Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Tower, Manila

Before I was to come home, my sister asked me to stay at her workplace for a couple of hours to spend some quality bonding time. She works near the airport and her office has a spectacular view of the entire premise. Unfortunately, my camera doesn't have the power to fully capture the beauty of the spectacular view taken from a height of 12 floors.

Sunset at NAIA Tower

It just warms my heart to know my sister is one of the greatest things I have in this world. I've already mentioned her in the Nene Effect. I was wondering why she had asked her office mate that time of the sunset's schedule. Little was I aware, she'd planned to take a picture of it.

NAIA Car Park

She even took a picture of the cars parked below. Not everybody can take a tour of the NAIA Tower and I'm glad I was there to capture and share it here.

For my pièce de résistance, a GIF made by yours truly. I would like to give credit to my sister for having taken the photos that were used.

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Bar: The Library Comedy Bar

This was the bar I had procrastinated to post about. The Library had not been as memorable as Zirkoh, but I'd still give credit to their hosts for making the night pretty entertaining. We were lucky to have gone there during "Queen of the Nights" Talent Night.

It's not a surprise that I'd get to see a number of talents just like in Zirkoh. Although the jokes had been greener compared to the former, one of the most unforgettable moment I have ever encountered there was while hearing a voluptuous lady singing male lead songs phenomenally.

GP and PG wise, I'd rather recommend Zirkoh. Otherwise, nights with special events are definitely a must-see treat. The "Queen of the Night" experience was fun. At one moment, I and my sister had been debating whether the person upfront was actually a woman. Seeing a number of men dressed sexily with flowing hair paired with real bosoms is not a usual experience for me.

I regret not knowing the name of that singing lady. I even searched for her weekly group in their website thelibrary.com.ph. Alas, to no avail.

This is Contestant Number 1. One of the comments made by my group about him was he looked like Ara Mina. And that's no insult on her part. He had a very quaint smile.

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Food: Alfredo's Steak House

The evening of November 17...

Alfredo's is found in Quezon City, Tomas Morato. They are well-known for their scrumptious steaks cooked from imported meat and high price tag. This was where the festivities would end tonight. Even my brother-in-law wasn't able to eat up his entire ration.

Here is my beautiful juicy steak before it had been dissected. Medium rare was my sister's choice, but nonetheless nothing I'm particular of. Had I gone hungry even at least once the entire day, I'm sure this sizzling piece of protein would've just perfectly made its way home in my tummy.

But no! I had cake, iceblended coffee with extra whip cream, two plates of spaghetti and two glasses of C2 during snack time. And that was to say the least of it. At Alfredo's I had thick, rich tomato soup, a pandesal, and two types of vegetable salads. Oh yes, the gravy as well! Should I still review their food? Shouldn't this be enough to show how much I loved the flavors and the ambience of the restuarant? The service was top-notched, too.

Not to forget my Rib-eye steak (which cost 1,500php). That last bite piece was to be the pinnacle of my entire day's meal. And I only had two glasses of the bottomless iced tea to accompany it. I felt my head swirling...Oh no, please don't let it be my body's warning sign of a hypertension. Or maybe it was protein overload.

Sango!'s store frontage is the one at the right bottom corner.

I felt staying still was not an option. So to keep myself moving, I and my nieces went accross the street towards Sango!. This a burger joint (more or less) who offered free manga reading. Each corner table had a row of manga selections.The receptionist was even nice to us- giving us some origami samples even when I told her we weren't dining in. Sango! is definitely on my TO-VISIT list when I come back.

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Reminiscing My Niece's Birthday

Imagine today's the 17th of November. The kids are at school and my sister has her day-off. We go the grocery store and stock up for snack time's spaghetti. Once done with the first task, we go to Red Ribbon to buy the pretty Tiramisu cake which have lasted for more than a week in the refrigerator. The day had turned out even better when my sister bought me and herself a venti Starbucks Dark Mocha with extra whip cream in SM.

