Dinner at Conti's Restaurant

Iv'e known Conti's few years back before it was known for it's Mango Bravo cake (which is a must try dessert ice cream cake in the metro) but for this night, my cousins and my parents decided to try to dine again at this resto. 

As usual, during holiday (especially Christmas season) restaurants and malls are always full.

We waited for our table which by the way, on the waiting list we are no. 6 meaning more time to look around. I love the landscape and the design of serendra and high street, very pleasant and full of lights very perky and nice. 

Lumpiang Ubod: This fresh vegetable dish is a like a spring roll but not cooked, it is topped with nuts and sweet sauce. This is good for appetizer and for vegetarian people. The Ubod (a local vegetable) is quite fresh and the wrapper is very soft and thin. Very easy to eat and very light.

Macaroni Salad: I love the way they cooked the macaroni! it's not soft, and not hard it was cooked Al Dente. I just don't like that the salad had too many dressing which i find it "Nakaka Umay" 

Garlic Rice

Lunch at Shakey's

 Shakey's is fantastic if your eating in a group. I love their group meals which is very sufficient for all members. Not only that it's price is within reach of your budget, their food is actually nice and good. It's nice to have a party at Shakey's or if your planning to treat your friends, or classmates, Shakey's is your place.

Carbonara: The spaghetti is okay, the sauce and ingredients is also nice. It's not too shabby, it's actually okay. You can eat the pasta without being sour on it.

Garlic bread: plain garlic bread

Endless agony flooding the river of sorrow, filling the cup of sadness (remembering: sandy hook tragedy)

I was in distress when I heard the very very heartbreaking news about the brutally killing of 20 young innocent beautiful kids, and very brave and protective 6 teachers. I can not help but to cry watching this Video, looking at those sweet angelic faces that brutally murdered by a 20 year old man.

Honestly, I was so scared for those kids not only in the US but also in the whole world, I was asking myself, what if it happened here in the Philippines? what if it happened to my little nephews?? I was really nervous and started tuning in to the news to get some latest updates on what is happening. I was so shocked and I also stated to realize the amount of sorrow and sadness that this will bring to the parents and relatives.


Then flashback occurred to me about the Virginia Tech Univ. tragedy, That too was heartbreaking but to me, Sandy Hook Tragedy is far worse. You don't go outside and kill innocent young beautiful kids, It's just sad and heartless (even if with disorder)

Day had passed, I was browsing the online portal of a local newspaper here in the Philippines, When I read an article about a similar incident in a province in China, with the same age target 6-7 years old.

The Chinese guy had stabbed 22 children and 1 adult, Thankfully no one died in the incident. I was hoping that gun permission would only be allowed to the police / army authorities and not in civilians as this may occur in the future - definitely (if we don't regulate the laws and we should not relax gun laws especially to civilians)

Pentax X-5

Highlights

26X zoom lens (22.3-580mm equivalent)

Close the distance between you and the perfect shot with the X-5’s super-telephoto 26X zoom lens (22.3-580mm equivalent). This zoom feature ensures extreme flexibility for any scene or subject, near or far.


Tiltable 3.0 inch, high definition LCD screen

Enjoy effortless image composition and image playback with the X-5’s large tiltable 3.0 inch, high definition LCD screen. This exceptional LCD screen offers sharp image viewing, even in bright sunlight, and allows users to shoot from high and low angles to keep the subject neatly framed in the image area.


Full 1080p30 HD video, h.264 compression

Capture full HD 1080p widescreen video at 30 FPS with high quality h.264 compression, and enjoy creative movie playback features, such as High-speed Movie mode for slow-motion playback and Time-lapse Movie mode for fast-forward playback.


HDMI port

Share your work with ease as the X-5’s micro-HDMI port (Type D) plays back beautiful high resolution images, video and sound to external devises such as HDTVs.


Super Macro Mode

Get closer to the flowers, capture the smallest details, and reveal super crisp expressions from your subject, from as near as 1cm, with the Super Macro Mode. The X-5 also comes with an Auto Macro function, which automatically switches the focus mode to Macro when it detects the subject is close to the lens.



16 megapixel CMOS sensor

Capture beautiful, high resolution, low noise imagery with a state-of-the-art image processing engine and back-illuminated, high performance, 16 megapixel CMOS sensor. Even while shooting up to ISO 6400, the PENTAX X-5 provides users with very high resolution images.


