Review: Massage for Less, Metropolis, Muntinlupa City

 Massage for Less at Metropolis, Muntinlupa City

A friend once asked me if I wanted to go with her to a massage parlor. I said no since I am not used to other people invading my precious territory --- which is my body. Heheh!

I have a secret to share...I get tickled easily. I am certain that once the massage attendant starts to pounce and roll on my body parts, I will laugh and roll till thy kingdom come.

Hence, I am not a target client of any massage parlor. Not by a long shot. It would be like asking the devil himself to go roll it out with the angels. It just wouldn't work.

However, there was a flyer given to me some months back about a massage chair. It was a bulky-looking contraption that wiggles and moves your body from head to toe. It looked ok and I would be honest to admit, that I liked it.

But the price stunned me! It costs P65,000! Never in my life would I sink my few precious peso on anything whimsical, such as a massage chair. I would rather buy three cows with that money and ride on it till perdition. Lol!

The other week, I saw these same chairs in the Metropolis. It was rented out at P10 and P25 for 5 to 10 minutes by Massage for Less. I am not sure about the number of minutes, but I tried it out --- being tired of walking around the mall.

I have to pay extra P5 for the socks, and there I was comfortably seated on that bulky contraption. It was a nice experience, all over again. It made me relax without being tickled pink. The pains in my legs and back were gone after my time was up.

I hope these massage chairs can be found in other malls, like in the nearby Southmall. It is relaxing and would not punch your pockets dry, for a few minutes of wondrous time.


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Onli in da Pilipins: A writer's Journal
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Mr. KIMBOB Food Stall-Southmall, Las Pinas

Mr. Kimbob Stall at Southmall, Las Pinas

Mr. KIMBOB is a fast food stall in Southmall, Las Pinas that fast food diners can try out. It boasts of Korean-inspired dishes, and you can have a pick of either meats, veggies, or a combination of both.

As a resident of the area, I am always at the mall either to buy some stuff in the supermarket or to have my devices (computer, cell phone, and camera) repaired. It also has a C-D-R King outlet where I  buy my USB, monitor, and other techie knick knacks.

I came upon Mr. KIMBOB today, to try out their Korean dishes. I have been a loyal customer of KIMCHI, a Korean fast food joint, that have folded up several years ago. I always liked Kimchi's chicken/squid barbeque and beef broth whenever I am at the mall. This order always comes with  a heaping of kimchi to add spice to the dish, and it's yummy!.

Mr. Kimbob's Chicken meal that looks like a Chinese sweet and sour dish

So, eager-beaver, I ordered a Chicken dish with veggies on this new Korean food stall. KIMCHI used to served this meal with spicy mongo sprout, and it was never oily. Nonetheless, what I ordered had carrots and slivers of cabbage instead of mongo sprout. I would have thought, that the manner of cooking would be the same and taste the same too.

But I was wrong. When I got what I ordered, I was surprised that it looked like the sweet and sour variation of a Chinese lauriat. The meat and veggies were oily. Had it not been in the name of the store, I would have no reservation that this was a sweet-sour thingie that is served in many Filipino/Chinese joints.

You cannot judge a store by a single product, so they say. But you cannot also fool a customer by saying that you are what you are, when you are not. 

Will I go back?

Nope, you have lost me there Mr. KIMBOB. I suggest for you to come up with fewer choices of meals and only concentrate on authentic Korean dishes. That would make you stand out. You can fool some people once. But twice?

Ah, nada! I better go try Teppanyaki next time. :D


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Only in da Pilipins: A Writer's Journal
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Tim Ho Wan Restaurant, SM Megamall, Metro Manila

Tim Ho Wan Restaurant, SM Megamall waiting area

  
The other day, my daughter called up for us to try the newly opened Michelin (1 star) rated restaurant, the Tim Ho Wan, in SM Megamall. It was bruited about as the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in
existence.

So, as writers who have the nose for anything new, more so if it is cheap, my daughter and I headed to the site for brunch. We agreed that it is better to be there by past lunch time so the queue would be shorter and more manageable.

Restaurant Staff manning the queue

We were wrong. At past 1pm the queue was still long. However, the placement of customers was fast, so we got seated right away. The place is small as compared to other restaurants  and can only accommodate around 50 diners.

