koko & everything else

koko & everything else

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Mesmerized by a Memory: Trip to Memory Lane Tagaytay




I heard it before and saw it on TV, local actress Jolina Magdangal who happens to be a really serious entrepreneur opened up her own restaurant/spa/salon/memorabilia destination in Tagaytay.

I was a bit curious before because the country-style look of the place was beyond intriguing. But I didn’t really have the time before until last week when my high school friends plus everyone’s boyfriend Desi and I decided to get on the road and finally check the place out.

Since it was a Friday, some filed a leave, some took off early and one had to rush from a mental hospital to Makati (true story… for those who knows me and my friends well… you know who that person was) for the meet up. I, for one, had to go to two meetings FAST just to be able to finish up by 4:30PM.

Then off to Tagaytay!

When we got there, the roads were already pretty dark. To get there, you must look for Leslie’s (a famous restaurant known for its bulalo in Tagaytay) then on the first road in front of Leslie’s, turn right. Then straight ahead. You will easily notice the place since it was perfectly lighted. The signs are big enough to be visible even at night.









The place was definitely mesmerizing. It had a homey feel to it. The light blue motif of the place made it more welcoming than it already was. The place was filled with little memorabilia but what I loved about it were the funny signs (posters). I got temporarily addicted to it, and I walked around the place searching for more…. And I ended up taking photos even in the toilet.



















But the best part was the food part. We decided to order a few specialties just to try it out.



The Salad… I forgot what it was called but it was filled with greens, tomatoes and cucumbers. I think it’s a Caesar salad… but anyways it was great… so I totally recommend it, whatever it was called.



Spicy Salpicao… okay… this one is okay. I think I’ll give it a 3 out of 5… the only problem was… I didn’t really felt or tasted the spicy part… I don’t know if I am just too accustomed with spice that I failed to taste it… or it’s just not spicy at all… but well.. it was yummy though… minus the actual spice.



Sinigang na Lechon… their best seller… and it was the best!!!! It had the right taste to it… and the lechon bits was beyond expectation…. It wasn’t saggy or anything like that even drenched in soup… I think this is one of the best sinigangs I have ever tasted… and believe me… I tasted so many…. This one surely tops the charts



The Kare-Kare… it was a lot of Kare-Kare… it had a thick peanut buttery feel to it. Although I don’t really eat kare kare much… I think this one will pass most Kare-Kare lovers… it surely did satisfied Desi… he was savoring it the whole time….



Rice… well… what can I say… the rice tasted like RICE.

Too bad we weren’t able to try out the massages or the treatments… but we swore that we will be coming back to this place. We are even already planning our barkada anniversary here (which is in fact in December… so I guess we shouldn’t really hurry with the reservations).

But I guess next time; we should come a bit early and just dine there for lunch. The place opens at 11:00am and closes at 9:30pm.

Monday, March 12, 2012

"The Mutt Gets Stressed Too: How to De-Stress Your Dog" OUT NOW!!!!


There are two things in my childhood I remember.

One is that I am always surrounded by dogs and how much I loved it. My parents supported this affection for my canine buddies by almost turning our house into a canine zoo. I had all sorts of dogs: japanese spitz, poodles, american spaniel, labrador retriever, golden retriever, pomeranian, boston terrier and even the locally famous "askals" (asong kalye) or as presently called "aspins" (asong pinoy).

Ther other childhood memory is how much I wanted to be a writer. My yaya of 27 years (Im only 26, so just do the math) always remind me of the story when she would always tell me that someday I will be a journalist. Which in some way, I did became one... but not in the sense of TV reporters or newspaper-ish type. I became a feature and PR writer for magazines. I also became a blogger and now, I could say... I am a certified writer.

A few weeks ago, I received the greatest project of all. To write a book under my name. and guess what's the topic.... DOGS.

Something I mastered way way WAY back. I love dogs and lived with them for so long. I couldnt remember the time I was without a furry companion. I adore them and treat them like my very best friends.

And now... I fulfilled one of my many dreams. My ebook is out and its available in Amazon.com

Here it is....

"The Mutt Gets Stressed Too: How to De-Stress Your Dog" by Koko Tamura
(Gosh... I blush as I type my name beside it)

It's not much and its a short ebook on dog rearing but I do hope that it will be able to help some dog owners out there in figuring out their dogs and their behaviors.

CLICK TO CHECK MY eBOOK OUT....

Sunday, March 11, 2012

The BUS that RUINED the NIGHT





A week ago, it was Saturday night and me and my pal MIc (www.morbidmic.deviantart.com) decided to grab some pizza for dinner. It was actually my way of paying up coz he literally fixed my pc at home. BTW, it’s working well now… thanks for reformatting it)

Anyways, on our way to Yellow Cab along Macapagal Avenue (Aseana Park) we were welcomed by heavy traffic since it was already 10:30pm and it was a pyrolympics night. So I had to go straight and make a turn towards the Mall of Asia circle (where the globe is) and had to take the smaller roads to get to Aseana. I was driving pretty slow since the streets were packed. And just when I will be able to finally enter the circle traffic, I was maneuvering to the left to be able to get to the circle; a bus hit me on the side.