Triple Shake Reduction

The X-5’s triple shake reduction system couples the PENTAX developed mechanical sensor-shift-type Shake Reduction (SR) mechanism with a digital SR mode for stills or movie SR mode for video to more effectively compensate for camera shake. This hybrid system assures sharp, blur-free images and video, even in the most challenging camera-shake prone and low lighting conditions.


260,000 dot resolution electronic viewfinder

The 260,000 dot resolution electronic viewfinder provides effortless composition and DSLR-like handling. What you see is what you get as the X-5’s viewfinder diopter adjustment delivers a consistently clear view of the subject, even under bright sunshine.


Fast Face Detection technology

Create the perfect group shot or a gorgeous portrait.

Lifestyle list of Best Desserts 2012

By: Vangie Baga-Reyes

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Link: Lifestyle list of Best Desserts 2012

'Tis the season to be jolly and extra sweet! So, make your holidays doubly sweet with our 2012 list of Best Desserts. From refreshing gelato treats and homemade ganache chocolate cakes to brandy-infused prune cakes and super suman with a twist—all these are guaranteed to whet your sweet appetite. Enjoy!

Rouge

Come-on: An impressive dessert both to the eyes and palate, bursting with the fruity flavors of blueberry, strawberry and vanilla gelato on a crust of crushed graham. The beautifully crafted artisan gelato cake makes for great gifts, or simply for indulging yourself.

Cara Mia has a wide range of tempting gelato cakes, but if you must settle for two more sinful sweets, go for Di Lusso, a neat combo of pistachio, chocolate and strawberry gelato covered in a layer of rich chocolate ganache; and Mango Passion, mango chunks blended in gelato arranged in layers of rich shortbread pie crust and topped with strips of mango slices.

Cost: P134/slice; P1,280/whole

Creator: Cara Mia of Amici (Tessie Moran and Philip Moran)

Call: Don Bosco, Makati, tel. 8184444; Greenhills, San Juan, 7244804; Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati, 6216111; Tomas Morato, QC, 3766458; SM Megamall Atrium, Mandaluyong, 6361340; Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa City, 4039373; Venice Piazza, Taguig City, 5551000; Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas Center, Pasig; Robinsons Place, Manila; and UP Ayala Technohub

Peach Walnut Torte

Come-on: Two layers of fluffy meringue embellished with walnuts and whipped cream. The sweetness comes from the peaches, which also add a comforting flavor base for the entire slab. It has creamy flavor you don’t want to miss.

Cost: P160/slice; P1,400/whole. Available daily. For bulk orders, call two days in advance. For pick up and delivery for a minimum fee.

Creator: Nic’s Gourmet Desserts (Rina Go)

Call: 5711818, 3549081 and 0999-9933231; 172 A. Mabini St. Addition Hills, San Juan City; visit www.facebook/nicsbakeshop

Cassava Cake

Come-on: Plain-sounding, but this Cassava Cake topped with grated cheese and coconut milk is simply divine. Dr. Boy Vazquez takes pride in the old family recipes which he has tweaked and further improved, such as this homey afternoon delight. Unlike the typical cassava that’s thick and too heavy on the tummy, this version is served warm, soft and made creamier with a butterscotch-like sauce.

Cost: P89/serving

Creator: Café Juanita (Dr. Boy Vazquez)

Call: 6320357 and 7101562;  19 West Capitol Drive, Barrio Kapitolyo, Pasig City.

Louie XV

Come-on: Desserts at Restaurant 101 are simple but they hit the sweet spot. Like the Louie XV, dark silky smooth chocolate ganache over crispy luscious praline bar and adorned with edible gold leaves for that royal effect. This dessert can only be savored in two restaurants in the world: Enderun and Alain Ducasse’s three-star Michelin restaurant in Monaco.
Louie XV is made fresh every day, and we just heard that no student can graduate without knowing how to execute this heavenly dessert. It has a nice biscuit-like crunch, and the way the chocolate melts in your mouth is unforgettable.
Cost: P260/order. Dine-in only.
Creator: Restaurant 101, Enderun Colleges
Call: 8565000; 1100 Campus Avenue, McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

Ispahan

Come-on: A treat that pays homage to dessert god Pierre Herme. Ispahan showcases macaron shells crammed with fresh raspberries, lychee (in the middle) and rose essence, and further enhanced with a velvety Chantilly cream. It has just the right amount of fruity flavor. Great when paired with Salted Caramel Ice Cream.

Cost: P280/order. For dine-in and take out.

Creator: The Cake Club by Diamond Hotel Manila.

Call: 6213176; Bonifacio High Street Central, 7th Street, BGC, Taguig; Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati.