Natry Co, Shawarma Mo!

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THOU SHALL NOT EAT RICE ON WEEKDAYS!
~ yes.. this has been my motto for the last 3 weeks.
I'm happy that I somehow managed to maintain my weight for almost 9 months now I guess. From 150lbs down to 123lbs..not bad! Actually, I used to weigh only 105bls so I've been seriously thinking of dieting again!
But you see... it's difficult to go on a diet when you have a food blog to maintain and friends who are as passionate with food as you are! So i guess for me, what I do now is I starve myself on weekdays then I
indulge on weekends! Bwahahah (evil laugh)

Last Friday I was surprised to know that for the 1st time, I didn't have any concrete plans for the
weekend so I thought I wanted to review another resto. Good thing when I woke up yesterday, I got a
text message from Mich (Frank's bestestfriend) telling me to join her and her sister  on a foodtrip to a Shawarma hub near my house! I felt excited ofcourse! I always enjoy foodtripping with mareng Mich!

So for this week's entry, I'm gonna reveal yet another secret food mecca and this time, it's really near my house (God I'm so lucky!)... introduced by buddy Frank (thanks to you for introducing me to this place) a few months ago, located near the gate of Lagro Subdivision is where you'll find this Persian food joint which is gaining rapid popularity...it's called
Try Mo, Shawarma Co. Atbp.

 Woaahhhh..
Who could ever resist these dishes?! The hell with dieting!!!I'll just starve myself again next week!! ahahaha!

Here are the dishes which we ordered....

As you can see they serve a variety of meats.. what I really like about it is that unlike other shawarma joints, their beef is really lean and easy to chew and very tasty ofcourse!


Sizzling Shawarma (100php) - finely chopped lean beef with tomatoes, onions, topped with bits of pita and fresh egg completes this persian version of our national pulutan the "sisig." Great eaten with rice!
I believe this is their signature dish since I think this is the only place which serves shawarma on a sizzling plate.

Special Shawarma with Cheese (65php)-
Perhaps their best seller! For me it's currently the best
and most affordable shawarma. Definitely worth every cent!

I see people ordering at least 2 servings.. as for me, I'm ok with one. Very filling indeed!

 Aside from their Shawarmas, you should also try out their
Barbeques! They only cost around 7-15pesos I think! So cheap yet so good! You may choose from a variety of pork and chicken innards from pork liver to intestines.. name it,you got it!













I had the chance to talk with the crew. They were really nice. They even allowed me to take pictures of them while they prepare the Shawarmas...

Here's the menu list.. really affordable!

They use fresh well done lean beef..

Meet the veggies.. Sliced white onions, tomatoes and cucumbers..

Step 1. Heat the pita then add the veggies..



















Step 2.  Add lots of lean meat and cheese!! Yummers!!

Step 3. Wrap it tight then serve immediately! 

I love it!

To convince you more on how we enjoyed this experience so much.. here are the rests of the photos...

Here's Mich before her 1st bite....

Mich enjoying her BBQ! Is she eating the stick? I hope not!

 Mich and I eating like there's no tomorrow...

Meet Mich's younger sister Glyf. It's her 1st time to visit this place!

There is no doubt that this girl is enjoying every bit of it!

 A photo of Glyf and yours truly.

The 2 lovely sisters!!

"Lord give me strength!I can do it. I have to eat all of it!" ahahahaha

 It tastes even better with garlic and hot sauce!

Badeth the new Shawarma endorser!

This is me the day after my visit with Mich. Notice my hair got shorter! hehhehehe
Badeth and I just had a serious craving so we decided to hit Lagro before heading
home.

Pardon me for the messy plate.. I'm better with chopsticks!

Burp!

Too bad we were not able to finish the Sizzling Shawarma. huhuhu

I couldn't stand up! Ouch!!!  We're just too full! I can't believe it!!

