Knottydon is Back!

It has been two years since I last wrote a blog entry here. A lot has happened in those years. Some were good ones, some were life changing and there were some very painful memories.  *sigh* Anyhoo, I just wanna tell my readers (dunno how many are left) that I'm gonna be sharing my daily experiences again here, my personal blog.  See ya later, friends!

Fiona & Regine

Two things are happening today: it's the birthday celebration of Fiona, my lovely niece, and Nikks & I will be watching Regine's concert at McKinley Hill.

After having my breakfast, I made my way to Bulacan. It took me less than 2 hours to get there.

Fiona saw me right away and she kissed me. I greeted her right away. I also noticed that there's a LOT of food at our table. I guess the family is expecting a lot of guests.

Kuya was busy cooking the sauce of the sweet & sour tilapia. Angela instantly gave me a plate.

I had beef caldereta, lumpiang shanghai, fried chicken, tilapia, laing and pancit bihon. OMG! The food, especially the caldereta, was really good. I really ate a lot! And to think, yesterday was another fiesta for me! I love the holidays!

I visited my Mom's room and I caught up on her stories about my other niece, Disney. I love babies. When you tell them to kiss & hug you, they oblige right away. How come adults don't do the same? Bwahahaha!

I set up the videoke machine so we could have some fun while drinking. I gave Kuya money to buy booze.

Later on, Angela's family arrived. Fiona got a lot of gifts from them, mostly Barbie dolls and stuffed toys. I told Fiona that I will give her my gift at a later time. I will just spend a day with them at TriNoma or something.

Around 4, I decided to leave (without my MagicSing). I didn't know how bad the traffic will be.

After 2 hours, I reached the Piazza. I went directly to the concert venue and saw a short line of people. Some were buying albums of Regine. The album comes with free poster. Maybe I'll get the colored one later.

While waiting for Nikks, I had some coffee at Tokyo Cafe. I spotted this lady who looks just like Nikks (maybe 10 years from now). She's been putting some makeup on for like, forever!

After my second cup, Nikks arrived with Manay Rosa. I told her about her twin sister. I almost approached the lady to have her picture taken with my friend. Bwahahaha!

We then searched for a place to sit at the concert place.

Around 7:30, we saw a big white van parked behind the stage. It must be Regine. It was her. We saw her doing her own makeup inside the van.

At 8, the concert began with Nikks' look-alike (surprise! surprise!) hosting the event. She introduced Regine and the Songbird officially started the show with "Ako'y Iyong-Iyo" followed by "The Only Exception". She's dressed in leopard prints. Manay commented on her red shoes. She looks fresh and sexy.

During one of her numbers, she couldn't control her coughing. Uh oh! We thought she would lose her voice. But after drinking a cold glass of water and some candy (maybe pei pa koa), she returned to normal. She even asked for a number! Of course, someone shouted 15 - O (for Ogie). But she blurted out, "Osang". That made the audience laugh.

She sang these songs from her latest album: "I Go Crazy", "You and Me", "What About Love", "Without Me" (Nikks' & my favorite), "Been Waiting", "You Don't Know" and "OK Lang Ako".

She revealed that she and her Baba (her term of endearment for Ogie) have been in courtship stage for 8 years already. And that they've been on for 4 years now.

She promoted her album and joked about her photos included in it. I learned that she did the pictorial after her Diva tv series. She really looks sexy in those photos!

Anton, one of Regine's impersonators, was in the audience and she let him/her sing a song from her Eraserheads medley. She mentioned that E-Heads are her heroes.

For her finale, she did a medley of disco tunes, "I Will Survive" & "Lance Dance", while reaching out to people in the audience. Of course, a lot of cameras flashed that time.

I wanted her to sing "Papa Don't Preach" but it was okay. I haven't seen Regine in a long time so it's really a nice way to end my weekend.

After the concert, the first 51 people who bought the album got the chance to have their CDs autographed by Regine. Bummer!

Food & Wine Galore

I have organized numerous parties before and that involved tasting the food from the caterers. But never have I been invited to do food tasting for weddings. That all changed today.

My friend, Jhie, with hubby in tow, will be coming over this March to celebrate their wedding with their family and friends here in Manila. If I'm not mistaken, she asked the help of our friend, Tina, to do the preparations (venue, caterings, souvenirs, etc.).

Got an FB message from Tina asking me, Nikks, Tabs and Bryce, to represent her at today's tasting. The venue is at Dad's Place in Quezon City. Nikks & I weren't able to attend the previous tasting 'cause of another commitment.

Tabs picked us up at the office and we battled the traffic from Makati to QC. And thanks to the food gods, we reached the place at 5 pm. Perfect timing!

