Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco – Page 96 – Rochkirstin

Review of Banana Leaf Asian Café (Robinsons Place, Manila)

For two consecutive Sundays, Louie and I had dined in Banana Leaf Asian Café for dinner at Robinson’s Place Manila (Ermita). From its outside appeal, I thought it was a restaurant only serving Filipino dishes (which I don’t like, sorry). But actually, it’s one that has modern Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, and Indonesian (not men) cuisine housed under one roof. On the table lies a small poster promoting Banana Leaf’s several awards year after year.

While I don’t get the difference between the two outlets Banana Leaf and Banana Leaf Asian Café (aside from the two additional words there), I can attest to the fact that both of them offer really good food. If you’re craving for a mix of Southeast Asian cuisine delights, this is the place for you.

In this review, I will combine both our dining experiences yesterday and one Sunday past that.

Review of Banana Leaf Asian Café (Robinsons Place, Manila)

Ambiance: ★★★★☆

The interiors–the chairs, tables and wall ornaments–made us feel somewhere like in Malaysia, Singapore or Indonesia. Everything was nice except for the smell of the air in the restaurant (maybe because of the mix of cuisines). You may get used to it, though, and ignore the weird smell after a few minutes. We called out to the waiters to get us plates.

We laughed as they pointed that the leaves already on our table were the plates. Oh, so this is the part where Banana Leaf stands by its name! The literal leaf plates contribute more to the authenticity of eating Asian. :> You can eat with your hands if you’re comfortable doing it so. The place is spacious and it can be accommodated by large groups.

Service: ★★★★★

We were able to snag a table at once. Upon ordering, the food were delivered to our tables even before the promised time. Their menu has diverse entrees cooked in Indian, Singaporean, Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Indonesian Style. You can be rest assured that there is something you will like. Given this, you may be have a hard time choosing for your order (like we had) from the 8-10 categories. Don’t rush and don’t fret. Waiters can patiently wait for you and/or advise food recommendations with their own stamp of approval. After two visits, I can say with confidence that their service is above satisfactory.

Food: ★★★★★

It’s a guarantee at every restaurant that there will be at least one dish standing out among all on the food menu. For Banana Leaf, it was the certainly the case of the Malayan Fish Curry. (You can order this Malayan Curry with choice of chicken, beef, seafood, pork chop or fish fillet.) The curry taste made me remember that of authentic Malaysian curry and made me especially miss the curry rice with fish I order every week after church service in Singapore. Banana Leaf Asian Café’s version was just so epic you just have to also try yourself.

Another noteworthy among all the food options was the Banana Leaf Spring Rolls, which I describe as small, bite-sized lightly fried Shanghai wrapped rolls with a twist–inside got more noodles instead of the usual pork and other tiny ingredients. It came with sweet and sour sauce which fit the rolls succinctly.

Next, we had Roti Canai Supreme Chili and Spring Onions, one of the staples on almost every customer’s list. This is an Indian-inspired dish, recommended for those looking for a bit of spice with their meal. I used to cook roti (without the chili) at home by heating only the bread with minimal oil on a pan. Banana Leaf’s rendition of the spicy roti canai is a fair appetizer for your palates.

Also taking the limelight was our main dish in the evening: Thai-style Coconut Gravy with rice. Our choice for the topping was fish fillet; other available options were chicken, beef, pork chop and seafood. The creamy coconut milk/sauce tasted heavenly and fresh. The texture of the fish fillets’ edges was crisp but was soft and tender in its inner core. It wasn’t anything haute cuisine but indeed really was great food.

Maybe the only entree that I did not like was the Spicy Korean Barbecue Chicken Steak. I only had one bite with its pinkish sauce and I already know it was not for me.

Last but not least in this review: The waitress introduced to us the Prawn Toast Singaporean Style, which we thought was literally toasted bread with prawn. What came out was like thin toasted kaya bread filled with sesame seeds. Plum sauce was served as dip. The overall unique presentation looked as appetizing as the real thing.

Price for Value: ★★★★☆

Banana Leaf Asian Café has become one of my favorite go-to restaurants whenever I’m in Robinson’s Place. Food is affordable. Prices of most individual dishes don’t go beyond PHp 200, and one dish has ample portions good for two people’s sharing.

When you don’t have a clue on where to eat and you know your stomach is grumbling for delicious food, try eating here and enjoy varieties of Southeast Asian cuisine.

Banana Leaf
G/F, Midtown at Robinson’s Place Manila, Ermita, Manila
Contact (02) 567-8188
Other locations

October 15, 2012

Why the Cybercrime Law in the Philippines is Bugging Me

Recently, news programs on TV are getting much dramatic and exciting than those series of fictional stories in telenovelas. Many people are getting more alarmed with the growing number of robbery cases, as the calendar pages flip fast to Christmas, the holidays season. (We know how Christmas is being commercialized every year.) The disputes on RH bill is still in the air. Another hot topic is that of the Cybercrime Law (Republic Act No. 10175) signed by the President on September 12, 2012. The Cyberbrime bill has hit its fever since, and protests to abolish it are still ongoing and will continue to push through till the first quarter of next year.

Acceptable offenses in the new provision (at least to me) are: illegal access of computer systems and data and system interference without right, illegal interception of computer data, misuse of devices, cyber-squatting, computer-related identity theft and forgery, cybersex, and child pornography.

I have mixed feelings on unsolicited commercial communications because as much as I don’t want to receive unwanted commercial communications (spam e-mails and texts or SMS marketing), this part of the law definitely will be a roadblock for those who are using social networking sites. Cheap marketing tools will be evaded such as that of Facebook photos used to tag potential customers, Twitter mentions to call attention of people in the network up to nth degree and other e-commerce technologies.

What will be the future of start-up entrepreneurs and companies who dwell much in these channels to market their offerings and promote their brand? To secure dismissal from being punished and charged by the law, they will have to spend a lot more for other safer and more traditional options to be able to reach out to a wider market online.

The most disagreeable section is libel. This is what madding netizens are deeply concerned about, actually. PNoy may have approved of it because destructive defamation or slander is bad. However, cybercrime law in this notion is hurting democracy, which is also bad.