This experience was indeed wicked!! This week,1 point for food and 0 for man! Hmmp! I will definitely visit this place again and again!

Thank YOu Mich and Glyf for joing me in this nice experience!! 

Try Mo, Shawarma Co. hmmm nice name! Tried it!! Check!
Now I believe it's your turn!!!!

See you all next week for yet another mouthwatering review!!

Ciao!!

A letter to my future child....

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Year 2040
My dear child,

I hope that you are at the best of health by the time this letter reaches you.
The year now is 2010 and Noynoy Aquino have just been elected as president of the country. As early as this,  I would like you to know that I've already dreamed of you countless times and prayed to have you finally someday.That even before you were conceived, I have already loved you and longed to embrace you ever so tightly... Believe it or not, one of my dreams in life is to be able to personally teach you everything I know from the arts which I am deeply passionate with....music, singing, writing, photography, cooking and all the wisdom which I learned from your grandparents and the wisdom life itself taught me all throughout the years. How I longed to witness the day when you click the shutter for the 1st time. The day when you learn how to write the ABC's...to guide your hand while you draw your 1st pictures..to teach you how to flip a pancake... to read stories and sing you lullabies til you fall asleep... to send you on your 1st day of school while your father and I work hard to provide you with the best of everything in life.

I hope that by this time, me and your father have raised you well and have taught you the ways of the world.
You are the continuation of our lives.. you are our eternity and you are the fruit of our love.
As I am writing this letter, I want you to know that I just turned 30yrs old. I'm still single and have no idea on who your father will be. I'm still on a voyage in search of him.. or perhaps we are both on a journey in finding each other. I guess we would have to wait until destiny would lead us to each others arms.
I do want to assure you though that your father will truly be the man that I will love 2 days after forever. That I have chosen him well only for you.

There are precious lessons my child that I would like to share to you... Lessons which made me stronger as I faced the hurdles which tried to cripple me.

Do not be disillusioned with the norms people are imprisoned with. No matter what they say, only you and you alone have control over your life and your happiness. Your father and I will only be here to guide you as you find your place in the sun. Do not let yourself wander the world aimlessly... your every breath, every thought, every word and every move should be fueled by passion which is coming from within.. burning deep inside you. There should always be meaning and purpose for that is why we are here. Follow your bliss and use the gifts that are innately yours.. do all of these but do it with all humility and with conviction. Respect my child, respect is something which must be given to everyone.

You are perfect! Never ever limit your capabilities just because of this lie. You are a perfectly sane and rational being.. You dictate what is beautiful for you. Be proud of who you are and where you came from. Whether or not you fit the usual standard of beauty..whatever they say is immaterial for there is something special in each one of us which cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Strive my child to always be true especially to yourself. Believe and stick to the ideals which me and your father will teach you.  Never ever live a lie for lies will only lead you away from people. At the end of the day, it'll always be about the relationships which you have with others so always strive to be trustworthy and be a friend to everyone.

I did not live a usual life my child. I do not intend to write them all in detail for
I do not want to re-live the past but like your grandparents, I've learned about life and love the hard way. I am not ashamed to say that I have stumbled so many times for they have molded me into what I've become... a free thinking highly creative loving being. I hope you will always strive to seek only the goodness which the world always provides. Shut your eyes in order to see.

Whatever happens my dear child, I will make sure that this letter reaches you for I intend to let you know 30 years before you were born how precious you are. Wherever you may be while reading this letter, I hope that above all, you are with happy with your chosen field and with the people you love. I will do my best to personally hand you this letter but if I fail to do so, surely I have chosen a person  whom I know will find you and make sure you receive this at the right time.

I love you my child. I will always be here to look after you for I am part of you.
After I finish writing this letter, I will continue my quest in finding your father so that I could be a step closer to you.  You will be the continuation of our lives.. our eternity and the fruit of our love....I hope my child, you will continue the love story which me and your father will start and the legacy which I will plant in this world. I'm so proud of you. I can't wait to finally hold you in my arms....

