Before anything, this is a different creepy guy from the one who keeps calling and texting me. That one stopped already. Hopefully cuz he read my blog. Anyway..
A couple of months back, I met this guy as I was hanging out with my cousin. There were a lot of people in the group that day and he was one of them. I could barely remember this dude, we didn’t even talk apart from hello. However, amongst the group, numbers were exchanged thereby giving him access to my number. This is probably my mistake.
So this dude, let’s call him CD2, starts to routinely text me Goodnight Julienne and other variations such as “Goodnight Jules” or “Have a good night” or “you have a pleasant weekend” and other pleasantries. This goes on for a few weeks. I receive around 2 texts/week. I usually ignore although once or twice I replied, trying to be nice. He adds me on Facebook. He never makes any attempt to strike up conversation on FB Chat but likes to leave “Likes” and the occasional weird comment on my photos. A few times he asked me to go out to the clubs with him and his friends. I always decline. Even if he struck me as super weird and creepy, I figured he is harmless so I pay it all no mind.
The goodnight texts go on for months. Even when I was in the US, I received texts 3x a week to wish me goodnight. It starts to irritate me because CD2 knows that I am out of the country. He got this information from my cousin. It irritates me even more because I pay to receive text messages during roaming. When I returned to Manila, still, the texts continued. It starts to really bug me.
I started to wonder what this guy’s deal is. He never makes an effort to get to know me (nor would I want him to) but just continues to text me goodnight. This makes no sense. So out of curiosity, one time, I replied. But it ends up with him inviting me to go out and party with him and his friends. I declined because he seriously creeps me out.
Fast forward to today. I discover that not only is he creepy, he’s also kind of a douchebag. (I guess it makes sense why he doesn’t have a lot of friends) It started when I sent out a mass text to people because I’m selling something. He is included in this mailing list. This is the conversation that ensues:
Me: Hello! I’m selling X.. if you or anyone you know is interested, kindly forward them to me. thanks so much!”
CD2: are you serious?
Me: Yep. It was given to me and I’m trying to sell it.
CD2: Always an angel. 🙂 [huh this is a comment that makes no sense. Trying to sound cool I guess? Para lang may masabi? I dunno.]
Me: Not really. Trying to convert it to cash, so if you know someone please refer them to me.
CD2: Like I said, there’s a devil inside you. 😛 [huh? dude are you high? what does this have to do with anything?]
Me: Ok. [cuz i didn’t know what else to say or how to reply]
CD2: “Texting people only when you need something isn’t nice.”
After reading this, my blood started to boil. So rude!!!! What an arrogant jerk. Haha. I guess he feels important because he feels like I “need” him for something. Wow. The world doesn’t revolve around you dude. Medyo feeling ka.
Me: Okay then don’t worry I won’t text you anymore. You don’t have to be an asshole.
CD2: Just being transparent. 🙂
Me: Ang feeling important mo naman. You don’t have to help. It’s fine. I just sent that to people I know. You should have just ignored it since you obviously have nothing good to say. But since we’re going to be transparent and talking about “needing something” well then, I need you to please stop texting me and asking me to hang out because it’s kind of creepy. Thanks. 🙂
CD2: My Pleasure.
What a loser. Good riddance!!!
So my family discovered Nagomi a few months back and it’s been one of our secret favorite Japanese spots since. It’s true when they say to not judge a book by it’s cover. Sure, Nagomi looks plain on the outside and lacks the kitschy modern interior but don’t be fooled. This place serves authentic, generously portioned Japanese food at reasonable prices. What it lacks in looks, it more than makes up for in its food. After all, that’s what you’re there for. It’s not going to blow you away with fusion cooking, fancy flavors, etc. I like to call it our “good old reliable.” We have never been let down by this place.
The outside:
The inside: We’re told and we’ve seen Japanese nationals come here to dine. They even have a menu strictly in Japanese. That’s how we were encouraged to try Nagomi the first time. If the Japanese themselves eat here, then it must be good! It’s not the most scientific of criteria but it’s still. Haha.
Sake Drinkers: Note their vast selection of Sake.
The Menu goes on and on and on. It’s more than a little bit overwhelming. I stopped taking photos of the menu pages. They had so many.
