IKEA fun!

My mother in law is a big fan of IKEA. Most of her unique stuffs at home from her US trips are bought from that store. She's fond of shopping stuffs for the house more than bags & shoes. She would brag humbly about what she bought from Ikea and would say " naku tin, if you go there maloloka ka talaga!" . I definitely agree. I love all the stuffs that she buys! From kitchen items down to some items for the bathroom! Very unique, durable and cute! :) She mentioned a showroom/warehouse in Makati last year and we planned to go a couple of times already but have completely forgotten thereafter. We had the chance to visit last Monday after work. We had to kill time because hubby had a meeting till half past eight. I was amazed, excited and awed! I love Ikea products! MIL was right, i'll go "gaga" choosing what items to get. The warehouse is not so full and i'm sure they had limited stocks compared to the one abroad but nonetheless, it was an awesome shopping experience for me. MIL got herself nice shoe rack for her room & she got Kyle a very durable Letten Stool for his bathroom. I got me & hubby a Basisk Floor Lamp that we can use as light when reading before bedtime (or when working on our budget hehe). We're really planning to buy something exactly like the one that I got . I want so many things from the warehouse but I had to behave and choose only what we need for now. I will go back for the other wishlists some other time.

Basisk Floor Lamp @ Php550 (good grab!)

My Ikea Needs & Wants!:)
Trolf Jorden Bag Dokument
Letter Tray S
uperfin Vase
Korral Laundry Bag (for Kyle's, can use as storage for his toys too!)
Burken Jars Rajtan
Spice Bar
Dralla Chopping Board


Ikea shops in Manila here, here & here.

I'll be out of town this weekend. I'll miss my boys :(

Happy happy birthday to my super friendship Aj!!! :) I regret that I wouldn't be able to celebrate with you again this year [I owe you 2 yrs already! :( ] I'll make it up to you next week ok? Let's have dinner & celebrate! Enjoy your day sweetheart! :) I can't wait to see you after the makeover! :)

Far from the Ces Drilon kidnapping headlines, these news are really bothering.

Baby thrown out of cab by teenage mom...
Baby girl dies after being hurled from 9th floor...

What were they thinking? They could've just have the kid's adopted after giving birth. Why kill innocent babies who are so helpless? Seriously, this is insane...

happy birthday mama!

Happy, happy birthday to my beautiful mama! Thanks so much for everything. I appreciate the patience,endearing & unconditional love. Thanks for helping me take care of Kyle. I know things could've been harder if you weren't around. You are my rock :) I know there were moments of pain, but really, it did made me stronger.

I now feel more of you when I got married. As what some titas and friends have said, they felt you became at peace seeing me well taken cared of by Jp. I thank you for loving him too. He super appreciates you cooking his favorite dishes! (tumataba na nga!) I am happy that you learned to accept & love him. I'm happy also that we get to spend more quality time with you now. Ironically, this happened when we are not living in the same house anymore. I guess absence really makes the heart go fonder :)

We always pray for your good health & happiness too. No matter what mama, we will always be here for you. Jp, Kyle & I loves you so much! :) Mahal ka namin :)

Let's celebrate when you get back from Ilocos! :) We miss you!

Watched Hulk movie last Saturday with my husband's cousin & his fiance. Awesome!I was a bit hesitant to watch it. For one, Hulk's face is not so handsome & i'm scared (honestly!). 2nd,I didn't like Hulk in 2003 , found it really boring and dragging. My husband didn't like it too. He got bored as well. Now at least, this film paid off and will cover up disappointments from the earlier Hulk movie.

