Once Upon A Time

“Only one can break the curse, and only one knows the truth.”

Just like any other kid, I was also once very imaginative and I’d like to believe that I still am until now. I was and still is mesmerized by the mere thought of castles, royalties, fairies, magic and even dark powers. Those fancy stuff are part of my phase as a child who believes in fairytales beyond doubt. I even remember having all kinds of classic story books a kid knows. They even come with beautiful boxes and cases. I didn’t know what came into me and my sisters. We destroyed all of them in a heartbeat like outraged monsters. How perfectly dreadful!

For a stretch there I thought I’ve already gotten to grips with my enchanted mind’s eye, but here I am grappling with it all over again in spite of everything. A few weeks ago, I browsed YouTube for some trailers of new Hollywood TV Series that could get me hooked. I found only a few, and one of them is ABC Studios Production’s Once Upon a Time. The title itself thrilled me to watch for it. The series now has seven episodes. I’m still on the fifth, and I’m totally riveted by it. I can’t wait to see the developments of this new favorite show of mine.

Centers on a woman with a troubled past who is drawn into a small town in Maine where the magic and mystery of Fairy Tales just may be real.

Once Upon a Time stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, and many more. It revolves around the classic characters from fairytales that were trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen – Our World. The main characters are Snow White, Prince James, the Evil Queen and Emma Swan (Snow and James’ daughter). For a little information, Emma is considered to be the savior who is destined to break the Evil Queen’s curse and to free our beloved legendary fellows from the spell of not knowing who they really are.

If that hint sounded vague to you, I suggest you spend time with the Once Upon a Time and I’m quite certain you’ll be drawn to it. Anyway, before I end this piece let me share you some points about the show that fascinated me a great deal. First, is that it made me become a kid again. Why, because almost all my favorite storybook characters have connection with each other in this series. I also like that Snow White is not the dainty damsel we know. Here, she’s the independent and strong girl type who isn’t afraid to fight if necessary.

The second thing is the moral I get from each encounter the individuals of this story has. Just like in every classics, the most important thing we can gain after reading them is the lesson learned. For instance: “Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing.” You can have some more if you watch it. The third would be the production’s effort and expertise in coming up with a huge show like this on TV that I can compare to an epic movie. Two thumbs up to them! I hope it will reap more supporters, and of course, longer telly life span.

PS: I also heard in the local news that there actually is a Filipino in the cast. I haven't seen him yet, but they said he plays the role of one of Snow White's 7 Dwarfs -- Bashful. I'm just so proud of him!

Merry Christmas Darlings

MERRY HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

"There are no strangers on Christmas."

Consider this image that I personally made as my Christmas card to all of you. I hope you like it! I also hope you'll all have a fabulous celebration tonight. I'm ultimately stoked for 12 midnight. Mom prepared some goodies like Blueberry Cheesecake, Lasagna, Mango Delight, Queso de Bola, fruits and of course the star of the Noche Buena -- our favorite Ham from Swiss Deli. Let's get it on tummy baby! I can't wait to dig in. 

One more thing that made me happy tonight is when my boyfriend came to visit me. Although it was just a two-hour fleeting one, it still caused a 100-watt incandescent smile in my face. I'm glad my family's OK with him now. Thanks Mama and Papa. And by the way, it's also his 23rd birthday tomorrow. I'll post about the details of our Christmas and New Year bash in the days ahead. God bless and have a great time!

Joyeux  Noël !

Train of Thoughts

This is my new blog header. How do you like it? I really love creating stuff like this.

I'm having this stupid blogger's block again, and it's totally giving me a lot of stress like it's all there is to live for. It's a big deal that it actually caused me to have bruxism which is a medical term for teeth-grinding. What the fudge! Another source of anxiety I had was when I found out that one of my Facebook friends actually used my four year old blog name as her online shop's site name. What a copy cat! I freaked out and seethed! I didn't want to engage in a petty quarrel, so I confronted her in the NICEST way possible. I told her this:

Hello there namesake! Thanks for showing your appreciation towards my blog name (which is Mystic Nymph), and even using it as your Facebook username. My blog just turned four last December 10. If you want to visit my blog, here's the URL: http://mikimotoangel.blogspot.com/ I also have a Facebook Page that you can find in this link:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mystic-Nymph-Blogspot/159620428950

It may seem like I sounded such a bitch by lifting up my name, but I'm just telling her the truth in a decent way. I dealt with it constructively. I'm pretty sure that I am the original Mystic Nymph. And besides, this name  is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Philippines License. She's lucky I'm not some kind of a whore who would hold out for her and curse her like she's the most evil person in the world. I'm assuming  she still haven't read my personal message, because I still haven't received a reply from her.

