Take 2

Sorry, this is the photo that I intended to upload. Of course, the molo me version, from the self-professed molo me queen.

xoxo, Y

My S&R Sale Loot

I bought basics mostly and in bulk -- Dove shampoo, Dove conditioner, Dial shampoo for men, Johnson's baby shampoo, Dial cranberry soap, Dial liquid handsoap, Joy dishwashing liquid, Cowhead milk, Skippy peanut butter, Wesson canola oil, Ziplock sandwich bags...

and then the not so basic -- mini chocolates, Pringles, and almond chips (promise, I intend to make good use of these <except for the Pringles> - watch out wink wink!).

I only bought those that are on sale.

I resisted the urge to buy beddings and towels because we have enough I believe, and even some unused ones.

Sale runs until tomorrow, Sunday, April 1, 2012. A friend of mine told me that the last day is the best time to go because that is the time when they refill the shelves. He claims also that the stocks at The Fort are the best. #hearsay-so-take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt.

Just the same, enjoy the sale, and count your blessings!

xoxo, Y

Crazy S&R sale 1st day

I got there at almost 5pm, got scared and left.

Xoxo, Y

cupcake

Further to Z's post, if I may add, hehehe...

I'm honestly not very eager in sharing this cupcake with X and Z. It is oily (like you want to dab Gatsby on it) hehe, and it's not made with Splenda (sorry Z!). And I'm not so fond of buying specially baked cupcakes like the ones by Sonja or Beky Cupcakes, so I don't really know what a good cupcake worth at least 75 or 55 bucks (which is my benchmark wish ko lang hihi) should taste.

But X said that the cupcake looks nice, so ok na ko dun, and Z said masarap din kahit papano, so, hay! Ang ganda ko! Hehehe.

Thanks for encouraging me, X and Z.

Xoxo, Y

yummy: cupcake by Y

i was supposed to have a no-carbo day yesterday but i couldn't resist trying Y's maiden (carrot) cupcake...yum, yum...super soft and fluffy. texture reminds me of goldilocks mamon; smell reminds me of disneyland 4D show (cinnamon, i think).
Y still owes me a red velvet though...with frosting, hehe.
Z


Yummy....!Wishing there'll be more on Monday!!!!

X

Shmoop:A Reader's Quick Guide to Bestsellers

Shmoop . Yes it is!
You want to watch Twilight, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc.? Worried that you may not get the story right because you have not read the books and may be lost in the abyss of nothingness when your date, crush or peers talk about the movie later?

Relax, you can click the link above and have a quick browse of the bestsellers made into movies!

from shmoop.com

Yup, each chapter and book has summaries.
I just got into it last night when I wanted to refresh my memory on "Catching Fire". 
They have classics too- from A to Z.
A recommended site for young and old readers.

Enjoy!


X

More Of Evernight

A collage of Evernight photos from Google images, using a picture collage app. I would have wanted the bakground to be just plain white but there is no such feature. Nah the app is free, so nevermind...

I am on the 4th and last book (I believe), Afterlife. The story still amuses me, to say the least... :-)

xoxo, Y

 

 

E-book 6: Children of the Fog

Just can't get enough of it. I finished the book in one sitting. Stayed late Friday afternoon and finished it Saturday around 230am. I was praying that my Ipad's battery will not get drained. Less than 10% power remained when I finished reading.

image from amazon.com

Children of the Fog by Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a suspense thriller. I got it free from Amazon last March 8. I checked yesterday afternoon, Kindle copy is now US$5.99.


I am so lucky!


The story is very simple. The main character Sadie is married to Philip who is a corporate lawyer. Sadie is a writer and book author. Philip used to be a loving husband but he did not want any child. Sadie had a miscarriages in the past and she became an alcoholic. After her rehabilitation, Philip realized that having a child will do good to his image in the law firm. Sam was born but Philip changed since and started having affairs with women. Sam suddenly refused to speak. Days before his birthday, Sadie and her bestfriend Leah shopped for a birthday gift (which Sam never saw). During that time there's a kidnap or abduction scare in Canada. Every year, children (boy and girl) were allegedly taken by "Mr. Fog" (a person who storms an area hiding beneath the cloak of fog). The kids never returned. Sadie's worst fear came true one night, on the eve of Sam's birthday. Sam was taken by "Mr. Fog" and she saw how he was taken. Sadie was the first person to see "Mr. Fog" and sketched his face. However, she lied to the authorities and her husband as to the appearance "Mr. Fog" as this will mean death to Sam. Eventually they discovered and this led to tumultous marriage which led also to the discovery of Philip's illegal transactions. He was sent to jail and they both wanted divorce. Sadie, saddened by the loss of Sam and her marriage, fled to a place where fate brought her. This place made her discover about Mr. Fog, Sam's whereabouts, why Sam refused to speak, Philip's affairs and her bestrfriend Leah.The chilling part began in said place.