Customers wait patiently to be served

When we looked at the menu, we found not that many choices---as compared to other local restaurants. However, for a Michelin* restaurant, the prices were indeed cheap, ranging from P120 to less than P200 pesos. If there were cuisines higher than P200, I may have failed to notice it. It is not dirt cheap, but it does not cost an arm or a leg either.

We were surprised with the prices. They come cheap and affordable!

We ordered shrimp and shrimp/pork dim sum, fried lumpia wrapped pork, carrot cake, and baked buns with barbecued pork. We had oolong tea to wash away the myriad taste as we savor each and every cuisine. What can I say?  Oh, heavenly! The food has a distinct piquant taste that makes it as one gustatory delight!

Dining area where people from all walks of life congregate

The baked buns with barbecued pork was crispy on the outside, but yummy on the inside. The buns were thin and the barbecued filling was filled to the brim. It has a distinctive flavor that I have not tasted yet in any of the Chinese restaurants in Metro Manila.

Buns with barbecued pork! Oh, heavenly!

The dim sums that we tried--- shrimp and shrimp/pork combination were tops. The queue that we have to endure  was well worth it; and the three hour travel just to reach the place, is something that I will do again just to partake of those sumptuous delights.

What are you waiting for? Go and try it yourself!  :D

yummy filling of the buns

Oolong Tea, Shrimp dimsum and fried wanton with pork/shrimp fillings

Fried shrimp rolls with pork filling

Pork/shrimp dimsum

Carrot pudding

   
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Onli  in da Pilipins:A Writer's Journal
Copyright © csmiravite™. All Rights Reserved

Bringing Children to Church

I went to church by my lonesome self this afternoon. But before hearing mass, I passed by the isaw-isaw stall of Kuya Krom, which is just within the church perimeter.

While sitting comfortably in one chair and after having placed my order, I noticed one little girl of about two years old, who sat at another table. Apparently, she is an only child as can be seen on how
her mom and dad dotes on her.

She is a precocious little girl, and babbled continuously on other children who were sitting so far away from her. When her friendliness got rebuffed, she turned her attention to a nearby cat. She cooed,

"Cat-cat, come here!"

I suddenly remembered this cooing, as this was the same come-on that my daughter used at that age. I smiled knowingly, and was oft to church. But, I saw this little girl again, being a handful while her parents heard mass. I saw both tiny feet on her father's ears and at the same time pulling her mother's hair!

Ohlalah! It was hilarious!

Personally, I didn't bring my child to church at that age. My fear was that, she might babble with her loud baby voice during the sermon---to respond to the priest. She did this earlier while watching Kris Aquino on television and talked to her non-stop.

With a loud baby voice, she blabbered back to Krissy...

"beeww beee bee weweiiweee. menooweeewshownewnew....lewlewlbew."

As I remember, this went on and on until Kris Aquino went off the air.If this were to happen in church, I may have died in shame! Just imagine, a baby girl blabbering away,  like there is no tomorrow!

I'll be honest that my greatest fear, was --- what if she sings as the chorale sings the Alleluia? Holy Banana! I can just imagine the scenario that may have gone this way with her as part of the chorus... (Her version of the Baa, baa Blacksheep)


Baaah, baaah blatt ship,
Ani ani wuuul,
Yet ter, yet ter,
Treee batsss pul,
An porrr de maaater,
An porrr de baaayy,
An porrr a leetell ger,
Liiibbss doowwnn hae,
Baaah, baaah blatt ship,
Ani ani wuuul,
Yet ter, yet ter,
Treee batsss pul!


Oh my God, just imagine that?

And believe me, my little girl could have pulled that off in a jiffy!

Why do I know?

When we were in the supermarket a few months after, while she was placed inside the shopping cart, she blurted out in a song with all aplomb...

A,B,C,D,E,F,G.......

followed by:

Sa, dawa, tatlo, apat, lima....


Lolololol!


MORAL OF THE STORY?

Never bring children when they are still so little, like below 3 years old in church. You never how handful they can be---when you are in your most prayerful mood!


:D


Photo credit: Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License


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Onli in da Pilipins: A Writer's Journal
Copyright © csmiravite™. All Rights Reserved

The Reason Why I Will NOT Go to the Ocean Park, Manila

Photo credit: Pixabay.com by Nemo/Public Domain CCO

A few days back, I asked my daughter, Maricat, to go check out the tickets for the Ocean Park in Manila. I have read in one of their fliers that they are giving up to 70% discount in ticket sales. As we have not gone to the place yet, I said to her that this may be the best time to go.


