finally :)

our little one on the way :) big boy is now a "kuya" and daddy jp is extremely excited. we had our first OB visit yesterday. so it's confirmed! i am five weeks pregnant! :) we're having a baby!!!

talk about having the best christmas present ever :)



happy. happy. happy :)

the busiest ever...

new work, B in mind... cooking...

and yeah, my plants and flowers are taking so much of my time :)

making the most out of my weekends with hubby and my Kyle...

the girl will try to post backlogs this weekend (cross-fingers )

it's been a month and more...

the west side story

Seeing the West Side Story on its first day showing last Sept 5 was kinda disappointing for me. Maybe I expected too much. It was my second time to watch the West Side. First was in 5th grade when we were invited to watch the play at St. Paul,QC. I showed no interest at that time. I went because it was a requirement.

It was my personal choice to watch the West Side this time. Moreso when I learned that Joanna Ampil is playing Maria. Though my worries proved me right, I never expected more flaws to show up that night. I knew then that J. Ampil's voice will be more dominant over C. Bautista's singing since the later is not really into theater acting. It's disappointing too that the sound system was actually not cooperating in the middle of the show down to the end. The sounds were roaring up & down during Maria's solo performances. Anita (played by Rowena Vilar) on the other hand was very entertaining. She danced so well ,sang so good and acted so perfect for her role. Kuddos to this Filipino-Australian theater actress who came home to perform for us. It made the show more funny, alive and interesting.

I am not to judge the show now since I went on a first day. That's what I got for being so eager & excited!Hehe! I know there'll be a lot of improvements on the next playdates. :) Somehow it makes me think though if the Christian and Karylle team-up will turn out better since they can complement each other's singing. Same genre,same note and same level.

It was my very first time to watch a play with my husband and funny that I only learned about his interest in theater few months after we got married. Even if the the West Side show was not perfect, still this will have a special place in my memory lane :)

My good friend Naomi was there too with her parents, Ninang Baby and Atty. Nestor Corpuz. And boy, i'm surprised to see a college friend Paul Febre with his fiance who just got back from the US. it's nice to bump into long lost friends who went to see tha play also :)

books,sports,theater,exams etc.etc. etc :D

My Kyle started reading this already for his book report. The boy's load in school is becoming heavier everyday. Some of the Math problems are that complicated that me and my husband would even have to check with each other if the equations and solutions that Kyle answered are correct. hehe. We're back to gradeschool! It's fun though. Hubby and Kyle gets to bond in the afternoon because daddy Jp would usually help him with his homework while I recheck and review with him after dinner :)

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I'm excited to see West Side Story at the Meralco Theater with my husband tonight. Our much-awaited date! :) We bought the tickets months back in June and at last, it's here! :)

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It's badminton day for me,hubby and my in-laws every Saturday :) It feels so good to have my Saturdays off. I get to spend more time with family and do a lot of things. I get to cook more meals, fix and decorate our home. Things that I really heart doing. My two boys are really excited! My heart melted when I saw Kyle's face lighten up when I told him that I don't have Saturday work anymore :)

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It's my brother Jc's board exam on Saturday and I am wishing him all the luck :) I paid him a visit last night to check how he's doing. The man is nervous. He's been studying crazy for the past months. The walls in his unit are all tapped with reviewers in manila paper that he uses to familiarize himself with all these formulas. I offered to bring him to the testing center on Saturday. This is my little way of showing him my support (i don't think I can help with reading hehe). So there, Mico, Kyle and I will wake up 5am on Saturday so we can all bring him to Manila for his Board Exams :D

I know all the hard work will pay off bro! I know you can definitely make it! :) We'll pray for you :)

random

New Project :) I am working on something BIG for our humble home. I shall post more photos very soon. :) I hope i'd be able to grow them well and beautiful :)

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My little boy didn't go to school today because he's very sick. Bad colds and cough. He's kawawa because he has sorethroat also :( I hope he gets well soon.

