Coffee and Apple Pie

Coffee and apple pie after dinner last night... love it! Apple pie is courtesy of my niece. She ordered it from one of her favorite fast food together with some goodies for herself. We have same day off this time Saturday and Sunday, but different work schedule.  Happy tummy again!

Why do I like coffee a lot? I have migraine way back in my early teens. I found out caffeine in coffee is the cheapest and easiest way to combat migraine attack. If you suffer from migraine and you feel migraine headache is underway. Try taking a cup of black coffee. I take it without sugar. Caffeine constricts blood vessels and alleviates migraine headache. 

At the first sign of asthma attack coffee also helps. It is advisable to take strong coffee without sugar.  Caffeine is bronchodilator. It helps relax and clear the airways, for asthma sufferer to breathe easier. 

Calamansi

As an alternative to coffee, drinking warm calamansi juice is very relaxing when I am home on my day off from work. Coffee has been my favorite drink ever since I started working as it makes me mentally alert. I am thankful I do not have heart palpitation through the years of patronizing this favorite drink. I thought of an alternative after meal when I am home. These tiny fruits loaded with vitamin C came to my mind. With less effort of juicing at least three to four pieces and adding a little brown sugar I get to enjoy a cup while watching television.  Why warm instead cold juice? It relaxes my throat after seven to eight hours of talking when at work.

Calamansi, scientific name Citrofortunella Microcarpa is a popular fruit in the Philippines and widely grown in Southeast Asian countries. Growing up in a farm, I had the privilege of cultivating this plant. Or should I say watch this fruit as it grew anywhere around our yard and back yard. It grows easily just throw a fruit with seeds on it. In few days seedling sprouts up. Seedling becomes small tree and bear fruits in clusters.  I love the fresh looking leaves and lemony aroma of the leaves. Despite the attraction this plant gives, you would not want to come close to it. Its body and branches have thorns enough to puncture your skin.

Aside from being a good source of Vitamin C, there are many health benefits we can get from calamansi. Go ahead, search the web folks. Calamansi peels when rub on skin, whiten and moisturize skin, thus restoring softness. Many beauty products manufactured in the Philippines are with calamansi extract. Cheaper than lemon when you go to groceries and supermarkets, this tiny fruit offers as much as lemon gives. Truly amazing! 

Snacks Courtesy of My Niece

What a joy to receive these simple surprises from my home buddy.

Tell me how can I eat this cute face?

Maybe I just have to gobble it up straight from this box without looking inside.  This is called siopao from a Filipino- Chinese fast food restaurant.

This sweet Ensaymada goes perfect with a cup of black coffee.  Ensaymada or Ensaimada is a pastry contributed to Philippine culture by our first conqueror – Spain. 

Last but not the least, potatoes in halves with cheese and bacon from my favorite pizza parlor.  No worries folks, these were not given to me on same day.  I am fine with calories, and all.. I do my walking exercise almost everyday until such time I buy a new swimsuit. :)

Chicken Pie

My niece, my home buddy is on work training for two days. The training will run for two days morning shift, Monday and Tuesday this week. We both work at night. Monday and Tuesday are my day off, too. Soon as I got home yesterday morning, I started tossing clothes in my washing machine while cooking lunch for myself and dinner for my niece.  At three in the afternoon, I cannot resist the invite of my bed. I was sound asleep when my niece came home.

I woke up at seven in the evening I checked on her inside her bedroom.  She was sound asleep. On our dining table is a small box with label, chicken pie and the dinner I prepared. I thought, she probably had dinner after the training. I went back to my bedroom. I woke up at nine in the evening for my dinner. My niece was awake, working as usual on her laptop. The dinner I prepared for her was gone, the chicken pie was spared? It was for me! I thanked her with a wide grin on my face.  They had free lunch at the training. She brought home the chicken pie for me. 

