Pinoy Biggest Loser

Punung-puno ng puso ang reality show na ito. This is one show which I will not mind watching in a live stream as I'm sure marami akong makikitang mga eksena na makaka-relate ako. How interesting and touching it would be to see my fellow beautiful and obese go through life in full monitoring - how the food addiction faces yung bawal ang chichiria, chocolates, isang batya ng spaghetti, cholesterol..... :)

I often catch the show, although I wish the timeslot would be earlier. I see myself in every face in that show - in all the contestants who carry one of my personas each, in the trainors who embody my idol physiques, in sharon cuneta who embodies my......embodies my body when she just gave birth to Miel hahaha. what a spectacle to see most of "me" moving about in camp and dealing with what life challenges them to achieve at this phase in their lives.

The contestants have been like friends to me, feeling ko close na kami kahit napapanood ko lang sila :) Sobrang relate kasi ako. When the show is on, I feel like i'm with my friends, assuring them that everything will be alright. In my thoughts, I tell them that they are beautiful. I assure them that they can do anything they set their hearts to. I cheer them on in their workouts and challenges. I am as anxious during the weigh-ins. I cry over their wins and losses in the challenges - to me kasi, all their feats are victory. Hindi biro ang ginagawa nila! Maglakad nga lang na overweight ang hirap na e. I suggested nga to one of my friends who wanted to relate to life as an obese - "start by lugging around a sack of rice everywhere you go. mag commute ka narin."

Most of all, I cry at the thought na hindi nila nakakain ang gusto nila, ay lalo na nung nagi guilty ang ilan sa kanila dahil sa kinain nila prior to a weigh in. This is just me :) nai imagine ko nga mas maaawa ako sa taong gutom na gutom kesa sa nadukutan sa jeep.

I live vicariously through the contestants.

Ang sarap kasing magkaroon ng paraan para maabot ang isa sa pinakagusto mong mangyari sa buhay. In my case though, my bones cannot carry my excess weight na kung kumalas sa katawan ko e pwedeng maging toni gonzaga. Bale hindi pala excess weight, excess person hahahaha. I'm sure that I, with excess person and all, will be instantly eliminated dahil I cannot perform the simplest exercise that I see in the TV program. In my bone density results, the doctor's reco reads: "for non weight-bearing exercises only". i used to walk my dog for an hour everyday. these past months i've had to walk her every other day, tapos less 5 rounds sa park. sumasakit kasi.

Kaya ..... sige Eboy kaya mo yan! Lika Winwin hug kita kahit pawis na pawis ka. Angela, ninang ako ng magiging anak mo ha! Alan, imbitahin mo ko sa debut ng mga apo mo! Go go go Art! Joy, akin nalang mga damit na pagkakalakihan mo ha hahahaha

Tandaan ninyong lahat, ang pagkain ay hindi kaaway. Pag kaaway ang tingin natin sa pagkain....... sosobra ang yakap natin sa pagkain pag nagkabati  :) Sa sobrang time lost bilang kaaway ng pagkain, baka pyesta araw araw pag naging close na uli :) :) Teka, story of my life yan a!

At sa mananalong Pinoy Biggest Loser........libre mo ko ng sessions sa personal trainor mo! hahahahaha!

Not Your Anyhow Inihaw

Ano kaya 'tong Chic Chic resto sa President's Avenue sa BF Paranaque sa tapat ng Zeus Massage? At baket Chic Chic? Makulet ang manok? Hala dali pasukin.

Ihaw-ihawan ang Chic Chic. The usual fare - pork liempo, chicken, etc. O weno ngayun? Tekalang may mga nakakatuwang twist. One, the masang inihaw is plated na pang fine dining! It had sidings of thinly-sliced grilled eggplant and carrots, swirls of two kinds of sauce, and fried dill rice toppings. Two, the bottomless iced tea na P35 la-ang is served in a flower vase. Hahaha jok lang. Pero parang flower vase sa laki hahahaha. Three, the free soup does not taste like.... mmmm.... free soup :) It's rich, flavorful, creamy (with a Giada de Laurentiis smile), and hot all the time.

The looks matched the flavors of the dish, well-seasoned ang meats nila. Very tender. All the components of the plate complemented each other.

Hindi mausok sa Chic Chic (pronounced "Shik (as in susyal) Chick") kasi sa labas ang ihawan, finishing nalang sa loob. Malakas ang aircon. Open all week, 10am to 10pm. Hindi mahal.

Go na!

Exec Chef Ram

Sous Chef Zhar

Lutong Nanay

We went to my in-laws in Pasig for a Sunday lunch. Ayoko sana because mom was busy cooking and feeding hordes of guests who came at different hours that day. Pagkatapos nyang magligpit ng kinainan ng isang grupo, eto't parating na ang susunod. Whenever she runs out, she had to cook again, sometimes in the middle of serving her guests. Ibang klase kasi ang pagkain ng byenan ko. World famous wika nga. The care and detail that she put into every restaurant-quality dish is enjoyed  by us who continue to surround her and is missed by those who have lived far.

