Life is Fun

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T20:08:00.003+08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!!

Wishing you the best in 2012!!!

Cebu Heritage Walk ( Part 2)

2011-10-10T13:05:00.011+08:00

After a sumptuous breakfast at Chowking, me and hubby continued our Heritage Walk and this time, we went to look for the not too famous monument of Rajah Humabon. Why did I say not too famous? Because while we're looking for it, we happened to asked a local if where can we find this monument, he told me that he's a police officer in Cebu but he did not know where it is located. From our place I saw a small park with a monument and told him if that's the monument of Rajah Humabon, he is very unsure with his answer that's why we just went to the area and thank him anyway.

Whoa! I'm right! Just a few meters away is the monument of Rajah Humabon. How come some locals in Cebu doesn't know about him?

Rajah Humabon

The first Filipino Chieftain to embrace Christianity. He is said to be the wisest and bravest man in the Island when Magellan landed in Cebu on April 7, 1521. He became friends with Magellan and was captivated with his noble teaching that's why he and his wife were converted to Christianity.

Next is the Colon Street (also in Parian) said to be the oldest street in the country. It was built by the Spaniards who arrived at Cebu in 1565.

This street is said to be named after Cristobal Colon,
also known as Christopher Columbus.

Below is the Cebu Heritage Monument.

Located also in Plaza Parian, this monument showcases a lot of historical and significant events that take place in Cebu. From the time of Rajah Humabon up to the Beatification of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, a Cebuano martyr. The monument is a work of national artist Edgardo Castrillo and was inaugurated in December 8, 2000. I was in awe when I saw this because it is really a masterpiece!

Next stop is the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House. One of the oldest houses in the Philippines. Said to be built in the 17th century by Chinese merchants residing in Parian. We were not able to see the interior of the house because we came at around 8:00 am and the house which was converted into a museum opens at 9:00 am.

Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House

This doesn't end our Cebu Heritage Walk ... up next is Fort San Pedro :)

Cebu Heritage Walk (Part 1)

2011-08-31T22:35:00.019+08:00

I still remember until now the feeling that I've felt when I first saw the Magellan's Cross. I was ecstatic to see it in person! I only see it in history books and now I've come to see this famous tourist spot of Cebu. It is actually one of Cebu's famous landmarks just in front of Cebu City Hall and I've noticed that it is included in the city hall's logo.

My hubby having a souvenir photo :)

It is said that the original cross was encased in this Tindalo wood to protect it from being damaged and for people who chipped parts of it for some believed that it can cure some illness and others for souvenir purpose only :(

In front of it is the Cebu City Hall

We also got the chance to see Cebu's La Fortuna Bakery
also along Magallanes Street

Our next stop is the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño

It is the most popular church in Cebu and tourists flock the Basilica every January and I remember a friend of mine who is a devotee of the Sto. Nino goes there with his whole family every year to celebrate.

The original church is said to be built on 16th century at the actual spot where the image of the Sto. Nino where found by the Spanish explorer in 1565. But the original church was damaged by the fire and so was the second church that built in the same place. The present basilica was said to be constructed in 1740. I hope that there won't be any more fire to damage or ruin this beautiful church.

The image of the Child Jesus - Sto. Niño the patron of Cebu is housed in this side of the chapel so that devotees can have a closer look and say a prayer to the Sto. Niño.

We also visited the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

Though not as popular as the Basilica Manore del Sto. Niño, this is the capital church of the Archdiocese of Cebu. I love the facade of the church because of its barouqe architecture.

The altar of the cathedral highlight the image of Jesus on the cross. On the left is the image of San Lorenzo Ruiz the first Filipino saint and right is the image of Blessed Pedro Calungsod a Visayan martyr.

After visiting those places, it's time for our breakfast in Cebu. We went to a nearby Chowking restaurant because we were really hungry already.

My hubby holding a copy of Cebu Daily News :)

He had this Emperor's Beef Noodles

I had my fave beef tapa :)

After our breakfast, we went back to our hotel (Sampaguita Suites) which is just a walking distance from those places above. The room is cheap and the service is good.

Sampaguita Suites - Plaza Garcia Branch

Our first time in Cebu!

2011-07-30T18:37:00.002+08:00

Yes, you read it right folks, it was our first time to visit the queen city of the south. Me and hubby had the chance to explore Cebu City in one and a half day, hahaha! The experience is awesome that we wanted to go back with our kids next time.

So many stories to tell about our quick Cebu trip. But for now just a glimpse of our hectic day in Cebu.

The Marcelo Fernan Bridge

This 1.2 km bridge was named after one of the famous political figure in Cebu, Sen. Marcelo B. Fernan. I remember my grandfather says lots of good things about this man. Maybe he's such a great man that's why this bridge was named after him. This bridge connect the islands of Mactan and Cebu City.

More entries coming.... enjoy reading :)

Cinnabon and me

2011-07-30T15:38:00.004+08:00

I am a big fan of cinnamon rolls! After college, my good friend (who was hired at Cinnabon) introduced me to the world of cinnamon rolls. I, who was hired then at a famous coffee shop did not even try our own cinnamon swirl, hehehe ... I am so much addicted to Cinnabon only! Hubby and our eldest son love it too, every payday expect that I always have a box of cinnamon rolls for them :)

But six years ago, my hubby was diagnosed to have a diabetes ... and so, much had been change with our eating habits. Preventing almost all our favorite cakes, sweet breads and the likes. Would you believe that after all those years, I only had the chance to eat one at the airport! Our flight schedule is 5:00 in the morning so we were at the terminal at exactly 3:00 am. I felt hungry while waiting so I asked hubby if we can look around for something to eat. Alas! theres a small Cinnabon store inside the terminal. I first asked for the approval of my hubby if it's okay to buy a cinnamon roll, since he's now a healthy diabetic (controlled blood sugar) he allowed me to buy one for us to share and a Cafe Latte too. Yiheee!!!

I tell you, the smell of this bread drives me crazy... I super love it when it is very warm... Before eating it, I closed my eyes and smile... it was like reconnecting to an old friend... a very dear friend.

It was then that I realized.....

How I terribly miss you ... my Cinnabon!

Me at 3:00 in the morning :)

It's nice to be back!!!

Bonding with Jeffrey, HP7 Part 2 and a Playdate too!

2011-07-26T10:34:00.010+08:00

Yesterday was Jeffrey's last day of exam, so even if i'm not feeling well yesterday I decided to treat him for being good and patient while we were reviewing his notes before and during his exams days. I am very happy for we are blessed with sons (Justine and Jeff) who are very diligent when it comes to their studies. I could not ask for more, they always give their best!

After lunch me and Jeffrey went to SM North to watch the part two of Harry Potter's The Deathly Hollows. Before buying our tickets, we strolled first and look for some things inside the department store. I asked Jeff if he wanted to buy some bread at Beadtalk but he declined, he just wanted a big tumbler of popcorn to munch on inside the cinema. While watching the movie, he kept on asking me about the characters in the movie ( it's his first time to watch a HP movie) he seems very curious about the wizarding world. Good thing is that I know all the characters in the book and in the movie of course so I willingly answer all his questions :) After the movie, he asked me if we could eat at his favorite burger house (Wham Burger)and I said "of course my dear" I ordered our usual favorite which is Wham Burger with Cheese, Fries and his fave soda... Royal!

See how happy he was enjoying his fave burger :)

Well, it was like hitting two birds with one stone yesterday. I treated Jeff and I treated myself too! I've been wanting to watch HP 7 Part 2 since the opening day but I couldn't because I was busy making reviewers for Jeffrey. I'm super excited and sad at the same time for I know that this is the last installment of the HP movies. I've come to love the characters especially the trio :) Anyway, I know that they'll be remembered for they made history! Congrats to JK Rowling for writing such great books and congrats to all who were involved in all the HP movies!!!

While on our way home, I remember that my friend Cheryl Diaz invited me too attend an event organized by them. It's called Mommy Rs (Relax, Rekindle, Rave and Reward) it's actually a "playdate" for moms and their kids. I'm sure there will be lots of fun here and what I like most is that there will be another bonding moment for me and Jeffrey. Bonus is that, I'm sure we can meet new friends, moms like me and new playmates for Jeffrey too! He can interact freely to children of his age by playing and joining different activities. I'm so excited and looking forward to this event.

How about you? Do you want to attend this event too? Well, check this out for details ;)

See you there!!!

Park 'N Fly Service

2011-06-21T11:26:00.005+08:00

Two weeks ago, me and hubby went for a three-day break in Cebu and Bohol. Our flight schedule was 4:30 am so we had to leave our home at around 1:30 am to allot 2 hours for check-in prior to the flight. Since waiting for a taxi cab in the wee hour of the morning in our area is very difficult, we decided to get the service of Park 'N Fly located at Ptt gas station in cor of Mia Road and Domestic Road.

I liked their service, because all you have to do is leave your car there, and they will drive your car in their carpark area.

You'll need to register in this area and fill out an information sheet. They will ask of course for your ID's and some car documents such as a photocopy of your OR and CR. Then, they'll give you a stub wherein you have to present it upon claiming your car.

You don't need to pay immediately. They will compute the hours of the stay of the vehicle. It's P380.00 for the first 24 hours and P16.00 per succeeding hours. We paid a total of P 1,142 for the 3 day stay of our vehicle.

They are open 24 hours ...

When we were there, I've noticed lots of customers were availing their service too.

No worries because they have a free shuttle service to the airport upon your departure and arrival. So next time, try not to worry anymore if no one will drive you in the wee hours of the morning because there's Park 'N Fly, just leave your car there and they'll take care of it ;)

Nameplates and Notebook Labels

2011-06-21T09:44:00.006+08:00

Well, these are the things that kept us busy in the past weeks. Me and hubby are making nameplates and notebooks labels for so many years now. We are the only shop in our area who are into these that's why every opening of school, expect that our shop is jam-pack with parents who wants to have a new nameplate for their kids.

We only made a standard size nameplates
( kids will become uncomfortable if their nameplates are too big)

Ooooopppsss!

we also make notebook labels with characters
we use sticker paper for this :)

cool isn't it?

Explanation...

2011-06-21T08:14:00.003+08:00

Hello friends! Sorry for my long absence. The month of June is always been a busy month for me, Preparing for the opening of classes for my two kids and our small computer shop is kinda busy too for we have a sideline during the first two weeks (making notebook labels and nameplates). I'll try my best to share with you guys our detailed trip in Cebu and Bohol respectively. Till my next post :)

Tapella by Gaudi

2011-06-08T20:34:00.012+08:00

Sigh…. I should have posted this entry 3 weeks ago, but my computer was having a trouble that time that I couldn’t see my personal folder that contains pics of this event. Thanks to my good friend Peachy who provided me extra pictures so that I can blog about this truly exciting food bloggers event.

I was one of the few bloggers who were invited in a cooking demo by Chef Alexandra Cacho of Tapella by Gaudi. It’s a restaurant located at Greenbelt 5 that specialize in serving Tapas and paellas. Chef Alexandra thought us how to cook Paella Manchego, Cojonudos and mix some sangria on the side. I am very eager to learn how to cook a paella because my husband loves this dish so much.

Chef Alexandra showing us how to cook Paella Manchego and she happily shared us some trivia and tips too about cooking paella :)

Paella Manchego

This paella is extra special because it's Chef's personal creation. It was perfectlty cook and heavenly good for it has Manchego cheese from Spain that gives the paella a more unique taste.

Cojonudos
The 2nd dish that she prepared was the Cojonudos, it's very simple to prepare, Chef just put a sliced Serrano ham on top, fried quail eggs, a strip of pimiento and a drop of olive oil and that's it!

White Garlic and Almond Soup

After the demo cooking, we were seated already when they served us this shooter. It really tasted garlicky as the name suggest. It's served cold and I didn't like the taste coz i'm not used to it.

