Cafe Maria Jerica, Cubao; Affordability At Its Best

We went out of town again, this time, we will go to Antipolo, Rizal. But on our way, we first need to stop for lunch since we left early in the morning and attended our meeting, then it's 12 noon.

There was a friend, who has a friend, who has a friend, and no, I was just kidding. Hihi. One of our friend, who formerly lived in Manila took us to this Italian restaurant along with a busy street of mostly residential houses. She said that she often eats there with some close friends when she still stays in Manila proper.

What excites us is when she also mentioned the huge servings the restaurant offers. The place isn't that conducive but what we are looking for is where we can eat without hurting our pockets.



So without any ado, we walked and found ourselves lurking at the menu and taking time picking for what to eat. Because they have a wide array of pasta dishes, sandwiches and everything else, it took us quite some time to finally decide which to order. Ugh, that is always a very difficult thing to do.

Potato is one of our favorite root crops. And when you say pasta and pizza meal, it became automatic to us to have anything potato in different forms. It might be fries, wedges or mojos. That being said, we had ourselves an order of Mojo Potatoes (Php120) for our appetizer.



While we were to try yet another two pasta dishes, Chicken Primavera Pasta (Php90) was included first in our order. Think of that creamy-cheesy penne goodness, that is what we had tasted in the sauce. We were in awe thinking if the serving size was a plus since it is really huge for a person. I think it's best for sharing, at least with the size of my appetite.



Our third dish from Cafe Maria Jerica was this plate of Pesto Classic Pasta (Php80). Above all the dishes we had, this one for me is my personal favorite. I might be biased for picking it among everything since I am a big pasta fan, but this minimalist pesto dish was just amazing. Think about al-dente cooked pasta seasoned with a good amount of olive oil and pesto sauce, it was such a delight to eat.



We also had the other version of the pesto pasta, and this one is the Creamy Pesto Pasta (Php90). There's not that much to say about this one, just a nice creamy touch blend to the sauce which I can't weigh if I like it or I love it. But all in all, it was also good.



The next dish is GJ's pick. Customed to having a sandwich for lunch, he had a Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato Sandwich (Php95). Though funny to see a local potato chip brand (Jack n Jill Piatos) as a side of a sandwich (it was mostly Lay's Potato Chips or French fries), it was decent and pretty acceptable. The size of the sandwich may deceive you, but it feels seems so heavy in the tummy.



I don't actually remember why we still get a pan pizza for this meal because all the dishes were already filling. It was a Beef and Mushroom Pizza (Php120). What we just did was brought it home and had it for dinner.



What more can I say? It was a nice lunch we had, we were well filled and left no room for dessert. The price is so reasonable and it is worth another turn if ever we will be in Cubao again.

Cafe Maria Jerica
No.35 14th Ave., Socorro, Quezon City, Cubao (Main Branch)
Hours: Open 24hours, 7days a week
https://www.facebook.com/Caf%C3%A9-Maria-Jerica-1553735441548318/

Where To Buy Cheap Domain For Less Than US$1

Since the beginning of my blogging career (though it isn't really a career but a passion for me), I already thought of getting my own domain name for my page. It was in 2008 when I decided to create my very first blog just because I saw my brother being busy with this stuff, I then became a copycat. And finally, I became serious doing my own after few years when my blog was approved by Google Adsense in 2010.

From that day on, I never stop dreaming of having my own domain name for my blog. Godaddy, as being the world's largest registrar, offers domains for overwhelming prices. Until recently, I learned this site that offers .com domains for a very cheap price. For only US$0.871, you can have the .com domain of your choice for a year without any hidden charges. That's crazy, right?

An overview: Crazy Domains is operated by DreamScape Networks FZ-LLC, a part of the Dreamscape Networks Limited (ASX: DN8) group that employs hundreds of dedicated IT professionals globally within Technical Support, Customer Relations, Development, System and Network Engineers, and much more. Source.


Without any dilly-dallying, I purchased my first (and hoping not the last) domain name from crazydomains.ph. I am very happy that registrars like these exist. I can now enjoy my identity on the web to the fullest.



To justify my statement (of them having the cheapest price you can find), here are some screenshots of the price I paid which went by like a dream for until now, I can't still believe.



