A Man of Romance

Meet Stefan Andreas Schwarze. This 6'3 gym buff of German Descent is a model for Romance.

He's modeled from Regency rakes, cowboy daddies, vikings warriors, highland lords and vampires. Stefan stars in over a hundred Romance Covers from Harlequin Intrigue, Silhouette to Berkley. Yup, pretty flexible look right?

I think my favorite look for him is one with where he's in a suit. He looks powerful and regal in a suit. I wouldn't mind him dressed up a Regency Lord!

Picture from Stefan's site.
http://www.stefanas.com/romance/gallery/gallery_index.htm

100 Books in 25 years

Two years ago, I picked up a book in BookSale Greenhills entitled Wind Walker. I wanted to read something, anything interesting. I was currently reading Young Adults and Fantasy. Wind Walker was a big step. It was Romance, History, Action and Adventure all in one. I found it funny, warm and romantic.

It had appeal. Weeks later, at another Booksale tour, I found Silver Wing. now, I have over three dozen Cassie Edwards Books.

I began to understand her style. I did some research and found out that she focused on Native American Romances. She has three non-NAm but still in the Historical Romance category.

Some may find the Edwards Style redundant. There must always a strong-willed Caucasian girl and a Native American Chieftain (or son of the Chieftain). It's love at first sight. The conflict comes outside the relationship. It can be the father of the girl, the ex-suitor, the towns people or nature. They pull through it and ends up in a wedding or if the wed early on in the story, a child.
The chieftain's Archetype is always a Gentleman Savage. He is viewed by society as a savage, uneducated heathen but he is actually more chivalrous than the people who view him. The heroine is strong in will but weak in body. She usually falls under tomboy or ingenue. Both characters are internally good. They love each other and just can't stop kissing. (Yup, Romance demands it!) Yes, some find it mushy but Edwards adds history and Native American culture into the story. Each story actually has its own flavor.

After publishing a Historical Romance book, her publisher asked her to write Native American Romance. Since then, she concentrated on various tribes, researching the background, customs and history. After publishing her first few American Indian Books, Edwards' grandfather told her that she had a full-blooded Cheyenne Grandmother.

Savage Skies, released in August 2007, is her 100th book. What I admire about Edwards is that she started writing at age 45. Goes to show that age isn't a barrier in writing. After 25 years of writing, she still holds her audience captivated.

Healthy Snacks; Banana Cake

Need a good not-too-fatty snack? You can eat this snack any time of the day and the best thing about it is: it's guiltless! So Easy! Takes half an hour with oven time!

BANANA CAKE

Ingredients:
(Makes one big loaf of 10 slices or 2 little loaves of 6 slices)
2 eggs
2 and 3/4 Cups Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 and 1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter (You can use low-fat butter or 1/3 cup oil)
Dash of Cinnamon
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract (You can replace this with anything you like. Almond or Lemon Extract)
5 Bananas (If you are from the Phil, use Lakatan. Cavendish lacks taste)


Procedure:

First and foremost, Pre-heat oven.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs whites until frothy but not yet stiff. Add yolk, Sugar, Butter and Vanilla Extract. Chop us the banana and add into the mixture. When its is all well mixed, add flour slowly then Baking Powder and Baking Soda. Add Cinnamon.
Lightly greased a pan or glass pyrex. Rectangular ones are the best. The batter would be an inch or two thick. Even it out.
If you want, you can put chocolate or nuts or raisins on the top. I put grated chocolate, Walnuts, Oats a bit or raisin and a bit of everything on mine!
Put in the oven. 380 degrees. Depending on the climate/temperature. It would take 15 to 25 minutes.

I'm from a tropical country so it's very warm here. It took 20 minutes only.

Slice and Eat!
Store in an air-tight container or store in a Refrigerator.

I'm reading!

Yeah... right!
This is Aki's cat.

Black Dagger Brotherhood

My hand at Men's Fashion in a FanArt.

To Pan

This entry is dedicated to Pan, our newest cat that stayed only for 2 weeks.

