the days when...

..i was in college in cebu, studying occupational therapy, i was still a lithe 118 pounds. i know thats still heavy, but that was my skinniest, and for my structure, i looked really thin then.

do i miss it?

oh so much so, whenever i pass by shops where i could easily grab a dress, and put it on. but this time, i am sadly put off buying anything because nothing looks good on me. not even to my own eyes.

when i was in this weight, i was hardly sleeping, i was eating small regular meals (college meals of 1 cup rice/matchbox pieace meat/soup ration, a snack if lucky), and i was in the dance troupe for the cdc, and i was swimming too.

now? the only cardio i get is the walk from the house to the parking lot. and food is big portions and not as regular.

so there's no question why the weight is piling on.

the question now is what am i doing about it? non.

except, if you call threatening myself to not buy a single new dress/top/clothing unless i drop 2 sizes off which was the size i was on for the longest time.


lets see if that threat works.

(disclaimer: shoes dont count. its not part of the threat,LOL).



***






im the one on the left, kneeling in the front...




im the one pointed by the arrow..i had retainers then..





still pointed by the arrow..christmas parties of our class..



***

i used to hate my body then, and i wished i had washboard abs. it goes to show we never get satisfied for what we have.

if i will magically revert to this frame now, i would thank the heavens, and hit the shops to buy clothes im itching to wear. nothing fashionable, just stuff i cant stomach wearing because it feels "not right",haha.


***

its nice to see old photos , non?

all the more reason, we should take more photos everyday..so that one day we dont tut our tongues and curse ourselves for not taking more photos when we could have.x

how about you, share your old photos..i wanna see you from years past..

taste of london (entry 3/laurent perrier masterclass)

one of the features of our VIP ticket to the taste of london festival was an entry to the laurent perrier masterclass/chamgpagne class.

the masterclass was hosted by a reknowned food critic and television presenter Nigel Barden.

it was hosted inside the very cute Laurent Perrier tent (you know with the signature baby pink brollies), and there were a lil tipsy beautiful people hanging about.

our tickets said 7pm, so we were there just before 7 (after stuffing ourselves with yummy goodies from the different restaurants) and as we were ushered into the english setting of the tables and the orientation inside the tent, i was getting nervous as i didnt want to sound 'goodytwoshoes' because i couldnt drink.

[note: i cannot drink not out of choice but out of medical reasons as i am allergic to anything alcohol, so adrian was tasked to drink my share..to his delight,lol]


thank goodness, as the discussion about the wines and the taste, i would quietly (and discreetly change adrian's glass with mine so he could drink my glass after he finishes his share,haha.

but i was enjoying myself. every wine that was being passed on, between wine courses, there were hors d oeuvres of diffferent variety being served too. that, i enjoyed.


some photos..




a very english countryside setting

an inviting scene

looking at the menu

look'y here

it actually almost tempted me to drink..but i envisioned pictures of myself in hospital bed, with bee-stung eyes, swollen lips, tongue hanging out and breathing difficulties---i thought not.

the courses of the wine with the accompanying food, and that red one is the last rose coloured wine from LP, the cuvee rose.

oaksmoked salmon on pumpernickel bread..



****

photos of Nigel Barden from my G10..

err, excuse me..

...thats that.

where to go

sometimes when the roads cross, you just want to quit, retreat and put the white flag up..

and yet there are also those times you know you cant,

so you head on,

do or die.



***

i give myself peptalks.

id say to myself:

we can do these, were made of strong stuff.

most of the time it works.

right now, i make it work.

Taste of London 2010 (entry two)

These are just some photos from yesterday's Taste of London Festival.

Some photos of some of the food we've had.

(for the love of me, i don't seem to have a photo of the scallops i've had and the coronation chicken ive had. I have given up taking photos of Adrian's food. he doesn't wait for me to get ready with the camera, he seems to eat them as soon as he has them on his hand while i queue for mine at the stalls,LOL).





dimsum from Yauatcha's stall: top: L-R dimsum platter and deluxe shiomai collection..bottom: organic dairy ice cream from Beechdean and Thai calamari with ginger and peppercirn from Busaba Eathai.







top L: roasted rack of lamb served with slow cooked cherry tomatoes,baby courgettes and shallot puree from the Grill at the Dorchester
top R: Argentine black angus sirloin served with humitas chimichurri from Gaucho

bottom L: diced sauteed gong bao chicken on stamed rice, on (R) is beijng pancake duck all from Min Jiang's stall





lamb burger from the welsh assembly (both adrian and i had it, it was gorgeous!)
a second order of the deluxe dimsum for me.
cochifrito suckling pig from Fino (ahh lechon de leche)





Adrian enjoying his champagne





the great chef/scientist Heston Blumenthal. this was when i was queueing for his autograph.

his restaurant is one of the very few 3 michelin starred in the world.

i think his restaurant and El Bulli in Spain are the only one competing as the best restaurant in the world, unfortunately El Bulli has closed (or closing) so his might be the only one standing.

