Good Friday: The Passion of Christ

This is the first time that St. James the Greater parish presented The Passion of Christ, in cooperation with STAGE (Staging Theatrical Arts for Gospel Enhancement).

I just discovered the hi-speed burst function of my camera so I decided to make a video out of it. Unfortunately, I couldn't put a background music because of copyright. If you want, just play this song while watching the video:

At The Cross by Hillsong United

(I don't know why the title became "The Passion of Chris" hehe)

Everything was great! The background music, the costumes, and the set. The way they staged it was by using the entire venue -- they came from the middle doors of the Church, some actors were among the crowd and they even had the audience go outside for the last scene, the Crucifixion.

The portrayal of Jesus was a bit troubling for me. Although the actor was able to show the humanity of Jesus, I got used to knowing him as the calm one through the Gospel reading. I believe that despite the difficulties Jesus was faced with, His trust in God and God's plans for Him are what made Him just go with the flow, with what was happening in His life. He trusted God so much that He appeared as if He wasn't afraid.

Nevertheless, I can say that it was a very successful play! It elicited sadness in me, made me almost cry because I felt like I was there when it happened. It pains me to see Jesus's pain and suffering.

I hope they do this every year :)

Flower Boy Next Door (이웃집 꽃미남)

(Drama Wiki)

STORY

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Go Dok Mi (Park Shin Hye) who lived her life cooped up in her apartment, hiding herself from the world because of a cruel past that traumatized her.  Lurking around, her neighbor, the webtoon artist, Oh Jin Rak (Kim Ji Hoon), has been secretly in love with Go Dok Mi for 3 years. In his own little ways, he takes care of her, respects her way of life but doesn't openly declare his affections for her.

One day, Go Dok Mi meets the genius game developer, Enrique Geum (Yoon Si Yoon), who catches her peeping into his cousin’s apartment. Heartbreak brings them closer together. Despite Dok Mi’s awkward behavior towards people, she finds herself comfortable around the jolly and playful Enrique, who drags her out into the world.

(Check out the plot on Wikipedia.)

CHARACTERS

(GeunShin Addict)

Park Shin Hye as Go Dok Mi

Apartment #402, Ocean Village

Copywriter

Dok Mi was bullied in school because of a rumor saying she had a relationship with their Literature teacher. Her best friend left her all alone when she needed her the most. Because of that, she stopped trusting people and chose to hide in her apartment to avoid getting hurt again. Like Rapunzel, imprisoned in a tower, hidden from the rest of the world. The thing is, Dok Mi is also the witch who locked her up in the tower.


Now I can really say that I'm a fan of Park Shin Hye! I've seen two of her other popular series -- You're Beautiful and Heartstrings. Since then, I have admired her singing and acting. Seeing her in FBND, showed more of her talent in acting. Her cuteness shows as she acts shy and awkward around people being Go Dok Mi.

PSH has such luck in leading men! -- from Jang Geun Suk to Jung Yong Hwa and now Yoon Si Yoon. I can’t wait to see what she will do next.

Her talent in dancing and singing makes me think what can she not do.

Park Shin Hye singing "Kailan" by MYMP

Melon Music Awards Opening

(FanPop)

Yoon Si Yoon as Enrique Geum
Apartment right beside Ocean Village
Game developer
Past: Discriminated Korean living in a foreign country. Also has a lot of haters.

His childish behavior was annoying at first but eventually, it became such an adorable characteristic of Enrique Geum. Despite acting that way, he is very sensitive to other people's feelings. He can easily connect with people and befriend anyone.

I was surprised to find out that Enrique Geum was Kim Tak Gu in The Baker King. Because of his new hairstyle and hair color, I didn’t know that it was him. He still has that killer smile, though. After finding that out, you’d think I would see Kim Tak Gu, but no! His character is so different in this series. Plus, you can’t help but love him as Enrique Geum because of his childish yet adorable antics.

Enrique has that positive outlook in life that eventually rub off on Dok Mi, giving her the courage to finally face the world again. The connection they have was so special; they can even read each other’s mind.

Enrique was the brave prince who climbed up the tower to kill the witch and save Rapunzel.