I could use a break from that scary bit so, I let myself loose at Abreeza Ayala Mall (despite the rainy day) and had some unforgettable gastronomic trip with my boyfriend. We also bumped into some of my friends. What a small world! It was nice seeing you there Maicie, Regina, Christine and Tessa! Ciovic and I had our scrumptious lunch at Bigby's Cafe and Restaurant. We feasted upon Belly Busters Food Platter. It consists of "The ultimate combo of their famous barbecued babyback ribs, grilled rodeo chops and smoky pork belly, served in one heaping platter with garlic rice, buttered veggies and crispy onion rings." What a blast!

I now present you our photos...

With Maicie and Regina. Photo taken by Christine Bayang.

I love this photo even though it's hazy.

Belly Buster

Close up shot of the pork belly.

Bigby's Cafe and Restaurant

We strolled and window shopped for more than an hour, and ate again. We snacked on McDonald's Large Fries, Apple Pie and hot coffee. We definitely spoiled our tummies today. This day is like Ciovic's pre-birthday celebration. He's turning 23 on Christmas Day.

Mc Cafe's Hot Coffee

Large Fries

Apple Pie

KATRIOVIC

What I wore:

Blouse: Kamiseta

Sweater: Cherokee

Pants: Egoist

Oxfords: Parisian

Bag: Secosana

Cameo Studs: Thrifted

Watch: Ice

Postscript: Please support my boyfriend's band HIGHWAY DRIVE by liking their Facebook Page. They are also the one and only Davao band who made it to the Top 12 Breakthrough Act finalist of Y! Rocks Philippines. They gave pride to our city, I should say. They got to play on the same stage with some of the country's rock music icons like Salamin, Ney Dimaculangan of 6 Cycle Mind and Ebe Dancel of Sugarfree last December 8, 2011 at SM City Davao Parking Lot C. I'll give you the link of their video performance once Y! Rocks releases it. I can't wait to watch it!

To my followers and new visitors, I apologize if I haven't payed your blog a visit lately. I was just too bummed these past few days. I will surely make it up to you as soon as my system gets back to normal again.

SVS: Year-End Gift from MODISCH

MODISCH is an online shop from Cotabato City, Philippines that caters the budget-friendly needs of ladies who relish fashion. Their goal is to provide women from all walks of life with carefully handpicked thrifted clothes and pre-loved vintage items. This chic haven is co-owned by one of my blogger buddies Ayza of Everything NICE and Totally ICE and her bestfriend.

As a gift for the support of their "LOVES", they are inviting everyone to take part in their year-end promo by simply liking their Facebook Page. With that, two lucky trend-setters will get a chance to nab a fabulous pair of SUELAS shoes. The winners will be drawn via Random.org. Promo ends on January 1, 2012. Don't forget to hit the "LIKE" button on their page. Best of luck!

Post script: For orders, you can reach them through ice2kill@yahoo.com or add Ice on Facebook. I hope she doesn't mind if I post her personal FB details here. LOL!

Sunday Affair

Before I begin, let me just get off the subject a bit. I'm not supposed to blog yet, because my mind and my heart are still not in order. I'm confused, and I feel ill. To tell you the truth, I'm seething since last week. I'm stewing over something, or should I say someone. It was like my reptilian brain kicked in and wanted him to grovel and admit defeat. I'm so peeved through his thick skull.

I already cried it all out, and I felt better after that. Now I can smile and goof around as usual, but I still can't stop thinking about it. Thanks for lending me your ears Janine. You're such a loving sister! I just wish though that we ("opponent" and I) could talk about it productively soon. I am determined to hash out our disagreement and give him a second shot, but he has to EARN it.

I felt giddy with joy because my family did something that made me consign what happened to oblivion even for a day. We celebrated my sister Mikee's 12th birthday last Sunday by going to church together, dining out and shopping. We ate at Roadhouse Cafe at SM City. I've always wanted to bond with my stomach and palate there. Thanks to my mother for granting my unspoken wish.

What I like about Roadhouse Cafe is the eye-popping interior design. It looks very sophisticated because of the finely arranged table settings. I love the paintings and frames of vintage vehicles they have all over the place. This restaurant is elegant enough to make diners think that the menu will cost them a lot. 

Roadhouse Cafe serves scrumptious Filipino and Western cuisine. The items on their menu usually starts at 200php approximately. Another thing that I love about this resto is their accommodating staff. They attend to our every queries and needs without a trace of indifference from their pleasant-looking faces.

I wasn't able to take photos of us, because I got too shy to do so. I just did food photography instead. The following are the dishes that we dug in mercilessly...

CALAMARES

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

KARE-KARE

SOTANGHON

CHOCO CREPE

THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRANT - MIKEE

We would have their famous steak dishes, except that each one costs 200+php/100 gram. At that time, the least gram they had was 400g. That would definitely cost us too much. We'd rather spend the money on something else. Leaving that aside, the food was delicious especially the Chicken Cordon Bleu and Choco Crepe, but they're not as sinfully delectable as I expected. Their plating is also a little boring. Sure I have high expectations on specialty food spots like this. I could say Mom's Kare-Kare is better than theirs. Gotta love my own, eh?