Kate's 11th Birthday Cake

Not that the cake tasted too sweet or too bland, nobody just had the guts to claim the last piece due to the possibility of facing the wrath of the birthday girl.

We had the traditional spaghetti topped with cheese and hotdog slices. Two platefuls, I recall mine- and a glass of C2 lemon to quench my thirst. Yet the night didn't end here.

We went to Alfredo's that same evening. After being accustomed to vegetables and a generally fish-based diet, this was the first time I've felt so bloated after only devouring a quarter of my steak.

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Comedy Bar: Zirkoh

We just got home from Zirkoh Bar at Tomas Morato. This is the 3rd bar I had gone to within this year and definitely the best one ever. My sister kept on talking about Onse and I couldn't help but be curious what the rave was all about him.

Zirkoh is the most wholesome bar I have gone to. I've even noticed a number of kids in the audiences who've participated in the show. The performers there are generally great singers and some of which are really funny and delightful dancers. 

I have to admit, Onse was a sight to behold. Imagine a never ending GIF or that energizer bunny running on turbo batteries. Not only is he a charming young man, but also an amusing comedian. He reminds me of one of my nieces who can't stop moving.  Mind you, he isn't all jeering and singing. He can also dance and create smart intuitive jokes on the spot. I felt he was sucking my energy because of his level of activity. And that's a compliment!

The entire Zirkoh Monday group was a blast. There was Boobay who did Beyonce's Who Run the World and Willie Jones, Joyce Yadao, Rheena, and Nikki who all have majestic voices (I sincerely apologize for not knowing everyone in depth but 80% of my consciousness was focused on LMAO-ing because they were very hilarious.). Since most comedy bars have sing-alongs wherein a number of customers are selected from the audience, this night in particular had been especially fun because there was the "Bingo Guy" who seemed game with whatever he'd been advised to do by Expert Performance Adviser Onse and a lady with big busts who Onse once again made fun of. 

And for those who have instantly assumed that what they're doing is insulting/degrading,  a comedy bar is a comedian's turf. They're there to entertain and not to be taken seriously. It's an unwritten rule that if you enter a comedy bar, you're prepared to go under the spotlight. I wasn't spared either. Fortunately, I had only been mistaken a T-Bird.

Their guest host had been Boobsie. Imagine a big round baby wearing a dress and a giant bow on her head. The most memorable part of her performance was when she did the macho dance for a body guard whom she had fitted her pink garments to. The video below isn't her entire performance but it'll suffice my claim.

P.S. The laughing really sucked every ounce of power I had reserved for staying up late.

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Food for Thought: Spring Deer Restaurant

My brother-in-law has a certain affinity for Chinese food. So today, it's not a surprise we went to Springdeer in Timog, Quezon City. I've already eaten there once and I didn't mind savoring their scrumptious dishes once again. 

This restaurant is mostly packed with people during dinner especially since most of their seafood are still alive before they're cooked. They have this large aquariums where you can actually ask what type of fish, eel or crustacean that is and what dish they can be made of.

Poor things, they're going to be caught, placed in a pail and  brought straight to the kitchen.

I believe this in particular is called the rock fish. My sister and nieces were making fun of it saying it was "planking" vertically. Too bad I had been too shy to take the shot because I'd been too shy.

Noms... Spring Deer Restaurant

The rest of our orders had just arrived and we're really hungry. My personal favorite is the Beef and Brocolli. Their Yang Chow rice and Hot and Sour soup aren't bad either. We also tried the roasted duck which had to be wrapped in pita-like bread. 

Whatever Chinese resto we're in, Hot and Sour Soup and Lemon Chicken are always part of our menu. Last Sunday, we went to Yang Chow at Shopwise, Libis. The food was great but the service was a tad awful. We had to follow-up our drinks twice before they brought it to our table. It probably took them 15 minutes before finally bringing my Coke in can  and it even took them longer to deliver the Melon Shake and Nai cha (Milk Tea, which by the way tasted good).