Pan came to us no larger than my palm. He grew two inches then got sick. We nursed him to health. He was so playful last night. Loves to be under your clothes! Yup, he makes a lot of meowings until you give him your finger to bite or put him under your shirt. Then, this morning, we woke to see him stiff and dead.
Cradle Death Syndrome.

I'll miss you, little Pan!

Black Dagger Brotherhood

By J. R. Ward

There's this new series I spotted in the bookstores. Yes, yes... another vampire series. Lots of them flooding the market. This I found I could read. I told myself I couldn't read another vampire book thanks to the Carpathian Series but I did like this one. It is quite different. Yes, authors today are trying to out-do each other by creating their own vampire myth and legends. I even read one that vampirism is acquired through std! Another is that Merlin is a UFO and he created these vampires to save the world.

Strange?

Well, this one is this: In Caldwell, New York, there is a brotherhood of vampires protecting their race against the Lessening Society. Each member is chosen carefully before being inducted into the brotherhood.
Their vampire myth is this: A being called The Scribe Virgin created the vampires as her children. Her counterpart is the Omega. He hates her children and vows to destroy them. Since the Omega cannot create, he takes brutal humans and eats their souls and he turns them into Lessers, the vampire slayers. These lessers prowl the streets of New York and torture and kill any vampire their get their hands on. The brotherhood must take them down. They also try to keep the vampires from human knowledge.


The Brothers: Wrath (he is actually the vampire king), Tohrment, Rhage, Zsadist and Phury (twins), Vishous, and Darius (deceased)

Darius is killed by the lessers. Wrath must find his Darius' daughter, Elizabeth and make sure she goes through her transition. When Wrath finds Beth, he is enthralled and knows she is the only one for her. A complication arises when Butch O'neal, a dedicated cop sees Wrath for what he is. Since Butch was such a nice guy and he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, the brothers held him in their mansion.

Next book is about Rhage, the handsomest brother. He is called Hollywood and for good reasons. He bumps into Mary and knows she is the one. Only one problem: Mary is dying. Rhage sacrifices everything for her life.

The third book is about Zsadist, the tragic brother. He was kept as a blood slave for the first 100 years of his life. His brother Phury rescued him but Zsadist was not the same anymore. he is broken and maimed. To save his mate, he and Phury make a plan to take on the lessers.

The fourth book is my fave. Butch, the cop who has disappeared from the NYPD felt very much like an outsider. he and Vishous are roommates for the last six months but he was always being pushed aside. He was given money, showered with clothes but never really part of anything. Even in his own family and in the NYPD, he was an outsider. One day, he rescues a civilian vampire and was taken by the lessers. Tortured and left for dead, he is finally rescued and saved by Vishous. Marissa, a female vampire he had a major crush on, nursed him. Still he feels like an outsider. he felt dirty because of what the lessers did to him and he felt lonely because he cannot be what Marissa needs. He risks his life to try to become everything he could be, a warrior vampire.

The fifth book is about Vishous, the genius brother. V is a whiz in everything he does. One day the Scribe Virgin visits him and tells him he is to be the Primale, the mate of her Chosen. That means he will husband 40 chosen females to procreate females for the Scribe virgin's temple and males to become the brotherhood.
But he cannot help but fall in love with the doctor who saved his life, Jane. It's a tragic tale that would force someone to make a huge sacrifice in the end of the book.

All in all, the series is fascinating. It is action, romance and a bit of comedy rolled into one. Thought, the tragedy hits, the characters try to evolve and move on amidst the pain. It lacks more travel. Surely, there are vampires not just in Caldwell. They did originate in Europe. What about the Lessers there?

Stress: Don’t Fight It, Control It! Tips…

Under stress? Always. First and foremost, don’t panic! Some people can work under stress because they do not panic. Keep calm and assess the situation. What is the sources of the stress? Is it your boss? Your officemate? The office/school itself? Chill. Hopefully, none of them bite. Here are some ways to control the stress in your life:

1. Stop what you’re doing and release the tension. Count one to ten. Breathe in and out deeply. Oxygen deprivation contributes to tension. The choky feeling of stress come from this. Pump air in your lungs.

