Our UP acad oval sprint last Saturday afternoon was good (although Sunday’s car-less oval would’ve been better). I like the fact that the admin has implemented a one-way traffic scheme, designating the oval’s inner lane to bikers and joggers. The next day, however, was our cheat day in time for our Inception date, consuming loads of carbo and fats. But the closing moments was Burger King, which has shifted to trans-fat-free cooking oil. Swear, ask nutritionist-dietitians. Unfortunately, I missed the run yesterday, too whacked to wake up. Past 6AM is already a late call time for me. The sunlight is more demanding than the number of rounds I have to complete. Good thing Thursday was rest day to make up for our product release overtime last weekend. Back to early morning run. 
Posted: July 20th, 2010 | Blend: Buddies, Chow, Health | No Comments »
It was “Meaty Thursday” at Bigby’s last week. After an easy leisurely walk around SM Megamall, we fixed on trying a resto that we had not checked out before. We were torn between Chef’s Quarter and Bigby’s Cafe and Restaurant; but comparing the displayed menus, we plumped for the previous. Well, a plus factor was the welcoming staff who spotted us— meat lovers for the day— lurking at their menu.
The sunblock didn’t work that day. The sizzling heat seemed to have partied with us in the streets of Lucban, Quezon. My buddy wasn’t big on hats but he bought one because he could no longer stand the weekend hot spell. We started our day as early as 7AM in Eastwood, where we met Ela, Joy, and the rest of the group, and returned to Manila at 3PM. And, yet, the sultriness had been really overwhelming.
A backlog post. 
Anyway, after taking his certification (which is swell by the way) at Antel 2000, my buddy and I settled on dining in at Amber‘s in Brgy. Palanan, Makati. Our verdict? Hmmm, OK, we’ll be very blunt. Dropping by the place deliberately at a very humid lunch time only to eat— well— lunch, isn’t worth it. Don’t get us wrong, their pichi-pichi and pancit (which my boss bought for us last month) are really good. Perhaps, some of their menu items taste good as well. But the whole dining experience would be much better if you just take home your order.
Before heading to Gabi‘s toddler school graduation last March 30, my buddy and I had an early breakfast at Emerald Garden in front of the US Embassy in Manila. There are actually two Emerald Garden restos, which are only separated by a travel agency office. One offers dimsum and operates from 7AM to 11AM, Monday-Fridays (this I have yet to verify). The other offers set meal for 10-12 persons, and operates from 7AM to 2PM (except on Sundays, 11AM-2PM) and 6PM-10PM daily. We had been looking forward to checking out the place and the foodies since we heard about its famous siopao, which is “the best” in the country according to several food writers. [We both love siopao by the way.] Even Nay suggested Emerald‘s when we had siopao asado and tai pao for take home from our Wai Ying visit a few months back.
Something really good has happened at work in the midst of our stretched-out preparation for beta release. And what a cool way to whoop it up with a personal favorite Pinoy dessert— a generous serving of lip-smacking pichi-pichi! The first batch came from Amber‘s; the next was homemade, courtesy of my teammate Ellen (hay, sarap!).
We were supposed to watch the last day of the pyromusical competition. It was a last minute decision, though. We started surveying the stretch of bars and restaurants along Bay side for reserved seats. But realizing the whole venue was already jampacked and the PhP500 per head was not a wise move, we simply opted for a good stroll to kill time. And then we remembered this new white themed Italian resto at the 2nd floor entrance of the Main hall’s second wing. We had been planning to try the place since we saw its very neat, almost spotless surrounds, plus its relatively fair menu price list, which has been displayed publicly at the doorway. So there, we made up our mind to complete the night at Bistro Ravioli, which claims that the resto serves fresh pasta and brick oven baked pizza.
We had an unusual date last night. There was no definite plan aside from dropping by the Greenbelt chapel. After staggering along Dela Rosa St. and a few side streets for more than half an hour, both of us undecided trying to find a quiet spot where we could have our dinner, we ended up at the second floor of the Makati Medical Center. Then it was final— dinner to be served at the Floating Island Restaurant.
Wala pang time (naks!) 
Past Fixes