My beef with the libel clause is that it can most probably become a tool for totalitarian control. Those who are in powerful positions will be protected at the expense of the weak, thereby sacrificing the citizens’ freedoms protected by the “democratic” constitution. In this perspective, libel becomes a civil problem, not a criminal punishable act deserving of imprisonment.

For a year, I had become an online journalist, writing not the black-and-white news report type, but the fluffy ones like reviews of products that are yet to be sold in the market. The intention was to help consumers decide on the best products to buy. I wrote both good and bad testimonials. And my publisher understood that bad things written about brands can affect the way people think about the products and in some way threaten its survival. Still, he stood by both good and bad feedback because they would all be for the benefit of the readers, the buyers.

I think the idea is the same. Negative reviews on products should not be put down because together with the positive reviews, they will help people weigh the value of their purchase. Likewise, bad, defaming posts should not be indictable because they largely contribute to a better and well-informed citizenry. Netizens publishing their warped and diverse opinions on the web may affect the reputations of certain personalities. Yup, that’s possible, especially now that online social media enable people to have a voice equal to or greater than traditional media. What’s important is for those personalities to prove these “false claims” (if any) wrong and establish really a heightened sense of demeanor.

“The price of democracy is eternal vigilance.” – Tito Sotto

This quote has two implications to me. One is that bloggers, meme-makers and other online content developers alike should be more careful on what they reveal. They must see to it that all are of good-natured facts staying behind the defamatory line. On the other hand, people in general should also be more careful of their actions if they don’t want to be bad-mouthed because democracy is pinned as open in the country.

For everyone: If your conscience is clear and you don’t have anything to be guilty about, then you don’t have to be in fear of what any living person will say. There should be no bitterness or rancor. At the end of the day, the truth will be known that will settle the doubts of Thomases.

For public leaders/servants of the nation: If you receive negative feedback, face the monster! Take a deep breath and dive into the problem. Reach into the root, feel the jitter, touch every surface and make yourself understand why people said them so. You are the one in power; you can use any medium to communicate and interact with the society. Empathize. Try not to be harsh. Strive for improvement to satisfy your clients—the judge of your actions, the nation’s citizens.

What do you think?

October 10, 2012

Notes in the Margins

The air has moderated some and these days have been warmer. It has been quite a while when I last wrote updates on thanksgiving. I’d like to start with thanking God for a nice Sunday morning, for keeping me and my loved ones safe every day, for giving me determination and urge to finish tasks at work, for hinting me on the best things and decisions to go for, for leading me to meet good people, for challenging me to strive for new goals and for really making me feel Your love.

The rest of this post tells about recent updates.

BB Cream

In August, I have become more conscious about make-up. Still, I want to achieve a “no make-up” look. I have read through forums and blogs for suggestions and reviews and asked salespeople from different cosmetics shops for the best solution to enhance my skin, particularly on the face. And their answer was the BB cream.

Since I was in Singapore, I have been tempted to try BB cream, a tinted moisturizer that gives a smidgen of light covering the skin with built-in SPF. But somehow I stayed contented with the daily moisturizer I was using at that time that also has sunscreen content. When it has all been used up, I thought it’s the perfect time to give way for the beauty / blemish balm cream.

I compared L’Oreal, Clinique, The Body Shop and IN2IT’s BB cream and decided to try IN2IT because the saleslady entertained and answered my questions about the product in the most convincing way. Aside from the sales pitch, three factors have helped me make my purchase decision: (1) Price: It was the cheapest among them all and its quality was okay. The single tube is priced at PHp 399, available in Watson’s, while the price range of the rest is PHp 500-1500. (2) BB cream originated from South Korea and Japan. It has become a trendy product that the Japanese use for supple, porcelain and young-looking skin. Thought bubble: IN2IT is a Japanese brand, so it will not fail me. (3) The pink princess-y packaging was so adorable!

IN2IT BB cream comes with two colors: ivory (for lighter skin tones) and sienna (for darker skin tons). So far, the ivory cream is blending well with my complexion (not oily or greasy, not sticky). The result is a matte finish without discoloration. I’m really happy with the product. It’s all I need to apply to get: waterproof foundation that helps whiten and brighten the skin; make-up base that ensures long wear for cosmetics; concealer that removes fine lines, blemishes and dark spots; sun protector that protects the skin against the UV rays of the sun with SPF 30 also to prevent damages by UVB rays; and moisturizer that keeps the skin moisturized with aloe vera and Vitamin E.

Daddy’s Walking Progress

On September 8, Daddy went for another surgery. He stayed in the hospital only for a day after the surgery, and we’re happy that his Achilles tendons were successfully fixed. He can now stand with both his feet flat on the floor (not tiptoeing on the side anymore) and he can slowly walk straight like any normal person does. The cement and stitches were taken off last week and soon he will be undergoing physical therapies to better his condition. Hallelujah!

Him dancing Oppa Gangnam Style would be a majestic number everyone surely awaits.

Work #busy #stress #pressure #fulfillment

Daytime job: The past four weeks have given me so much stress that I just want to snuggle up under my covers and doze off when I get home. I feel pressured with self-imposed milestones that have to be finished with my self-imposed dates and timelines. Oh well, I have to turn the world of idleness upside down because pressure is what keeps me going anyway. Right now I feel like I’m in the epicenter of growth, working on reaching my everyday goals written on my work journal.

Sidelines: Again, I thank God for strength and willpower that He has endowed on me to continue my writing endeavor. Making money online is not really easy. But with these gimmicks, I can spend only a portion of my earnings from part-time jobs and save the rest of the money from my real job for investment and for future significant expenditures.

I’m thankful that in spite of the busyness at work, my mind can still function given the little time I got to complete my assignments and tasks in these sidelines before the end of each day. The way I do it is synthesizing my mix-and-match master plan with best intentions to avoid getting my sight cluttered and push myself forward for the year and beyond.

