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The Sim Social – Play with Friends not Farm Animals

I have long been an avid SIMS player – from the SIMS 1 through 3, the SIMS Life Stories and more recently, SIMS Medieval. My home computer have been continuously going through video and sound card upgrades to keep up with the hardware requirements of the game. So when the SIM Social finally launched on Facebook, it was only a matter of time before I would start playing it as well. And now, FB is basically my gaming portal - with the occasional updates from friends.

So far? I’m really enjoying this SIM spinoff. Sure, it has a similar gaming format to the other FB games (encourage gamers to buy the cash items in order to make a profit) but it’s the fun of the SIM games without the hassle. Hopefully, they’ll be able to provide more items and quests (since it’s still relatively new, I’m sure they still have loads under their sleeves).

If you’re looking to while away a good chunk of your day online, create a sim today! And send me an invite to be a neighbor. :)

On Why I Love Pasalubongs

Whenever anybody I know leaves (for a business trip, another city or even for the day), I often tell them to remember my “pasalubong”. It doesn’t really have to be something extravagant or expensive – just something that would make me feel special and loved. That even if we were miles apart, at one point wherever they were, they remembered me. Nothing makes me happier than a loved one coming back home, safe and sound, with my pasalubong in their hands. :)

I thought I’d share the recent pasalubongs that I got from some of my favorite people.

1. Oatmeal Bars from Claudette’s – Ian usually buys this for me when he’s not able to buy me anything from wherever it was he went to. Or sometimes he brings me this just because. These oatmeal bars are very delicious – chewy and moist – with chocolate chips generously sprinkled on top. Claudette’s have a stall in Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, near one of the exits in the ground floor. Perfect last minute pasalubong to family and friends.

2. Borneo White Coffee from Kota Kinabalu – My friends Chat and Lyn went to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia last month and brought these coffee grounds back with them. As a coffee lover, I love this pasalubong! I’m just waiting for the right moment/equipment/container in order to brew it.

3. Kindle Power Adapter from Amazon.com – I ordered a Kindle last June but unfortunately, my shipment was sans a power adapter. Fortunately, my Tito Jeff was scheduled to arrive in the Philippines and was able to bring my power adapter with him. Nowadays, charging my kindle is easier and faster thanks to direct charging (and not thru USB cable).

4. Round Necklace from Mansoureh – My Iranian friend Mansoureh came to the Philippines to renew her passport and she brought with her this awesome necklace. I love it! The chain is light enough that I don’t feel like I’m being strangled and the pendant is very colorful. The photo above shows us together with me wearing the said necklace.

I love, love pasalubongs! Not only because of what they are (gifts!) but more importantly because of what they mean (I’m thinking of you).

Finally Got A Kindle!

I have been, and still am, an avid reader. I used to be one of those people you see browsing bookstores, looking for new releases from my favorite authors. Nowadays, I still read books but almost exclusively, the electronic kinds. I've ran out of space in my room to store actual books and ebooks can be stored very easily on a computer with loads of space to spare. 

I used to do my reading on my pda - a Tungsten T5 - with Mobipocket reader. It could actually do a lot more than that but I just mostly used it as an ebook reader. However, it started giving signs that it wanted to retire. And so the search for a new reader began.

I read about various readers but finally chose the Kindle from Amazon. What ultimately sold me about this product was the fact that I could use it in broad daylight because it had no glare. In fact, its screen looks just like a page from an actual book. 

After a few weeks of hemming and haw-wing, I placed my order and had it shipped to my uncle's place in the US. My cousin brought it when she came to the Philippines to visit last June. Now, my Kindle is one of the gadgets that I must always have with me (along with my phone). And It has made waiting painless and enjoyable.

Of course, any device needs a decent cover - and mine's the Kindle Lighted Leather Cover in Burnt Orange from Amazon. This was an easy choice since it uses the Kindle itself as its battery source (so no need to worry about running it ever running out of charge) and one only needs to charge the device. It makes reading at night or in the dark a breeze.

