my favorite baby photo of my daughter

She was so limber and loves to such on her toes.

Favorite restos

Top 5 Restos ( not particular order)

for foie gras, french onion soup, salad, steak, dessert

1. Le Souffle- comfort food

2. Lolo Dads ( malate)- very decadent

3. The French Corner (Alabang)- New discovery

4. Antonio's ( Tagaytay)- special occassions

5. Old Manila- diffrent take on Foie

other notable restos but does not have quite the complete combo:

1. Je Suis Gourmand

2. Myron's

The medical check up

Bummer, we just had executive checkup and learned we have to go on a diet especially Jp cause his triglycerides and other cholesterol stuff is quite high. This makes us feel sad because we love to eat. The doctor said we have to lay low on the scotch drinking as well. When we have dinner out we usually order french onion soup, a salad, Foie gras and steak and of course dessert.

Days look gloomy now that you can't seem to look forward to what's for lunch.

The Asian Hospital Center for Executive Health was quite exemplary as well, they have a good system that really caters to busy people. Its like a one stop shop. for 18K per person ( out patient/plus Asian Hospital privilege card) it was quite a steal.

Kids in costume

although its such a hassle sometimes, its quite funny to see the kids in costume. Since its August which is usually Filipino Week, I had a Katipunero ( freedom fighter) and a Dalagang Filipina. ( Filipina Maiden) The next costume days will be holloween, can't wait.

What being rich means now.

How do you say one is rich?

Before it was quite easy, he has the best clothes, best house, the only car in the barrio(provincial city), they have maids that call them "Senyorita" or "Dona." Come the late 90's it was still more or less the same, similar parameters but just different manifestations. Being rich was measured more by the material things you have and its elevation of one's status in society.

for some reason, calling someone rich was having lots of zero's on ones paycheck or that he can change expensive watches everyday of the week or she has a 3 million peso bag. Hell, I use to want to own my own Island, with matching Yacht that fits 2 ski's and a helipad. I would imagine myself being seen by the people I know so busy, that I'm flying here, always on the move, always on the phone for work, somehow that vision of activity made me feel that is how it feels to be successful, you very much needed everywhere that the minutes of you day is not enough. Plus the fact you fly on your own jet, driven in a chauffeured limo, had a diamond studded phone completed the picture. Yes, I did achieve that (not the jet,not the limo but still chauffeured ford vehicle, the diamond on the phone just as an exaggeration) , I use to boast that I was doing ten thousand things in one day, I thought I had achieve the life I wanted and then I realize I didn't have one. Slowly, it was the realization, that yes I do want to do ten thousand things in my life, but not the terms I initially placed myself in. I would like to fly on my private jet, but to go on a vacation, I would like to be completely busy but not to the point it defines me.

I now pray for happiness instead of riches, I ask for comfortability to an extent that I would have enough for my kids tuition and to have a simple vacation when I want it. I've heard some big hitting CEO's their life is a drive on an 8 million peso car to the office, sit their ass on a 100K office chair for some posture reason, work and be back to their 100M home, they don't have anything but work. Luxury now is not to be able to afford expensive things or vacation, its the time and contentment to enjoy them. What is the use of a 100 million house if you cannot enjoy it cause you're alone. What's the use of having $1000 satin sheets when you can't sleep cause you don't know where you're husband or wife is. What's the use of having foie gras, lobsters, beluga caviar and champagne if you can't eat it because there's no friends to drink with you.

So what does it mean to be rich... its up to you, again everything is subjective.

PS. Its funny that what it means to have lot in numerical value depends so much on the number of zero's which we know means nothing.

Go Ahead and take them out

I rode a cab going to the Fort to meet my driver, because my car was coding, I chance upon the usual AM Radio program where people usually seek help against oppressor and the Radio Program will save the day. The story basically is an employment agency was abusing some of its applicant. One Aunt was complaining and wanted to get her nephew out, and so they did. Of course milking the situation, the nephew was put on air with matching phone patch interview with the Aunt. The Aunt went on a violent tirade on how the confrontation happened, with matching profanity. The surprising thing was the Announcer pushed her on, when the aunt said in Tagalog " i would have slapped her senseless" the announcer gave a more violent option again in Tagalog " Maybe you should poke her with an umbrella in the eye."

So what was wrong with this? Well I feel instead of preventing more violence the announcer just encourage this. Yes, I know they are the grieving party, and they had the right to express their ire, but if a kid was listening to the radio show, what kind of impression would this give? " If another kid took my sandwich, I should take him out, curse him" Wouldn't have it been better if the announcer said, "Yes, we understand what you are feeling and there are legal actions we can do against them, but if you do the things that you wanted to do, then you are no better than them" But hell no, this won't sell, this won't give him better ratings. But the fact that they give false confirmation that they are on the side of the poor and the oppressed, they can go ahead and do bad things if somebody started it, only teaches them not to rise above the situation.

Guilty Reading

I recently finish all 9 books of the Charlaine Harris novels where HBO's Trueblood was derived from. I've never seen a episode of TrueBlood, but the books what can I say, its probably the ultimate beach read. If you liked the General Patronage twilight series, this is almost that same but its R13. Sex is quite a talked about often and killing is also discuss more in detail. But the heroine's more true to life and hornier than Bella. There are a lot of Men to choose from both from the vampire clans, werewolves and shapeshifters. But of course the factor that keeps you excited to find about, which makes you buy the 250% more expensive hard cover book is who will Sookie Stackhouse choose in the end. Her Vampire First love, first sex, Bill who cheated on her or the powerful, arrogant but always there for her, second lover, Eric. i go for eric, he sounds more yummier. though it seems like the actors in series is not at par with the book characters, well can't compete with fiction.

meet the newest member of the family

My brother is coming home from the states after 10 years. he asked me to buy a dog for one of my nieces. I for one don't really like to have animals in the house due to the smell and of course their poo. Anyway we decided to have a social experiment to see if the kid can handle the dog or if Ican stand it. We bought an apricot toy poodle. We named her Azila. Kids wanted her name Kulit zilla, but we decided to name her zilla, but since all the kids' name start with a A so hence "Azilla" or "azi" for short

Yup her traits looks like she's born into us, energetic when playing but lazy most of the time. She is so small.

I thought I will have a hard time with the kids if we decide to give it away, but what I realize is that its the Hubby who seem to be most happy having the dog not much the kids. So i guess that just means we need to keep her