Tonight was a failure.  E came home needing a nap and I had promised the little girl we’d go to the gym so she could play in child care.  Not that Cinco de Mayo is a big thing for us but I wanted to be out and about just because.  Thought I’d do the right thing first and work off  some of the food I was imagining I was going to feast on (I was craving Chevy’s flautas with that spicy and sweet pineapple sauce!) so off we went to the gym, the little one and I.  Came home to a sleeping daddy about an hour and a half later which should have been a sign already that we just weren’t meant to be out and about.  By the time we got to Chevy’s (I know, I know… we should have gone for the real thing but those flautas have been visiting me in my dreams a little too much this week and God knows any place else just doesn’t have that sweet pineapple sauce like Chevy’s does!), the place was packed and the waiting time was 35 minutes.  Another sign.  We waited.  And waited some more until we decided to just go some place that wasn’t crowded – it was past someone’s bed time already and who knows how long our food would take after ordering.  Ugh.  Where’d we end up?

At a Thai restaurant not too far from where we were coming from (forgive the Murray Feiss lighting and the fact that we didn’t have a camera except for hubby’s cell phone).  The place was a good choice cuz there were only two other couples in there besides us.  Smart folks, I thought.  It just felt weird with the resto being so empty because had it been any other night, we would have been waiting just to get a table.  That’s when I realized people really take this Cinco de Mayo seriously.  Oh well, we were happy with our meal and even happier that we have so much left over for tomorrow.

One more pic of food (and then I’ll start thinking about weight loss products).  This was taken during the holidays in Vegas.  M Buffet, baby!  They say this is currently the best buffet in Vegas and I have to agree — CREME BRULEE!!!!

I’m not so much of a dessert whore but when creme brulee is involved, I can’t resist but get my game on.  And M buffet does not disappoint.  Definitely got my money’s worth!  Can’t remember whose plate this was (mine or my sister’s) but rest assured, I didn’t eat everything on this plate.  My attention was simply on the creme brulee.  After 2, I think I went back and got 3 more but sadly, ended up wasting some of it.  Eyes were bigger than my tummy, unfortunately.  Sorry, didn’t take any pictures of their actual food/food stations but I have to give special mention to their bbq pork.  It was the best I’d ever had in my life, swear.  And this is coming from someone who doesn’t eat that stuff because it’s just nasty everywhere else I’ve seen it.  Note I said “seen.”  M buffet’s bbq pork screams at you to try it when you walk by.  And when you do walk into the place, it’s like you’re in a dining hall of a cruise ship. Here’s a pic of their dessert bar and the long line the day we went:

 M buffet, that’s all I have to say.  Don’t miss it when you head to Vegas.

Can you smell that wonderful aroma?  The husband’s in class and I’m starving.  Doesn’t pizza just sound so good right now?  Ate at this local pizza joint when we were in Monterey last weekend and boy, was it yummy.  Definitely have to go back there again (only a little more than a 1.5 hour drive away!).  We ordered half pepperoni and supreme something (the little girl doesn’t like to eat “complicated” pizza).

Might look like “blah” pizza but here, let’s get up close and personal so I can drool some more:

Pair this baby with a nice ice cold soda of your choice and it’s so on.  Whoever said anything about a diet?  Uh uh,  diet pill reviews were the last thing on my mind that night.

Erynne’s 4th birthday mini-cupcakes that we shared with her classmates at school:

Cupcakes for her teachers and of course, her dad and I.  Can’t remember the flavors anymore but they were all bomb:

So bomb that the following week later when I reunited with my highschool friends, I had to get these as a welcome present:

Again, can’t remember what flavors we had but you can see we had a couple carrot cake ones.  Red velvet is a popular favorite from the place we got these at and those are there somewhere.  Best cupcakes ever.  They’d make for great gifts too — too bad they wouldn’t last in shipping boxes!

Of an update, that is.  Yep, this blog.  I continue to get visits from God knows where and for this, I thank you.  Really.  Regardless of whether tags are helping my numbers or not, I have to believe there are real visits to my blog and I’m so ashamed that there is nothing for you to read up on because I’ve been way too absorbed and lazy to come up with a few good lines to tickle your ribs.

What have I been busy with?  Well, for one, we are *officially* trying for baby #2 (yes, even if I haven’t hit my 50-pound mark.  Sorry Aggie, we can’t wait anymore, LMAO!).  As with any TTC (trying to conceive couple), once you start feeling symptoms, your mind starts playing tricks with you so that you want so much to believe your pregnant.  Sadly, however, I don’t think this is our month.  Supposedly, at our age (the hubby and I), it would take us about 9 cycles before we hit the jackpot.  So fine.  Consider this our 1st month and we have at least 8 more months to go.  Hahahaha.  Which is just as well because God knows I still have a lot of weight to lose.  The monthly visit is due this week.  Stay tuned.

