The Original Dear Darla Pizza

I don't know how accurate the story I heard was but I was told that the Dear Darla Pizzas from Yellow Cab was inspired by the Panizzas served in a restaurant in Pampanga.

I had to taste it! I went to C' Italian last month and I tried their famous Panizzas! A Panizza is a thin crust pizza and you roll it after putting Arugula leaves and Alfalfa sprouts. (Just like the Dear Darla Pizza)

Anyway, this Panizza was SUPERB! *drools* The cheese was excellent, the prosciutto was fresh, the mushrooms were awesome! Plus the place was an authentic Italian joint so you get your money's worth! The prices are a bit on the high side and it's a 90 minute drive to Angeles. But you know what? IT'S SUPER WORTH IT! SOOOOOO WORTH IT!!! There are a lot of Panizzas to choose from!!!

You want to bring your girlfriend to an awesome restaurant out of town??? Go to C' Italian Dining!

C' Italian Dining
Don Juico Avenue (Perimeter Road)
Brgy. Malabanas, Angeles City
+63 45 8924059
+63 45 8926993

Pagmumuni-muni

The picture above was taken last September at the Aquino Museum in Tarlac. It was called my 3D Family Album.. Anyway, I'll talk about that some other time. This picture was actually candid at first but it didn't turn out well. So I stood there and reflected.

It's good to reflect at times. You have to see where you were, where you are, and where you are headed. The past you can never change but it's good to look back to understand where you are now. Learning from the mistakes of the past will set a better tomorrow.  

The picture on the left is a shot of my Lolo Ninoy when he was under trial... It makes me think now what he was thinking when he was sentenced to death at that point of his life. But what awes me when he was incarcerated for 7 years and 7 months in Fort Bonifacio. There was nothing to do there according to the stories I've heard.  Even much worse was he was sent to Fort Magsaysay in Laur. It was where he got stripped of his clothes and was put in a box. All he could do was count the seconds that turned into minutes and the minutes into hours which turned into days and into weeks. It was loneliness. And in that loneliness was when he had his pagmumuni-muni. My Lola told me that the incarceration made my Lolo humble. It was when he turned back to the Lord.

I have to be honest that I forget to pray at times before going to sleep. It's bad I know. That's why I'm putting this down to remind me that I shouldn't forget how to pray. To reflect I believe will clear the mind. Hopefully it will clear my own...

When was the last time you had your own pagmumuni-muni?

Ramen Bar

I'm on a roll!

Seeing that I get a new follower everyday makes me want to update this more often. I'm sticking to my promise. I haven't blogged about food in a while so I might as well tell you about a place I wanted to try out. Now I've been in this place a long time ago but I just wanted to share with you.

I'm a HUGE Japanese Food fan! I love them sushi/sashimi/yakitori/soba/udon and of course... RAMEN!

The four of us in the family love Japanese! But recently it's been a lot of Chinese food! 3 choices lang naman... Japanese, Chinese, or Italian...
 

Anyway, back to the RAMEN! I went to Ramen Bar located in Eastwood City Libis. It's not in Citywalk 2, Cybermall, nor the Eastwood Mall. It's in the complex of Eastwood Mall but along the street of Ministop and the Excelsior.

I went one Saturday to Ramen Bar and the first thing that popped into my head was that it was a simple place. I thought that the ambiance was very clean and simple. Zen-like? Nah. But I thought that simplicity was key. The menu was the placemat and the items are limited. Very easy to decide.

I got the basic Shoyu Ramen. I thought that it was just right. It fixed my Ramen craving during that time. I know the picture below doesn't look as appetizing but I'm telling you that the Ramen was perfect!

Check out Ramen Bar in Eastwood should you have a craving for Ramen! :) Be warned that they don't serve Sushi/Sashimi nor Ebi Tempura. They do have Gyoza, Kakuni Buns, Edamame, Rice Toppings and Tempura Ice Cream!

These are not the Droids you are looking for...

I wish I had the power to use the Jedi Mind Trick...

I got this right after I got Slave 1 for Christmas. I had to have a Sandtrooper Minifigure... Plus I also wanted to take my chances if I got a rare Gold C-3PO Minifigure.

Anyway, here's Luke Landspeeder Lego that I built...

"You don't need to see his identification... These are not the Droids you are looking for..."

Last year, I saw Disney's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and there was a scene about getting identification. Now Alfred Molina's character was using the "Jedi Mind Trick". The funny part was when the sidekick villain added "These are not the Droids you are looking for"! It was only me and Jonty who laughed. My problem was I was laughing so bad that I had to stop since no one was laughing in the cinema! I was like "Seriously??? No one watched Star Wars??? C'MON!!!" I was disappointed...