It is a real steal. Aside from the domain name itself, a personal email and a domain privacy comes in handy, also, for free. All in all, I was able to save up to US$28 on their domain name registration services (that is if you do not need their hosting like me).

If you want to have the cheapest domain, you can try crazydomains.ph and ask their support for technical matters. Not to mention, their customer care staff are the craziest staffs online too, as for my experience. They hired technical guys who know what they are doing.

Since crazydomains.ph is on sale, it is better to buy your domain today before its too late. And please do not forget use this link when you buy your domain name. Thank you and happy do-mining!

The Perfect Season to Visit The Netherlands

Me in the Netherlands last 2016

Disclaimer: This post was inspired by an IG friend. She had a question on one of her stories, so I thought, why not make a post about it.

From an Asian's perspective, it will always be winter (and oh, autumn too), the perfect season to visit the Netherlands. How so? Let's count the reasons why.

1. It snows. Winter never exist in countries like Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, etc. Playing in the snow or making a snow angel is a dream for many.
2. You can stay in your bed the whole day. It is cold, what else will you do then?
3. People are inside their homes. And because of that, commercial cities (stad), museums, and parks are so unoccupied that one can maximize his time to roam around the halls and try almost all of the park's rides. It's so worth it, I'm telling you! (That was what we actually did at Disneyland Paris!)
4. Dream winter fashion clothes. Hey! Don't judge. As mentioned earlier, there's no winter season in the Philippines. And for that, we do not have any reason for having warm clothes and jackets and coats for snow. The only place we can use them is inside a snow world (like the one in Star City). And with this time of the year, we can cover up ourselves with fashionable winter clothing. I like that.
5. It is hugging season. In the west, it is very common to give a hug. But, not in our culture. So when it is winter, there's an add-on/ extra reason to stay intimately close to your loved ones. Don't forget to kiss them three times on the cheek when you meet! (That's a Dutch custom.) And another three when you say goodbye. So, that makes six kisses!
6. A lot of warm chocolate milk drink and tea. You can indulge yourself in a lot of cups of warm chocolate milk with whipped cream and just relax while watching your favorite series on Netflix while cuddling with your mate. That's such a sweet thing.
7. You can go to bed early. It starts to get that as early as four in the afternoon. You will feel lazy so you will just go to bed.

And that's it! These are the reasons why I love winter in the Netherlands, and why I find that winter season is the best time to make a visit.

Make sure to prepare your coats and umbrellas with you. Winter can be a crazy season too!

Pho Market, Festival Mall Alabang

After getting ourselves tired looking for that famous American burger restaurant in Alabang, we ended up having a Vietnamese dinner. I don't blame Google for not being so up to date but this isn't the first time. We now learned that we should not rely on the internet that much for a company location most especially here in the Philippines. By the way, we are looking for Carl's Jr; and Google said there is one at Festival Mall, but there's none. Oh well, too bad.

Though disappointed, the good thing was, we were able to have some Vietnamese dishes again. 'Twas already five months since the last we had at Mjcas Bistro. There's also a local restaurant five minutes drive away from home that caters Pho but it is not like the authentic one.



We were happy we found Pho Market, a family-style restaurant intwined with Mongolian Quick-Box, which obviously serves Mongolian cuisine.



GJ is a lover of Vietnamese food. He always tells me how distinctive Viet dishes taste like compared to other cuisines in Asia. But every country has its finest, and we do not close our doors in trying out different pieces of stuff, even if it is out of this world.



At the time of our visit, Pho Market is giving a discount for all their pho dishes. And it was 20% off on any noodle soup. So GJ got me a bowl of beef noodle soup with beef balls (Php218/regular price).

Compared to what I had before at Pho'Hoa Noodle Soup in Mall of Asia two years ago, it is still very clear in my mind how the first sip of that soup tastes like. And from that, I have this certain memory on my buds that I fell in love with. Sadly, I can't find it with Pho Market's bowl.



Next one is this serving of steamed bánh cuốn (Php92 for 3 rolls), a light dish with pork and mushroom filling topped with fried onion which is traditionally eaten as breakfast in Vietnam but can also be a late night snack.