Camembert with Caramelized Onions on Fluted Bread
I really really like this ! It's a must try when you visited the store.

Octopus with paprika, salt and virgin olive oil
It's an exotic dish but it tasted good too.

"el Bulli"

(Calamari w/ black ink batter)
It's actually a calamari with a twist for they used the black ink of the squid in the batter that's why the color is extremely black

Chorizo stewed in red wine
(this dish was another favorite of mine)

Beef tenderloin Salpicado w/ White Beans

The taste is good, everybody love this dish in the glass :)

Last to be served was a platter of desserts :)

Everything on it was good!

I would suggest that you go to Tapella by Gaudi on Greenbelt 5 if ever you're thinking of some good Spanish restaurant. You'll never go wrong with them, that I assure you :)

Tapella by Gaudi

Open from 11:00 am to 12 mn

G/F Greenbelt 5 Ayala Center

Makati City

Tel Nos. 7572710 and 7572711

Kesong Puti (White Cheese) & Salted Eggs

2011-05-28T08:08:00.003+08:00

Whoa! I woke up because of the heavy downpour of rains due to typhoon Chedeng. I am thinking of a good breakfast to prepare for my hubby and kids... I opened the refrigerator and smiled when I saw that I have a stock of salted eggs and kesong puti (soft white cheese) that I bought the other day in the market. I bought some hot pandesal in a bakery nearby and we feasted on those this morning. My breakfast wouldn't be complete without a black coffee to go with it :)

Happy morning everyone!

Lunch for today :)

2011-05-14T13:44:00.002+08:00

I told you guys that I'm going to give feedback once I tasted the Chicharon (pork cracklings) from Daboy's. It was great! It's very crunchy and you can really tell that it's new. Actually, I like it better than Jennies and it can equal the quality and the goodness of Lapid's. Now, I can say that my hubby will visit their store often because we all liked it :)

Anyway, just sharing our lunch for today...

Fried Sliced Bangus, Oyster Omelette cooked by Justine (my eldest son) and the crispy chicharon from Daboy's :)

Hayyyy.... sarap kumain!!!

My Soulmate and his Chicharon

2011-05-14T10:23:00.007+08:00

What is a soulmate? According to Google ... A soulmate is the twin to your soul. It is your perfect partner, one whom you feel a deeper connection to than anyone else. In our case, hubby and I like almost the same things and always have the same interests. Sometimes we were surprised to know that we're thinking of the same ideas, thinking of the same place, and thinking of the same food...hahaha... When he was in Quiapo yesterday, I just wished that he bought some Lumpia, and he did. This morning... I know that he'll have a ride to Sta. Maria Bulacan and I quietly hope that he'll buy some good chicharon and there was a pack for me when he got home. Most of the times, we laughed at ourselves because of some petty things that comes into our mind surprised that we were thinking the same things (hahaha!)

Hubby is fond of biking up north, he's more relax there than in the south. Their group usually headed by Mang Danny goes every Saturday in Bulacan or Antipolo. I'm excited always if they'll be heading to Bulacan because of my love for Chicharon, hehehe... I believe that the best chicharon comes from that province and I think hubby is trying to find where is the best store selling the best chicharon. This is his 4th try in finding one, this time it's from Daboy. The first one is from Jennies that taste exactly like Lapid's, the 2nd and 3rd try was from Malolos (i forgot the names) but it was not good as the ones from Jennies... Hmmm... I'm going to try Daboy's this time...

Hahaha! Noticed that my screensaver are picture of chicharon?

Daboy's Store in Poblacion, Sta. Maria, Bulacan

Whoa! If only hubby can bring home all those sinful backfat chicharon...

Grab one! :)

I have yet to open this one... I'll wait for lunch time :)

I'll give feedback this afternoon... hehehe!!!

Globe Lumpia in Quiapo

2011-05-14T08:26:00.003+08:00

Yiheeee! Hubby went to Quiapo yesterday to look for a rubber replacement for our old pressure cooker, good thing he was able to buy two in one of the stores there. Also, he was able to buy a new memory stick for our digicam in our upcoming getaway. I was hoping that he'll buy some lumpia from Globe Lumpia House and he did!!! Their eatery is very small and sometimes you have to wait to be seated. It was featured several times on different TV shows hosted by Jessica Soho, Charlene Gonzales, Susan Enriquez and many more. They don't have any other branch and they are known to serve the best fresh lumpia in the area.

Being a non food blogger, hubby was quite shy to take pictures... hehehe. He just took two shots, anyway, I didn't asked him too because I don't have an idea that he'll dropped by at Globe. Had I known it... you'll probably see so many pictures of the place here. But just to give you an idea...

This is the area wherein the fresh lumpia are being prepared

I think hubby discreetly took a shot of the small dining area...hehehe...

This lumpia cost only P 16.00 each

Mind you, one lumpia is not enough...

so I had my regular 2 fresh lumpia....hehehe

I don't know what's their secrets, but it tasted so good!

Have you try it already???

Globe Lumpia House

Raon St., corner Quezon Avenue Manila

(it's a household name in the area

so just ask for the name)

Mother's Day Pizza Treat

2011-05-14T08:13:00.003+08:00

Last Mother's Day we didn't go out to celebrate, we just ordered pizza in our favorite pizza house and have it delivered in our home instead. We super love Shakey's thin crust pizza, specially their Manager's Choice, it's good that my pizzanatic super card is not yet expired so we still enjoy the free pizza that comes with it.

Yummy :)

MC - Manager's Choice

I had it customized.. Half hawaiian and half pepperoni :)

We ordered a Buddy Pack Chick N' Chips
(5 pcs. of Chicken)

My kids love it!

Me... having my first bite :)

I had my off that day... hahaha !!!

Max's Malabon Branch - What went wrong?

2011-05-11T21:13:00.013+08:00

Two Sundays ago, me and hubby were invited by our neighbor to attend the Christening of his daughter. The invitation given was from Max's Restaurant (printed on the card). After the ceremony at the church, guests headed to the nearest branch of Max's Restaurant located at Tugatog, Malabon. I'm excited to be there because it reminds me of good memories that we've shared in that branch. My youngest son's christening, our celebration after graduations, family members' birthdays were also held in that branch. It's very near to us, just around 500 meters from our home.

When all guests were settled, they started to bring the food one at a time. First of course was the soup of the day. As far as I can remember, the only hot food that they served was the soup and the rice which came only after 3 dishes (what the heck!) The softdrinks that they served was tasteless, I even asked one of the waiter to change mine.

Here are the food and tell me if it looks appetizing to the eyes ...

The soup of the day... it was just ok

Nachos with Bangus Spread
My gosh! They served this appetizer no longer crunchy, it was very rubbery and we're all disappointed with this.

Pancit Canton ... Do you think it's appealing? This too was serve cold.

Their Lumpiang Shanghai was ok.

The Chopsuey was just so so...

The only dish that saved the day was of course... Max's Fried Chicken.

What went wrong? What went wrong???
Hope that they'll improve their dish and the service too.

Fast Five and the Awesome Services of Teleserv

2011-05-08T09:42:00.025+08:00

It was my first time to attend a bloggers event without my good friend Peachy. This time it was my hubby who accompanied me in the event organized by Teleserv - Night-out at the Cinema: Bloggers Edition 2011 of the new Vin Diesel movie Fast Five. It was held at Gateway Cinema 4 last May 4. We were there at exactly 6:20 pm because according to their invites, the registration starts at 6:30 pm and true to their words, it did.

The registration area and the dynamic people from Teleserv. We were given IDs and lootbags with jacket, tumblers, CD and other materials inside :) yiheee!

Me and hubby with our free meals ...... Wendy's Bacon Mushroom Melt, Iced tea and popcorn from Teleserv.

Before the movie, Mr. Raffy David who is one of the partners behind Teleserv gave us a brief background of the company and after that Mr. Ronnie de Vera the one in-charge for the sending the invites to the bloggers gave us a short presentation about the different services that they offer. I've learned that Teleserv started 11 years ago as a multi-channel contact center provider. Now Pilipinas Teleserv Inc. is a provider of innovative teleservices solutions and efficient call center based services designed to provide great customer service.

Now, I know the easiest, fastest and wisest way to get NSO Certificates (Birth Certificates, Marriage Contracts, CeNoMar - Certificate of No Marriage and Death Certificates) to be deliver to my doorstep in 2 days for just P 330.00. I don't have to go to NSO and fall in line just to get a copy. All I have to do is to follow these simple steps and voila!

For those of you who wants to apply for a new passport or just a renewal of your expired passport, you can check these steps for a hassle free appointment system at www.passport.com.ph

Here's a good news for vacationing OFWs! You don't have to go to POEA anymore just to get your OEC (Overseas Exit Clearance). Simply log on to www.oecdelivery.com.ph and your OEC will be processed simultaneously. Isn't that amazing? You'll have more time to spend precious time with your family.

Worried about online payment? Teleserv guaranteed a "very secured" online payment system. Just read the Online Payment Guide below :)

I learned so much about Teleserv and their awesome services. Who wouldn't need a copy of their Birth Certificates? There are now 92 million Filipinos , good news is that they can easily get copies of their BC, MC, DC and CenoMar with the help of this system :)

After the brief presentation comes the raffle draw. I am very lucky for I'm one of the winners of Solar chargers that is very useful when one is traveling.

After the short program, we all watched the movie. It was such a blast! The movie was great and the experience was awesome :) Thank you so much Teleserv for the invites!

We really enjoy it!

1. Visit their websites for more inquiries and concerns:

•http://www.teleserv.ph
•http://www.citizenservices.com.ph

2. Give them a call

•(02) 737-1111 for NSO Inquiries
•(02) 737-7777 for POEA Inquiries
•(02) 737-1000 for DFA Inquiries
•(02) 737-1173 for Group Application Service of NSO Docs

3. Like them on Facebook

CitizenServices page:
http://www.facebook.com/citizenservices

4. Follow them on Twitter

•http://www.twitter.com/teleserv_ph

5. Subscribe for Newsletter
Email mailing_list@teleserv.ph with the subject "JOIN". You may also send your mobile number for
SMS updates.

Nova Oatmeal Cookies

2011-04-30T13:54:00.002+08:00

Uy! This is my new discovery just awhile ago... The store beside our shop owned by my SIL carry this new product from Nova. She gave me packs of it :) It tasted so good and best thing is that it has fiber ...and it is very cheap for just P 10.00.

Multigrain oatmeal cookies

I love the flavor!!!

munching now, munching now, munching now... hihihihi :)

Another Dinner at Ying Ying Tea House

2011-04-29T10:58:00.010+08:00

After our Visita Iglesia last Holy Thursday, we had our dinner here. Ying Ying Tea House is one of our favorite Chinese Restaurant. The food is really good and the price is very affordable. The restaurant is always full everytime we go here so it's very obvious that it's one of the best in Binondo area.

We order our usual favorite

Coldcuts Combination Platter - Medium

Lechon Kawali, Pork Asado, Soy Chicken, Century Eggs and Seaweeds

Kids fave, Hot Prawn Salad

Salt & Pepper Squid

One of the best Yang Chow in town!

We feasted on them ;)

The happy eaters...

Hubby and Jeff

Justine and Yeye...

More Ying Ying dinner to come!!!

Happy Morning = Excellent Breakfast

2011-04-28T09:00:00.003+08:00

I woke up early with a good mood so I decided to cook yummy breakfast. A friend of mine went to Lucban Quezon last week so I asked her to buy me some Lucban longganisa. We met up last Sunday and she gave me 2 dozens of this garlic longganisa.

While having coffee, I cooked first the longganisa then I refried some leftover beef tapa (hehehe), fried some eggs and made a dippings of spicy vinegar with pepper and garlic.