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Vampire Diaries Season 3 on Vacation

There's this news circulating the internet that the Vampire Diaries will stop showing until January 5, 2012. That's a pretty long time to wait for the next episode. Although I know some people would highly disagree on this, I'm sure that there are others who are wondering why. I don't know either except that it's going on a long vacation.

I just finished watching the Episode 9 from the 3rd Season and was thinking that maybe it was because it seemed awkward to just proceed to episode 10 when 9 was like a climactic ending- a prelude to a new season.

Well, I can't wait for January 5! I do hope they have an interesting set after the new year. The fans will be dying to see what happens now that Stefan is temporarily out of the picture- giving Damon some me time with Elena.

Almost... but not quite there yet.

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My Flight To Manila

At least once a year, I visit my sister here in Manila. I get to troubleshoot some of their gadgets and computers and in return spend a wonderful couple of weeks with her family. Not to forget the fattening ritual. Noticeably, every year I stay with them, I grow fatter because of the great places my sister and brother-in-law brings me to.

One day, my sister just calls me and asks me to come here. It was originally set before November 1 but was later moved last November 8. Unfortunately, I could not have written this posts real time as the first couple of days had been a bit hectic.

Iloilo International Airport Pre-departure Area

The Iloilo International Airport located in Cabatuan, Iloilo isn't the busiest airport in the entire world but it's definitely worth taking a picture of. I especially like having JD (one of Iloilo's cheapest cafe/bakehouse/restaurant) inside the check-in area available for buying great cakes and pastries

If I were to be asked my personal preference in airlines, the answer would definitely be PAL or Philippine Airlines. Why? Aside from the little LCD screens on board showing how long and far the destination is, they also have free snacks ( I had Graham Crackers and Happy Peanuts) and coffee. It may not sound a big deal, but compared to the other airlines who don't serve any at all due to budget cuts, anything is better than nothing. 

Philippine Airlines Airbus-320

Almost all my tickets are purchased through online booking, this is also where PAL is better than Cebu Pacific. No offense to the latter, but their site isn't the most novice-friendly page for online booking. A minute you've selected the cheapest flight but once you've clicked next, you'd have tons of additional taxes and services added in your total bill. 

Yes, PAL is expensive when you intend to book a flight within 2-4 days from now- which is why advanced planning takes an important role on airline selection. If you plan to go somewhere. Do your best to set a date a month (or even a week) before and you might be able to find a cheap option in PAL.

P.S. No, I wasn't paid by PAL to advertise them. And besides, they still have that ongoing issue regarding their employees.

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Acceptable Risk by Robin Cook

"Of course there is a risk," Edward said. "There is always a risk, but I'm confident it is an acceptable risk. Ultra is not toxic, that we know for sure."

It took me some time to finish Robin Cook's Acceptable Risk. It had been a funny book. I did love how he's incorporated the Salem Witch Trials with an unknown psychotropic fungus.

Kim, as the female protagonist, was somewhat an insecure and timid type which made sense given her past relationships. She was paired with Edward, who almost had the same personality as she, yet with the exception of him being extremely intellectual. The story revolves around Kim and her controversial ancestor, Elizabeth Stewart.

Before I had read the book, I was already telling myself that maybe this'd be one of Mr. Cook's open-ended novels. Reaching the last couple of chapters further strengthened my hypothesis that I would once again end up frustrated for not knowing what follows next. I'm glad he didn't do that.

Dr. Cook made it a point to place in a mystery item where in the main character would constantly be in a detective chase trying to figure out what it was. Even I couldn't help but speed through the pages to understand what the big secret was. Nonetheless, I am glad to have not cheated myself by reading the entire book without skipping a page.

In short, I loved it. Dr. Cook is one of the best writers when it comes to medical thrillers. He even adds a touch of mystique and flawed human emotion which the layman can relate to.

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