When he first sang during the karaoke scene, I was surprised na hindi siya pumiyok. Finding out that he could sing just adds to his pogi points.

(Yunanin Kore Gunlugu)

Kim Ji Hoon as Oh Jin Rak

Apartment #401, Ocean Village

Webtoon Artist

Past: Rejected by his own family.

In the beginning of this series, I was rooting for Jin Rak. There’s always something about bad boys who fall in love. He’s the cool and serious yet shy guy who, in his own little way, protects the woman he loves, respects and loves who she is, but doesn’t act on his feelings.

He does that because he knows what kind of person Dok Mi is. Jin Rak would rather keep his feelings to himself in fear of Dok Mi completely closing herself off, cutting whatever ties they have as neighbors. That’s his problem. Even though he was first to notice Dok Mi, he didn’t act on it; he respected her too much. Jin Rak was the cowardly prince who was satisfied just watching his Rapunzel from the foot of the tower.

But Jin Rak really loved Dok Mi because he chose to step aside and let her be happy with Enrique.

(Unnietha)

Park Su Jin as Cha Do Hwi

Office in the same building as Enrique Geum

Fashion designer

Dok Mi’s former best friend

Do Hwi always have ulterior motives. She pursued Jin Rak not because she loves him but because she knew that he was rich. Do Hwi tried to mend things with Dok Mi but at first she only acted so to become closer to Jin Rak.

Other Characters:

(Seoul Beats)

Ko Kyung Pyo as Yoo Dong Hoon
Jin Rak's webtoon partner and roommate. At first, you'd think he's the party and playboy kind of guy. Truthfully, he has been working his butt off at night as a designated driver to earn enough money so he could live his dream as a webtoon artist in the morning.

Kim Seul Gi as Webtoon Editor

Mizuta Kouki as Watanabe Ryu
Japanese chef who wants to learn about the different cuisines of different countries. His cooking lessons gave the characters a way to be closer to each other.

Kim Jung San as Han Tae Joon
Enrique's cousin. Dok Mi's crush. Seo Young's first love.

Kim Yoon Hye as Yoon Seo Young
Enrique's best friend and first love.

(Drama Wiki)

OST

The songs were really perfect for the series. Once you read the English translation of the songs, you'll see how it reflects the character's situation in the series and their feelings.

Then there's Park Shin Hye and her beautiful voice:

And also, Yoon Si Yoon with his pa-cute voice:

Surprise surprise! The editor who did nothing but shout at Jin Rak and Dong Hoon, also has a cute voice! Aw, the loan couple even has a duet!

Kim Seul Gi feat Ko Kyung Pyo - "You Wake Me Up"

Editor has a really nice voice! And her singing voice is so different from her speaking voice, especially with all the shouting she made in the series. Even Dong Hoon has a nice voice! (Video with English subs here)

Favorite Scenes

My ultimate favorite scene was in Episode 16, the confession scene. Enrique Geum sang "Like A Child" by Kim Dong Ryul and Dok Mi's heartfelt confession -- "You are my world" :')

And I just wanna say, the ending.. THAT is what you call a kiss.

There are, of course, a lot of funny scenes I loved!

Episode 13 (Beginning): Panda dance and Yoon Si Yoon speaking in Spanish

I swear, I couldn't stop laughing while watching Yoon Si Yoon!! HE IS JUST SO ADORABLE, okay!! And speaking in Spanish as Enrique, Yoon Si Yoon is the best!

Another LOL scene: Jin Rak, Dong Hoon and Enrique's plan to steal money from Jin Rak's brother.

OVERALL

A lot of aspects of the series really made me hooked on it: (1) the flower boys, (2) the story itself, and (3) the overall theme or execution of the series. But there’s one thing that really made me want to continue watching it (I don’t know how followers of this show were able to wait for a week before the next episode): the backstory.

I know that it’s part of the story but what makes it special is that, there’s a backstory, yeah, which they don’t divulge in just one episode. What they did was to show parts of that backstory in the first few episodes, making viewers more interested in finding out what the whole backstory is.

