dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

Addicted. I'm so addicted to this saga that I have a copy on my mobile phone (jar format) and on my hard drive (pdf format). A hardbound copy is still on my wish list (because I still don't have a budget to buy it). Most would think that I'm just another teeny-bopper-pa-cutesy-pa-tweetums-fan, maybe I am, but I'm not that fan who wears "I love Edward/Jacob" shirts. I'm happier with just reading the whole saga and watching the movies. :) Personally, The Twilight Saga is not a literary masterpiece but a creative masterpiece. I love how Stephenie Meyer recreated the idea of vampirism as immortals who can be compassionate to humans. I tried reading Anne Rice before but one book was enough to scare me that I could not sleep after finishing the book. Yes, I'm a natural scaredy cat. But after reading The Twilight Saga, I imagined having a vampire boyfriend isn't at all scary. I lost count of how many times I have read the saga, but each time I do, I disc...

I've been trying to read a lot of poems lately so that one day I could write poems again. And I wish to be as passionate as Pablo Neruda. Though I haven't read his famous works yet, I like his style and I love the rhythm of the words of his poems. Let me share with you a poem from Pablo Neruda, which I will set in green since Neruda writes in green ink. I Crave Your Mouth, Your Voice, Your Hair --Pablo Neruda I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair. Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets. Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps. I hunger for your sleek laugh, your hands the color of a savage harvest, hunger for the pale stones of your fingernails, I want to eat your skin like a whole almond. I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body, the sovereign nose of your arrogant face, I want to eat the fleeting shade of your lashes, and I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight, hunting for you, for your h...

One of the things I love about going back to the province is the food. And one delicious food that I always look for is the Tamales. Though it's easy to find tamales somewhere in the metro, nothing beats the tamales from my father's hometown. It was such a hit that when I asked my aunt to buy tamales for me one early morning, she only managed to bring me one piece. A piece costs Php10. I love the sweetness and spiciness of the tamales. Unlike the common native delicacies which are usually partnered with niyog (coconut shavings), tamales are best partnered with a bit of fish sauce ( patis ). It should also be eaten while it's hot. It can also be reheated through a microwave oven. I love how the tamales stick to the spoon and to my palate. I love the mild spiciness and sweetness with a bit of saltiness. It seems too heavy in the stomach, but I can't get enough of it. The next morning, I had my aunt buy 10 pieces of tamales for me to take home. But it was too ir...

Note: This location is already closed.  A sudden craving for shawarma made me drag my lunch buddy to Jacob's Shawarma , which is a stone's throw away from the office. I would always pass by this place on my way home from the office and the muy gwapito face on the logo would always get me curious: is that really Jacob? Okay, I'm curious about the shawarma too. Haha. Jacob's Shawarma serves authentic Turkish doner kebab, popularly known as shawarma. Though the Persian shawarma is more popular, it is said that it originated in Turkey. The place is quite small and can only seat around 15-20 people. The walls are adorned with pictures relating to Turkey. Honestly, it seems like I was inside a travel agency than a restaurant. What I found cute is the small trash bins placed in each table. Also, the shawarma filling changes daily. Here's the current filling per day: Monday - Chicken Tuesday - Beef/Lamb Wednesday - Salmon Thursday - Chicken Friday - Sa...

It's been a long time since I posted the first lecture , so I would like to make a continuation of this lecture. Again, I would like to emphasize that what I would be sharing are the things I learned from my English teachers. Also, I also have more grammatical errors than you can imagine. I hope you will find these lectures useful as I do. 1. "Equipments, stuffs" - Stuff refers to items or things. Equipment refers to a set of objects or articles. The words "equipment" and "stuff" are already in its plural form. Example: Wrong: I will be carrying my stuffs to my room. Correct: I will be carrying my stuff to my room. 2. "Did noticed", "Did realized" - Did is the past tense of "do". So the verb after "did" should be in the present tense. Example: Wrong: I did realized that I forgot my bag. Correct: I did realize that I forgot my bag. 3. "Mad" - Yes, Ne-yo, you're incorrect. "...

I loved hash brown since I was in grade school. It's one of the usual canteen items I used to buy back then. I'm so addicted to hash brown that I could finish a dozen pack (which my aunt buys for me) myself. I don't care if it's deep-fried or shallow fried (yes, it can be shallow-fried, trust me). I love it best with just mayo on top. Curiosity will kill me if I wouldn't try the newest burger from Jollibee. Yes, Jollibee joined the "unique burger" trend. The Hash Brown Burger has a single beef patty and cheese between two baked hash browns which served as buns. It costs Php 64 for ala carte and Php 80 with a drink.  Jollibee Hash Brown Burger At first, I was expecting an u may factor for this burger. But surprisingly, the hash brown goes well with the patty and cheese. The hash browns, though baked was still a bit oily but does not have an aftertaste like McDonald's hash brown. Overall, I loved it! I would like to commend Jol...

