A Short Affair with Sam: Indulgence

Sun City neighborhood

My body decided to wake up in four hours without my permission on my first morning in the US. I tried sleeping again but failed. I stared at the ceiling, browsed some photos I took on the plane and completed my shopping list for about an hour before I finally decided to get up.

I went out for a few minutes to take a quick look of the surrounding. It was relatively quiet. At pass five in the morning the sun was already up; it was warm and comforting. The breeze was also cool it felt like I was in front of an open fridge. Ten minutes after, I felt bored so I went back inside and headed to the kitchen. One of our golfers and coaches were leaving that day for a tournament in San Diego. I decided to cook breakfast.

I delved around the kitchen and searched through the cabinets and fridge for something to prepare. Aha! There were eggs, feta cheese, hotdogs and bagels. I opted to have scrambled eggs. I fried the hotdogs and warmed the bread in the microwave. All at the same time, I organized everything that was on the table to give space for my still-asleep diners. Truth is, I enjoyed cooking breakfast for them during my stay. One time I made them try my infamous (ehem!) pizza omelet. I also cooked fried rice with turkey and peas. Basically, I just made use of whatever available ingredients we had at the house.

Ingredients to my pizza omelet

My travel to the US was mainly for work. But I would like to skip that part because what I really like to write about are the exciting and memorable activities I had.  One of those, definitely, was shopping!

On my third day we went to Ontario Mills, which is quite far from where we were staying. But I gotta say that it was all worth it. I know I had my shopping list at the ready but I got lost (figuratively) as soon as I got inside that mall; it was sale everywhere and I didn’t know where to start! Here in the Philippines, whenever shops are on sale, I learned to scout for the cheaper and better items by checking every store possible. I tried to do the same in Ontario but it cost me time. Well, it turned out that eight hours of shopping wasn’t enough! Needless to say, I got some exceptionally great deals.

I bought my first items from Gap. A lot of apparels were labeled “50% off. Take another 10% (to 20%)”. Who wouldn’t love that?! Shirts, pants, jackets, formal wear – everything was more than half the price. I think I spent more than an hour in that shop alone.

 

One of the best buys I had was the Stark watch. The impulsive Maverick wanted to buy it the moment he saw it in Fossil. Although I hesitated at first, I went back for it at the last minute. And I am very much delighted I did! Well, the original price of the timepiece I was searching for about three years was $195.00. It was on sale at 50% and was further marked down with an additional 25% off. But because there was no more stock and the last remaining piece has light scratches I asked for more discount. Finally, it was sold to me at (drum roll, please)… $68! (I know, right!)  I also bought awesome bargains in CK, Oakley, Puma, H&M and Hollister – all prices not less than 50% off of the original value.

Them bags.

Three years. Worth the wait.

I wish I had more time and plenty of money then. Just the same, I tried to stick to my shopping list. I am also happy I did not spend a lot in one mall alone because there were also some good buy stores in San Diego.

Shopping. It's more fun in the United States!

To be continued…


I'm on Twitter @imavjavier

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A Short Affair with Sam: First Night

My dream travel destinations include most countries in Europe like France, Italy, Spain and Greece. That’s why it was a total surprise and a huge blessing at the same time that I was given the chance to travel in the US. Considering that I was previously denied of a visa, I never had high hopes of going there anytime soon. But last July was a month of many firsts for me. Yes, Sam and I spent some great time together. It was certainly an experience to remember: from the lengthy hours of flight, to non-stop shopping and food tripping, to falling in love with Yun Zi.

My flight was scheduled to leave then at 2200H of 07 July via PR 102. I arrived about a couple of hours earlier. I decided to have dinner prior to going to the airport since there are only small cafés in Terminal 2. I already arranged a choice seat with a travel agent so I didn't have to worry about not getting a good spot. Prior to boarding, I had to pass a series of inspections: I was searched, all the contents of my carry-on bag were brought out and I had to remove my shoes. Even so, all PAL personnel were nice and courteous.

Less than an hour to our flight all passengers were asked to board the plane. Honestly, I felt butterflies in my stomach. It was the longest flight I took – 15 straight hours – and I kind of expected an uneasy one.  To help myself from boredom I played Glow Hockey and read a few pages of The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime (which I haven’t finished yet at the time of this writing). I tried not to sleep so as to “sync” my body clock with the time in California. Alas, I couldn't help it.

The only things I enjoyed during the flight were food and the free seat beside me (I took advantage of this and placed all my stuff beside me). Unexpectedly, the foods served were savory and satisfying! They have mproved a lot since the last time I tried PAL meals from my trip to Jakarta last year. Our cabin attendants were nice and helpful but they weren't as warm as those assigned in domestic flights (Oops! Sorry!).