Anyway, I liked the story and Sadie's character. I see a strong woman willing to sacrifice everything that she has just to see her child again.

I don't think a sequel is proper, though. Story should end there.Period.


X  

Busog Trip 11: Estrel's leche flan

Yummy leche flan.

In my dreamy state, I enjoyed the sweet and creamy texture of Estrel's leche flan.

I attended my closest (as in so close) relative's birthday and asked me to bring home one box. Too bad I left the party early to catch "Hunger Games". I was waiting for the caramel cake too.

Hmmm...maybe next time.


X

flowers, flowers!

such colorful flora...sold at tagaytay!

Z

Nails: Gucci inspired?

Getting tired of my green and silver combination, I decided to remove my "Hunger Games inspired nails".
Experimenting, I asked BH which color combination looked better on my fingernails.
I applied combinations of pink and blue, gray and pink, orange and green and dark red and silver on my nails.

He picked orange and green. He said it looked like a summer shade. Well, i thought it's a Gucci combination. Uhm ok, I tried applying them. Summer it is!
My nails looked like Gucci buttons.... Pretty.

Hmmmm. I feel good.
Next time i'll try the silver and black.

X

my AI favorites

there are a lot of talented singers in this year's american idol competition and i have yet to really assess my bets, naks!  in the meantime, my early favorites are erika van pelt and colton dixon.  i must say, however, that my "favoritism" is based on the overall impact (to me, hehe) and not just vocals. i love erika's smiles and positive aura and i love colton's AI story and individuality.  and by the way, i also love erika's new look and the red grand piano that colton played yesterday!

Z


Hey Z, Erika just left the show....? :( She received the lowest number of votes...

X

google today

in commemoration of the 125th birthday of juan gris, renowned spanish painter and sculptor.

Z

Hunger Games Inspired Nails

After cleaning my stuff last weekend, I saw my foot and nail grooming kit.
I "Googled" the Hunger Games nail "dos" but the styles are too complicated for me to create.
So I experimented on a simple style- "X's version of Hunger Games nails". 
I picked the glazed green and silver and applied them into the effortless design of "half-half".
I will call this "half hungry half full" style. My tribute to District 11 (farmers/ agriculture) because it's green. That's Rue's district I think.

I did it on my toe nails too and BH teased me that they looked like fallen malunggay leaves (moringa leaves).
Fine.

They're lovely to look at.
I applied silver coat first, then half glazed green and last is the colorless.
And voila!

Will try the pink and grey next week or the black and red.
That is after my meeting with an analyst from a government agency.
They may get the impression that I've gone nuts and is currently having psychological imbalance.
Hahaha!
Livin la vida LOCA!

X

Kopiccino by Kopiko

Remember Z's post on Indonesian Coffee?
The Torabika has an extra choco granules sachet attached to the main sachet of 3-in-1 coffee.

Good news, Kopiko's Kopiccino has come up with its own version of such coffee.
I tried it last week when I saw my officemate holding one. Retail price is Php8.00 per sachet.
I bought extra and paired it with the tupig that BIL brought us. Sulit ang 8 pesos!

Coffee break!


X

Busog Trip 10: Tupig

BIL visited us last weekend and brought us an all time favorite.
TUPIG!!!
About 2 bundles and it was gone in less than an hour.

The familiar hypnotic smell of burnt banana leaves and inside is the chewy, hot rice cake mixed with coconut milk and bits.

It's heavenly!