My black coffee

Beef tapa cooked by hubby

Super garlicky Lucban longganisa

my not so perfect sunny side-up egg... hahahaha!

vinegar with chilli, pepper and garlic :)

fried rice with eggs and chinese sausage

Our heavy breakfast....

Kain tayo!!!

Nelia's Palabok and Halo-Halo

2011-04-27T10:06:00.015+08:00

Few weeks ago, I really craved for Razon's Halo-halo and asked my friends in facebook if where's the nearest branch near in Malabon. I was able to eat one when I got Jeffrey's report card in school. Last Good Friday, I was having a nap at around 2:30 when my hubby woke me up and asked me if I want to go to Nelia's. Haha! I immediately took a bath and we went there around 3:00 pm. I then realized that I don't need to go to SM everytime I want to eat a very good halo-halo because Nelia's is just a few minutes drive from our home.

Nelia's is famous for their Halo-halo and Palabok since 1960s. It's one of the hidden culinary treasures in Malabon, they are known also for their delicious Mechado and Kare-kare.

Special Halo-halo for P 70.00

The place is located in Barangay Tinajeros

For me, hubby and our 2 kids :)

Their palabok is way better than Nanay's!

Oh... I'm drooling now!

Jeffrey had plain congee with fried tofu ... it's good too!

By the way, they also have a branch in ... 31 D Talipapa Station 2, Boracay

We'll come back again...

Hope that my friends Peachy, Anney, Rome and Dj could try these treats too!

Supplies of Chocolates :)

2011-04-26T16:06:00.003+08:00

Hayyy... how can I control myself from eating these sinful treats from my friends and family. From January up to this month we never run out of chocolates in our ref. Oh no, I'm not hoarding, hehehe... it's just that friends and family were coming back for a vacation in the country so as expected their pasalubong will always be chocolates. I was not able to take pictures of the previous "supplies", from my faves Toblerone, Cadbury, Lindt, Hershey's and many more... my diabetic hubby whose a chocolate fanatic did not deprive/refrain himself from eating, how's that?

What's next??? Me weighing 200 lbs?!!! Ouch!!!

Tuna Penne Pasta

2011-04-26T15:32:00.003+08:00

I super love the Tuna Penne Pasta that my hubby cooked last week. We had some penne pasta sent by mom and tuna in cans too so he decided to cook those and it was really good. He just sauteed some garlic, tomatoes and onions in olive oil and then he add the tuna and a little amount of tomato sauce to put some color (he didn't like a pale one) and salt and pepper to taste and mix it with the pasta and that's it!

The kids love this too!

How lucky I am to have a husband who can really cook!

He couldn't find some parsley in the ref so he just put
leeks for garnishing :)

Lunch on Good Friday

2011-04-26T11:05:00.005+08:00

We had a simple lunch last Friday, hubby went to Obando early in the morning to buy two sacks of fresh oysters, one for our family the other one is for my sister-in-law. Oysters are always on our table every Good Friday because it's my eldest son fave seafood. We had a hard time removing the shells but we had a great time eating those dipped in vinegar with lots of onions and siling labuyo... yum!

We also had boneless daing na bangus

(sawa na sa inihaw)

and glasses of Sunquick orange juice!

Wow! No meat on the table but we were all full after :)

Kain tayo!

Visita Iglesia 2011

2011-04-26T09:13:00.017+08:00

One of the very popular activity during Holy Week is visiting 7 or 14 churches. This is what we call the Visita Iglesia which is a Spanish words for Church Visits. It is a practice during Holy Thursday by Catholics here in our country. People flock to different churches to ask for penance and others say their Station of the Cross.

Since our family did not go for our yearly out of town during Holy Week, we planned days before the Holy week the 7 Churches that we visited. Some churches were recommended by some religious sectors and here are they...

1st was... Sacred Heart of Jesus ParishTugatog, Malabon City

To pay respect to our Parish Church, of course it is the first church that we've visited

The altar of our parish church

2nd was... Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz

(Binondo Church)

We were stunned by the beauty of this Church

The murals on the ceiling is awesome!

3rd Church was...
San Sebastian Church
(Recto, Manila)

The all steel church, 2nd in the world and first in Asia.
My husband really admire the gothic architecture of this church,
see the altar?

4th Church
San Agustin Church
considered as one of the oldest stone church in the Philippines

I was not able to capture the church's altar :(

These were the scene while we headed to the Manila Cathedral...
there were lots of people and food stall along the street,
I heard one of them saying "I thought Banchetto was transfered here"

Side of San Agustin Church

5th Church
The Manila Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica
(popularly known as Manila Cathedral)

The facade of the church is stunning...
you can see sculptured statues of some famous saints

The interior is simple but this is one of the most visited churches
in the country. It's aircondition too :)

I'd like to go back in Intramuros some other time to see some old and famous landmarks like, Casa Manila, San Agustin Museum and many more historical sites.

6th Church was The Shrine of Jesus, The Way, the Truth and The Life

in Pasay, Mall of Asia

Too many people are also visiting this church because it's one of the newer places of worship in Metro Manila. It's our first time to actually see the church interior.

The 7th Church was...
Malate Church

One of the oldest stone churches in Manila outside Intramuros.

It is a baroque style church facing Manila Bay.

The interior of the church is not big but it's beautiful.

We solemnly prayed for every church that we visited and I'm happy to see our kids embracing this religious tradition for I know that they too know and realized how Jesus sacrifice his life for our salvation.

Via Crucis

2011-04-26T08:31:00.003+08:00

I've learned that the Via Crucis or Way of the Cross started as early as 4th c., devouted Catholic pilgrims to the Holy Land and follow the path that Jesus walk for the salvation of mankind. This devotion according to our parish priest were represented in 14 events starting from Jesus' condemnation to his resurrection.

This year, we were lucky again to be a part of it. Our parish coordinators chose our family to read the prayer and meditation for the 14th Station of the Cross - Jesus Rises from Death. we feel blessed for participating in this year's Via Crucis.

Me and hubby prepared a simple table setting for the

laminated frame of the 14th Station.

Ilocos Empanada in Manila

2011-04-13T15:46:00.006+08:00

My three boys (hubby, Justine and Jeff) love empanada from Ilocos. Everytime we go to UST Hospital for check-ups, we never failed to drop by at Fariñas Bus Station to buy emapanadas there. There's a booth at the side of the station wherein two Ilocanas were happily making these yummy treats from Ilocos.

Actually, this is their pasalubong to me... I was left alone in our computer shop this morning... :)

Inside the empanada ...

were generous bits of Vigan longganisa, an egg, and vegetables

Hmmm... I don't think I'll be successful on my diet with these kind of food.

Shakey's Milkshake

2011-04-10T19:05:00.004+08:00

I believe that Shakey's milkshakes is one of the best in the Metro. I super love the chocolate flavor, it's creamy, thick and super rich in chocolate! It tasted like a shake Magnolia chocolate drink according to Jeffrey... but to me, it feels like heaven on my first sip, I wonder if they add ice cream into it.

I ordered the biggest size...

and I can see my hubby frowning while I'm finishing this luscious drink :)

Amana Waterpark Adventure

2011-04-09T13:36:00.013+08:00

As requested by our youngest son Jeffrey, we went to Amana Waterpark last April 2 and celebrated there too the birthday of my hubby. We always look forward to our summer outing because it's one of our way to escape the busy life we have here in Manila. Last year, we were at Batis Aramin in Quezon province and we really had an awesome experience there.

The place is beautiful with lots of life size characters but there were only three pools and some areas are still under construction like the boating area, and the pool with twin slides. Hope they'll build more pools in the future because the land area is big, they can really maximize it if they want.

Here are the pics of our summer adventure at Amana waterpark :)

The main entrance

You'll be greeted too by Justice League heroes Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, Flash and Green Lantern

Unfinished boating area ..

No waves at this time...

their kiddie pool

My son Justine going solo in one of the pool near the VIP rooms

The 13 waves pool

They all enjoy it!

Me with hubby and jeff with 2 nephews Jigo and Keno

This is our room...

We'll be back one of these days....

I miss Shakey's Bunch of Lunch

2011-04-05T15:50:00.007+08:00

The recognition program lasted for about an hour and a half so around 9:30 am, the program was finish already. After the ceremony, we went straight to Shakey's MCU for a snack but we ended up ordering their Bunch of Lunch instead. Jeffrey loves it because it has chicken and spaghetti.

Jeffrey happily poses for a picture :)

This branch is clean and big

We had a picture of iced tea

and a plate of this for each of us!

How I miss their Bunch of Lunch :)

A heavy snacks for two heavyweights :)

Jeffrey with cousin and best bud Jigo

Jeff did it again!

2011-04-05T15:32:00.002+08:00

Two weeks ago was the recognition day of our bunso (youngest son) Jeffrey. He is again the first honors of their class. He also got Best in Sibika and Best in Deportment just like last year. His teachers told me how good example Jeffrey is among his classmates. We were super flattered by the compliments.

He didn't wish for any material things as a gift, instead he asked his dad for a summer outing in Amana. He never been there so we granted his wish last Saturday. It was also the birthday treat of my hubby so a double celabration was held last weekend :)

Hubby's Chowking Treat!

2011-04-05T14:58:00.004+08:00

Yesterday morning, hubby treated his running buddies for a breakfast at Chowking. Their group has a special bond also... and that is food! Sometimes they can go as far as Talisay or Taal Batangas if ever they are invited in a town fiesta there. It's been a tradition also that every birthday celebrant will treat the group in a heavy breakfast like this one. Hehehe...

Some order the Emperor's Beef mami

with Siopao of course! Some prefer the Chicken Lauriat

While others prefer this

I love their Yang Chow though with fried dumplings :)

Hubby's "young" running buddies :)

(me worrying about his morning routine? nah....) Hahaha!!!

I love this group :)

Food in our Summer Outing

2011-04-05T14:22:00.004+08:00

My hubby is a super organize guy, he doesn't do anything without planning it ahead of time. Evrytime we have an out of town trips, he make sure that all the things that we need are always ready. Mind you, he do have a list of the things, the food down to its ingredients, etc., that we needed everytime we travel (he prints it in a paper... sort of a checklist). Yeah I admit, he's more organize than me, hehehe.

Well of course, I do have some participation ;) I helped him out in cooking all these (though he prepares/marinates all) hahaha! I arranged our table by putting banana leaves on top so we didn't bring paper plates with us. The idea of eating on banana leaves excites the kids and they really enjoyed it.

a closer look....

Shrimp in butter and garlic... Kids fave... BBQ Chicken Wings

Grilled liempo

The boneless milkfish with stuffed onions, tomatoes and salted eggs

Tahong (mussels) soup with 7-up!

fruit in season... sweet mangoes!

table is ready :)

For our snack... I cooked spaghetti

this is with nestle cream...

and we bought a cake roll from Goldilocks

We love their Dulce de Leche flavor :)

from left to right

hubby, Justine, Jeffrey and me with nephews Jigo and Keno

healthy peeps :)

hahaha!!!

Sleepless nights...

2011-04-05T13:32:00.003+08:00

Thank God! My sleepless nights are over :) My monthly period was delayed for 1 week so me and hubby were panicking already, hehehe... To end up my nervousness, I bought a pregnancy test kit last night and I drop my urine on the device this morning... my heart beats fast before it reaches the test region because if a line appears in the T region, that means I'm pregnant...so happy that no purple line occurs on the Test Band region and just a single line from the Control region which only means I'm not Preggy!!!

I don't want to get preggy again, it's just that I'm enjoying myself now and loving it. Hubby too don't want to have a third child anymore for he's now a diabetic and he feels old (according to him) for a new responsibility ;) But if God really wants us to have a new baby and the test becomes positive. I will accept it because I don't want the baby to feel that he/she is rejected.

Anyway, so happy to be free from worries and sleepless nights!

We'll be more careful from now on ;)

Oh my gulay!

