SUMMER GETAWAY!

Almost like sisters.

So I went to Manila last May 25-28 with my Mom. It was a short trip since we just wanted to visit my sister and see how she's doing in her new place. And I also took that opportunity to attend the Summer Komikon (which I'll blog about in a separate entry~).

We got to visit some relatives and friends, and were able to listen to Pastor Joby Soriano preach during Sunday service at CCF St. Francis. My Mom got a very therapeutic and refreshing experience at Ace Water Spa, but sadly I wasn't able to go with them. Some places we were able to go to were Robinson's Galleria, SM Megamall, Greenhills and Market! Market!, but we hardly bought anything. We also pigged out at restos like Bon Chon Chicken, Sushi-ya, Mister Kabab, Dad's Ultimate Buffet and Sbarro. Sadly, I wasn't able to eat at Burger King and Crazy Crepes (which were two places I was totally looking forward to in this trip ~___~). But Suoh bought a cup of chilled taho for me, so I guess I'm already fine with that.

We didn't take many pictures, but then nothing much happened during this trip. In fact, there's not much to say about it, really. Suoh and I didn't get to spend that much quality time together (except during the con), and now we're back to talking over the phone again. And for some reason, all of us were tired most of the time during our Manila stay. It also didn't help that I had to rush to 16-hours of work almost immediately after our plane landed.

So anyway, I'll probably write about the Komikon tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll just post this picture here for the lulz:

My Bag. Getting the airplane seat belt treatment.
Oh yeah~~ (*°∀°) 

THE ANALYSIS OF HASH BROWNS 

(and other food stories)

This morning, after I got off from work, I decided to buy breakfast for my parents. I went to McDonald's first to buy hash browns, then to Jollibee to buy breakfast meals. While waiting in line in Jollibee, I saw that they also sold hash browns (I originally thought you could only get them when you buy hash brown burgers)so I bought one as well, just for the heck of it. When I got home, I decided to do some comparison.

Jollibee Hash Browns cost Php23 each.

The one from Jollibee is baked, and not fried (or so their ad says) and looks well-formed.

McDonald's Hash Browns cost Php25 each.

The one from McDo is obviously deep fried, and the packaging was already soaked in oil by the time I got home (and it was only a 10-15 minutes ride!). I don't know if it was because the product was still very hot when they wrapped it (or for whatever reasons) but the hash brown kinda got stuck to the paper, and it became quite a hassle to separate them and eat the paper the hash brown.

From this image it looks like the hash brown from Jollibee is bigger. When I asked my Mom which one tastes better, she tried one and then the other, and LIKE A BOSS said, "They taste the same."(>_<)> Well, I thought they were both yummy but that the one from Jollibee was a bit dry. So I say, the McDo hash browns tasted a little better, but all those oil kinda turned me off and made me feel unhealthy. (Oh, now it just reminded me of that creepy Super Size Me segment on fries...（　ﾟ Дﾟ）)

Speaking of Jollibee, I also got to try out some of their new products recently...

Jollibee Sundae Mix-ins MILO BLAST @ Php39 and Jollibee Coffee Float @ Php45.
(Coffee Float image is not mine.)

I've heard some people say that there is nothing special about Jollibee's MILO Blast Sundae, but I wanted to try for myself and so got myself a cup. I expected to be disappointed, but I was not. True, that it may not be out-of-this-world-delicious, but when I tasted this, I felt all nostalgic. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid I had MILO in almost every food I had (sandwich, desserts, drinks, etc). I even had a small MILO cookbook which I treasured with my (then so young) life! I used to sneak in the kitchen to put tablespoons and tablespoons of MILO powder in my cup so that I can eat it when no one's looking (and I actually still do that sometimes... ^^;), but my Mom would always know cos I'd get stains all over my shirt~. I also tried out all the various MILO products like candies, crunchy bars, cereal, etc. So when I tasted MILO Blast, I was like, "Wow, this is my childhood! YUMYUMYUM~!!!"ヽ(^。^)ノ 


And it is common fact that I love coffee, and so when I saw the Coffee Float ad on TV, I was so excited to try it! But it took several weeks before it reached our outlets here, and I think some branches still don't have them. I just got to try it the other day, and boy, it was delicious! The coffee wasn't too sweet or creamy. And since I haven't drank softdrinks and related products (floats included) for almost 2 years now, so it was a sort of happiness to be able to drink float again! What I didn't like about it though was that they placed too many ice cubes. So remind me to request less ice cubes when I try out the Chocolate Float next time!