Guys, if you haven't seen a single Star Wars film, please go see it... Start with STAR WARS (A new hope), then The Empire Strikes Back and then Return of the Jedi. After that you can see the prequels... Appreciate it people... please? :)

Anyway, Star Wars was a HUGE part of my life because at one point, I was totally obssesed with it! But not to the extent that I memorized the names of the aliens. I'm not that obsessed... But I tell you, I am a FAN of the saga! And STAR WARS > Star Trek!!! Yes!!! I said it!!! Jedi > Starfleet. 

At first the Lego didn't really get to me but man, these Lego Star Wars sets are actually pretty cool!

ZIPLINE!!!

I'm usually scared of heights. For example, I absolutely CANNOT ride the Wheel of Fate in Enchanted Kingdom. Hindi ko talaga kaya. I rode it once and that was it. Never again. Roller Coasters I can handle. But if it's on top of the Ferris Wheel, get me out of there!

Exactly a week ago, I went on Asia's longest zipline in Bukidnon. Yes, believe it or not. I actually went on to ride the zipline! You have 2 choices. Either you sit down and feel like Spider-Man or you lie down and fly like Superman. No, Iron Man! A day before I was asked on what I'd choose. Of course I want to feel like Spider-Man! I'm gonna sit down! It was less scary and I thought that it was safer. But they wanted me to lie down since it was more "adventurous." I said to myself fine I'll lie down.

When we got to the place, I saw how high the hill was and how long the zipline was. Man, I wanted to go back to Spider-Man. I stayed with little children who were going to sit down and feel like Spider-Man. People were laughing at me but I said to hell with it, I want to be safe.

"Hindi available ang naka-upo" was the next thing I heard... Holy $%#? I wanted to die. But nope, I had to man up and just go with it... Of course I didn't tell anyone at that time that I was worried. I said that I didn't have a choice but to just go with it. When I'm worried, I'm just quiet. As we rode the van to go up the hill, I wasn't in my happy place at all. Imagine when I was about to strap on and go zip... Well, I did it! It was like flying IRON MAN STYLE! It was AWESOME!!!

 
You know, anxiety and fear will always be there if you haven't tried or tested it. You just have to let go sometimes. You'll laugh at yourself for being worried in the first place.

 If you ever go to Bukidnon, go and try the ZIPLINE. You'll like it. I promise you that. And this time, Iron Man over Spider-Man... :)

2010 in review

I know I know it's 2011 already but as promised, here's my 2010 reflection. Better late than never right? In general, 2010 was definitely better than the difficult 2009. 2010 had its ups and downs but I thought it was a fantastic year. We were busy campaigning at the start of the year until May. There were some awesome events like the Paramore concert in MOA, Backstreet Boys at the Big Dome (Yes, I'm a BSB fan), the Summer Komikon in UP, Iron Man 2 was shown, the iPad was released, plus the Android operating system fights Apple! But here's my top events of the year in no particular order.

Bohol

One of the places I really wanted to visit was Bohol to see the famous Chocolate Hills. Why? Where else can you find something as beautiful as the Chocolate Hills??? :) I finally got to go to Bohol thanks to Misha as I got it for my birthday. The trip was fantastic! Got to relax and stay in the beach! I saw the Tarsiers and ate lunch in the floating restaurant! Excellent excellent excellent trip! I highly recommend Bohol! It's peaceful and the place is just beautiful!

Neil Gaiman

I missed his visits here but I really couldn't miss this one! I finally got to meet Neil Gaiman! Fully Booked has been really good to the Geeks by bringing in Comic Book Personalities. Neil signed my Absolute Sandman Volume 1 and even sketched Morpheus himself! Nerdgasm! One of the most awesome geek experiences!!!

Summer Komikon

Summer Komikon had fantastic komiks!!! But the one that really caught my attention were the PUNNX Komiks! They were just too hilarious!!! The November Komikon was also fun but I really wished that there was a Trese volume 4!!! I'm glad that Komikon keeps on growing!!! Hopefully in November, I can come up with a komik of my own... But this year will be huge with Mr. Gerry Alanguilan's Dr. Rizal and of course, the return of Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo's TRESE!!!

Yahoo! Blog

I got to Geek out a lot more in 2010 thanks to Yahoo! Philippines. They sent me an email and wanted me to be part of the Fit To Post bloggers and blog about comics! It's awesome despite some haters... I got to interview J Torres, Philip Tan, Harvey Tolibao, and Manix Abrera! I have so much more planned for the blog this year I can't wait to talk more comics! It's an honor and privilege to be part of the Yahoo! family :)



YSpeak

2010 gave me a lot of opportunities and the biggest one was YSpeak! I really wanted the job since it's about the voice of the youth! ANG BOSES NG KABATAAN! It was about helping out that got me. I had a short but memorable stint. I still don't know what will happen to the show due to the reformat of Studio 23 :( Loved every second of it!