Every detail of the series shows creativity -- from the jobs of their characters, to the graphics of the show and the episode titles, even the songs, as I've mentioned above. (Check out Drama Wiki: Episode Ratings for the episode titles)

FBND is a rather short series but that doesn’t make it a shallow kind of show. There’s a lot of depth in it (kaya nga hindi shallow e haha). But seriously, it’s not just about love. It’s about life and the struggles people go through, how they handled these struggles and in the end, how these struggles shape them to become who they are now. With each of the characters having different pasts, you’d find yourself relating to at least one of them.

Baking Adventures #1: Mrs. Fields Choco Chip Cookies

I started learning how to bake just last year with my mentor (mentor talaga? haha), I mean, baking buddy, Angela. I guess it all began cos of my boredom at home. I wanted to learn how to bake so badly and luckily, Angela knew how.

We have baked a few pastries in the past few months:

Cupcake turned muffin that looked like puto

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Overbaked :(

Chocolate chip with dough
Too much chocolate chips. But it tasted really good!

Banana muffins and loaf
Too much crushed bananas.

Last Saturday, we baked cookies and achieved an almost perfect batch. We wanted to bake soft and chewy cookies but not the soft-batch kind of cookies. Then we thought of Mrs. Field's cookies and found a couple of recipes online. We used the recipe from Food.com:

Ingredients (for 24 cookies):

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 1/4 cups oatmeal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup milk chocolate chips

We didn't have baking soda so we researched if we can substitute baking powder instead. According to About.com:

You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. 

 And what we had were plain chocolate and white chocolate bars.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Combine softened butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl. Whip together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

Tip: DO NOT OVER MIX. It should still be light and fluffy.

3. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Put oatmeal into a food processor to break down into a powder. Add the "oatmeal flour" to the rest of the dry ingredients.

For this step, we didn't know how to ensure that the ingredients were mixed well cos it's all white (only the oatmeal flour looked different with it's light brown color). Maybe use a strainer. We just mixed it with a spatula.

4. Slowly add the flour mixture (half at a time) into the sugar mixture. Blend with an electric mixer until well combined.

Tip: You don't have to use an electric mixer. It's not hard to mix. The cookie dough should look like a clay dough (or ice cream) and not too sticky on the hands.

Put the milk chocolate chips into the food processor and chop into small pieces. Using the electric mixer, add them to the dough. Now stir in the semi-sweet chocolate chips with a spoon.

5. Drop golf ball sized balls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for an additional 10 minutes. Enjoy!

We greased the cookie sheet, just to be sure.

You can adjust the baking time, when needed. We extended it to around 20 minutes.

Tip: Use an ice cream scooper to achieve the golf ball sized cookie balls.

Golf ball sized.

And voila! Cookies that are crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy inside.

Our only problem was the sweetness level. We forgot to adjust the measurement for sugar since we used two types of chocolates.

I think the oatmeal flour is their secret ingredient. It did wonders to the cookies -- the look, the texture, the taste!

Hihi maybe we can start a business soon with this recipe :> (agad agad? haha)

Hey, maybe you know how to bake! Do you have any tips for beginners like us?

Bon Appetit, Le Petit Cheri!

(Facebook) 

Yay! Belated joyeux anniversaire to moi! On the second day of... being my age... I had lunch with my family at... Le Petit Cheri!!! Finally! I've been bugging them since last year when I wanted to get the 2013 planner but I needed Php3,500 single receipt to get one (I still got a planner cos they sold it days before new year hihi).

I'm very fond of anything with a hint of France. From la langue d'amour, francais; to food, particularly pastries, they are known for; and with any thing that has Tour d'Eiffel... Sometimes, I even get French Baker's paper place mats hihi That's why, when I found out about Le Petit Cheri, I felt nothing but utter joy  at the thought of a French restaurant just near our village :3

LE RESTO. LPC is located at Molito Lifestyle Center in Alabang which is sort of a food strip. They have a very spacious parking lot so you won't have any problems on where to park your car.

Inside, it is very spacious as well. A two-level restaurant with a function room, Le Petit Cheri is not just a family restaurant but it is also a relaxing hangout place where you can enjoy a cup of coffee with  parisian macarons or a slice of your favorite cake, with someone special or even just with your friends.

On the ground floor, there are a couple of tables for four people, a table for six and a table for eight, I think. You can also see the pastries and loaves of bread they sell, and an area of novelties like boxes, Eiffel Tower decors, mugs and notepads.