After we got our table, we immediately sampled the appetizers. They have bruschetta, pritson, cocktail salads and quesadilla. The quesadilla is our favorite.

For the main course: we tasted everything. from pork, chicken to beef. They also have pasta. Tabs & Nikks love the lasagna. I enjoyed the fillet mignon in red wine sauce. Would've been better if the food is warm though. I thought the string beans is not a good substitute for asparagus wrapped in bacon.

Then it's dessert time! They have fondue, banana crepe, buko pandan, mango something and coffee something. I didn't like the chocolate used in the fondue. It tastes cheap. The buko pandan ain't fresh anymore so it's yucky. The only thing I like was the mango dessert.

Around 7:30, we wondered why no one was speaking to us. We're extremely full already. It's time to do business.

Then a representative from Hizon's named Crenz approached us. She was busy attending to other customers too. She informed us that she could give freebies (fondue, Tiffany chairs and coffee & tea bar) only for today, if we decide to pay 5K for the reservation. Tabs had to call Bryce to give Jhie a call in the US.

To make the long story short, we grabbed her offer. We left the area with satisfied stomach (thank you so much, Tina & Jhie, for thinking about me when it comes to food tasting. Hehehehe). I even had to return a second time for the fillet mignon chunks. Teehee...

Then it's time for A-A-Alcohol. Remember last time I went to Resort World and I found out about the wine buffet they offer there? Well, it's time to try it out with my friends. I didn't want to drink by myself. Also, we haven't celebrated Tabel's birthday yet so this is a good time.

It took us quite some time to enter the place. There's a big event happening (some fiesta thing) outside so it's hard to get valet parking.

First stop, the restrooms. While waiting for Tabs & Nikks to finish their bizness, I went inside a fragrance store called Art of Scent. I immediately looked for a brand that I haven't tried yet. My Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce and Hollister SoCal are already in need of a backup fragrance.

I grabbed a Bvlgari AQVA perfume and sprayed it on my wrist. I left the place and told my friends what I did. They liked the smell! I decided to get one later. Teehee...

Beurre Blanc didn't have a wine buffet for tonight because of that damn fiesta thing outside. We were so disappointed. We tried to use our charm but the manager just offered us some salmon carpaccio and cake (since we told him it's Tabel's birthday).

After going through the wine menu, we decided to go for Gossips Shiraz, the same wine I had last time.

People watching time. We saw Jose Mari Chan with family leaving some show.

Before we left the place, Tabel got her chocolate cake. It was delish! Happy Birthday again, Tabs!

We joined our friends, Beng & Lani downstairs. We went back to the Art of Scent and I bought my new fragrance--Bvlgari AQVA. Of course, there had to be some picture taking (Lani, again, ang ganda mo dito sa picture na to!

We went back upstairs and looked for a place to continue the fun. New Orleans was our pick.

More people watching time. We saw Tweetie De Leon (still looking fabulous!), Phoemela Baranda, Julia Clarete, Daiana Menezes, Jeremy Marquez and Pops Fernandez. They were all heading to the party place, Republiq. I wanna see this place soon too!

Around 2, it was time to go.

Wee Nam Kee

This is a famous resto in Singapore where the likes of our ex-Presidents, Gloria Arroyo & Erap Estrada, like to eat. We have one locally located at the Ayala Triangle—a good 15-minute walk from the office. It’s time to try their food out.

Beng advised us to leave early for lunch because it’s Friday plus it’s payday. We expect a lotta peeps to dine out for lunch. So we (Beng, Raz, Liz, Will and I) left around 11.

Once we reached the area, we were surprised that there’s a huge line of hungry peeps at 11 am! Ugh!

Beng took care of the reservations. Then we waited… it’s people watching time!

I was hoping that the food is not just overhyped. We could hear some people talking about how good the food is. It better be! I think we waited for about an hour!

Finally, we got a table. We’re all excited to try their steamed chicken so we all got that. Will & I got some lechon kawali. Dennies & Liz ordered the porkchops. Our friend from Singapore, Toffee, texted Beng that their Wee Nam Kee fried rice is a must-try. So we ordered it too. I wanna eat the cereal prawns (first tasted this in Singapore and I miss it) and the spicy crunchy squid. Unfortunately, they’re not available. They also don’t have soda! Dammit!

The verdict? Well, after waiting for a long time, I was expecting a good meal. The chicken was cold. It tastes like chicken tinola minus the broth. The lechon kawali is not good for two. I could eat it in seconds! The Wee Nam Kee fried rice tastes like other Yang Chao fried rice (North Park is still the best). The big portions of shrimps in the menu ain't true. According to Raz, the Barley drink tastes like Am. Bwahahahaha!

The long wait wasn't worth it for me.

