Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I'm seeing red - literally. Red balloons, red banners, red posters, red shirts, and red stuffed toys. The commercialism of February 14 is at an all-time high, and I know next year it will be even more over the top.

While I'm not the type to celebrate this day, single or not, I'm all for the good things stores bring out just for this occasion.

All the budget airlines Cebupacific, Zestair, and Airphilexpress are offering discounted fares to all domestic destinations. Now, who wouldn't want a romantic (or not) getaway to some idyllic resort or province to celebrate, right?

Bo's Coffee has come out with a cake that's perfect for this Valentine's Day. Their Red Velvet Cake now comes in a mini heart-shaped version for only P150. Get it from your favorite Bo's Coffee branch until February 19.

Starbucks is offering a different kind of treat, a special e-card to your loved one that they can also use to claim their cup of java. Sadly, it's only available in the US.

Astoria Plaza, my family's favorite getaway in the city, presents its guests with an overnight stay that comes with a buffet breakfast for 2, a bottle of wine, and a relaxing massage.

And there are countless sales out there, from expensive labels to department store items, all just waiting for us to empty our pockets and wallets. I say, it's a good time to practice your self control. As many would like to say, take everything in moderation.

I'm steering clear of those red hearts, red posters that scream SALE, and the mall in general. Me and my wallet are not ready.

Last weekend I had a lunch and movie date (tagalog movie date) with my college barkada. I can't even remember the last time I watched a tagalog movie on the big screen. Not even an MMFF movie. Oh well...We've been planning this 'event' for at least 2 weeks, and we made sure that everyone's schedule was free on that day. Suffice it to say, no amount of planning can ever beat a spur-of-the-moment thing. So, only 3 of us were able to make it.

I arrived at SM Megamall past 1:30 pm, which was waaay past lunch time. Mercie was hungry and I was, too. We decided we wanted something Japanese, so we went to Bubble Tea. I didn't know they had rice meals there as I only order their Taro Milk Shake and Gyoza everytime. I was to hungry to care about the price of their meals (their food is quite pricey), so I ordered what looks good to me - Chicken Terriyaki Doria. Baked rice topped with melted, gooey mozzarella cheese and chicken terriyaki strips.

Chicken Terriyaki Doria @ Php185.00

the spread: taro milk tea, gyoza, and chicken terriyaki doria. YUMM!

After filling ourselves with delicious Japanese food, we went to the cinemas to buy our tickets. To what movie, you ask? In Your Eyes starring Claudine Barretto, Anne Curtis, and Richard Gutierrez. Yeah-hah, it's true. Good thing, though, Mercie has her citibank receipts so I only paid 60 pesos for the movie. Kind of makes watching it bearable.

For me, the movie was neither good nor bad. It was memorable. For one, cliches abound in this movie. Lines like "In time, you'll cope" (advice on the pain of breaking up) and "Kung ang tama ang makakapag pasaya sayo..." are some of the few that I cared to remember.

For another, you can't help but laugh or say "duh" on some of the scenes. IMHO, it just doesn't happen in reality! Even if you've asked your sister to marry your boyfriend to get him a green card or residency status, on their supposed wedding day, YOU don't ask them to kiss ON THE FREAKIN' LIPS!!! There were many instances in the movie that bordered on the insane - well, I exaggerate a little. But really, some scenes just needed to be more real.

Further, the two women were great in the movie, acting their part well, and were very believable (save for the insane scenes I just mentioned). But Richard Gutierrez was forgettable. In the face of two good actresses he was lost and fell flat. There were moments he just stood there and looked like he was reciting lines rather than acting them out. It was not good.

Lastly, the story was, as they say, controversial. In one scene my friend Errol said, "Anubayan, parang incest." I had to laugh out loud because it somehow felt like incest. xD I think that's what made it really stand out from the usual plots of tagalog movies. And the reason why it had good reviews all around. But for me, it's one movie too many. I'll skip the next movie that gets this thumbs up from the media. Or stay away from romantic dramas and stick with comedy, adventure, fantasy, and maybe even action movies.

