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Monthly Archives: April 2011

I love Tina-Pay! este Tina Fey!

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As I was blog surfing for topics about motherhood, parenting and the like, I stumbled upon the Topaz Mommy’s post about Tina Fey. I remember laughing (my tummy off) so hard while I was pregnant watching her on SNL and her movie Date Night. This witty actress,comedienne,writer,producer has been my  one of my “secret” peg in becoming a grown woman (or at least an all around funny & successful woman,heehee) Upon reading her prayer for her daughter and can totally relate, I must confess that it’s no secret anymore- that I love her! haha beyond being my peg, she’s just something more.

Here’s the excerpt from her book: Bossypants

“THE MOTHER’S PRAYER FOR ITS DAUGHTER”

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches. 

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the the Beauty. 

When the Crystal Meth is offered, 

May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half 

And stick with Beer. 

Guide her, protect her 

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the nearby subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock N’ Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age. 

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. 

Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes

And not have to wear high heels. 

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit. 

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers. 

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. 

Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, 

For Childhood is short — a Tiger Flower blooming 

Magenta for one day – 

And Adulthood is long and Dry-Humping in Cars will wait. 

O Lord, break the Internet forever, 

That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers 

And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed. 

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, 

Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, 

For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it. 

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, 

That I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 a.m., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. 

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. 

“My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental note to call me. And she will forget. 

But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes. 

Amen.

I still smile whenever I see a mom & daughter holding hands, that bonding is just to precious. I hope when G grows up she & I would be just like this. :)

ooo,

J.

Today’s Outfitey: Worn Out Skirt

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As what I’ve said before, I’ll try to post a “Today’s Outfitey” look during our vacation so here it is. You know for us moms, it’s really hard to create a well put outfitey especially when we’re elsewhere & there’s no yaya to help us take care of our kid/s. I’ve learned to pack only  what is essential & I’d rather forget to bring another pair of shoes than to forget 3 extra outfitey for my baby G. (I somehow feel all grown up!)

So pardon my “boring” outfitey look, there’s really nothing fashion-ly about this outfitey (well I think most of my outfiteys doesn’t really scream fashion much) but take note that I like doing this & (dressing up) because I am comfortable this way and I would like to share with all the women (especially moms) that being a wife/mom is definitely not an excuse to NOT LOOK GOOD & FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF. Okay? Good ;)

blues clues

So since this particular vacation is all about baby G. (since it’s her firsts summer getaway) I’ve packed on clothes that are light & easy to pair with anything, these are usually shorts, skirts, tank tops and breezy cotton shirts. As for shoes I’d go for anything comfortable may it be flip flops, flats or sandals.

If your a mom who has a very hyper kid (like me) I’d say wearing skirts or dresses can be a drag. My simple tip: Always wear boy shorts! So no matter how often you need to kneel down or bend over to carry or play with your lil’ bubba, you’re always safe from the world taking a peek on you-know-what ;)

THE OUTFITEY:

Blue tank top: Cotton On

Faded distressed skirt: Forever 21

Slip on canvas: Toms

Vintage shades: Thrifted  via multiply.com

If you know me by now e you’ll notice I like vintage things, so if you’re into finding cheap & one of a kind pieces I suggest check out multiply.com & ebay.ph I confess I love shopping online rather than in malls. Hindi ako choosy sa brands as long as I like it, deadma kung ukay yan or 3rd,4th and 5th hand pa yan! Just be careful when paying for the items baka ma-scam kayo & please wash & clean all used items properly before wearing. :)

Promise I’ll take a picture of my ukay finds & share it with you all :)

Mercato Favorites Weekend Treats

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You all remember I posted an entry regarding my first ever tweetup at Mercato Centrale. Now I’d like to share with you all the good news about Mercato.

hear ye! hear ye!

Who: You! Me? Yes you! You’re invited to Mercato Favorites Weekend Treat!

What:  Discounts from your favorite shops ONLY at Mercato Centrale 

When: THIS WEEKEND ONLY> April 30 & May 1.

Where: Mercato Centrale haven’t been there yet? So easy. Corner of 34th St. and 8th Ave. besides MC Home Depot, Bonifacio Global City

Why: Because you wouldn’t want to miss out on these lovely treats. THAT’S WHY.

and would you be able to resist these?!

Manang's chicken FTW!