We also had the deep fried form which is called Chả giò / Nem rán (Php85 for 2 rolls). I feel pity for myself since I cannot have even a bite of these rolls. If it happened that I was born as a Vietnamese, I might feel depressed for having a shrimp allergy.



Vietnamese cuisine was influenced by the French during their colonial times. Needless to say, Pho is a combination of Vietnamese rice noodles (in Pho) and French meat broths pot-au-feu (/ˌpôdōˈfə/), how close these words are if you'll come to think of it. That is the reason why they have their own version of crepe or Bánh Xèo (Php178) too. But instead of chocolate with banana or other berries as its filling, the Vietnamese crepe has shrimp, pork and sprouts inside.



Though I wasn't able to try half of the food, I am as satisfied as to how GJ liked what we had. Staffs are acquanted with serving their customers well and the place is just fine to have a family dinner.

Pho Market
Food Court, Ground Floor, Festival Mall, Filinvest City, Muntinlupa City
Hours: 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
https://www.facebook.com/mongolianquickboxphomarket/

Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina, Alabang

Being one of the most talked about restaurant in Alabang, Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina became a curiosity to my taste buds and taste buddy, GJ. We love eating out. And knowing that there's this Filipino-Mexican restaurant few hours drive from the South, we took our chances.

My sister is currently working in Alabang and it's from her where we first heard about it. In an occasion, I told a friend that we will go to Alabang for a visit and she said we should not forget to drop by this food hub. And as I looked online for a place to go in Alabang, Silantro, somehow is always on the list.

When we arrived in Manila, it is one of the first things we did. Eat. As we approach the restaurant, the more I got curious about what do they really have to offer. I love Mexican food. I even make my own tacos at home. I was thinking, "They must really meet my expectations."



Upon entering, we did notice the wrestling inspired interior of the place. It has a rusty and rugged feel that perfectly suits the main theme, Lucha Underground. I am not a fan but it really looks nice, and GJ agreed.

Looking through their menu, we decided to get three dishes. First of, they served us their house sauces composed of spicy cilantro (orange), regular cilantro (green) and sour cream (white) and they are unlimited. These were actually served before we took our order. (Is it that one will be shy not to stay and order and eat?)



We are happy that we went there on a weekday, and it was Monday, not even a holiday. And by that, there are not that many people eating. I also noticed three different groups of foreigners (including us) dining, so the food meets their expectations, maybe.

Since I'm a sucker for nachos sometimes, or when it is available, of course, it should be part of the meal. Our plate of Beef Nachos (Php180) arrived after few minutes (fair enough with regard to their customers' number). This picture is not justifying the real deal well enough. I'll just describe it to you then. It was a mountain of corn tortilla chips topped with of tomato salsa, ground beef and cheese (melted cheese!).

There were pieces of nachos left untopped. Well, it will always be the case if they just throw everything all at once. It might be better if they will layer the amounts of nachos, beef, salsa and cheese as they build the serving.



Next dish, the Silantro's Burrito (Php180). Looking at the picture, I am so in love by how the burrito was packed perfectly. It might lack filling like the chunky beef or salsa, but hey, it tasted amazing. For the value, you'll not regret having this on your meal, it was big enough to feed us three. Again, it was one of the best burritos I've ever had.



Lastly, we had an order of their Caliente Wings (Php180/5 pieces). It resembles the common dish we normally had in restaurants, the buffalo wings. From the name itself (Caliente, a Spanish word for hot), it has this sweet and spicy taste. Because I am not into spicy food, I thought that this dish will not be a friend. But I was wrong. The shredded greens on top helped me appreciate the dish even more.



We had three refills for our sauces and we were happy that the staffs are attentive enough to cater all their guests at that time. Monday lunch was just perfect for us to eat here. The only problem we had was, they do not have a washroom, a sink for their guests. It then became a hassle for us since the toilet was outside though not that far from the restaurant. Even though it was just a few steps away, you will not be happy hitting on things with your greasy fingers. I hope they will out a small wash area for their customer's convenience.

Anyways, it was an amazing lunch we had and we will definitely go back again to try other food they offer.

Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina
Ground Floor, ATC Corporate Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Hours: 11:00AM - 11:00PM
www.facebook.com/silantrofilipinomexicancantina

Shopee University & Community Meet-up: Beginners Class at Lipa, Batangas

Working at home is always better than going out, taking a ride to your workplace and having a boss in the office. And that, I've proven true. Being the boss of your own makes the job easier, a lot happier and by that, you don't need to befriend everyone. Haha. It is not that I am saying you should (when you're inside a formal environment), but it does help your performance. I think.

Anyways, the past months, I tried working at home selling retail stuffs online. If you haven't heard of what we sell, you can head over this post; http://myxilog.blogspot.com/2017/09/gadgetech-review-fujifilm-instax-share.html. Thank you!


A platform that helps us the most with our sales is Instagram. Though it is a social network site, it drives buyers through its easy accessibility and hashtag search feature (the most comfortable app to use the hashtag search). But we did not stop there. Using various sites help us to attract followers, and most especially, the buyers. That is why we tried an e-commerce platform called Shopee.ph. For local selling, it is better than eBay, I find.


Not so long, I received an email from them asking if I can come to one of their workshop. Since it is just within the vicinity, why not give it a shot? I also got interested because they're going to conduct the class for free. So why not, right?


The class mainly aimed to teach the sellers how to run and grow sales a successful online business. They also taught us how to join campaigns and how to be a Preferred Seller.


Shopee University's Beginners Class includes:

• Seller spotlight
• How to attract buyers
• How to fulfill orders
• Tracking your performance
• Workshop: DIY Lightbox
• And a lot of fun and giveaways!

My favorite parts about the discussion are: How to expose more of your products and how you can attract more buyers. It is very informative on our part. To be honest, we are using the app for only three weeks at that time. That is why I find the workshop very handy. Hihi.

It is not a blog event, but I enjoyed all the lessons we tackled there so I am sharing my experience. We already got our very first sale from Shopee and we never regret that we attended the class. And being a buyer ourselves, it taught us too on how to be keen when buying products from others.


We had the venue at Max's Restaurant and the last picture shows the meal we had that night. It's been a long time since I had their fried chicken (it was still good though it looks like a zombie. hihi).

Have you tried selling on an e-commerce site? What do you think about Shopee.ph?

GadgeTech Review: HP Sprocket Photo Printer

We fully enjoyed the benefit of having an Instax Photo Printer. In just a snap, we can have an instant photo printed in seconds. Though fully satisfied, we did not stop there. We are up to try another printer and see how differently will it work.


The past month, GJ got himself online an HP printer called the HP Sprocket Photo Printer where you can also print from your smartphone. It comes in black color but they also have a white (normal color) and rocket red (which is limited in quantity) choices.

HP Sprocket Photo Printer; Setup card; HP ZINK® Sticky-Backed Photo Paper (10-sheets); Micro USB Cable, Regulatory Sheet

Its primary features include*:

• About the size of a mobile phone, this portable printer goes anywhere.
• Use the HP Sprocket App to quickly print your favorite social media photos.
• Give your prints a pop of personality with borders, emojis and more
• No ink cartridges required with ZINK® Zero Ink® technology
• Bluetooth® connectivity

HP Sprocket Photo Printer uses a 2 x 3-inch (5 x 7.6 cm) sticky-backed photo paper which made it very handy (you can stick your photo anywhere you want!). Weighing only 170 grams, you can definitely bring it in any of your trips.


Unlike the Fujifilm Instax Photo Printer, you can download the free HP Sprocket App to customize your photos before you print them. Add stickers, texts and other designs to make it more personalized.

HP Sprocket Photo Printer & Fujifilm Instax Photo Printer

HP Sprocket's size is relatively small compared the Fujifilm Instax Printer, given that the photo is also smaller than the Instax films with ink cartridge on every single piece of it.


Though it is another nice piece of mechanism, GJ and I decided not to keep it for ourselves. There's still a nostalgic feel with the other printer and we can only afford to give our attention to one. I also noticed that after few months, the photo printed sticker of the HP Sprocket turns into yellowish color, which I personally don't like. How much more changes will it be as time goes by?

What can you say about this HP Printer? Will you probably purchase one?