I got an e-mail from her early this morning, which says...

"Patsy,* wag na tayo punta Ocean Park. May napanood ako na documentary kagabi sa UP. Yung mga dolphins at killer whales para ma-train sila, ginugutom sila palagi tapos kinukulong sa maliit na pool. Tapos yung mga baby whales hinihiwalay sa mommy whales. Kawawa naman. Kain na lang tayo dun sa Tim Ho Wan Restaurant sa Megamall."

She added, 

"Eto yung pinanood ko oh, title ay "Blackfish"

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=874318559262219&id=257456237615124

Kawawa yung mga whales at dolphins :(

Kelan tayo punta Tim Ho Wan Restaurant?"


(Patsy*, let's not go to the Ocean Park. I saw a documentary at UP last night. How they train the dolphins and killer whales, is by making them always hungry. The animals are also confined in small pools and the baby whales are separated from the mommy whales. Such a pity. Let us just go to the Tim Ho Wan Restaurant at Megamall, instead.)

She added,

"This documentary was titled---Blackfish. The whales and dolphins looked pitiable. When do we go to Tim Ho Wan Restaurant?"

The 7-11 Store at BF Almanza, Las Pinas City

7-11 Store at BF Almanza, Las Pinas City

Outside of the subdivision where I live, is a 7-11 store where I buy some of the things that I need. That would include, the daily newspaper (Philippine Daily Inquirer), instant coffee drinks with hazelnut/mocha flavor, siopao or donuts, and the P15 ice cream cone with a choice of Choco or Ube flavor.

Of course, that is also where I buy Maling meat loaf, pork and beans, canned tuna, and other needs like laundry soap and fabric softeners. The people manning the store know that whenever I come in --- I buy a few things, read the daily newspaper, and munch a siopao with my liter of mineral water, while sitting comfortably in the snack area.

You can say, that I am one of their regulars whom they oftentimes see around. I go to the store too to buy my Sun Broadband cards, which cost me a thousand pesos a month. They often tell me that I am their number one buyer of Sun Broadband cards. I tell them that I am a writer and I am always online; hence, my apparent need for internet broadband cards.

The 7-11 flyer outside the store

The store has a fully functioning air-conditioning unit that makes it cool to sit around and relax. It is manned by a pool of friendly staff and a place where I go to before I do other things. Having a 7-11 store outside the subdivision is a good business idea as it gets a free flow of customers from the nearby subdivision.

However, there is also the so-called risk of the trade. The other day, a dishevelled man entered the store and ran amuck inside. He was cursing and shouting, and the staff just stared and unable to do anything about it. Since the store does not have a security guard during the daytime, the all girl staff was petrified and unable to do anything. What I did was ran outside and called for help.

Apparently that same man, have always entered the store, but does not do anything drastic. But that is beyond the point and I feel that the store owners should do something about it. If I come across the same incident again, I will not take it sitting down. I would write the store owners and file a letter of  complaint. There is something very wrong with how they run the business if they would not act on it immediately.




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Onli in da Pilipins: A Whiter's Journal
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THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP WATCH OF YOUR MAN

Tricycle driver with a tablet on his dashboard

I often hear both young and old women complain about the roving eye of their better halves or significant other. Filipino males of whatever persuasion, have the tendency to pursue anybody who catch their fancy.

This specie, with even an iota of rugged handsomeness in them, would have the spunk to believe that they are God's gift to women. Mind you, I say women --- in plural form. So, for a hunk of a husband, what has the missus got to do?

The answer is, technology!

On my way to the fruit stall outside of the subdivision, I came across a tricycle with a middle aged man driving it. As most of these drivers know the residents of the place,it was not unusual for me to strike a conversation with them.

However, this particular gigolo, suddenly made cooing sounds to somebody when there was only an old woman around --- me! Lol! I was petrified, and asked him indignantly, "To whom are you talking to? There is no one around!"

He smiled at me bemused and pointed at the gadget in front of him. It was a tablet that was snugly placed in his dashboard, and he replied, 

"It is my wife Ma'am. We are on Skype."

I laughed out loud that the wife had found a way of keeping track on the whereabouts of this "handsome" fellow. Believe me, I could not have thought of that in a million years!

Lol!

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Onli in da Pilipins:  A Writer's Journal

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