I ate rice and the lady finger veggie I prepared for my dinner. At around four in the morning, I prepared a cup of black coffee. I peeled off the wrapper of the chicken pie put it inside the oven toaster. The yummy chicken pie was gone in few bites. Black coffee and chicken pie, equals great breakfast! With the fork still in my hand I came to her room and teasingly, I said - “ I want some more! “ 

Breakfast

I woke up early today. It was my day off Monday and Tuesday. When my niece comes home at four in the morning from work and she knew it is my day off, she would knock at the door to get in. It is simply to tease me, instead of getting her keys from her back pack bag. One time I was fast asleep in my room with door closed. I did not hear her knocked.  She knocked three times, no footsteps coming to the door. Mindful of waking up some neighbours, she had no choice but used her keys.  This morning after I opened the door, I went ahead and prepared my breakfast.

You read it right, my breakfast. My niece and I both work in a Call Center, different companies though.  Her working hours is from seven in the evening to four in the morning. She would eat breakfast at one of the fast food chain close to her office. I had three pieces of pancakes, a hotdog and my favorite drink, black coffee. The pancake of course is ready mixed. I added one egg, presto, I had a nice breakfast. No syrup, I simply whipped some butter on top of each piece. Easy preparation while my washing machine was churning for the last batch of clothes for the week laundry. 

Milk Tea

My niece loves tea.  She likes tea with milk, hot or cold. I love tea as well next to coffee but I have not tried adding milk to it. When we have the same day off we would have some cookies as our midnight snacks and hot tea.  My niece and I work at a call center but not the same company. I started adding liquid milk to my hot tea with a little sugar. The tea tasted even better.

The Breakfast

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Folks, remember I posted a story about a coffee tumbler from Starbucks with gift certificate I received as a sort of an incentive? It has 31^st December 2010 as its expiration date. The Christmas activities, work and my plan of moving to a new place preoccupied my already clogged brain. It was around middle of November I last visited a Starbucks closest to my place of work. I thought of using the gift certificate for a coffee mug or a tumbler. Those that I saw being sold at that time were the expensive ones. Being a practical buyer, I hesitated buying those expensive mug or tumbler just because of the Starbucks logo. I thought maybe comes December they will have new stocks reasonable enough for me to let go of my treasured gift certificate.

I had forgotten all about the gift certificate until last night. I happened to open my cabinet to get my gift for my godchild. The Starbucks paper bag with the gift cert inside it was in there as if greeting me. This morning after work, I teased the young man at the counter inside the Starbucks near our office. I would like to renew the gift certificate because the tumbler I would like to buy is not available. He declined politely with a grin. I had a fresh brewed coffee and a sumptuous sandwich for breakfast. I was the first customer. I told the young good looking fellow at the counter they will have lots of customers after me. True enough. While I was seated in a couch waiting for my order, more customers started to line up.

What caught my attention are the Caucasian families of six. Judging from their English accents they are British. The two cute little boys with curly yellow hair started pounding on the wooden table. I guess they had mistaken the table as a drum. I looked at the cute little ones with the smile while their grandma busied herself looking at them with her finger between her lips gesturing silence. When I got up after the last gulp of coffee the young lad at the counter called out – “Thank you ma’m… Happy New Year!” – I replied with a smile and thumbs up then headed to the bus stop for a ride home. Not bad to start a new day!  ☺

Fun at Sports Fest

T. G. I. F.!  Thanks God, it’s Friday! I am not advertising a restaurant here. That is usually the most- friendly phrase to everyone working from Monday to Friday.

After logging out and taking off my headset at 6:30 AM. I went to see my team captain to sign my evaluation for the month of July. He was discussing with our lady Office Manager the upcoming office sports fest. The event was actually held Sunday, the 8^th of August. They invited some people as cheerers to boost the morale of the players at our division. Our Call Center has several accounts. The event is kind of intramural sports fest. Our lady boss advised my team captain I am coming, with a wide grin on her youthful face. I could not say no to my boss. She seldom asked me a favor. I kidded if there is going to be a free lunch. She said our team captain will take charge of our lunch. The lunch was a sumptuous siopao from North Park, a Chinese restaurant. Siopao is steamed rice flour with meat and egg filling inside. It goes with a sauce especially made for sipao.