Mochiko's black sesame mochi

Mochiko's caramelo mochi

Visit Mercato Centrale over the weekend and give your tummy & wallet the pleasure that they deserve! ;)

Banapple Pies & Cheesecakes

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Banapple Pies & Cheesecakes is known mainly for their famous Banoffee pie. So when we had the chance to dine in, I was rather excited to try their main dishes rather than their desserts (yes, this is something very unusual for me).

newly opened Banapple in Greenhills

Finally! There’s Banapple in Greenhills. I remember when I was pregnant how much I craved for a banoffee pie from Banapple, my husband being quite busy with work opted to buy me my coveted banoffee pies from Starbucks instead (there’s a store right across our place) I didn’t complain at all. So now I told him, next time there’s really no excuse to my craving!

Banapple's brewed iced tea

First things first, we immediately ordered for drinks while picking on what to eat. I have to commend on their iced tea, it is now my favorite! the blend’s just right. Perfect drink on a hot summer day!

my kind of color scheme! LOL

feel the vintage-homey ambiance

nifty little decors

So we ate at 2 different Banapple stores, I’ll just combine here the food that we ordered on both events okay? :)

spot their menu

Salpicao Rafael 180 Php

This is my 2nd most favorite Salpicao (my 1st I shall reveal soon) coming from a family restaurant. It’s tender & full of flavor (again, sucker for sauce) thanks to it’s beefy goodness sauce. The buttery garlic & mushroom is the icing on the cake for this dish. Yum!

Glazed Pork Tocino w/ Creamy Parsley Eggs 145 Php

In short Tocilog! LOL okay maka-tocino kase ako e so thumbs up for this. You’ll know the pork is fresh (not those you can buy in the groceries) coz it’s tender & you can clearly see through the meat color that it lacks preservatives. Meat was cooked just right (if not, I’d have it sent back para well done) Flavorful tocino, not dry juicy enough to smother the excess glazing on your rice.

Hickory Smoked Barbecued Country Ribs 175 Php

The ribs was indeed tender, just like that of the famous ribs restaurant in town. But I gotta say that the hickory barbecue sauce was too flavorful (at least for me & my husband’s palette) Finishing one whole dish all by yourself may make you not want the ribs (or just the hickory sauce) for quite a while. I think this dish is perfect for sharing & pairing with another this (thus, this is our shared dish) Maybe on our next visit, we’ll ask if we can have the ribs with less hickory sauce. ;)

Asian Sunshine Salad 130 Php

The salad is indeed full of flavor but I wished there was more greens in it than the crispy wonton skins. That being said, it would’ve been healthier. Just saying.

Savory Longanisa w/ Caramelized Onions 160 Php

This was my brother’s dish, wasn’t able to taste it but he says the longanisa tastes like that of the famous Vigan longanisa. He having an unusual palette, I believe if it passes his standards then it is indeed good. :)

Crunchy Chicken Fillet & Bell Peppers Sandwich 140 Php

This is what I ordered since I still was full from our snack that time. The chicken was indeed crispy and the garlic mayo did it’s part in breaking the monotonus flavor of saltiness from the chicken & cheese, yet it was a hearty dish.

desserts= LOVE

Aren’t they divine? We can’t decide as to what to try & my tummy wasn’t really in the mood to cooperate with me so we ended up with our favorite.

ba-no-ffee

hello there sweetie!

treats for take out anyone?

G enjoying Banapple

G keeps on touching this ba-na-na!

Visit Banapple ’s newest store at North East Square along Connecticut St. in Greenhills, San Juan City

Open everyday from 10.30 am to 10.30 pm

Cerchio Grill & Lounge

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I’ve been hearing a lot of good reviews about Cerchio Restaurant and luckily, our cousin treated us one Sunday evening for dinner in celebration of his birthday. Thanks again Achie Muy & Ahia Ernel.

Cerchio signifies a circle. Or anything round… earth, sun and the moon…human cell…even the cycle of life itself!

Cuisine is everything cooked ” MediterrAsian”way,or the culinary diversity of Asia and the Mediterranean regions.

lifted from Cerchio’s Facebook page.

Sorry if the pictures don’t do much justice, forgot my G12 & used my iPhone camera instead. Boo :(

pronounced 'tzerhr.kyoh'

the set up

plant decors for a more relaxed & homey vibe

spot the menu

sweets! :)

Here’s what we ordered

Pomelo Salad

This is one of the tastiest salad I’ve eaten,not a fan of pomelo but this (being the exemption) I almost finished the entire dish all by myself. Fresh greens and grilled shrimp were yummy while the vinaigrette compliments the sweetness of pomelo & mango.