Hesitantly, I agreed to go. Through the years, habang papalapit kami sa bahay nila to eat, palaki nang palaki ang espasyo sa tyan ko to receive the feast I anticipated to devour. On that day, kahit mas gusto ko na sanang wag dumagdag sa hirap ng byenan ko, that space in my stomach started to expand. May sariling pag-iisip talaga tong tyan ko :)

We arrived to a sweaty mom, donning her usual apron, and flashing her million dollar smile. Para syang restaurateur na nakakita ng dalawang siguradong pampadami ng benta. She was obviously tired, but her bounce as she laid the lunch dishes down on the table never missed a frolic. While we ate, she updated us with the family goings on, her other eye attentive to whether or not a dish needed replenishing, when the juice and water pitchers needed to be refilled, and when it was time to offer dessert. The usual mom :)

Ang pagkain niya - laging mainit. Even if the dishes were already laid on the table and acceptably room temp'd, she would reheat them "ay hindi pwede, ipapa init ko muna".  The drinks - laging malamig. Even if the pitchers still had some ice, she would take the pitchers and put some home-made ice "ay hindi na malamig 'yan akina."

I love my mother in law for her food, for the way she serves her food, for the company she gives while she watches you eat, for the attention she unselfishly gives to you as you eat, for the love she expresses through her food.

Nung malakas pa ang mommy ko, she had my byenan's exact energy and attitude about food and serving food. Mommy only stopped cooking when she became bedridden 5 years ago from her long battle with Parkinson's Disease. At her condition, Mommy still shows us her love in many many ways. Isa na don ang pagtitig nya sa mukha ko dahil kamukha ko ang asawa niya :) Miss na miss ko ang luto ni Mommy! Miss ko din nung tinitingnan nya ko sa gilid ng mata nya pag kumukuha pako ng rice hahahaha.

Buti nalang anjan byenan ko twing nagugutom ako sa masasarap na lutong nanay.

Pati atchara home made :)

Calamansi juice na si mom mismo ang pumiga. At nang naubos? Hep! "Meron ako ditong napiga na" :)

Gawa din ng nanay to, kamag-anak nila mom

Man vs Food

I doubted my husband when he said that he can finish 2 whole fried chickens in one sitting. E may chicken-all-you-can ang Max's. Di nagkaroon kami bigla ng "wanna bet" moment! Bigla kong naramdaman na mukhang kaya nga nya. He's loved chicken all his life :)

630pm kami dumating, just 30 minutes after the promo started. Hala parang fans day ni Sharon. People from all walks of life flocked for an avalanche of manok. I managed to find a waiting area seat after I cued us in. I didn't bother looking kung pang-ilan kami. I also didn't stand to follow-up on our cue kasi ang kawawang taga kuha ng lista, hindi na ngumingiti. Once in about 6 minutes, an angry customer comes to her with a complaint "Bakit di mo pa kami unahin e tatatlo lang kami.." "First come first serve po kasi". Onga naman. Maghintay nalang tayo. Nakakainit talaga ng ulo ang gutom ano?

Another man in his late 50s went to poor-she and sort of threatened her with something (I couldn't make out the grunts at my distance), but he left with parang threats, stringing out the door with his family with little kids. I then realize that this is the same group that came about 20 minutes after I did, and minutes later one of them said to her companion "We're next (smile). I don't know what he did." The "he" turned out to be the grunting guy and "what he did" to get to the front of the line didn't matter anymore hehe. Sana nga, walang palakasan.

We were given a table around an hour after we arrived. We enjoyed every minute of the meal - ang sarap ng manok! Quarter after quarter (we like the leg and thigh part) of juicy, well-seasoned chicken, a friendly and attentive staff, and an entertaining spot (next to a guy whose voice box had a built-in amp, speaking as if he  swallowed Jimmy Santos), made for a delicious night.

Syempre, I lost the bet :) In this Man vs 2 whole chickens (equivalent), man won!

Max's Chicken All You Can, 6pm to 10pm, is on until July 10 2011. If I may, some tips for an enjoyable maligo ng manok experience:

1.
Don't come very hungry. Have a cracker or a piece of bread before going. Long wait and hunger is a lethal combi (for the Max's staff).

2.
Expect a long wait and think of ways to ride the minutes. I chose to people-watch and chat with my co-waiters-in-line :) I also stared at the cakes in the bakery display (ended up taking an ube roll home, galing ng nakaisip to put the waiting bench in front of that display haha).

3.
Be nice to the staff. At Max's Santana Grove, they were obviously doing the best they could to accommodate us at the soonest time and I hope this is the same for the other outlets. Non-smiling or not, please remember that the promo period is one of the worst days of their working lives. Yung mga receptionist parang mga nagre receive ng complaint calls sa call center - pero ito face to face, the chefs are slaving, no, crying over their hot busy stoves, and the servers' limbs are weary from the marathon with heavy trays.

4.
This is for all our dining experiences - Treat the servers as if they were friends, not servants. Those name plates aren't there for nothing - call them by their names soon as your eyes can make their names out. Order with a "please" kahit we are the ones giving them business.

5.
Always thank your server each time they give you what you asked for (no matter how many times they come to refill your drink).

6.
If you have a complaint on your server, speak to the head waiter, manager, or officer-on-duty. Do not make a scene.

7.
If your experience is as good as our Max's dinner, leave a good tip :) I leave candy too hehe.

Happy chickening! :)

Rrrrround 1! Fight!

At this point, I was also served my second piece

Sa round 3, di pako tapos sa round 2 ko :)

Nung round 4, um-order na kami ng pancit hehe

5th Q

Round 6, may matching mango shake na

Round 7, refill na ng ketchup :)

And finally, round 8! I only got through round 4, bano!

Man Won!