Coredump

I had dinner with our manager and some colleagues from work at Cafe Ysabel, which, in my opinion, is San Juan’s only redeeming value (aside from Greenhills Shopping Center, that is). Heh. Joke.

It was my first time to be there, so I was a bit intimidated. But the ambiance (don’t worry, it doesn’t cost that much) was cozy, what with the yellow gas-lantern-like lights and the antique feel of the place. (But it really is an ancestral house, with authentic antique pieces everywhere — reminds me of the post-war {the second great one} house of my dad’s relative in Bulacan.)

I ordered Paella Sulipeña, “classic saffron rice with seafood and mixed meats”, and was overwhelmed by the assault of scents and tastes that went with the dish. Heck, even their entree of Chef’s pate and cracker had me filled.

I know, I’d make a bad food reviewer, but, hey, loved the food, loved the place, will come back, budget permitting.

Originally uploaded by iandexter.

(Yet another “New Year’s resolutions” post.)

1. Life. I will strive to be the best tatay to my two sons and wife. Being away most of the time (and going home only on weekends) is taking its toll in my relationship with them, but I will make up for that. My wife and I will learn cooking together. Even the little one can join in if he wants, but he will be busy with his little brother. I will also continue to be a great kuya to my brother and two sisters, and a good son to Mommy and Daddy. Last year had been a year full of changes, and I had been remiss in my family duties. This year will be different. I will also go back to school.
2. Work. I will brush up on my coding skills (I really ought to review on Perl, and learn Ruby). I also resolve to blog more often, with meatier and substantive posts, not only here but for PTB. I may not be able to take on many side projects, but for those I do get, I will — as always — give the best I have, providing quality and innovation, and going beyond expectations.
3. Play. I have to write some more, and go out more often, and read more books. We will probably travel at the end of the year (when the baby is big enough for that) — nothing grand, just a regular family trip. I will see to it that my collection grows. I have been quite lazy with this the past year, but this year, I intend to double my hoard.

We had our team’s Christmas dinner at Twist (which, incidentally, was the caterer for the company Christmas party in Speedzone, The Fort, last Sunday). The food was great — loved the roast beef, and oyster (the hollandaise was a bit icky, though). And for Php500++, the buffet was a steal.

We exchanged gifts, basing on the gift registry wiki we set up. Here’s what I got:

Before the dinner, we had our year-end team performance report. Guess who came out on top. And for those endless parsing of log files and lab-environment setup, I got a rip-off iPod nano. Yay. (I’m having it replaced with a real one, hopefully. Hehe.)