Last Friday, I had a movie date with my college friends Errol and Mercie. We watched the much talked about movie - Inception. But this post is not about the movie (but I will have an entry about that in a while). It is about this Japanese burger I accidentally came across while waiting for my dates at the Shang.

That burger is Sango. Now, I am a fan of another Japanese burger called Mos Burger. I first came across this culinary delight during my hiatus in Singapore in the early 2000's. Ever since then, whenever I visit Singapore I'd have my fill of the most heavenly tasting (and most probably fattening) burger I have ever had the fortune of discovering. I even had the good luck to eat one in Hong Kong last January. Sadly, this burger is still an unknown in the Philippines.

So, when I saw this Sango burger at the Shang, I just had to try it. It looked A LOT like Mos Burger. It even had the same structure, and even the same packaging. When I finally got my hands on it, the smell that wafted through my nostrils told me that this was a promising venture. It smelled exactly like a Mos Burger. I was excited to taste it.


When I finally did, it wasn't a disappointment. It wasn't a hooray moment either. But it was a revelation. It tasted a bit like Mos Burger. The sauce was a little on the salty corned-beefy taste side, whereas Mos' sauce was tomatoey. It's almost a Mos Burger, but not quite. Still, i liked it. In fact, I might have that burger once in a while especially when a Sango store is so near my office in Makati. At Php145 for a Master Burger and Php 155 for a Master Cheeseburger, it's worth the little trip and splurge.

I really, really hate it when I stumble on links that feature items like these:


It's a travel bag that is small enough to be a school bag. You can even sit on it while waiting for your flight or for the school bus. The double back wheels make it easy to carry up a flight of stairs. It's customizable as well. It's very convenient and covetable (especially when I can think of an everyday use for it - as an MRT chair).

Too bad, it's really a luxe item for me at US$145 or about Php6,000+. Maybe when I win the lotto...

www.zuca.com

I'll try to make this as short as possible because I'm not up to writing a very detailed travel blog today. I just feel that I need to get this out of my system so I can move to writing other things. Haha. So...

Unlike my Hongkong trip last January, this was the first time I stepped on Thailand. It was also the first time that I went with just one other person - KC. Usually, when I go on out-of-the-country trips with friends, the headcount at the minimum is 5. Anyhoo, since our flight was scheduled at 9:30 pm on Inauguration Day, KC and I decided to meet at the north MRT station at 3:30pm so we'll have ample time to get to the airport on the other side of the city just in case it's traffic. If no cabbie will take us, we have the option to ride the MRT. Wais!

We got to the NAIA Terminal 3 in about 45 minutes. So we had like more than 4 hours to kill, which was fine with both of us because we needed to change our money to Baht at the airport and we had no idea where it is. So, while waiting for our gate to open, KC and I ate at Yellow cab. At almost 100 pesos a slice, it looked pathetically small next to the humongous slice of yummy pizza from S&R.

We killed more time by walking around the shops and then had some money exchanged to Baht at the currency exchange counter near the international terminal fee booth (rate was at Php1.70 = THB1). After than, we decided to check-in our bags and then wait for boarding time at the gate, and maybe catch a bit of sleep. But since we still have a bit of time to kill, we decided to get some coffee at Bo's Coffee near our gate. Perfect!

At boarding, as expected, everyone stood to line up even if the ground stewardess announced the seat numbers that needed to board first. Guess, everyone can't wait to get their butts on the plane. Inside the plane, I was surprised to find the space between the rows was so small it was impossible to recline the seats without making the person at the back of your seat feel even more uncomfortable. You can't even pass by to go to the toilet! WTF??!!! I don't remember my flight to HK being this sucky.

But even at that situation, KC and I found something to laugh at. The whole cabin was filling up with fog, like a fog machine feeding a stage with smoke. We found it so hilarious and a bit weird that we took pics just to be able to laugh about it again afterward. We concocted all sorts of stories to go with the fog and I'm guessing, since we were the only ones who found it funny, the other passengers thought we were smacked in the head or something.