i. more bento luv
Yay! Tita Lynn, my Aunt from Daly City called me up at work today. She was calling me a few days ago but I was asleep and missed it. Apparently, she was calling to tell me that she bought me bento stuff from Daiso! Yay! She has no idea what some of the items were but they were tiny and cute and she bet they were for bento so she grabbed them. She also bought me a couple of boxes. I can't wait to see what they're like.

ii. i want my burger!
Lesson learned: Check your take-out before leaving the store premises. I learned this the hard way after buying a Big Bacon Mushroom Melt Combo at Wendy's today. Officemate Cla and I decided to buy food at Greenbelt. A 5-minute walk from the office, it's still tiring when it's high noon. Still, I figured, it was worth it; a fresh, hot, cheesy burger. My mouth was practically salivating at the thought of biting into my burger, so my frustration was palpable when I unwrapped my burger and discovered a Big Classic instead. I mean, a Big Classic had onions and a tomato. Plus ketchup. Bleah! I was supposed to get crisp bacon, mushrooms and melty melty cheese. Proof that I take my food seriously: I walked back. To Greenbelt. Under the sun, in summer. To get what was rightfully mine!

Admittedly, a part of me wanted to just settle for what I was given, but the injustice! My order was a couple of pesos more expensive, plus the satisfaction it would've given me was priceless. And so right, I was. <3 <3 <3

iii. friday, friday! la-la-la-la
I loooove Fridays. Nothing beats the thought of a weekend at hand. Especially with this weekend's grand plans. Bwahahahahahahahahahaha! I love you weekend!

i. camera rush sale
An officemate is selling his Canon Powershot Pro 1, it's a semi-pro camera along the lines of the Powershot S2 and S3.

Included are:
- 512mb CF card
- Hama Camera Bag
- Card Reader
- Battery
- Fast Charger

Box and manual not included. 22k PHP, negotiable.
Contact him at 0916-6363720. If you're wondering why he's selling, he just really needs the money immediately, there's no catch.

ii. romeo x juliet
While some people have been knocking Gonzo's new anime Romeo x Juliet, I figured I'd give it a shot since it was a love story and my friend Jamie sold it well. She knew that mentioning the cross-dressing angle was enough to get me scampering off to the nearest torrent site.

So, I started watching episode 1 last night and I'm liking it. Sure, it's a very loose rehash of the original but still, when you forget that it's a Shakespearean and just think of it as an anime, it's very enjoyable.

I was enjoying the show until the realization hit me. "Waaaait. Just remembered, this is Shakespeare. What am I doing getting attached to the characters when they all die?" GLOOM DOOM GLOOM DOOM T_T I should stop watching immediately but how? I think I've crossed the point of no return. From episode 1.

iii. ore wa tensai!
Or so, as I quote Sakuragi Hanamichi. I was able to tame wordpress and now have it installed and running on kitchen cow. Right now, still trying to diagram what I want to do with the site. I'm definitely migrating all the kitchen cow @ livejournal content but I want to make it more special. What's the point of spending money on hosting and a domain if it's going to be the same as the livejournal set-up, right?

There's still a lot of work ahead, but right now, I just want to bask in the glow of my tensai-ness. Thankfully, I have the weekend and Labor day ahead. I want to launch the domain on May 3, the first anniversary of my first bento post. Here's to exciting days ahead! Busy but definitely exciting.

i. manila when it sizzles
Just heard from the news. Today has been the hottest day so far for 2007. No wonder we were stewing. 36.8 degrees celcius. Plus it was a highly humid day so it felt +3 or 4 degrees hotter. And PAGASA warns that May will be much much hotter.

Now that's hot.

ii. bento shopping. yet again.
I saw a couple of new cute Thermos brand bentos which made me miserable. Why? I wanted them all! Thermos has actually released a set of very bento inspired lunch boxes. I mean, tiered rectangular bento boxes made of metal! With moveable dividers and separate containers. With matching bento band! I was in love.

There were 4 at SM and I was thisclose to buying the most expensive one simply because I've been on the market for a thermal box for the longest time, this one in particular.

http://cgi.ebay.com/JAPANESE-THERMAL-CHOCO-BENTO-LUNCH-BOX_W0QQitemZ250100440898QQihZ015QQcategoryZ1411QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

But after seeing the other 3, I absolutely did now know what to do. I was even thinking of doing a poll to help me decide but I couldn't find pics of the other 3 online. *sob sob sob*

Will probably buy this one since it looks like it can do the best job of keeping heat in but can I help it if I'm attracted to the other 3 as well?

iii. gimme my lovecom!
I'm ever so disappointed with fansubbers this season. Two groups have picked up Romeo x Juliet and I know it's probably good but why can't anyone do Lovely Complex? I was practically squealing when I found out it's being animated this season and that an episode has come out...but where are the subs?