Roadhouse Cafe is located at G/F, SM City Davao Quimpo Blvd. Ecoland, Davao City, Philippines. 

PS: Speaking of food and restaurants, Bigby's Cafe & Restaurant is celebrating its birthday week this week. Avail of their buffet tickets now

Boredom Busters

Not being in school, means being in a rut! Being busy about something is always better than being busy doing nothing. I actually miss the feeling of being swamped with academic stuff. I miss whining about it, I should say. Just staying at home doing the same thing over and over again is beginning to kill me. I need to have some fish to fry. In other words, I'm dying to be employed. It really is true that human beings never get satisfied with what they have, where they are and whatnot. I'm cringing, cause I'm guilty as sin.

You see, I have this place all for myself every weekdays from 8am to 5pm. Aside from trying so hard to revise my thesis manuscript, all I do is just surf the web, download/watch movies and TV series, listen to my music library, think of what to cook for lunch, work on my household assignment, stare at oblivion, and worry about my safety. I'm like a slob! Those activities may not be exhausting, but they're unproductive. But anyhow, now I'll be sharing again the things that bust the boredom out of my system.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL: "Devastated Peter takes a Hawaii vacation in order to deal with recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah. Little does he know Sarah's traveling to the same resort as her ex ... and she's bringing along her new boyfriend."

WAITING FOR FOREVER: "A Hollywood-set romantic tale of a guy who is content to live his life without a job yet with the love of his life, a young actress."

THE LYING GAME: "The show follows Emma (Chando), a kind-hearted foster kid who cant catch a break. She finds out she has an identical twin sister, Sutton (also played by Chando), who unlike Emma was adopted by wealthy parents and is seemingly living an ideal life."

MAMA's HOME MADE GOODNESS

PUNK GOES POP 4

uTorrent

JUNIOR MASTER CHEF PINOY EDITION

PINOY BIG BROTHER UNLIMITED (Season 4)

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: "A family of three move from Boston to Los Angeles as a means of reconciling their past anguish. They move to a restored mansion, unaware that the home is haunted."

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I just finished downloading Community Season 1 and 2 -- Season 3 coming up next. I'm also currently downloading some episodes from Grimm (NBC), Once Upon a Time (ABC) and Teen Wolf (MTV). Let's see if I'll get hooked to these shows as well. I'll let you know.

In other news, I had a great day yesterday with my buddies. Hollers out to Ate Jael, Maicie, Christine, Ed Ralph, Ate Cyndi and Ella. I enjoyed some serious and mature conversation I had with Ate Jael and Ed Ralph. The dinner was also fantastic with all the hearty laughs and inane talks. I'm so glad I got to be close to these crazy and fun guys before I left UP. When my batchmates graduated, I promised to myself that I will be a full-fledged anti-social creature. However, they came into my life and saved me from solitude. That sounds so melodramatic, but it's really what I feel for them. I'm looking forward to be with them in the year-ender gathering we're planning to hold in Samal this 11th of December. I hope Mom allows me to have a sleepover somewhere this time.

Images used in this post are not intended for copyright infringement.

Mama Bet’s Cook Book: Mixed

Baked Penne Pasta

Mom prepared this mouth-watering pasta as the main dish for her 51st birthday. She used San Remo Penne Pasta, Magnolia Processed Cheese (not sure with the name), ground beef, bell pepper and a little bit of Mc Cormick Spicy Italian Pasta Blend. The process is just the same with that of Baked Mac, I guess.

Crinkles

With my continuous pestering, Mom finally called the shots at letting our sweet tooth sink in these tasty crinkles during the long weekend. It was her first time to bake cookies so there were still some flaws. I’m pretty sure that with more practice, she’ll be able to perfect this recipe. She used Bensdorf Cocoa Powder for this.

Vegeroni Pasta

This is a Carbonara style pasta dish. Mom used San Remo Vegeroni Pasta. I find it so cute because it has three different vegetable pasta shapes and colors. Pardon the photo quality because what I’m talking about isn’t that visible in the picture provided. We had this for our Halloween celebration, by the way.

Mango Delight and Red Velvet Cake

I honestly didn’t enjoy the Mango Delight, because I am totally not a fan of fruity cakes and I don’t like mangoes. The one and only mango recipe that I have learned to love is Mango Float, and nothing else. About the Red Velvet Cake, Mom thought that the sourness overpowered the sweetness. Try again next time, Mom!

Waldorf Salad

This one’s supposed to have lettuce, but Mom forgot to buy some. Too bad, eh? I could have loved this salad better, if there were greens. As you can see, she made use of walnuts and fruits like apple and grapes. She also added raisins, cheese and of course the most important ingredient – the mayonnaise.

‘Til next time connoisseurs! I'm stoked to blog about my Mom's next kitchen adventures. Oh, don't forget to leave a word if you'd like to be a guest writer for my newest blog series. Ok? See you then!