Quick Bytes..

i'm going on a diet! lol

My lifestyle recently underwent a very drastic change. For the past two years, I have been going on 24-hour hospital duties that are sometimes so hectic and busy. Often, I’m unable to eat on time and I lack sleep. Coupled with a very active lifestyle, my weight just hovers the below normal range. I may look thin to some but my body mass index or bmi is still within normal limits. If you wanna check your own bmi, here’s a free bmi calculator for you.
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Anyway, last June I decided to go on hiatus from the medical field. So now, for the past two months, I’ve been a bum at home. No more 24-hour duties, no more running around the hospital hallways, no more missed meals and sleep deprivation. My life has become sedentary, save for gardening activities and doing household chores. I just bet my basal metabolic rate or bmr has decreased, which is the starting point in gaining weight. Wahh, that’d be nightmare!!! If you’re as health conscious as me, you can check your bmr with this free bmr calculator. Hope your bmr is way better than mine, hehe! :p
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Aside from my life going sedentary, yummy food is available to me 24/7! Goodness! My low bmr and increased food intake will definitely equal to weight gain, huhu! =( I don’t wanna gain weight coz it won’t match my petite figure. Thus, starting today, I promise to watch what I eat and count the calories. And of course, I promise to be active again. No more sitting in front the pc for hours. Gotta move baby! =) The pics above show my lunch for today -- spiced ham sandwich with lettuce. HEALTHY!!!

Snackaroos 4: Jolleepies!!

Nope, the title is NOT a wrong spelling of a popular fastfood chain’s yummy Jolly Pies (I adore their pizza and tuna flavors which is often not in stock, why oh why??). Jolleepies by Goby is a Davao homegrown pastry product which we discovered just last week. Labsie and I were going out NCCC Mall’s main entrance when we caught a whiff of pizza. Our noses led us to an ongoing food expo in the mall’s atrium. And there it was, a free sampling of delicious looking savory mini-pies! I tasted one piece and whoa!! I fell in love immediately with the flavor – pizza underneath, creamy cheese and a hint of beef on top. 

Labsie felt the same and decided on the spot to buy 1 box. He loves the pies, no doubt about it! I eagerly asked the salesgirl how much is 1 box and she said it was P42 for beef and chicken pies. It contains 6 pieces and I calculated, P6 for 1 mini-pie?? A pie that was just 1.5-2inches in diameter with about 1cm of delicious filling? Hmm.. Undecided, I popped another free piece and that sealed my decision. We bought 1 box of beef savory pies, still warm and smelling oh-so yummy! There it is, 6 pieces of mini-heaven in a bite!

The pies don’t look much but trust me when I say they are worth the price. With 2 pieces, you’d feel full but still wanting more. The crust is good but lacking the buttery taste that I have come to associate with excellent soft piecrusts. Yesterday, Labsie and I introduced Mama to the Jolleepies. She bought 2 boxes. What can I say? She loved it! My brother also loved the pies and demolished 1 box that Mama bought but, like me, he also balked at the P6 apiece tag. Let’s just say being a cheapskate runs in our blood. We’re Chinese after all, hehe!

As you can see, the pie boxes can also serve as gift boxes if you wish to give it to someone. The box has a To & From tag and is colored red, perfect for any occasions! In our country, red is a lucky color and we often wear red clothes during our birthdays and other important occasions. Anyway, Jolleepies also come in other flavors. For those who have sweet tooth, they have durian, buko, buko pandan, crema de fruta, choco cream, ube, ube macapuno and mango pies. Labsie and I didn’t try any of it, we don’t crave sweets unlike most Pinoys. Other savory flavors (aside from beef and chicken) include tuna, sisig, garden fresh beef (with vegetables), and garden fresh chicken pies. Yum!! Can’t wait to try all the savory flavors! =)

One last peek of the super-delicious Jolleepies! Mmm good! Buy now and spread the word guys! It’s still available in the NCCC Mall atrium but I don’t know for how long. You can also get it in the following places:
>Main: #11 Circumferential Road, Marfori Heights, Davao City (082-3031332, 0910-3858441)
>Matina Highway Branch (082-2971289)
>San Pedro College Branch
>San Pedro St. Branch (besides Lachmi)

tempura-han

Yes, this is the tempura-han. It's basically a sidewalk in the end of Rizal Boulevard near the pier that comes alive after 4pm. Rizal Boulevard is Dumaguete City's premier street fronting the sea and turns into a nightspot at night. It is lined with hotels and restaurants at one side, and by the sea in the other. During the afternoon, tempura vendors setup their "stores" at their staked spots as seen above. They put plastic chairs (the ones without back serve as tables), cooking paraphernalia and voila! They are now ready to vend the P1 per piece tempura, and sometimes they have softdrinks and beer to accompany it.