2011-04-05T13:02:00.002+08:00

We simply love this dish. Pinakbet is a Filipino (Ilocano) dish with lots of vegetables, usually with shrimp paste (bagoong) sliced pork and pieces of shrimps just like our version at home. Hubby likes this very much and so do I.

Let's eat!

Hubby's Bulacan pasalubong part 2

2011-03-30T14:40:00.005+08:00

Bike day of my hubby every Saturday and I'm beginning to accept his new hobby. Not because of these yummy pasalubong (hehehe), but of course for health reasons. Two Saturdays ago, we had chicharon (back fat), suman with buko and the chicken cordon bleu. Last Sat., he bought another kind of suman with Langka and buko this time, Chicharon from Jennie's which was a winner because it is very crunchy and with lots of backfat that can equal the taste from the famous Lapid's but more cheaper and lastly a great buy was the biko, it is very yummy with a chocolatey aftertaste... big thanks to our friend Donna who gave us a tip about this biko ;)

He usually buy three kinds only, because he's backpack is quite small.

Biko... honestly this one is good ;)

I prefer the suman with pinipig and buko over this

Jennie's chicharon...Winner!

Sinigang sa Miso

2011-03-30T14:02:00.006+08:00

I go to the market every other day but until now, it's very difficult to think what will be our food for lunch and dinner. I now realize the dillema of our tita (yeye) when she was the one in-charge to do the marketing before. I always want a healthy and balanced diet for our family, so my everyday food schedule is ... if we'll have a pork/chicken/beef dish for lunch, we must eat fish and vegetable at night and vice versa.

So now, we had Sinigang na Tanigue sa Miso :)

I don't cook but I know the ingredients... hehehe. I bought half kilo of sliced tanigue then in the vegetable section I picked a small size raddish, mustasa (mustard greens), tomotoes, onions, garlic, sampaloc fruits (not the powder in sachet) and bought P 2.00 miso (a thick paste made of soybeans) and that's it, Yeye cooked it and we had it for lunch today :)

Tonight, we'll have fried porkchop and

sauted patola with misua for dinner :)

Lunch at Boy Ching Woo

2011-03-30T13:07:00.010+08:00

The last day of school of my little Jeffrey was on March 18 so I decided to treat our school friends (close moms and their children) for a lunch at Boy Ching Woo. Incidentally, two of the mommies (Lee and Marichelle) and my close friend Jhay's daughter Kirstin celebrate their birthdays too so we split the bills into four! hehehe...

Boy Ching Woo is one of the oldest Chinese restaurant in Caloocan as far as I know :) They do serves authentic Chinese dishes that's why we chose to celebrate important occasions here sometimes. If Marikina has "Luyong Restaurant" people from Caloocan can proudly say too that "marami ng laki sa Boy Ching"

We came at exactly 10:30 am but the dishes were served about 11:00 am, just in time for our lunch, we actually had an advance order/reservation the day before that's why everything was arranged already when we got there.

Long table for 18 pax

What we had for lunch were the following.. Crab and Corn soup 2 orders of Lumpiang Shanghai

2 orders of Battered Chicken

Pata Tim ( I like this among the rest)

Sweet & Sour Fish Fillet

(doesn't look like one eh?)

Pansit Shanghai

2 orders of Yang Chow

(i'm super disappointed with this)

I was surprised that the food in general I think were not as good as before. I'm quite disappointed with the dishes specially the sweet and sour fish fillet and the yang chow almost all except for the pata tim. I now have a doubt if we'll be back at Boy Ching again. Hmmm, maybe they change their cook or he resigned? Maybe the rumors are true that the old cook of Boy Ching opened his own Chinese fast food near Diosdado Macapagal Hospital (I forgot the name, but I saw it already...something like Tong Yan?) they do have the same menu and the taste is not a bit far from Boy Ching according to a friend whose now a regular customer of that restaurant. He even told me that employees of Caloocan City Hall prefer this now over Boy Ching.

Me and Jeff :)

I haven't tried any of those special dishes...

I'm having second thoughts, you know!

Californiaberry and their new babies

2011-03-28T09:30:00.018+08:00

I attended an event yesterday sponsored by Californiaberry at their new branch in Mezza Residences in Sta. Mesa. They launched three new and exciting products. I've learned that the first store was opened in the year 2008 and before the year ends, three more stores were opened and on the following year they have 6 company owned stores already. They started franchising last year only and they now have branches in Davao and Iloilo.

Californiaberry is the only froyo store that serves 100% Nonfat froyo while other local companies has only 80% of NF milk in their ingredients. Some of the ingredients used in their store came directly in the US according to their Area Manager Bong Canlas.

Me :)

The three new products...

Fresh fruit blends, Pasta and Ice Ice Baby

I fell in love with the Ice Ice Baby! They have original, melon, strawberry, chocolate, green tea and mango flavor :)

I super love this original flavor with condensed milk as syrup and choco sponge :) They have a wide selections of toppings to choose from

FFB

Fresh Fruit Blends

so healthy! for they use yogurt instead of milk

I had banana rama while my friend Peachy enjoy the double berry

PASTA!

Hmmm.. they serves delicious Pasta!

Seafood Alfredo

Spaghetti Bolognese (so meaty)

Lasagna

This one is a winner for me :)

Oh! They do have organic coffee too!

true to their advocacy to serve healthy products :)

They are open for events too!

I super enjoy this event :)

There were games and lots of fun...

me with teacher Jo who made our day...

and an old friend Flow whom I did not see for years now

Young owners Kirk & Kyle with area manager Bong Canlas

Thank you Californiaberry for inviting us, thanks Peach for informing me about the event and thanks to Alex for sending me an invites :) Looking forward to another event soon with you guys :)

I'm berry happy :)

Crispy Tenga from Rudy's Day

2011-03-23T13:17:00.005+08:00

We all love the Crispy Tenga (fried Pig ears) of Rudy's Day in Malabon. I know how sinful it is to love this dish but we cannot avoid it, hehehe... the taste is so good that I have to double the cup of my rice whenever I'm eating this.

Rudy's Day bestseller Cirspy Tenga
with slices of onions and pickles

It's more awesome when you dip it in their sweet and spicy sauce!

Winner ito!!!

Kain tayo :)

Liver Wurst my all time fave!

2011-03-21T14:31:00.003+08:00

I can't remember how young I was when I first tasted this super yummy liverspread. My mom who works abroad never failed to send us this brand. She knows that i'm addicted to this until now and so my kids and hubby too. It's perfect for a very hot and slightly crunchy pandesal.

Sarap!

I just can't imagine why the price of this
liverspread in a small can cost this!

Whoa! Perfect what breakfast for me :)

Luyong Restaurant

2011-03-16T16:19:00.006+08:00

After the recognition program we went straight to Marikina to look for Luyong Restaurant. Justine who is a Chinese food fanatic wants to eat in a Chinese Restaurant so hubby decided to bring us at Luyong in Concepcion, Marikina. It's like a Boy Ching Woo (famous in Caloocan) version of the Marikeños. They also have the same ambience and the food selection are almost the same.

Their slogan... "Kay rami nang laki sa Luyong"

The facade of the restaurant

What we had for lunch were...

Hototay Soup
(this was one of the bestseller and it was good)

Salt and Pepper Spareribs

(You'll never go wrong with this!)

Mixed Seafood with Tofu

(This too was a surprised... it tasted so good)

Yang Chow

The food were all good

Two Thumbs up!!!

No complaints for Justine even if the place was quite far...

basta Chinese food :)

We're very proud of Justine

2011-03-16T15:20:00.003+08:00

I never thought that we can be invited to a recognition program in UP. We received a letter last week of February telling that my son will be awarded as University Scholar. My son's hardship was paid off. Me and hubby were very proud of him. He always sleep late (actually it's a habit of him already) reading Chemistry books mostly by Petrucci and Leithold which I think I will never understand, hehehe.

March 7 was his big day. He too was happy and excited because some of his friends were also awarded as college scholar. He even introduced some of them to us. The College of Science which he belongs has so many scholars most of them came from PhiScie, lucky that my son who came from Caloocan Science is doing great also in his field.

Justine now wears an eyeglasses...

The celebration was simple and the certificates too :)

I'm just really proud of my eldest son...

The thrill in hubby's biking adventure

2011-03-16T14:59:00.005+08:00

Before, I was a bit irritated when hubby will ask my permission if he could bike in a bit far place like Malolos and other parts of Bulacan. I am afraid up to now of course, I know that it's quite far and they only wear helmets as a protective gear. Every Saturday they have a "biyahe" (that's their term) in some parts of Bulacan and sometimes in Laguna. He is thrilled every Saturday for he enjoys biking now and I am excited too because of the pasalubong, hahaha!!!

I always like their biyahe in Malolos because everytime they went there, we surely have chicharon, chicken cordon bleu and my new fave suman with pinipig and buko as pasalubong. For his part, he seems happy whenever he see me smiling when he gets home :) hehehe...

Sarap!

Chicharon

The Chicken Cordon Bleu

The Suman with Pinipig and Buko

Looking forward for more biyahe in Malolos sweetipie :)

One Cheat Day!

2011-03-16T14:25:00.006+08:00

I couldn't resist it anymore! I want to eat chips, chocolate and cake, i'm craving like a hungry monster for those sinful food. Hahaha! So after a month of aerodancing at the gym, I gave in to my temptations! Just bought a half roll chocolate cake at Goldilocks and a medium size pack of Piattos, voila!!!

Three slices... for me, jeff and hubby :)

hahaha!!!

Piattos and an iced tea!

Eating at the shop :)

Whoa! I wish everyday is a cheat day!!!

Betty's Sansrival

2011-02-27T08:13:00.008+08:00

Three Fridays ago, I met up with my very good friend Cathie who's working at Angelicum College for years now. She kept on asking me to fetch her at the school after office hours but I don't have much time to do that since my afternoon is devoted to my son Jeff (hehehe...study time). Anyway, comes Friday of Feb. 11 and I don't have much work to do and so I decided to make a visit to her. We were both happy because it's been almost a year since we last saw each other. I asked her to bring me to Betty's because my husband is badly craving for their Sansrival (it's very near the school) and so I bought a quarter box for pasalubong.

The famous Betty's Sansrival

A quarter box for P 220.00
(believe me, it was wiped out the night I came home)

They have different sizes, the biggest is P 795.00

I was surprised that they have good and "very affordable" gourmet food too. Cathie and I had some snacks. We're planning to eat dinner at some restaurant in Banawe after that so we ordered pizza, pasta, a sliced of sansrival and 2 bottomless iced tea.

Bacon and Mushroom (Thin Crust Pizza) P 48.00

Gourmet pizza topped with tomato sauce, grated cheese,

mushrooms, oions and sliced bacon.

Gosh! I fell in love with it... so tasty and crunchy... so good for its price.

Shrimp Pesto Pasta P 98.00 (with bottomless iced tea)

Shrimps with pesto sauce on a bed of angel hair pasta topped

with parmesan cheese

This was good too, but the noodles were quite overcooked.

Actually, we shared for these because we're both not hungry.

I just wanted to try some of the dish in the menu :)

we had a sliced of sansrival for dessert P 48.00

The staff are friendly and attentive

There were group of doctors eating at that time

Me and Cathie

We were so full when we left Betty's at around 6:30 pm, Cathie and I went to Starbucks Banawe and had coffee there. It's good to be with my friend for she really needs someone to talk and share a laugh with. He's grandfather died last month, she's very close to him and I feel for her. I was also a lolo's girl and I almost die in pain and sorrow when we lost him 17 years ago ( I was pregnant then).

Anyway, no more sad stories... I know she can move on :)

We both have Caramel Macchiatos

She's smiling now...