Crispy Pata

As much as I try to avoid fatty & fried foods, I must admit that I wasn’t able to resist Cerchio’s Crispy Pata. Aside from it being too crispy yet tender, serving it with 3 kinds of sauces had me. I am such a sucker for sauces.

3 sauces

One is sweet, one’s salty & the other one’s a bit of both. I liked them all so I mixed them altogether & it turned out great.

Peri-peri Chicken

I’m a sucker for chicken, not that I’m being biased but I love how it’s tenderly cooked, you know it’s yummy when the meat isn’t dry yet the skin has a crisp to it! Yep, that’s their Peri-peri chicken. The herb rice was nothing out of the ordinary though but it was good.

Pinaputok na Tilapia

Fish meat was chewy which is something nice for a steamed dish, although the herbs didn’t seep much into the meat, it was not bad at all.

Herb Pork Chop

Like I said before, I want my meat well done. This was not well done so I didn’t quite enjoy it (but the rest of the clan did!) it wasn’t as tender as I expected it to be but it had enough flavor to compensate.

So much for the main dishes, let’s move on to my favorite part of every meal: DESSERTS!

sweetness really is my weakness

We had a hard time choosing what dessert to get, all of it looked delicious. So we asked one of the waiters what’s Cerchio’s top 3 desserts. Here’s what he recommended:

dessert #1 Tiramisu

Okay, I have to give a thumbs up for this dessert. Everything was blended PERFECTLY! The sponge cake was soaked in Rum adequately to taste but just right not to alter the sweetness of the entire cake.

dessert #2 Strawberry Cheese Cake

The cream cheese is fluffy and the crust melts in your mouth! Strawberries may be deceivingly sweet but take note that no matter how red they appear not all of them would taste as sweet as they look. Overall, it was yummy!

dessert #3 Mango Float

I love Mango Float! and I was very glad that Cerchio’s was just what I expected. Creamy filling, sweet mangoes & perfect crust! Which reminds me, I’ll share with all of you my own version of Mango Float soon ;)

Here are some of the snapshots I took:

the frosted glass door that leads to the comfort room, very chic!

photo op inside the restroom :)

G w/ Ahia Noshy looked like they had fun :)

where'd all the food go?!

Clearly overall we loved the food at Cerchio, the service was impeccable, the ambiance was indeed suitable for relaxation & lounging plus spending time with my family there is just great. I suggest you dine in for yourself and experience the fusion of Mediterranean & Asian cuisine.

Sundays are best spent with family & food, that we all can agree on. Hoping I can share with you all my family’s Sunday’s Bests.

Visit Cerchio Grill & Restaurant:

#76 Sct. Limbaga, Tomas Morato Quezon City

For reservations you may call: (02) 9980939/3550998/3515279

Email: cerchioresto@gmail.com

Dyson Vacuum Cleaners

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While I was busy looking for inspirational house pegs and everything related to house furnitures & housewares, I stumbled upon the niftiest & coolest vacuum cleaner.

isn't she lovely?

I also saw Dyson DC35 tv commercial on NBA TV. I was pretty impressed on how it can clean anything, even those hard to reach areas, it’s wireless and uses lithium-ion battery.

it had me at "carbon fibre brushes"

Since me and my family suffer from allergy & asthma attacks, it is a must for us to maintain a clean environment. A little dust can go a long way in making asthmatic & allergic people like us suffer.

gives me enough good reason why I want one!

read to understand more

What really got me to like Dyson vacuum cleaner is that it’s the “world’s first bagless vacuum cleaner”. We all know how much of a hassle cleaning & removing all the gathered dirt & whatelse vacuum cleaners scoop from our house, car or elsewhere.

the man behind the products, James Dyson

Aside from the vacuum cleaner, I now also want these:

Dyson's Air Multiplier

I want! These are perfect for households who have kids or even if they don’t it’s still the perfect fan!

 The Dyson Air Multiplier™ fans work very differently to conventional fans. They use Air Multiplier™ technology to draw in air and amplify it up to 18 times, producing an uninterrupted stream of smooth air. With no blades or grill, they’re safe, easy to clean and don’t cause unpleasant buffeting.

Safe for kids and pets, since it has no blades nor grills. I love how Dyson products are chic, clean looking and easy to use!

The closest country that has a Dyson store/reseller is in Singapore. I feel sad that we weren’t able to check it out during our Singapore trip last January. I swear I’ll really save up on these Dyson products & have my friend buy it for me BUT after we’ve relocated to a bigger place (hoping it’ll be next year). But to those who already have the money to shop I suggest grab a Dyson vacuum cleaner & air multiplier! Who can resist a chic, nifty home gadget that has the technology to make life easier eh? I know I couldn’t.

