Chevvy :)

There was a Car Exhibit in Mall of Asia and I found this. Since the car was predominantly blue (and not to mention shiny, sparkling shiny :D), I liked it instantaneously, no questions asked. The color combination easily catches anyone's attention. This is a Chevrolet Cruze, price is pegged at around P800k to probably around P1M. Probably in 10 years. =p

This is a good alternative to a Chevvy Camaro, aka Bumblebee, which costs around P3M up.

San Miguel by the Bay

San Miguel by the Bay is the long stretch of restaurants found along the Seaside Boulevard of the Mall of Asia. As its name implies, it is located beside the Manila Bay and has replaced what used to be the Baywalk.

There are a lot of restaurants there: from Seafood restaurants that accept palutos from the Seaside wet market, bars like Pier One and Giligan's, coffee shop like starbucks, to food carts that sell street foods.

Dad and Mom's Restaurant. For 5 persons, we ordered shrimp with butter and garlic, pork sisig and bulalo (deadly :D). We spent around P1700, inclusive of drinks and rice.

Dad and Mom's Shrimp with Butter and Garlic
Shrimp from the Seaside Market: P480/kl
Cooking Fee: P200/kl

There are also several things that can be done to kill time: bungee fun, picture-taking with human statues, playing basketball arcade, trying out the zipline, riding what appears to be a zorb (large balloons that move afloat a small pool) and also the bump cars.

Bump Cars
P50/head

We also played a game of bowling inside the mall. A few strides away from San Miguel by the Bay. The place appeared to be cozy since there are several couches provided in the lane area.

SM Bowling Center - Mall of Asia
Operating Hours: open until 12 MN on weekends
Rate: P140/game
Shoe Rental: P30



couches in the playing area

And also, as an added attraction, there is a fireworks display every Saturday at around 7 or 7:30 pm. :) 

Secure Your Things

Anywhere you go, whatever TV show you watch, any newspaper you read, for sure you'll find an article about robbery or theft. Due to the living conditions that we have nowadays, especially that in poverty-stricken countries, theft and robbery have always been rampant. It's because you do not have to work to live comfortably, it's like easy money.


However, for those ordinary people that get robbed, it's a different side of the story. Losing your hard-earned money and properties in an instant creates an enormous feeling of grief. That's why it's always important to secure your things. We need to secure our most valuable possessions from these criminals who prefer to risk their lives in exchange of instant money.


There are a lot of ways to secure our possessions but the most common way for ordinary people like us are the use of lockers and locker accessories. The most convenient and perhaps the most reliable and widely used are the metal lockers. They can be used to store a lot of valuables in schools, offices, the gym and sometimes even at home. It's not a guarantee that your things will be 100% thief-free but you have better chances of escaping or avoiding theft. There are a lot of stores around that have lockers for sale and you can also buy them online to save yourself the hassle of going out and selecting the most appropriate locker that fits you and your valuables. Just remember to select the best one and you're bound for a good night sleep. :)

Cupcakes by Sonja

There is an extensive increase in the popularity of cupcakes nowadays. Instead of buying cakes, buying these cupcakes proves to be a better alternative since you get to enjoy different flavors that come in small servings. Also, these little cakes appear to be more enticing especially when topped with cream that comes in different colors which makes it more appealing especially to the kids and kids at heart. :) There are a lot of brands well-known in taking advantage of this cupcake fad: Frostings, Yummy Piece of Cake, Cupcakes by Sonja, just to name a few. I recently tried Cupcakes by Sonja which is found in Serendra, BGC, Taguig. A few colorful tables and chairs that remind you of an afternoon tea greet you as you enter their shop.

Their cupcakes are boxed individually just in case you decide to buy  only a few pieces. 

I tried some of their cupcakes and here goes:

I didn't like the Vanilla Sunshine, the topping seemed to be grainy, as if it was made of fondant. It was also too sweet yet still bland for my taste.