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Three days straight. Lunch date with dear husband. Wowee!!! Feels like the old times :)

once again @ INYO

I am a big fan of houses turned into cozy restaurants. Two years ago, I surprised Jp on his birthday when I brought him to this house in Katipunan area. That was my first time to experience INYO Cuisine too. It was just the two of us there at that time which made the whole thing more special and intimate for his birthday. I guess INYO is that popular already.The place was packed when we went last Saturday. From sweethearts to old lovers and families, they were there and you'll happy oohhs and ahhss for every bit they made. The restaurant is something that you'll love over and over again. The place is perfect and the food is even better :)


I've encouraged my family, relatives and friends to try the place and i'm happy to hear that they loved the place too :) If there's one thing that I can freely give out to friends, I think that would be a perfect dining experience. No, no.. not a treat! Rather, an experience that they can always look back to and smile about :) Yes, most of my relatives and friends would call me up and ask for suggestions on where to eat for so many important ocassions. I'm happy that I get to share good experiences with them by being part of the special events in their lives :)

Last Saturday, Jp & I went to Inyo Cuisine with our cousins. We had another perfect meal for our dinner. The husbands we're so tired from our badminton game that afternoon so with no hesitation they ordered the US Hanging Tender Steak (yeah this was literally super tender!). We tried their asparagus soup which was just right. Nina and I had pasta. Pesto Cream & Grilled Chicken for me and Nina tried the Pasta Alle Congolle. Both good and the servings were really big. This is another fun fun Saturday night for the four of us :)

For dining at Inyo Cuisine, you can check out details here :)

pinoy costume

Once again, our little boy had to dress up for his school's Linggo ng Wika this year. We've been switching from barong to "magsasaka" costume from time to time only because it's the simplest, easiest and most practical that we could get =) Photo taken last Friday, August 22, 2008. The hat is re-used from our Palawan trip, the camisa chino is what Kyle used during my wedding & the "bandana" is from thoughtful mother in law =)

for pinkmonster =)

For my very sick friend who is super craving for ensaymada, this one's for you =)

Get well soon fwendship =)

photo credit: MSN photos

on walks, talks & everything else :)

We are becoming big on long weekends! I get to do my wifey duties at home like declutter, cook and most of all, spend enough time just talking and acting lazy with my husband and my kyle :) We didn't plan any out of town trip during the long weekend because we have planned something special for the family & Kyle's birthday on October. We stayed home the whole time and made the most out of our quality time together. Husband and I watched dvds while Kyle played psp with my brothers, who spend most of their weekends with us. Last Monday, Kyle and I rearranged his room. I asked him to decide where to put his bed, study table and all his stuffs particularly his toys :) I'm happy he did a good job! The room has bigger space now for other activities and his toys are arranged properly. I can see the whole look of the room is better :) Galing talaga my little boy! little chef & interior designer at the same time! teehee! :D


WALKs with my husband is one activity that I look forward to every weekend. This is better than any other gimmick that we have. Actually we figured, we're enjoying food a lot much so might as well burn some fats too!hehe! Walking around the village is fun :) More than the calories that we intend lose, it's good that we get talk about everything under the sun (or under the moon, at times). We get to talk about future plans, little problems that we need to sort out, how both our weeks in our offices went and a recap about events in our wonderful life together. This is a real "alone time" and "quiet time" for us :) We usually wake up early as 6am on weekends to walk and enjoy the morning sun and we've been trying to squeeze in an hour on weekdays to walk before dinner time.


I look forward to more walks (&jog maybe) with my husband even when our hairs are all grey :D Try it with your loved ones! You gotta love it! It's fun! =)

Sunday Cooking

These was last Sunday's menu :) Guess who helped prepare dinner? :)

My Certified Blue Chef! :)

We had home-made pizzas. Two margherita with white cheese (this I brought home with me when I went to IRRI for Qatar Airway's Roadshow), basil (my must have ing) & pepperoni (a staple food we always have at home), one classic ham & cheese for the little boy, and one gourmet pizza with spanish sardines & basil for the old ones. hehe! We had garden salad on the side and marinated chicken dipped in ranch.Perrrffect! :)

barcino

I read about Barcino Gourmet a long time ago but it was only two Saturdays ago when I finally tried it with my husband and some cousins. Unplanned.