Sushi | Sushi 2 | Sashimi | Alacarte 1 | Alacarte 2 | Teppanyaki | Seafood 1 | Seafood 2
They even have a Chainese menu 😀 I couldn’t resist snapping a photo.
They also serve Wagyu. The price, to be determined!
The Sushi rolls aren’t that inventive. You have your usual California Rolls. Don’t come here just for sushi. My family likes to order the “attractive” sashimi instead.
Started our meal with some tuna sashimi. Check out how thick the cuts of tuna are. Attractive indeed!!!
California Temaki (Handroll) (P220) & I forget what kind of fish this is.
Spicy Tuna Roll. I love Spicy Tuna! (P220) This was delicious. As you can see, it’s also a generous portion. Other restaurants won’t give you this much Tuna.
My brother ordered this massive bento box! It had a little bit of everything. This is great value.
This is my favorite thing to order: their Beef Teppanyaki or Gyu Koro Steak. (P420) Ask that it be served Medium Rare so that while it sits on the sizzling plate, it doesn’t become overcooked.
Some Squid Teppanyaki which I heard was also good. I didn’t get to try it though.
We also ordered Ebi Tempura. Yum.
Okay their dessert selection is severely lacking. Here we see a Chocolate Puffy. I’ve never had this before. It’s an interesting concoction of cornflakes, chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream. Key word: interesting.
Here’s what I had, a Coffee & Milk Jelly. P60
Not Pictured: (I was so busy eating, I totally forgot to take a picture)
Kani Salad, Agedashi Tofu, Sanma Hiraki (Grilled Mackerel – this is super yummy!!!)
Family Photo! (4+1)
Nagomi Japanese Restaurant
(across McDonald’s, you’ll see a stairway which will lead you right to Nagomi)
El Pueblo Real de Manila
Julia Vargas corner ADB Avenue
Ortigas Center
(02) 632-1736, (02) 635-4546
Mom heard about this restaurant on the 6th floor of Alphaland Tower (Pasong Tamo cor. EDSA, on the northbound side) and suggested one day that we go try it. The Alpha Restaurant is now by the famous Chef Billy King whose repertoire inclues Le Souffle in the 90’s and Le Chef in Manor. There’s no disincentive to try out this place. All roads point to it being delicious since it’s run by more than capable hands.
First the place, I’d say relatively incognito. It’s on the 6th floor of the Alphaland Southgate Tower or.. not where one would expect a fine dining restaurant to be. The building is home to offices and the ground floor is a mini mall. When you find it, this is the entrance:
The interior, I kind of forgot to photograph but it’s cozy. It’s relaxing so the diners are business people having meetings, friends catching up and it could be good for a date also. I snapped a picture of the booth seating (although they also have regular tables). Check out the hanging lights, make sure you don’t hit your head on that. Our waiter smacked his head (loudly) on the corner of that light as he was giving us water. Poor guy. It was painful, you could tell. Anyway..
Their menu is simple which we liked. They have a set menu (P650) and an Ala Carte Menu. We did set menu because we didn’t want to think. We just wanted to eat.
However here are some photos of their other menu parts: Entrees and Desserts.
They have yummy bread.
Chicken Liver Pate Panache of Greens & Creamy Balsamic Dressing: (Mom’s starter) – I can’t speak much to this because I didn’t order it nor did I try it but she liked this a lot.
Cheesy Potato Soup (My starter) – Not too creamy, not too watery. Had to add pepper to give it more taste. Not much to say about this one.
Pan-fried Seabass Belly Pommery Mustard Sauce & Pasta Pomodoro (Mom) – She said the tomato sauce on the pasta was a little tangy which overpowered the flavor of the fish. It had a lot of the mustard sauce on it which she liked but made it a dish that was heavier than she anticipated. The fish was good, cooked well. Although, just our preference, we would’ve liked to taste more of the fish. Next time we’ll get the sauce on the side.
US Top Blade Steak, Cafe de Paris, Baby Potato & Vegetable Ragout (Mine) – Don’t let the photo fool you. The steak looks weird and dry because of the lighting but I can assure you that it was not. It was tender, seasoned well and juicy. I don’t know what the sauces drizzled on the plate were but they were delicious and the flavors went very well with the steak. The veggies were YUMMY. I typically stay away from vegetables but these were exceptional. Broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, potato, yum. I was very happy with my dish.