And as if I’m totally not filled and cramped (yet) with heavy workload, I’ve started two blogs: Why Be Vegetarian and Ashitaba Plant hat I scheduled to be updated twice a week. Their main intention is to provide valuable and helpful content to people who need them most. My only hope for these new babies is to get increased organic search traffic, interaction and appreciation from visiting readers.

Shopping Spree

Mommy has claimed gift certificates for SM grocery store yesterday. Before buying groceries, we went shopping in SM department store. I bought two regular-priced belts and a corporate dress from a store consignor, and I got them with a 10-percent discount just when I showed my employee ID before heading to the cashier. It was a moment of glee and honor. Having special discounts is one of the reasons why I feel gratified to be part of this most prestigious retail company in the country!

Bonding with Mom is always fun! ♥

September 30, 2012

Mooncake Festival Dice Game

This weekend I played the dice game at two different occasions. One was with 明勝武術會 (Ming Sheng Wushu Association) held at Uno Seafood Wharf Restaurant last Friday at dinnertime. The other was with 旅菲南海九江同鄉會, our Cantonese family association, held at Crown Prince Seafood Restaurant today at lunch. Funny thing was these restaurants are just adjacent each other along Escolta Street near our place in Manila.

In both meals, creatures of the sea were mostly served, making my tummy happy. There were repeat items such as the suahe (river shrimps), the noodles we can’t veer away from and buchi—a rice cake made from sweet rice flour that is molded into shape with a sweet bean paste filling and sesame seed coating, which is absolutely one of my favorite desserts.

Here are the pictures of the food:

From Ming Sheng:

From Nam Hoi:

I will not further elaborate on each dish because this post is not meant to be a food or restaurant review but a sharing of the Mooncake Festival’s dice game.

Mooncake Festival (中秋節) is one of the most celebrated events in the Chinese calendar. The moon is at its fullest and roundest at this time. Family and friends gather to gaze at the moon, feast, eat mooncakes together and play the dice game.

Game of Luck Chance

The mooncake dice game or Pua Tiong Chiu was actually invented by pirate-cum-patriot Koxinga in Fujian, China to keep his homesick troops occupied. The tradition of playing this fun-filled game has been passed down to several generations. During the mid-autumn festival which happens in September, Chinese families compete for mooncakes by throwing six mahjong dices into a large porcelain bowl to win prizes.

When you have one four dots, you take home the smallest prize. When you have two of these four dots out of the six dices, you get the next smallest prize. Respectively, you attain the medium prize when you have three four dots. You become the winner when you get the four four red dots or five dice of the same kind regardless if it’s four dots or not. Special prizes (e.g. next to the jackpot prize) can be claimed when you get the dices 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or when you get four dices of the same kind.

People say that when preparation meets opportunity, luck happens. But with this game, you can’t really prepare and practice to get a good result of the dice combinations. All you can have are chances. You can try to throw with different styles, if you believe certain fancy dice-throwing techniques and hand movements will make you “luckier”. Just make sure there is no dice that bounces out of the bowl because by so you’ll lose a turn. Click here to know more about how to play the dice game.

In traditional Chinese homes, prizes offered are cookies and mooncakes. In modern settings and among the elite, there are technical gadgets and appliances that are given away. In our case, mooncakes were out of sight; prizes were all snacks and money! I won one Soyfresh cappuccino-flavored soy milk, one Soyfresh chocolate soy milk, bread pan and PHp 360 after about two hours of playing in each game. ♥

September 23, 2012

Review of Xin Wang Hongkong Café (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

Last time we were in MOA food hunting, we were ensnared by the design and colors of Xin Wang Hongkong Café. Apparently, it’s now Manila’s finest Hong Kong-style café. While I thought that Xin Wang originally came from Hong Kong as hinted by its name, I was wrong. It gained its roots from Singapore! Here is the link to its branch locations in Singapore.

I have been around all these places. But how come I have not noticed this super nice café-restaurant before when I was living there? I guess I was too busy looking for pure vegetarian restaurants or those serving local dishes…

Anyway, moving on, I have learned this branch in SM Mall of Asia is its first in the Philippines. Website reviews say that if you can’t fly all the way to the different Asian countries, “Xin Wang is the next best thing to take a food trip down to Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai and Singapore.”

Review of Xin Wang Hongkong Café (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

Ambiance: ★★★★★

The walls, decorations, lights, fixtures and everything else were feisty. When we were inside, we somewhat felt like we were really dining in Hongkong, Macau, Shanghai or Singapore. Every table was filled with guest diners, and waiters were literally running their way to serve customers with satisfaction. Xin Wang is a busy restaurant with minimalist, friendly and alluring ambiance, far from the ones we frequent in Chinatown.

Service: ★★★★☆

The security guard and not the waiter opened for us, and he also was the one who asked for the count of each group diners. As said, waiters were too busy attending to hunger calls of everyone that their job of receiving guests fell to the guard’s post instead. This is okay, as long as we were entertained well. The displeasing factor was when Mom ordered a glass of house water three to four times before it was given.

Food: ★★★★☆

Because we are authentic Chinese, we go to Chinese restaurants almost all the time since we were little. Mom and the rest of the clan cooks Chinese food, and the same Chinese food is devoured whenever we have family celebrations and gatherings. So unless there’s really something special to the restaurant dishing up oriental-inspired food, we’d be too tired to give Chinese cuisine a try.

Xin Wang Hongkong Café proudly showcases the flavors of Hong Kong’s diverse cuisine. Its pictures on the menu are so nice and vibrant that we can’t just let the food pass without sampling them. There are Asian culinary delights, of course, such as dimsum, traditional curries, stews and succulent viands with rice. But there are also Western cravings with plates of sizzling chicken and pork chops slathered with gravy some French Fries and fried egg, as well as thick pillow-soft French toasts.

We ordered cheese baked rice with fish fillet, prawn and egg with hor fun, HK steamed mushroom chicken bamboo rice, and one plain rice. The crispy fish fillet came together as one with the mozzarella cheese and the baked rice tasted great. However, I prefer Swensen’s version of the same dish. The prawn and egg hor fun is a wet noodle dish that tasted just the same as the familiar seafood hor fun we have in our palates. The difference was that it was overflowing too much in a delectable sauce that comes nowhere close to the usual wet stir-fry rice noodles we have.