Poor me. This is what I get for not trying to learn Japanese. Sobbers sobbers. I want my Risa and my Kotani! I need my Lovecom anime especially because the movie disappointed me. Sure, Kotani was cute (it was Koike Teppei, how can he not be cute) but it didn't capture the feel of the manga as much as I wanted. I need my funny, mismatched couple. I hope someone fansubs it.

iv. finally got the ball rolling!
Kitchen cow will be undergoing a few changes these coming days. Positive change, I'd like to think and I hope you guys will agree with me. Still, all the usual features will remain though I do plan implement some improvements here and there.

Biggest change? Well, I'm now the proud owner of http://www.kitchencow.com

i. imaginary bento #100
Ah, the best laid plans of mice and cows. I guess a part of me is feeling the pressure of making bento #100 the best evah! Or at least just produce something really cute. Anyway, I put it off for two days, but I figured it would be good to finally do it today to end the week on an upbeat note.

So, for once, I did advanced preparations last night. I defrosted then marinated the chicken. I hardboiled an egg. I even cleaned out the rice cooker so it'll be good to go in the morning.

Gaaaaaah. I woke up at 7:30. I needed to be at work by 9. Lovely.

Damn you Conan O' Brien for making me stay up. I shall begin ignoring you next week.

ii. cable stuff
Incidentally, our local cable company finally started carrying Etc. One day I was flipping through the channels and I suddenly see Jay Leno. Not having Etc was always one of my frustrations, since a lot of my friends would mention watching shows on that channel. We had a lot of nice channels but other than Animax while cleaning house on weekends, I didn't watch much since I catch most of the stuff I do want to watch on torrents.

Now, I have some other channel to serve as background noise for when I putter around the house. Yay for Horny Manatees!

iii. icon meme
Meme taken from miss_dian.

Reply to this post, and I will tell you my favorite icon of yours. Then post this to your own journal using your own favorite icon. Repost it if you want, if not just let me have fun looking through your icons to tell you my favorite(s)

If you tell me which icon of mine you like best, that'll be nice too! :)

iv. because i adore neil gaiman, i'm editing this post
...to add that thing in his latest journal entry.


I'd like to ask a small favour of those of you who have read down this far. Would anyone reading this, anyone with a blog or a website that is, mind linking to the last post -- http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2007/02/and-in-time-it-took-to-say-that-neil.html -- with the link text Penn Jillette? Given Penn's recent rant about the power and ubiquity of this blog on his radio show, I'd like to mess with his head just a little and see if we can actually google-bomb it so that that entry shows in the top few entries if you google Penn's name.

And sshhh, don't anyone tell him. I want it to be a surprise.

This one's for Morpheus, Thessaly, Yvainne, Tristan Thorne, and green mouse flavored ice cream. Because you have made a difference in my life.

Penn Jillette

i. morning! oh morning!
It doesn’t take much to move me. Or in this case, make me happy. But what started out as a normal everyday morning is shaping up to be a fantastic day, simply with the addition of one thing I’ve been missing a lot.

A bento! Today, I got up early, cracked open my newest acquisition (a bento box shaped like Hello Kitty’s head) and cooked. There’s something nice about cooking during cold mornings. And having the luxury of sipping a cup of coffee while doing so. Not only do you feel accomplished after having packed a lovely lunch, you get the added benefit of sweating, so taking a cold bath feels so much better afterwards. Unlike when you rush to the bathroom right after you get up. I usually end up staring at the water before facing the music.

Ah, my darling bento. I miss you so. *huggles box* Thanks to Cla (24fps) for bringing her camera to work so I could photograph lunch. At least I’ll finally get to update my food blog (kitchencow).

ii. holiday wish list
*Clears throat* It's that time of year again, hope people who love me enough see this. :D

( Hear Snow White sing 'I'm wishing...' )


iii. fictional schmex meme
Schmex (to quote khursten (khursten) who I got the meme from.) meme!

List down 10 fictional characters that you'd fool around with.
( Do you really want to know how depraved I am? )


iv. soundtrack meme
From Joy (joybur).

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc).
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press play.
4. For every question, type the song that's playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button.
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.

( Kao's baduy results )

Now that is one screwed up movie.


v. fangirls never make sense
Funny Tamaki Hiroshi convo over YM:

kaoko25: Hiro-chaaaaan. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
kaoko25: Sheht. It's so unfair.
kaoko25: How can one guy be so schmexy?
myrya_sterling: have no idea... but he must be the reason God made man.

i. bobers is me!
So stoopid. I wrote a lengthy, multipart LJ post earlier today. Well, it's lengthy because it's full of memes I've been putting off but still, it was a fun post, especially because it had that "fictional character you want to screw around with" meme. Now I can't post it because I left the file at work. :(

Oh well, at least I remembered to bring my take-home work. Maybe I should start writing. Oh lookie. Manga download's finished. Or maybe I won't start.

ii. i miss bento
I absolutely really truly miss preparing bento boxed lunches. This is the first time in weeks I went grocery shopping and I was going nuts buying chicken, beef, pork, and veggies. All in miniscule portions of course, ("Miss, give me 2 bags of ground chicken, just 100grams each please.")