And what’s worse, the bus didn’t even noticed and didn’t stop at once, he kept moving for a few seconds… I had to blow my horn so many times, before it put on its brakes.

I quickly got out of the car and checked… good thing the traffic flow was slow or else… I would have put Mic’s life in danger…

I got out and the bus’ conductor came out and checked the damage with me. But the bus driver? He stayed inside the bus with a smug of a face.

I tried to calmly ask why they didn’t stopped the moment they hit me. But the conductor just shrugged and told me he didn’t really saw what happened since he was talking to a passenger when he felt the bump.

So I started to ask why the driver’s not coming out. And so he called the driver and they both went out to check the damage.

And here’s the part where I got pissed off. For one, I was trying to deal with it as calmly as possible… since the driver was a bit older and I wasn’t in the mood to be rude… But what made me freak the hell out was the driver’s initial attitude.

He was so rude. I was asking him questions and he did not even bother to look at me or even answer any of my questions. He just talked to the conductor and even said that it wasn’t that big anyway. I felt my blood rush through my veins, but I tried to hold it in.

Then what really made my bubble burst is when this driver tried to move the bus. He didn’t even bother to ask me. That’s when I had it. I yelled at him and even slammed my hand on the bus’ windshield. I couldn’t remember the exact words but I kind of told him that if he didn’t quit what he was trying to do, I will personally drag him out of the bus. (I know it was out of line but hey, I was furious and starving)

Then he came down and told me, he just wanted to look into the actual damage so he tried to move the bus a couple of inches away. But what made me mad was his attitude. He was rude and disrespectful and treated me like crap.

But when he realized I was getting mad and all.. (I was already yelling at him when he came down the bus), he suddenly became calm and even tried persuading me thinking I will give in. He make remarks like “hindi ko naman kayo tatakbuhan, sa ganda niyong yan, hindi ko naman kayo basta basta tatakbuhan” (for someone as pretty as you, I wouldn’t dare to run). And it made my blood boil… I yelled so hard and told him to shut up coz it wasn’t the time to make stupid remarks like that (okay, I didn’t really said stupid, but I said something like “ilugar mo yang sinasabi mo”)

Then when it hit him that such kind of persuasion wouldn’t do either, he went biblical on me. This is actually the part when I wanted to strangle him but I am glad I didn’t coz I would probably end up in jail. But what he said was… some sort of bible verses about caring and forgiving and he said he was a religious man and that every human being should care for another and learn to forgive. I was so mad at him at that point and I raised my hands and told him to SHUT UP. I said, first, don’t bring the name of God into such circumstances coz it’s not proper. And secondly, I told him how dare of him to say that I should just care, forgive and let go. He damaged my car and got me stranded and starving. I told him to quit whatever he’s doing and just deal with the problem.

He was actually surprised when his little speech did not work.

Okay, I do believe there is a God and I try to live my life within the path of goodness but it really makes me mad when people get all biblical and self-righteous when they f*ck up (please excuse my language). What’s the deal with him anyway? Is he some kind of a psycho with multiple personalities?

First, he was all rude and couldn’t even spend a few seconds to look directly into my eyes when he speaks. Then he turned into this slick freak and tried persuading me with flowery compliments. Then he became all spiritual and biblical. I was so mad that night that I didn’t want to see any more of his freakin personalities.




So after an hour or so, we came into a resolution and made him write a letter with his name and signature on it. But actually, the damage wasn’t that bad but what’s sad about it is that these bus drivers are getting crazier by the second. And if these are the people we entrust our lives with (since we ride public transports every day of our lives) then we are doomed!

Oh another thing… this bus driver hit me outside the yellow lane. As far as I know, buses shouldn’t be allowed to drive outside their lane. This is what happens when bus drivers break the law… they get into accidents, bother some other person’s life or worse, hurt another person. I am just glad that it wasn’t that bad… because all his biblical talks wouldn’t matter if that accident ended up in a much worse scenario.




BUS: KELLEN TRANSPORT
PLATE: TXL 256
DRIVER: ANTONIO LASANAS

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Looking for a NEW HOME







This is going to be a first on my blog but I decided to help out my girlfriend in selling her pug puppies.

For one, she's running out of space at her place coz she already have four grown dogs at home. and another four pups would really need a LOT of extra space

Another is that, it's getting expensive.... dog food for all eight dogs really needs deep pockets... She's starting to feel that all her hard earned moolah are going to the dogs... she loves them... but the expenses are soaring high

then there goes the VET visits.... she takes good care of them but juggling her work and her other errands keeps her too occupied... she would want to take them regularly for their regular check ups but she's really having a hard time scheduling...

and so... she's selling the pups!!!

Date of Birth: December 4, 2011
with PCCI papers and shots (Of course)

FAWN FEMALE PUG - Already Sold
BLACK FEMALE PUG - Php 17,000
BLACK FEMALE PUG - Php 17,000
BLACK MALE PUG - Php 15,0000

If you're interested... you can just text me at (0915) 4695099

I hope there's someone out there who can give a new home to these adorable pups... I would love to get one but I already have three wonderful dogs and I am still recovering from the loss of my TAMTAM (pomeranian) who passed away last year =(