-red turned it auburn-ish instead. I was dissatisfied at first but I learned to love it. I will go back there after three months to have it redone (and hopefully get the result I want)… then the cycle will continue.

Cross Pendant Collection

My fiancé wore a cross pendant when we first met. Ever since that day, I had been fascinated with cross pendants and I have collected quite a lot in due time. I am not religious, though, so I never bought crucifixes. Crosses are staple accessories for Goths. Most of my necklaces and pendants have either been worn out, given to others or misplaced. I only have the current batch with me now. More details on this blog entry: [My Collection : Pendants . . .]

… and now, the FOOD!!!

Feast thy eyes with photos of luscious dishes and sweet pastries from various restaurants and shops within Metro Manila. For details, please read my [blogs about food and drinks].

Hamburg with Shrimp

Halloween 2010 . . .

(left to right) Vincent, Toni, me, Clari, Alex

My friends and I planned this atsumaru for quite sometime. Since all of us are working in different BPOs and shifts, it became a challenge to setup the meet. We agreed on the date and time after several conversations in Facebook and Yahoo Messenger.

Toni and I met up around 7PM. Alex and Vincent arrived around 7:30PM and we drove to Kamuning. We parked in the Sgt Esguerra Avenue around 8:30PM and picked up Clari. This is the first time Vincent came along with us and he became our “tour guide” LoL! Since it’s late, we decided on cruising Tomas Morato because it’s famous for its night life. We were contemplating on choosing between Tong Yang, Banapple and Chili’s. After much thinking, we decided to dine in Chili’s.

This is our first time there so we had no idea what to expect. I had a hard time selecting from their menu because they’re so darn expensive! They serve American food just like Cajun and Heaven n Eggs. We ordered the Bottomless Tostada Chips, Fish and Chips, Big Mouth Burger Bites, and the Baby Back Ribs and Chicken. I was planning on getting another Baby Back Ribs and Chicken but it’s a good thing that I backed out because the servings were HUGE! A single order is enough for the five of us. We actually had a hard time consuming everything! Aside from the food, the ambiance is really nice. The waiters were also accommodating and even initiated to take our group photos. They also have this gimmick that they’ll sing for you if it’s your birthday.

* photos c/o Toni

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Our dining experience has been great, although I am unsure if I’ll have another chance to go here. It’s far from our place (and it’s darn expensive).

☺

Late Night Dinner ( 9 ) . . .

Yoshinoya

The first and the last time I ate in Yoshinoya was during its opening day in SM Megamall many years ago. I didn’t like their meals one bit so I vowed never to return — EVER!

Then comes Dada suggesting we have dinner there! >.<

He said he recently had lunch there with his friends and he liked it. Dada is really good at convincing me to do some things that I really do not like doing and he’s taking advantage of it … Blergh!

Anyway…

We headed to their Robinson’s Galleria branch after our shift. What surprised me is that although this is generally a Japanese food joint, they serve kimchi and pork dumplings. LoL!

We ordered the Jumbo Plate (Gyudon + Ebi Tempura combo), Sio Mai, Green Tea, Red Tea, and Strawberry Mousse. Although they advertised the Jumbo Plate as “good for two” it just wasn’t enough for the both of us. The serving was too small to be called “jumbo” and the shrimps were so tiny! It’s a good thing that the Gyudon, Tempura and the sauce that came with the meal were tasty. The Sio Mai were okay. I didn’t like their Strawberry Mousse.

Overall, it was an okay dining experience. I know now what and what not to order in case we decide to come back.

Late Night Dinner ( 8 – b ) . . .

Tony’s Favorite Chops

We enjoyed dining in Cajun the last time Dada and I went out so I asked him to try their branch in Robinson’s Galleria. As usual, the dishes were very delicious!

Seafood Jambalaya

Dada tried the Seafood Jambalaya (I think that’s what it’s called) which has fried prawns and calamaris dipped with Alfredo sauce. I ordered Tony’s Favorite Chops with Saffron Rice. Instead of the Mojos side dish, I had it replaced with Mixed Vegetables. Funny thing is that some of the ingredients for the pork chops were different from the one we ordered before. The previous one had no onions but this one has plenty. This one also had sauce all over my plate while the previous one didn’t.

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Late Night Dinner ( 7 ) . . .

Komoro Soba

KOMORO SOBA is a Japanese restaurant based on the ground level of SM Megamall. This is where Dada and I frequently eat because we love their dishes.

They serve the BEST KATSUDON IN THE METRO! Aside from the Katsudon, we also love their Kakiage, Ebi Tempura, California Maki and Mango juice.

The quality (and quantity) of their dishes greatly declined these past few months but it’s still better than most Japanese casual dining restaurants.

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Late Night Dinner ( 6 ) . . .

I was feeling awful the whole day because my stomach hasn’t digested all the food I consumed last night. Dada and I strolled around Robinson’s Galleria first to look for a nice gift for Tito Oscar (his dad). We passed by Saizen and HandyMan and browsed for gardening tools (since Tito Oscar likes gardening).

After window-shopping, we decided to have dinner in Shakey’s. I have had both good and bad dining experiences in this restaurant that’s why I only recall going here four times in my entire life. The first time my family went here was when I was still a little girl and I HATED their pizza. Second and third times I went here were with my colleagues from 24/7, both of which were good experiences. Tonight is the fourth time I’ve been here and I had mixed opinions about their dishes.