I'm not sure I can still cut it making quick bentos in the morning but hey, I'm up to the challenge. I mean, today, I packed lunch, and I made a mistake choosing which box to use. I ended up with the sauce from corned beef hash on my jeans. Good thing it was only a small spill, so I was able to scrub it out with a wet wipe.

If only I had my camera back. Well, at least it's been 10 days. The people at the service center told me 14 days, tops. There's nothing like vanity to push me in the mornings.

iii. i'm a sappy girl
Okay, call me a little freak, but I find love stories in the weirdest places. I'm such a sucker for them, hehe. Today, I was reading volumes 17-21 of 20th Century Boys. The prospect of the upcoming movie got me excited again, so I trawled the net for torrents and it worked. But I'm digressing. Back to the story, so I was reading it. It's a story full of convoluted plots, maniacal masterminds, doomsday scenarios, and downtrodden citizens. Instead of that though, the happiest part for me was when I ran into a chapter where Yukiji was reminiscing about Kenji. Bwahahahahaha, I got teary-eyed at the prospective match up. Hwehwe. I'm so corny. ^_^;;

iv. video watching
I've been watching a handful of videos of late, mostly TV series episodes. Been watching Ugly Betty, then started on Heroes the past weekend. But the thing I've been religiously watching is Rurouni Kenshin. I'm up to the Kyoto Arc now, and Kenshin's just about to step into the Aoshi room. Oh joy.

i. and i breathed a sigh of relief
Once more, my addiction to bento has been reaffirmed. Or at least to photographing my food. I experimented on Kwek kwek (deep-fried quail eggs wrapped in orange colored batter) yesterday. Since the recipe wasn’t really mine, I decided to do a step-by-step picture essay for posting on kitchencow. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my camera. Which led me to worrying about its whereabouts since I remember opening the work drawer where I usually keep it last Friday. Which usually meant that I slipped it in my bag.

My worries grew, but a part of me was going, "Just in case I did lose my camera, maybe it’s time to buy a new one. Immediately. This week, while the Installment Madness is going on." The reason for rushing? I didn’t want to miss out on too many bento days. ^_^;;

Good thing it was in my drawer when I got to work today.

ii. blog break
Incidentally, I feel like my livejournal updating has come to a standstill. In the past, I’d update every few days or so, sometimes even daily. But now, with work systematically pouring in, there’s not much time left to blog. Nor is there much to talk about, since lately my life revolves around work, food, asian drama, and anime. At least I’ve moved on to K-drama and have given Kimura Takuya a short break.

iii. manga bonanza!!!
Yes. Three exclams. I’m that excited. John’s dad is coming home from the States after a few months spent setting up their art gallery business. Incidentally, his trip home coincides with the release of the latest volumes of W-Juliet and Hot Gimmick (the last volume!). Well, not really the actual release, but Amazon had the books in stock a week or so earlier than the actual release date. And since they had it in stock, I ordered like a madwoman. Thanks to amazon’s free amazon prime trial offer (free 2 day shipping!), my orders arrived in Maryland just in the nick of time, a day before his flight home.

So now, I’m waiting with bathed breath for my new manga. I’ll probably twist John’s arm tomorrow (his dad’s arriving tonight) so he’d deliver my manga. For the record, I bought:

• Ouran Host Club 7
• W-Juliet 11
• W-Juliet 12
• Hot Gimmick 11
• Hot Gimmick 12

Yes, all Viz manga which are kinda hard to find or very expensive here in Manila. Bought five books, for a grand total of $38.96. I’m nowPHP1,989.87 in debt, but considering how Viz manga sell for 650 to 750 PHP each around here, it’s a very good deal.

Can’t wait for Tamaki-lurv, Makoto-lurv, and Ryouki Smutastic-lurv.

iv. i fear nothing, not even boiling oil!
Or so says the burn mark on my right forearm. It's interesting, it looks like a smidgin of brown paint the size of a chicken pox pockmark. There are times when courage is stupid, like when I'm deep-frying a batch of kwek kwek. Common sense told me to find some burn ointment for the blisteringly hot drop of oil that hit my arm. Stupid cook genes told me that it's nothing, then proceeded with wiping away the oil and adding more quail eggs to the angry, bubbling oil.

Note to self: Bravery = Stupidity.

v. you're a weenner!
Oh yeah, I won something! Gosh golly gee! I won a bottle opener, wrstband & dogtag fr Rkstar Supernova promo! And i don't even watch Rockstar Supernova. So exciting, can't wait to get my BOTTLE OPENER! I hope they ship it soon, this is the first time I won a text to win promo. Yay! Bottle Opener. So much better than the trip to the US grand prize.

