Carnitas Burrito

"I thought I was eating a candy bar, but it turned out to be a yummy burrito. I was both disappointed and appointed at the same time." ~ Jarod Kintz

Finally, I was able to take a photo of the burrito at Army Navy Burrito + Burgers before I demolished it.  It won't be photogenic anymore after the foil wrap has been opened, especially after I have chomped down on it.   I also got a dollop of sour cream to go with my Carnitas Burrito. *burp*

Linking to Food Friday

Food Trip Friday

Abstract 11/NF Abstract

I like it that order exists somewhere even if it shatters near me.

~ Elizabeth Moon

Linking to NF Abstract

Go for it!

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. ~ T.S. Eliot

Linking to Watery World Wednesday

Driftwood

Don't be a driftwood...know where you're going, focus, keep growing.

"If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problems and start focusing on the size of you." 

~ T. Harv. Eker

Linking to Mandarin Orange Monday
Monday Mellow Yellows

After sunset/Sky-Watch Friday

I was meeting friends for dinner on Sunday and I tried to get to the bay walk earlier to catch the sunset.  Unfortunately, I made a wrong turn somewhere and got here a few minutes after sunset.   How did it get so late so soon?

"The world, we are told, was made especially for man---a presumption not supported by all the facts...Why should man value himself as more than a small part of the one great unit of creation?"  ~ John Muir

Linking to Sky-Watch Friday

Carne Frita

"Food is for taste.  Happiness is taste of life."

Carne frita, or more popularly known as Bistek Tagalog.  Thin strips of sirloin beef marinated in garlic, soy sauce, salt & pepper, lemon juice, and sugar then pan-fried with caramelized onions. Served with steamed rice.

Linking to:

Food Trip Friday

Food Friday

Abstract 10/NF Abstract

There are only patterns, patterns on top of patterns, patterns that affect other patterns. Patterns hidden by patterns. Patterns within patterns.
If you watch close, history does nothing but repeat itself.
What we call chaos is just patterns we haven't recognized. 

What we call random is just patterns we can't decipher.  

What we can't understand we call nonsense. 

What we can't read we call gibberish.
There is no free will.
There are no variables. 

~ Chuck Palahniuk

Linking to NF Abstract

Sunset cruise/Watery World Wednesday

Sunset cruise at Manila Bay

Linking to Watery World Wednesday

Caladium Bicolor/Mandarin Orange Monday

straight from the camera

Caladiums (sometimes commonly called Angel Wings) are Arum family members that are grown exclusively for their bold and colorful foliage. Calla-type flowers, if present, are usually hidden. Plants typically grow in clumps to 1-2.5' tall. Arrowhead-shaped leaves (to 1.5' long) are various shades of green mottled and blotched with pink, red, white or combinations thereof often with distinctively colored veins. Synonymous with C. x hortulanum.

Linking to Mandarin Orange Monday

Lovers @ Sunset/Sky-Watch Friday

 A romantic moment at sunset.
The cheapest way to celebrate Valentine's Day.:p

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” 
~ Lao Tzu

 Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Linking to Sky-Watch Friday

Waffles with cherries

 “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” 

~ Mother Teresa

Breakfast doesn't have to be served in bed to be romantic.  Breakfast in bed can be messy--- and between all the pillows and spilling coffee on the sheets and the prospect of cleaning up afterwards kinda diminish all the fun.  What's romantic is when U surprised me with this lovely breakfast of homemade waffles topped with cherries.  And the waffles were perfect, too!   For someone who makes sloppy pancakes, I almost asked if he had these delivered!  But I bit my tongue and enjoyed the alluring waffles, coffee and  delicious conversation.

Do you cook with/for someone you love?

 Linking to 

Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

Abstract 9/NF Abstract

The wait is long, my dream of you does not end.

Linking to NF Abstract

Persistence/Watery World Wednesday

One of the rock islands in Panay Gulf off the coast of Sipalay.

