On the street of Pedro Gil,, Manila... Beware!!!

Just a weird experience while walking along Pedro Gil... a woman, around late thirties, begged just to have some amount of money... her first introduction, as quoted, "miss lam mo ba yung... (long paused, i thought she was aking for a direction coz' she looked lost) kasi nakakahiya man' ito pero kanina pa nga ako nakatayo doon, may mamang nag snatch ng purse ko at andun mga ATMs at pera ko"  She said a man grabbed her purse, all her ATMs and money were there and she told me that she needed 20plus pesos just to get her home.  I told her that I know there's a lot of "manloloko" so, I can't give her my trust that easy. She was crying while begging.  I was quite convinced but there were still some doubts in my mind.  So, i told her i'll give her 20pesos even it's true or not, just to end it up.  Then she said to add 5pesos coz' 25pesos is her exact fare.  She said, as quoted, "Sige na, gawin mo ng 25pesos, ibabalik ko rin yun' sau, loloadan na lang kita mamaya, kunin ko number mo ha!"...  I got curious with it... if she's telling the truth, she should have been thankful with my offer but she isn't.  I told her to go to the police station and report what happened to her but she doesn't want to, she reasoned out that it will only make her stay long in the police station...  Then i advised her to get a cab and pay it when she get home... She answered that she can't coz' only her two sons are at home and her husband is at work...  We even argued for a minute for what she'll do... coz' she had many reasons to my advises... the only thing that can solve her problem is getting a 25pesos... hahahaha... She even said, as quoted " Grabe ka naman nagpadagdag lang ako ng limang piso, ayaw mo na magbigay!" (in a demanding way of facial expression while she said that).

The ending, i gave her 10pesos and told her call ur friends thru payphone or get a load.  But she said 10pesos is not enough.  hahaha

I got annoyed with her so, i just told her, " i already have my own problems and don't add yours to mine".  I hurriedly walked away from her...

Thinking about it all over again made me laugh now!

For you guys, do you think she's telling the truth or just one of the "manloloko" gangs just to get your attention..????

x'ss:  i don't look at her eyes that constant coz' i was afraid she's one of the group who hypnotize their victims just by looking straight in their eyes.

Here are the comments of my friends in Facebook:

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    Jarold Santiago manloloko yan grace. kung lilibutin mo taft avenue magugulat ka sa dame ng nanakawan at nanghihingi ng pamasahe hahahaha!

    23 hours ago ·
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    Grace Barretto Balderas hahaha... oo nga pero at 1st mukhang totoo eh kc umiyak pa sya dahil nga hiyang-hiya daw sya sa ginagawa nya na paghingi ng pera sa stranger... well, dahil sa dami nyang rason.... nainis na ako at naisip ko na manloloko yun. takot lang ako kc baka may kasamang iba at baka ma hypnotize ako hehehe. :)

    23 hours ago ·
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    Mae Rud Perater sakto lang ginawa mo Grace... delikado na panahon ngayon. yon iba nga naka formal pang attire, d mo akalaing manloloko pala...

    20 hours ago ·
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    Star Cazar hay naku gra u juz did d right thing ako un inaway ko na un na sya pa nanhingi sya pa un nagagalit,she cant force u noh to give u d amount she demanded d nman nya pera un.maka highblood ha

    17 hours ago ·
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    Grace Barretto Balderas ‎@junna: korek ka dyan, kaya nga dapat di' tayo agad maniniwala sa mga taong bigla na lang lalapit sa'tin. mahirap na kasi! :)
    @star: hahaha... napi-picture out ko na kung ano gagwin mo strel. malamang tameme yun' sau. :)

    5 hours ago ·

My Fresh Garden Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing

I'm into healthy option now.  Specifically this kind of salad is not a traditional one for Filipinos.  Only buco salad, fruit salad and macaroni salad are the one which is familiar in our tables.  Actually, I've never been a fan of this kind of salad but when I had tasted it in one of the course of Chef Tatung's Private Dining.  I certainly loved it. 

I bought the fresh vegetables in SM Supermarket and all the ingredients needed.  In my own self-made recipe and ingredients... :)

Violet lettuce
Green lettuce
Cherry Tomato
Cucumber
Cheese
Bread chunks

For Vinaigrette Dressing, I used...

