Affirmation: Live in the Moment and Enjoy Being

I will

live in

the moment

and enjoy being.

photo from vulcan75

Tips on How to Enjoy "Being":

(these are advices I give myself whenever I forget to just enjoy my here and now. I hope these will help you too)

Be always in the present. Wherever you are and whatever circumstance you are in, enjoy it, savor it...cherish it.

Count your blessings. While it is okay to dream or want something in life, it is never healthy to obsess too much for things you know you can't have at the moment.

Be grateful for your NOW. Remember two things: (1) Each moment passes by quickly--it may be over before your know it and (2) your next moment may not be as great or as happy, so live each moment as if it's the best moment of your life.

Keep in mind that challenges are a part of life and that it is meant to teach a lesson. Embrace it the way you cherish your joys in life and always find the lesson each challenge conveys.

Never take shortcuts. An unhappy moment is part of life and the only way to live fully is to manage feelings such as fear, grief, frustration, disappointments, etc. Give yourself time to heal. Cry and wallow if you must, but don't be a slave to your unhappiness. Being able to rise up and learn from an unhappy moment is a sign of growth (take note: there must be LEARNING as without it, growth will be futile).

I've shared this before and I will share it once again.

"My concept of 'Being' means embracing whatever life brings you...it may be joy, sorrow, pain, hardships---the key is to cherish it (even if its painful) and learn from it. We honor our joy, we might as well honor our pain too. Life is so much sweeter when you know you're able to go thru happy or sad moments with no shortcuts."

- an ibyangism i learned when i moved in Sydney and found out that life is more beautiful when you have gone thru cherished tears

Here's wishing everyone a happy week ahead!

Everything May Change But True Friendships Last

One happy Friday night with my girls Hilda, Ara and Chloe as we met up after work for coffee and dinner.

One realization that night: my, how we have grown!!!!

Used to be that we talk of boyfriends, past relationships, work, fashion and any other thing that single ladies talk under the sun.

Nowadays, we have moved on to talking of our love for our partners in life, managing a home, sharing recipes, insurances, travels & get togethers that involves family and sometimes, we even talk about our health and appointments with doctors.

Yes, we are getting old (hehe). But it's amazing that we've been in a journey together for a long time now...as friends and as sisters. And it's awesome to look back that during our younger days, we were there for each other...and now with the many changes in our lives, we are together still.

In a woman's life, a lot of things may change---careers, dreams and even one's partner/husband (yes, pwedeng mapalitan ang asawa hehe)...but it's very possible that TRUE FRIENDS will remain constant.

For more photos of our dinner and coffee date, click here.

Cheesecake on a Chocolate Brownie Base

If you're wanting to satisfy your craving for cheesecake and chocolate, I recommend you try Grandma Max's Cheesecake at Max Brenner. This is not your usual creamy and rich cheesecake. It is baked cheesecake slice on a chocolate brownie base.

An order of a slice comes with a siding of fresh strawberries and melted Max Brenner chocolate so you can dip your cheesecake in. Even if this not your usual cheesecake, it is still oozing with richness and comes with a punch of chocolate heaven in your mouth.

This is also a great companion to Max Brenner's Hot White Chocolate.

Restaurant: Takeru Japanese Cuisine (Sydney, Australia)

Had dinner at Takeru Japanese Cuisine three weeks ago on a Thursday night. After work, I decided to hung out at Chinatown but couldn't find any resto that I like. So the Husband suggested that we eat at Takeru, a Japanese Restaurant near Darling Harbour, which was recommended by his workmate. I wasn't surprised when he mentioned the name. I simply told him, "I've eaten there before with friends while you were still in Dubai." I planned on taking him there when he arrived here in Sydney but I guess I forgot.

Takeru Japanese Cuisine Restaurant is a small, homey and casual Japanese resto in the City. Lots of people go here after work or school. From 6:00pm onwards, the place is bustling with people, by 7:00pm you can expect to see a line that extends outside the resto. Which shows that the place is somehow popular so best to be early to avoid waiting up in queue.

On the night we had dinner, the Husband and I decided to order something different from the usual Japanese food we've eaten before.

We shared a plate of Kaisen Shio Yakisoba and Chicken Karaage. The Kaisen Shio Yakisoba is simply noodles with lots of seafood. The Husband devoured this and said it was good enough. It was alright for me but it tasted a bit bland.

Our second dish was the Chicken Karaage. This is deep fried chicken with a siding of rice, soup and salad. First time to try this and I'm quite satisfied. The chicken was crunchy outside but juicy and tender inside.

The best part is the generous serving of salad which i really really like.

Still in the spirit of trying something new, we ordered a scoop of Green Tea and Black Sesame Ice Cream for dessert. When it comes to taste, the ice cream really did taste like Green Tea and Black Sesame. As for liking it, it wasn't a hit to me. Eating green tea ice cream tasted like I was eating green tea leaves and I didn't like it. I guess for me, green tea is only meant to be drank as a hot beverage. The black sesame ice cream was more tolerable. As for the husband, he said the two ice cream were tolerable for him.

The best part of all was that UCC Coffee is available in this resto. I never noticed that they serve this coffee when I first ate here and I'm glad I did the second time around.

UCC or Ueshima Coffee Company Ltd, is a manufacturer of coffee and tea products in Japan. From manufacturing coffee, they have expanded to opening cafes in Asia and America. In the Philippines, we have several UCC Cafes already. When Chris and I worked in Makati, we used to have lunch or coffee dates in UCC Cafe Terrace in Paseo Center (Paseo de Roxas, Makati). It's one of the cafes and coffees we miss in Manila.

Finding a restaurant that serves UCC Coffee made us very happy. Finally, nakainom na rin kami uli ng kapeng ito! :) We both had iced UCC Coffee topped with Vanilla Ice Cream (I know, ice cream overload).

Takeru is the kind of restaurant that you won't mind coming back to. Delicious food, good service, convenient location, good ambiance and reasonable prices (main dishes costs from $9.00-$16.00). As for me and the Husband, not only will we come back for the food, will also come back to have UCC Coffee.

Visited Takeru Japanese Cuisine Restaurant on 6 August 2009. Located at Shop 10, 339 Sussex Street, Sydney.