Bag Organizer from Beabi

Been on the hunt for a new and bigger bag organizer since the start of the year ( ... hmmm, an attempt to start the year right, lol) and last week, I chanced upon Beabi, a store selling travel essentials such as bottles, kits, organizers, etc. while taking a stroll in Robinson's Galleria.

I found one that would suit me, but alas, the only color available was light blue. I asked the sales staff if they would have new stocks coming in, and she told me to come back after a week. So yesterday I was back, but they still didn't have what I wanted. I asked the staff which branch had it on stock and she called ... she called all but one of their branches to find out if they had that large black organizer on their shelves. Negative. 

I was frustrated and at the same time I laughed at myself silently for exhibiting an "OC" (obsessive compulsive) trait. So I decided to "settle" for their Caddy which was the right size and color but a tad heavier. I paid for my choice and thanked the staff profusely for her efforts.

Once I got home, I was very glad to have bought it. I was so happy with all the compartments! Now all my stuff fits! :) 

black caddy from Beabi, PhP 395

With this, I am hopeful that I would no longer spend much time rummaging around my bag. 

In addition, it fits perfectly inside my Longchamp! :)) 

perfect fit!

_____________

Beabi

Branches:

Level 1, Greenbelt 5

Ayala Center

(632) 298.5668

R2 Bridgeway 1

Power Plant Mall

Rockwell Center

(632) 399.1388

Level 2, East wing

Robinsons Galleria

(632) 399.5650

Lobby Level, Mindanao Level,

TriNoMa Mall

(632) 916.8008

Level 3, Main Building

SM City North Edsa

(632) 355.4651

Level 3, Eastwood Mall

Eastwood City

(632) 399.5868


Ground floor, The Annex
SM City Fairview
(632) 352.3905


Level 2, Entertainment Mall
SM Mall of Asia
(632) 556.0286


Level 1, Midtown Wing
Robinsons Place Manila
(632) 399.1368

Looks Like A Good Deal from MetroDeal

Got an email earlier with the subject as: 

70% off Shui Hilot Triple Combo Massage / 75% RF Slimming Sessions

.

Normally, I ignore such mails and treat it as spam. But for some reason, I decided to open it. 

I called up Shui Spa to verify if they had this promo/tie-up with MetroDeal and the guy at the other end confirmed. So I continued to click and chose a payment method which I felt was the "safest". (I am still not comfortable divulging credit card details over the internet specially for new deals.) 

Now all I have to do is pay over-the-counter and wait for the voucher in my email. And with this, HB and I will be off to another "spa date". :)

P.S. MetroDeal claims to have a referral program so if you would also like to "avail" of this deal, please click here. 

Seafood Galore

With the success of the original Dampa in Paranaque, various Dampa "outlets" have sprung up all over the Metro. This concept of buying fresh seafood from the market and having them cooked in one of the palutuan restaurants has been a hit with groups of families and friends and has led to more Dampa branches. Currently, I know of  Dampa in Libis, Farmers in Cubao, Metrowalk in Ortigas and Macapagal in Pasay.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to try out the Dampa experience in Macapagal Avenue with my co-workers. 

I was mostly impressed with the cleanliness of the market 

aisle of the seafood section

and the array of fresh seafood:

fish

shells

oysters

mussels

shrimps

lobsters

I think the prices were regulated as they were more or less the same for all the stalls. We bought 5 kilos of shrimps, 2 kilos of mussels, 2 kilos of kohol, a kilo of bamboo shells, 2 kilos of ulo ng maya-maya, and 3 kilos of liempo (pork belly) which we hoped would be good enough for the 25 of us :)

We opted to have our food cooked at 

G Squared Palutuan sign

Cooking charges were reasonable and there was a 10% service charge on top of our bill. The waiters were very attentive and anticipated all our needs, from the toothpicks for the kohol to the condiments for the sawsawan for the other dishes. 

We had the shrimps cooked in chili and garlic sauce, the mussels baked with garlic and topped with cheese, the kohol cooked in coconut milk (gata), the bamboo shells in chili garlic sauce, the maya-maya in sour broth (sinigang), and the pork belly grilled. We had a feast and we all pigged out on the fresh seafood fare.

bamboo shells and shrimp

baked tahong (mussels) and ginataang kohol

All that good food, coupled with good company (uhm, pun intended?) hopefully make for a good start for this year. May all that fresh seafood usher in abundance for all of us!

