I decided to lay-out my plans for the year, three months too late (LOL). Well, it\’s never too late for some change and improvement.
My photo-taking skills has not improved. Well for starters, I haven\’t really practiced at all! Though I\’ve read some lessons on the basics but I have difficulty understanding it. I cringe, every time I see it in Facebook. I\’ve decided to delete most of it. I won\’t be posting much on Facebook because it urges me to edit in a hurry. Results were \”blah\” and unimpressive. I\’ll just post photos in the blog and Flickr.
I don\’t plan to become a professional photographer but, as a blogger my photograph has to have \”oomph.\” It needs to stand-out, evoke emotions and awe.
Travel more…
This year will most probably cater to local travel. Me and my husband has yet to stabilize our finances to afford it. Hopefully, at least one to two locations. I\’m looking forward to travel via the Amtrak.
I love arts and crafts!
I\’m fascinated with it especially when I was younger. My mind might have been brainwashed with \”pressing issues\” before. But now, there\’s no holding back. I am exploring creative opportunities. If the internet was developed earlier, I should have known that there are lots of people who share my passion.
I\’ve been in crocheting hiatus since I became a nurse. I hate the fact that I\’ve neglected it for many years. Despite the time, I\’m still glad that re-orientation with the hook and yarn were like the old times. I\’m now half way through a scarf and finished a plastic container (you heard me right, I used a plastic bag).
I decided to document my art/craft journey by blogging. I will be using Tumblr this time around.
I want to add painting (water-color), lino-cutting, sewing and calligraphy.I\’ll try my best to learn patiently. I\’m excited!
I know I can\’t accomplish everything, all at the same time. I made my list to keep me focused. I might discover something better along the way. At least, I can say to myself that I\’ve tried and lead me to a certain
direction. A path of self-improvement and reinvention.
Ladies! Empower yourselves with your OWN strength and abilities. Defy limits and explore. Do what you think is right as long as you don\’t harm anyone along the road.
I\’m just glad Disney is more gender sensitive nowadays. Watch Frozen and you\’ll know what I mean.
It\’s fascinating to know, that there\’s another \”world\” behind the walls of the California border. It felt like, I was back in Singapore (because of its proximity to Malaysia).
It\’s one of the busiest borders in the world. Border Patrol agents are everywhere (by land, air and sea). My husband strictly advises me to bring my identification card ALWAYS. Just in case an agent randomly ask me for an ID, I can show them proof of my residency.
Tijuana is right there…
Before crossing the border, there\’s a place in San Ysidro that attracts shoppers. It\’s located in Camino de la Plaza, the last USA exit.
Las Americas Premium Outlets is the area\’s largest outlet center. With 125 stores featuring Adidas, Banana Republic, BCBG Max Azria, Brooks Brothers, Calvin Klein, Coach, Gap Outlet, Guess, J.Crew, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and more plus an excellent choice of eateries and restaurants. —source
I love it there. The best day to visit: weekdays. Don\’t ask about the weekends ( I don\’t want to get started on store queues, parking and stream of people). Some stores don\’t actually announce further sale promotions, it\’s a hit-or-miss kind-of-thing. It depends on the store most of the time. Tip: Know your holiday dates (holiday promos) and fashion calendar (end-of-season clearance – way better than Black Friday). Consider yourself lucky if you dropped by on the mentioned time of the year. I have to warn you, items/sizes runs out fast. It\’s advisable to come early.
Just be patient in looking for a clothing that will last you a long time and doesn\’t break the bank. Take your time, you\’ll find what you\’re looking for.