We ordered a large Manager’s Choice thin-crust pizza, Solo Pack chicken, Mojos ‘n’ Dip, and shakes (Chocolate for Dada and Strawberry for me). The Mojos are REAAAAALLLLLLYYYY delicious! The Caesar Salad dip is also heavenly! The fried chicken is also delicious but the gravy was too bland. As for the pizza, it really didn’t taste good at all. It was kinda salty. I guess that’s how they make it - truly Italian, as compared to Pizza Hut‘s sweet-and-somewhat-Filipino-Style pizzas. I then noticed that most of the people were dining in not because of their pizza, but because of their other dishes. LoL!

☺

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Girl Talk ( 2 ) . . .

Girlfriends

 

 

 

 

 

When Dada and I had an argument, Toni and Clari wanted to cheer me up so we went out on a Friday night. We met up in TriNoma around 5:30 PM.

Toni and I were there earlier so we had time to stroll around the mall and browsed for clothing. Toni is the Fashion Police among the group and she gave me tips on what to consider when buying clothes.

Shopping always makes me lively! I bought two petite dresses (a black sheep dress from Maldita and a red floral dress from Folded&Hung) while Clari bought a pair of Bohemian shoes and square earrings.

We had dinner in Sizzling Pepper Steak then got our drinks in Starbucks. After so much food intake, my stomach became distended. LoL!

 

 

 

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Late Night Dinner ( 4 – 5 ) . . .

Watching any animated film is a double-edged sword for me — I get to enjoy the film twice (with my family and with my boyfriend on separate occasions) but it also results to more expenses. I guess it’s okay since I rarely take out my family on trips. Dada shoulders most of our date expenses too.

Sizzling Pepper Steak

I watched Toy Story 3 with Dada right after my shift and we had dinner in Sizzling Pepper Steak. AFAIK, it’s part of the Teriyaki Boy food chain. It’s a Japanese-themed casual dining restaurant which serves western-style food, much like Tokyo Café. The dishes are served in a sizzling hot plate wherein we must flip the meat and stir the rice for them not to be overcooked. The dips and sauces they have for their dishes are also something that amazes me. I tried their new Barbecue Pepper Rice (I think that’s what it’s called) and it’s very delicious! The mango juice is already a staple food for me. LoL!

Congo Grille

Next time I watched Toy Story 3 is with my mom, siblings and aunt. This is our first time to watch a Digital-3D film in our very own SM Fairview!!! The prices are much lower here than in other movie houses, probably because the people residing in Fairview are mostly composed of the masses and Henry Sy wants to accommodate most of them.

Anyway, after the movie, we had dinner in Congo Grille. This is a family restaurant that serves mainly Filipino dishes at very affordable prices. We ordered Kare-kare, Sizzling Stuffed Squid, Banana Split, Buko Pandan, a couple of Java rices and watermelon shakes.

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Late night dinner (3) . . .

Teriyaki Boy

Dada said that we haven’t officially celebrated my birthday yet so we decided to watch “Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time” tonight.

We also had dinner in Teriyaki Boy, a casual dining Japanese restaurant. We visit their branch in Robinson’s Galleria often. We ordered our common favorites: Ebi Tempura, Kakiage Tempura, Tamago Sushi, California Maki, Yakimeshi and Mango juice.

I didn’t have lunch so I could dig in tonight but I was very disappointed with how the dishes tasted. They were bland! We had to continuously dip the tempura in the sauce because it wasn’t as appetizing as it looked. Dada joked “Pangit na yung pagkain, pangit pa yung nagluto.” We still consumed everything – they’re expensive so we had to!!!

Tonight was undoubtedly not one of the best dining experiences we had. I hope that Teriyaki Boy redeems itself in case we decide to stop by again.

 

 

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28th birthday ~ ~ ~

Demi Hamburg

TPG Help Desk — Green Team

May 26, 2010 … It was my first time spending my birthday in the office. I was quite irritated because I don't like working during special occasions but there's nothing much I can do about it this year. Anyway, as a courtesy, I treated my colleagues with two trays of spaghetti and a full-sized chocolate cake from Goldilocks. It cost me more or less P1k but it was OK and I think I became a bit at ease with them.

Dada and I were not able to go out because his work got in the way. I felt really bad. We even had an argument about it. Tsk! Well, he promised to make up for it so I let it pass.

Anyway (again) …

May 27, 2010 … It was my day off the following morning so mom, my siblings and I went to SM North and celebrated there.

We had lunch in our favorite family restaurant, Tokyo Café. I ordered my favorite Demi Hamburg and Milk Oreo; Mom had her usual Seafood Salad; Leidi also ordered a Demi Hamburg and Caramel Espresso; while Popay had the Loco Moco and Milk Oreo too. The bill only cost me P1.1K so it was good enough. We need to be fancy sometimes. Maybe next time, I'd take them to Saisaki. ♥

 

Prior to lunch, we grabbed tickets for Shrek : Forever After (Digital 3D) and they had their photos taken with a Shrek mascot. I was feeling a bit lazy so I didn't bother having my photo taken (also, I don't like entrusting people to take photographs of me using my camera).

Milk Oreo

May 28, 2010 … It was time for me to pay this month's bills. I also bought toiletries amd kikay make-up. By the end of the day, I've used up all my earnings for this cutoff. It was as if there's bad luck following me, my BPI ATM card got voided too so I can neither pay my BPI-EDGE credit card nor get money from my Direct Save-Up account. Jeez! I gotta control my expenses!

Well…. It's been a fun birthday week… Not the happiest birthday I had but it was still good.. and hell NO I'm not ashamed to say my age –- coz I don't look like a 28-year old anyway. Har har har!

☺

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