Free Regine Concert

Whenever Regine has a new album, expect her to appear in different malls to promote her album. This Sunday, she'll be at the Piazza, McKinley Hill (a stone's throw away from where I live). Sweet!

It's been a while since I last heard her perform live. Her 20th anniversary concert was the last one I saw. It was pretty memorable because during the first 15 minutes of the concert, she didn't have a voice. 'twas breakin' in places. The gods must have heard her plea. She came back after with a vengeance. She hit the high notes effortlessly during the "What Kind of Fool" number. And then it was high notes after high notes.

I'm really excited to see her again.

News Flash: My friend, Nikks, just called to inform me that she has a surprise for me. It turned out that she scored some tickets to Regine's concert. Woohoo!

Regine's Fantasy

Got the latest double-CD album of Regine Velasquez today. I reserved a copy at Odyssey and they texted me today that I can now get it. Sweet! The only problem is, I don't have a CD player at my place.

Anyhoo, the album comes in two versions: one colored featuring a wet look Songbird in a pool (probably at her house in QC) and the other one is a sexy black and white Regine in a skimpy pair of unbuttoned shorts. Which one do you think I got for myself? =oP

Aside from the CDs, you can also get 10 B&W postcards of a more daring Regine. Who would've thought that this lady was once a barrio lass? Good job to the photographer, Mark Nicdao.

Now, CD1 has 12 cuts: You Don't Know (the carrier single), Been Waiting, Always, This Time, True Romance, Sana'y Laging Ganito, OK Lank Ako, Fairy Tale, Smile, Funny One, S.M.I.L.E. and Walang Iba.

CD2 has 10 covers: Fantasy, All My Life, I Go Crazy, What About Love, Papa Don't Preach, You and Me, Without Me, Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop, Love Will Keep Us Alive and Dying.

I can't give you a review yet but expect one soon.

FarmVille vs. Barn Buddy (Updates)

Awhile back when I was still an addict in Barn Buddy (love stealing crops from my friends!), I made this entry detailing how these two farm applications in Facebook differ. Back then, I was a pro-BB. But now, I never visit my farm there anymore. Also, I found out through StatCounter that most of my blog visitors wanted to know the difference between these two apps. It's my obligation to give you an update why I switched over to FarmVille.

Here are the reasons:

1. Even though the game is still in its beta version, every single week, they have updates. I dunno how their artists, game developers and testers do it. A game that gives you regular updates gets a star in my book. But here's the downside, remember it is still beta... so you get bugs all the time. Like, recently, I couldn't proceed to my turkey roost building because I keep on getting out of sync errors.

2. You have millions of gamers that can be your neighbors. FarmVille has more than 80 million players! Now, these neighbors can help you earn money (by visiting their farms and performing tasks) and build stuff. Right now, I'm completing my thanksgiving dinner table. I need, like, 150 different kinds of meals. These meals can be exchanged for stuff like fountains, sheeps, etc. All to decorate your farm.

3. It's very accessible. If you have an iPhone, iTouch, iPad or an Android phone, you can still play the game.

4. Related to numero uno, the game goes with the times. I mean, they currently have Harry Potter themes! I just bought myself a wizard costume, a baby dragon, a griffin and a flying pig on a broom! I can't wait to see what's in store for Christmas. Last year, they gave us a Christmas tree where you can collect gifts from neighbors. And we weren't allowed to open them until it's Christmas day.

5. Some people think it's all mindless clicking. But decorating your farm is deffo NOT mindless clicking. It's a way to express your creativity.

6. It's very simple to play. My 6-year old niece, Fiong-Fiong, and my 9-year old nephew, Lance, plays the game too. I'm sure kids from all ages love this game too.

7. Some people say it's just a waste of time. Well, there are ways to make your farming easier. There's the Unwither Ring you can buy (although right now, it's not available in the market). This is the ultimate gift you can get for yourself. With this ring, you don't need to do your farming on a regular basis because your crops won't wilt anymore. Also, there is a combo vehicle you can buy so plowing, harvesting and seeding can be a one-step process. Very convenient I must say!

8. I never enjoy killing-people-or-zombies games. I get dizzy when the POV shifts quickly. I dunno, maybe it's just my vertigo getting in the way.

So it's really a change of heart. FarmVille addict I am now. Here's how my farm looks like nowadays:

On Harry Potter & Resort World

Last Saturday, I decided to watch the latest Harry Potter movie @ this newly-opened casino/mall/movie house called Resort World at the Newport City.

When I hailed a cab, I was surprised that it's located very close to my place. The taxi meter stopped at 90 bucks. Sweet!

The Newport Cinema is located on the topmost floor of the building. It's already 3 pm and I was already hungry but I bought a ticket first before minding my hunger. I noticed that the second floor is consisted mostly of boutiques like Guess, Penguin, Charles & Keith. No time and money for shopping so I just ignored them.