Eating out in San Diego has a diverse array of food choices. From buffet, fast food chain, cafes etc. San Diego has it. It may take me a lifetime to try everything but, I need to start somewhere. 1. Mongolian Stir Fry
Stir Fresh was started by a family of Mongolian Barbeque eaters with 25 years of mongolian dining experience. When relocating to San Diego County in 1996, we could not find a Mongolian Barbeque restaurant, so we opened our own. We serve Mongolian Barbeque in the traditional way, with the finest of ingredients including white breast chicken and the traditional sesame seed pocket biscuit (shau Bin). —Source
What I like about this is they serve the vegetables, meat, seafood and sauces buffet style. Feel free to help yourself! Price range is between $11-15 (approximately) drinks not included. Comes with either rice and sesame bread but I chose the latter. Rice makes me full at a faster! ( I need to have my seconds…LOL)
Watch the video for this is how they do the cooking. These guys are more entertaining though.
What I didn\’t like about the grill was, if a previous customer picks a spicy sauce. The next person in line will likely have a spicy mix and it happened to me. I\’m not a big fan of spicy food. The Rancho Penasquitos branch is spacious and clean. I don\’t like the mess on the buffet area. It\’s largely, caused by customers who accidentally drops or spill the sauces, veggies etc. I understand when the staff can\’t simply clean it right away because of the queue. I think cleaning the mess promptly if the queue is lesser.
2. Arby\’s My first time to try the fish sandwich. Yum! We frequent the Point Loma branch.
3. Turkey Leg (from Seaworld)
Bigger and juicier as compared to the Universal Studios Singapore version (where I experienced it the first time).
4. Project Pie (Chula Vista)
Read my review in my previous post. They also accept military discounts. If not in uniform, just show them a valid military ID.
Barbecue buffet where you don\’t need to stand and get your food. Everything is served in your table. You just need to choose your \”food package.\” It costs $11 (if my memory serves me right) excluding drinks.
We opted for beef, pork and seafood \”package.\” It has kimchi, rice, egg and other side dishes. Once you\’ve finished anything from the food choices, the staff will be giving you another batch.
Manila Sunset derived its name from this beautiful Philippine scenery – for in many ways, the food of Manila Sunset evokes the same nostalgic feeling. They bring back the memories of old-fashioned homecooking and traditional celebrations: Pasko, Simbang Gabi, Flores de Mayo, weddings, homecomings and other joyous occasions.
Manila Sunset specializes in a few but unique and hard-to-find Filipino foods such as Bibingkang Galapong and Puto Bumbong which are traditionally found in church plazas and roadside stalls only during the Christmas Season. Our best seller, Pancit Malabon is prepared from an original well-guarded recipe from the fishing village of Malabon from which the name of the delicacy came from. Even in the Philippines, there are only very few cooks who know how to prepare this delicacy.—source
Clockwise from upper left side: Pork BBQ, Halo-halo, Lumpiang Gulay, Arrozcaldo. One of the few Filipino dishes that Manila Sunset has.
When I want my dose of Filipino food, the National City branch is our go-to-place. My favorites are Bibingkang Galapong (by far the best that I\’ve tasted even I was in the Philippines) and Puto Bumbong. Just take note that they are packed during lunch and dinner time. They have lots of customers aside from the dine-in orders, they cater to to-go customers as well. Waiting time will depend on the customers present. Especially on their busy hours. Not recommended for those who are super hungry.
We hope you’re loving the changes to our award-winning buffet! You’ll enjoy our new Ship of Seafood, featuring favorites such as smoked salmon, smoked whitefish, and bay shrimp. And our Baked Potato Bar is a big hit, where you can deck out your spud any way you want! –—source
Love this award-winning buffet! Peak hours queue are crazy! (waiting hours 45 minutes to 1 hour). They have good control of the crowd. So once you get inside it\’s not crammed. Moving around to get food is easy.
They provide cookies for those who are in line. If you are waiting in the casino area, they provide coffee, juice mix concoctions, chocolates, soda and water for free.
My brother-in-law Jon gave us this delectable bread as pasalubong.
I don\’t know what they call this bread. It has a cheese filling inside that compliments. Delish! Makes me want to go in Los Angeles just to sample what the cafe has to offer.
Rich Cervales Blog 