Love always,
Mommy Mae

Good Memories... Captured!

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 For my Blogaversary  special, allow me to tell you a tale of a girl who found meaning and inspiration with just a click of a finger.....

"What is the greatest gift you can give to someone?"
-- I remember my student asking me this question 2 yrs ago and I remember answering.. "giving something which I made myself." After that she said, "No teacher, A GOOD MEMORY!"  I was stunned! It was so simple.No money involved! ahahha It was so true. A good memory indeed is the greatest gift we can give. After that, my life changed! I made a vow to myself to strive and make as many good memories as possible.
This is actually one of reasons why I started this blog a year ago. There were 2 things actually on why I've decided to start this blog. #1: I wanted to immortalize my adventures for I have such a bad memory =) and #2 I wanted to practice again after I quit writing feature essays since 6th grade! I got really frustrated then so I just wanted to prove I can somehow do it!


2010 is very special to me for now I live a life way way way different 8yrs ago. I'm more mature now on how I view life. I have more control over my future. I feel I can express myself more and most of all, I found a new passion and that is discovering the art of Photography.


I started Eam's Secrets a year ago. Posted my 1st ever entry last June 10th and wrote about the 1962 Tambayanan where Jr and I would hang out almost 3 times a week! Eversince I got some comments on how great my pictures looked, I started being interested in it and of course I only concentrated on food for that was where I was good at ('til now).  When I bought my 1st Sony T2 Cybershot, I never stopped clicking eversince! Food, gigs, my pets etc.

It was not until this year when I decided to really study and learn the art and the technical side of it. Thanks to my elementary school seatmate turned good good friend/#1 blog fan/photography partner Frank Ruaya.. he's actually the one responsible for everything....(yes you really are! Grrrr!!)He seems to have this gift in tapping my talents....and pushing me to do better. He's even the one who suggested to try to write about other stuff other than food. He does a great job in motivating people so I really really respect him a lot! Because of him,  I became more confident with my articles and photos. We're just soooo addicted to pictures!  We share a lot of common ideas and beliefs about art and and life etc. I love hearing how he sees a photo in such a different way. I became an instant fan! His forte I believe is on portraits! I believe he's got a lot of talent waiting to be unleashed! I'm lucky to have met him again. Never thought we'd be friends again after 16 years. I'm just really lucky this year I guess! We would even have some sort of photo war where we would continuously take photos at each other using our respective cams...I believe he always wins! hahahaha

With the help of some of my camwhore friends namely LA and GREG, I finally decided to get my own DSLR camera last April 22. It's a Nikon D3000 cam. Named it Maggie and the rest was history!

Since then, my weekends became more colorful and meaningful for I get to share and capture precious moments with my friends. I wanted to understand my camera more so I enrolled at Sir James Nicolay's Basic Photography  class. I had to learn all about Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO etc. Phew! I never thought it would be that complicated! It's not easy to understand the settings. Using a DLSR is way way different from a point and shoot cam! With more time and practice..I know I'll be able to finally befriend the light.

I never thought how a simple photo would create such an impact on people. At first, I just wanted to take more pictures of food, people and about my misadventures but as time passes by, the more I aim for more meaningful and thought provoking shots. I began to seek for stories rather than plain subjects.Through my cam, I'm able to show people how I view the world in a different perspective. I can now make people see the things which ordinary beings would take for granted. Life started to have more meaning and I became more appreciative of my surroundings.

Let me show you some of my shots so far.. I'm still a beginner .. I know I need more practice!

My 1st ever macro shot using LA's Nikon D40 cam

A candid photo of me taken by LA on my 1st ever time to use a DSLR cam.










Here are some of my shots from my Portrait 101 class ....

   My teacher said I was more interested with the flower than the model. hehehehe

I love how the sun touches her skin. I'm proud to be morena!