Liv Tyler is really lovely :)

The battle between the two giants was tiring! too much action! but it was all right & more worth it this time. And of course, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr/Tony Stark) showing up as a surprise on the later wowed the viewers even if it was nothing actually. :)

* * * *

I'll be out of town this weekend for our annual company outing. How I wish I could bring Jp & Kyle along with me. I'll miss my boys. :(

And yeah, am looking forward to a reunion with college friends in a quaint resto somewhere in Ghills on Friday. Haven't seen Hans & Leej since my wedding day. In fact the two are exclusively dating already (daw). Marielle & I are both excited to meet the girls.:)

I love Chef Tony's White Chocolate Walnut popcorn. Bought one big bucket last saturday at Pricemart. The toasted walnuts are really tasty, it complements the sweet flavor of the white chocolate. I brought it with me in the office for afternoon snack. Shared it with officemates of course :)

Two more weeks to go!Husband and I will surely have the best time of our lives! Excited! can't wait! :)

Sunday is Jp's Day

...because he's been a good friend & daddy-yo to my Kyle, the man definitely deserves a treat! :) We ate lunch at TenderBob's Promenade to celebrate Father's Day. To make up for our frustrating OUTback experience, TenderBob's is the answer! The two boys were excited since Friday!

My Family on Father's Day. Couldn't ask for anything more. :)

Our usual TenderBob's favorite: ceasar salad (dressing is perfect), potato skin wedges (yummy!), ribeye hungry steak/well done (for the boys!) and I tried this new dish: the Countrystyle chicken with gravy. My mother in law ordered salpicao and onion soup which was superb too!The servings were very generous.Our damage was cheaper than what we spent in Outback but definitely this is what you call "an ultimate dining experience". :)
Time for surprises! My Kyle prepared a greeting card for daddy Jp. He locked himself in his room in the morning when Jp was asking him to freshen up and prepare for our lunch already. The little boy pala is preparing something for him. The letter actually is more of "thank you" than the happy father's day greeting. I guess he is really THANKFUL more than anything else :)

We bought him local chocolates for his sweet tooth and baon at work. We sure promised not to eat it. Hahaha! :D

Kyle watched hubby play basketball late afternoon after our mass while I prepared thai dinner at home. Surprise! Surprise :)

We are trying very very hard not to overeat. Instead of having the Thai bagoog rice buffet style, I served it plated :) We had pandan chicken on the side too! And yeah, tita Bic baked chocolate cake for Jp also. Ended the night with wine and salami at Poncho's house.



Happy Father's day again babe! Truly life is more meaningful with you. I know my Kyle is very happy and thankful to have you in our lives as much as I do. We are both grateful. God never fails to bless us with so many wonderful things and you are one His greatest blessing to us. The missing piece that perfectly fits! :)

Dessert Nirvana

Two Fridays ago, I was invited to a media event in Rockwell that featured The Cake Club, a dessert buffet launched by Diamond Hotel. I am self-confessed BIG on desserts and cakes! Life is definitely sweet and this sure proves it! Enjoy the photos :)


I wasn't able to try all of 'em , IT WAS A LOT! I picked the ones recommended by the banquet sales. My personal favorites are the French Macarons (chocolate and salted caramel flavors), Supermoist Chocolate Cake (Diamond Hotel's signature cake! classic!) and the Baked Cheesecake. All three are in the 2nd row of the photos. They had very good presentations that made each one of the desserts more interesting & intriguing. Dessert + Buffet = Super guilty! Waaah!

Thanks to my friend Aj for the invite. It was a superb experience to go "ga-ga" over these mouth-watering treats :) Ooops, with window shopping on the side :D

Photo Credit: PR kit from Geisler Mclang. Click to view larger file

I brought home some goodies for my husband and Kyle! :) Truly, "there is no such thing as too much desserts" :) We feasted on the sampler cakes! I'm happy I was able to share with them this sumptuous experience. Jp of course was more happy. The husband's got a sweet tooth more than the wife! :D



Diamond Hotel offers the Dessert Buffet for large groups only. You can call 305-3000 local 8413/8414/8460 or email indulgence@diamondhotel.com.

The West Side Story

... is finally back. To be shown at the Meralco Theater in Ortigas Center on September 2008 (other playdates will be posted later) . Meantime, an online acquaintance is selling tickets for the Opening Show on September 5 (Friday, 8pm) which will star Christian Bautista & Joanna Ampil as the lead roles. Ms Minnie Fong is doing the marketing on a personal level for an organization that she's been actively involved with since college. She is at present part of the boards of KYTHE INC. -The mother NGO of Kythe Ateneo. Proceeds from the show (1st playdate only) will be donated to Kythe, a foundation whose primary cause is taking care of kids with cancer.