 Formed by ancient coral reefs, parts of this rock formation have been slowly eroded over time into quirky shapes.  I imagined the mouth of a Jurassic fish.:p

"The drop excavates the stone, not with force but by falling often." ~ Publius Ovidius Naso

Linking to Watery World Wednesday

Orange Lanterns/Mandarin Orange Monday

Chinese New Year is celebrated today by Chinese communities all over the world, including the Filipino-Chinese community in the Philippines.  CNY, also known as the Spring Festival, marks the end of the winter season.  It ends on the 15th day with a Lantern Festival.  I am looking forward to niangao, popularly known here as tikoy, from my Chinese friends.:p

Linking to Mandarin Orange Monday

Saffron sunset/SWF

A saffron-colored sunset beamed as we were leaving Mactan Island for other adventures.

"Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere."  

~ Isabelle Eberhardt

Linking to Skywatch-Friday

Light dinner @ Dong Juan

One of the downside of having meetings in the afternoon is the heavy snacks.  After eating a couple of oven-fresh pan de coco and baked macaroni for an afternoon snack, I was planning to skip dinner and spend a quiet night at the hotel.  But after the meeting, J insisted to take me to dinner.  I tried to refuse kindly but he's having none of it. This is the usual scenario when I am in Cebu--suppliers feed me until I'm bursting at the seams, literally.

I finally agreed to go to dinner with a condition that we're eating light.  We didn't drive too far because around the corner was Insular Square in Mandaue.  I guess it's fairly new because some of the spaces were still vacant.

There were a couple of restaurants here but I veered towards Dong Juan---it looked cozy and I like the word play, it makes the name of this restaurant more memorable.  "Dong" is what  "toto" to an Ilonggo or "totoy" in Tagalog, a term of endearment we often call a younger male sibling, cousin, nephew, a young boy or a young man.

Dong Juan's cozy, casual ambiance  creates a fun, lighthearted experience.  They don't have an extensive menu---just what I needed for this dinner!

J told me that Dong Juan started as a hole-in-wall in Guadalupe then it became popular because of its affordable prices and range of popular food.  We got a garlic-cheese pizza and fish & chips.  The fish & chips was nothing to rave about but the pizza was good.  I was also impressed with the iced tea glass---it reminds me of a cough syrup bottle and the bottle where my grandmother aged her coconut vinegar.

This was a simple but fun dinner.

Linking to Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

Abstract 8/NF Abstract

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now. 

~ Goethe

Linking to NF Abstract

Beyond the green/Watery World Wednesday

There's the ocean beyond the trees---from the terrace at Edgewater.

"You have to be still for a moment to even notice that there is silence outside." ~ Eckhart Tolle

Linking to Watery World Wednesday

Smoggy morning/Our World Tuesday

Lourdes School from my window

A friend from out-of-town was supposed to fly to Manila for a short vacation but a problem at work didn't allow her to leave as planned.   She called and asked me to use her hotel booking as the 3-night stay was already paid for.   Since I've been working at home, a change of scenery sounds great---so I packed my bag and lap top and drove about 15 kilometers to Astoria Plaza.  Astoria Plaza is a 5-minute walk from my old office building.  Two friends and former colleagues joined me for breakfast every morning to enjoy the breakfast buffet.

Took these photos from the window of the suite--yes, it was a suite!  How lucky can a girl get? There's the tower where I worked for 12 years---the Philippine Stock Exchange Center. 

I was enjoying my quiet time but the smile faded when I saw the smog-covered skyline. These photos were taken a little before 9 a.m.  Looking towards the west at EDSA and beyond, a thick layer of smog blanketed the city.  This is the quality of air we breath everyday.  

According to the United Nations, Metro Manila is one of the five most polluted cities in the world, with an estimated 4% of the vast metropolis's disease-related deaths linked to air pollution.

smog-covered morning

For decades, there have been measures in bringing down air pollution levels to acceptable standards---there's the Clean Air Act of 1999, but pollution seems to get worse every year.  The government has been  seeking public support to turn Metro Manila into a healthy metropolis.  Taking public transport or car-pooling is encouraged, walking or using bikes, use of energy-efficient products, and conserving electricity are few tips to curb individual air emissions.  MMDA opened bike lanes around the metro and even lends bikes to commuters.

I hope we'd see more electric-powered jeepneys on the roads instead of the usual diesel-fueled jeepneys.  Clean air should be an individual concern if we're looking at a better quality of life.

Feel it...Breath it...Believe it...and you'll be walking on air.

Linking to Our World Tuesday