Kitchen of Cakes and Coffee

I don’t get to see my best friend that often. Mabeth is a doctor and i am a dentist. Day-in and day-out, we are saving “lives” --- Hahaha! (Well, she is, but I am just saving teeth). But really, it is not easy for us to find time for each other, sometimes, but when we get together, you can be sure that it will involve food.

Two weeks ago, Mabeth and I, met up at Kitchen of Cakes and Coffee, along Tomas Morato. I would be honest, I pass by Tomas Morato more than once, every week, and although I see the restaurant beside it (and I can swear I’ve caught a glimpsed of it, before), I was surprised to find out that it was there. I mean, from the outside the place blends well with the background, in the sense that you don’t really get to notice it at once… but once you enter, it is the opposite. Inside, KOCCO is very welcoming and the smell of good food is truly inviting…

CHECK OUT THEIR TEA MENU

I am not a “tea” person but if I were, I would probably enjoy their collection

Mabeth and I, eat like boyfriend-girlfriend. We do not order separate meals, We always order different things and share with each other. Sometimes we order three platters and we finish it all (or I finish most of it). But since we met for BRUNCH and I am not really a breakfast person (although I love breakfast food, I just really don’t eat breakfast)  we only had the following:

Bacon N’ Chiz. Soup in a bread bowl

P95.00

Super yummy and creamy.

The bread bowl is large and deep and for P95, I it was worth every spoonful.

Jill Had French Toast 

P65.00

I love french toast and this one is not only cheap, it was yummy.

There were six half-slices, so that’s three pieces of either white or whole wheat bread.

Honey Mustard Fish Fillet w/ side of fries 

P180.00

At first glance, I thought that the serving was small, but it is was yummy and quite filling. I would not eat this on it’s own though, so it’s a good thing that everything in the menu is very affordable. You can just try different things.

Mango and Walnut Torte

P80.00

Every time we go out to eat, even if we’re already full , we always say: “There’s always room for dessert” and so we got this very yummy cake. The walnuts and the mango taste very good, together, and although I thought this would be “too” sweet… it wasn’t. It looked so yummy, i wasn’t able to take a good picture of it (See?)

We, each, had to pay P277.00 and that isn’t bad at all, right. I even brought home White Chocolate Sansrival for Bon and he said it was very yummy too! I really have to explore around my area. I think I will make it my goal to eat at every restaurant along Tomas Morato and Timog Avenue (and then move to the side streets, after). Maybe I should do a Julie Powell and do one restaurant everyday for the entire year. That would cost me a lot of money, though, so I take it back! Hahaha!

Anyway, since I'm talking about my best friend and her job, "saving lives", I would like to share this video from the DLSU Blast. I was supposed to be with her to welcome her friend after the Bar Examinations but I got stuck doing something else... You do not have to watch the entire video because it's kinda shaky and sad... just fast forward to 1:15, the lady in blue shirt (with short hair) is my bestest friend in the world... future kick-ass ER DOCTOR!

Kitchen of Cakes and Coffee

#258 Tomas Morator

cor Sct. Fernandez

Quezon City

(02)4123358

Pure Talent, Indeed!

Nowadays, it’s quite easy to be a “photographer”. I see a lot of people with nice cameras and in Facebook, everyone is suddenly a photographer. I do not know much about cameras. I have a point and shoot camera and I was not blessed with the talent, but I can appreciate good work.

This is my cousin, Carlo. Father of four. Owner of Canto Bogchi Joint in Bagiuo. Photography genius. Unlike the masses who claim to be authority in this craft after buying their first DSLR, he began taking pictures years and years back, and his weapon of choice is an ANALOG NIKON FILM CAMERA. I do not know much about film and digital photography but I know that his photos --- are beyond awesome!

Here are some of my favorite Carlo shots…

 

 

  

 

 

 
 
 
 

  
 

When I grow up, I want to be able to take pictures like Carlo. Haha! Like I said, I do not know much about photography, but from what I’ve heard… the technique used in FILM PHOTOGRAPHY is far more complicated, and to be able to take photos like these… my cousin is just truly AWESOME!

p.s. I already put watermark on the photos… do not steal them!
pps. I think some photos were shot with digital cam (but i don’t really know which ones. Yes, I’m bad --- like that!).

THE CHRONICLES OF AN AGUINALDO BRAT: Stalking Guys

In Camp Aguinaldo, our parents aways sent us to summer classes --- so that we could learn new skills, but also so that we wouldn't be too much of a chore to look after to, at home. Growing up, I was sent to swimming, taekwondo, badminton and computer classes. Some of my classmates were my neighbors and friends. I also had classmates who weren't my friends but since we were quite "exclusive", I didn't get to meet anyone, except for this one guy.