Red Wine
Olive Oil
Honey

Well, the result... my sister and I loved it!!!  :)

Whittaker Bittersweet Dark Chunks

I bought this bar of chocolate in Mercury Drugstore in Trinoma Branch.  At that time, I was looking for something to satisfy my craving for sweets.  But, the mall is already closing and decided to look inside the drugstore for chocolates.  Since, it was February 13 and i've seen lots of chocolates in almost everywhere for Valentine's day.  

I saw Whittakers Dark Chunks, actually there were 3 more varieties of this brand but I am more into dark chocos.  Whittakers Bittersweet Dark Chunks is 47% pure cacao.  It really describes its name "bittersweet".  I love it and it's my fave dark chocolate for now.  I highly recommend this chocolate!  Yummy!

Chef Tatung's - Private Dining

Cello's Doughnut and Dips

After we ate pizza from Gino's Brick Oven Pizza for the first time,  just a few steps beside it, you can reached the Cello's Doughnuts and Dips in Katipunan Ave.  It is located in the 2nd floor of Mercury Drugstore. And it is gonna be my first time too in Cello's. :)

I ordered these 6 flavors.  What I love about this doughnut is the softness and creamy feeling when it landed on your palate.  My fave flavors are the cheese, oreo and chocolate.  These flavors belong to the Cello's Original variant.  Though it's not that very special for me but I dig it due to its softness and flavorful taste which is in the right amount of sweetness.  And very affordable! Just a tip, it is best eaten when it's hot or freshly baked.  Just put it in a microwave oven to make it hot again. ;) (Check the box for instruction)

On my 2nd visit... Due to my sweet tooth and craving.  I bought one box of assorted cocktails doughnut in their SM North store.  Still, it never fails me.  I love it. You can't compare this brand of doughnut to others because it is simply different.  I'd like to taste their Premium Doughnut which is the Dark Belgian Chocolate flavor.  Maybe next time when I can visit Manila. :)

Gino's Oven Brick Pizza

 

Just a few days ago, I started my adventure with group buying sites looking for best deals they could offer.  There were lots of deals I'd love to buy but I'm afraid it might be a scam.  But, this particular group buying site (cashcashpinoy.com) got my attention because of their deal of Gino's Brick Oven Pizza which will get to pay 200 pesos only for a 400 pesos of foods and drinks.  I'm a pizza fanatic so, I did a researched for it and all the reviews were good.  So, two days ago, me and my fiancee went there at around 1 in the afternoon just for my curiosity of the pizza even if the promo deal is not yet started.  Our house is quite near from there so, driving was not a problem. 

                      Address:   2F 341 Katipunan Ave. Loyola Heights QC (above mercury drug)

It is above mercury drugstore but to tell you, i can't find it easily, unless you'll look closer to the right side of the building where Figaro is at the 1st floor of the building and there you can find the stairs going up to 2nd floor.  Parking is a bit of a problem coz' there were not enough space in front of the building.  Good thing!  We saw a space, in front of a bakery beside the building.  As we walked from the stairs you can see the building is not yet totally finished (half part of the 2nd floor), where it is located. 

 

We ordered one Buffalo Chicken Pizza and 2 cans of coke zero.  This is the pizza variant we choose because from the name itself "Buffalo Chicken"... That's one of our fave dish. :)  Thin crust, a perfect one.  I love how the sauce blended, sweet and a bit of spicy!  It's with chunks of chicken meat, mozzarella and blue cheese... Yummy!  You have to try this one, guys!

RN Heals Successful Applicants

I was expecting that the list for RNheals successful applicants will be posted last Monday, Feb.7 in the official website of the said project.  But, to my dismay, it wasn't there.  I've been checking it out for the whole day and even the next day.  Luckily, today at around 8pm, I checked it out again and the list is already posted.  The hometown I've applied for is not yet posted but I had the chance to chat from my former colleague in the former hospital i've had worked for... She said that she got a text message from the local DOLE in our province last Monday stating about her interview on Friday and orientation on Feb 14-15.  I asked her how did she apply for the project and she answered that she went in the office of our local DOLE to pass her application. 

