Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

After reading all the seven Harry Potter books, honey and I have been so looking forward to finally get to see them on the big screen. I was disappointed when the latest instalment, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’s premier was moved from last year to this year. You can just imagine our excitement when we were finally buying our tickets online to finally see this much awaited film.

I’ve read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince years ago so I’ve had forgotten a lot of the details in the story. However, one thing that I haven’t forgotten is how much I enjoyed leafing through the pages as I explore Harry’s adventures and misadventures with him in another year of his stay at Hogwart’s. I was so tempted to reread the book before going to the movies, after all I was home on sick leave the very same day that the movie premiered and had time to spare, but as the call of slumber was much stronger on my tired body than the urge to relive the book, I gave in to the call of the bed and slept the day away. After seeing the movie, I think not rereading the book was all for the best, I was thrilled to see each scene in the film and was excited as each part of the movie unfolds without me tying to mentally recall the next things that I have read in the book.

The movie was great! I daresay that this is the Harry Potter movie I enjoyed the most beating the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone out of my number one. We were even treated to about 15 minutes of 3D as we watched it on IMAX and the first few scenes were on 3D. The movie was funny, exciting, heart warming, it contained everything that I’m looking for in a good movie. I can’t believe how much the actors have grown over the years. It made me look back to the time when honey and I saw the very first movie together, we were still in college then.

Of course, I browsed through the book after watching the movie and although there were scenes that I would have loved to see on the movie, this film is definitely a gem and worth watching.

Kneading like there is no tomorrow

The very first time I used my new chef http://intricate-thoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-very-own-personal-chef.html, I made some muffins and Japanese cheesecakes and it was a breeze but I thought, batter mixing is not really the true test of a good mixer. So over the weekend, I decided to see how my chef would do when faced with the laborious task of kneading dough. I opted to make Siopao (since I have been craving it for quite a while now) and pandesal.

Last Sunday, my eyelids were barely opened and the rain clouds were making me want to crawl back in bed, good thing honey was picking up a friend from the airport so I got up the same time that he did. I readied the ingredients and threw on my apron and started baking. I was truly amazed at how easy making bread is now. I was able to make two batches of pandesal in less than an hour sans the backache that normally lingers right after I have done all the kneading. I kneaded bought batches ten minutes each and there were no complains from Kenny (that is what I fondly call my chef now). After stashing the dough inside the oven to proof, I started to ready the ingredients for the siopao ( I only made pork asado though as I’m not really fond of bola bola). Thinking that this is the perfect moment to test Kenny to its limits, I kneaded the siopao dough for ten minutes and my Kenny just kept on mixing, it’s like a walk in the park for him, fantastic.

I was all smiles when I pulled out my Pandesal from the oven and after I have steamed by siopao. As I took a bite of the chewy pandesal, I just had to smile and think of the next kneading journey that Kenny and I are soon to venture on. Cinnamon rolls and ensaymada, your next!

Pinks & purples!

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Honey and I have so been looking forward to our scheduled ultrasound last Monday which will finally tell us if it will be dresses or pants and trousers. Surprise, surprise…. Bee is a girl!!!

To be honest I was really surprised to know that our little angel is a girl. See, since I got pregnant, I’ve dreamt like five times (or even more!) that Bee is a boy. So when the technician asked us what we think the baby will be, I immediately said boy but it was such a pleasant revelation. I knew honey preferred to have a girl, as for me I really had no preference (on the contrary, I actually wanted both!). The experience is overwhelming really!

This ultrasound also told us that everything is in order that our little daughter is perfectly healthy. The technician measured everything, her head, her heart, her spine, her tummy and everything that can be measured. I had to laugh when she measured our little girl’s feet and told us “hey, your baby has big feet.” haha, takes after her mom, I guess. Good thing we live in a place where my shoe size is readily available, unlike in Manila.

It’s so surreal to know that in a couple of months from now, we will be caring for our very own little girl. See you soon Bee, our little princess.