Here's a candid shot I did while my classmates were so busy taking photos for our activity. hihihihi









 My teacher told me I was obsessed with objects and that my ideas were somewhat
"out-of-the-box"  Here are some of the objects which I find fascinating...

Forget about  people for a while... Frank and I find this photo fascinating for it captures the essence of this bright and colorful festival

A very simple subject with a profound meaning.. 

A nostalgic photo... reminds me of my grade school days.

I find this photo very playful.. very genuine..no pretensions...i wonder how many hands have used them.

I know this defies the rule of thirds and I'm not really sure which is the subject here but I like the beauty amidst the chaos in this photo.

There is something with this bench which fascinates me... funny how a simple object could give you
mixed emotions... feelings of sadness, longing for someone, emptiness perhaps.

I wanted to put my soul into this picture so I've chosen my favorite ornament to represent me.

There is still freedom amidst the darkness for each creature who seek the light.. I find this photo very symbolic.

Eversince I started this hobby, I've been more appreciative of my surroundings. Here are some of my landscape/nature shots..

Photos taken during my Basic Digital Photography Class held at the Technohub

I'm now a big big fan of cloud formations! I see them as God's paintings!

A candid photo of my mom under pretty clouds during a sunny sunny day!

Sunsets are just so magical! How I wish people would stop and appreciate them more. Here's a shot I took at the QC Circle during the magic hour.

People would often consider this as a useless weed.. but when you look closely, it's impossible not to see its hidden beauty.

..This just goes to show that we should all look closer and deeper to find and appreciate the hidden beauty inside every creation.

Perfection in brilliant tangerine!

Victim #1: the unknown mean cat I found wandering in our yard telling me to mind my own business!

Victim #2: A lazy little pup we met at the Fort! So adorable!

Food of course has always been my favorite subject....

Lucban's pride.. their famous longanisa!

Maggie's 1st food trip at Polly's

Nothing beats a delicate cup of  French Creme Brulee at the ROC while brainstorming!

A classic example of Man Vs Food.

Pasta on a dreamy romantic night...

Pasta on a bright and sunny day!

Crunchy colorful bruschetta's to tickle your taste buds!

The classic Filipino Bibingka... I love the heat of the charcoals plus the movement of the hands!

People make the world go round as the song goes.. so here are the portraits I've done so far..



Meet my cool "nanay" LA Dacula!











also.. meet "tatay" Greg Valerio... The enthusiasts  who introduced me to Photography








Candid photos of  street musicians during the Pahiyas Festival...

 An iconic shot I made showing the different side of my friend Frank in colored and black and white

Another yet iconic shot capturing Badeth's "naive yet funny mean girl" image

A simple and sweet shot of my new friend /fellow blogger Krissy in black and white.

A fun and colorful photo of my good pal Michelle Villas

A classic pretty pose by Blashnel (Frank's niece)

 Feel the Love... the hands says it all!

Of course being a camwhore myself, I also wanna be included in photos.. here are some shots of me taken by my good friend Badeth Compuesto (Frank's niece) Good job girl!!!!

Flowers are just so nice to look at!

I look so happy in this photo!!

This was during our fun shoot at the QC Circle! Great friends+camera= pure bliss!

I've always wanted a shot of me while writing... it's not really about writing but more of capturing my creative moments. I always write down all my ideas.. I usually write my crazy doodles and ideas at the back pages of my notebook while in class! I remember being caught by my teachers once in a while! hehehe I love this shot a lot for it shows the real me... a very creative being!

Care for some tea?

This photo is actually Frank's shot while we were having dinner at the ROC.

Capturing moments.. that's what it's all about! Moments, memories of life!

If only I knew the proper words to describe how I feel.. perhaps you can somehow feel them when you see my shots.

In the coming days, I expect to capture better pictures and come up with more creative concepts so I can share them all with you!

I hope I have given you good memories once again! See you next time!

ciao!