Photo credits: the last 4 pictures are courtesy of Ms. Majah Flores, downloaded from her FB album.

A Baby No More

Fifteen years ago today, I welcomed a tiny baby into this world for the first time. A few moments after I first heard her cry out loud, she was put into my bosom and she stared at me with those little almond-shaped eyes and I couldn't help but shed tears of joy ... for she is ours to love, cherish and care for.

Fifteen years later, all we still do is love, cherish and care for her as she grows and soars into her own. She sure can be hard-headed and obstinate and she sure does test our patience's limits, but we are mostly proud of how she is at school and with her younger sisters and her friends. 

To my firstborn baby who is fast becoming a lady, Happy Birthday! And remember that your Dad, sisters and I will always be around to love, cherish and care for you.

Auld Lang Syne

A Prosperous and Blessed New Year ... from our family to yours ...!!!

Just Chillin' Out

We are set to welcome 2011 in the cold City of Pines! 

For the second straight year, our family trooped to Baguio to spend the holidays. Whereas we stayed from the 28th to the 30th last year, our schedule this year only permitted us to leave work yesterday, December 29. On our way, we decided to take a detour to visit and say a quick prayer of thanks at the Church of Our Lady of Manaog in Pangasinan.

Our Lady of Manaog

The drive was pleasant and relaxed all throughout the trip. We reached Baguio at around 1pm. HB and I took a nap and while we did, our girls got busy and hammed it up in front of the camera. With a tripod, they took shots as they roamed around the condo unit as well the clubhouse of Ridgewood Residences in Camp 7 in Kennon Road, which is our haven in this city.  

street kids, anyone?

After napping, we went to SM to purchase our supplies for the duration of our stay. We headed back to the condo shortly after we finished.

Earlier this afternoon, we headed out to PEZA and Camp John Hay to check out the export overruns. Disappointed with the wares, we drove to Burnham Park where HB and I watched some locals playing football.

wacky-ing it up inside the car

And to celebrate our wedding anniversary, we had dinner at the original Solibao Restaurant in Burnham Park. As HB and I found the Sinigang na Bagnet to be perfect for the cool clime during our last trip here in July, we ordered it once again for our girls to try.

our second take of Sinigang na Bagnet

This time, we partnered it with inihaw na pusit which was grilled to perfection as the squid meat remained soft and tasty. 

inihaw na pusit (grilled squid) served in an old-style Filipino pan

After dinner, we drove back to the condo for more bonding time. The fire place was set up and the girls roasted hot dogs.

my girls and their roasted hot dogs

Nothing tourist-y for us, just pure chillin' out ... we slept to our bodies' content, we ate when we felt like it, we watched dvd's, we sang videoke, and we drank spirits by the fire as our girls munched on roasted marshmallows and hot dogs. It is a perfect time for us and I sure hope there would be more in the next year to come.

Christmas in Our Home

On Christmas Eve, my girly girls can hardly wait for the clock to strike 12 so they could open their gifts. For the two younger girls, their much awaited gift is that from Santa. Yes, my girls still believe in Santa Claus and they wrote down their wish list as early as October. Even though their classmates told them that Santa was a myth, my girly girls have stuck to their belief so we all continue with the tradition.

And in line with tradition, our usual norm is to have dinner and drinks with HB's clan and go home at about 11 to finish our own preparations. By midnight, we all kiss and hug one another and we gather around our dining table for a quick prayer led by HB, greet Jesus a Happy Birthday and warm our tummies with our noche buena. Only then do we allow our girls to open their gifts. 

Amidst their excitement and shrieks of happiness, we are quite thankful for the wonderful blessings that continue to come our way. We've got such a small home but we are proud to say that it is filled with so much joy, laughter and chatter of our precious girly girls. Love truly abounds at Christmas.

Happy Birthday Princess Fiona!

The stress level has gone own dramatically ... all the Christmas gifts are wrapped and most were given out during the kid's school parties and our office parties ... the gifts for my side of the family were given out earlier while we are due to have dinner with HB's family in a while. And if I may say so, our party for my youngest daughter, Fiona, went well and was a hit with her close friends. I am so grateful for the parents of her classmates who took the time to bring their daughters to celebrate with us. I am quite thankful too for my brothers and sisters in-law who all exerted efforts to brave the traffic to party with us. We were deeply honored with their presence and it all made Fiona's day special.

To my princess Fiona, happy birthday sweet sweet child and may all your wishes come true! We love you so so much!!!