Wish to have more bonding time with Cathie this summer,

for sure we'll have more time by then :)

Another Get Together @ Giligan's

2011-02-25T21:32:00.010+08:00

Last Friday ay natuloy din ang pagkikita namin ng aking highschool barkada sa Mall of Asia. This time, it's for our friend Gilven whom we did not see for 19 years. I was the one who organized the meeting and since manggagaling pa si Gilven sa Laguna ay pinili na lang namin ang MOA as our venue.

We were classmates from 1st year to 4th year :)

With two of my bestfriends in highschool
Judee with son CJ and Judith our class valedictorian

Ronron (godfather of my eldest son) Owen and Gilven
(my male bestfriends)

We had our dinner at Giligan's and these were the food that night.

Lechon Kawali

Chicken Lollipops

Lumpiang Shanghai

Fish Fillet with Garlic Sauce

Pork BBQ

Sizzling Peppery Steak

Grilled Bangus Belly

Bulalo Soup

Baked Pork Belly

Fried Garlic Chicken

Everybody was full after that, super sulit and pretty delicious ang food sa Giligan's.

Hope to see you again guys next year!!!

My Heavy Morning Snack

2011-02-25T20:40:00.005+08:00

Yesterday morning habang inaantay ko si Jeff ay nagkaayaan kaming magkaibigan na kumain sa Rafael. Ito ang madalas naming tambayan kapag nagpapatay kami ng oras kapag ganitong exam days. Mabuti na lang at maraming pagpipilian.

Pinili ko ang lomi para mainitan naman ng konti ang nagugutom kong tiyan, hehehe. Masarap siya, lutong bahay talaga!

Siyempre, sinamahan ko na rin ng Pichi-Pichi... hehehe

My heavy morning snack ;)

Liempo... ang Sarap!

2011-02-25T20:06:00.008+08:00

Hahaha! Ang galing! May kapitbahay kaming nagtitinda ng litsong manok. Minsan naitanong ko kung bakit hindi siya nagtitinda ng liempo na katulad ng sa Andok's at Baliuag Lechon, sinabi niya na mas mahal ang puhunan. Hindi na ako nagtanong mula noon dahil talagang litsong manok lang ang kanyang specialty. Minsan naisipan kong itanong kung pwedeng magpa-ihaw na lang ako ng sarili kong liempo, agad namang pumayag, kaya super happy ako at bumili ako ng liempo at pinahiwa ko ng katulad ng nabibili sa labas. Inasinan lamang ito ni Yeye at kinabukasan na namin pinaluto para talab ang alat sa loob.

O di ba, sumingit talaga ang liempo ko!

Inihaw ito ng 1 1/2 hours

Tsaran!!!! Masarap pa sa Andok's at Baliuag!!!!

Super crunchy ng balat niya at juicy ang meat niya inside :)

Mauulit ito, promise!

Di kumpleto kapag walang sawsawan!

Kain tayo :)

My brave little warrior!

2011-02-25T14:25:00.008+08:00

Last week (Thursday) when we got home from school, Jeffrey told me that he went to the school's clinic because he had a headache. The nurse gave him paracetamol then he goes back to the classroom after resting. That afternoon, he had fever so I gave him a paracetamol again and he became well after that. Friday morning, I told him that, if he doesn't feels good, it's okay to be absent. But he insisted to go to class. At around 1:00 pm, a call came from the school's nurse and told me that Jeffrey has a high fever and a stomach ache. I immediately fetched him so that he can rest well and I can personally monitor him. He had on and off fever and there were rashes in some parts of his body. Saturday morning I brought him to his pedia, he seems to be okay that morning, the doctor checked him but didn't see any problem, maybe because it's just a "viral infection" according to him and no need for antibiotics. He gave us a request for blood test and platelets count if Jeff's fever persist. His fever went on until lunch so we decided to bring him to the hospital's laboratory. He didn't show any nervousness nor a feeling of being afraid when we went there. He's somewhat excited, that's why Im quite relieved. The medtech seems to admire Jeff's bravery. He didn't cry, he's a tough little boy and i'm proud of him.

At home, he became more relaxed.

He gamely posed for some souvenir pics.

His quite sleepy eyes and his cute smile.

My brave little warrior!

Lab results were all negative of dengue, stool and urine test were done also and all had normal readings. Monday, he didn;t go to school, instead, we went to a new doctor in Chinese Gen. Hosp., and she found out that Jeff's is suffering from Tonsilitis. Oh my! I didn't suspects that he had one, because, he doesn't seems to suffers from it "ANG TAKAW PA RIN NYA! hahahaha!!!

He's okay now and still continuing his antibiotics until Sunday. I somehow suspects that my little boy was stressed in the past weeks, they had their everyday MTAP training, came the competition in Valenzuela, had their pre-finals this week... haayyyyyy, who wouldn't get sick?

We're Proud of Jeffrey!

2011-02-25T13:52:00.002+08:00

Last February 10, my son Jeffrey and two of his classmates were the school's representative for the grade 2 level in the Metrobank MTAP Math Challenge (Division Level). They placed 3rd among 28 schools that's why we're really proud of them (Jeff, Jade and Joash). Last year they were also the representative for grade 1 but they only ranked 4th. Medals were given only from winners ranked 1st place to 3rd place only that's why the kids were so happy when they went home with medals. Of course the mommies were happy too!

This tarpaulin was posted only yesterday. I took pictures of it because I'm really proud of my son and want to share this with you guys. Proud because, in all the grade levels, they were the only ones who brought home the bacon for the grade school department.

Hope next year, they'll make it again.

Selecta's Buco Salad

2011-02-25T13:21:00.003+08:00

Ohh, I'm super addicted to the new flavor of Selecta's Ice Cream Stick... Buco Salad!!! It's super creamy that it become my comfort food for this week :) For just P10.00, I feel that I am indulge to eat this for life, hahaha!!!

Can't help but to take pics of this and share it with you guys...

Don't be fooled by the looks...
Taste it and be addicted like me!!!

Dinner at Cafe Lidia

2011-02-22T13:13:00.013+08:00

Hubby and I love to eat. On our anniversary, we had dinner at Cafe Lidia in Marikina. He actually planned for it, that's why he brought me to Eastwood so that our travel from Libis to Marikina will be a short distance only.

Cafe Lidia is one of Marikina's pride, it opened on 2009, 4 days after the Ondoy tragedy. One of the crew told me that the store itself was affected by the devastating flood that struck the city two years ago. Good things was that, now, Cafe Lidia had already established a good name in food dining. People are raving about their pasta, pizza, main dishes, coffees and cakes. Not only that, the price is very reasonable and the servings are big.

There's a homey feel once your inside the restaurant.

The crews are very friendly and accommodating...

My weakness.... I want to bring home their refrigerated pastry case :)

quite big dining area

The name reminds me of my pretty niece Rashel Lidia

Hahaha!!! this is mom Rizza :)

My hubby now ready for some gastronomic challenge...
hahaha!!!

We first had their famous Buffalo Wings...

Truly one of the best buffalo wings in the Metro!!!
very cheap for a price of P 150.00

I had Mixed Seafood in Marinara Sauce P 150.00

Mixed seafood sauted in white wine and spicy marinara sauce

Thumbs up for this!!!

Pasta Ala Lidia P 135.00

(This is the Specialty of the House)
Anchovies, olives, capers, tuna and tomatoes in olive oil.

Two thumbs up for this!!!

House Pizza Special P 220.00
Pepperoni, Ham, Bacon, Onion, Mushroom, Bell Pepper and Pineapple

(you'll never go wrong with this one)

The pasta is good for 2, don't be fooled the plate is very big :)

Good thing we brought our tripod with us... hahaha!!!

We'll definitely go back even if it's quite far from our place :)

Cafe Lidia

Calderon St., Kalumpang, Marikina City

Tel. No. 647-7606

Our 18th Year Anniversary

2011-02-21T22:42:00.008+08:00

In the previous years, we planned our anniversary ahead of time. Months of preparation if ever we're going out of town. This year, it was spontaneous. No plans were made because weeks before our day, we've been quarelling for small things. I was totally upset, really. Silent war (hehehe) was our game. Yeah, I believe that there's no perfect marriage. For relationships will become dull if there's no spice on it. Hubby never surrenders though, he keeps on asking me about our plan on our special day. I told him, I don't wanna go out. He insists.

We rode our car and drove around. He brought me to Eastwood because we've never been there. It's quite far from our place. When we reached the mall, I instantly fell in love with its beauty. It's not crowded and learned that it's a pet friendly mall too. ( we can bring Brix with us next time) We stroll around and watched a movie. We were supposed to watch Tangled but ended up watching Bulong (hahaha!) instead. We wanted to go home immediately and can't wait for the next screening for Tangled that's why we chose Bulong, this film gave us a good laugh! We enjoyed it :)

celebrating 18 years of love ... (with spice) hahaha!

I love this place!

A cool restaurant :)

hubby... declaring his "LOVE" for me... hahaha!!!

First time to see the Walk of Fame

(this is kuya Germs project right?)

We'll be back with our kids.... promise :)

Next is our anniversary dinner ... keep on reading :)

My 2nd Anniversary

2011-02-16T20:36:00.005+08:00

It's my 2nd year in the blogging world. So surprised that I'll be able to reach years in food blogging, though not really active in the past weeks, I know that I can overcome this "silent mode" I am into right now. So many pending stories to tell, but very limited time for I've been busy with lots of things lately. Hope tomorrow I can post one :)

Thanks to all of you who are following my simple blog. Hope you'll never get tired of visiting :)

Jeffrey's 8th Birthday

2011-01-19T20:39:00.014+08:00

It was my son's 8th birthday last Monday (January 17) and it's only last week (Friday to be exact) that we decided to make a small party (actually just a "merienda") for Jeffrey and his close friends here in our house. I was thinking that I'll just treat them in KFC just like I did in the past years (except for his 7th bday) because it's quite hard for us to do it here, we don't have a household help and we have our shop to attend too. Good thing was, Justine has no class every Monday and he volunteered to look after the shop while me and his dad were busy in the kitchen. Yahoo! So I made a short notice to the mommies of Jeff's classmates that no more KFC on Monday instead they'll just go straight here after the class.

Here are the pictures...

The birthday boy :)

The food...
I chose Filipino food this time :)

I was inspired by my friends Peach and Anney to arrange our table like
this... (galing kasi nila mag-arrange ng kanilang party table lagi)

Special Pansit cooked by my husband...
(sawa na kasi kami sa spaghetti last holiday season)

Fried chicken...

Pork BBQ

Hazel's Puto

Arny Dading's Peachy-Peachy

Sago't Gulaman for our beverage :)

A friend of mine gave a chocolate cake roll from Goldilocks...

Our house is small, that's why I put the kiddie chairs in our living room,

there were only 8 kids anyway :)

some paper bag for the giveaways :)

Jeff and his friends...

Enjoying their merienda :)

the pretty mommies

Thanks to him who made this "little party" possible...

Gone were the days...

2011-01-18T22:16:00.004+08:00

Yeah, gone were the days of waiting in line for this famous Crispy Pata store in 11th Ave., Caloocan City that is very near Our Lady of Grace Church. I've known this Crispy Pata Food Cart when I was still in high school, my cousin introduced this to us. It was very popular then, because you have to wait for your turn for there were too much customers buying this sinful dish.

Days ago, my eldest son crave for crispy pata and hubby told me to buy it in our "old favorite". I was disappointed when I saw the patas in the food cart, there were only 5 pieces to choose from. Before there were too many patas and they have 2 sizes, the regular and the jumbo. But now, they only offer the regular size.

Anyway, since I was there already...

I chose the biggest and waited for about 15 minutes.

Still, I can smell the goodness of this fried dish :)

My verdict...

Yeah, gone were the days of too many customers but the goodness
and the yummy taste of their pata lives on!

Saturday Lunch Treat

2011-01-15T10:59:00.005+08:00

We have some visitors coming for lunch today... we've decided to just grill some liempo and hito (catfish) and Yeye cooked Tahong soup.