Heston Blumenthal's restaurant, the Fat Duck in Bray is an award winning restaurant which is another experience in itself. my stepson Paul and his girlfriend has dined there and they said, the money you pay for is steep but its the experience that is out-of-this-world. (where can you get a dish where you have to use an ipod to get the whole experience?).

Adrian and i have not been there, and we are planning to (i dont know when we could afford though,LOL), but definitely a place to go for us, as we have been to some michelin starred restos in London, but not out in the countryside (which the Fat Duck is located, in Bray, where you have to stay in a hotel overnight just to be there).

Even if you dont plan to go to Heston Blumenthal's restaurant, please check his work (if he is in YOUTUBE, he must be, as he has a show on tv which deals with recreating thematic food). he is often called a mad scientist as his food are a theatrical experience (imagine a flying a dessert infront of you, and salmon that wears a corset,LOL).


Adrian and i are chef fanatics (so ironic, considering we are skinny beans,*barf the sarcasm*). we love chefs more than celebrities, but saying that, the chefs in this country are mostly celebrities anyway, as there are food programs that compete with other food programs.

As we are foodies (what? no kidding!:-p), and we regularly attend food events, we get to know some chefs and some restaurants that are really good for the money.


We also had an opportunity to have him sign his book (which were being presold in the venue, and 'talk' to him for a good two minutes.)

Adrian was able to take a picture of him and my backside (while i was having my ticket signed using my small camera).

That experience alone made the entire food festival so exciting for us. (ok, the food too.)






Adrian enjoying himself for the afternoon. You can tell we bond over (good) food.






There were other stalls there of pastry exhibition. This was offering a really mouthwatering chocolate sponges.





There were so many stalls there that you could get so excited and thrilled, and you have to be very careful where to spend your crowns (the currency inside the festival).





this booth is gorgeous too. what with cakes and all types of sweets on it. i wanted to say and linger there but there were other stalls also wanting my attention.





I remembered Ana seeing this booth. Ana , my sister, and i love meringues as influenced by my sister in law Anne who creates the best tasting desserts, and one of it was the lovely meringue consisting her pavlova dessert. it makes me drool thinking of it. i vow she will yield one day and teach me how to do it. (well, she did say she will, but we still couldnt agree on a date when to do it).





thats a photo of Adrian looking forward entering the Laurent Perrier champagne masterclass. We were booked for a good half hour session, for wine tasting (with some entree) and which was hosted by a celebrity Food and Drink Critic and journalist. (more stories of the winetasting session on the next entry)

and of course, adrian showing off his lamb burger from the Welsh assembly tent. the salad inside the burger bun just meshes perfectly with the texture of the lamb.


***

my apologies. i dont know how to report in small doses.

its either i write a book or nothing at all, haha.

Taste of London (entry one)

The Taste of London festival happens around this time of the year, just when summer is starting.

Last year we had a better weather. But i would say this year was an even better celebration. There are just more restaurants that Adrian and i are discovering and also, we keep coming back to the ones we like.

Taste of London is a festival that features the best restaurants (mostly michelin starred) of London, and the restaurants will feature their iconic dish, and some dishes (around 3) from their menu to feature in each their stalls to sell.

The dishes are in small platters, so you can go and taste what the other stalls are featuring. So the goal of the day, is, eat and sample as much as you can, and visit as many restaurant stall as you can, and choose which one you fancy, and mingle with other people. All these food arent free, but paid for. But would be cheaper if you had to buy the real deal at their restaurants.

At the end of the day, you dont realise that you've drunk like a few glasses of champagne (or a few pints of cask ale)--if you can take alcohol that is. Unfortunately for me, i couldnt so, i was relegated to drinking San Pelligrino orange flavoured drinks and diet cokes (whats new!) --AND! have eaten around 10 platters of different dishes which is ALOT of food already.


But food is not what makes Taste of London so great. Its the atmosphere, the little activities going on (raffles : cars/ holidays/ British airways giving away free trips), and the cooking masterclasses (which i love!) done by the famous chefs of yore. The last few years, there was Gary Rhodes, Anthony Worral Thompson, Gordon Ramsay, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and this year, its none other than Heston Blumenthal (whose show is actually one of the few tv shows we watch).


Heston Blumenthal owns Fat Duck, one of the very few highest michelin starred restaurant around the world, and before was said to be the best restaurant in the world. (bloody expensive! prepare at least £250 per person if you want to eat there).


Also, one of the most enjoyable activity we enjoyed this year was the Lauren Perrier Champagne Masterclass tasting Adrian and i were booked for. It was hosted by one top celebrity chef Nigel Barden. (more of this on the next entry)


Its also fun because you get to play shopper inside the festival, as the currency used inside the festival is in CROWNS, which is money you use to purchase anything from the stalls and the exhibitors. You need to preorder this currency. or you can go to the 'bank' in the festival to change your money into crowns.

