Lunch @ Lugang Cafe

 Taiwanese Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Met a friend at the Mall of Asia on Thursday, the last day of her short Manila vacation.  We decided to meet at MoA because of its proximity to the airport and there are places there to entertain the two boys while we're having girl-talk.  This was a late lunch and as we entered the mall to look for a cool spot, we noticed chefs making dim sum through the glass wall of a restaurant.   It was enough to lure us in to Lugang Cafe.

But as we browsed the extensive menu, we completely forgot about the dimsum!  A plate of crispy chicken nuggets  was ordered for the two boys, but they were engrossed with iPad games and we ended up eating the chicken nuggets.

As expected, I was seduced by oysters and got this Oyster with Black Bean Sauce.  The dish wasn't bad at all except that I realized I still prefer oysters blanched, raw or baked---not in a sauce.  

Instead of vegetables, we opted for Taiwanese Tofu Clay Pot with Pork.  I'm not very fond of tofu but I try to eat it regularly because I know it's healthy and reduces my calorie intake.:p  And I'm glad we ordered this tofu dish---it's quite tasty.  I wish it was a bit more spicy.

Taiwanese Tofu Clay Pot with Pork

Lugang Cafe is famous for their desserts but we had no more space for dessert. I will definitely leave some for dessert next time. The Belagio Breeze looks absolulely divine!

I love the stylish and hip ambiance of this restaurant (not like the usual Chinese restaurants).  The contemporary furnishings, high ceiling and crystal chandeliers give it a feeling of generous spaciousness.

Linking to Food Friday

Food Trip Friday

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

Patio Umbrella/Blue Monday

Garden umbrellas outside The Gustavian at The Terraces in Ayala-Cebu.  A perfect spot when you're dining al fresco---it's also where smokers meet.

Linking to Blue Monday

Happy New Year!

I woke up this morning with a bad cold and dry cough.  The smog from last night's revelry is the culprit.  At least, everybody has calmed down. It seems that the excitement of the New Year is almost over in my neighborhood.  Today was peaceful except for a random sound of a distant firecracker and a videoke party two apartments down the street.  But Fritz was still fidgety so I decided to take him out to his favorite place for a relaxing stroll.  Traffic to Bonifacio High Street was a breeze---I wish it was New Year's day everyday.:p

Fritz and I were glad to see this new extension of High Street---a new playground!  The new mall has not been opened yet but the gardens and fountains are open for people to enjoy.  Here are some snapshots I took this evening.  I apologize for the blurry photos---I forgot to set my point & shoot.

There have been a lot of changes in my life in 2011.  And I believe they were all for the better..."perpetual optimism is a force multiplier."  Everyday, I consciously focus on the positive, see the brighter side of things.  Time and again, I have proven that enthusiasm and optimism have a ripple effect.  With a "can do" attitude, anything is possible.

This year, I resolve to resist the urge to spend on unnecessary things; take stock of what's really important, and let go of  things [and people] that don't inspire me or give me joy.

I look at this New Year with renewed hope and a prayer for strength to weather whatever storm that may come my way.  Life is fragile, everyday counts.  Let's be kind to one another.  

To my family and friends (virtual and in real time), I wish you an excellent health, someone to love [and who loves you back], achievement of your goals, strength of spirit and boundless energy to enjoy life.  Continue to dream!  

Wishing you a rockin' New Year!

Linking to Smiling Sally's Blue Monday

Footbridge

@ mirandablue

I was in a parking lot late Saturday night when I noticed the construction across the street.  They're constructing two new towers in the Mall of Asia grounds, a reclaimed land along Manila Bay.  These buildings would have a 160 degrees unobstructed view of the bay with its famous sunset.  A footbridge connects the two buildings.

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Posted for Sunday Bridges

Nichols Interchange [Sunday Bridges]

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Slow moving traffic at the Nichols Interchange, located at the intersection of Sales Road and South Luzon Expressway.  The multi-level flyovers at this interchange were constructed to ensure smooth traffic to and from the new terminal of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Posted for Sunday Bridges

Rockwell flyover [Sunday Bridges]

@ mirandablue

It's not your computer screen, it's my dirty windshield.  The frequent drizzles combined with dust and fumes make for a grimy windshield.  I took these photos through my windshield in a slow-moving traffic at EDSA on Saturday afternoon.  This is going south to Makati City at the approach of the Rockwell flyover.  The Rockwell Center is a former thermal plant site that was converted into an upscale high-rise residential apartments, offices and a shopping mall.

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Posted for Sunday Bridges

Tree of Lights at Eastwood [My World & Ruby Tuesday]

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Even when I promised myself not to get stressed-out from all the holiday frenzy,  I found myself running around in the mall and in the supermarket like a chicken with its head cutoff.  I hate last minute shopping!  But when the dust settled, and the leftovers have been put away, I finally had the time to see the sights and watch a movie.