Chocolate Mouse – The dessert options on the set menu were zero. This was the only one you could get. Mom wanted to get a souffle but they didn’t allow substitutions. So she decided to forgo dessert but I wanted to try it. It’s good. The quality of the chocolate is good, you can taste it. Unfortunately it was ridiculously sweet. They give you about the size of a shot glass. I could barely finish half. It was just too sweet for me. Don’t get me wrong, it was good though. I would imagine btw that if you order the mouse from the Ala Carte (P180) that they would give you a bigger portion. Be warned, sugar levels will fly high.
The Alpha Restaurant by Chef Billy King
6th Floor, Alphaland Southgate Tower
2258 Chino Roces (Pasong Tamo) Cor. EDSA, Makati City
Open weekdays only.
(632)310-5201 or 310-5614
http://www.thealpharestaurant.com/about-us/
So I’m not very hairy. I barely have hair on my body. The hair on my head is extremely fine. This has its advantages and disadvantages.
Pros: No need for costly hair removal procedures.
Cons: No eyelashes and eyebrows.
I’ve always wanted full, sweeping lashes and thick well-defined eyebrows. It’s been a frustration. I can’t even use a curlash properly because there’s nothing there. My eyebrows always have to be drawn in. Sucks.
Anyway, last summer I took this make-up class and there was a girl there who had gorgeously thick eyelashes. I paid her a compliment and she told me that she had them done at I-Lash in Megamall. I usually stay away from eyelash extensions. They’re heavy, irritating, expensive, high maintenance and if done incorrectly can look very fake. However, I was intrigued by this I-Lash place because the job they did on this girl was so good.
Long story short, I went to I-Lash in SM Hypermart Pasig to get extensions attached. It’s a small place, nothing fancy. I walked in and chatted up the sales lady. They will determine which level is right for you based on your real eyelashes. I wanted the “Mascara Effect” (P1000+) however they said that I had too few lashes. There was nothing they could attach the extensions to. So I had to settle for the “Fine Effect” (P550) I figured I need all the help I can get so even a few additions would suffice.
Here’s how it looks. If you pay attention to the inner corner of my eye, you’ll see some of my own lashes and if you can’t see them.. that’s because they’re real tiny. Hence the need for extensions.
From the side. They’re supposed to last 1 month.
Pros: I like them, they’re really lightweight. I don’t feel them on my eyes. The glue isn’t irritating and they look natural. I don’t need to wear mascara anymore. The process of attaching them was quite comfortable, I napped.
Cons: They’re very.. high maintenance. I can’t wet them. So this poses a huge challenge when I’m removing my makeup(eyeliner) and washing my face. On day 2, a few strands have already fallen. I don’t know if they’re going to last a month. I’m hoping.
Initially, they’re not that expensive. I paid P550 plus tip. Also, touchups cost P200 so, it’s fairly reasonable. But then I guess cost would depend on how long they last. Obviously if I had to get touch ups frequently then it’ll be more expensive.
I-LASH Salon
SM Hypermart Pasig, Beside Tiendesitas
SW 1010
Contact Numbers: (02) 470 4119
For other locations & Information: http://www.i-lashsalon.com/index.php
RANT: Students don’t come to class to teach
Some professors/teachers have no right to be called so. I’m not going to name any names, subjects or instances. However, I will say this…
I hate it when instructors of classes make the students teach. I’ve noticed that the modus operandi of some instructors is to group students and make them present (explain) the chapters of the book. The instructor will just then lazily sit back and grade the presenting group on how well they explained the material in the chapter. The rest of the class has to listen to students teach a topic they barely know anything about. We’re then expected to know the material based on the presentation of our peers.
WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT TEACHING METHOD IS THIS?!?!?!?!
We come to class to learn. Students don’t come to class to teach. Professors and teachers are there to instruct and impart knowledge upon young minds. They are supposed to enlighten and explain material to students. I don’t want to pay for a class that students are going to teach. That’s what the teacher is for! Why is it my burden to explain to my classmates what the chapter says? I should just save myself the money and trouble and Google all the info instead of taking class. If the teacher is going to be lazy, then hell, I’ll be lazy too.
Dear Teachers out there, please don’t be lazy. Please don’t do this. TEACH. It’s your profession. Take it seriously! I take being a student very seriously. Do your job, I’ll do mine.