2010 in Retrospect

It's 2011!!!Ü And just like in the past years, i'm back to give a recap of the year that was: 2010. So...what will I remember 2010 for? One thing stands out above all but before we get to that, let me first share to you the highlights of my year...

• I got to visit Japan and Coron, Palawan for the first time!Ü
  

Oh my! JAPAN, JAPAN...where do I begin?Ü Hello Mt. Fuji and that scary-looking roller coaster ride at Fujiyama! [Too bad I was not feeling well that day so I didn't get to ride the roller coaster...featured pa naman sa Guinness Book of World Records yun! Di bale, next time...Ü] And the Matsuri Festival...glad to have taken part in that...in a hapi outfit to top it all off and for that full Japanese effect! Thanks Auntie Marivic for being our most wonderful host in our Japan trip! And to Ninang Merl and family, it was fun joining you guys in your annual family reunion! Hope you guys invite us still in your future reunions to come!Ü

And oh CORON turon!Ü This is where I had my "comeback" dive as I would like to call it. After a year and nine months of diving hiatus, I said hello to the deep blue ocean and went wreck diving (for the first time!Ü) with the ISD Divers.

• Also went to Boracay with my office lunch/merienda-mates (the Zorb is a must-try!Ü)...Tagaytay Highlands and Baguio with the family...and that impromptu Alaminos, Pangasinan trip
  
• 2010 was also the year that we welcomed Julianne Faith and Haya Sophia to the Lomibao and BWP Family (respectively Ü)
• Maan & JT got married!Ü [YAHOOOOOO!!!Ü]
• Some friends who moved on to greener pasteurs: Maan, Jing, Jovy, and Joanna
• SPCM High School Batch '95 reunion...get together after 15 years of not seeing each other!!!
• First time to try shisha at Bora
• First time to issue a cheque
• First time tumaya sa lotto Ü [Hindi nga lang nanalo...hehehe!]
• Joined my first ever run [The Century Tuna Superbods run!Ü The first two runs I joined in 2009 got cancelled. LOL!]
• Applied for and got 1 year, multiple entry visa to the Land Down Under [Sana lang magamit ko na 'to! Calling calling Kat & Jing!Ü]
• CqBA Graduation
• Goodbye Canon IXUS 400, Hello Trippy [Canon Powershot SD 970 IS]!
• Goodby Motorola V3X, Hello Pinkberry!Ü
• Hello Subie!Ü
  
• Switched to the E-passport
• Tried out the following sport: Boxing & Wakeboarding @ Lago de Oro [Ayun naman, hanggang 'try out' lang...Ü]
  
• Voted in the first ever automated Philippine presidential election
• Discovered the uber yummy Crispy Dinuguan at Jay-J's!Ü [Sorry, na-adik na sa Dinuguan!]
• Mom and Pop had an extended Shanghai vacation [I always try to see the positive side of things so thank you Lord that everything turned out a-OK!]
• Mom and Kyle got upgraded to Business Class in their return trip from LAX to MNL! FTW! I envy you guys!Ü [Speaking of...may utang pa ko'ng pansit kina My at Ai Ü]
• Angsanto family reunion during Vian, Rysh, and Ry's Manila trip!
• I got to be a "teacher" for this year and taught BA Concepts Echo Session to all those who were forced to listen. LOL!Ü
• Implemented the Cargo International AWBs Interface Ü

So...that was basically 2010 in a nutshell. To those close to me, you know what I will remember 2010 for the most!Ü So.....may we all have continued luck in 2011 and may we always remember to see the positive side of things.Ü I know it's already 18 days late but, what the heck: Happy New Year everyone!Ü

Bag of Beans' Pinoy Toppings

Originally posted @ http://cdsaint.blogspot.com

Yesterday was go-to-Tagaytay-at-magpalamig day!Ü And true enough, Tagaytay did not disappoint! It's my 2nd time to go to Tagaytay on the early days of January and like the first time that I was there, the weather was oh-so-cool...one that you'd dream of having in Manila one day (libre naman ang mangarap Ü). But enough about the weather coz i'm here to talk about this new great find at Tagaytay: Bag of Beans' Pinoy Toppings.

It was around dinner time and we were looking for a place to eat. We checked out two places before seeing this place and decided that this is where we want to eat. The name "Pinoy Toppings" itself made me hungry (the first two restos failed to do that).

From the looks of it, the place is fairly new, although I forgot to ask when they opened. The resto is from the same makers of Bag of Beans located a little further down the road in Aguinaldo Highway. They have similar dishes like the pies and their famous coffee but on the backside of their menu is where you'll find the distinct Pinoy Toppings dishes that (i'm assuming) you'll only find in this particular branch.

After checking out the menu, we decided to ask what their best sellers are and the waiter said Kalderetang Baka and Bistek Tagalog, so we ordered that, plus Cream of Broccoli Soup. At first I was actually torn between Kalderetang Baka and Lechon Kawali with Bagoong Sauce, but since the waiter mentioned that the former is a best seller, I decided to order that but only after he said YES to my question if the beef of their Kaldereta is tender.

True enough, the beef of the Kaldereta is tender! And the overall taste is a thumbs up, with just a bit of spicyness and sans the lingering taste of the bell peppers. It also had a bit of cheese for toppings, which melted perfectly on top of the beef and the rice. Their Bistek Tagalog tastes good as well, with just the right blend of saltiness and sourness...and a bit of sweetness too! Their toppings came with a bowl of hot soup, which was perfect for Tagaytay's cool nighttime breeze. The soup was both a pleasant surprise and a disappointer: It was a pleaseant surprise because I initially didn't know that their rice toppings came with soup, so that was a plus. A disappointer because I was expecting to taste Bulalo Soup, which is famous in Tagaytay, but the soup was Sinigang instead of Bulalo. But overall, the pleasant surprise outweighed the disappointer Ü [Next time, Candy, manage your expectations!Ü]. The Cream of Broccoli Soup was just the right mixture of creaminess and broccoli taste, and being a fan of creamy soups, i'll definitely come back for more of this (or probably ask Mom to add this to her home-made, signature dishes...so Mom, start experimenting please!Ü). However, at P120 worth, you'd get more bang for your buck with the rice toppings which is just at P150 each. Although the soup came with two slices of bread and butter.

Had we known that their rice bowls are actually good for two (well, it seems like it), we would have just ordered one and shared the meal since we actually had a hard time finishing all those food that we ordered. We actually didn't get to finish all the rice that was included in our order because we were just so full. Maybe Bag of Beans' ought to "re-size" their rice toppings and offer a P100-worth regular-sized meal aside from their current P150-worth large-sized ones.

All in all, our dining experience in this new nook in Tagaytay was an enjoyable one that we'd definitely come back for more.Ü The rice toppings are good and reasonably-priced at P150 each. Parking was just a-OK since only around 6-7 cars can fit in the resto's parking area which is located in front. The place is quite new so the furnitures and overall look of the place is still clean and well-maintained. It would have been fun to dine in their open-air area to complete the Tagaytay-dining-experience, but the breeze at that time was just too strong that it was just not a wise idea to dine outside.

To those going to Tagaytay and are in the lookout for a cozy but reasonably-priced place to dine, i'd definitely recommend Bag of Beans' Pinoy Toppings!Ü

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Bag of Beans' Pinoy Toppings is located near the rotonda at Aguinaldo Highway (on the left side of the road if you're headed to Batangas).

Menu

Cream of Broccoli Soup (with 2 slices of bread & butter)

Bistek Tagalog Rice Toppings

Kalderetang Baka Rice Toppings