Located along Julia Vargas in Ortigas, this Spanish deli reminds me so much of my favorite Galileo Enoteca. The ambiance and how the place is presented is so much alike. Limited tables, wine cellars around, sweet & cozy :)

I ordered the mexican salad which was A LOT! I ended up taking home half of what I ordered. Jp ordered the shrimp nuggets which he said was not so great. Nina ordered the callos & Ponch tried this ground beef in olives. Both ok. We loved their chorizo platter! The wine is good but we still love Galileo's Lambrusco more :D

Our damage in Barcino was quite high compared to that of how much we'd usually spend for Galileo. Me & my husband usually craves of their set meals there because we get to try a little bit of what the deli' specialty menus. From cheeses to cold cuts to pasta, and we get one round of house wine for free too! Nevertheless, Barcino is worth a try. We will definitely go back for their chorizos. :)



Barcino Spanish Wine Deli is located at 2nd Level City Golf Plaza, Julia Vargas Avenue, Mandaluyong. You can call 632) 636-2963 for reservations.

perfect cup on a monday

I got this from my childhood friend Nice. This is perfect to start my day on a Monday and keep me going for the rest of the week. Thanks! thanks! :)

I'm passing this to my blogger friends. Joy, Tricia, Naomi, Franny, Tina :) It's always nice to have your perfect cup of coffee beside you when blogging :)

couples dinner

We had another potluck get together at ate ina's house two Saturdays ago with cousins and in-laws. This is our supposedly monthly "catching-up" dinner but the husbands & wives are most of the time preoccupied with work and family duties so this thing became quarterly instead. Nevertheless, the wives are always excited to prepare something special for everyone especially for our dear husbands :)

Ate Ina's table setting was really beautiful with all these white stuffs from tita mona's collection. We used to have our dinners at Bambi & Ria's garden but it rained that night so we moved the venue at the Tulio's. Buti nalang, we live so near to each other so unexpected changes like this aren't that too much of a hassle anymore.

(l-r) My chilli shrimps with mushroom & paprika. Ria made this mofaletta pasta (sausage and olives) , nina's ceasar salad is present of course! and the superb t-bone and rib-eye steak completes our sumptuous dinner.

Nothing beats good food and compnay of course :) Martin, another cousin of my husband joined us and Laureen, the sweet and pretty girlfriend. She made this yummy banana nutella dessert that my husband loved too. We ended the night with wine and absolut mandarin. :)

The family tree is getting bigger! lovin' every bit of it :)

on SPICES & FLAVOURS

Walking inside this small shop outside Market, Market (Fort, Taguig) is amazing. Bottles of spices that you can't usually find in regular supermarkets are all here (hidden). This is such a WOW! Overwhelming. This is just just a perfect place to go to if you are someone who loves to experiment in your menus/ recipes. From Italian , Greek, Mexican, Thai spices that will add flavor to your dishes. THIS will definitely make your day.

The place is just small but every space is maximized. When you enter the entrance to your right, are rows of bottled loose tea leaves which you can buy in grams. From fruity tea flavor apples and orange to flower teas like rose. Don't you just love that?

From regular basil down to neverheard herbs and expensive kaffir lime leaves and dried chillies. It's all here :)


These are sugar crystals that are use to sweeten your cup of coffee and tea. They have sugar crytals in cinnamon sticks also for a aromatic flavor. I love!

This set of teapots are for sale too but I already have a number of sets at home so I had to just let go of this one. A must-have & good investment at home if you are a tea-lover.

I had the chance to visit Spices & Flavours years back with a special friend with whom I share my passion for cooking and good food. I wasn't into blogging yet at that time so no chance for me to spread the good find with on-line friends. I went back last week with Aj to check if it still exists. Now, I am happy to share this with my foodies :)

photo credit: pinkmonster

fruits

Last Sunday, MIL brought home these fruits for me :) The dalandan fruits are seedless and really sweet. We squeezed some for dalandan juice and added honey to make it taste better, so refreshing! The santol fruits are sweet and tasty too. I have a habit of eating santol with vinegar and rock salt. Sarappp!!! :D