There were four of us from our team who attended the event including our team captain. We were early birds. The event was held at a sports complex not too far away from our office. It was a pity no award for the early twitters. Our office van driver was tasked to bring the cheerers to the place. There was already a volley ball game going on when we arrived. We kind of snubbed the effort of the players being not our athletes. I know you could guess what we did? What else but took our photos from my didgicam and our cell phones. I do not have permission from my officemates to publish their photos so I am posting mine.  

 Oppps! Hold on to that laugh, okies? ☺

I couldn't shape the balloon like a crown. I guess this will do  for now :)

We were advised to wear something with yellow. Your Jolly Princess wore yellow tight jeans. The yellow balloon was an added accent.  Sorry folks. I did not stay very long. I went home early. I could not tell who won. I was just too tired, clapping and shouting on the cheering competition. It had rained upon getting off the van. I did not bring umbrella. I stopped by a café closer to the place I live. My favorite blueberry cheese cake tasted so good with a cup of coffee, of course.

What’s In It with Coffee?

Had you visited Manila, and some other cities in the Philippines, you must have noticed a lot of coffee shops located almost everywhere. Among the top ten coffee shops are ~♥

1.      Starbucks

2.      Gloria Jean’s

3.      Bo’s Coffee

4.      Figaro

5.      Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

6.      Seattle’s Best Coffee

7.      Café de Lipa

8.      UCC Café Plaza

9.      McCafe of McDonalds

Let us stop and talk a while..

10.  Café Capreal 

In Manila, most of these coffee shops are located inside hotels, shopping malls or they have their own rented place like that of Starbucks. Starbucks rank number one. You could easily find one, either close to offices, golf course or any strategic locations frequented by people from all walks of life. To be more attractive to coffee lovers, this coffee shop sells, tumblers, coffee mugs, bags or other items bearing Starbucks name. Although Filipinos love coffee, those who have tight budget may not be interested buying the items. They are quite pricey. Coffee lovers do buy them as keepsake items. One thing I noticed about Starbucks is their accommodating place. You could enjoy your stay in the place as long as you want. In some coffee shops waiters would ask if you have other orders or needed something. As if to say, you need to give way to other customers.

As people used to flock to these coffee shops. The entrepreneurship mind of their marketing staff had conceptualized the idea of selling cakes and pastries to go with coffee. Coffee shops are even popular than ice cream parlors. After all who wants to sweat it out at the gym to ward off excess calories? So what is with coffee that made it so popular? Nothing really, it is the place that is more important. Coffee shops are places you could conveniently stay while waiting for your friends. It is a good place for buying time while waiting for a business partner for an important meeting. Or a place to simply read the morning news paper while enjoying a stick of cigarette all by your self.  ☺

Great Day

Good morning World Wide Web!

I hope the beginning of your week had been great. As for me Monday, the 5^th is the beginning of July. I hope my American friends or should say my friends in the U.S. had already recovered from your hang over due to the celebration of the 4^th of July. I had not greeted you folks in my blog. I kind of became busy last weekend to post a greeting. Anyhow, I hope the holiday was great. I have this coffee over here in case you needed to perk up your day.

The month of June had been busy as well. The good thing is I was granted few days off. It enabled me to work on my long time plan of my general cleaning at home. I am planning to file more vacation leave within July. I just want to make use of the remaining unused vacation leave for 2009. We were advised by our HR, unused vacation leaves will forfeited  by August or September. It was different before. We could accumulate the vacation leave longer, before it gets forfeited. 

       

Thank you my blogger friends for continuously and consistently visiting my blog. Much more than thank you for leaving me a comment. Your comment enables me to determine who should I convey my thanks. To some whose blog I visited and leave comments. Please do not be compelled to return the favor back. It is your freewill. I enjoyed reading your blogs. I feel great to be part of this online activity. Nothing much today, this is just to wish everyone-♥  

Happy blogging folks!

 Have a great day!