I never knew eating KFC Extreme Hotshots could be so rewarding.

EDIT:
Do you guys look back at blog entries then go, "Gwaaaah! Wrong grammar! Edit edit edit." Normally, I'd be too lazy but honestly, the fear of ficsation seeing my grammatical errors then disowning me scares me into action. *waves peace sign at Chris, but it's true!* :P It's enough that I write sloppily on my LJ. But to let grammatical errors and misspellings (did you know that misspelling is one of the most misspelled words?) through might just mean shortened life expectancy on my part. ^_^;;

i. i need my fruit!
No bento today, cause I woke up late. Anyway, I just finished eating a 5-piece chicken nugget meal from Mc Donald’s (with large fries!) and I feel like something’s missing. I think it’s the fruit. And the lack of veggies. (Either that or it’s the aesthetic effect.) Wow, I’m turning healthy.

Either way, I’m staring lustily at the sample can of pineapple juice on my desktop. I wonder if the AE will kill me if the can is empty when I return it to her?

Note: No bento today, but there are two new ones up at kitchencow. At least relatively new ones, from the last time I pimped the food blog in the entry below.

update: I need fruit. *hyperventilates* I need fruit. I’ve been reapplying my lip gloss (me? LIPGLOSS?) every few minutes for the past hour or two simply because it tastes like raspberries. Pathetic-ness.

ii. gingermango’s &hearts
One of our bosses occasionally brings his kids to work. His son, who’s around 6 years old or so, has captured gingermango’s &hearts. Said boy and Nikki’s budding pseudo-relationship is a source of entertainment at work. One of our AEs decided to interview said object of gingermango’s affection (OOGA).

AE: Hey (minor’s name deleted to protect his identity)! Is Nikki your girlfriend?
OOGA: *tentatively* I think so...

Kids are so precious.

And another funny 1-liner:
Nikki’s seatmate: Hey, your dad-in-law’s here.
Boss: Nikki, where’s (OOGA)’s allowance?

iii. and she kills them!
J.K. Rowling has given an interview about Harry Potter 7. The woman is killing two characters off, saying she planned it from the start. It will be main characters, she says, she’d rather not bother with the extras. Or something like that.

I say, instead of babbling all about book 7, just go and farking write, woman! I’d rather she didn’t say anything at all and set people up to think one thing, only to do something else. Just give us the book damn it! I don't want to read it then keep second guessing at each and every darned event.

iv. ruk’s bento
I should be a kind, caring friend, but truly, when she SMSed me a day or two ago, I wound up laughing. She said someone stole her bento.

In kaoko’s mind’s eye theatre (a little like Tamaki’s only less Haruhi-ful)
Thief: Yay! I got something!
*opens bag and sees bento*
Thief: *pissed* But this isn’t money! *pissed pissed, opens actual bento box* This is… BUNNIES! FLOWERS! LOVE! PEACE! HAPPINESS! (trust me, it’s much much funnier in my mind. Or when I’m miming the whole thing)

v. (mori x honey) + ep 12 = canon
Watched episode 12. Mori x Honey. Canon. *dies from the moe-moe yaoiness* Seriously, episode 12 is like most Ouran Host Club episodes, so damned funny. (And Renge steals the show again.) But man, I’m so happy it was Mori x Honey and not Tamaki x Kyouya. *shudders*

vi. in love
I’m in love. With this. Someone stop me please!

i. it’s still money!
I hate bath and body works. I hate them for their lovely, delicious scents. I hate them for their luscious shower gels. I hate them for their yummy lip glosses. I hate their uber-packed website. I hate them for accepting only US-based credit cards. *Bawls*

There’s a gajillion and one things I want to buy from them. Lovely herb-based cologne splashes, yummy tasting lip tints, and of course luxuriously frothy shower gels, but sadly, my money’s not good enough for them. It kills me that we don’t have paypal, because I can’t buy, nor sell online, but it pains me even more when a popular company like bath and body works won’t accept my credit card. *sobs*

ii. lunch joy
It’s funny how food can make me instantly happy. I scored a goal with today’s bento, so lunch was an extraordinarily good meal for me. It was a different kind of satisfaction I felt, as I munched through the chicken cubes. If all lunches were like this, the world would be a better place.



See today’s lunch (graphic inspired by the egg song: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/eggsong) at kitchencow.

i. sakura grocery rant
Next to cooking, I love grocery shopping for ingredients the most. So it’s usual for me to dither and browse ever so slowly when shopping. It’s not just a matter of picking up the stuff I need, I usually let my mind wander when grocery shopping, thinking up possible new dishes to cook, or new presentations for my bento.