Christmas is just around the corner and unfortunately, I haven’t been much into the whole Christmas vibe.  We even vowed we’d put up Christmas light fixtures this year but DH only got halfway done when I asked him to take them down.  I haven’t even started the whole Christmas card thing and I doubt I will.  I’m just feeling so gosh darned LAZY!  My Christmas shopping list is yet to be completed and just thinking about it makes me want to just surrender and wish it was already a new year with hotter weather.  I cannot stand this cold weather at all.  And note this is coming from a girl who was made, born, and raised in Alaska since birth.  Totally crazy.  And we don’t even have snow here and I’m sooooooo cold.

My poor bebe.  At least we have the Christmas tree up (which my mom had to decorate for me because it’d been up already for several days and I still hadn’t done anything with it).  Hay caramba.

And I’m gaining weight if you really want to know.  I’m really trying so hard this week to track my foods and to really be disciplined.  But one word:  ITISSOHARD!

Dinner time.  You know what that means.  MORE FOOD!

Riding along the train this week:
The Salad Caper | Cellulitic Bliss | YOUR BLOG

1. Favorite spice? If we’re talking about spices for cooking, I use Johnny’s Seasoning on everything.  I hate having to have different spices so this is perfect for me.  If we’re talking about dipping, it seems I’m addicted to fish sauce.
2. Favorite pizza?  I don’t know that I have a favorite but I really love thick crust pizza.  I like really simple pizzas that are vegetable-based but I have a husband who HAS to pile on the meat each and every time *shudders*.
3. Coffee or tea? If so, what kind? Coffee – doesn’t matter what kind.
4. Vanity: Sound mind, big body or Poor mind, great body? SOUND MIND, BIG BODY!!!!
5. Preference: Physical or intellectual stimulation? Intellectual stimulation keeps me interested a lot longer.
6. When was the last time you pigged out? I pig out EVERY DAY.
7. Which scents are you sensitive to? The stuff that comes out of our butts, vomit, and Smokey Mountain.
8. Favorite pig out food? Any type of carbs, most likely.
9. Love or Hate: Peppermint – Hate.
10. Best food this upcoming holiday season.  That would be Thanksgiving so gimme some turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce WITH RICE!!!!!!!!!!!  I.cannot.wait!!!!!

Want some?  It’s sitting in our frig as I type this because God knows I’d need diet pills to get all that lard off my hips and rear.  Still, I appreciate hubby’s kind gesture but wouldn’t mind the least bit if this cake happens to be gone tomorrow morning and finds itself at his office instead.  But good Lord, the cake IS good, I’ll give it that much (did you really think I wouldn’t take a bite few bites?).

And I know, I know, I know (I really do know!) – I’ve got (more) pictures to post.  All you people need to jump on a plane and head out to Boracay if you know what’s good for you.  Hehe!

It is such a lazy day today.