I was enrolled at Advanced Kiddie computer course, and I was always with people I knew, except for our last day. My dad took me to class, quite early, and this guy was "in", very early too. Unfortunately, everyone decided not to attend the last day, so while waiting and hoping for other people to arrive, we played games on the computer. I'm not sure how old I was, I was probably 11. He was cute and he said his name was: "Nimrod", and he was from Camp Crame (which meant that his dad is PNP). We even waited for our rides home, together, but that was it... I did not see him during graduation. His name was called, but he did not attend, so I was really bummed (Yeah, at 11 I was sad about a boy).

Let's fast forward 4 to 5 years after that year, my friends and I got hooked at tennis, and we would frequent the pilota court at the park. That's when I saw this guy who looked like NIMROD. I saw this cute guy watching us play, and when I went past him I heard him say, "C'mon let's play tennis too!", to the guy that he was with.

Anyway, my girl friends and I, spent the next days stalking him:

1. We looked for his house and found out that he lived near the park, but he was probably just vacationing there, for the summer.
2. Riding my scooter, we would drive past his house, just to see if he's there.
3. We would play tennis, everyday, and I "tried" to play really well (but I fail, well, at least I tried)
4. We bought ice cream at his house, hoping that he would be the one to sell it to us, but it was always his cousin or the yaya. Sometimes, we're already stuffed with ice cream so we'd buy ice cream for other people.

By the end of the summer, he was gone, and I wasn't even sure if it was the "Nimrod" that I met in computer class. Anyway, where are you Nimrod? Do you know that I wrote a poem for you? (Oh yes, I did!)

Also, why did you not attend the graduation?

The Many Faces of Crickette at the L'oreal Event

Since I didn't get to take a lot of photos...

1. I am have a very un-cool camera

2. I couldn't be bothered

...I don't have a lot of photos of the event (and myself), so I was delighted to find out that the official photos have been posted at the L'oreal Philippines Facebook page. Anyway, I enjoyed the photos so much but I  kind of realized something about myself. I always get caught laughing my heart out on photos and it doesn't look good at all...

NOTE TO SELF:
Do not LOL during events!

That’s our table laughing our hearts out

because we made our team lose a point again! 

And then, I always get caught spaced-out!

 Not just here,

I’ve seen a lot of photos of myself in other events

where I look like I’m some place else…

Anyway, did you notice how straight my hair was at this event?

I ironed it out, of course, so that it’s shiny straight…

Unfortunately, I couldn’t reach the back part…

Oh so full of “Monet”

Good thing I have “real” photos and they’re all so nice, so I’m happy!

I look really tall, huh?

I was wearing 4-inch heels that day!

I absolutely love it,
 

I Wanna Be Pretty, So Sue Me!

This may contradict my glutathione post a few weeks back, but who cares!

Years ago, if you asked me if I would ever go for cosmetic surgery, I would totally say: “Hell no!”, but when my best friend told me that she wanted to be a cosmetic surgeon, my imagination began to run wild. While in front of the mirror, I was already able to think of so many things that I’d like to do to my face:

1. I would like to have my ears pinned back, so that it would not stick out so much anymore.
2. I want to have my lips reduced because they’re just too full for my liking.
3. I’d like to have my alar cartilage reduced so that I’d gave a smaller nose.

Too bad, my best friend decided to go a different path because I know I’m never gonna have those done. Actually, I think one of the reasons why I wanted her to go for surgery is so that I would have more confidence to go for any kind of facial reconstruction. Haha!

Four years ago, when I was still working at the mall (as a sales girl --- nah, as a associate dentist), I walked across to the other clinic and inquired about a “lip reduction procedure”. The doctor said that it would cost about P35,000 for one lip, so that would be P70,000 for both lips (Huwaw!) and mind you, the clinic was no “Belo”. Actually, I know someone who went home from the US before, and had a tummy tuck done at the Belo clinic. The procedure was excruciating, and it cost her P150,000 (Ouch!)

With all honesty? I want to be pretty. I would not deny that because if I didn’t care at all, then I wouldn’t care much about clothes and putting on some make-up. Everyone wants to be a better version of themselves, but it doesn’t mean that I am not grateful for what I have (big nose, thick lips and all). However, if one day I would wake up with thinner lips, smaller nostrils and ears that do not pop out as much… I WOULD BE SO HAPPY! Unfortunately, that will not happen in this lifetime, and I don’t think I’ll ever have the courage to really go for a surgical procedure either, so this is me telling my face and all its imperfections: “For better or for worse, `til death do us part”.

I Love All My Patients, But...

When I became a dentist, I took an oath to be of service to people, and that is what I do. As a dentist, it is part of my job to adjust with different moods and attitudes of patients. It is part of my job to read patients so that I could address them properly. I speak a certain way when I speak to patients. I speak differently, depending on who is lying down on my chair. When I am with a patient, I am no longer "Crickette" (unless I am treating a close friend), although, sometimes I forget who I am treating, actually. Once, while treating an old friend, she had to laugh and tell me, "Crix, you just said very good, to me!" Yeah, I compliment patients for taking good instructions, but Crickette as a person is not really like that.

