Our Snugglebaby - Buttons

I am so happy we got a loving, cuddly dog from my friend, Imelda (who owns an animal shelter). Buttons just loves getting hugs and cuddles whenever she can get them.

Here's her cuddling with our Billy Boy.









And here's Buttons cuddling with Daddy...




In the daytime, Buttons is everyone's dog. But at night, she becomes Daddy's girl and wants to snuggle with him exclusively.





Ahhhh... love. <3

Hubby's Birthday Cheesecake

Today, hubby went to lunch with the president of Far East University and other professors who were celebrating their birthdays this month. They went to a nice Korean Bulgogi restaurant and hubby came home with this Cheesecake from the local bakery - Paris Baguette.



I love my hubby's university. :)

Would You Like Some Chim?

"Chim" in Korea is acupuncture. I discovered the merits of acupuncture when I hurt my back a few years ago and our good taxi driver friend, Mr. Lee, took me to his favorite Oriental clinic. Even if it was a back problem, the acupuncturists stuck the pins in my foot and leg. I think it had to do with the chi points in the body.



And when my sprained my foot badly early this year, I decided to go to an acupuncturist on my own. There was an Oriental clinic near hubby's previous place of employment, (right near our youngest son's school). I went in and the friendly lady doctor proceeded to stick several pins in my foot, leg and hand. The thing is, you need to let the needles stay in for some time (about 20 minutes) under a heat lamp.



My sprain was bad enough to warrant bloodletting. Yup, you heard me. They took blood out of my sprained foot. The doctor mentioned something about 'bad blood' stuck in the foot and releasing it will facilitate healing. I forgot the Korean name for this practice but I shrugged and told them to go ahead. It hurt!!! Not the bloodletting part but the dozen of puncture marks they made to make the blood come out.



Then the doctor took some heated glass globules and stuck them onto the punctured skin. She used a pump to draw out the air inside the glass bell and in turn, the vacuum drew out the blood. I must say, it made for a very weird experience. But you know what? My foot felt better after 3 days.

Chestnuts Roasting in the Open Air....

What's the sign that Christmas is near for you? For us in the Philippines, it's the hint of chilly air in the morning, the white egrets and cranes roosting on the power lines (having migrated from the chilly place they used to live) and the smell of chestnuts roasting by the street side.

I love chestnuts. I, for one, would pay an arm and a leg to buy a bag of these delicious, hot morsels of goodness. My mom even said that her pregnancy cravings when she was carrying me in her womb were chestnuts (hence my dark, roasted appearance). I would love seeing chestnuts rolling around and around with those black pebbles in a huge vat, smelling the buttery goodness as they cook.

I was fortunate to find the same way of roasting chestnuts here in Korea. And I don't have to wait until Christmas to get them. In Korea, anytime there's a festival or celebration, the chestnut vendors come to town. And I get my hot bag of nuts to peel and munch every time. Of course, it's extra special in the winter as the heat from the bag helps warm my cold, frozen hands.

Korean Ear Muffs

Winter is coming and aside from jackets, thermals, scarves and hats, guess what else will be in season? Earmuffs! I love these whimsical ones, modeled by a former student of hubby's. Aren't they so cute? Squee!

Savory, Scrumptious Suji's

By a stroke of luck, I was given a complimentary dinner for two at New York style-restaurant/deli Suji's Seoul. The tagline for Suji's is "the next best thing to mom's home-cooking." Since today was a holiday (Memorial Day in Korea), we left the boys at home (with plenty of food) and traveled to Itaewon to have a long-awaited dinner date.

We got to Suji's restaurant during the lunch hour madness. There was a long queue from the 2nd floor waiting area down the steps to the first floor. That was a good sign since if people were willing to line up for a long wait, the food must really be special. I talked with the manager, Ian Kim and made arrangements for lunch. Sure enough, we were already reserved a table. Too bad Ian wasn't there (I later learned he was down with the flu) but he left us in the very capable hands of his 2nd right-hand man, Kyu.



We were seated by the window and it was nice and cozy. The seats were really comfy as we sank down really low when we sat. Looking out of the window, I could see the former building of the Philippine Embassy (it has moved somewhere else in Itaewon now).



The paper table mats had whimsical designs on it. Almost made me want to ask for crayons to color the animals with but I resisted the urge. :)




Looking around the restaurant, it had a pleasant atmosphere with cozy ambiance. I noticed a lot of couples holding hands and families sharing each others meals together.



Servers were very pleasant and very articulate in English. I would commend our personal server Kyu who was very gracious and so efficient throughout our meal. Suji's waitstaff frequently scan the room for half-filled glasses and raised hands for more orders/questions. Although there was one time there that we had to wait a minute or two to find a server but then like I said it was the rush hour lunch.





But we were fine. We had the whole day to ourselves and the next thing we knew, our starters had arrived. This was hubby's house salad. It had ample greens in it and I was so glad it had a variety of veggies (not like your run-of-the-mill korean restos with just a bunch of iceberg lettuce in the bowl and a few measly strands of carrot or purple cabbage).




Now this starter, the Home Fries were AWESOME. This represents truth in advertising because it is as good as Hubby's home fries. The potatoes were done and expertly seasoned while the onions were sweet and tender, a perfect foil for the starchy cubes.



Here's hubby with his second bite of the Home Fries.



And us attacking the plate with glee.



Our entrees have finally arrived! Here's my Steak & Eggs. This is not a weekly brunch item (it is really a weekend special). I happen to mention to Kyu that I was considering the fish and chips because I knew that the Steak & Eggs won't be available. He told me that I could have it. I was blown away.




Now this is Hubby's Rib-eye plate. Like my steak, it was cooked perfectly. And it was awesome with Worcestershire sauce (ask the restaurant for this, instead of the regular Dijon steak sauce - you won't regret it!). Hubby's sides for his steak, grilled beans and stir-fried onions. This was pretty tasty, too.



And you get to see me really enjoy the food. Hubby kept asking me to smile for the camera, how can I? I was busy shoveling the food into my mouth. Suji's made my mouth very happy.




The remnants of our sumptious meal. Shall we say this is testament on how the food is so good?



Here is the wonderful Kyu who made our visit to Suji's so memorable.




Kyu offered us dessert but we were so full and satiated. The service was warm and prompt. The food was superb. As we were preparing to leave, Kyu handed us a couple of complimentary sandwich coupons for our future visits. We were floored. Not to mention handing us a package of Honey Cured Ham made in house to try at home. Bless them, we were awed. Hubby and I decided we were definitely coming back with our boys for brunch.

A Family that loves a dog...

together stays closer


Hubby with Buttons. At night, Buttons becomes Daddy's girl. She would stay beside him on our bed. And when she goes out to do her business outside, she always run back to Daddy's arms.




Ah, but then in the morning, she becomes Mommy's little girl. This is when she likes to snuggle on the sofa when the boys are off to school.



For walkies and doing her business (toilette duties) in the nearby fields, big brother Bottomless Pit brings her out twice a day. Once in the morning and another one before bedtime.



And lastly for a game of fetch with her little ball, Buttons turn to Billy. Also for snuggling together in front of the TV when Billy comes home from school.

No more snow, no more snow, no more snow...

This is usually what you can see from our window on the porch.....





But right now it's more like this...







I miss Spring...

Still Alive

I have been reading a lot of blogposts and I sadly remembered this blog of mine. I have been remissed in updating it for a very long time. Well, I'm back and I want to share a pic of my youngest and our furbaby playing on the sofa.