Cook and Brew.

We’ll be on a road trip almost throughout the day tomorrow which reminds me to save the number of the 24 hour towing service on my phone. We’re having our pilgrimage to Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan as a thanksgiving sacrifice for all the blessings we’ve received lately. I’m excited because my parents and my MIL will be tagging along with us. I can just imagine how fun-filled, albeit tiring, because road trip is synonymous to food trip!

While there is already a tremendous talks about the Apple’s latest, the iPad, I’m pretty sure that there will still be hiccups along the way. Meaning, just like any new invention, there will always be marginal deficiencies that need to be further enhanced.

So let’s forget about the iPad first and talk about one that has been crazily raved about and now owned by many…the iPhone.

A number of my Twitter friends are one by one joining the iPhone craze. Just today, a seemingly “blind item” announcement was made saying that two among us are new owners of this wonder phone. That couldn’t be me. Even though my birthday is less than a month and I have this on my wish list for the longest, it’s just impossible that I’ll get to own one soon because of top priorities shaping up this year. It’s just okay actually. I may be feeling a little left out when they talk about iphone accessories, the latest iPhone apps and the like, I just shrug off this envy running through my head and I just psyche myself that I get to own one, maybe not soon, but SOMEDAY, I will.

For now, I will just be contented with a “low-tech”, basic Nokia model. As long as it can call, send and receive text messages and has web mobile features, I’m pleased. Since I’m feeling positive about my iPhone dream coming true someday, keeping abreast with the latest iPhone technologies and accessories like iphone dock varied types. Thanks to a friend from whom I have heard about this one stop shop for mobile phone accessories and mobile downloads needs. Whether you’re looking for a new iphone case, a replacement for your defective mobile phone chargers, or you just need a new memory card, MobileFun.co.uk truly delivers and is the leader in UK’s mobile needs.

My birthday is less than a month away.

At one point of our teenage years, we may have experienced being troubled by dreaded pimples, acne and other face blemishes. Hormones usually are the primary culprits and it’s something we can’t stop. But before we go helpless and hopeless undergoing each and every acne scar removal procedure available, it’s delighting to know that we can do something to prevent acne from worsening and to help scars heal faster through good nutrition and detoxing. When we say good nutrition, it means eating the right amount of these foods:

1. Organic Green Tea – The abundant anti-inflammatory chemical called catechins help in combating free radicals and preventing fine lines.
2. Olive oil - contains essential fatty acids that are needed for good health. Nourishes the skin and gives it an inner glow.
3. Walnuts – rich in omega-3 oils that helps to keep the skin plump and flexible.
4. Berries – rich in phytochemicals that are protective of skin cells.
5. Lemon Juice – It’s a natural bleach and can be used to fade sunspots and freckles.
6. Watermelon – The pulp of the fruit is a good exfoliant and it is rich in vitamins A, B and C. The fruit contains a lot of water which hydrates the skin.
7. Low-Fat Dairy Products – very good source of vitamin A. Experts say that the health of our skin cells is dependent on dietary vitamin A.
8. Whole-Wheat Bread, Cereals and Brazil nuts – Rich in selenium that plays a key role in the health of skin cells.
9. Yogurt – This will keep the complexion smooth, healthy and fresh when applied with such in the morning. A mixture of yogurt and lemon juice is ideal for softening hands.
10. Water – good hydration plays in keeping skin looking healthy and even young.

Eating is something we do more than three times a day. It’s something that we do often but sometimes this causes social embarrassment because we fail to observe the proper dinner table etiquette:

DO’s:
1. Once seated, unfold the napkin and use it for occasionally wiping the lips or fingers. After eating, leave the napkin tidily on the place setting.
2. If the food presented is something you don’t like, it is polite to at least make some attempt to eat a tiny amount of it.
3. It is quite acceptable to leave some food to one side of your plate if you feel as though you have eaten enough. On the other hand, don’t attempt to leave your plate so squeaky clean that it looks as though you haven’t eaten in days!