Happy happy birthday our dear papa. We miss you so much! It's definitely hard to be away from you. We hope that you feel in your heart how much we love you. We are so lucky for having a papa as responsible and understanding as you. Thank you so much for your unconditional love. We pray for your good health and safety always.


hugs & kisses,
Jc,Mico, Kevin & Mama / Jp, Tin & Kyle


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Weekend Cooking at home. Orange Grilled Chicken Breast paired with Pesto Rice. Ranch Salad on the side & a decadent chocolate cake that husband bought from Cake-to-Go. :)


We're having dinner with cousins next Saturday. Ria and ate Ina is in charge of the steak and i'll be preparing the seafood. Nina of course, is in charge of her dad's signature home made ceasar salad and drinks. Tito Mai's son, Martin and gf Laureen will join us for the first time. The family tree is getting bigger!!! Happier :)

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My husband's very good friend L. Martinez is part of this much-awaited play in Manila! We are so excited to see him. This is my first time to see him perform but i've heard so much from husband about how good he acts. He's a proud friend! :D Lea Salonga is playing princess in Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella and i'm excited to watch her live for the first time too. :) My husband saw Miss Saigon few years back and he said Leah is indeed excellent!

I never learned about my husband's interest in theater/broadway earlier. I just had this false impression that he'd rather watch basketball games or play ps at home than watch musical shows. In fact, I did not even bothered to ask him to go with me when I saw Avenue Q with my highshool friends September last year. He could've enjoyed that awesome show too! Anyway, that was just one play that I missed to see with him. Now, we're both excited to see two fantastic plays this year. :)

cupcakes

I'm craving for this delicious looking cupcakes that I saw on-line :) Hmm, they have stores in qc malls and prices are definitely cheaper than Sonja's in Serendra. Gotta try 'em! :) I so want to try the Swiss Choco, Kahlua, Belgian Chocolate, Lemon Meringue & Smores Choco Caramel.

highschool musical ice tour

High School Musical is loved by our kiddos. We had the chance to watch the Ice Tour at the Big Dome last weekend. Kyle had so much fun. He enjoyed both the music and performance. I guess he's amazed how the artist danced, twisted, and rolled up & down in their ice skates. Truly amazing!
I remembered when my little boy was younger, we'd watch Disney on Ice on Decembers with my parents & siblings. We don't have so much money nor extra cash to splurge for the show so we'd end up getting upper box seats. The Disney characters were so so little from where we were seated. I would end up letting Kyle sit/ stand on my lap for him to be able to better view the show. I remembered saying " promise baby, next time will get the seat in front so you can see Mickey Mouse and kiss him".


I'm happy that I am able to bring Kyle to Araneta Coliseum these days, and watch amazing performances, from concerts, musicals to ice tours. This time, with better seats and with Daddy Jp with us. It may not be the front row seats yet but hopefully in the near future, we'd be able to kiss Mickey & Minnie and be able to watch him up close & personal :)

Kyle and his program souvenir

Late dinner at Pancake House after the show. with my mother in law.

Books & Sunday Cooking

Kyle loves Geronimo Stilton books. He always ask us to buy him one as a prize/gift whenever he gets good grades in school. I'm glad that my little boy's school encourages their students to read books too. The school usually have Book Fairs and Kyle's always excited about this :)


I am excited about this novel.I so want a copy of this book but it was out of stock in Powerbooks or Fully Booked most of the time. Husband bought me The Time Traveler's Wife book last Friday. Thanks! thanks! :) Oh, I learned that there's a movie coming out on December 2008. I'm excited! I hope I can start reading this weekend. :)

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Sunday cooking at home. Ilocano food is really good. I tried making my own version of "dinakdakan". A famous Ilocano dish. This is grilled pork meat marinated in mayo dressing and garnished with lotsa onions and chillies! Genuine Ilocanos usually use pig's brain for marinade but I don't think my husband can handle that. :D My papa taught me to substitute that ingredient with mayo. It tastes good too! Gerry's Grill I think included this in their menu recently.