Last Friday, padpad and I went to Sakura, a Japanese grocery along Pasay Road, to shop, not only for ingredients, but for a new bento. It was one of those expensive lacquerware affairs, and I was ready to purchase it. However, it wasn’t quite as pretty as I remembered so I was taking my time deciding. At this point, I already noticed that one of the sales people, a tall man, was eyeing me. I paid him no heed, I was a paying customer after all, regardless of how scruffy I looked.

( While deciding, I figured I’d... )

ii. okame is love
To further stress the point, I went to Okame (another Japanese grocery) afterwards, and after 15 minutes of going through the aisles, their cashier approached me and asked the same question, “Ano pong hinahanap n’yo?” (What are you looking for, phrased in a more respectful manner – note the use of po.) She got up from her post behind the counter, approached me, and asked me politely. When I told her I was just browsing, she went off and left me to my own devices. Sure enough, I ended up buying a bag of Japanese rice, after an animated discussion with the sales person stationed beside the rice. (She gave me lots of useful tips about Japanese rice.)

Once again, Marshall McLuhan’s age old philosophy holds true. The medium is the message.

iii. more anime fun
I started watching Tenshi na Komanaiki over the weekend. The premise proves to be funny; a 9-year old boy who was transformed into a girl after an enchanted pierrot’s fumbled attempt to make him the world’s manliest man. Fast forward to the future, and the boy-turned-girl’s a high school student now. Not just a high school student, but a really hawt high school girl; the kind adored by her fellow girls, worshipped by boys, and sought after by middle-aged business men.

( I downloaded it because I found the premise interesting... )

iv. lumpiang shanghai & enoke dake bento



Yummers huh? Catch it at kitchencow.

i. barely breathing
I am finally home, but my heart is still beating a bit oddly, which isn't quite surprising since I just spent 15 minutes of sheer, heart-stopping terror, induced by the neighbor's...dog.

Having spent the evening with 24fps & gingermango eating lovely food at Amici, then shopping for bento, I got home a tad later than usual. Because I figured I'd be late, I didn't bother calling my mom to arrange a ride, since I thought she'd be home before me. Which turned out to be a mistaken assumption because she had dinner plans of her own. So I got off the village shuttle on the main road, two street corners away from our street. Pretty close actually, just around 4 houses (and a street) away.

So imagine my consternation when I realized that our neighbor's dog, the black askal (from asong kalye = street dog = mongrel) who hates me, was lying in the middle of the street, almost in front of my house! As I was mustering the courage to go home, (by this time, I had already called my mom to clue her in on the situation) the beast got up, walked around a bit, and I think stared at me. I was probably too far away for him to recognize, but still, the bastard was awake!

My mom tried calling our other neighbor, the one who lives across us (not the dog owners) but since it was late, no one was picking up anymore. I had to wait for 15 long, scary, heart-stopping (it was late, I wouldn't normally be loitering outside the house this late) minutes for a tricycle to arrive. All the vehicles passing by were private ones, so I couldn't hail any to ferry me home. Thank goodness a tricycle finally came, driven by an older man who probably pitied me for my predicament, and advised me to tell our neighbors to tie their fugly, beastly, bastard dog up. Sure enough, when we passed the dog, he got up (at this time, F.B.B.D was sleeping near the street gutter since he moved after staring at me) and pursued us while barking.

So, I got home rattled, and 12 pesos lighter (for the trike ride) but at least in one piece, with my legs unscathed. I swear I hate that dog. One day, I'll make good on my threat to run that bastard over. Either that, or poison him. If I can manage to leave the house though.

And no, I never did anything to make the dog hate me. Hell, I can't even manage to leave the house when he's around, how the hell could I piss him off?

ii. bento shopping
Ugh. I hate that dog, now I'm depressed and pitiful. And to think I was so ecstatic while going home because I had a new bento box, and a couple of bento accessories. Now, all I could think about is that dog. Ugh. Focus, kao, focus.

Anyway, since it was payday, the girls and I decided to go shopping for bento. Hehe, slowly but surely, 24fps is going bento, starting with the pretty boxes. Soon enough, she'll probably be prettifying her food too, nyahahahahahahaha! Looking forward to her crossing over, it would be so much more fun to have someone to bento with.

Pics of my new stuff to be uploaded to kitchencow.

iii. Edo Onigiri Monogatari (An Edo Riceball's Story)
Today's bento was higher on the cuteness factor than the nyummers factor but it proved to be pretty well-liked. People who saw me eat at work were all cheered up by the happy faces on my food. So was I. Even if I felt a little bit bloated after eating, but that was probably because of the dessert.

Anyway, check out today's bento at kitchencow. Here's a sneak peek:



iv. sodokurazy!
I blame you, ficsation! It's all your fault! Do you have any idea how hard it is to focus on work when you have an open sodoku puzzle book on your desk? Oh wait. You DO KNOW!

I have avoided sodoku even though it was pretty popular at work because it always looked so difficult to me. One glance at the numbered grid had me going, "Ang hirap naman!" (That's so hard!) But when someone came to sell us some puzzle books, I put in an order for two for padpad. But as I was reading the rules / introduction, I gave it a shot...