Next was the steamed mushroom chicken bamboo rice, one of their house specialties. I saw many other customers order the same. It contained only little bits of chicken and more of mushrooms and vegetables. I did not taste the bamboo flavor as I expected, but every morsel was overall okay. Mom mixed the sauce from the hor fun dish to the bamboo rice and it became even more fantastic.

For the drinks, we had iced HK ying yong (combination of coffee and milk tea) and iced grass jelly with lychee and nata de coco. Mom had especially researched on the ratings of these two drinks on the web. Ying yong is a signature drink that café regulars are raving about. I have to say that it’s REALLY good! The other one was also a likeable treat, but it has nothing unique taste-wise. The glass was just nice to hold because it was in the shape of a vase.

Price for Value: ★★★★☆

Prices of our ordered dishes ranged from PHp 195 to PHp 225. Drink was PHp 75 each. Total food bill amounted to PHp 417 only when original price without the discount was PHp 817. (Mommy bought us a voucher from Ensogo that gave us a discount of PHp 200.)

Without the Ensogo voucher, I would have to rate this three over five stars because clearly the dishes are relatively expensive considering the serving size. Still, Xin Wang Hongkong Café is a commendable and recommendable restaurant for hanging out with friends and family for any meal and any occasion. There are still more unique dishes to try out so we’ll have to give it another visit next time. :-p

September 23, 2012

Love Being Vegetarian!

Just because we’re vegetarians does not mean we have limited food choice and we can’t be as creative. True, it’s harder to find good restaurants offering vegetarian-friendly dishes. Also, it’s harder to think of variants to cook and prepare every day. But because of the Internet, we can access YouTube and other blogs out on the web and get to be inspired to try dishes that are originally blended and made with meat. Samples are Filipino favorite dishes such as adobo, paksiw, kaldereta, dinuguan, kare-kare, Bicol express, mechado, and so much more. Tonight we went Italian. Here’s what we had for dinner:

Eggplant Lasagna

Whoops! Edges bit overcooked:

Recipe was inspired by the following video:

Our version had ricotta cheese on top of each layer of lasagna noodles with tomato sauce, chopped sauteed minced garlic and diced onions, button mushrooms, thin-sliced eggplants and dried basil leaves, a large helping of cheddar and a sprinkling of Parmesan all under a blanket of melted mozzarella, baked at about 350 degrees Celsius, covered in foil for about 25 minutes.

(That was the longest sentence I ever typed in this blog, for the record!)

The taste of the basil leaves was most outstanding. I bet this hearty and flavorful lasagna would appeal to both vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

September 15, 2012

Labor Day 2009, a.k.a The Day We Got Together

This is another repost from Multiply.

Date: May 1, 2009, Friday
Venue: Trinoma, a local mall that has become one of the crossroads of assimilation, stomping grounds for opinion and an unfolding drama of telenovela proportions

“Kayo na ba?”

Followed by faces dying to know the answer, this was the million-dollar question people have been asking/nagging me of sooo many times before like a broken record. Hanging them by their tails, I just shrug them off with a smile—every time.

Upon reaching Trinoma [at 3PM], Louie pulled out a big plastic bag from the car front seat. When asked, he said that it was a birthday gift for a friend we’ll be meeting at around 9 or 10PM. I thought to myself, “Ang late naman, di ba uwian time na un?” Nevertheless, I didn’t utter anything back and instead countered with a second thought: “Sige na nga, okay lang… siya naman kasama eh.”

As he had not eaten enough for lunch, he first quenched his hunger by eating a regular-sized shawarma. Then, we strolled along the crowded passages of the mall, talking about anything under the sun as usual, with topics ranging from the stolid to the sentimental.

When the clock ticked to 20 minutes past six, we moved our way to T.G.I. Friday’s for dinner. After dinner, we’ve carried on with our sweet nothings and some random things—until 9pm came. He asked me if I wanted to see the gift (in the plastic bag) before he hands it to his friend. I said okay, and before I knew it, he had torn down the scotch tape and removed the staple wire plastered on the bag. Whoa! How would he repack the gift and return the plasters back in place when he had not brought any of the materials for packaging?

With a devilish look on his face which seemingly tells “O! Na-trick na naman kita!”, he said that it was actually a gift for me. Again, I was caught by surprise.

He let me guess what the box contains. I had no idea. Like a cake box, it was square, colorful, bright and girly. I was sure the gift was neither edible nor easily perishable because he had been carrying it the whole time. After shaking the mysterious box, I felt that it contained something like a book. I wondered what book he would he possibly give me after letting me read a copy of Les Misérables. One thing I was certain: as much as it was interesting, the gift was something special as he had made it with myriads of shades of heightened swirls and convolutions.

Keyed up, we opened the gift together.

It was a scrapbook of our memories—page by page harking back from the day we had our first conversation (January 11, 2008) and recollecting the events and moments we’ve shared, until the very last page which was marked “May 1, 2009, the day where it all begins.” To cut short, the last line read that it was time. Time for what?

This would be better described if I use his words:

“Surely, this was time for something. Then, Louie moved closer to Roch. This was definitely the time for it.” Finally, Louie asked…

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes.”

And the rest was history.