All-time favorite Ilocano Pakbet. One of the few veggie dishes that my husband loves. It's been months since I last went home to Ilocos. If there's one thing that I miss about the place apart from my family & friends - is Ilocano Food. I miss Ilocos empanada ,bagnet and garlic longganisa from Batac. I miss adobo bagbagis from San Nicolas. I miss kaldo from Mg Opring's kubo beside our house. I miss Dawang's dinuguan and sarabasab. I miss native bibingka from Marsha's Vigan. I miss that special homemade tupig that my mom orders from an old lady in Currimao. I miss inartem. I miss that bbq and isaw that me & my brothers buy in Badoc town every afternoon.I miss our neighbor's kilawin. I miss my mama's igado and kaldereta. Oh food! Naimas latta! :P

Paradise in Palawan

"A tropical Shangri-la nestled upon a coral jewel set amidst Palawan’s sparkling turquoise waters. Comely and idyllic, this island resort is a perfect hideaway for those who seek both relaxation and discovery. Club Paradise is on Dimakya Island, Municipality of Coron. A part of the Calamian Group of Islands, it is situated at the Northern tip of Palawan, the Philippine’s last frontier. Where possibilities are blissful, endearing and endless." - Club Paradise

Our trip to Palawan was planned about 3/4 months ago.We gotta get a breather:D For "alone time", to relax, perhaps recharge and to have some time off from our work:) We invited my husband's cousin Bambi & girlfriend Ria to join us. We had the best time of our lives!
Upon arrival, we were greeted by Ricky, the resort coordinator at the Busuangga Airport. We loaded inside this big jeepney and off we went to a lake for our boat transfer to Dimakya island, where Club Paradise is located.
We arrived at the resort an hour and a half after. The resort employees were all waiting to greet & welcome us. They were so warm & pleasing. There were only about 20 guests in the resort including the four of us already. Talk about privacy and solitude. That was it :)

They served us refreshing drinks upon arrival. The PR officer had this quick orientation. We were accompanied to our rooms thereafter. Everything else is indeed beautiful. We were served buffet meals all the time at the Kamalig restaurant. A fusion of Filipino, Asian and International cuisines were served for lunches & dinners. Really, the food were very filling & satisfying.
After lunch that Saturday, we just lazed & grilled ourselves under the beautiful sun. The weather was perfect. The sun was up and it was windy at the same time. We were able to get that perfect afternoon siesta in a far far away private island :)

We went to an island tour to Calauit early morning of Sunday to check out the Philippines' prime Safari. We were back at the island around lunchtime. Husband and I tried the Detoxification Massage at the Island Spa late afternoon. It's a combination of of swedish & shiatsu massages. It says in the spa menu that this is equivalent to an hour of strenuous exercise. It stresses out elimination of body toxins. Rejuvenating and relaxing! Perfect! They say that a good massage makes you fall asleep. Oh, husband and I fell asleep during our treatment.

We had another perfect dinner on our last night at the island. We surprised Bambi with a birthday cake and the servers sang him a birthday song too!It's his birthday the following day!:) We shared the cake to all the other guests duing dinner time. Some of the resort staffs performed during the cultural show too. The foreign guests had so much fun watching them.

It was hard to leave the island. The island is entirely perfect.There's nothing bad to say. Something that we can really recommend for couples and families to try. We were able to save so much for planning this trip really early. Just so I can share some saving tips, our plane fare to Busuangga, Palawan costs only about php3,400/person. PAL Express had this Book & Buy promo last April so we grabbed that very good deal. We had about three months to plan & save for our resort. Euro Pacific Resorts (Club Paradise & El Rio Y Mar) had this "post-summer getaway promo" for June and July.It's somehow wise to wait for resort promos like this after the summer season. It's a gamble though because these are the typhoon/rainy months already but we figured, Php4,000/person discount is really a big amount that we can save. (Oh btw, the sun was shining so bright the whole time :)) Thanks for families & friends who prayed for good weather :) Our damage was about Php20k/couple and that's already inclusive of the roundtrip airfare, land and boat transfers to the the resort, 3days/2nights seaview room accommodation, full-board meals for the 3days stay, use of all resort facilities and... having the island to ourselves since we went on an off-peak season :)

More about Club Paradise here :)

