Im pretty much made up on who to vote for president and vice president.

But just as the writer Ana Pamintuan of Phil Star wrote, so much hype is going for presidentiables and vice presidentiable, but sadly NOBODY seems to care much about who they will vote for senatorial seats! And even local officials.

So on a personal level, I promise to do my own research on the senatoriables so that i can make an educated vote.

In closing, I may not know yet ALL of those I would want to vote, but I DO know some who I will DEFINITELY NOT VOTE, no matter how sugary sweet they appear on TV!

The first time I walked into this resto, i thought it was quite”high-end” and expensive. The small place was designed like a chic new york boutique resto…complete with rich dark furnishings and wine glasses. So it was a pleasant surprise that even though the menu spelled fine-dining, everything was reasonably priced.

I later learned from the person I came with, that the place is owned and managed by Chef Gino Gonzales, the son of the famous local chef, Chef Gene. So most of the dish were his creations. I particularly enjoyed the  Puttanesca alla Buenisimo a pasta in with olive oil, richly flavored with Lucban longganisa, dried fish (tuyo), green mango, green and black olives, basil and Parmesan cheese. The green mango is a good substitute for the usual capers in pasta. And it  gives the dish the same “zest”. I love callos, so whenever I see this dish on the menu I always try to taste its version. And callos here is no dissapointment. Just the right ox tripe tenderness and tang! For dessert, their panna cotta is a real delight. You can get a panna cotta set with 3 different flavors. Just a few teeny-tiny teaspoons will already satisfy your sweet tooth.

They also have a good wine list and brewed coffee, perfect for long conversations and drink refills!  Best of all, the staff are very accommodating, trained well I must say!

For a “south gal” like me, I wouldn’t mind going all the way to Eastwood Mall QC just to enjoy a good dinner here.Two thumbs up!

Benmore Scotch Whisky from Diageo, the same makers of Johnnie Walker and the hottest drink in town wants to sponsor the drinks on your next party! Here’s how:

Mechanics:

1) Open to males and females 18 and above.

2) Promo participants must have a Facebook account and become a “Fan” of Benmore Facebook Fan Page.

3) Participants must post a comment on the Benmore Fan Page Wall describing why he/or she deserves to be sponsored with “Benmore Nights” Party. Participants must include the following details:

a. Date of their party
b. Where party will be held
c. Occasion/reason for party
d. Number of invited guests

4) Brand will choose who among the submitted entries will be sponsored with Benmore Scotch Whisky at his or her upcoming party. (SUBJECT TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS)

5) After the sponsored party, participants must upload a photo album on their own Facebook Account Walls, containing photos of their “Benmore Nights” Party experience.

HURRY SEND YOUR ENTRIES NOW AND YOUR NEXT PARTY MIGHT BE THE ONE TO EXPERIENCE THE NEXT “BENMORE NIGHTS” !

And so it happened last month, that because it was late (almost 10pm) and most shops were already closed/closing in atc, my friend and I decided to try our luck in Buona Vita.

We were on a “bet” on the way there. My bet was it was closed already. We got there about 9:50 and we were greeted by really unfriendly looks by the staff. When my friend asked if it was closed they said they close at 10pm so “yes” they were closed. My friend kept on insisting that it should be open because it wasn’t 10 yet (he just didnt want to lose on our bet).

Without hiding their reluctance, the waitress and cashier got our orders. They also stated first that the oven is shut off already so although we would have wanted to try out their pizza we simply should stick to pasta or pastries. Normally I would not accept this kind of treatment from a restaurant. But I was tired and didnt care to argue anymore. Besides, I also wasnt that hungry.

For appetizer we ordered Orostini Alla Romana which was simply mozerella, ham and fresh herbs. For pasta, we ordered Contadino which was sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, mushroom and cream-tomato sauce.

Good thing that despite their unfriendly staff, the food was indeed good. The only redeeming factor. Too bad we werent able to try out the other stuff…

Photo from its Facebook Account

I would highly recommend the food. And yes, I will still go back. But I would definitely warn my friends that even if the store closes strictly at 10. So coming in at 9:50 is as good as 10pm!  I sure hope that these staff will learn the art of customer service. And that it takes 10 years to create a loyal customer and 10 minutes to lose one.

But all is well that ends well. Bon apetit!