Novelties

Bookshelves on the balcony area

The balcony seems like a more comfortable hangout place in the restaurant because of the sofa chairs  (?). There are books you can read on this floor. The adjoining room, that can serve as a function room or an extension of the restaurant when customers just keep coming, also has bookshelves with... I don't really know what kind of books are in there cos I didn't go in (there was a family eating there and I didn't want to disturb them).

Them books.

The sliding door leading to the function room.

At first it was really hot in the restaurant because, as you can see from the very first photo of LPC, the walls were mainly made of glass and since it was around noon, the heat from outside easily came in. The employees were nice enough to put an electric fan for us. We should have gone to the function room since it seemed colder cos it was farther from the heat outside.

That nice wall of beautiful photos of Paris <3

Valentine's Day gimmick

Love notes <3

It's a very serene, peaceful restaurant. The employees were nice and friendly, as well. 

LE MENU. They have quite a few dishes on their menu. I would love to try their breakfast which they serve only from 7-10:30am! Breakfast is my favorite meal. French food is something I love. Parfait!

They have appetizers like Chicken Liver Pate; soup like Ratatouille and Bouillabaisse; salads and sandwiches, main dishes, crepes, and dessert. As I've mentioned they have freshly baked loaves of bread and a variety of coffee.

My friends actually gave me a box of macarons on my birthday :D very colorful and yummy!

So far I've eaten the purple one (ube flavored?) and found it a little too sweet, the pink one (strawberry?) tasted just right but I thought it had too much air, the white one (vanilla?) and brown (chocolate!) which I both liked!

Le Dejeuner. (Got the descriptions of the food from their brochure.)

Cafe Mocha (Php105)
I'm not sure actually. This was my kuya's drink.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (Php 285)
Baked chicken breasts stuffed with bacon and cheese.
With seasoned rice pilaf and, sauteed and grilled vegetables.

Boeuf Bourguignon (Php 474)
Traditional French beef stew. Version of Bourgogne (Burgundy).
Burgundy wine used to simmer and tenderize the beef. With bacon,
carrots and herbs.

I paired the Boeuf Bourguinon (I love saying the name of this dish!) with mashed potato and it complemented each other! The boeuf wasn't hard to slice nor chew and it was tasty. I couldn't stop telling my mom how good it tasted especially with the mashed potatoes!

Mashed potatoes

Some mashed potatoes are hard to finish but this one didn't make me feel bloated or anything.

Steak Frites (Php 850)
Tender T-bone steak grilled to perfection, with potato fries on the side
and demi glace sauce.

Mango-Coriander Vivaneau (Php 385)
Fried red snapper fillets on vegetable relish with a tangy
mango-coriander sauce.

Tried some of this dish that my dad ordered. The fillet had a hint of saltiness and when you add the mango-coriander sauce... it gives a really interesting twist!

Pork Noisettes (Php 310)
Juicy pork medallions browned in butter and topped with a demi glace sauce.
With mixed salad with a tangy vinaigrette, and classic potato gratin.

Crepe Cheri (Php 265)
Pear poached in red wine, Nutella, hazelnut coffee cream, dulce de
leche whipped cream, Oreo cookie crumbles.

This was so good! I hesitated when I saw those red stuff which I later realized was the pear poached in red wine. We didn't really know how to eat this so it got a bit messy.

When I tried it, the pear tasted a bit sour. The crepe itself had a nice texture which is very filling. 

Mixed with ice cream and that dulce de leche mix... the sweetness was just right. Hindi siya nakaka-umay. I actually wanted more.

Mousse au Chocolat

Le Petit Cheri's Rainbow cake :9

By the way, I got a free rainbow cake! The first half, I couldn't understand the taste but the second half.. for some reason, it tasted really good! It wasn't too sweet. And it's rainbow-colored!! Can I just say, I love their packaging! The cake is enclosed by a plastic globe-like container to prevent the cake from deforming. Then, they put it in a creatively-made box. So nice!

*~*~*~*

J'aime Le Petit Cheri! It's not too expensive in my opinion, for a French restaurant. Great place to hangout with friends or eat out with your family. They are also open for events. I love everything I see in this restaurant!