2. Don’t take that Starbucks! To relieve yourself from stress and get you a pump of adrenaline, it is not advisable to take caffeine or alcohol. That grande Latte will give you a temporary energy boost but will only add to your anxiety and when the boost is over, you are ten time stressed.

3. Smell the flowers. Took a breather? Try aromatherapy. If you can bring a small vial of smells with you, that would go a long way. Smell some lavender to relax. Patcholi or citrus for a good energy boost. Mint or ginger for head ache. Got none? Smell the office flowers. Make sure they are fresh!

4. Attention! Stand or sit up straight. Who would have thought that posture has anything to do with stress?

5. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Are your clothes well pressed and fresh? Is your space clean? A spic and span living space is a livable space. Dirt and germs help grow stress.

6. Call ya girlfriend! Who needs therapist? Talk to your gal pal about the show on TV, about your crush, about your favorite food. Talk about something light and fun. Give your mind a break and unwind your heart with some heart to heart with BFF. If it won’t stress you out, you can call your mom too.

7. Quit keeping up with the Joneses! Doesn’t it tick you that your neighbor has a new car? That your seatmate got a 4.0 and you didn’t? That your officemate and best friend got the promotion you want? Stay in the present and quit wishing the shoulda, woulda, coulda. Be happy for them and praise them. Who knows, baka may balato ka pa!

8. 8 glasses a day, lack of water withers us. Especially since we are composed mainly of water. Do your health a favor and carry a water bottle with you. You need it.

9. An apple a day… Eat right! Make sure you have a balance diet of go, grow and glow foods. Jollibee and McDo are ok once in a while but not all the time. Additives and MSG is not good for the body. Lesser things to worry in the future if you don’t have gal stones or cancer. Oh, make sure to eat on time too. That way, you prevent ulcer. Don’t have enough time? Bring a cracker with you.

10. Dark is good. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants that help lower your blood pressure so pop a piece before a board meeting. Just make sure your brush your teeth after.

I'm Going to Miss You...

When I threaten to run away, there are two places I always said I would go: to Diko in India to visit the Elephants or to Nanay in the Big House. I would always gather my underwear and my fave shirt and bundle it in a lampin and set it on a stick like the cartoons.

Suddenly for the past two years, I have the urge to go home. Yes, I went home three times. I lived with Nanay and had fun. She was quirky, strict but a whole lot of fun.

This year, I had the privilege to really go bonding with her. She told us of her past "loves", recent "loves" and all her fond memories. She teased us non-stop and was "game" to do anything. We went swimming, eating, talecrafting, and all me and my sibs can do in the month-long stay we had with her.

I went home Sunday morning and opened the door to the house to be surprised by Jade with an odd expression in her face. She had tears but her mouth looked like she was laughing or making a joke. The annoying Jade just spilled it. I can't believe it of course.
She was just kicking it! Now she kicked it!

I went to my phone and saw Ate Faith's messages. Now what? Really? I can't believe it! No! But she was so lively and vibrant!
Then I thought... wait a minute! It's ballroom night! Did she see her unfortunate Leo and maybe suffered a broken heart because she still felt something for him? Did Rei Balundoy kiss her and sent her swooning?
I'm sad but why can't I bring myself to get sad? I felt sad but at the same time I felt she must be happy. Like it must really be time.

Memories float to me and it just makes me smile instead. It was always a funny or happy memory with her. I know she was so proud of us all. The day I went home after 4 years and surprised her, she was surprised although mom already told her we would stay with her. I told her I was Cum Laude. She looked like a queen. Then I showed her my accomplishments. She wanted to sue the school when she learned I crossed a bamboo bridge by myself on top of a mountain with no railings or anything. Then i was not home at 5pm, she was panicking already.

I would never forget the stories she told us. About the mysterious Mutya ng Tubig, her love stories, her funny relatives, the American soldier who wanted her, Tatay and his quirks. They were meant for each other! Her break with Leo and how she found Rei. Yu think she was a school girl!

