The one with some really yummy finds

Cello's Donuts. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm! These donuts make Go Nuts, Hot Loops, Dunkin Donuts and Mister Donuts taste like deep fried flour nuts off the street. We're talking delicious, mouth-watering, greaseless confections that melt in your mouth with just the right amount of sweetness without being overpowering.

With at least two locations I know of - De La Salle Manila and Ateneo de Manila, hm, I wonder why? - selling these incredible sweet treats, I can be anywhere in Manila and not be too far from a Cello's. The best one off the selection is, believe it or not, cheese; I never thought I would ever enjoy a cheese donut, but then again, Cello's uses a different kind of powdery cheese that pulls the trick off delightfully. Among their other truly yummy offerings: chocnut (ooh!), M&Ms (ooh ooh!), and dark chocolate (OOH!) with a Toblerone dip! God, there goes my diet!

Cherry Hill Chicken Pie. I didn't like empanadas. I used to think they were mealy, horrifyingly dry little pastries that were thought up by people who didn't know what else to do with leftover beef and chicken. That was until I got hold of chicken pie from Cherry Hill, which is readily available at most 7-11's, I think, and at a quaint corner store in Quiapo, where I happened to be late today on the way home from church.

This chicken pie will change your life. Remember the dry, crusty empanada? This is a rich, buttery, flaky piece of heaven. Remember the icky flavor of beef or chicken with all them potato and raisin extenders? This chicken pie is nothing but butter and chicken, garnished with finely chopped potatoes and nary a raisin (I hate raisins in empanada). If you don't have access, text me because I will go there. I will. And I'll buy them for you. It's P20 each, but I'll make patong P3 per piece because of all the trouble to get there because it is worth it. Take it from an overweight guy who loves food. This is great chicken pie.

While I'm at it, I also want to recommend their Asado Siopao. The siopao dough is light and soft, and from the three pieces we ordered, each siopao appears to be 60%-70% asado meat. That is good value because most siopao you buy skimps on the meat. at P20, I'm thrilled senseless.

Finally, if you're in the Banawe area, you have GOT to go to Tazza. It's this cafe beside a car wash along the street of Jollibee Banawe. Bounce and I were there last Saturday, and he treated me to their Kahluea Walnut Cake. This cake will flip you around and take you all the way to Thursday! I've eaten in a lot of places, and this is the best cake I've ever had. Better than Sugarhouse. Better than any hotel I've gone to. One layer of pure chocolate ganache. One layer of caramel. Roasted walnuts. Moist chocolate cake. And chocolate all over it. It was a rush. It was pure. It was heaven. I took Cathy there, and she tried the Baba Cake. It was also incredible. Melt in your mouth goodness. God bless 'em.

The one where everything seems blurry

It's been almost two weeks since I started work, and I'm having a blast. I'm encouraged, and I know I'm contributing to the growth of the company and its vision, which is a wonderful thing.

I'm a little concerned for my eyes, though. Nathan (or one of the other two kids in the house) broke my glasses, and I've been working for two weeks without them. The end result: things are looking really blurry. It doesn't help that my computer monitor's really close to me, so I can't adjust the levels.

I gotta rest my eyes, that's the bottom line.

The one with the ways to beat Makati parking fees

Riddle me this, Fatman: what went on in the minds of Makati City government to make them charge P30 for parking for two hours and an additional P40 per hour after that, with only a three-hour maximum, afer which your car gets towed?

Here are some theories about what went on during their "brain"storming session:
1. People need to park, it's a necessity since they work there, so let's make as much money off 'em as we can.
2. They get a cut from the trains, buses, jeeps, and taxis that ply the area; with parking prices so exorbitant, people will be forced to take public transportation.
3. It's funny watching young professionals make a dash for their offices after getting caught in sudden downpours from their far-away parking at the Ayala mall.

The way it works out, Ayala mall parking from 7AM to 7PM (if you're forced to park because you're coded, and Makati doesn't accept the 10AM to 3PM window), at a P40 starting rate (for four hours), with P15 additional hourly rate, will cost you P160. You may spend as much as P210 if you decide to linger past 7PM for dinner and a movie. Assuming you don't, and do the regular 8AM to 5PM shift, you will spend P115 (because it's impossible for you to work eight hours including parking and walking time), and you will therefore work in at least one additional hour to travel to and from your place of parking.

At P115 a day, you will spend P2300 on parking alone.

Commuting a better option? Really? Have you waited 30 minutes in crushing human traffic to get a ride from the train, then battled rush hour to get a jeep or taxi to take you to work? Terrible. If there's an FX that takes you straight to Landmark, good for you, but how much is that? P50, one-way? Two-way, you've spent P100 to and from work, and still gotten in line.

There's no convenience like having a car, despite the gas and parking fees. You're blessed to have a car. Your time and health are just as valuable as your money.

So if you park in a mall or parking lot with a starting fee, here's a tip to help you maneuver around the sneaky Makati traffic, worst case scenario: park for four hours, go to work. Come back before your four hours are up. Take your car out, pay the P40, come back in again. You'll pay only an additional P75 for the new four hours (plus one hour walking time) instead of the P75 you would otherwise pay if you stayed the entire eight hours in the parking area. Certain places in Makati charge less starting rate (P40 is for Greenbelt 4. It's P35 at Greenbelt 1, and P30 at the open parking area facing McDonald's).

There are other parking lots that charge less, but those are usually full by the time you come into work. You can work out your own parking scheme based on where in Makati you are.

The one with Fuzion Greenbelt

Fuzion, my favorite fruit smoothie cafe of choice, has opened a mecca for me in Greenbelt Four. Now that I work two minutes away from Greenbelt, I am now literally eight minutes away from the best fruit smoothies in Manila! What a great life!

Fuzion's Greenbelt home is designed so deliciously! Bright oranges and yellows make this particular branch a wonderful place to be in, because it just lifts your spirits up. There's a section (Claire calls it the Japanese sofa, hwek hwek) with red and orange pillows; you can sit yourself down beside translucent orange tables.

They raised their prices, but it's still better than Big Chill, which is ridiculously sweet, and Fruit Magic, which tends to taste terrible when the smoothie's no longer cold. The Fuzion folks got rid of the Peachy Lychee, my favorite drink of choice, and replaced it with South Peach, which is peach, lychee, and mango. Mmmm.

I love it, love it, love it.


Me enjoying my South Peach.


The facade of Fuzion Greenbelt.


The outer inner.


More outer inner.


The Japanese sofa.


Claire didn't wanna model, but anyway...


...and a bonus for the regulars, one of Nathan's latest pics, taken at his lolo's birthday party.

The one with the the first day

I love this job right now.

The people are warm and enthusiastic, the job description is challenging and fulfilling, and I learn so much from my bosses.

/sings I think I'm gonna like it here...

---
Check out The Husband Chronicles, my new home improvement blog for men!