(click photo to know more about The West Side Story)

For reservations and further inquiries, please email minnie.fong@gmail.com or text 0917-8676332. She will reply to your queries really fast.. with a smile :)

For the show on September 05, ticket rates are as follows:
PHP500 -balcony (sides)
PHP700 -balcony (center)
PHP1000 -orchestra ( side)
PHP1200 -orchestra (center)

click photo to view larger image
(the ones highlighted in green are all blocked/sold, yellow are already reserved)

The West Side Story is produced by Stages Production Specialists Inc. You can check out Ticketworld for other playdates and ticket inquiries. But with a kind heart, you can buy from Minnie and help kids at Kythe Foundation :)

Photo credit: PR Kit from Ms Minnie Fong

back to school

Summer fun is over for my Kyle. I know he's kinda sad even if he says that he's excited for school :) He's sad because as per house rules, he already needs to say goodbye to his PSP & DS games for now. We implement this the whole year round because kids these days get really addicted to all these computer games everywhere, anywhere.

My husband and I treated him last weekend after made all deliveries for tubbycakes. The boy enjoyed his shopping at National Bookstore in Katipunan. We gave him a certain budget and asked him to use on that for whatever school supplies he needs. Night before, I asked him to make a list of what he needs so he won't forget the important ones. He had extra cash left from the budget money so he was able to buy his art materials like washable colored pens and good colored pencils. Kyle loves to draw :) He was happy to get more than what he listed :)

We watched two movies as an ender for the summer break. He enjoyed both films. It makes my heart melt to see him so very happy & excited for family days! :)

It was Kyle's first day of class last Tuesday. He woke up really fast & early. I didn't have a hard time preparing him for school that morning. No dragging, no crying or whatsoever. Yes, obviously he was still sleepy but he was responsible enough to wake up,shower and prepare for school. Supe r responsible & disciplined! I'm so proud! :)

Eyes a little closed & sleepy as he waves my cam goodbye! First day funk! :)

the weekend's for the kiddos!

We watched Narnia (Prince Caspian) with my brothers Sunday night at Theater Mall. Loved it like the first one (The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe). The movie is very entertaining! Funny, sentimental & full of action at the same time. The Pevensie siblings have grown and their acts are better this time. Ben Barns is charming like what a prince should be like and he played a good role too as Prince Caspian.

My family liked the film. I like Aslan. He's really cute when talking to Lucie. Nothing like what a normal scary lion is like. Very fatherly too.

Narnia: Prince Caspian

It was declared public holiday last Monday so we were lucky to have more time with our families. No work on Mondays meant long weekend :) Watched KungFu Panda with the Canoys at Eastwood. The kids definitely had a blast! They were laughing their hearts out the whole time. Po, Panda is so cute and cuddly. Kyle loved him! Love the actions in this film. The boys liked Tigress among the Furious Five.

The film is a story of fulfilling your dreams & going through the odds of hard work to reach that. And that after a roller coaster of hard training and discipline, you will be rewarded in the end. It was explained well. Enough for the younger generation to pick up something.

Just yesterday, i've noticed Kyle's been a little conscious about the food that he eats. Hehe! my boy got conscious! He doesn't want to be as big as Po Panda!

Kung Fu Panda

Photo credit for gbposters.

Angelati Italia

My husband & I were doing our last minute shopping for Kyle's school shoes when we bumped into this gelato stall at the ground floor of SM Megamall. I was a bit curious so we stopped. I even had some blooper exchange of words with the server. I asked if this is the same as Amici, the gay server laughed and defensively answered.. "Hindi po noh, kalaban namin yun! nag seserve kami sa hotel, sila hindi kasi di sila makapasok" The gay's so funny! Pahiya tuloy ako:D

They have a number of interesting offers. The server asked us to try two of their bestsellers: Blueberry Cheesecake & the classic Chocolate Obsession. Both good but we ended up trying two different flavors instead. My husband got the Choco Banana Peanut Butter and I tried the Honey Pepita. Both good! :) At P70/scoop, the gelatos are superb! Very rich, creamy and very flavorful. Their ad says gelatos are low fat, I wonder if this is really true??!