I would never forget her lessons too. How she valued education above all. How she wanted us to cease the day, take any experience we can get. Go travel! Go try something new! She did! Go take up a hobby! He diet program: chew like a goat!

I would never forget you!

Kong Hei Fat Choi!

What's in season...

New Year Fashion Tips at http://figures.multiply.com

Ash Wednesday Today

Today is the start of Lent.

Go on Abstinence...

Ateneo HS Fair

Talecraft Contest in Ateneo HS. I'm happy for all the winners! For those who didn't get to win, I had fun reading the stories. Hope they could submit them in Crafters!

Winners of the Website contest.
Picking the cards.
Brave souls who joined. hehehe.

Contestants and winners of the Saturday game.

Ghosts in the Big House?

I was looking at the pictures from the X-mas season when I noticed they had ghost spots! As circled bu the yellow. This was the Xmas picture.
Perhaps the ghosts of the long dead ancestors came out to party with us!

Dark Curse by Feehan

I was looking at Feehan's site when I saw she has a storyline for Dark Curse already. I'm a fan of her Dark Series but more especially the De La Cruz Brothers. Dark Curse stars Nicholas De La Cruz, the uptight elder brother of Rafael in Dark Secret.

There are actually 5 members of the De La Cruz family, they are the 5 daunting brothers: Nicholas, the eldest and the leader. Manolito, the Sensual and buff now half-werewolf (Dark Possession), Nicholas, the middle child, Rafael (I call him spoiled) the haciendero-type joke from Dark Secret and the youngest and charming of the 5 Riordan who is the Star of Dark Hunger.

From the Site:

DARK CURSE-- September 2008

Lara Calladine is haunted by childhood memories of being held prisoner in an ice cave and kept sane by the whispered stories told to her by her imprisoned aunts. They instilled mage and Carpathian magic deep within her and then helped her escape. She has spent years searching for the cave in hopes of finding the answers to the riddle of her past as well as finding her aunts who may have given their lives saving her.

Nicolas De La Cruz has returned to the Carpathian Mountains--his homeland--on orders from his eldest brother, Zacarias, to bring news of a conspiracy to the prince of their people. He is weary of his long existence and plans to end it away from his brothers where they will be unable to stop him once he has fulfilled his duty.

Lara and Nicolas paths collide in an explosive adventure that rocks the Carpathian world.

Sagay

A nice quiet place to eat...

Sagay Restaurant in Casa Leticia. They now serve Mexican stuff. I had the pleasure of sampling some food.
Taste good. Yummy Mexican food. These over here are the Beef Quesadillas.

Food Places and More

Davao is a home to a variety of restaurants and food chains. Here are some Sulit places I've been to na good food and affordable.

Chickies and Patties
Chickies has been around since I can remember which is more than 20 years na siguro. They are known for their chicken and other short orders. I love it here. I remember eating here is a treat. They were the best fast food chain in Davao until Jolibee and later McDo came into the scene. They have my fave gravy, macaroni salad and yummy arachibuteric Leche Flan. Yum yum! Make sure to get two pieces of Chicken!!!

Pritong Manok
Pritong Manok is known for Duh! Fried Chicken. Translate Diba!
They are found in most all mall food courts and even near markets. They sell chicken per piece. They now have diversified their products to include Tender Juicy Hotdogs with rice. Try ordering three pieces of chicken smothered in gravy! Yum. They sell their chicken depending on the part you want. The cheapest is the neck which is about 18 pesos. A big breast is 47 a piece.

Boyd's
Italian? Try a bowl of pasta for about 85 pesos. It includes a long (definitely long!) slice of garlic French bread. They bake the bread themselves! Good food, cheap too. Don't worry about the ambiance. Looks can be deceiving. The inside is actually cozy.

Picobello
It's on top of JS Gaisano. Nice place if you love Italian. They have a kilm (exposed brick oven) where everyone can see and smell the yummy pizzas baking. The prices are cheap and you can avail of their offer of buy one take one during 2pm to 5pm. Excellent food!