The end of Rock Ed Radio

Thursdays will never be the same again now that there's no more Rock Ed Radio... Thursdays gave me a reason to have free flowing discussions and it hit me how important conversations are. You have to talk about what's happening in the country or just about anything at all. I met a lot of really awesome people in Rock Ed Radio thanks to Tita Gang and Erwin!!! I'll miss Thursday nights on NU :(

Dashboard Confessional LIVE IN MANILA

My dream of seeing Dashboard Confessional came true!!! I got to sing Vindicated live with Chris Carrabba! Saints and Sailors, Hands Down, Belle of the Boulevard, Don't wait, and STOLEN! Aaahh... Best concert ever!

New Assignment

I got transferred this year. I was moved to a new department and it was a big change for me. In my work, sometimes, the company has to put you where you are needed. I finished my job in trade marketing and I'm with marketing now. It's a much bigger department and the pressure comes along with it. But hey, pressure is a privilege. It's gonna be a challenging 2011 but it'll be fun.

3Peat!!!

I've always wanted a Back-2-Back Championship in the UAAP but was denied by FEU in 2003... It was my first year in College then. But 2010 was special! 3 peat baby!!! Buenafe with the dagger!!! Loved the series and Ateneo deserved it!!! It was more special because Misha watched with me!!! A celebration of die-hard fans!!! I was glad to have shared that happy moment with someone special!!! Plus, cmon! 3 peat!!! Both Seniors AND Juniors!!!

The dreaded Game 7 loss

I was devastated when my Celtics lost Game7 at Staples Center... I felt so bad for them... They were so close to Banner18!!! The loss only made me a stronger Celtics fan and I also realized how much of a die-hard I am. The new season seems promising! They just need to be healthy. Though the Big 3 and Shaq are in their twilight years, I still believe they have 1 final push for Banner 18 and instill themselves in Celtic Glory! You need to have 2 to be a Celtic great!

Billboard

I don't think I'll get an endoresement again anytime soon! Hahaha! But 2010 was special since the wonderful people from Lucerne got me and my cousin to endorse the limited edition ODM Pilipinas Watch for L TimeStudio. We got a billboard along EDSA and never in my wildest dreams did I think I'll end up there. It was different! Good different!

Travel / Business Trips

 
I got to see the Philippines in a whole new way in 2010. I've been up north in Laoag and ate empanada. I had a 10 hour road trip to Isabela. Went twice to Cebu wherein once I had to retrieve some important documents. I went down south to Davao and Cagayan de Oro. I also got to go to the deeper part of South Luzon and I saw the Mayon Volcano! This was all for work mind you :) I had fun travelling! It can get lonely but it makes you more independent! 2011 will have some travelling but not like 2010 in my old function at work... It was awesome while it lasted.


MAY 10

May 10, 2010 was THE day. It was election day! That was when the campaign trail ended... It was the most important day of the year for my family since it would somewhat determine how it would affect our lives. It was a long day and we fell in line for around 4 and 1/2 hours to cast a vote for Tito Noy. I was really amazed how the counting turned out. Surprise surprise how Smartmatic proved that the automation was a success. It was a memorable day and it did change our lives. People had reason to hope again. Change was on the horizon. I'm happy how positive people are now but I believe we have to keep the momentum going. Sure there are some humps and bumps along the way but we have to stay in the straight path. Ang tuwid na daan ang tama!

HERE'S TO 2011!!!

Brick by childhood brick

I've recently gotten back into a childhood hobby. It all started in December during the Christmas Parties. For the Kris Kringle, I accidentally found out who my "mom" was and she said not to put a GC... She told me to put something I wanted. I went around window shopping and saw in Hobbes and Landes these awesome LEGO Minifigures! I stumbled upon them in geekologie.com and thought that they were pretty cool. So I got one and that was it... I needed more of em...

Little did I know that Misha had already bought me a STAR WARS LEGO set for Christmas! I got Boba Fett's Slave 1! For those who don't know, Boba Fett was the bounty hunter who captured Han Solo. He also happens to be a fan favorite among Star Wars loyalists. So there goes another LEGO set.

 

 

 

After that, I saw these LEGO Architecture Series online. I looked for it on eBay.ph and apparently there was this seller who had what I was looking for! I got the Empire State Building and the Seattle Space Needle. Now these aren't giant sets. They can be actually be put on your desk.

 

I worked on Slave 1 over the holidays and I got this feeling of nostalgia building it. So many childhood memories! We should all "grow up" I know. But I think it doesn't mean that you should completely let go of your "inner child". I mean, being young at heart only makes us more human and less boring. I now understand why LEGO is consistently posted on geekologie.com... Geeks are young at heart!

I suggest you find something that you loved when you were a child. Believe me, it will make you feel better. Of course I'm talking to the people born 1985 and below. For the ones reading this who are actually still young, enjoy your youth! :)

The LEGO sets being sold here are way more expensive... If you seriously want to get into it again, eBay.ph has sellers that offer better deals. :) Now what I have to look for now are the Spider-Man sets that they released a couple of years back... Yikes!