If you're in the market for an ebook reader, the Kindle is definitely a good one to get. Special thanks to Ian for funding my Kindle and for my uncle Tito Jeff for my lighted cover. I love them both! :)

Currently Obsessing on Eliza Doolittle

I’ve always been a fan of those jazzy-bluesy voices ala Amy Winehouse and Adele. So it’s not really surprising that I am now an uber fan of Eliza Doolittle.

Born Eliza Sophie Caird, she adopted Eliza Doolittle (the female lead character in My Fair Lady) as her stage name because it was her childhood nickname. Another fun factoid: She is the daughter of Frances Ruffelle – the woman who originated the role of Eponine in the English version of Les Miserables.

Eliza seems to be a quirky, cheeky young woman but I absolutely love her voice. She released her self-titled debut album last July 2010 in the UK. Do, do check her album out.

Food Trip: Bubble Tea, Megamall

One Sunday afternoon, while running errands at Megamall, Ian and I found ourselves feeling a bit peckish. And since I heard good things about Bubble Tea from my younger sister, Eri, we decided to try the food here.

We were thinking of just having merienda so we ordered the tonkatsu yakisoba - with the idea that we'd share it. But once Ian saw the takoyaki on the menu, we had to order it as well. 

tonkatsu yakisoba - Php245

takoyaki - Php175

The takoyaki was a good choice! I really enjoyed it. The pancake batter was moist and the takoyaki themselves were piping hot. (I don't enjoy cold takoyaki - i like 'em freshly prepared). Another good thing was they didn't scrimp on the tako (octopus) inside - so it was a perfect balance of tako and batter. We finished this dish off almost immediately. The side salad was fine, some cabbage and corn drizzled with dressing. As for the tonkatsu yakisoba, it was okay. Nothing extraordinary about it. I'm afraid the takoyaki outshone it in this instance - and we just took the remainder of it home.

Of course at an establisment called Bubble Tea, we had to order bubble teas! Ian ordered Royal Milk Tea while I had the Azuki Red Bean Milkshake. Both drinks were good - but I prefer mine. XD

Royal Milk Tea - L Php125

Azuki Milkshake - L Php145

If we do eat here again, I'll definitely order the takoyaki and the azuki milkshake. And I'll probably try some other dishes. The food is moderately pricey but I think its better for lunch or dinner rather than merienda. My only comment was when we ate here (back in February), the waitstaff was less than stellar. They seem to be new or at a loss to what they were doing. They seem to forget who ordered what and even failed to bill us for some of our food (a fact that we had to bring to their attention). 

Bubble Tea is located in four branches:

SM Megamall, The Block, Greenhills and Tomas Morato.

Top Chef Mania

I was on a Top Chef marathon a while back - my interest in the show (and others of its format) was a result of my having watched Junior MasterChef Australia. I wanted to see how good the adults would have performed.

Top Chef is interesting because the cheftestants are all already chefs of their own right. They have had years of experience and most of them are chef owners or chef de cuisine of top restaurants. Its amazing how they are able to make dishes seemingly on the fly - whether it be a Quick Fire (given only 15-45 minutes to create a dish based on a theme/challenge) or an Elimination Challenge (wherein cheftestants are given hours to create and shop for their dishes).

I, of course, have a list of my favorite Top Chefs. And if I ever have the luxury of coming to the US for a vacation, I would definitely try and go to one of their restaurants. Provided, of course, that it's reasonably near and not, say, on the other side of whichever part of the country I would be in.

My favorite season would have to be Season 6 - having three of my fave Top Chefs taking part in it.. going all the way to the finals. The Voltaggio Brothers (Michael and Brian) and Jennifer Carroll. To be honest, while watching the finale, I didn't know who I was rooting for to win - Michael, the more avant-garde chef with his out-of-the-box way of cooking or Bryan, the older, calmer and intense one with his attention to detail and on the spot flavor profiles. Jennifer Carroll is just plain bad-ass. I really like her. I was really disappointed when she left early during Top Chef All-Stars.. I wanted to watch her more.

I can't wait for the next season of Top Chef. This show is highly educational, very informative - and I find that I'm usually either hungry or eating while watching it. It's that mouthwatering.


* photos of the cheftestants taken from Bravotv.com.