Harana
No, nobody's serenading you there but the food feels like a serenade of the senses. Harana is practically older than me. It started as a backyard barbecue place. Then they rented the place at Torres St. and built a playground for children to play while waiting for the food. Now, the playground and good bbq are the trademark of Harana.

Kuya Ed's

Nobody can beat a buffet like Kuya Ed's. For 2 years, they still boat their 99 peso-buffet. You may choose from a variety of Filipino dishes. Occasionally, they bring out siomai and tempuras. Guaranteed busog!

Cecil's
Cecil's mainly sells cake. But they are the yummiest cakes! Need cakes fast? They are better and cheaper than Goldilocks! Doesn't taste commercialized either. They have kiosks in malls where they sell cakes per slice. They also sell short orders. A hefty slice of chocolate cake is about 47 pesos. A cream puff or éclair is 18 pesos each. Dessert anyone?

Merco
Before Goldilocks even set her lacy foot in Davao, Merco was there. They are known for their birthday cakes and sandwhiches you can eat in the cafe with ice cream topped on them. No kid! They don't mind what you eat! As long as you're having a blast! A big 8-10 slice black forest cake costs about 300plus pesos. 500 in Goldilocks and Red Ribbon and they taste commercialized. Merco has retained their quality for more than three decades.

So, when "libot-ing" Davao, don't be afraid to try out the food. Try any place! Food is good in Davao, that is a guarantee!

Masquerade

Masquerade! Paper faces on parade! Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you!
Mom! You look 20 years younger! It's all in the smile!

Event: Nanay's 85th Bday, Le Grande Masquerade
Date: January 18, 2008
Venue: The Summit, Royal Mandaya Hotal

Heirarchy of Drivers

We have a family driver/slash/dad's corporate driver. He was once mom's buss boy elevated to cook and now elevated to driver.


When we go somewhere, he would hang out in the driver's lounge. example in Rockwell or some parties. I would notice that there is a hierarchy of drivers. I would classify it into three. I shall call them the Barongs, the Polos and the T's.
The Barongs are the hi-class drivers. They are usually corporate drivers or hi-paying drivers. They drive businessmen and politicians and their family. They get over-time pay on top of their usual salary.
They usually wear a uniform or the working barong. These guys are proud to wear them. They know bits of English and are not afraid to use them.
The next is the Polo's because their usual attire are department store bought polo shirts. They are family drivers usually. Their bracket take home is about Php9,000 to Php6,000. They may or may not have over-time pay.
The "lowest" in the class are the T's because they wear T-shirts only. Sometimes, the T-shirts are the company give-aways. They have a small salary and they work as delivery drivers and are sometimes used as family drivers. These guys stick together.

Funny, our driver, he worked for us in the British School for 4 years. So now, he has all the confidence. Some of is words have British accents. He does not ask "Ha?" when not hearing something. He sys "Pardon me?"
One time I went to drive through in McDo and I was on the passenger's seat. I gave my order but the cashier in McDo can't hear my drink so she asked again. "Water. MineralWater. Orlan, paki sabi mineral water."
So he says "mineral wwoh-tah"
I nearly burst out laughing!
He can pronounce Shcublig, Stroganoff, cottage pie and bangers and mash... and he can cook them too.

Eden

Eden Tour 2008 with Aki Ria, Achi Bel and Ahia jun.
The forests in Eden were man-made. They have lots of herbariums and flower gardens, including this Prayer Garden.
Flowers in the wishing well.

Eden seems like a well kept place. The forest is teeming with life. The flowers are diversified and the guides all know about them.
It's a good place to tour and bring the family. There are good activities to be enjoyed by anyone out in the wild!
Just don't forget your "Off" lotion.

Malagos

In Malagos! I wasn't able to go to the Phil. Eagle Center last year so we came this year, courtesy of Ahia Jun and Achi BelBel. One of the caretakers was feeding the Eagles and he was kind enough to bring out his fave White Crested Eagle for pictorials. Very powerful wings. It was so strong and wide!

Save the Eagles!!!