Visit www.dyson.com for more info

All images used in this post are found here Dyson

Today’s Outfitey: Boyfriend Jeans

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Today’s Outfitey is different, hindi ako ang rarampa to show you my outfit but rather a good friend of mine. I kinda thought this would be a good idea since people I know (especially friends) dress well. Eye candy kungbaga. Anyway pagpasensyahan ang spelling sa Filipino words, bulol kase ako at hindi kasama sa awards ko ang Best in Filipino :(

Moving on, ladies & beckies (as well as guys who are single out there) I’d like you to meet my friend Enya Herrera

petite is sweet ;)

Enya who works in the advertising industry is a busy person (sabeh?!) but still she manages to pull off cute & quirky outfiteys. Being busy or even stressed and ngarag with work is no excuse to not look your best, dapat pa nga inspiration ito para you’ll feel good about yourself di ba? For someone who is petite, it’s not easy to dress up. Syempre there are limitations when it comes to height but what I like about this girlaloo is that game na game sya at she uses her being petite as an advantage. Hindi ko nga kayang magheels the whole day pero siya walk in the park lang for her, literally! CHOS!

THE OUTFITEY

Stripes loose top: Topshop

Boyfriend jeans: Purple Denims

Rosette heels: Janilyn

Pretty fez:  Enya Herrera (pinilit lang akong isama toh! j/k)

Petite women can wear loose top just mind the length rather than the width too long can make you shorter but deadma naman if it’s loose width wise. Also boyfriend jeans is a trend this season. No need to buy one, if you have those loose straight cut jeans from the 90′s eh winner na, recycle it na lang para very much vintage lang ang peg. An advantage of petite girls is that they can wear heels and still look casual & cute. Minsan pag tall girls at naka heels laging ang tanong “saan ang gimik or debut?!” haha but seriously, another advantage petite girls have is that they can buy clothes & shoes from teens & even kid’s stores. Lalo na those from US or Euro countries mura na cute pa! :) Di ba Ens? ;) Anyways, I’d like to thank you Enya for letting me take your feachur & posting this on my blog, winner ka! :)

Follow my friend Enya Herrera (enyaherrera) on Twitter.

I hope my other friends would welcome the idea of featuring them for my blog’s category: Today’s Outfitey! ;)

That’s all!

ooo,

J.

Quick Getaway

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Holy Week is much anticipated in the Philippines mostly because it is the time wherein families can go on a vacation but more importantly it is the time to reflect & pray. Since not all of you are my friends on Facebook (although you can like My Nocturnal Journal instead, heehee :) ) I’d like to share with you some of the photos during my family’s Holy Week getaway.

Activity #1 playing at our aunt & uncle’s front lawn.

G loves balls more than any other toy (iPhone exempted)

w/ her dad J throwing the ball in such a model fashion :p

who's tired? I am-Mom :)

G+ball= HAPPINESS

Activity #2 Swimming

swimming time!

first ever water slide ride, not afraid!

Activity #3 Bonding w/ cousins

see-saw time with Ahia Noshy

G w/ cousin Caleb

G & J

Activity #4 Beach time

beach babe

Activity #5 Getting crazy & spending time w/family

G w/ her crazy parents

my beach essentials

not tan enough

spot Nemo

coral love

cute colored stingray

everybody say "O"

There you have it! I hope everyone had a good and meaningful Holy Week vacation!

ooo,

J.

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free counters

Blog Giveaway

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So my blog turned a year old last April 22,2011 and I was on hiatus for the Holy Week but I didn’t forget,I celebrated silently by the beach thinking about how my blog has become. After a few alterations and URL changes I think I’ll stick to My Nocturnal Journal.

 So to celebrate my blog’s anniversary I’ve decided to hold a raffle (not a contest). Here’s what you need to do:

1. Like My Nocturnal Journal on Facebook

2. Follow me on Twitter & tweet: “Win Olay products! just like My Nocturnal Journal & subscribe to my nocturnal journal

3. Subscribe to my nocturnal journal.

4. Drop a comment in any of my posts with your email/website in it :)

3 lucky winners get these:

Olay goodies

winner #1

winner #2

winner #3

 Winners will be chosen via random.org and raffle will happen on May 31,2011.

More raffles to come after! So come and join! :)

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