I've tried gelato ice cream in Pazzo (Powerplant Mall, Rockwell) few years back when I was still in college and I loved the Pistachio flavor. It's good to have found someplace nearer for such cravings! :)

I am not too familiar what differs a gelato from a regular ice cream. What I am aware of is that gelatos are more pricey. We've settled with FIC brand at home. Affordable and creamy too. I so love the strawberries & cream flavor, Kyle loves plain vanilla or chocolate (nothing fancy) , husband loves vanilla (too!) and ube macapuno or dulce de leche, my mother in law love their coffee flavored ice creams. I found this (photo below) that briefly explains the 3 distinct differences of Gelato & Ice Cream.
Angelati Italia is a joint venture of two sisters who share the same passion for gelatos. Read inspiring story here.

Photo Credit & more infos from this site.

Daddy-Yo's Day

June 15 is Father's Day!



Executively Yours
Snoozin
Let's Play Badminton
Fore You Dad

All items areabout 3.5 by 2.5 ft :) Big enough to really surprise your dads :) Please click on cestcagiftworks for more unique gift ideas :)

weekend dates

My husband and I both love and enjoy trying out new restaurants. This is basically the only "luho" that we spend for almost every weekend. We consider this our "alone time". We get to talk about our life together, problems and how to solve them and oh future plans of course. I am always inspired and excited to look for restaurants that are new, cozy and of course serves good food. We've tried INYO Cuisine in Katipunan and it was a unique experience for us. We adore Galileo Enoteca , it offers variety of cheese & cold cuts. Perfect with our favorite Lambrusco wine. went to Bellini's with my highschool friends February this year & I hope experience it with Jp sometime soon.

Me and Jp still go out on dates and it sure feels so good to be "kilig" over and over again even when you're married :D I have a list of few gourmet restaurants that i've been meaning to try with him.

Apartment 1B
One Lafayette Square, 132 Leviste St, Salcedo Village
Tel : 843-40-75

Lemuria , The Winery
#5 Julieta Circle, Horseshoe Village QC
Tel : 843-4075

Cookbook Kitchen
#8 Socorro Fernandez St., Mandaluyong City
Tel : 724-3595 / 381-5935

Barcino Gourmet
2/F City Golf Complex, Julia Vargas Ave. Ortigas
Tel : 636-2963

Moksha
#713 Abad Santos cor Wilson Sts., San Juan
Tel # 723-8314

Uno
#195-C Tomas cor Scout Fuentabella Tomas Morato QC
Tel : 374-0774

Katre
#103 Dr Lazcano St., QC
Tel : 373-4705 / 373-6650

Chateau Verde
#63 Apacible St., UP Campus Diliman QC
Tel : 928-8180/ 927-3035

Greens
#2 Sct. Castor ,South Triangle , Quezon City
Tel: 415-4796/410-2440 /0918-5687649

home cooking

One of my duties at home is to prepare our weekly menu. I usually send our "manang" every Mondays to do the marketing. I would love to do it but unfortunately I have work. This is a bit challenging to me because I don't want my family to be "sawa' with the food being served at home. I would love to cook also but I can't on weekdays because I usually get home past seven already. Good thing our manag linda is a very good cook. I can just write what I want ( or mostly what Jp, Kyle & my mother in law likes) and she will surely serve it right. I must say we are lucky because not all helpers can actually cook well. Some are willing to learn but most of the time, they are lazy to do so. Manang is with Jp's family for a long time already that's why she knows what my husband's taste from the main menu down to the dessert. I've been trying to be more creativewith my menu at home. I love food so I want everyone in the house to enjoy eating too:) Good thing, there are so many websites and blogs where you can actually research good recipes or maybe just get something to include in your menu. I don't usually follow the actual recipe. To make it more innovative, I sometimes try to substitute ingredients. Other than RaI have a few list of my favorite websites for my cooking :) AllRecipes, RecipeZaar, Rasa Malyasia, Italian Chef, Pinoy Food, Better Recipes. Apart from all these sites, I make do with my mama's recipes which has been the best and perfect so far :)

These are a few of what my mama cooked during our weekend at Tagaytay. We love the shrimps in coconut milk, bulalo &n and Ginataang halo-halo. The fresh fruits were bought in Tagaytay.