Hubby’s out playing a round of golf. The little girl is quietly watching TV in her room (probably so full from her two plates of longganisa and rice not too long ago), my mom is out looking at silk flowers and here I am, at peace in front of the laptop. My goal today is to do as much laundry as possible (because remember, it usually takes me a few weeks to finish it all off hahaha). And oh, let me say how wonderful it was to be able to wake up nearly close to 10am this morning.

~~~

I’ve been obsessed with longganisa for the past couple of days. WTH man. Good thing I intend to stay home today because you do know how nasty that stuff is when you burp, right? Even if you try to burp as discreetly as possible, that garlicy smell seems to just ooze out of your pores no matter what. Kinda like kimchee — only that’s even more disgusting when you burp it out. LOL. Sorry, I was never the “prim and proper” type of gal (hi Jane!).

Happy Sunday everyone!

My weigh-in last Monday night showed I had a gain of .4 pounds.  Ridiculous considering I didn’t do so bad with my food intake (oh okay, so I had a bite here and there of white cake.  And some cheesecake.  And I happily dinnered on longanisa a few times of the week–something I hadn’t had in SOOO long, I forgot how good that stuff can be minus the bad breath after!).  But ei, ei, ei!  Monday was one of those days California was experiencing a “heat wave” (I just love this term — Manila’s weather is worse and you don’t see them setting up cooling centers!  Yes folks, I was watching the news two nights ago and they had set up cooling centers in San Jose because of the heat.  Manila’s cooling centers?  Go watch a movie at the mall!).  Anyways, being that Monday was such a hot day, I was chugging quite a bit of water to stay cool.  Maybe I hadn’t peed enough of it out of my system thus the .4 gain.  Yeah, excuses I know.  That’s what I do best, haven’t you noticed?

But so what.  I still have the rest of the year left.  Bwahahaha.  Slaaaaacker.  And to think we’re only in the month of July.  Put your hands together though folks — I was actually in the gym this morning for more than an hour.  Yayyy me.  With a trip to Manila coming up in weeks, make no mistake:  I will gain so I need to amp up my workouts.  Oh, and don’t forget I’ll be shamu-ing my way throughout Boracay island.  On a more unrealistic note, I’ve been trying on pants that I wore before my pregnancy.  Sure, I can pull them on but the zipping up part?  Ha!  I think that zipper’s about to give out on me.  The unrealistic part?  That I’d be able to fit into them and actually wear them when we’re in Manila.  Dream on honey!

I can’t stress this enough:  losing weight is soooo hard.  It’s always easier to quit and blow it off for next year’s resolutions.  But something keeps me going — and I’ll tell you right now it’s not Hydroxycut hardcore.  Stay away from that stuff folks!

I don’t want to come across as complaining but shoot, let me complain just a little bit.

Traveling really does a number on one’s body and routine. For the life of me, every time we head out of town, we come back and I can’t get myself to get up and continue whatever routine was going on prior to our getaway. Like working out? Psshh. Eating properly? HA! Getting my arse up from the couch or bed? Dude. I’m so out of whack.

So yes, we’re back from San Diego as of Sunday. San Diego was a blast, I can’t say it enough. We literally left our hearts there, that’s how much fun it was. Not that we did a lot of sightseeing (time was limited) — it was really the company that did it. A lot of my friend O’s family came in from California and Alaska so it was so nice to be with “family.” In the process, I think I may have already found my future son-in-law, would you believe? And he’s a blondie! It’s O’s nephew (by way of her sister) and he is an absolute cutie. He and Erynne were inseparable (he called her long-distance yesterday on the phone just to say hi and that he missed her. Awww, total mack daddy — and at 2yo!). I’ll have to get a picture up here soon. (I’ve been joking around that since O couldn’t marry into my family, I’ll work it so Erynne marries into theirs hahaha). Fun bunch, they are.

Fish tacos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No seriously guys, FISH TACOS. San Diego truly rocks because of these. I know, I know — I’m a bit slow but hey, timing is everything. Where the hell have I been? I mean, Rubio’s? Are these here in the Bay area? Fish tacos for $1.99 — how much more awesome can life get? (Head over there on Tuesdays and they’re only $1.25!). Swear, I died and went to heaven with those yummy bites of crispy fish, white sauce, shredded cabbage and squeezes of lime. UGH! For those alone, I’d go back to San Diego in a heart beat (only because if I eat them anywhere else, I’d bet it just wouldn’t be the same, ya know?).

So did I already tell you how much I loved San Diego? And to think I didn’t hit the waters. But ooooh how great is the shopping! Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade (?) and MORE in one shopping mall? Hello bankruptcy! The poor @ss that’s mine only got to splurge on some cool, funky sandals from Bloomie’s (and only because the ever loving husband insisted I deserved the clearance-priced JELLY, plastic sandals at $60. Whatever). Weather was beautiful, a bit overcast the morning of the wedding but it turned out gorgeous in the end. Our hotel was located in Old Town. There were women outside making homemade tortillas! Loved that. Sad to say, however, after the rehearsal dinner, I realize I don’t particularly enjoy homemade-style Mexican cooking. I much prefer Americanized Mexican food over that authentic stuff. Gotta love being ignorant eh?

And have you ever heard of Hash House A Go Go? Holy $%^&! They have mad dishes of food. Enough to feed a tribe with one dish. I’ll have to post pictures up so you can agree that as much as I love to exaggerate, this time I’m actually telling the whole truth and nothing but. I can still taste my food, it was that good. Their pancakes? My butt’s bigger but it’s right up there folks. Again, wait for my photos cuz I lie to you not.

So you might ask, how’s the weight loss Jen? I don’t even know anymore. But someone seems to be watching out for me cuz I was still able to lose .8 of a pound after returning from San Diego. How that happened, who knows. Oh wait, maybe because I didn’t have my rice hahaha. In any case, I’m canceling my trip to Alaska next month lest I really lose my way and end up gaining everything I’ve lost (yes, because I was thisclose to just quitting and considering it a new day next year. How sad is that?). Traveling and trying to lose weight do not go hand in hand, I only realize now. And if you know how much I love getting away, this is extremely conflicting for me because now, priorities have to come into play and so what’ll it be Jen? See the world or see your tummy, waist, hips and neck again?

It’s good to be back.