Dgroup's Christmas Dinner 2012

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Since I attended B1G7 retreat last November 2011, I decided to be part of a Discipleship group for me to know more about Him and to learn more about His words. A year has already passed and though I am not a very frequent attendee of the Dgroup sessions, I can honestly say that I gained a lot from the ladies who are part of this group. Truly, I am very lucky to have met these people who keeps on praying for me, who listens to my stories and problems, who cheers me up and comforts me at times I feel down, who gives me advice at times I am confused and in doubt, who shares with me His words, and who encourages me to be Christ-like at all times. Indeed, life has been a lot better for me after I got to know these wonderful ladies.

As we end year 2012, the group planned a simple get together for us to celebrate the year that we have been together. Initially, there weren't any concrete plans on where we would have the celebration. There were suggestions to have dinner at Greenbelt, Makati. But luckily, Moks and I had an extra room reservation at Music Platinum - a KTV bar at Jupiter, Makati and I offered it to the group. Without any hesitations, the ladies accepted my suggestion and everyone became eager to have a KTV/Dinner type of Christmas party. :)

From left: Clar, Loulah, Ayeen, Jen, Sar, Charm, Gretz

Wacky! :D

It was night filled with food and songs. Everyone had a chance to showcase her singing talent including me (Disclaimer: I am not good at singing). And of course, a Christmas party isn't complete without having the very famous 'Exchange of Gifts".

"Mommy" and "Baby" :)

From left: Gretz, Ayeen, Clar, Charm, Sar, Loulah, Cecille, Jen

Thank you for the gifts! Merry Christmas! :)

Special thanks to Clar who came all the way from Dagupan just to join our Dgroup's Christmas dinner. Thank you, Clar! We missed you so much! Hope to see you again next year! :)

Merry Christmas Clar! It was nice to see you again! :)

Thank You Lord for giving me these wonderful ladies. I know there is a purpose why you allowed me to be part of this Dgroup. And that you have a plan why you allowed these people to be a part of my life. I will forever be thankful to You as you have showered this year with a lot of blessings.

To my Dgroup, thank you for being always there for me. Thank you for your time, for always lending me your ears, for your advices, and for your prayers. Everything you have done for me is very much appreciated. I look forward to spending more time with you in 2013. Merry Christmas! I love you ladies! <3

 

Lord, it hurts, but you're still God

I've been going through a lot lately. Work related escalations in the office, misunderstanding with friends, and aching body due to a severe lupus flare up. Why are these things happening all at the same time? The answer, that I don't know. What I know is that being in this kind of situation is difficult. My heart and my body are in pain.

Sleepless nights, stressful days at work, skipped meals, and days filled with tears... this is how I can describe the life I lived for the past couple of days. I've been talking to some close friends to seek comfort. I've been reading bible verses that could help strengthen my weakened soul. As much as I want to avoid the pain, it just keeps on striking.

Then I had this conversation with a friend. I told her that I just probably need to lift everything to Him because I know that He will never abandon me. My exact words were "kailangan ko maniwala at magtiwala". As mentioned in Deuteronomy 31:6 --" Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Just this afternoon, another friend texted me a title of the song -- "Lord, it hurts, but you are still God". She told me to search for the lyrics. Guess what my initial reaction was after reading the lyrics? I cried. But the tears weren't caused by pain; they were brought about by the happiness I felt knowing that I might lose people and things in my earthly life but I will never lose Him. I pray that everything will get better when the right time comes.

Many times I have wondered why

I'm going through this pain.

Is it something I've done wrong?

Lord, am I the one to blame?

You're the answer to my problems

Even though it still remains,

I've heard the darkest hour

Is just before the dawn.

Lord, it hurts, but you're still God.

I know that you are able

To remove this thorn from me.

By faith I know you'll make a way

Even when I cannot see.

You're my only hope in this world,

The One I lean upon.

Lord, it hurts, but you're still God

Lord, I'll trust in you with all my heart.

I won't try to understand

Why you've not taken away this burden;

I'll just leave it in your hands.

'Cause I know your time is not like mine.

I believe you have a plan.

Until then I'll do my best to be strong.

Lord, it hurts, but you're still God.