Tahong soup with 7-up... panalo ito!

kaso.... I don't eat hito (catfish)

but hubby loves this fish so much lalo na if grilled...

I'll just settle for the grilled liempo

Solve ang lunch!!!

Kain tayo :)

The Best Lugawan in Tugatog

2011-01-13T21:17:00.005+08:00

This is my 2nd entry for Vicks Lugawan. This is our fave lugawan in our barangay at talagang dinadayo sila kahit looban pa ang kanilang tindahan. Laging "box office" ika nga ng iba ang lugawang ito dahil talaga namang dinudumog sa umaga at sa hapon. The place is located at Libertad St., here in Tugatog, mas lalong kilala kung sasabihin mo ay malapit sa "Virgo". Ang Virgo ay isang mataas na building na halos katapat ng lugawang ito na bilihan ng mga toys from China.

Sobrang presko ang lugar na ito umaga man or sa hapon dahil nga natatabingan sila ng dalawang building na pagmamay-ari ng Virgo.

Madami ang kumakain dito, yung iba ay dumadayo pa talaga, minsan may nakakasabay akong taga-Caloocan City Hall at Malabon City Hall, may mga ahente, negosyante, at marami pang iba na trip na trip ang lugawang ito.

Simple pero masarap lalo na yung suka!

The best ang lugaw, dila, tokwa na super crunchy, penoy,

pritong lumpia at toktwa't baboy

Halos lahat yun ang order!

Actually, konti pa yang mga customers na yan... hehehe.

Yung mga nakatayo ay nagpapa take-out tulad ko :)

Uy! Ayun si Ate Vicks na camera shy ( naka-yellow shirt)...

buti pala nakuhanan ko ng picture!

O pano? Kailan mo dadayuhin ang lugawan na ito?

End of my craving :)

2011-01-13T20:57:00.004+08:00

Yes! My craving for Good Shepherd ube jam and Romana's peanut brittle has ended. Kuya was here yesterday morning and gave me my "bilin". I'm glad na sinipag siyang mag-drive papuntang Baguio, it's two hours away from their place in Pangasinan. They just went there to have picnic and stroll for a day just like we did in Tagaytay.

Anyway, my most favorite peanut brittle is Romana. Super sarap nito among other brittles that is available in Baguio. I don't buy the yellow peanut brittle, because it's too sweet and you can't bite the nuts unlike the Romana brand.

Are you a fan of Romana too?

When it comes to ube jam, of course the one from

Good Shepherd is the best for me!

I really, really, really like it!
hahahaha!!!

Gosh... heaven is my feeling for 3 days...
(ubos na ito bukas for sure!)
Hehehehe...

Crabs

2011-01-13T20:39:00.005+08:00

I love crabs! Lalo na kapag "babae", everytime na may tinda ang suki ko sa market na mataba ay hindi ko ma-control ang sarili ko na bumili. Sometimes, we cooked it with vegetables like ginataang langka and ginataang kalabasa at sitaw.

This time, hubby requested to just steam the crabs.

So ito ang kinalabasan niya.

Yummy!

Samahan pa ng sawsawan na kamatis, sibuyas at bagoong.
Grabe, until now i'm drooling while seeing this picture!

Sarap to with mainit na rice!!!

Kain tayo :)

Dinner at Gerry's Grill Tagaytay

2011-01-09T15:21:00.012+08:00

We ended our Tagaytay Adventure with a mouthwatering dinner at Gerry's Grill. My husband wants to experience eating dinner overlooking the Taal lake, but it was too dark for us to see the view, hehehe... what we had experience and enjoyed was the weather, we were all shivering because it was too cold but definitely toleralable .

Me and Jeffrey :)

Here are the dishes we had for dinner...

Baked Scallops!
Super winner ito :)

Sisig is a must at Gerry's

Grilled Tuna Belly
One of our fave :)

Of course, Nilagang Bulalo!
Pantapat sa lamig :)

Hubby, Justine, Yeye and Jeffrey

(I took the picture...)

This ends our one day Nuvali and Tagaytay adventure.

I'm hoping that we can do this more often...

to unwind, to relax, to distress and most important is

to have more bonding moments with our kids :)

An Afternoon Bonding at Taal Vista

2011-01-09T15:11:00.017+08:00

After our brief adventure in Nuvali, we went straight to Tagaytay. On our way there, we asked the kids if they want to go to Picnic Grove and try the zip line or go to Calaruega and stay there until late afternoon. They chose Calaruega over Picnic Grove so the latter is out on our list already. Thank God because there's a heavy traffic along the route going to Picnic Grove...almost all cars are heading that way. Before the junction, we again experienced a moderate traffic so I told the boys that instead of Calaruega, we'll just have to settle at Taal Vista and stay there till 6:00 pm.

I remember my first time to be here... It was our hotel familiarization tour 13 years ago and I was still a student then at LCC taking up HRM. I fell inlove with this hotel and promised to be back someday...

The facade of Taal Vista Hotel

Hahaha!!! I took a picture of them here before entering the hotel.

What I love about this hotel is that they have a magnificent view of the lake and the famous Taal volcano, in fact even better than the view at Picnic Grove and the place is not too crowded.

at the hotel lobby

good thing was... I brought this Sponge Bob table cloth :)

My youngest son Jeffrey really enjoyed his stay here...

We spend four hours here, it's a great feeling and we all felt good!

Bonding time of Justine and Jeff :)

And because it's super cold that afternoon we ended up ordering coffee at the hotel's coffee shop.

I, Justine, Jeff and Yeye had Cafe Mocha

Grabe! Hindi makuhang umiinit ng husto ng coffee :)

Hubby preferred the Brewed one...

He liked it :)

Hayyy... binata na ang anak ko :)

My husband ...

The fire place is cute :)

Hope for another bonding moment like this :)

The parking fee is P 100.00 per hour. We stayed for 4 hours but paid nothing at the exit... good thing was, Justine noticed that..... hahaha!!! Whoa! It's a secret that I opt not to reveal :)

David's Tea House - Nuvali

2011-01-09T15:05:00.006+08:00

It was our first time to eat at David's Tea House. Being a big fan of Emerald and YingYing I can say (IMHO) that the taste of the food at David's is quite bland, I was a bit disappointed that I was not able to finish the food on my plate ... I don't know if our first two fave restaurant are using MSG or toher kinds of flavorings that's why their food is so delicious compared to that of David's.

Originally, our plan is to eat lunch at Conti's but to our dismay, they were closed that day and we ended up at David's.

David's Tea House in Nuvali

It's almost 12:00 noon but the store is not yet full.

Justine here was excited to order his fave dishes...

(with Yeye and Jeffrey)

A big Chinese family was already eating when we got there...

seems that they enjoyed their food though.

The food were...

Yang Chow Fried Rice

(such a big disappointment for this one)

Sweet & Sour Pork

Hot Shrimp Salad

Seafood Hot Pot

(we liked this one)

ready to eat...

me with hubby :)

Well, we'll still give David's Tea House Restaurant a second chance...

Hope they'll be better next time ;)

Our Nuvali Experience

2011-01-09T14:51:00.017+08:00

Finally! We were able to visit the new "pasyalan" at Sta. Rosa Laguna last January 1. I've waited for months for this to happen and see if the manmade lake with hundreds to thousand of Kois really exist and I want to ride the water taxi too. It's only 40 minutes drive from Manila to Sta. Rosa if you're coming from SLEX going to Tagaytay.

Welcome to Nuvali!

The manmade lake... I just love the beauty of Nuvali!
Love the fresh air and open spaces ...

One of the reasons why we went there was the water taxi. Jeffrey wanted to experience riding on a speed boat and we all got excited too. There's a maximum of 12 persons per boat. They have 3 boats and 3 stations. Just don't know why they called it Water Taxi though. Oh! The rater per person is only P 30.00, it's very cheap :)

See how happy Jeff is while riding the boat :)

The main reason that got us excited were the Kois. There were thousands of Kois and you can feed them by buying fish feeds in one of the booth at Nuvali. I think we were able to buy more than 10 packs of feeds.

It looks like they're very hungry!

It's prohibited to feed them with anything except for the feeds being sold
in their booth for P 15.00 per pack

My boys really enjoyed feeding the kois :)

Nyek! The super hungry fishes!

You can also rent a bike for P 60.00 per hour.

Actually, Nuvali is a biker's haven. There were dedicated lanes for bikers and I learned that the residents in the area are encouraged to bike for fitness. Such a treat for bikers like my hubby who now wished to have a property there someday :)

Two bikers passed by, kaya si hubby nanghihinayang at hindi nadala ang bike niya, as if naman papayagan ko siya! hehehe...

I think one of the reasons why Nuvali clicked for travelers going to Tagaytay are the food establishment in the area. Just like we did, we had a brief stopover at Nuvali to eat lunch and enjoy the activities that it offers. Below are the pictures of some food establishment that I was able to capture on cam.

Domo Tomo

Yellow Cab

Pig Out

Starbucks Coffee

Conti's

David's tea House

There's also, Crisostomo (fine dining), and Brother's Burger around the area, but the Reyes Barbecue and Kanin Get It (by Kanin Club) were located at the Convergy's building... I forgot the others ... Ooops! there's a Nature Trails Cafe for bikers too... It's a restaurant with a bike shop, a shower room for bikers and their bikes... "it was really cool" according to hubby :)

We really had a great time at Nuvali and we're looking forward for another visit soon for some bird watching activity :)

Media Noche

2011-01-09T13:12:00.017+08:00

Okay, I won't explain why I was not able to post this after new year... hehehe... You already know the reasons... I'm busy with lots of things, and also I promise to myself that I will refrain myself from blogging :( Why? Well... I wanna lose weight! I know I can't do that seriously but I will gradually decrease from eating outside from now on... Hahaha!

Anyway, here are the pics of our Media Noche feast!

13 kinds of fruits...

They say that it brings luck for the coming year!

Oh! We have visitors :)

It's Ate Bengs family... They had their dinner here on the 31st and hubby cooked spareribs caldereta and I bought 2 pcs. Rellenong Bangus at Dolor's as requested by Ate Beng :) Fave din kasi nila ito.

Slow cooked Spareribs Caldereta!
Ang Sarap!!!

Dolor's Rellenong Bangus
@ P 320.00 each

After dinner, ay umalis na sila ate Beng and we prepared our table for our Media Noche. We had...

Panettone... an Italian Cake
It's smells like a fruit cake and the bread is like that of a raisin bread...

had Pork BBQ on stick...

Creamy Sopas of hubby

Dolor's Kakanin

Ube Halaya and Cassava

from a friend...

Vegetable salad ...

Buco Salad

Sylvannas from Ate beng :)

Here's our Media Noche :)

Enjoying the end of 2010 :)

Wish to have more success this 2011!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-12-31T14:05:00.004+08:00

In a few hours, we'll be saying goodbye to 2010 and looking forward to a better and brighter 2011. Twenty ten was a year of success and blessings to my family especially to my two sons. They were both an achiever last school year, as for our business I could say that the Lord gave us so much blessing throughout the year. For our health, I thank God that my kids and I are all well and I thank Him more for my hubby is always a healthy diabetic.

Our life is not perfect, there were many trials and misunderstanding that came our way, but we were able to stick with each other and face those obstacles. Even our kids had ups and downs but I think, making them feel that we're always here for them make their lives more easy.

For our marriage, I hope that we remain strong for each other, more time with each other and more hugs, kisses and ......hahahaha!!!

For my blogger friends...

Peach, Rome, Anney, Dj, Maruh, Geraldine, Cielo, Gaye,

Pink, Brown Pinay and many more....

I wish you all the best this 2011!!!