My mother in law's client sent her these cheeses from abroad. Hubby & I both loves cheese. Either with wine, bread or just melting it in the microwave (try it!) like that of Old Swiss Inn's Raclette Cheese. We go really "gaga' which one to try first! :)

OUTback

05/25

We had three choices that night. Tender Bobs (which is Kyle's favorite), Chilli's (both hubby & I loves the resto) and Outback (we've tried it years ago when we were still dating). We all agreed to have dinner at Outback Steakhouse, Libis because it is the nearest in our place and yeah Kyle has been suggesting that restaurant for a number times already. I think he tried their burgers once with the Canoys.

We enjoyed the place. The ambiance was ok. Perfect for a Sunday family day. The servers were beautiful and very accommodating. We were also entertained with these coasters placed on the tables.

The menu choices were all expensive. That's actually something that we already know but we thought the servings could be big like that of Fridays, Burgoo or Itallianis.

Now, the sad part is- we were very disappointed and unhappy because the servings are so tiny. We felt so "kawawa" but we couldn't afford to order more because that would be too much of our budget already and we were waiting quite long for our meals to be served. Half an hour or two will be another long wait and we were really hungry.

We settled for what we ordered. The chocolate bread with butter is free. Thanks for that. At least we were able carbo load even before the main course was served. We had my husband's favorite chilli cheese fries, a baby back ribs (so tiny baby!) and the peppered beef tenderloin cut steak.

Good thing, I have something to be happy about. My lemonade is huge to fill me in! :D

Our bill below:( This is by far the only "not-so-worth-it" restaurant that we've tried for so many months now. Most of our dine -outs are pre-planned and I usually research before going. This is one of the few that I did not. Oh well, lessons learned. Paying close to 3k is not so worth it for a "not-so-generous" dinner serving. The three of us just honestly went home disappointed.
OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
Libis, Quezon City
634-3801

get CARRIEd away

I had my long awaited movie date with my bestfriend Marielle last night at Greenbelt 3. I know every chick in town is excited & giddy to see Sex And The City movie. I enjoyed the film so much and I can watch it over and over again! But on the other hand, I would agree why some people who saw it first were unhappy about the cuts. True, editing is kinda bad and yeah the film is R13 anyway so why have almost all of the adult scenes censored? :) Nevertheless, the movie is good as it is and yeah, I would love to see this film again! Can't wait when the dvd comes out! Mar,Tricia, Naomi... SATC night at my place?!

Singer/Actress Jennifer Hudson is really lucky to play the part of Carrie's Assistant in this film.

I love the dresses! I love the colors! I love the shoes! I love the bags! This ladies are so toned! And their at their what? 50's hahaha! Gosh, I better be serious with my diet now :D

"No matter who broke your heart, or how long it takes to heal, you'll never get through it without your friends." -Carrie, tbs

Congratulations to my very good friend Tricia. She passed her NCLEX Exam. Yahoo! Don't forget me when your out in the US making money!!! :) Kidding! Let's celebrate when Naomi gets back from Paris :) I'm proud of you sweetheart! :) Big hug :)

Tricia's site here & here :)

Sonya's Garden

I've been to Sonya's Garden a couple of times already. I remember going there when it was still a "secret garden" full of really beautiful flowers. I've tried their massage and food already and i've tried attending a wedding too. I must say, I was a witness to how it evolved from just- a woman's garden to a commercialized tourists' destination. Personally, I like it better the first time i've tried going there. There were only few people who knows the place so it wasn't that crowded as much as it is nowadays.

We passed by Sonya's that weekend that we were in Tagaytay because my mama wanted to see the place. Nothing surprised her at all. In fact, she kept commenting why there's no flowers. Oo nga naman! Garden should have beautiful flowers :D


If there's one thing that I like about Sonya's now is their shops. More so because I love trinkets and country decors for the house. And yeah, their spanish bread is sarap but kinda expensive :P

What more can we do other than photo ops??? :D

Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, Philippines
(near the vicinity of Tagaytay City, Philippines/Royal Tagytay)
+63-9175329097 or +63-9175335140
info@sonyasgarden.com