Vanilla Sunshine


I liked the Pistachio Berries and Cream and Berries and Cream. Toppings were both creamy and texture was smooth. The bread used for the cake tasted a bit creamy too and wasn't too sweet for my taste.
  

Pistachio Berries and Cream




Berries and Cream

  



The Banana Monkey Pie was extra sweet. The base was sort of grainy and seemed to be made up of crumbled sugar, mixed with banana and nuts. The frosting was so-so.

I liked the Red Velvet Vixen's frosting. Without reading the desciption, the moment I tasted it, I knew it was made of cream cheese. The bread was a bit creamy too. 



Banana Monkey Pie

    

 

Red Velvet Vixen

  













Vanilla Sunshine: P55
Pistachio Berries and Cream: P85
Berries and Cream: P80
Banana Monkey Pie: P85
Red Velvet Vixen: P70 

Red Velvet Vixen

Vanilla Sunshines

Cupcakes :)



Still, I find their cupcakes a bit expensive as compared to other brands. For instance, Frostings offers their Sansrival Premium cupcake for only P55 and the other Extra Premium Cakes such as Black Forest and Tiramisu at P70. There's no real notable difference in the flavor anyway and Frostings' cupcakes can be found in major malls in Metro Manila which makes it more accessible. So for me, when it comes to cupcakes, I still prefer Frostings compared to Cupcakes by Sonja as it also has a branch in Market Market and Trinoma. =P Well, that's just for me anyway. :D



China's Snow Storm

December 2007. It's been more than 3 years since my first snow encounter. :) I can still vividly remember how we all reacted upon seeing the first batch of small white substances falling into thin air...
 We were sent to Hangzhou, Zhejiang in China for training at around September 2007. Since we were all from the Philippines, where the weather is just sunny or rainy, we haven't really had any snow encounters. Then one December afternoon, a few days before Christmas (while we were all sulking as we would not be spending it with our families), I saw a few white substances near the window sill. Then one of my friends shrieked excitedly and yelled. "Wow snow!" :D

So we all went outside and were happy to see the ground partially covered with thin snow. One of my friends even opened her mouth to check how snow tasted like. :p It was a happy experience, surreal even.

The grounds partially covered with snow.

After a few days and the excitement had died, we were all complaining about how cold the weather was. Heaters and doubled blankets were not enough to provide warmth. Then we were informed that there was a snow storm, a storm that hasn't occurred to China in years.

 
Photos taken during the snow storm. Roads were all covered in snow and vehicles rarely passed by.

Happy Valentine's Day!

February 14. This day is known as Valentine's day, a commemoration of romantic love between individuals. Anywhere in the world, you'll see that this day is widely-celebrated. Days or even weeks before, couples busy themselves into thinking of gifts to give to their loved ones or ways on how to celebrate this famed Day of Hearts: vacation packages, romantic get-aways, a dinner set up by the beach, a picnic at the park, a box of Belgian chocolates, a bouquet of roses, well the list seems to be endless. But I guess you don't have to spend much or worry yourself to show your love to someone, a movie date and a dinner afterwards will probably do. But then, to avoid the traffic and long queues in restaurants as lots of people rush outside to celebrate this day, it's probably best to do it some other day. Anyway, a celebration of love should not be confined to one day, should it? :) 

♦ Happy Hearts' Day everyone, may you all have a good one! :) ♦

To Begin With

Welcome back! Well, that's the first thing that came to me the moment I began to type my first ever post, well, not really. I previously had a blog, which was associated with my Friendster account, but deleted it so I haven't blogged anything in a million years. No regrets since I don't even remember my Friendster password now that Facebook has overpowered it. Hmmmm, what will I write? I really don't know yet as of now. Politics? News? Weather? Sports? Nope, I don't think so. Probably, but I think they will mostly be about food, travel, movies. Who knows, random thoughts may include news, or even politics? =D Anyway, I've got loads of free time now so that means I've got loads of time to blog. Watch out. ;)