The ticket costs 200. Quite reasonable and affordable. There aren't too many people (unlike the other malls) so it's really cool.

Otay, it's time to find a place to chow. They have Asian, Mediterranean and French restos on the ground floor. I chose to eat rice and lechon macau at Johnny Chow (rhyme pa lintek!). The waitresses in minis were wearing these awful blue and yellow wigs. At least, they're easy to look at.

By the way, their WiFi is pretty fast. I was able to download an iPhone app instantly. Hehehehe....

The lechon macau was crunchy and good. I upgraded my rice to yang chow too. The only thing that I don't like in the food is the peanuts. I don't like eating meals with whole peanuts. I take them out when I eat the Charlie Chan pasta at Yellow Cab.

I still have half an hour to kill so I checked out the bar at Beurre Blanc. I quickly asked for the wine menu from the bartender named Arniel. I chose Gossip Shiraz from the list. To my surprise, he also gave me some peanuts. I told you that I don't like peanuts in my food but I enjoy eating them separately. He informed me that they have a wine buffet for 850 pesos (including pica-pica) and good for three hours. Nice! I wanna try that soon with my barkada.

Arniel told me that I could taste some of their house wines. Now, who wouldn't like free taste, eh? He gave me some Bordeaux. When I swirled the wine, I noticed the dark color. I assumed it would be of stronger flavor. I wasn't wrong. Mmmmm!

I thanked the bartender (and gave him a generous tip) before leaving the bar at 5 (my movie starts at quarter after). Feeling already tipsy. I made a stopover at the membership counter where I got my Resort World membership card (with instant photo!).

It's been a while since I last read this final installment of the Harry Potter series so I kinda forgot some of the deets. But all in all, the movie was good. There were some funny moments too. I like the dancing scene of Harry & Hermione (she looks fantastic!). Of course, the Dobby scene was a tearjerker.

FYI, when you wanna watch a movie at the Newport Cinemas, be SURE to bring a jacket. It's so effin' cold inside the theatre!

I had to have my membership card activated so I checked out the casinos downstairs. The lady behind the counter informed me that my card has a 100-peso value which I could spend on the slot machines. This is free membership, y'all!

I walked around the area and memories of our Bahamas trip came back. I controlled myself from sitting down and playing.

Went back upstairs and had dinner at Beurre Blanc. I ordered their ham-pepperoni-mango pizza with an interesting crust (think of empanadas and Jamaican patties). It was good surprisingly but I didn't finish all of it. It was HUGE! I got myself some Gossip Shiraz again.One thing I like about RW is that, you can have a smoke anywhere you want. It's a fully-airconditioned place (remember to bring your jackets!). The people are not the masa types. And most importantly, it's not crowded.

Before I went home, I spotted Oyo Boy Sotto with his wife, Kristine Hermosa.

I ♥ Yoshinoya!

A long, long time ago, Kuya introduced me to this fast food resto in Robinson's Galleria. According to him, they serve the best beef bowl. I wanna try the chicken too so I ordered a combo.

It was served in a big bowl. The chicken has some sweet sauce and the beef looks like strips of bacon and very tender. Veggies were thrown in there too. And some rice. They have this chili powder and it complements the meal. It was very, very filling and became an instant favorite!

That's the first time I saw an upcoming singer named Ogie Alcasid. He's with some friends and they were chatting while eating.

Anyhoo, I was crushed when a few months later, the resto closed. No freakin' clue why. Their food is delish! It was replaced by L.A. Beef Bowl but the food ain't the same.

Then I had a chance to see New York and was extremely happy to discover that they too have a Yoshinoya near the Port Authority. I've memorized the location by heart. Every time I visit the Big Apple, I always eat my favorite meal at Yoshinoya.

Back here in the Philippines, I work in Makati. And the nearest Yoshinoya branch is in Park Square. I make sure that I visit the place at least once a month to satisfy my beef & chicken combo craving.

They have branches in SM MegaMall, Greenhills, SM Mall of Asia and SM North Edsa too. And I learned just now that they're back in Robinson's Galleria. Although I ain't sure if they occupy the same spot as before.

Here's how the beef & chicken combo looks like nowadays:

The pieces of beef & chicken have shrunk considerably even though it costs 170 per meal (excluding drinks).

But I ALWAYS make sure that I get my money's worth. Clean plate all the time!Well, not exactly. Here's the veggie pile (onions, carrots and chayote) I usually leave out:

The Cutest Piglet Ever!

Found this on the internet. This has got to be the cutest piglet ever. Move over, Babe!

I dunno about babies and little animals. They are so effin' adorable! Why can't they just stay that way?

Am making this my wallpaper at the office!