***

Anyways some photos of the day..





We got VIP tickets. Which meant we had access to the VIP lounge which has its own entertainment, exclusive toilet facilities, lounge area and best of all, the free Laurent Perrier welcome champagne drinks. Of course, Adrian got my freebie glass. Lucky husband!

It was quite cloudy today (yesterday). We stayed outside to eat. The inside felt stuffy as there were many people when we got in.

This is the champagne bar inside the tent. Laurent Perrier was overflowing.




alcoholic drinks everywhere..

the festival goers..Adrian and i, unlike some people who just stay inside the VIP lounge, we go out and enjoy whats going on outside.

Adrian had a rack of lamb from The Grill at Dorchester..I had scallops. People ordering their choices.

The entertainment at the middle of the festival. Some jazz group i forgot the name. x

**

The food photos are on the next entry..:-)

NOTE: a friend told me that she tried back reading my blog yet she couldn't see all the entries when she clicked the archive on the month. If you wish to back read my blogs, please click on the TAGS (say JUNE2010, or MAY2010)--all the entries of the month will come out.

St.johns-the christmas fairies giftgiving..and thereafter

and now, i pause for a (big) break..


Adrian has momentarily stuck his face infront of the tv to watch millions of pounds-earning English players get hammered by poorly paid Algerian contemporaries (as of writing this anyway). So i have allowed myself to sit with him, while i let my brain concoct a blog entry.

So far, nothings going on in my life. Nothing exciting, except countless hours spent on arguing with myself, whether the statement i just added to my assignment is making sense to the teacher who will be marking my work. In plain words: i have been very boring and just plain robotic.

So what blog entry? ok, i forgot, i still owe my fairy friends some pictures from last years Gift Giving event at St.Johns. So this is the blog entry of choice.


I apologize my friends. I owe you alot for a late upload.


Here are the photos;-)

[this is a photo dump,but knowing me by know,you know i always do photodumping for events]

this was after the mass offered for the Supergirls (yes, thats you!) in thanksgiving, and for all those who sponsored the event, like some of my cousins and aunties and my Mama (who lovingly did all the organising of the packing since we were delayed in arriving in cebu).




preparing the food my mom slaved away for the morning..

we had helpers too..my cousins (who gave rosary beads)




my auntie inday dishing out the food..there were more people than the allocated 100 we thought of, but He provides. 'naigo ra ang food', and there were leftovers which was given away to them too.

Adrian feeling happy with what was going on..





everyone had to be in an orderly queue..thats the only way to do feeding almost 200 people.

cousin Karla helping out to hasten the queueing

sister Ana, lost her cellphone that day in the premises of the church, a brand new phone at that..whoever took it needed it so much.

sorting out the kiddies giveaways..this was provided by fairies: Ayen, Therese,Lynette, Fil and Jane..thank you so much for that..Jane also did the shopping and Therese's trusted manong Esyot delivered it to Mama's house that day..

the programme prepared by the sitio's who participated

they were very thoughtful in their organisation.. if you were there, you would see how touched they were by all the generosity provided them. one of the Moms said, it was the highlight of their christmas..at their age, they could not afford to be attending christmas parties , butthis chirstmas party they felt, they were not only fed, but their children were also given something to take home. i felt so blessed hearing that.

Programme proper..they were christmas carolling..

each sitios have their star choir..and they were sort of competing who gets the best applause. they were all very good..the second photo shows Adrian ready to give his goodies away..

getting ready for the gift giving..Adrian and Karla facilitating the gifts..of canned goods, noodles, and 2 kilos of rice per family..no one gets hungry for christmas..

at the thick of the programme..

it was getting chaotic by this time..all the kids were asking for more..

***

After the event, we were famished:

It was scorching hot in Banawa,Cebu for the giftgiving, so we celebrated for a snack at one of my long longed-for and craved-for-at-the-most inconvenient-of times ,Shakeys.


here are some canon digicam photos:





we were famished but our heart were full..we had energy for whats to come

Adrian with my aunties who helped big time..second photo: Adrian and i, goofing around..

thats Cloyd, my nephew hamming up for the cam..and that last photo i inserted with the lady who helped us organise the day (i forgot her name) but she was the most generous woman there...

story about that lady: her son was in intensive care unit that day, but she was there to offer her time..doesnt that put us all to shame?..

***

Because we weren't able to shop for our toiletries and day-to-day basic needs the day before due to our delayed flight, we decided to stock up and went to Ayala to catch up on our grocery shopping.

and after that, a dinner at Tinder Box on the way back




we look cream crackered..it was a long day.





this was the dessert i had..ahhh, whats not to miss.

it was indeed a frantic, full day..but we all feel blessed to be have been part of something special like that.

im also praying that we will be given another chance to do it this year..