...and now, I'm horribly addicted. I'm keeping one of the puzzle books for myself, and have been voraciously doodling in it whenever I have a bit of time to play. Heck, that day when I first learned to play, I promptly downloaded a copy of the mobile version of the game to my phone, then proceeded to answer. But because my phone's screen is tiny (it's a Nokia 6230), and the van was dark, I got a headache instead of entertainment. Lesson learned. But I did finish that one puzzle.
.

i. kani salad & tomato pesto bento
Had iceberg lettuce and fresh mangoes lying around the house, and since I didn’t want them to go bad, I decided to go with a light salad today. And some pasta because I couldn’t get enough of this yummy bottled sun-dried tomato pesto we purchased over the weekend.





( Up close & personal. )

X-posted to bentolunch & kitchencow.

ii. slowly but surely
Slowly but surely working on kitchencow. More than a bento blog, I will be moving most food related topics there. Of course, I will still write about food here, but the more formal whatevers, like restaurant reviews, bento posts, recipes, food experiments and the like, will be moved there. I'm hoping you guys join me there as well.

Since the page isn't finished yet, I'll be cross-posting bento entries here and there (as well as on bentolunch) but once it's all spruced up (hopefully by the weekend), all bento posts will be made there, with mere text link pimping updates here.

For people who're only interested in the food posts, feel free to "unfriend" this journal and friend that one instead, so you don't need to put up with my endless rambling about anime, manga, books, and work.
.

i. bishounen update!
Finally updated bishounen project. I really forced myself to stay focused on the effort, telling myself I can’t even post last Friday’s bento here unless I finish working on bipuro. Good idea I did, honestly, bento-ing takes all my attention away.

But I can’t let bipuro slide since honestly, I owe it to the rest of the crew since everyone’s slaving on our bishounen loves. It’s a good thing I was able to stay focused though, cause once I started working on my pending articles again, all the bishounen love came back. Sure enough, I finished updating at around 12:05 a.m., unfortunately, I was too sleepy to let anyone know. ^_^;;

So fellow fangirls, for your adoring eyes, I’m proud to present profiles on Komiyama Yoh, Ryuhou, a review on the manga Doubt!!, an article on anime / manga cross-dressing, a bishounen meter feature on Full Metal Alchemist, and finally, a bishounen battle between Edward Elric and Vash the Stampede. Enjoy!

ii. last friday’s rabu-rabu bento
Bento, not only for me, but for padpad as well. See? I can be nice sometimes.





( Boyfriend Bento + Close-ups & all my babbling )

X-posted to bentolunch.

iii. tagaytay blitzkrieg
On a whim (and my cousin, Kuya Jay’s treat), we went to Tagaytay for an impromptu picnic & lunch. So, off we went to Tagaytay, armed only with sandwiches and soda, and some bags of chips. Definitely not my idea of a picnic, I’m sure you guys would agree, knowing how obsessed I am with food. I mean, it was a perfect bento opportunity, but since I doubt they’d appreciate onigiri, no matter how cute I make them, I let my mom take care of the food thing.

Off we went to Picnic Grove. The last time I was at picnic grove was in college, so I was quite surprised to see all the tables and “gazebos” set up. It wasn’t quite how I remembered it. My mom agreed. So we walked around til we found the perfect picnic spot amidst a gently sloping grassy area. This was the Picnic Grove I remember!

So, we took pictures, munched on sandwiches and chips, and took a nap (at least, I did :P) under the shady trees.

( The two most gwapo nephews in the world. )

iv. my newest pets
After lunch at Santi’s, we dropped by Gourmet’s Café to grab a few bottles of their super delicious fantabulously nyummers unforgettable Tuyo in Garlic-Vinegar. I’ve tasted lots of various brands but this one is forever my first and favorite. So you can just imagine how I felt when they stopped production for a few years. Anyway, we grabbed a couple of bottles, as well as a bottle of Sundried Tomato Pesto (can’t wait to taste it), a bottle of Pinoy Caviar (can’t wait to taste either), and some fresh romaine hearts.

Checking out the display, I suddenly remembered wanting to buy fresh herbs. At 50 pesos per pot, I grabbed a couple. So now they’re happily sitting near our doorway, on top of this, I don’t know what to call it...stoop? porch? Whatever. Don’t they look so happy?


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i. tonkatsu bento
Lazy morning = lazy bento. Luckily, I froze the extra tonkatsu patties I made from the last time we had tonkatsu, so it was just a grab from the freezer then fry affair.



( Cut to Full Shot. )

X-posted to bentolunch

ii. fillip it good!
I learned something new today! It appears that the Filipino word pitik translates to fillip!

According to http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fillip means

A snap or light blow made by pressing a fingertip against the thumb and suddenly releasing it.

!!!