I just knew now that other applicants were already given an information about their initial interview as early as last week of January while other municipalities already chosen their candidates.  Some of the successful applicants received a text message or an email for their being part of the project is earlier than it's posted.  Well, what the heck is happening with this project??!!!  As what their website said that starting Feb.7, they will be posting the successful applicants.  Well, it was posted just earlier tonight!  Is this another "backer system" of choosing their candidates???  I hope not.  Congratulations to the successful applicants!!!  :)


You can check in this link if you're one of the successful applicants: 
http://rnheals.dole.gov.ph/selected.aspx

Koryo Korean Barbecue

One night my sister came to me and let me taste a food she said she bought in the mall.  It was the garlic potatoes of Koryo Korean Barbecue in SM North Sky Garden near the overpass that linked SM and Trinoma.  At first, I hesitated to taste it because i'm not in the mood to eat.  But, she persisted me to eat it .  She got a spoonful from the bowl and trying to put it in my mouth.  So, I just get the spoon from her and eat it.  Wow! I was speechless for a moment because it tasted the way i want it.  Sweet with a hint of saltiness!  It's a winner! 

The first time I dined there is when I was with my fiancee.  The staffs were nice to us especially when we said it was our first time to try out their food.  The ambiance is simple but modern and stylish.  Ordering is like in a canteen style.  Order by the counter and choose your side dishes available there then pay for it.  They insisted that we should have their Koryo's Jumbo Combo, good for two persons.  It is consisted of 2 rice already.  So, we ordered their Koryo Jumbo Combo which have beef, ribs, chicken and spicy wing with 4 side dishes. We selected 2 garlic potatoes, kim chee and macaroni salad.  I love the tenderness of the beef and ribs, as well as the taste.  But, we just hated the taste of the chicken and spicy wing.  It's kinda' tasted different maybe because of the spices or sauce used for marinating it.  Well, for us, we just don't like it.  The side dishes are all great!  As usual garlic potatoes are the best!  

What I hated more is their mango juice, it's just an ordinary mango juice tasted like the Tang's Mango juice powdered sachet.  Yuckkk!  I don't like it.  I hope they will change it into a mango puree juice.  I'm a mango juice lover... That's why, I said that.  


I still highly recommend this restaurant because of their wonderful side dishes, very tender and tasty beef and ribs, and affordable foods...  Next time, I'll try their other dishes and drinks, maybe more of it are great. 

Merienda Buffet (Eat-all-u-Can) in Kamay Kainan

Last Saturday, I was going to eat merienda in Kamay Kainan at Trinoma.  They usually open their merienda buffet at 3pm and closes at 5pm.  I was there at around past 3 o'clock in the afternoon but to my dismay, there's no foods on the table outside of their shop (they're setting it up there).  I asked the waiter if they still have their merienda buffet and he said they stop it already.  Well, i'm an avid fan of their merienda buffet (eat all u can) for the price of 119pesos.  For that price all my binging of pinoy style merienda will be satisfied.  I hope they will bring it back. :)

*** not included in the photos are puto, dinuguan, pansit, at ginataang bilu-bilo.

Kimono Ken at SM North The Block

Napoleones by Roli's Bakeshop

After from our worship service in Bago Bantay, Quezon City (INC Church) last Sunday afternoon, me and my sis, decided to walk going to SM North.  I think that's a one kilometer of walk... hahaha...  We didn't have the choice to bring our car coz' someone from our neighbors parked their cars blocking the way.  We were in a hurry so, we don't have the time to look for the owners.  Well, back to Napoleones...  :)  At that day, Sunday at Feb.6, it was the 3days sale of SM North.  There were lots of people bustling around the mall.  So, we ate our merienda in Wham Burger at The Block (my fave burger).  I'll blog about it next time. hehehe...  Then after that,  we're on our way home, we passed by in this green cart.  It's Roli's Bakeshop!!!  Then, I spotted the little cute white squared pastry which i've been binging before.  It is exactly located in SM NOrth The Block 2nd floor near the SM Appliances Center.  When I was a Fitness First Member, after my work-out in there, i will always get a box of it before i go home. :)

Napoleones is originated in Bacolod City.  That's why the other two branches are in Bacolod City.  It is a small pastry, square in size, creamy custard inside and sugar glaze on top.   It is like peach mango pie in Jollibee because of its outside crust but the Napoleones has a lighter texture and crispiness.  It is also similar to Deli Manjoo because of the creamy custard inside as its filling.  For just 100 pesos in one box which have 6 pcs, of Napoleones.  I just hope they'll make a less sugar glaze on top because due to its thickness, you'll feel "umay" with it.  But, still, Napoleones is one of the best pastry for me. 