DON’TS:
1. Do not start eating before the host’s signal.
2. Never talk about gross things over the table like murder, neck acne or cadavers.
3. The number one sin of dinner table etiquette is eating loudly through sounds of: slurping and burping.

Reference: gourmet-food-revolution.com’s compilation of table etiquette

I really do like the HP games that come with my laptop. I may not be a great cook in real life, I feel like I’m getting familiar with all the cooking terms and recipes I need to know in the cooking games that I play. There’s the Flo Diner Dash series and the Cooking Mania wherein the game involves “cooking” various recipes from different parts of the world. It also has interesting facts about the recipes origin and even seemingly coach how to properly cook the menu. Albeit time consuming sometimes, these games relieve my stress when I try to relax from a hard day’s online work. It’s also impressive that these games which are developed by various gaming companies can be consolidated and simulated by a main HP console. It’s as if they’re having a free directory submission because there’s no need for them to spend and work on the marketing of their gaming products.

It’s still a day early but I’m wishing you all now:

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

It’s the time of the year again when a Chinese food boxed in red is a common sight, not only in Binondo streets but in almost every non-Chinese household. We’re fortunate that we don’t have to storm the busy streets of Binondo just to taste this special tikoy delicacy because we’re always gifted by a Chinese neighbor (along with a few pieces of arcona products because they’re into beauty product distribution for business). We usually cook ours the most popular and easiest way..cut into strips, dip in an egg mixture before frying. I’m searching on the web now for other ways to cook this..anyone care to share their tikoy recipes?

I stumbled upon this photo while organizing my Flickr gallery. This was taken at hubby’s godson’s Christening last year. Instantly, it made me drool and now my tummy’s seemingly screaming “please feed me!”

I intended not to browse food and cooking blogs and checked out instead sites of varied topics from home blogs to web pages about long distance moving but the image is stuck in my head.

Yay! I finally have my Yummy 2010 Planner. It’s actually a prize I won for joining Yummy.ph’s Christmas Contest on their website last month. (I am one of the fortunate 5 selected winners). I love everything about this planner: the thick, slightly glossy paper; the simple yet charming design; the ample writing space and most especially, the recipes (with appetizing pictures) that goes along with it. There are 24 recipes, I think. It also has some more trinkets like stickers and tear-out lists: a shopping list, a list of restaurants to visit, and a list of recipes to try.

Actually, it also makes a good storage for receipts and insurance quotes while the weekly household budget is being calculated.

This is available for P250 in all newsstands, bookstores and supermarkets.

I just got this idea from Yummy.ph’s Facebook fan page and it’s a brilliant tip that we can do:

YUMMY Tip of the Day: Leftovers usually leave a bad smell on your containers. To get rid of the odor, place crumpled newspaper in the container, put the lid back on, and leave overnight. The next day, wash with soap and water and the bad smell will be gone.

It’s now my habit to check out Yummy.ph daily. I love their articles, tips, reviews and most of all their featured easy and instant recipes. I can’t wait to move in to our own home so I can try all the featured recipes myself. By the way, you can download Yummy Recipes on your cell phones! TEXT YUMMY MMS to 2948 for Smart Globe and Suns Subscribers.

Conversations whether simple or serious talks are made more engaging when done over a cup of coffee. That is why informal business meetings are sometimes preferred to be held in coffee shops because of the ambiance and the caffeine kicks.

So what particular business topic that is nice to talk about over a cup of coffee? I’d say investments like precious metals specifically, gold. Investor and precious metal experts always reiterate that now is ALWAYS the perfect time to buy gold bullion. Despite the world recession, unpredictable trends of the commodity market, fluctuating currency values and wavering interest rates, gold is the safest metal to invest on. Simply because the value does not change at all. It’s not surprising to see that a lot of investors are going after this metal.