Yes. I am the queen of trivialities.

iii. if i were anime

Another anime meme, this time focusing on characters. I've been meaning to answer this since early this week but work got the better of me. Ganked from ficsation.

( Meme! Give five anime characters that you resemble (looks/personality/etc.) and explain. )

i. the itsy bitsy spider went up the bento box
Can't wait to eat today. It smelled so divine as I was cooking this morning, so yeah, it's another one of those days when lunch is the high point.



Top tier: Rice with a cool little umeboshi spider. He insists he's cool, hence the shades. Of course, if he knew where he'd end up after lunch, he probably won't be worrying about appearances anymore, ne?

Bottom tier: Veggie mix (corn, carrots & peas, the kind you buy all mixed up in a bag, frozen), Peppered Fried Pork (nyum!), and Parsley Scrambled Eggs (with a dollop of sour cream thrown in). And as dipping sauce for my peppery pork, ichigo-shaped containers of soy sauce and red cane vinegar.

Dessert bento: Bunny on the loose! A rabbit apple snuggled against fuji apple slices, and lychee jelly cubes.

( Here's a closer look. )

X-posted to bentolunch.

ii. food porn
I am exceptionally proud of today's bento. Not only the actual bento, but the photography too. As 24fps teased me, "Uy, binasa yung manual." (*teasing sound* she read the manual.) Referring to me, actually reading my camera's manual, hence finding out about features like macro photography, and light control. My Ixus II has been with me since 2003, but sadly, it was only this week that I found out about its lovely features. Anyway, it's still not too late to unlock the camera's features. So now, my pics are lurvelier, don't you agree? And I can take really tight close-ups!

iii. beauty from beneath the veil
I cry easily when watching tv shows / movies / anime. I don't mind, I mean, I end up with a snotty nose but it's part of the whole experience. However, I don't think it's a good idea to make your viewers cry right off the bat.

But that's exactly what Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu (Be With You), a 9-episode drama based on a movie of the same name, did to me. While I wasn't too hot about the premise (a young widower and his son try to cope with their loss, only to have her, his wife and his son's mother return a year later, with no memories at all), the fact that it starred Narimiya Hiroki (Gokusen, Stand Up!, Orange Days) drew me to it.

"Yuji...Mama made this picture book just for you. The Akaibu star is where people from the Earth who have passed away go to live, and so is the Star of Memories. Yuji...one day Mama will journey to the Akaibu star. But don't cry. For when the rainy season comes, to you, Yuji, I will return. And then, after one year has passed, I will keep my promise, and come back to you during the rainy season."

So it begins. And as expected, it's a sad story. But the thing is, instead of crying during the dramatic-cry-cry moments, I found myself sobbing during the quiet, but sad moments. Like when Takkun's wife Mio finally comes back. It should be a happy moment, I know, but the underlying sadness of it all drove me to tears.

Even after seeing just one episode, I can say this series is beautiful. Not only for the wonderful cinematography (it truly is lovely), or for the beautiful actors / actresses in the film. But the beauty of the story itself. It feels surreal. I mean, it IS surreal. It's surreal in a dreamy way, like there's a thin veil drawn over your eyes. It presents things hazily, but you don't try to pierce through to what is real, rather you stay behind the veil, perceiving things in its fantastic setting. But then, just because it's not factual doesn't mean it's not true. While I haven't seen the series in its entirety yet, I still recommend that people watch it, even if it's only for one reason. It's breathtakingly beautiful.
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i. today's bento
Packed a light sandwich bento today because we had tentative plans to eat out. I could always save a sandwich bento for my afternoon snack (we have a refrigerator at work) so it was all right to pack something.



( Light Sandwich Bento )

ii. lobelia freaky
Watched Ouran Host Club 9. And maaaan, Lobelia Zuka Club? Darned freaky. It's an uber funny episode...but admittedly, I had to suppress my shudders. The girls singing! *shudder* *shudder* The Ouran Host boys in drag *shudder shudder* The Zuka girls singing again, in costume *shudder shudder* The Ouran boys singing *shudder shudder* Only Mori & Kyouya didn't look like drag queens straight out of To Wong Fu. And that was because Mori was in guy clothes. (Kyouya looked adorable as Okaasan with the fan.)