I know that you are able

To remove this thorn from me

By faith I know you'll make a way

Even when I cannot see

You're my only hope in this world,

The One I lean upon

Lord, it hurts, but you're still God.

So I will not be discouraged

Though the battle rages on

I know you won't forsake me, Lord.

This is where I belong.

Buffet101 International Cuisine

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Nobody can stop us from having foodtrips. Our group definitely loves food and this is one of the numerous reasons why we get along so well. So before the month of July ends, we decided to try another buffet restaurant.

Buffet101 is also located at SM Mall of Asia, over looking Manila Bay. The place is cozy, relaxing, and stylish. Like the other buffet restaurant we've tried, Buffet101 is also perfect for family gatherings, business meetings, as well as corporate events.

Buffet101 offers a wide variety of cuisine. For someone like me who has a small appetite, it was difficult to choose dishes that I would try for the night. Here are photos of what we had during our first Buffet101 experience.

Crabs and Shrimps

Different kinds of Maki

Upon knowing that Buffet101 serves crabs and shrimps, we already planned beforehand that we'll be eating a lot of these dishes. We didn't go wrong with our decision. Their crabs and shrimps were very delicious that we couldn't resist eating more. Another must try in buffets like this is the different types of Maki and Sushi they serve.

Oysters

Mussels

More crabs please! :)

We also tried other seafood dishes such as oyster and mussels. I am just not sure with the name of the dishes.

Soup

Tofu and Steak

Their Tofu is superb. This is one of the best tofu dish that I've tried in my whole life. So if ever you'll be eating at Buffet101, try this dish so you'll be able to rate its taste.

Another section in Buffet101 that we did enjoy was their Dessert bar.Their frozen yogurt is a must try! In fact, we had a couple of servings of their ice cream and froyo. :)

Crepe

Crepe. Ice Cream. Froyo

Of course, my Buffet101 experience isn't complete without my foodtrip buddies. Hoping to have another fun food tripping with you!

Foodtrip. Friends <3

Buffet101 International Cuisine

Bldg K, Seaside Blvd, SM Mall of Asia
Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
Phone Number(+63 2) 556-2888, (+63 2) 556-3888
Operating HoursMonday - Friday 11:30am - 2:30pm for lunch and 5:30pm - 10:30pmSaturday - Sunday 11:00am - 2:30pm for lunch and 5:30pm - 10:30pm

Vikings: A Feast from the Sea

We've been hearing a lot about a famous luxury buffet restaurant located in SM Mall of Asia. It had good reviews so we decided to try it ourselves and be the one to judge the ambiance of the place, quality of the food and service, and the taste of the food they serve.

Ambiance wise, the place is stylish and relaxing. Vikings is over looking Manila Bay that makes it a perfect place for family gatherings, business meetings, and even corporate events. Menu wise, Vikings offers a wide variety of cuisine: European, American, Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino dishes. Service wise, Vikings has a dedicated chef in each food station who ensures the quality of the food. Also, they have a lot of friendly and polite staffs which you can call anytime if you need anything.

We had quite a hard time deciding what to eat since this buffet restaurant has a lot of food choices. Everything on the buffet table looked delicious but we cannot taste each of them because our stomach has a limited space only.

Among us, I am the one who eats little but gets full very fast. Plus my choice of food is very simple. Here are some photos of the dishes I chose to try on our Vikings lunch date. (I wasn't able to take photos of the food that my friends tried)

I was trying to be healthy so I went to the salad buffet table :)

Different types of Maki, a must try!

Other dishes we tried were: hot pot, sushi, steak, dumplings, taho, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. From 1-10 (10 as the highest), our over-all experience at Vikings can be rated as 6. We were satisfied with the food and their service. But we had some not-to-good memorable experiences during our first and second visit at Vikings that I opt not to mention here.

You should try to eat at Vikings so you can see for yourself what this buffet restaurant offers. Just remember to make your reservation if you wish to dine at Vikings. :)

Foodtrip. Friends <3

Vikings - A Feast from the Sea

Bldg. B, By The Bay, Seaside Boulevard, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City, Philippines

846-3888, 846-4888, 846-5888
0917-5653888 & 0923-7303888

reservations.vikings@yahoo.com

http://www.vikings.ph/