Si Isaiah

2010-12-31T13:39:00.002+08:00

This is Isaiah, siya ang regular customer ko na sarado pa ang shop namin ay tumatawag na sa phone ng 6:45 ng umaga at magsasabing papunta na siya. Hehehe... kaya 7:00 am pa lang ay nandito na siya eh ang bukas ng shop ay 7:30. Minsan katulad nito, ay hindi pa nakakapag-mop si hubby ay naglalaro na siya. In fairness to Isaiah, hindi naman siya naglalaro kapag school days, tuwing Sat. and Sunday lang siya maaga at ngayong ngang holiday season dahil walang pasok sa school at may limit siya, 2 hours sa morning at 2 hours sa afternoon.

May nakakatuwang pangyayari dito sa batang ito, nung July na galing sya sa states ay nagbihis lang siya sa house nila at tumuloy na dito kaagad... ganoon niya ka-miss ang maglaro sa shop namin... hahaha!

Malapit na ang pasukan, lubus-lubusin mo na until Sunday...

may pasok ka na uli Isaiah!!!

KK's Pull Aparts, Kruffins and more!

2010-12-31T10:43:00.017+08:00

Wow! Sarap talaga pag pasko, ang daming nagbibigay ng regalo. Last year ay bumili kami ng cake from Dulcelin, pero this year ay hindi na kami bumili dahil sa experience namin nung nakaraang taon na halos hindi na magkasya sa ref namin ang mga giveaway na cakes ng ilang mga kaibigan namin. Tama naman ang decision namin ni hubby dahil ayan nga at dumating ang aming yearly supply ng Krispy Kreme treats from Kuya Al.

Half dozen of Krispy Kreme's Pull Aparts and Kruffins

Yung vacant ay double chocolate kruffin na agad kinain ni Jeff
before kong mapicturan :)

Apple Streussel

Classic Kruffin

Blueberry

Sausage and Cheese

Ooooopss!!! After 3 hours ay may dumating uling 2 boxes of KK,

this time galing naman sa aming regular customer na si Edith.

at dahil sa gutom na kami ni hubby ay nabawasan ko na

bago ko napicturan :(

At dahil sa lima lang kami sa bahay at sobra-sobra na itong food for us ay...

Nagbigay na lang kami sa mga regular customers namin :)

Happy ang pasko nila!

Yap, open ang shop ng araw ng pasko :)

Panettone... An Italian Cake

A friend of hubby gave this to him...

Jeff's Ninong Joan gave us a Carlo Rossi wine

Kuya gave us a special Buko Pie from Batangas

Ate Baby also gave us a box of brownies

and Leche Flan from a friend...

Hayyy... ang daming food talaga pag holiday season kaya naman

there's no doubt na halos lahat ng tao ay mag-gain ng weight!!!

On Christmas Day

2010-12-28T17:58:00.012+08:00

Excited ako kapag dumarating ang araw ng pasko. Bukod sa mga regalo at mga bagong damit ay higit na importante ang pagbati kay Jesus sa kanyang kaarawan. We never fail to hear mass kapag araw ng kapaskuhan (or Christmas eve katulad ng ginawa namin this year) to thank the Lord for all the blessings that he gave us throughout the year. I am blessed to have a wonderful family, a very responsbile husband, smart and loving kids, mabait na in-laws and many more.

Siyempre, hindi mawawala ang picture taking...

Family picture this Christmas

(sus, hirap kumuha ng anggulong payat ako... hahaha!)

I'm with my two boys...
(si Jeff naiinis sa kuya nya dyan...)

My boys...

Always present sa amin kapag umaga ng Christmas

ang aming mga pamangkin :)

After that ay nagpupunta na kami kina lola dahil nakagawian na namin ang mag-lunch sa kanyang bahay tuwing araw ng pasko. Dumadating din doon to celebrate ang mga cousins namin sa side ng mommy ko. This time hindi lahat nakarating dahil may mga bisita sila sa kanilang mga bahay.

Me and my kuya with Lola

(mga laking lola)

Us with Ate Leng

Mga apo and apo sa tuhod ni lola

Siyempre, Christmas is not complete kapag hindi ko natikman ang mga luto ni lola, the best ang Kare-Kare niya for me! Kaming mga laking lola ay talagang hinahanap-hanap ang mga luto niya tuwing pasko :)

Sarap kumain!

Kare-Kare ni Lola, hindi malapot ang sabaw nito kaya

gustong-gusto ko!

Lechong Liempo sa Pugon

Shanghai Rolls

Lechong Manok

Solve ang lunch on Christmas day!!!

My family with lola...

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa lahat!!!

Noche Buena 2010

2010-12-28T17:08:00.007+08:00

It was our first time to attend mass on Christmas eve here in our parish, we didn't expect that the mass was special because there was a program held before the homily. We usually attend mass on Christmas day itself but Justine requested that we do it on Christmas eve and we found that a really nice experience. We'll look forward to attend mass next year on Christmas eve because of the "Panuluyan" (reacting the scene before the birth of Jesus).

The church altar is beautiful!

After the mass, we ate our usual noche buena which were pizza (always requested by our kids), spaghetti, and instead of fried chicken, Jeff requested shanghai this time.

Manager's Choice (party size and thin crust)

w/ free Hawaiian Delight

My spaghetti

Shanghai rolls...

Konti lang this time, kasi ang daming food na kakainin

on Christmas day... ang figure!!! hehehe...

Our family enjoying our Noche Buena...

Did you notice our dog Brix? hehehe...

kasama namin siyang nag-celebrate :)

Lunch at Max's Restaurant

2010-12-27T22:40:00.003+08:00

Before the Christmas break ay nagpa-field trip pa ang Laco sa mga junakis namin. Ang mga lugar na pinuntahan ay ang Rainforest sa Pasig, Tiendesitas at Fun Ranch. Naku! masasabi kong isa ito sa mga walang kwentang field trip na napuntahan ko. Sinayang ang oras at hindi sulit ang binayad namin sa trip na ito. Imagine, Tiendesitas kasama sa pupuntahan? eh dun lang kami ng lunch eh, wala namang educational sa lugar na iyon. P 800.00 per head ang bayad. sa tingin nyo mga mommies worth ba yon sa mga nabanggit kong destinations?

Anyway, naglunch kami sa Max's Restaurant sa Tiendesitas... dun ko lang napagtanto how I miss Max's fried chicken. Naging Savory addict kasi kami lately kaya medyo nalimutan ko na itong Max's.

Jeffrey with Kirstin and Alvin :)

Nag-order na lang kami bawat isa ng combol meals nila...

Sarap pa rin! Lalo na yung caramel bar :)

We also ordered...

Cream of mushroom...

Tokwa't Baboy

Binagoong Baboy

(my friend Marichelle loves this!)

Mga mommies na magaganda...

Hehehe... nakatawa na kasi busog na...

pero wag ka... mga asar yan!

Wahahaha!!!

Regalo ko with extra bonus :)

2010-12-27T22:19:00.005+08:00

I bought this bag last November as a gift for myself. Bihira ko lang regaluhan ang sarili ko, hehehe. Actually, last year ko pa ito nakita, gustong-gusto ko na siya kaya I promised to myself na bibilhin ko siya one of these days. Ayun nga, nung minsang kasama ko si hubby ay binili na rin namin ito sa wakas.

Hindi naman siya ganun kamahal kaya okay na rin :)

Extra bonus:

Kakatuwa naman si kuya dahil binili niya ako ng fitflop na katerno ng bag ko. Yahooooo!!!!

Hmmm...makapagpa-pedicure nga bukas ng maisuot na ito...

Hahaha!!!
Super happy!!!

Christmas Shopping 2010

2010-12-27T21:24:00.011+08:00

Every year, nakaugalian na namin ni hubby to save some money for our Christmas shopping. Actually, October pa lang ay nagsisimula na kaming mag-scout ng mga gusto namin for Christmas. Naku last year ay nagka-problema pa ako sa pagpili ng shirt na gusto ko dahil wala laging size! Kailangan ko na talagang magpapayat! wahehehe...

Thank God at maaga kaming naka-kumpleto this year...

For Jeffrey

We got him jeans from Periwinkle, ang cute kasi ng color nya, a navy blue shirt from Guess, for his shoes, aba! siya ang pumili nyan sa Skechers... The Giordano Jr. red shirt was a gift from Ninong Al.

For Justine...

Binata na talaga, he chose a shirt from GAP, a walking shorts from North Face and a rubber shoes from Mizuno... Hayyy... how time flies...dati kami ang namimili for him...ngayon siya na :)

for Hubby...

He chose to go formal this time....

Pants from Dockers, a polo from Arrow and a shoes from Crocs

for me...

I saw a limited edition medium size (hehehe) in Kamiseta, a pair of Levi's (dun lang kasi may kasya sa waist ko...) and a flat shoes also from Kamiseta

Sarap mag-shopping!

Sana pasko araw-araw, hehehe....

Bibingka ni Aling Vicky

2010-12-27T20:54:00.004+08:00

Hahaha! Huling-huli na ang post ko tungkol sa bibingka, ilang weeks na itong picture dito sa folder ko pero ngayon ko lang naisipang i-post. Anyway, kung kayo ay maliligaw dito sa amin sa Tugatog, maaari kayong bumili sa nagtitinda ng Bibingka sa tapat ng Oliveros Pawnshop. Itong sina Aling Vicky ang isa sa original na magbibingka dito sa amin. The best ang kanyang bibingka, malabo at hindi buhaghag, hindi katulad ng isang tindahan sa tapat din ng simbahan na mas malaki nga ng kaunti pero hindi ko type ang lasa. Pero kung sa puto bumbong naman at sa kanila naman ako bumibili, hindi ko naman type ang puto bumbong nila Aling Vicky, hehehe....

Hindi pa naman tapos ang christmas season kaya pwede pang bumili!

Ano sa tingin ninyo?

Tikman na!

Fried Chicken and Creamy Sopas

2010-12-27T20:45:00.002+08:00

Last week nagluto si hubby ng fried chicken na bago ang timpla sa aming panlasa. Nakuha daw niya ang recipe sa isang christmas party na kanyang pinuntahan. Nasarapan niya ang fried chicken kaya ayun, tinanong niya sa nagluto ang recipe. In fairness, masarap nga siya!

Para naman hindi tuyong-tuyo ang lunch ay naisipan na rin niyang magluto ng creamy sopas. Actually, kung ano lang yung nasa ref na ingredients ang pinagsama-sama niya and it turned out really good! May ground pork, carrots and cabbage, ayun solve ang sopas na ginisa niya sa anchor butter, garlic, onions, chicken stock, then nilagyan niya ng Alaska evap...yummy talaga!

Actually, ito uli ang ulam namin today... hahaha!

Sa sarap ay nag-request uli kaming lahat!

Kain tayo!!!

Get Together @ Balsa sa Niugan

2010-12-22T14:06:00.012+08:00

Last December 11, hubby and his elementary classmates were able to see each other again after 22 years. He organized a small get together for their section only, but only 10 of them were able to attend because most of their classmates were out of the country working/permanently settled there already.

Actually, it was Lisette who came up with the idea to have a mini get together but apparently, di ko na sya nakita after nun and all the tasks were arranged by hubby, hahaha! (I can't imagine he'll do that...hindi niya hilig ang ganyang tsikahan) naging busy daw kasi si Lisette, hehehe.

As requested ng mga nag-attend, sa Balsa sa Niugan ginawa ang event dahil malapit lang ito sa lahat except for my dear friend Beth na galing pa all the way from Pampanga that night with husband Aries.

Topher, Meanard, Rondario, Jerry, Allan and David
Terry, Beth and Judith (si Lisette nag CR sa Max's...MIA) hehehe...

Lisette, Beth, Judith, Terry and me...
di ko sila classmates nung elementary but Beth, Judith and I were
classmates in high school.