The "table" and the tempura. I forgot to take pictures until I nearly finished it, lol! As you can see the tempura is pretty big, unlike the ones sold in malls. But the best part of the Dumaguete tradition is the view. I already said this place is seaside.. and guess what?? It is also the side where the sun sets! I smell wonderful seaspray, I hear waves lapping, I watch the turmoil of the seas and ships and Siquijor Island.. and the most wonderful of all, I get to see the spectacular sunset! =)

Siquijor Island, a ship, and the sunset. The perfect end to a day of hard work in SUMC's Surgery Department.. At the cost of only P20! =)

CRAZY JACK!

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Ever had a very busy day that you have no time to seat down and eat a proper meal? Or you've been wanting to watch this certain movie and you're so OC that you need to watch it from the start yet you're very hungry and need mucho nourishment pronto or else a titanic headache will set in? Well, mon cheri, THIS BLOG IS FOR YOU!
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CRAZY JACK SANDWICHES
Location: area fronting SM Foodcourt, near Bayo
Why am I impressed: Their bread are healthy, flavorful, soft and the textures go so well with the fillings! They are using hoagie bread (gourmet version of the hotdog bread) and whole wheat bread. Healthy, as I said. The menu is varied and the sandwiches come in beef, fish, chicken, ham, crabmeat orders! Some are shown in the pix, looks absolutely yummy noh?? Wabsie and I already tried Beef Pastrami (more beef pls! hmmp!), Crazy Tuna (if u hate fish smell, don't try this. absolutely fishy! hehe!), Mr. Jack (wabsie's fave, i think. he's sooo into beef), Hickory Chicken (very flavorful!) and Red Crab (not in pix. my fave! perfect bleding of crab flavor, mangoes & other stuff). I think they offer about 8-10 sandwiches and you have the choice to add wasabi to your order for that extra zing. For some people, the prices are quite high (P45-80 for a sandwich??) but let me tell you, it will satisfy your hungry pangs. And given its large-ish size, there's enough carbo, protein, fats, vitamins & minerals (veggies abound!) to last your body for 2-4 hours. Just enough to tide you over while watching a movie =D
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The orders are wrapped in sandwich paper, much like the fastfood burger wrappers and placed in a transparent plastic bag (which u can reuse as a baon bag, hehe!). The order is ready in about 5-15min, depending on the quantity. Sorry for the blurred pix, I took the shot while inside the cinema (before wabsie can devour the sandwich!) so I had to rush-rush w/o focusing lest the cinema people find out I have a cam inside and confiscate it! Ackk! Anyway, it's the checking guard's fault. He should have inspected my bag contents better. Hehe! Oh well.. =D As for Crazy Jack, it has become our essential foodie when we're in SM. It's the best meal we can have while watching a movie and not ruin our appetite for the real meal afterwards (yellowcab 4-cheese pizza pls!! hehe). Their bread is perfect but it's still a hit-&-miss for their fillings. I must be able to try it all first before I can say they have the best-tasting sandwiches (irregardless if it's beef, tuna, etc) on this side of Davao. So wabsie when's our next SM-Crazy Jack foodtrip?? Got 3-5 sandwiches to cover pa!

postscript: discovered this food stall late last year and came back very recently (SM is not accesible to me coz the main hospitals where i have my duties are all in downtown); they started last July 2005.
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Snackaroos 3: RIBBON FRIES

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I'm back guys! Miss me? I should hope so! Hehe! We're now on the last Snackaroos snippet featuring the super-delish and out of this world Ribbon Fries! I discovered this last November 2005 when me and my med school posse were buying our respective merienda in Gmall. I frequent Living Bread in front the grocery for their simple yet yummy lye bread and pretzels when lo and behold! There's this stall in front of their entrance with a hand-driven machine churning out twisting ribbons out of 1 potato! The result? A continuous potato ribbon very much like a slinky! *how i wish i had a pix of this!* Of course, I was enthralled. Their visual imagery was too much! Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to buy that time coz my posse were in a hurry and the potatoes were still being cooked. Disappointed, I resolved to come back. And come back, I did! So. Many. Countless. Times. Just like many of their other patrons. Many times, I have to wait for 5-10 minutes to get my order. Their product is that addicting and fun to have spawned a loyal following in so short a time!
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RIBBON FRIES
Location: Gaisano Mall lower ground floor, in front the Living Bread Bakery (near Goldilocks)
Why am I impressed: On the risk of sounding repetitive, I must say their fries (if you could call it that) taste markedly different from all the others! It's crunchy (owing to its thin cut, it's a ribbon after all!) and flavorful much like our fave Potato Chips or V-Cut but made fresh and fried with canola oil. The fun thing is in eating the fries, it's a twisted ribbon so it's either you eat all the ribbon bunch one time or break it off in smaller pieces. FUN! =D As with NYFD, the fries come in 4 sizes (forgot the names! dweeb!) with affordable prices: P16, P25, P30+ and P49. I usually buy the P25 size which satisfies my hunger without spoiling my appetite for dinner. You see I usually buy it when I'm off from San Pedro Hospital (at the back of Gmall) after 5pm and I eat it all before going home. Don't want my co-passengers in the Mintal jeep salivating -- and salivate they will if they saw me eating the crunchy-licious ribbons!
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Oh, I nearly forgot! Each order comes with your choice of dip but the choices are sooo limited! They have mayo, catsup, cheese and garlic. Thank god they have garlic! Which, of course, I rate as their best dip. Yeah, I'm biased! So?? This is my food blog! Hehe! Mayo and catsup are so-so! Their cheese is also good but I think it's just Cheez Wiz. Did I spell that right?? Hehe! One good thing in Ribbon Fries is that their stall handlers are friendly. They are calm under pressure especially when the buyers are all clamoring to be given their orders as in now na talaga! Hmmm! All in all, Ribbon Fries is one unique and delightful product that tastes sooooo d@mn good! If only they'll have more dips! Preferably garlic-based please.. ;p
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Snackaroos 2: NYFD!