92 Comments

ipili wrote on May 2, ’09

hehehe. i’m happy for you,roch 🙂

frrraaan wrote on May 2, ’09

Aww, Roch 🙂 So happy for you! 🙂

andrewmelliza wrote on May 2, ’09

whoaaaa grbe louie is that you??? hahha wow congrats sa inyo dlwa hehe ang sweet

andrewmelliza wrote on May 2, ’09

CONGRATS ROCH AND LOUIE heheh akalain mo yun si louie hahaha

blissfulangel wrote on May 2, ’09

aww, congrats!:D:D:D

paperstainer wrote on May 2, ’09

Congrats Roch!

dboogeyman wrote on May 2, ’09

YEEEESSSSSS……. sila na ohh….! BAGAY!!! congrats! :))

kae44 wrote on May 2, ’09

wow!! congrats!!! 😀

sheramf wrote on May 2, ’09

after the long wait….natalo niyo pa ata wedding nila juday at ryan e.. :)) wish you all the best!=)

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

andrewmelliza said

CONGRATS ROCH AND LOUIE heheh akalain mo yun si louie hahaha

haha di nga akalain :))

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

thanks all 😀

iszhatot wrote on May 2, ’09

omigod.. kilig!! 🙂 im so happy for you roch! 🙂 congrats 🙂

okelli wrote on May 2, ’09

congrats ate roch and kuya louie! 😀

katetung wrote on May 2, ’09

congrats roch! sweet nmn nia!=)

moochiedg wrote on May 2, ’09, edited on May 2, ’09

congrats!!!!!! God bless you two!!! power couple! cool!!!

jacqchin wrote on May 2, ’09

OMG! had goosebumps while reading this. dalaga ka na talaga. we couldn’t have been more happier than atsi dolly. hehehe. basta cherish every moment, especially yung many firsts together- the kilig moments. (yuck) cause pretty soon, the “kilig” stage will wear off so enjoy it while it lasts. have fun together!dapat pala hinuli ko kayo sa trinoma! hehehe.anong tawagan nyo? bikoko din ba? hahaha

ainetherese wrote on May 2, ’09

roch!!! ang sweeetttt!!!:D:D congrats!:D how are you na?:D

hautechick wrote on May 2, ’09

SOOOO CUTE!! The genius and cute couple! 🙂 I didn’t know that Louie can be so sweet! HAHAHA. Roch inferno, your love story’s written as if it’s an article ready to be published on our school newspaper! HAHA.

hautechick wrote on May 2, ’09

And meron pa talaga “Bitin” factor, nasa ibang blog pa. HAHAHA. I’m so happy for you!! 🙂

gwatsmiles wrote on May 2, ’09, edited on May 2, ’09

Rochie ah!! hahaha di mo ko binalitaan, ngayon lang rin ako nakaonline. But before anything else…..CONGRATS Louie-Roch! 😀
Sabi na nga ba eh…hahaha nahulaan ko na! I’m so happy for both of you! 🙂 Also, the idea of the gift is very romantic 🙂

jamiee wrote on May 2, ’09

haha katuwa naman =)

wilexander wrote on May 2, ’09

gratz2x.. Godbless sa inyu.. =)

stargazersss wrote on May 2, ’09

awwww… so sweet 🙂 Congrats Roch and Louie! stay happy 😀

ongr wrote on May 2, ’09

haha i couldn’t believe louie could be like that hahaha be happy just don’t get married to early hahaha

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

jacqchin said

OMG! had goosebumps while reading this. dalaga ka na talaga. we couldn’t have been more happier than atsi dolly. hehehe. basta cherish every moment, especially yung many firsts together- the kilig moments. (yuck) cause pretty soon, the “kilig” stage will wear off so enjoy it while it lasts. have fun together!

dapat pala hinuli ko kayo sa trinoma! hehehe.

anong tawagan nyo? bikoko din ba? hahaha

haha wala, by name lang 😀

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

hautechick said

SOOOO CUTE!! The genius and cute couple! 🙂 I didn’t know that Louie can be so sweet! HAHAHA. Roch inferno, your love story’s written as if it’s an article ready to be published on our school newspaper! HAHA.

haha grabe school paper. haloo tls, di eto for publishing ah :))

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

ainetherese said

roch!!! ang sweeetttt!!!:D:D congrats!:D how are you na?:D

thanks. i’m fine. ojt na. yee onga ang sweet :))

negative8 wrote on May 2, ’09

rochkirstin said

haha grabe school paper. haloo tls, di eto for publishing ah :))

Sayang naman kung di natin ipupublish! Haha, joke!Napa-“awwwww” ako sa kwento mo. Good luck sa inyo! 😛

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

gwatsmiles said

Rochie ah!! hahaha di mo ko binalitaan, ngayon lang rin ako nakaonline. But before anything else…..CONGRATS Louie-Roch! 😀
Sabi na nga ba eh…hahaha nahulaan ko na! I’m so happy for both of you! 🙂 Also, the idea of the gift is very romantic 🙂

kahapon lang un. sobrang antok na ako kagabi para magbalita sa bawat isa :)) thanks, g. miss you na! wahaha

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

negative8 said

Sayang naman kung di natin ipupublish! Haha, joke!

Napa-“awwwww” ako sa kwento mo. Good luck sa inyo! 😛

kakatuwa ka naman. thanks. miss ko na rin tls, jeff!, and ikaw! haha di na ako makabalik ng school 😐

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

hautechick said

And meron pa talaga “Bitin” factor, nasa ibang blog pa. HAHAHA. I’m so happy for you!! 🙂

syempre para maiba naman haha. thanks nadj. 🙂

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

dboogeyman said

YEEEESSSSSS……. sila na ohh….! BAGAY!!! congrats! :))

mukhang tuwang tuwa ka glenn haha :))

hazecie wrote on May 2, ’09

yeees dalaga na ang anak kooo!! ^_^
stay happy =)

andrewtan10 wrote on May 2, ’09

hay nako late na ako pero i have 2 comments!
1. anak ng tokwa hahahahha nambitin ka pa hndi pa tinuloy!!!! ahahhaha
2. Well grabe super astig kayo! hahaha Ingatan nyo isa’t isa ha 🙂 o ang Pride will always be here for the TWO of you haha 😛

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

wow thanks naman andrew :)) di ka pa late nuh haha ung ibang Pride mas late

jcbi7 wrote on May 2, ’09

yikee kakilig uber hehe. 😀 god bless and congrats hehe. stay happy and grow more with each other! hehe. 😀 nakakakilig tayu kayu hehe. may bitin-bitin pa hehe.

whattamenjapo wrote on May 2, ’09

ouch.HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA =))congrats sa inyo 😉