Now if we're talking chocolate, I highly recommend Red Ribbon's new product, the Ultimate Chocolate Cake~ This is just so... heavenly~ ヽ（´ー｀）┌


The cake is soft and moist, and the icing is delectable, and it was (surprisingly) not TOO sweet. And that's just perfect cos my family has a strong history of Diabetes Mellitus and we have shun the use of sugar in our household. This cake tastes wonderful whether you eat it as it is, or let it cool in the ref first. Oh, and don't forget to match it with your favorite mug of warm coffee~ Ah, what bliss~!! (^w^)

With the intense summer heat, I'm glad I got to try out some new drinks too! We got this bottle of Welch's Grape Juice from my cousin, and my Mom (who initially read it as "Wenkles" and did not read the instructions ^^;) diluted her juice with water, and had a bad experience. (>__<) This one's not concentrated and you can drink it as it is. But put lots of ice cubes for that refreshing experience. I also got to try out Sola's Apple Green Tea and I really like it cos it's not too sweet. Plus I love apple-flavored products like juice, oatmeal, dishwashing soap, lotion, etc (but ironically, I do not like apple fruits). Sadly, I think in my city, we can only buy this in SM, which is a bit far from my place, and so we don't often have this drink at home. I also tried a can of Easy Pha-Max Wheatgrass drink, and I was surprised that it's a bit costly -- Php49! It tasted OK, though you really need to shake it well before drinking cos it has some sediments. I didn't feel Alodia-ish though after drinking it (though I also don't know if there is such a sensation ^^;).

And lastly, I finally got the courage to try the street food called Chicken Proven, which costs Php5 per stick. It's made from the proventriculus of the chicken (hence it's name), dipped in cornstarch and deep fried. I've always been curious about it, especially when I see so many people in Pabayo Street lining up at these food carts at night. So one time I went out with my Mom to buy something, and while she was busy haggling with the store clerk, I snuck out to buy myself a stick. I was very excited, I could actually feel my heart beat faster. I know, right? Sounds really pathetic. (＾▽＾;) I couldn't get myself to dip it into the sauce bottle though, as I can only imagine how many different strains of saliva are mixed in there. It tasted really GOOD, but sadly, I probably won't be buying again. I have seen so many cases of Typhoid Fever and Viral Hepatitis, and I learn from the mistakes of my patients, thankyouverymuch. Besides, even though I'm a Biology Major, but for the life of me, I still don't quite recall what a 'proventriculus' is and honestly, I don't really want to know.（￣□￣；）

CAFFEINE HIGH

I just killed a cockroach. And in doing so, broke the broom and the toilet flush.
But I feel a sense of pride.

Well today (but what I really mean by today is already yesterday), I drank 3 mugs of brewed coffee for breakfast. And so until now I still have a terrible headache, a discomfort down my throat, clumsy jell-o limbs, and a feeling that I'm floating in mid-air. Occasional palpitations too. This is quite rare. I'm usually not affected by coffee. But 3 mugs of brewed coffee is too much I guess. We have a lot of coffee right now. And they're very good coffee too.

I also went out with my best friend Catherine. We went to SM and I found the missing Slam Dunk volumes to complete my set. I also bought some paper for drawing. I really want to draw right now. Mind so full of ideas. Wicked dirty ideas involving beautiful girls and carrots. LOL But still not enough drive. Cath and I went for a drive though, with her cousin Jo-ann. We went to find some pretty scenery for Cath's pre-nuptial pics, then we had dinner. She's getting married really soon, and I wonder if we can still have times like this in the future. I don't know. I don't know where God will put me in the future but I trust He'll put me where I will belong.




I noticed that a lot of shops were closed today. I heard that a lot of them have been "harassed" by the BIR. I don't know if they were made to pay fines or fees, but whatever the cause was, it was enough to stir up a protest movement among the business owners and they all closed shops for the day. Bookstores, appliance and electronics shops, general merchandise stores, grocery stores, restos, auto parts and services centers, fashion boutiques and many others all took part in this.

I'm sleepy already but I still feel hyperactive. I want to draw, but I want more inspiration. I want to watch beautifully-drawn anime girls so I opted to watch Nanatsuiro Drops hoping to get an idea or two. I thought since it's originally an H-game and the character designs were made by Ito Noizi then it's probably filled with pretty blushing girls. It turned out to be a cute magical girl type of love story. Not exactly what I had in mind. But it might turn out fun. In any case, I will finish watching that anime tomorrow (but what I really mean is later).

Yes, I know. I'm rambling with little sense.

I probably need to sleep already.