After dinner on Christmas day, we drove to the nearby mall, Eastwood, to check out the scene.  This giant Christmas tree greeted us at the mall's courtyard.  It's about 25 feet tall and decorated with lighted fiberglass balls that look like M & M's.

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The mall was pretty crowded--restaurants were full, and the theaters were jam-packed, too.  I spotted a live TV broadcast of GMA, one of the local networks; and a couple of the mimes by the base of the Christmas tree.

Here's the crowd outside Eastwood mall on the night of December 25th.

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The Metro Manila Film Festival, a festival that features locally-produced films, started on Christmas Day.  I was in the mood for comedy but the theater was already full when we got to the ticket counter. So we opted to watch Rosario, one of the entries in the festival.  Set in the 1920's, Rosario is a tragic story of a liberated woman who was a victim of  her own moral choices and society's prejudices. The credible acting and attention to details, being a period movie, were impressive,  but the story was too heavy for me.  I needed a sugar rush after Rosario.:p

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The crowd was thinning around 11 pm when we found our way to one of the restaurants.  We ended Christmas day with a sweet and light Riesling.  

I am linking to My World and Ruby Tuesday.

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Market! Market! flyover [Sunday Bridges]

@ mirandablue

One of the methods implemented by the government to curb the high volume of vehicles in the streets of Metro Manila during peak-hours is the Number Coding Scheme.  Vehicles are prohibited in the streets for a certain day in a week, specifically on Mondays, vehicles with plate numbers ending in 1 and 2 are not allowed from 7 am to 7 pm; 3 and 4 on Tuesdays, 5 and 6 on Wednesdays and so on until Friday.   I had an appointment one Friday afternoon early this month and my car wasn't allowed to be in the streets that day.  So I took a cab and had the chance to take some photos along the way.  This is one of the flyovers along C5 Road that connects traffic to Bonifacio Global City, an upscale business and residential area.  The cab driver gave me some curious glances when he noticed I was taking photos.:p

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the other end of the flyover

Posted for Sunday Bridges

Colorful [Makulay]

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Ito ang makulay at kakaibang interior ng lumang Cafe Juanita, isang restaurant sa Pasig.  Lumipat na kasi ang Cafe Juanita pero malapit lang naman ang nilipatan sa dating lugar.  Isa ito sa mga paborito kong restaurants---masarap ang pagkain, abot-kaya ang presyo at kakaiba ang ambiance dito.  Mas maaliwalas ang bagong Cafe Juanita at nandon pa rin ang kakaibang interior design.  Pero nakaka-miss ang intimate at kitschy charm ng lumang Cafe Juanita.

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

@ mirandablue

This is the colorful and unusual interior of the old Cafe Juanita, a restaurant in Pasig.  Cafe Juanita had transferred to a new address just across its old location.  This is one of my favorite restaurants---they serve delicious food at affordable prices, and I love the ambiance here.    The new Cafe Juanita is more spacious and the eccentric interiors that has become its signature are still there.  But I miss the intimate and kitschy charm of the old Cafe Juanita.

For Thursday Two Questions - you are invited to answer and join:

1)  What is the color of your toenails?
2)  What's the last event you dressed up for?

The Nutcracker at the Fiesta Market [My World and Ruby Tuesday]

@ mirandablue

The Fiesta Market is an outdoor market area of Market! Market!, a mall in Global City, Taguig.  It has regional food stalls where I go when I have cravings for native delicacies like kwakoy, mango tart, lengua de gato and other favorites like dried squid, roasted coffee from Bukidnon, and Vigan empanada.  It has the freshness of a Sunday street market where you can find fresh vegetables and fruits, flowers and seafoods.   There is also a hawker's area where you can sample various Filipino food--from pork BBQ to halo-halo, lechon, fish kinilaw, pancit habhab and dinuguan.  Fiesta Market also has  a well-stocked rice vendor and wine stores.  

Separated by a fountain is Market! Market!'s Christmas display---The Nutcracker.   This  attracts kids an adults alike.  Standing beside a bunch of kids, I was as fascinated by a life- size Clara dancing with her prince, with larger-than-life rotating nutcracker and a host of animated characters.

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Posted for Ruby Tuesday and My World-Tuesday

Three bridges and a lizard

@ mirandablue

There are three bridges here and a lizard about to jump off the bridge! 

I'm kidding about the lizard, of course.  I didn't notice it until it crawled across my windshield.  Poor little thing.  As for the bridges, these three are at the intersection of Ortigas Avenue and C5 Road, a 19.7-kilometer beltway which stretches from Taguig City to Quezon City in Metro Manila.  I was on Ortigas Avenue going east, on my way home on a late Saturday afternoon...traffic flow was slow as usual.  

The Ortigas Avenue interchange is one-way from the east going west to EDSA, north and south to C5 Road---my usual route when going to work.  The skyway is a two-way bridge along C5 that crosses over the Ortigas Avenue interchange.

Posted for Sunday Bridges