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

whattamenjapo said

ouch.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA =))

congrats sa inyo 😉

ouch? awww jp :)) hahaha thanks

whattamenjapo wrote on May 2, ’09

rochkirstin said

ouch? awww jp :)) hahaha thanks

di ko inexpect eh. nasurprise ako mxado.biglaan sobra. HAHAHAHAHA

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

whattamenjapo said

di ko inexpect eh. nasurprise ako mxado.biglaan sobra. HAHAHAHAHA

haha kaya pala un ang status message mo??

whattamenjapo wrote on May 2, ’09

rochkirstin said

haha kaya pala un ang status message mo??

hahaha yup yup! ako n lng single sa group! :(( hahaha

patty02 wrote on May 2, ’09

congraaattss roch! 😛 kinikilig ako for u. HAHAHAHAHA 😛

milts wrote on May 2, ’09

Congrats Roch and Louie!Antayin ko nalang yung weddding invitation nyo ha? Hahaha!Wish you all the best! God bless!

germaineteh wrote on May 2, ’09

Wow congrats Roch! XD

rochkirstin wrote on May 2, ’09

okelli said

congrats ate roch and kuya louie! 😀

thanks dcee haha kuya louie lang, hindi “ate” roch 😛

pochiquieng wrote on May 2, ’09

stay happy=P

omimiw wrote on May 2, ’09

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. : )
pakilala! : ))

1anism wrote on May 2, ’09

really great story 😀 weeee!

febieznayn wrote on May 2, ’09

awww, cuuuute! congrats 😀

dumdee wrote on May 2, ’09

Very thrilling yng narration may pabitin pa with the link =p haha Congrats to you both =) Haven’t met you yet Louie pero heard a lot from ure cousins (Siocos) nakoo matutuwa mga yun =) This will be a story that I’ll follow =)

jeffesperanza wrote on May 2, ’09

Congratulations!!!Andrew & Roch: Magpapa-HelpDesk Announcement ako sa DLSU… hahaha

falconite wrote on May 3, ’09

jeffesperanza said

Congratulations!!!

Andrew & Roch: Magpapa-HelpDesk Announcement ako sa DLSU… hahaha

haha jeff, nasa maling site ka ata :))

falconite wrote on May 3, ’09

dumdee said

Very thrilling yng narration may pabitin pa with the link =p haha Congrats to you both =) Haven’t met you yet Louie pero heard a lot from ure cousins (Siocos) nakoo matutuwa mga yun =) This will be a story that I’ll follow =)

cousins? really? like who? haha

falconite wrote on May 3, ’09

rochkirstin said

thanks dcee haha kuya louie lang, hindi “ate” roch 😛

haha, bata pa ako 😛

rebanene wrote on May 3, ’09

NAKS! Congrats to you both!! 🙂

naughtyallie wrote on May 3, ’09

what else can we say… hehe.. CONGRATS!!!!
Stay happy!

rochkirstin wrote on May 3, ’09

omimiw said

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. : )
pakilala! : ))

haha maybe next time.

rochkirstin wrote on May 3, ’09

jeffesperanza said

Congratulations!!!

Andrew & Roch: Magpapa-HelpDesk Announcement ako sa DLSU… hahaha

haha help desk? :)) nakakatawa naman eto.

rochkirstin wrote on May 3, ’09

milts said

Congrats Roch and Louie!

Antayin ko nalang yung weddding invitation nyo ha? Hahaha!

Wish you all the best! God bless!

thanks milts! matagal pa aantayin mo hahaha

andrewtan10 wrote on May 3, ’09

whattamenjapo said

ouch.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA =))

congrats sa inyo 😉

ow no JP??!! hahaha

allie22 wrote on May 3, ’09

aww.. ang cute naman.. Stay happy! =)

carouy wrote on May 3, ’09

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.kinilig ako! hahaha ganda ng pagkakwento! i’m soo happy for you! yeekiee!

migxz wrote on May 3, ’09

OMG!! OMG!! OMG!! honestly! kinikilig ako ngaun!!!! hahaha.. super! congrats roch!! haha.. sa inyong dalawa! haha.. wooohooo!! 😀

desjane wrote on May 3, ’09

awwwww 🙂 stay happy!! 🙂 miss u rochelle!

vanzmarco wrote on May 3, ’09

I’m last again haha…well that’s coz I went out of town this weekend haha…no worries, I’m still one of the first to “realize” something existed bet. you two hahaha. Plus, formality lang toh…matagal na “kayo” hahaha 😉 There is only one thing left then…when will you give out the invitations on “YOUR” day? wahahaha

rochkirstin wrote on May 3, ’09

migxz said

OMG!! OMG!! OMG!! honestly! kinikilig ako ngaun!!!! hahaha.. super! congrats roch!! haha.. sa inyong dalawa! haha.. wooohooo!! 😀

haha naffeel ko nga pagkakilig mo migxz! kakatuwa ka :))

rochkirstin wrote on May 3, ’09

vanzmarco said

I’m last again haha…well that’s coz I went out of town this weekend haha…no worries, I’m still one of the first to “realize” something existed bet. you two hahaha. Plus, formality lang toh…matagal na “kayo” hahaha 😉 There is only one thing left then…when will you give out the invitations on “YOUR” day? wahahaha

hai vinci di ka talaga nagpapatalo ever hahaha 😛

rochkirstin wrote on May 3, ’09

ongr said

haha i couldn’t believe louie could be like that hahaha be happy just don’t get married to early hahaha

yes boss 😀 haha

chopin09 wrote on May 3, ’09

speechless . . . . . . .

bebsy wrote on May 3, ’09

wow! parang wedding proposal na!!! joke lang! that was sooo sweet! soo happy for you, you’re blooming! =D

alexiz428 wrote on May 4, ’09

hahaha atsi at last lumabot na heart u whahaha. Good Luck sa inyo. kay ahia louie dapat makilala ka na namin tsk tsk hahaha kami ba wla copy? whahahaa. so sweet naman! wish you all the best..