Uy! the food didn't disappoint this time. The last time we ate here was when I'm with kuya and our kids, and we didn't like the food then. Buti na lang si hubby ay nag-inquire sa staff nung nagpa-reserve siya kung anong recommendation niya and we settled for these....

Lechon Kawali

Fried Chicken

Kare-Kare

Sisig

Steamed Tilapia w/ Garlic in Oyster Sauce

Sizzling Spicy Shrimp

We all love the food!!!

Super saya ng get together na ito! Sa sobrang dami ng kwentuhan ay lumipat pa kami sa house nila Allan para ituloy ang mga alaala ng aming kabataan... hehehe...

Till next get together!!!

Feeling guilty

2010-12-22T13:54:00.002+08:00

I feel very very guilty... this is another long pause for me. I became busy with Jeff's last two weeks in school, attending different gatherings, doing some christmas shopping till this day...whoa! such a very long pause. I'll try to catch up guys. Thanks to my idol Peachy who encouraged me to "update" hehehe...

Jeff and Justine's reward

2010-12-05T18:31:00.009+08:00

As promised to my youngest son Jeffrey and Kuya Justine, we treat them for some Dimsum at our favorite dimsum house...Causeway! Jeffrey got high grades in 2nd grading and Justine is a university scholar because of his high grades also. So it was a double celebration for us. Actually we go there after closing the shop at 10:00 pm. During that time super puno ang loob ng Causeway, madalas ay waiting kami, but it's okay bawi naman pag nakapasok na ;)

One of the reasons why they are full from 9:00 pm onwards is because all dimsums are discounted from P60.00 to P 45.00 each.

This is the cart the everybody's waiting for...
you'll just get what you want and the waiter will stamp your order slip.

People are patiently waiting for the cart...hehehe

dami talaga ng tao... mostly from the Chinese community

Yehey!!! 1st round of dimsum...

Chicken Asado Roll, Asado Siopao and Fish Head

Kaso we were sad because naubusan kami ng Chicken Feet :(

First time to order, Chicken Asado Roll

My three boys like it...

Nagpakabusog na lang ako sa Siomai!

Enjoy ang mga kids namin :)

Hope next time...may maabutan pa kaming chicken feet!

Jeff's 2nd Grading Grades

2010-12-05T18:02:00.003+08:00

Sshhh... eto na yung second grading grades ni Jeff... hehehe...secret lang natin ito...actually pinag-isipan ko pa ngang maigi kung ipo-post ko ito at baka may mga "maligaw" (alam na ni Peach yon) hehehe...

May isang subject siyang bumaba dahil nagkaroon siya ng 10 points na mali sa periodical nya sa religion. Yung true or false ay napagbaliktad nya lahat ng kulay (pero tama sana lahat). Pero okay lang...ang sabi namin kay Jeff ay pwede pang bumawi next grading at matataas naman ang grades nya sa ibang subjects. Kaya to cheer him up ay we promised to him na kakain kami sa Causeway ng Dimsum kapag may time kami sa gabi.

May mairereklamo pa ba ako kung eto naman ang

mga grades ni Jeffrey ko :)

Miguelito's Fried Ice Cream

2010-12-05T16:45:00.009+08:00

Uy! There's a new food cart in Malabon City Square. It's creating a buzz in the area because it's quite new for some people (pero actually matagal na itong concept na ito), that's why if you happen to be in the area you'll notice that their stall is the busiest among all the stall near the supermarket.

I've heard about Miguelito's for quite sometime now for they are famous because of their soft ice cream that is very cheap, but I'm still surprised that they ventured into fried ice cream too. It's first in Malabon I think that's why people in the vicinity is really curious about seeing the blended flavored liquid (yeah, they use little blenders) fried on a freezing pan, yes, they are not really frying it because they are freezing the mixture.

pink and blue stall (MMDA? noh!!!)

See? frying the ice cream by means of freezing...

You can customize your fried ice cream :)

The flavors...

The syrups, dips, stix and sprinkles...

I was surprised to find the taste good, it's creamy and it satisfied

my craving for a good ice cream that day :)

My FIC 4 Loaded for P 40.00 only...

If you're near MCS, try the latest craze in town

Miguelito's Fried Ice Cream :)

Mangga at Lansones

2010-12-05T16:30:00.002+08:00

Mangoes and Lansones are two of my fave fruits. I love their sweetness lalo na kapag Duco ang lansones at Guimaras naman ang mangga. Pero sometimes, tsambahan ang bili nito or swertihan ika nga ng iba. Magkasundo kami ni hubby pagdating sa fruits except one I think which is banana. Hindi talaga ako kumakain ng banana (kaya yata may pimples ako...hehehe).

I remember nung may fruit shake biz pa ako, sawang-sawa kami sa mangga kasi nga ay 2 boxes lagi (40 kilos) ang binibili ko every 4 days. Super mura sya kasi nga ay direct from Divisoria. Ngayon kapag bumibili ako ng per kilo ay nalulula ako sa presyo because it sometimes goes up to a hundred per kilo.

Dito naman sa lansones ako ipinaglihi ng mommy ko, hehehe... manganganak na lang daw siya sa akin ay lumalafang pa siya ng lansones. Pero hindi naman dahil siguro doon kaya ako mahilig sa lansones. Ah, basta...share ko lang itong fruits ko sa dining table namin at ang stories behind these fruits... hehehe.

Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa

2010-11-25T20:06:00.005+08:00

Oh my! Ang tagal na nitong post na ito sa draft list ko at hindi ko natapos-tapos i-post. Masyadong naging busy for the past weeks because of the exams of Jeff. Alam nyo naman ako kapag ganyang exam na, talagang priority ko ang pag-aaral ng mga anak ko.

Anyway, just want to share with you guys one of my favorite ulam...ang ginataang sitaw at kalabasa with lots of shrimps and sliced liempo. Actually si bunso ay favorite din ito at ipagpapalit nya ang KFC basta ito ang ulam niya.

Kahit mahal ang niyog ay okay lang, basta gusto ko ang

maraming gata!!!

Kain tayo!

Tatay Ten's Bday and Jeff's Promotion Blowout

2010-11-18T21:35:00.007+08:00

Last Sunday was a very busy day for us because it's Tatay Ten's (hubby's uncle) birthday and Jeffrey's promotion test. We were assigned by hubby's cousins to buy all the food that will be eaten for dinner. A double celebration was indeed a happy occasion for all of us. Tatay Ten is like a second father to hubby, that's why he's really special to us. For our Jeffrey, we are really proud for all his achievements at a very young age. Taekwondo taught him to be more disciplined and patient.

Tatay and Jeffrey

(sorry for the blurred pics...)

Here are the food that we ordered...

Special Pancit Canton

Chopsuey

Silver Crown Chicken

Camaron Rellenado

Judy Ann's Crispy Pata

We ordered two, hehehe...

Special Fried Rice

and Leche Flan

and so... it's eating time!!!

Kain na tayo :)

KORYO Korean Barbeque

2010-11-13T15:42:00.015+08:00

Two weeks ago, when we were at the Sky Garden. I became curious when I saw lots of people patiently waiting in line just to taste the world-famous Garlic Potato from Koryo. I'm not a fan of Korean dishes but this signature side dish of Koryo got me into it.

people waiting for their turn...

Love the way they prepare it :)

After frying the potatoes...

They'll put it in a big bowl and mix all the ingredients and...

that's it!

oh my... i'm drooling while looking at the above pic :)

See how nice they present this very affordable,
very yummy Garlic Potato?

I can't help but to go inside the restaurant and asked the very kind Manager if I could take pictures and he immediately gave me a go signal (yehey!!!)

The store is very clean and has a very homey ambiance...

I have yet to try their main dishes, but I will definitely go back because
of their very affordable gourmet

Wow! A nice ambiance plus an affordable food equals

a great dining experience for sure!

I'm excited for my next visit !!!

KORYO

Korean Barbeque

Sky Garden, SM North EDSA

http://www.koryofranchise.com/

Craving for a Yellow Cab Pizza

2010-11-10T10:57:00.012+08:00

Pizza!!!

One afternoon, we went to Trinoma looking for Jeff's shoes for Christmas (hehehe...ang aga) and glad that we immediately found what he really likes! While strolling, we saw this booth were you can take pictures and Jeffrey willingly posed in the clown and magician images.

A serious clown and magician ?

(hahaha...sakto kasi yung cheeks nya kaya hindi makatawa!)

After strolling for an hour, we craved for pizza and we ended up at Yellow Cab.

Jeffrey played with the numbers while waiting for our pizza :)

As usual, the disposable plate, plastic spoon and fork...

Royal is Jeff's favorite soda ;)

and the pizza came...

We prefer New York's Finest if we're with Jeff

(fave namin ni hubby ang four seasons)

Jeff loves their Hot Wings!

my first slice...

and a piece of chicken wing...

the condiments ...

I was curious with Jeff's pics...

Bakit kaya laging nakasimangot dito?

Baby Jeffrey

2010-11-07T20:43:00.007+08:00

Naghahanap ako ng lumang pictures ko nung college when I saw these baby pics of Jeffrey. Hehehe... nakakatuwa kasi nakakamiss bigla ang magkaroon ng baby na inaalagaan. Yung may pinapadede ka, kinakarga, hinimas-himas ang makinis na balat, pinapalitan ng diaper, pinaliliguan sa tub...hayyyy... nakaka-miss pero ayaw ko ng magka-baby uli, tama na yung dalawa kasi mahirap magpuyat, mahal ang gatas, mahal ang diapers at pati magpa-bakuna...hahaha!

Ayan si Jeffrey when he was 4 months old I think...

Ang haba ng hair nya at malago at super cute (IMHO) hahaha!!!

Dahil mahaba ang hair niya ... para akong may anak na babae
dahil inaayusan ko siya, hehehe...

Lagi tuloy siyang napagkakamalang baby girl nung mga panahon na iyon...

Eto na si Jeff ngayon... topakin na!

Hahahaha...

Wala sa mood kaya masungit...

pero very caring na anak ang Jeffrey ko na ito :)

Yeye's Birthday

2010-11-05T14:10:00.014+08:00

Last Sunday, October 31st is the 69th birthday of Yeye. Every 31st of October ay may mga visitors kaming dumadating to celebrate her birthday as well as to visit our departed loved ones at Tugatog Cemetery . That's why my kids didn't have the chance to participate and enjoy any trick or treat events at the malls because we are always busy that day.

Yeye's funny moments at Moriz's birthday

hehehe...imagine my team compose of hubby, me and yeye
prepared all these...

Steamed Prawns...

(I had to be at the market at 6:00 am just to get these

fresh prawns which I ordered 2 days before)

Lechon from Ping-Ping at P 600.oo per kilo

(hubby bought 2 1/2 kilos and cooked this...)

Roasted Chicken

Everyone raved about this Bihon

(it's hubby's specialty!)

I made Mango Bango!

(This was a hit too!)

Swiss Chocolate Cake from Becky's

Yeye blowing the candle...

Yeye with Ate Beng, Moriz, Madel, Tatay Totoy

Maive and Bok

My brother's beautiful family :)

Ang lalaki nila, hehehe...

Pahabol na cake from Grace and her kids...

Roti Mum

2010-11-05T13:12:00.005+08:00

I have been reading several blogs with good reviews about Roti Mum's Coffee Bun. I am not a coffee lover unlike my friend Peachy who drinks 4 to 5 cups of coffee a day that's why I'm not interested on these buns which according to them is very good if paired with coffee. But when hubby brought home a box of Roti Mum... I instantly fell inlove with it... as if it was a "love at first bite" experience. Now I know the feeling of heaven again...

6 original flavors of heavenly buns...

I got my first taste of this... oh the taste is heaven....
(now I know why my friend Cielo is addicted to Roti-Mum!)

I reheated the bun ... and that's it!

Jeffrey got his share too!

Now, i'm going to consider myself a Roti Mum's addict too :)

How about you? Have you tried it already???