Hi everyone! How’s your December going? Do you have the Christmas spirit yet? Have you started your shopping? Kwento, kwento! Here’s a bunch of non-sequitur stories as I get back into the groove of blogging.
I’ve started gorging myself on chestnuts. I try not to eat too many because I feel bloated afterwards. It’s hard to control popping these into your mouth! My sisters and I enjoy discovering “twin chestnuts” — two chestnuts in one shell. I haven’t had any luck on that this year.
H, my in-laws and I had a great dinner at Dampa sa Libis last weekend. Shrimp tempura, steamed crabs, calamares, salt and pepper ribs, sinigang sa miso, lato, manggang hilaw with bagoong… the works. I think it’ll be a while before we return. I can still feel the effects of that huge feast! When we left the airconditioned eating area, I checked out the Dampa sa Libis bulletin board. One of the pictures looked familiar and so I walked towards the board. Aba! It was my blog entry about Dampa sa Libis. They printed out all three pages of the entry AND all the comments. My mother-in-law was so excited she approached the head waiter and told her I wrote the entry. Shouldn’t I get a free meal or something? Heehee. He said Marketing was in charge of those things, not him. Well, I didn’t mind not getting anything. It was just pretty cool seeing my entry up there. Sassy’s Dampa sa Libis entry on Pinoy Food Talk was also posted.
But the truth is while I felt pretty good they put my entry up there, I was a little bit annoyed. If they had found that entry on my blog and saw that there was a place to leave comments, couldn’t they have left a comment saying they were putting it up? Ah well, the perils of writing online. A little thank you would have been nice.
Have you been to Chaikofi at the SM Mall of Asia yet? Go, go. I love their cozy ambiance, the delicious food and the wide selection of tea and coffee. I’ll write about it in detail soon. For now, some quick tips: Order their pesto pasta — creamy deliciousness. Their Sate Babe was also very good. My Mom’s Chai Tea was a bit weak; it was more milk than spice. My Captain’s Pot fried chicken was so-so. They said it was the house specialty but I liked the pasta more. Details soon! You can find Chaikofi at the ground level of the North wing. Don’t get lost now.
I still don’t feel the Christmas spirit. I have done some Christmas shopping and have given out some presents already, but there’s still something amiss in the air. My Mom’s Christmas decor is cheery and pretty. The smiles on my officemates’ faces when I gave them their presents were precious. My sister’s giddy smile when she tried on my present was cute. The Christmas carols on the radio are a-plenty. The bright lanterns on the street are festive. But there is something missing. I still have the Christmas blues. I’m not trying to get rid of it. It’ll go away on its own. I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster lately. I’m cheery one minute, the next I’m just really sad. And really tired. I hope this goes away soon.
I recently joined MySpace to keep up with the blogs of my favorite The Office cast members. It’s fun reading their blogs. If you’re on MySpace, let me know!
Thanks to everyone who left suggestions for Meme: Mementos. (See previous entry) Now I know what will keep me busy for the next few days. 😉 I’m going to enjoy putting that picture list together!
Have a great week everyone!
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
mare
December 5, 2006 at 2:14 pm (17 years ago)Hmm, you would think that they’d give you at least dessert complimentary! Or at the very least contacted you about posting it on their board.
Don’t worry, soon enough the holiday will hit!
tanya
December 6, 2006 at 6:01 am (17 years ago)naks naman! hahaha! gosh i miss dampa! i loooooooooooooooove that place sooooo dang much! Obviously miss ko mga lutong pinoy. Especially pag puro seafood!!! grabe na ito! Seafood is soooo expensive here.. kainis!
Lissa
December 6, 2006 at 6:52 am (17 years ago)Wow galing Toni. Sikat ka! hahaha pero oo nga, they should’ve given you a heads up that they were gonna put it up there.
rowie
December 6, 2006 at 10:33 am (17 years ago)Sikat!
If you enjoy eating at dampa, you might want to try the dampa at Farmers Market in Cubao if you haven’t already done so. It’s cheaper than Dampa sa Libis and there are more choices. Someone I know also theorized that the food may be fresher at Farmers since it’s a real market so the turnover may be quicker.
missyosigirl
December 6, 2006 at 11:24 am (17 years ago)*drool* parang gusto ko tuloy kumain sa dampa
ngayon ko lang nafi-feel yung christmas rush… not necessarily the christmas spirit hehe. i still haven’t shopped for gifts and i have no time to go to divi na waaaaaaaaaah!
maan
December 6, 2006 at 11:26 am (17 years ago)xmas blues still with me toni, but your xmas card put a smile on my face! thanks dearie! mwah.
Junnie
December 6, 2006 at 12:50 pm (17 years ago)pagtapak ko sa Pinas, magiging kumpleto na ang Pasko ko
mySpace? meron ata ako nung 2004 pa, i just forgot what my username is
Jerome aka Bridget Jones
December 6, 2006 at 1:07 pm (17 years ago)i will start a meme. show me your tree!
Lisa Sabrina Ambrose
December 6, 2006 at 2:10 pm (17 years ago)Hi there! I lurrrrve ur blog! Its so pretty..and I think it’s very patriotic and wonderful of you writing and blogging about your city/ country. Simple but nice. I am planning to bring my family (7 of us) for a Christmas family vacation in Manila. What better way to have the Christmas feeling!!? We are looking at the town areas with lots of shopping, arts and dining and where we can discover the essence of Phillipines. Any suggestions?
Via
December 6, 2006 at 7:15 pm (17 years ago)Sama naman ng Dampa!
You should try Taste Asia inside the new SM Hypermart. It’s a little more expensive but it’s very clean and fully airconditioned. The service is also quite good esp. if you get the bading waiter that’s so funny and machika. 
Hay, di ba I told you I have the Christmas blues too? I think it’s because we are getting older and also maybe bec. we are both questioning the same thing…
rach
December 6, 2006 at 9:34 pm (17 years ago)Hi Toni. Nakakatuwa naman that they posted your blog entry about them. It would have been nice if the manager personally went out of his way to thank you and have given you a complimentary dessert. Perhaps the waiter did not convey to the manager that you were dining there.
Ang sarap naman ng mga sinabi mong food. I feel really hungry now. haha! I haven’t been to Dampa lately. Nakaka miss tuloy.
My Dad loves chestnuts that’s why I always remember him when I see chestnuts being roasted.
Aranas
April 29, 2007 at 2:28 pm (17 years ago)You guys should try Chaikofi. Aren’t you tired of hanging out at starbucks or figaro? Starbucks nowadays is full of trying-hard teenyboppers who spend their money just to give other teenyboppers a hint that they are as sophisticated as those celebrities. Figaro does no good at all. Their menu only offers a few selection of drinks. Unlike chaikofi, they will offer you a menu that is as thick as a book (of course the text is not as small as those you can find on a book) and you will surely have a hard time picking the best one. You have a date and you still don’t know where to treat her? Just go to chaikofi dude!!
PS: the design of chaikofi in robinson’s differ from the one in mall of asia. Chaikofi in robinson’s looks more like a fastfood restaurant.
Tonny
January 10, 2022 at 3:46 pm (2 years ago)Nice sharing for people who are working on food niches!