Kyle will finally meet the mountain kisses & tarsiers on his birthday :)

Calauit Wildlife Safari Tour

We had the hardest time deciding if we should take the CORON TOUR or the CALAUIT SAFARI TOUR. Ria & I wanted to see the giraffes and zebras first hand so we were able to convince our spouse to take this trip instead. :) Our tour started 7am. We still had enough time to enjoy the sumptuous buffet breakfast at the resort. Calauit Island is an hour and fifteen minutes away from Dimakya Island by boat ride. Bambi & Ria slept during the cruise while husband killed time playing PSP. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the mountains and seas while listening to my Jamie Cullum & Maroon 5 favorites :) Ricky, our service coordinator was very pleasant and smart. He told us so many stories & information about the islands surrounding the resort. He was smiling the whole time when explaining this & that. I must say, he was that passionate and sincere about what's he's doing. Admirable. It was worth the experience :) Imagine being able to feed these animals up close & personal. Parang hindi totoo :D The giraffes were so tamed. Lemuel, one of the giraffes who fondly ate all the leaves that we brought for feeding is very very big. At first, he would get the leaves that we tried to feed him and leave. Later on, we saw him sharing the leaves to the other giraffes. Gestures that will really awe you. We had the chance to feed the bearcats & porcupines too. The Calamian deers (Philippine born & raised), zebras & giraffes were freely roaming and it looks so natural & delightful. You'll fall in love with nature :) Not every Filipino knows that this safari actually exists. This, according to Mg Jun (the tour coordinator) was a project of Marcos during his term in 1970's. It's disappointing to hear though that this habitat has not been developed since then. No funds nor attention from the government I guess. As Mg Jun says, he feels sad and worried because he knows sooner or later, it's possible that the country will have to kiss goodbye to this wildlife sanctuary. :( So many stories to tell and so many photos captured. Look at the first row photo of the giraffes above. The giraffes actually do a split when trying to get food from the grounds. Yeah, they have to- for being that tall. I've learned that these giraffes are very picky with what leaves to eat. The zebras, on the other hand, eat either fresh or dried leaves. That's why the zebras are heavier and more " mataba" :) The deer's horn falls off after mating season. And apparently, they use this horns to fight against fellow deers for a doe. They have a celebrity giraffe in the Safari named Athena but unfortunately, we didn't have the chance to see her. We saw this mommy giraffe who just gave birth to a baby giraffe two weeks ago, but look how big it is already? Half day safari tour to Calauit is Php2300/person. This is inclusive of of the safari guide, boat ride from Dimakya to Calauit, safari ride, snacks & drinks. You will leave the resort around 7am and you will be back around 12nn. Just in time for another great buffet meal at Club Paradise. You can make reservations at the resort front desk upon arrival.

random weekend & monday night at home

Our friend Tricia is here so it's get together time for us girls. I wasn't that eager to go anywhere. Common it's Monday! told them to just come over at my house after dinner for dessert/ coffee. That way, I won't be guilty to leave Kyle alone on a schoolday.

Tricia brought cello's doughnuts , I have blushing cupcakes served that I bought over the weekend,Tositos & this superb cheese dip that my mom in law got from S&R. Naomi & tricia tried the leftover pasta from the boys' victory party last Sat :)

These are Naomi's pasalubong from Europe trip. She gave me 2 :) Luvet!

Friendly friends at home. It could've been a desperate housewives night at home if only everyone is married but since they're not, SATC nalang ata! :D it's so fun talking to the girls. stress free monday! we had good laughs till half past midnight. Kyle joined too but he went to bed earlier of course.

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My brother Jc gave me this for pasalubong last weekend. Ano ba? Implying something bro?! :p Sge, we'll see if this one works out. :)

About the book & author here.

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Husband & I watched Wanted with my brothers, Jc & Mico last Sunday.The film is so cool and angry! Angelina Jolie is such an idol!



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Congratulations to my husband and the team for winning 2nd place in this basketball league -that I wasn't able to support & watch religiously. Sorry babe! Kyle was there naman the whole time to cheer on my behalf :)

Saturday night at Bambi's garage! the boys' victory party :)