Galler Belgian Chocolates and Shamiana Indian Cuisine

Sometimes, it pays to know people, specially fellow Filipinos here in the Kingdom. You'll get to get some freebies or have a taste of world-famous Belgian chocolates for free, hahahaha.

Last night after practice, I tagged along with housemates to go shopping, or using M's term "retail therapy". Wednesday is basically my free day except for some online attendance updating and class upkeeping.

The married housemates usually shop until the malls or the supermarkets close at around 12 midnight so I seldom join them. It felt right to just hang out with them last night so I did.

When we got to Danube Supermarket/Hyatt Mall, Mhar saw an acquaintance at the Galler Shop so we got some free taste of their products. I tell you, it was worth staying up late and not being able to wake up at 4:30am for pranayama. Not really good at using words to describe my experience so I'll you with, "it was heaven and pure indulgence".

Next stop, Auntie Anne's Pretzel. Ruby, Mhar's wife who's about to give birth in less than 2 weeks, was craving for Auntie Anne's pretzels since two nights ago. Realized that maybe if I'm not very active and don't moderate my sugar intake, I might end up having diabetes because of my sweet tooth.

Then, we passed by a watch store and drooled over some really nice Fossil watches. Maybe if I have some cash left at the end of this year, I'll get one. My sight is set on travelling so I need to save up for that.

Last stop was the food court and I saw a new sign, "Shamiana Tandoori and Indian Cuisine". Checked out their menu and decided to get the tikka panner with naan but unfortunately, they didn't have it anymore as it was almost closing time. I opted for the other vegetarian combo which has mixed veggie curry and curried chickpeas. It was good. It also came with rice biryani, naan, papad and dhal. The dhal was great. I wasn't hungry so I just had a taste and took it home. That will be lunch later.

Can't upload photos so here's some of the links:
Shamiana
Galler Belgian Chocolates
Auntie Anne's Pretzels
Traditional Daal Recipe

Stronger, Faster, Smarter

Exercise does more than build muscles and help prevent heart disease. New science shows that it also boosts brainpower—and may offer hope in the battle against Alzheimer's.

By Mary Carmichael | NEWSWEEK
Mar 26, 2007 Issue

Read the full article here.

My friend Joji blogged about this at Flowyogaqc. I sometimes wish I am as skillful as her when it comes to writing. Guess people always want what they don't have.

Spanish Bread

Filipinos love this for an afternoon snack... especially the working class pinoys... costs only 1 peso per piece (1USD = 40php) with a bottle of Coke... your afternoon snack can only cost as little as 10php. Not very healthy though but this is what poor Filipinos have for snacks.

Lighty crumbed pastry filled with sweet butter and cream cheese.

http://www.valeriosbakery.com/breadpastries/spanishbread.html

Build a Better Salad

• Add more dark green leaves like spinach, romaine lettuce, arugula or chicory (not actually familiar with this one) to get the most folate and beta-carotene.
• Mix it up with light green leaves such as iceberg to tone down the bitter taste of the dark leaves.
• Add fruits and vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, brocolli, red and yellow peppers (the author of the article doesn't recommend the green one), carrrots, sprouts (cooked to avoid risk of salmonella and E.coli).
• Limit corn, artichoke hearts, beets and sun dried tomatoes.
• Avoid large portions of dried fruits like cranberries or raisins (too much sugar)
• Stick with fresh fruits like berries, pears, or orange slices.
• Add about 3 ounces of protein like tofu, beans, or chickpeas.
• Limit nuts, seeds, olives, or avocados to about 1/4 cup. They are healthy source of monounsaturated fats.
• Limit cheese to about 4 dice worth (I like cheese so I probably won't follow this, hehehe) and choose low-fat. You can also mix half of regular and half of its low-fat version, or stick to lower fat varieties such as goat and mozarella cheeses.
• If you want carbs, crush 3-4 crackers or baked chips into your salad. (or perhaps baked croutons?)
• Limit dressing to 1-2 tablespoons.
  

Read the full article here.

Hardin ng mga Diwata (Garden of the Nymphs)

The acro-yoga-inspired piece that I choreographed for the UP Pep Squad's concert held last Feb 28 at University Theater, University of the Philippines in Diliman. This year's concert was also a part of the year-long centennial celebration of the University and marked Coach Lalaine's 10th year as the head coach of the team.

Photos courtesy of Alric Mondragon, a UP Pep Alumnus.

The inspiration