I should suggest they play the Parisian Cafe playlist hihi

Like them on Facebook!

It's Almost Summertime!

And it’s time to plan those beach trips with your family and friends! Everybody knows why it’s good to plan this early, but if in case you don’t:

1. To take advantage of those early bird promos for airfares, if you want to go somewhere far from Metro Manila (e.g. Boracay, Cebu);
2. Of course you gotta reserve as early as possible because it’s peak season for beach resorts in the months of March-May, so you've got a lot of competition in reserving; and
3. You’ll have something to look forward to while you’re stressed at work or even in school! :D

May I suggest a beach trip, not so far from Manila? That is – BATANGAS!

It’s just a car ride away from Manila where you can find lots of resorts with still beautiful beaches. Last year, I went to three different resorts in Batangas: Balai Isabel, La Luz and Stilts. I haven’t told you about our Stilts daytrip, so here goes:

May 2012, my barkada and I went to our first beach trip ever at Stilts Calatagan Beach Resort. It was roughly a 3-hour ride from Alabang (left at around 6am and got there at 9am), but when you’re with your friends, you won’t feel like it was a long trip. 

Sab, Eunice and the sleeping Lorenzo

Someone recommended this resort to us and after seeing the pictures on their Facebook and website, we were convinced (and excited) to go there!

Upon entering, it looked like a ranch because of the vast lands before you get to the parking and front desk.

Before entering the secret garden of Stilts :>

From there, we had to walk a bit. And when we got to the beach...

Blue and beautiful... BLU-TIFUL! Haha!

Them boats for snorkeling :)

Very open and spacious. It's actually perfect for big events like weddings or team building seminars for orgs or companies. When we were there, there was actually a scheduled event.

There's a lot to see and do in Stilts!

Mini playground: For the kids to play or where kids at heart like us can hang out.

Inspirational quotes on trees: A nice read while strolling along the sand.

More quotes in the cottage area.

Lovely flowers: Adding color to your beach experience.

SOBRANG GANDA lang talaga, okay! Haha

Duyan :)

Swimming Pool: When you just feel like swimming in chlorine.

Enjoying the pool before setting out sea! (Photo by Klar)

We played with Trixy's underwater camera before going out for snorkeling! Employees told us that  they were going to close the pool at around 11:30am, so we went here first.

Snorkeling: Take the time to enjoy the beautiful corals underwater :D

Snorkeling! (Photo by Lianne)

Beautiful corals (Photo by Trixy)

The kuya's who went there with us were very friendly.

I had a hard time snorkeling. It was my first time, actually. I struggled to swim and snorkel with the life vest on but if I removed it, I might have drowned haha but I would love to do it again after seeing the photos my friend took of the corals :D after a while at sea, I felt kinda dizzy, though.

Other than snorkeling, you can also go out kayaking... In the waters, of course, unlike these two: (haha!)

(Photo from Lianne)

Cottages: Rooms by the sea.

I think I even saw someone dive out of the cottage :))

 

Wouldn't it be nice to wake up at the sound of the splashing seawater? This is one thing I loved about the resort. We only planned a day trip so we didn't get a chance to spend the night in one of these lovely cottages. Check out the rates here!

"So awesome. Right?"

Sand and Seashore: Playing dirty then getting wet and wild :))

Making sandcastles.

Our mermaid friend. (Photo by Klar)

That hut by the shore we claimed ours.

The exploration team.
Just looking around, hoping to see.. oysters?

 Clean Bathrooms and Shower: A MUST, anywhere we go!

It's all just wooden walls and doors, and a cemented floor, but it's clean, and that's all that matters.

Delicious and Refreshing Food: Enjoy halo-halo and mais con yelo, among others, on a hot summer day!

We also ordered fish and pizza for lunch and it was really good!

*~*~*~*

We really had a nice time at Stilts! It's a very beautiful resort! After reminiscing like this, I wish I can go there again. Maybe someday. For now, I wanna visit other beach resorts in the Philippines!

So, where are you planning to go this summer? :D

If you haven't decided where to go this summer, why don't you go to Stilts?

For more details, check out their website.
Like them on Facebook!