One thing I really liked about this episode though is Renge's appearance! I'm really learning to love Renge, to think I didn't like her in the manga. In the anime, Renge provides valuable funny moments. Gotta love our darling Host Club Manager!

iii. work happy
Heehee. Client really liked the materials our company presented today. They really liked it, especially the tagline I pored on. Heehee. So happy. The fact that it's my first project under a new boss makes it more special. Yay!

iv. panini love
I just ate the most delectable tomato-basil cheese panini ever at this little restaurant called Grub Club at RCBC Tower. It was sheer vegetable joy, each bite was creamy, tart, fragrant, and sweet-spicy (from the fresh onions). It was a joy to eat, and at 53 pesos, I'll surely be coming back for more. Their other food offerings, mostly meat and rice dishes (like grilled porkloin, buffalo wings, sticky beef ribs, etc, priced at a little over a hundred) look delicious too. The staff was attentive and friendly. One guy in particular (although he looks more like either a manager, or more probably, one of the owners) was not only helpful, he looked a little bit like a geeky-cute Paolo Santos too. If you're in the area, do go and try it out.

i. spicy pasta bento




( Spicy Pasta Bentow is the lurf! )

ii. girly cookfest!
We had a girly cookfest last saturday, and I'm soooo proud of ficsation! She whipped up a dish from an untested recipe and it turned out delicious. It surely made my "recipes-to-save" list.

( Agedashi Tofu a la tsumenki )

So proud of our Undomestic Goddess. *cue in Final Fantasy Battle Success music* She's all levelled-up!

Oh yeah, for the curious, we also had bowls and bowls and bowls of scrumptious, tummy-filling, comforting gyudon from firesenshi (snagged the recipe :D), gyoza, enoke dake (an experiment which yielded pleasing results, well it has to, it's goddamned simple), and ubechan's yummy, sweet-creamy, coffeelicious, cinnamontastic coffee jelly. *coughcoughrecipeplzcoughcough* Oh yeah, and jov provided the vacuum cleaner to make sure there were no leftovers. (Whaddayoumean there was no vacuum cleaner?)

Ah pigging out. With purpose! (Official excuse: celebrate jov's birthday and also, cheer her up. Real reason: we wanted to pig out.)

iii. bento poll
Thanks for all the encouragement folks. I'm going to try something new though, instead of posting the whole bento pic, I'll just be posting a smaller pic out in the open, and keeping the whole pic under the cut. Hopefully, it will be more bandwidth friendly.

i. onigiri bento
( Bento Entry here! )

X-posted to bentolunch.

ii. overboard
You know your obento obsession is catching when the people around you actually ask what you prepared for lunch. And when people discuss lighting set-ups as well as the use of artistically laid-out props for your bento shoots. And when even the art directors you work with ask to see your food.

But you know it has really gone overboard when you get an invite from a PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER (he shoots food, among other things, for a living!) to drop by his studio so he can give you tips, as well as actually shoot your bento.

iii. aaack! lay-outs to do. aaaack!
Still have a handful of lay-outs to do for my cousin. Long overdue. And still not even halfway finished.

iv. cookfest
Looks like that long planned Japanese food cookfest is going to happen tomorrow. And shyte, I wasn't able to buy ingredients for the stuff I was planning to cook. Oh well. Worst-case scenerio, I can always grab that tub of umeboshi I just bought and stuff it in onigiri.

v. meg cabot luv
Grabbed a copy of The Queen of Babble from Powerbooks. Started on chapter one, but had to stop for stuff. Hope it turns out at least as good as The Boy Next Door.

i. eggs with 'tude
I’m such a stupid idiot. It was only after slaving over a cute bento did I realize that I left my digicam in my deskdrawer at work. (I usually take my pictures right after I finish making them at home.) So my apologies for the grainy, flat pic. My friend & bento cheerleader ficsation helped me take pictures in our pantry instead, right before I ate my bento. While the lighting's a tad flat, I think it's still better than my cellphone pics so here they are instead!

( Tonkatsu Bento )

The bottom tier has Japanese-style mushroom rice. It’s basically rice cooked in soy sauce, sake, and sugar, along with shiitake mushrooms, peas, and carrots.

The top tier has tonkatsu, skewered quail eggs with attitude, a small tub of tonkatsu sauce (bulldog brand!), a few carrot flowers, and a few siniguelas, small purple fruits with tart, yellow flesh.

Oh yeah, most everyone at work loved them, so here they are again, in memoriam:
Apathetic, Happy, & Sleepy!

( The Egg Brigade! )

X-posted on bentolunch.

ii. will the 80s babies, please stand up?
Who among you guys remember this?



I don't know if it was the same brand from my childhood because I only have hazy memories, but I remember staring in awe at the bag expanded.

( It would start like this... )

It's like...MAGIC!

(Pictures of Jiffy pop in action taken from
http://www.thgallery.com/weekendfour.html. Used without permission.)

Finally got to use my cutesy animal molds. Made me feel like I was in kindergarten again. Sigh. Cute animals. In my stomach you go!

( Clicky for cutesy food! )

Top tier: Blanched baby corn & peas + Mashed potatoes. Yep, the peas on the potatoes (say that fast) say KA for KA-oko.
Bottom tier: Pangrilled Tuna (one's supposed to be a tuna flower. I don't think it shows up well on the pic) + Usagi & Kuma eggs. Plus lots more peas to fill in the empty spaces.

I also packed in a couple of Green Tea filled marshmallows along in my furoshiki, just as an extra treat.

X-posted on bentolunch.