It's been a while since I've posted the previous photo album . Let me share with you some interesting photos I took: I wasn't able to notice this until Ray pointed this out. Can you guess which cup is this? THE grilled tomato at Grilled Tomato Upside down zipline at Residence Inn, Tagaytay My favorite lumpiang ubod from Swan Catering I'll post more pictures soon. :)

Photo from asiaing.com Another book PEx book club decided to discuss is the "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua. The book is a story about her life as a parent to two girls and how beneficial the Chinese way of parenting compared to Western parenting. Being brought up the Chinese way by immigrant parents, Amy Chua thought that raising her biracial kids (her husband's caucasian) the Chinese way will diminish the so-called "generation decline" or the decline of the Chinese way of thinking and these kids might be more Western in thinking. The term "Chinese mother" was loosely defined in the book as a traditional (or rather Asian) way of raising children. A non-Chinese parent can practice Chinese parenting, according to the author. She brought up her kids, Sophia and Lulu with very strict rules such as no sleepovers, no TV and computer games, no playdates, they cannot be in school plays, and they only play two instruments: violin and pian...

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  I have always seen Wham! Burgers but I had never tried it. But a sudden craving for burgers made me try Wham! for the first time. Most Wham! branches are quite small and could only accommodate around 20 persons at a time. Partner in crime and I went basic with Wham! Burger with Cheese (Php 145). Wham! Burger with Cheese (Php 145) Wham! Burger with Cheese is 1/3 pound grilled burger patty with cheese, tomato, lettuce. There was nothing special with the burger, which is quite disappointing since I have friends raving about Wham!. The patty was juicy, alright, but it felt like I was just eating Jollibee Champ. Maybe I'll come back for the Bronco burger next time, but maybe not. ------------------------------------------------- Wham! Burgers 5th Level Shangrila Plaza Mall EDSA corner Shaw Blvd, Mandaluyong City Contact No. 6342093 Note: Other branches include SM North EDSA, SM Megamall, Katipunan, SM Marikina...

One morning, I went to McDonald's to buy breakfast. I usually have breakfast at home, but after a long shuttle ride, I would sometimes feel hungry again. I ordered my favorite: Sausage and Egg Muffin, Hash Brown, and Brewed Coffee. As I was waiting for my orders, I took a leaflet which I thought was a delivery menu (I try to collect the menu from different restaurants). It turned out to be the McDonald's Nutrition Information. After finishing my breakfast, I read the leaflet and to see how many calories my breakfast has. And this is what I saw: Hash Brown: 320 Calories Sausage & Egg Muffin: 390 Calories That's 710 calories on just breakfast. And I'm not even counting the calories from brewed coffee. It made me very guilty that I lost my appetite for lunch. Given that, I would like to share with you the calories from other McDonald's favorites: 6 pc McNuggets: 320 Calories Hamburger: 240 Calories Cheeseburger: 420 Calories Quarter Pounder ...

I'm not a crybaby, but this poem always makes me cry. I love this poem so much that I have written it on my daily planner. Most of you are familiar with this poem, but actually this poem is one of the forty-four love sonnets written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning called "Sonnets from the Portuguese", which tells us the love she felt for Robert. (Robert Browning is also a poet). I wish to recite this poem someday without having to break down. It feels kinda weird for me to cry but I guess I'm just too emotionally attached to this poem. Sonnet XLIII How Do I Love Thee? --Elizabeth Barrett Browning How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of everyday's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with a passion p...

Note: This location is already closed.  I was supposed to try a new cafe recommended by a fellow food club member. However, after standing in front of the counter for a few minutes and still no barista in sight, I left and went to Ms. Polly's instead. Having tried Ms. Polly's Chocolate Cake  before, I ordered a different coffee-and-cake combo this time. I ordered a regular Asian Latte (Php 75) and a slice of Cookie Dough Cheesecake (Php 115). my new combo As the friendly barista explained to me, Asian Latte is similar to Vietnamese coffee as it has condensed milk instead of regular milk. I was intrigued so I gave it a try. Asian Latte I love Asian Latte! Well, I like it better than the regular latte they serve. I should have ordered large. Cookie Dough Cheesecake The Cookie Dough Cheesecake is really delicious! I love the contrast of texture from top to bottom. Though I'm loyal to chocolate cake, this cheesecake changed my mind. The ...

My baby sister just turned six! As fulfillment to her request, I got her a Red Ribbon Cookies and Cream cake. Yeah, she has a thing for anything Cookies and Cream, even with ice cream. But she can't eat ice cream for now since she still has colds. I like how Red Ribbon creates classy yet kid-friendly cakes. Too bad she got sick (again) today. Get well soon! :) Happy birthday baby girl!

A few months ago, I purchased a voucher at dealspot.ph for Robert Kiyosaki's Cashflow 101 and 202. Unknown to many, finance is a passion of mine. Though my work is more on IT, I'm still keen on finance. Yeah, I compute, I save and I invest. However, I can't give time to use this voucher. The voucher should be used on September 10 and September 17 only. So, I'm giving it away. For FREE.  Anyone willing to take it? Post a comment with your email address (You have to meet me in Ortigas though). Takers? 

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  The PEx food club strikes once again, and we went to this exotic and amorous restaurant called Gayuma ni Maria for dinner (and Despedida for a fellow food club member who will be going abroad for good). Gayuma ni Maria used to be located near Ateneo but closed shop and transferred to Sikatuna Village. The resto is an old house converted and redecorated to an eccentrically-designed restaurant that will and can make you fall in love. There are three areas in Gayuma ni Maria: the indoor area, the alfresco area, and the Japanese room on the second floor. As I would always advise on some of the posts, always do reservations, most especially if you have a preferred area. I called Gayuma ni Maria around lunch to reserve the Japanese room for the group. Though there were reservations for the said area during the late afternoon, they promised to give us the Japanese room if that would be available when we arrive. Thank goodness we ...