Breakfast: Omelet, sausages and hash brown

Dinner: It's like adobo but sweet and has corn

A couple of hours prior to arrival in Tom Bradley International Airport, passengers have started to fix themselves. There was a queue in front of me as the lavatory was near my seat. Honestly, it was a bit uncomfortable. Feeling the presence of people very near me just didn't help me go back to sleep. I decided to read again.

Exit row seat

Side ways

There was exactly no window beside me because I was seated in the exit row. But from the window adjacent to the crews’ seats, I could see sunlight at eight in the evening! At first I thought I might be in the wrong destination. But later on I realized different time zones also mean different durations of day and night. I was quiet while waiting for our plane to land. But deep inside I was a giddy child; feeling that kind of excitement when my parents used to bring me to the carnival! I waited, and waited, and waited…

I arrived!

 The long wait at the immigration and customs was exhausting. It was already dark by the time I finished all inspections. Oh boy, the wind was really cold outside! I was already wearing a jacket and yet it felt like I was inside my boss’s office (that’s usually 17 degrees Celsius). Our golf team’s coaches picked me up and we drove our way to Sun City where the team’s “home base” was.

Thou shall tell nothing but the truth

The trip from Los Angeles to Sun City was quiet and the traffic was really smooth. Our travel was more than twice the distance of my daily home-office route but we arrived within an hour and a half! (My travel time from Cavite to Manila is usually two hours)

Sun City neighborhood at night

The neighborhood in Sun City was deafeningly quiet and dark, at least during the night. It was like one of those places you see in suspense-thriller movies where a serial killer lurks. Of course, I was just scaring myself so I started preparing and fixing my stuff as soon as I got in the house. It was spacious: a garage fit for two cars, a backyard almost the size of a badminton court, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living area as big as the master’s bedroom and… a roomy kitchen! Well, it may be an average kitchen for most houses there but that was definitely not cramped unlike ours at home.

After eating a few slices of barbecue and a plate of pansit (Yep! Our coach bought food), I took a quick shower and dressed up into my pajamas and t-shirt (No tank tops!) Since all rooms were occupied, I settled in the couch with a pillow and a blanket. I’m glad to have bought a microbead pillow before I left; at least I have something to cuddle to my sleep.

The night was swift and before I knew it the clock was about to strike midnight. I spent a few minutes staring at the ceiling and thought of the adventures I was about to take the next morning before I finally dozed off. 

This is the couch were I slept during my stay in Sun City.

To be continued…

I'm on Twitter @imavjavier

Hap Hap and A Dog

In my search for a light but satisying meal tonight, I decided to try this innovative sandwich store in ATC. I've seen Hapadog for months now but never tried it till this evening. For one, I thought it was weird. I'm loyal to the classic sausage on bread with ketchup, mayo and mustard. Just like the Jollyhotdog. But tonight, my tastebuds tried something new.


The brand came from hapa, meaning "of mixed racial heritage with partial roots in asian and/or pacific islander ancestry", and, well, hotdog.

What I liked about this fastfood is that you have an option to get a sandwich in half, which is about four inches. So I tried two of its bestsellers - hapadog (yes, the name itself) and californippon.

The hapadog sandwich was made of caramelized onion, nori flakes, hapa sauce, spring onions and your choice of japanese or wasabi mayo. I like it because all the ingredients blended well. It wasn't too sweet nor too salty. Neither does it leave a bad taste in your mouth. But I gotta say that the californippon was better and delicious (california maki fan here). Just like the famous sushi, there's kani, cucumber, mango, nori flakes, tamago and ebiko. Again, you are free to choose the dressing.

Aside from hotdog sandwiches, Hapadog also serves appetizers like nachos and fried potatoes, pasta and cocktails (Thirsty Thursday is from 5-7pm where all drinks are at 55 pesos only). Well, I can't help loading some more carbs so I had a bowl of pasta. Shifudo is its version of seafood carbonara - creamy spaghetti served with salmon, prawn and scallop bits. I gotta say that this store knows how to cook al dente.

As for the price, I'd say it's understandably expensive considering the store's location. Sandwich price ranges from 165-185 (just cut it in half for the smaller, four-inch serving). The pasta I ate was 215 pesos.

The staffs were accommodating and attentive. They even allowed bringing in of drinks from other store. Too bad I missed getting their names.

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The photo that shows two sandwiches are the hapadog (left) and californippon I ordered. The other dish topped with bonito flakes is the shifudo pasta.