Mister Kabab

Mister Kabab UP Ayala Technohub Branch

The first time I had the experienced to be dined in a Persian/Mediterranean Cuisine was in Cebu City.  I forgot the name of the restaurant and the exact location because it has been half a decade ago.  And, it was something memorable for me because my fiancee now, whom my boyfriend then, treated me in that restaurant, when we had our vacation in Cebu City.  Since then, I had this fascination of that kind of cuisine.  That was my first and last time of my mediterranean cuisine dining experience before that just this few days, we went to Mister Kabab. 

Mister Kabab is offering Middle East and Mediterranean Cuisine that first opened for business in 1987 by two Iranian students.  Mister Kabab branch that I first visited two days ago with my fiancee was in West Ave., Quezon City, a few blocks away from Quezon Ave.  They have an open air dining hall full of wooden tables and chairs.  It's a big place where they have parking lots in front and a much bigger one at the back. Everytime I pass by West Avenue, I can see how fully packed they are...  and who can never get a glimpse of their place at night whenever you'll pass by there...  They have lots of lights that illuminate an orange/yellow color.  Due to that color even though they have lots of it, it doesn't give much light.  It's like i'm havin' a candle lit dinner. :)  I hope they could switch it into a more well-lighted lights. Well, maybe, people from Persia/Iran loves that kind of light. :) 

       Special Beef Chelo Kabab P120                                                                          Ox Brain  P75


I'm thankful that the waitress came to our table is very approachable since it was our first time to go there.  Well, she told us that their house specialty is the Special Beef Chelo Kabab, Lambchop (forgot the exact name), Chicken Chelo Kabab and the Shawarma Plate.  Well, we ordered 2 Special Beef Chelo Kabab, Grilled Garlic and Tomato, Ox Brain (she added this as their specialty later), and mango shake.  The rice in Special Beef Chelo Kabab is like two cups of serving.  I love it! I've finished it all but I can't take the Ox brain because it tasted like "Balut" (duck's egg).  Well, my fiancee loved it instead.  The mango shake is just too sweet.  I'd like it a lil' bit of sweetness.  So far, after that I felt contented and full and I told myself to try out next time their Shawarma Plate.

You know what??!!!  We came back the next day for lunch at their other branch in UP Ayala Technohub which is very near to my house.  If I just knew it, I should have saved our gas yesterday.  Well, their place in Technohub is very much smaller from their place in West Ave.  It's an airconditioned place but they also have an open air space in front and at the back.  We seated in the back because the view is awesome.  There's a pond and many tress.  I'm a nature lover, by the way.  


We ordered Shawarma Plate (as I've had mentioned that it will be my next dish to be ordered), Keema, Eggplant with Yoghurt, Yoghurt Shake, Canned Pepsi, and three rice.  The price here is a bit higher from their branch in West Ave.  I think it's because of the area and it's air-conditioned.

The eggplant with yoghurt is just kinda' very sour to my taste (what do we expect from yoghurt) coz' there's a lot of yoghurt than eggplant.  I am more into it if there will be more eggplant and less yoghurt. :)  The shawarma plate and keema is great!  Yoghurt shake is heaven!  Well, I could come back more... So far the foods are great when you're looking for this kind of cuisine.  Also,  very affordable price for a Persian/Mediterranean Restaurant compared to other dishes with this same kind.  Just prepare 200 pesos and you could have a descent meal.  No service charge! :)

 

Shawarma Plate P99

 

                                                                  Keema  P77

                                                                Eggplant with Yoghurt P115

                                                                Rice is always with butter P33

                                                   Yoghurt Shake P60 /  Canned Pepsi P35