xtiandavid wrote on May 4, ’09

hands down! lufet ng proposal!:)

rochkirstin wrote on May 4, ’09

alexiz428 said

hahaha atsi at last lumabot na heart u whahaha. Good Luck sa inyo. kay ahia louie dapat makilala ka na namin tsk tsk hahaha kami ba wla copy? whahahaa. so sweet naman! wish you all the best..

at last lumambot heart? haha bakit di ba? :)) tska anong copy?

gwatsmiles wrote on May 4, ’09

rochkirstin said

kahapon lang un. sobrang antok na ako kagabi para magbalita sa bawat isa :)) thanks, g. miss you na! wahaha

so panu ba yan, next na pagkikita natin…dun dun dun….hahaha as couple na kayo! miss you too! 🙂
yahooooie =p

collectivity wrote on May 4, ’09

ok.. as usual.. late na nmn ako sa balita.. hahaha! congrats roch!.. and give my regards to louie n din.. =D

starbfly wrote on May 4, ’09

awww.. late ako sa balita.. HAHAHA.. congrats sa inyo!!! God bless..:)

rochkirstin wrote on May 5, ’09

@steph and lee: ok lang nuh. thanks! God bless 😀

vanzmarco wrote on May 5, ’09

rochkirstin said

hai vinci di ka talaga nagpapatalo ever hahaha 😛

YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT wahahaha…when I’m right…I’m left haha…ok I know it’s corny but you know what I mean 😉

rochkirstin wrote on May 5, ’09

vanzmarco said

YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT wahahaha…when I’m right…I’m left haha…ok I know it’s corny but you know what I mean 😉

yes of course i know you well 😛

mkaryl wrote on May 6, ’09

nasira ko ba moment nyo nung ginulo ko kayo? :))
super dikit na dikit si louie sayo nun ah! hahahahaha!

henshel8 wrote on May 15, ’09

Congrats, grabe.hehe:) buti naman at kay louie napapunta si roch.hehe:)) good luck sa inyong two! sobrang dami ka ng ikkwento sakin roch. grabe.. spill more details ah.haha:)) see you!

bumibumi wrote on May 28, ’09

suspense naman ung click here to read more =))
sobrang natawa ako dun ha hahaha :))

bumibumi wrote on May 28, ’09

oh shucks ang sweet pala ni louie >:) =))

peterpiper00 wrote on May 28, ’09

Congrats! hahaha

falconite wrote on May 29, ’09

bumibumi said

oh shucks ang sweet pala ni louie >:) =))

yah, you should know, ur my avp 😛

lextra wrote on May 31, ’09

Hahahaha Roch-ang..sorry ngayon ko lang nabasa itong blog mo! Ngayon ko lang naalala! Haha….schweet ha!!! =) You finally found THE guy…took u yrs, sweetie! I’m happy for you! Malapit na birthday mo! Let’s meet up so i can do a house call or something. =) Miss u!

rochkirstin wrote on Jun 1, ’09

bumibumi said

oh shucks ang sweet pala ni louie >:) =))

haha sweet din naman kayo 😛

rochkirstin wrote on Jun 1, ’09

lextra said

Hahahaha Roch-ang..sorry ngayon ko lang nabasa itong blog mo! Ngayon ko lang naalala! Haha….schweet ha!!! =) You finally found THE guy…took u yrs, sweetie! I’m happy for you! Malapit na birthday mo! Let’s meet up so i can do a house call or something. =) Miss u!

sure haha miss you too

somethingfishy wrote on Jun 7, ’09

hi roch. I’ve always wondered cause I’ve been seeing his pic. as your ym avatar. i was just too shy to ask. haha. kinilig ako sa nabasa ko. :> congrats, roch! (late na naman ako as usual). 😛

rochkirstin wrote on Jun 7, ’09

somethingfishy said

hi roch. I’ve always wondered cause I’ve been seeing his pic. as your ym avatar. i was just too shy to ask. haha. kinilig ako sa nabasa ko. :> congrats, roch! (late na naman ako as usual). 😛

haha ok lang nuh. thanks ice 😀

September 4, 2012

Valentine’s Day with Louie 2009

Since Multiply is shutting down as a social networking platform soon, I have to migrate my photos and blog posts to Facebook and Blogger respectively. Starting December 1, 2012, Multiply will focus only on its niche of being an e-commerce portal.

Stefan Magdalinski, Multiply CEO, has issued this formal announcement:

This is a repost from one of my Multiply photo albums.

Date: February 14, 2009, Saturday
Location: Serendra

We were not girlfriends and boyfriends back then yet. Louie has not been to our house. On this Valentine’s day, he planned for a surprise—meeting me at our very doorstep. Unfortunately for him, his plan didn’t turn out the way it should. At 2:16PM, he said through he was sorry for he will be an hour late (4PM instead of 3PM). But nine minutes after, he sent a text saying that it was only a joke. Actually, he was already waiting outside our house.

I went down and looked for his car.

Left.

Right.

Clearly, it was out of sight.

So I called him up. He said he was right outside our door—on the right floor but wrong tower! Good thing he did not ring the bell. We met at the lower ground parking lot, and he was carrying a humongous bouquet of flowers. I left the flowers at home with him then rode our way to Serendra.

It was raining then, but as if the gods and goddesses of the skies had casted spells on the weather in a split-second, the rain had stopped the moment we arrived. The place was a sublime sight even for the bleary-eyed.

It was a day away from the ordinary.

Oh, scratch that.