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NYFD? The New York Fire Dept? The first agency who responded when the Twin Towers were hit in the 9/11 attacks and thus suffered mass casualty when the building collapsed? Of course not! What would they do in a food blog?? Still, I salute all the firemen and firewomen who lost their lives in trying to save the lives of others. Mabuhay kayo! But I digress, again.. :p NYFD stands for New York Fries and Dips. Many of you are probably familiar with this especially if you frequent NCCC Mall in Matina. NYFD began their operations 3rd quarter of 2005 but I only discovered them November 2005 via DavaoSale (the ultimate online buy&sell portal here in Davao!). And damn, their fries are so HOT! The dips? Even better!!! So read on and salivate fries-aholics, hekhek!
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NYFD
Location: 1st floor, in front the NCCC Mall entrance near Jollibee, underneath stairs (hard to locate at first.. they should transfer!!)
Why am I impressed: Their fries are hand cut (why am I so fascinated w/ hand-____? hand popped corn & now this!), large in size and so tender yet malaman. I can't get over the feeling of the texture of their fries in my mouth, so different from all the fries I've tasted! They fry the fries in canola oil (correct me if I'm wrong) which is healthy and leaves a unique flavor. Yum! I'm the one salivating here, shucks! Should buy one later, hehe! But the best part is their dips! They have so many varieties to choose from and my absolute fave is the one with garlic. I just adore garlic! To my enemies, that's the absolute proof that I'm not a blood-sucking bitch no matter how many times you may call me that. Hahahahaha!

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Back to NYFD.. The fries come in different sizes petite, size 2, size 3 and grande! Petite is always unavailable but I tell you it won't satisfy your cravings if you're a fries-aholic. As for sizes 2 & 3, I forgot their names! LOL! I always buy size 3 which costs P60 but it's worth it =D size 2 is good if you wanna try NYFD first. And if you can't get enough of their delish fries, go get the grande! Costs a whooping P80 but it's definitely money well-spent! Pwamis! NYFD also has other products like vegetable fries, toppings, onion rings, etc. But these are always unavailable! I've been bugging the stall handlers about the onion rings but all they can say is that there's no stock yet. Arghhh!
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The most unique thing about NYFD? Their packaging! We've grown up with fries in paper or carton pouches that absorbs the oil which of course transfers to the hand holding the fries. Yech! Major turn-off if you're on a date and is amenable with holding hands with your partner. Hehe! But with NYFD, nothing like that happens! Coz they place their fries in lined paper cups! Can't get the picture? Think of coffee cups in dispensing machines, the hot choco cups from donut shops, and the likes. Thus, your hand stays oil-free (except the one for eating fries, yum!) which is best for HHWWPSSP in the malls. Hehe! ;D Famous last words: NYFD RULES!!!
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Snackaroos Galore!

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My first relevant post! LOL =D And it will be all about our favorite munchies with a twist! I'm sure most of you are addicted to fries and popcorn. But sometimes it can get boring to forever eat McDo (however yummy it is!) or Jollibee fries (tastes better!), and popcorn in cinemas too -- no matter how many flavors there are. And so I'm introducing 3 innovative products that came out in Davao malls late last year and early this year. These are franchises from Imperial Manila, natch!
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HOLY KETTLE CORN : the taste of heaven is just another bite away!
Location: near Chowking-Gmall, 3rd floor Gmall near Zagu
Why am I impressed: THE BEST POPCORN I'VE EVER TASTED! I discovered this last Friday (I think it was their soft opening too) and I bought 3 small bags within 2 days. I was that addicted! Maybe there's shabu there or some addicting stuff that keeps you coming back for more. Hehe! Their claim to fame is that their popcorn is hand popped fresh everyday. Take note, hand popped! Not the usual popping we see in mall popcorn stalls.  And it's affordable too! The small bag I've been buying is P25; it's small to look at but was enough to satisfy me in one sitting. There's also a big bag but I don't know how much it is, forgot to ask! Their popcorn is that delicious that you forget to ask important details. Natch! :p Ingredients are (and I quote from the package) "imported corn that becomes round when popped, natural sugar that is sweet, natural salt that is not sweet, and oil that does not mix well with water." How fun is that?? So what are you guys waiting for? GO BUY!!! 
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