Thank you.

It has been a long time since I blogged. Yeah, I am a busy mom and wife.

Just recently, life has poked me. I recently complained about a lot, about not managing my time properly, how I am not getting enough time for myself, how I have been very busy juggling my domestic and office tasks...

However, I then realized that I am blessed, truly I am.

I am very busy because that means I have a job.
I have been very blessed in this aspect of my life. Before graduating from college last 2003, I had already been conditioning myself to start looking for a job as the economy had not been that kind to all of us. People were saying that it would be difficult to apply for new jobs as thousands graduate every year and each had to put their best foot forward to get accepted.
Luckily and because of God's grace, I was able to find a job without difficulty, even after I had to change employment, I landed on a job right away. I was able to help my parents with the finances through this.

I still get tired after work as I have to prepare food for my family.
It's not a secret that I am a foodie and I try as much as possible to try different dishes and prepare them at home if the budget allows it.
I am blessed that I could eat three meals a day, when others would still rummage a garbage sack to find one. Sometimes, I scold myself when there are leftovers on my plate, thinking of the people, who go hungry everyday. All of us experience hunger but not what the people in Africa experience everyday. It's terrible!

I am thankful to God for my family and for my extended family and most especially, for my Jerry and my Maia. They are the fruit of my labor. They are the leche flan in my halo-halo. They are the icing on my cake... You get the idea. ^_^

We humans complain because we are insatiable by nature. But it's not an excuse to forget to thank God because this proves we are still alive and life is one of the most precious gifts HE has to bestow upon us. I pray that HE would give me strength in fulfilling all my endeavors for my family and for myself, and to give us good health for the rest of our lives as I want to live a meaningful life with them.

Date with "Tangled" got tangled... but still had fun!

My BFF's since high school, Ched and Jo, and I were supposed to watch the animated film "Tangled" and we've been checking the scheds from ClickTheCity.com. However, it's been days that only the 3D version is being shown in the Glorietta and Greenbelt cinemas and we don't want to spend THAT much. I was able to watch a film in 3D way back and I didn't find the experience great. There's nothing exciting about it because the 3D effect was just evident in a few segments and I had to pay, what, around Php 300+?! Sheeeeesh!

Anyways, so we girls just decided to just shop, have coffee, have a nice chitchat and then have dinner as part of our usual foodtripping routine.

I was shopping for some clothes for my Maia at SM Makati when Ched and I met. Soon after, Jo arrived. They also had to check out some stuff first until we finally went to Coffee Bean at Greenbelt to have a nice coffee break.

Ched has lots of Belle du Jour coupons. We used a couple of those at Coffee Bean. One of the coupons was a buy-1-take-1 tea latte so that coupon's for them. The one I used was about buying a slice of cheesecake to have a free brewed coffee.

We spent about a couple of hours there, enjoying good coffee and tea, and of course, the delectable cheesecake. I really love cream cheese! ^_^ Part of the chitchat was deciding where to have dinner. It was really difficult to choose among these restos:
Barcino's
Grappa's Ristorante
Sugi
The Terrace at the 5th
Chateau 1771

Finally after an hour or so of checking menus online and justifying where to eat, we finally decided to have dinner at Chateau 1771.

I have been eyeing this place as I really would love to try their dishes.

Ched in front of Chateau 1771

Inside the resto

Inside you will see a very cozy place to dine at. Love the simplicity and the earth tones. Felt like home for me.

Me, sitting alone on a couch.
Too bad my hubby was not able to join us.
He's at home watching over our Maia after finishing his Condura run.

What to order... hmmm

I think it took us about 15 minutes to finalize our order as all their dishes seemed delicious based on the description of each dish on their menu...

Menu @ Chateau 1771

Jo still thinking what to order... why is she smiling? ^_^

Anyway, after taking some pictures and a few more stories, we were offered some food to munch on while waiting for our orders...

Toasted bread with spread

I loved the spread. I don't know what it's called but it had a hint of chili, garlic and ginger. Love love love!


And then there's heaven...

Appetizer: Vol-au-vent Cardinal

The menu description of the Vol-au-vent Cardinal says, "Round puff pastry shells stuffed with shrimps cooked in dill cream sauce and prawn essence" How could it go wrong for an appetizer???

Now, the main dishes...

Ched's order: Rigatoni with Prosciutto

"Rigatoni topped with napolitaine sauce, prosciutto and arugula." Sooooo good and comforting!

Jo's order: Pork Tenderloin Pommery

"With creamy whole grain mustard sauce, potatoes lyonnaise." I wished we had taken a photo of Jo's face while eating this! ^_^  Great dish!

My order: Tenderloin Steak Balsamico (portion)

"Grilled beef tenderloin pieces with brandy, cream sauce, potato crisps." I tried to resist it but I am always a steak person. Cooked medium... just how I liked my steak... Heavenly!

Of course let's not forget dessert. We ordered two kinds for the three of us, since our tummies were already quite full...

Italian Panna Cotta

"Jiggly jiggly"... just how Jo described it and creamy just how the texture feels inside our mouths. There's a piece of peanut brittle and blueberry sauce that went well with the panna cotta. Winner!

Coffee pie

Very rich. Really for coffee lovers and for those who don't really want sweet desserts to finish their meals.

Our photo before attacking our desserts ^_^

To conclude, it's such a great dining experience at Chateau 1771. Their staff was very warm and courteous. We'll definitely be back to try their other dishes.

Can't wait for another foodtripping adventure with my girl BFF's!

And as a reminder for me... no coffee anymore during lunch nor in the afternoon ever again! I was able to sleep only at around 3am or 4am! @_@ Oh migraine! I was not able to go to work today...

(Photos courtesy of Ched)

Mélange de vie

First timer. Newbie. Whatever you may call it, blogging on a personal level is new to me. I had been planning to create my own online sanctuary for years but I have had the feeling of doing it just recently, say, just around 4:30am when my daughter, Maia, woke up to have her early morning dose of milk.


What's mélange de vie by the way?
It's french for a mixture of life.
I love life.
I love anything that comes with it, be it good or bad and I am happy to share you some, if not all, of my life's moments that I hope, someday, would leave a legacy to my loved ones, especially to my daughter.