It was an ordinary day; he just made it special. ^^

46 Comments

midsh wrote on Feb 15, ’09

Awww. . sweet 🙂

hautechick wrote on Feb 15, ’09

YICCCCKKEEEE. HAHAHA. :))

teejskiepoo wrote on Feb 15, ’09

happy

migxz wrote on Feb 15, ’09

ooooooooooooooooo mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm gggggggggggggggggggggg!!!

ok, exagge ng reaction ko! haha.. :))

sweet! 😀

rochkirstin wrote on Feb 15, ’09

migxz said

ooooooooooooooooo mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm gggggggggggggggggggggg!!!

ok, exagge ng reaction ko! haha.. :))

sweet! 😀

haha migxz exagg nga 😛

blissfulangel wrote on Feb 15, ’09

Ayiiiiiiie! I still can;t get over his “See you on the 14th” message to you. And his harana too. Ayiie!<3

andrewmelliza wrote on Feb 15, ’09

wow nice one hehe kala ko di nmn ma witness ano nangyari sa date nyo hehe buti nlng nag pic ko hehe

milts wrote on Feb 15, ’09

perfect combination la la la la la! hahaha! yun parin masasabi ko =p

whattamenjapo wrote on Feb 15, ’09

wow! bago ba toh??!?! bat wala ako alam?!?!?!? HAHAHAHA

gwatsmiles wrote on Feb 15, ’09, edited on Feb 15, ’09

pag nagkita tayo rochie, i’ll just give you a smile…=Dayieeeeee. so sweet 🙂

jfdelacruz wrote on Feb 15, ’09

dapat gabi kayo pumunta…nandun kami nung gabi…mas maganda nung umaga…kasi nandyan din ako nung umaga hahaha… nung gabi may kumakanta sa itallanis and dami doggy and malamig hehe

sheramf wrote on Feb 15, ’09

goodluck sainyo roch!=)

ongr wrote on Feb 15, ’09

I KNEW ITTTTTT HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. why didn’t you wanna tell me man?

prettykim04 wrote on Feb 15, ’09

louie’s the man!

collectivity wrote on Feb 15, ’09

yikeee! omg.. happy vday to d both of u! =)
kakakilig nmn

paperstainer wrote on Feb 15, ’09

nice…

“petals from the helicopters”

saya nman nun!

starbfly wrote on Feb 15, ’09

yihee!!! happy valentines day!!! 🙂

rochkirstin wrote on Feb 15, ’09

jfdelacruz said

dapat gabi kayo pumunta…nandun kami nung gabi…mas maganda nung umaga…kasi nandyan din ako nung umaga hahaha… nung gabi may kumakanta sa itallanis and dami doggy and malamig hehe

haha di maintindihan kung anu talaga mas maganda, gabi o umaga 😀 dami ngang dogs

rochkirstin wrote on Feb 15, ’09

whattamenjapo said

wow! bago ba toh??!?! bat wala ako alam?!?!?!? HAHAHAHA

anong joke yan? :)) haha kaw nga yata ung umalahokan (town crier)

rochkirstin wrote on Feb 15, ’09

blissfulangel said

Ayiiiiiiie! I still can;t get over his “See you on the 14th” message to you. And his harana too. Ayiie!<3

onga, super unexpected :))

jeffesperanza wrote on Feb 15, ’09

louie… team contract violation, failing to inform your C/O about “this”
hahaha… Good Luck for both of you!

rochkirstin wrote on Feb 15, ’09

jeffesperanza said

louie… team contract violation, failing to inform your C/O about “this”
hahaha… Good Luck for both of you!

haha kasali ba un sa contract? tsktsk :))

hazecie wrote on Feb 15, ’09

ayiiiie roch… dalaga ka na tlaga!!! ^_^

vanzmarco wrote on Feb 15, ’09, edited on Feb 16, ’09

*no comment*…ok I can’t help it…4 words…I TOLD YOU SO…I am rarely wrong when it comes to my gut instincts…wherever I go, BABALIK AKO FOR…you know what 😉 WAHAHAHAHAHAHA

kae44 wrote on Feb 15, ’09

aaahhhyyyiiieee..=D

falconite wrote on Feb 15, ’09

nice caption :P. Chaka
“Actually ordinary lang ung day.. he just made it special. ^^”
awww… 🙂

pengfei wrote on Feb 15, ’09

goodluck to the two of you =) hehehehe super kakatuwa… =)

rochkirstin wrote on Feb 15, ’09

falconite said

nice caption :P. Chaka
“Actually ordinary lang ung day.. he just made it special. ^^”
awww… 🙂

“nice caption”syempre haha 😛 mumuness

negative8 wrote on Feb 15, ’09

Sweet namaaaan!Baka may magselos. :))

jcbi7 wrote on Feb 15, ’09

yikee!!! more power to you guys!! hehe. 😀 cute cute niyo together!!! 😀 sweet mo roch!! 😀 yikee. hehe.

rochkirstin wrote on Feb 15, ’09

negative8 said

Sweet namaaaan!

Baka may magselos. :))

hahaha we’ll see :))

jennylynso wrote on Feb 15, ’09

hahaha… roch:) swweeeeett….

bumibumi wrote on Feb 15, ’09

yikee

jeffesperanza wrote on Feb 16, ’09

falconite said

nice caption :P. Chaka
“Actually ordinary lang ung day.. he just made it special. ^^”
awww… 🙂

louie… team contract violation, failing to inform your C/O about “this”
hahaha… Good Luck for both of you!

omimiw wrote on Feb 16, ’09

awwwwwwwwwwww. 🙂 cutiepay sangyboo… 🙂 very happy for thee! :DDD

omimiw wrote on Feb 16, ’09

kamukha nga niya talaga yung pinakita ko sayong vid ng friend ni justin :)) sabihin mo baka related sila. hahahahaha

falconite wrote on Feb 16, ’09

jeffesperanza said

louie… team contract violation, failing to inform your C/O about “this”
hahaha… Good Luck for both of you!

haha… whatever 😛

rochkirstin wrote on Feb 16, ’09

omimiw said

kamukha nga niya talaga yung pinakita ko sayong vid ng friend ni justin :)) sabihin mo baka related sila. hahahahaha

di na nga yata kamukha haha

stargazersss wrote on Feb 16, ’09

awwww 🙂 super sweet! 😀 i’m kinikilig hahaha.

rochkirstin wrote on Feb 16, ’09

vanzmarco said

*no comment*…ok I can’t help it…4 words…I TOLD YOU SO…I am rarely wrong when it comes to my gut instincts…wherever I go, BABALIK AKO FOR…you know what 😉 WAHAHAHAHAHAHA

wahaha sweet mo naman 😛

carouy wrote on Feb 16, ’09