It has been a great holiday break for me just resting and spending time with my family in the south. I loved waking up to the cool breeze of cavite, greeted by the aroma of warm breakfast wafting from the kitchen — toast, brewed coffee, crispy bacon, omelette…the works! I love breakfasts! That’s why hotel buffet breakfasts are a real treat for me.

I also enjoyed playing and horsing around with my 2 toddler nephews who are such a riot! One moment they would be all huggy and kissy…the sweetest angels you would want to keep, and the next moment they would be armed with water guns spraying water in your face and shouting nonsense at the top of their lungs like lunatics! No dull moment with these two boys. They drive me nuts and anyone who choose to watch over them actually.

This year I made the fastest gift-shopping. Just 3 trips to the mall and that’s it. Maybe because… a) Im such a cheapstakes, b) I knew beforehand what to buy or c) I hardly gave gifts to anyone this year. I’d like to think its “B”. Haha! Most of my gifts were well-thought of and were enjoyed by those who received them.

I also have hazy memory of New Year’s Eve . I drank a bit too much wine (I was drinking since lunchtime) and slept for the most part of the night and woke up briefly at midnight to the sounds of fireworks and greetings from my family while reading sms messages through blurry eyes. All in all it was a good time to cap the year that was 2009.

2009 was a tough year. But Im still standing. Thanks to His grace.

I believe 2010 would be a better year for me and for everyone in general!

On a side-note, I also enjoyed an afternoon walking at Chinatown (binondo) and having an authentic chinese lunch at Wai Ying (a hole-in-the-wall joint with fantastic dumplings, fried rice and Peking duck!).

Here’s to forgetting the pains of 2009 and welcoming the love and joys of 2010! CHEERS!!!

You have to listen to this!

Twilight MySpace page

Enjoy the music and watch out for the movie!

The rules:

a Point to Point Race with Checkpoints (Manila – Baguio – San Fernando, La Union – Dagupan – Subic) The goal is to reach the Finish Line with the least time and within the limits of the law. A minimum time from point to point shall be set by Race Director using a theoretical computation between distance and maximum speed limits.

Every minute under theoretical time will mean incurring a penalty of plus 5 minutes. Map & Route were emailed to Participating Teams 5 days before Event Day, but Checkpoint Locations are only given on the day of the Event. There shall be one minute interval for the start of each car and Competitors will be issued score cards to keep track of route and times.

The result:

I was able to witness this cool event that brought together 36 teams with members from all over the metro. Starting point was held at the Ortigas Home Depot parking lot. As early as 6:00am the place was buzzing with excitement, with live coverage from radio station WAVE 88.3. Everyone was treated with hearty breakfast as send off.

The race took the teams through checkpoints all across the northern provinces all throughout the day. Each teams had stories and adventures to tell. Win or lose—everyone was energized by M150 energy drink. The race ended at Subic capped by a fun dinner and party that lasted througout the night.

All in all, it was a great event, with special favor from the Heavens (no storms!). Truly an awesome event for an awesome energy drink! M150, it works!

Post script: (Winners)

CHAMPION:  TEAM DKC ( CAR 010)- ARNEL CARLOS and NINO SATRE

2nd Place: Team Dorifto (Car 088)- Ramon Arriola and Jonathan Arriola

3rd Place: Team Gateau de Manille (Car 711)- Pathrick Bautista and Joseph Quijano.

For more photos and race details visit: http://www.m150.com.ph/

Neil Gaiman, famed author and creator of The Sandman comic series, and BBC Audiobooks America have gotten together to produce an interesting creative fiction experiment utilizing the microblogging service. Neil tweeted the first line of the interactive story at noon EST Tuesday, with other Twitter () users joining in to continue the tale using the hashtag #bbcawdio.

Out of the chaos of the multi-threaded responses, BBC Audiobooks will be making an attempt to stitch the best narrative together. You can start to see some of the results compiled in reverse chronological order at @BBCAA. When the final script is compiled, they’ll head into the studio to actually record and produce an audiobook of the Twitter experiment, which will be available as a free download from the BBC as well as available at iTunes and other audiobook retailers in time for the holidays.

As a fan of the Choose Your Own Adventure series in childhood, I’m tickled to see a modern-day interactive experiment that evokes a similar sense of possibility and mystery. Plus, it’s one of the more creative and collaborative uses of Twitter we’ve seen to date — and there’s no shortage of examples out there.

Did you participate in the #bbcawdio interactive story today? Will you be interested in checking out the final product once the audiobook is ready?

Neil Gaiman Twitter = Interactive Storytelling

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