As a person who is obsessive compulsive, I want things done --- my way! I do not like people telling me what to do, and I always find a way to win all kinds of arguments, battles and conversations. There is no denying, I love my job. It is not exactly glamorous, but I love what I do, and I try to love all my patients. When I was in dentistry school, we were warned about the different kinds of patients: the cooperative and the difficult.

It is easy to describe what a COOPERATIVE patient is like, and if you are one, then that means you:

a. trust your doctor, and receive treatment willingly

b. are pleasant during appointments and follow instructions properly

c. recognize that the doctor is authority

d. understand that the doctor needs your cooperation, for the procedure to be a success

Unfortunately, even if I pray my hardest, I can never "just" treat cooperative patients in the clinic, so we were taught how to adjust with the other kind. DIFFICULT patients are a whole different breed of patients, and they can be difficult in various ways. A difficult patient can be someone who:

a. does not trust the doctor

b. thinks they know better or no more than the doctor

c. loves to complain about everything

d. refuses treatment (usually because of fear or trauma)

...the list goes on.

 

Now, let me complete and then EXPLAIN my title: "I Love All My Patients, But..." But what, you ask. Well, I love all my patients (for real --- difficult and all) but some cardholders give me headaches, sometimes. If you do not believe this, I would love for any dentist/doctor reading this blog to please back me up on this, because I have a feeling I am going to hurt some people here. Now, at this point I would like to explain why:

• I do not refuse patients, but if you "walk-in" or "call on the day" and there are no slots available anymore, I will tell you: "Sorry, can I schedule you for another day?" Also, there are some days, especially if I've already exhausted myself for the day and you call, I would ask if you could come another day --- and that is my right. Unless, it is an emergency, I will gladly attend to your problem. But if I am already beat, maybe a simple cleaning can wait, right? Also, if I politely refuse and ask if you are available another day… DO NOT BANG THE PHONE ON ME!

• I do not know the insurance coverage for all companies. If you call or text me for an appointment and you ask me what your coverage is, unless I've treated someone from your company before (or you are still included in the one and only list that was given to us when we first got affiliated), I do not know what your entitlement is. All card holders are entitled to BASIC COVERAGE which includes: oral prophylaxis (1), unlimited temporary filling and unlimited extractions. Some companies have special benefits which can be: a 2nd oral prophylaxis every year, 1-4 permanent fillings and dental xray (root canals, for some). When you call and text to ask me what your entitlement is, I will answer if I know, but if I don't --- please do not get mad at me. I am just the middle man here.

• If you did not make an appointment, and suddenly appear in the clinic (and I happen to be with a patient), please understand that, that patient came in before you and reserved his/her slot by calling for an appointment and therefore makes him/her priority (in all definitions of the word). In our clinic, I do not like booking patients at the same time. I want that patients come in, when the other is about to come out (although sometimes you cannot control everything). If you make an appointment, I will gladly give you a slot that is YOURS AND YOURS, ONLY. Therefore if you want to be received immediately, is it really hard to make an appointment??? You know, I go to medical doctors' clinics too, and when I go there I wait for my turn. If I call and the secretary tells me the doctor is going to be out, I do not get mad at the secretary. Even when I get a haircut, I just and wait for my turn. When you can see that all the stylists are busy with a client, all you have to do is to wait patiently.

If you only know how much we get paid for cardholders, you will understand why it is so frustrating for us when we get treated this way. Our job is hard. It's not easy for me not to be "myself" and hold all the things I want to say when I am in front of a patient. I took an oath to serve people, and I do my work wholeheartedly but you hurt us too, sometimes, and you don't even know it.

So please... just understand us "a little",


P.S. I looooove all my patients and I have a lot of cardholders whom I've been treating for years, now. This is NOT a generalization...

Thou Shall Not Get Caught By The MMDA Again!!!

No! I did not get caught again... I know I get caught all the time, remember this and this? Well, my post is not about getting caught. In fact the purpose of this post is "not to get caught". My goal as a driver, for quite some time now, is to never get caught by the MMDA again. This was even signified by a tweet my friend posted about her dad getting fined P5,000.00 for being on the phone while driving. This tweet prompted me to immediately post it on Facebook and it really caught people’s attention:

 
Anyway, another friend posted a link to the MMDA Official Site.
 

But I checked the "driving with a celphone" violation, and it says that the fine should only be P200.00.

Gosh! I feel bad for my friend's dad, but anyway, here's a link to the MMDA violations and penalties; I reckon it's smart for drivers to print a copy of this, just in case. Also, if you read carefully, drivers are not allowed to wear sleeveless shirts and slippers while driving (Haha! Just kidding! That's only for public transport drivers). So manong driver, leave your slippers and white “sandos” at home!

Drive safely everybody,