X

all the hype about magnum

hubby and I tried magnum's classic and almond last night. aside from the 2 lbs I gained from it, i don't know what's the hype all about. don't get me wrong, it's good, it's yummy but it's nothing spectacular or royalty as it is advertised.

magnum is good for sweet cravings. the belgian chocolate coating is rich and the ice cream so smooth and creamy. it's too sweet though, especially the almond flavor. (thus, I don't think this will be helpful to beat the summer heat...)

it's P50 each, quite expensive for it's category and quality if you ask me. just like hubby, i would rather go for the good old pinipig crunch!

it's worth the try though...just to discover for yourself what the hype is all about.

Z

5J

5J is CebuPac's callsign (as PR is PAL's, CX is Cathay's etc.).

Hubby and I flew to Cebu this week, for a 5 hour or so stay there. We took 5J's afternoon flight to Mactan then the midnight flight back to Manila.

I do not fly often but I recall boarding passes to be a bit cardboard-like. I was surprised to see that my boarding pass looks like a fastfood receipt. Not that I am complaining, I am just not used to it -- perhaps it's even better, more environment-friendly! I just need to be more mindful as I have a tendency to throw receipts...

Z

Book review: Claudia Gray's Evernight series

I am about to finish Book 3.  I can now say that this is the most entertaining and insightful vampire-ghost series I have read.  I say entertaining because the story is anything but boring.  The turn of events surprised me in a nice way.  And can I also say that this is the funniest (in a not trashy kind of way) vampire story I have read?  The things that happen to the main characters can be sad if you think about it, but I find myself laughing somehow.

I say insightful because the author did not scrimp on words to explain what goes on in the mind of Bianca.  The author would sometimes elaborate endlessly on a simple topic, but I didn't mind. The story is narrated from the point of view of Bianca, a girl who was raised her vampire parents.  At the beginning of Book 1, I found myself a bit annoyed at how naïve Bianca was, but it turned out later that it was just an intro to the meat of the story.

I will not go into details about the plot, because it might ruin the experience.  But, just like how X and I giddily gushed on, moloed and awaited the Jools Sinclair books, I think I would also want to give these Evernight, Stargazer and Hourglass (Books 1-3 respectively) the same status as recommended books.

Evernight, Stargazer and Hourglass have elements of the Twilight series, 44 and the Lovely Bones.  It is like the Twilight but a lot funnier, less mushy and less predictable, like 44 but with more things happening and more interesting characters, and like Lovely Bones but minus that heavy feeling you get when you read about a story that deals with murder.

If you ask me, Bianca is the most imperfect main character but you'll love her, understand her and even emphatize with her as you go through the books.

By the way, the ghosts (or wraith as it is called in the books) appeared only beginning in Book 2 (Stargazer).  Evernight is pure vampire stuff.

Xoxo, Y

A Big Whaaaa???!!!

A really big WHAAAA???!!!
I was browsing Amazon and was looking for a free cook book when I saw this.

image from Amazon.com

I was really shocked.
I can't really be convinced even with the brief description of the book.

the simple truth is that organic Cannabis is only dangerous when mixed with deadly tobacco.

Cooking with Cannabis won't cause you to become addicted to nicotine and various other deadly chemicals, it won't damage your lungs, it won't give you cancer, it won't make your clothes and your breath smell bad and make you unattractive to the opposite sex, but it WILL still get you high.

Holy Macaroni!!!!
How and where in the world will the cook get the MAIN ingredient (without getting caught).

This is insane.Cannabis was made into cookies, muffins, cake.
Will I be expecting steamed Cannabis tops mixed with sayote tops dipped in bagoong isda with calamansi, soon?
Or Cannabis dinengdeng, Ilocano style.

Ow Mheyn!
Forgive me, but this is really insane.


X 

yummy: mrs. fields

it's been a while since i last bought mrs. fields cookies and i didn't realize they were this small and expensive already. P98 for 2 -- white chunk macadamia and milk chocolate macadamia. my favorite all along was white chunk macadamia, until i compared the 2 today and now prefer milk choco macadamia.

mrs. fields cookies are super chewy and yummy (kinda sweet though) but my P98 will probably be more sulit with other sweets (or am i just too belekoy?)...

Z

The Willows on Ipad Games

It was a boring Friday night.
After finishing the Willows, I looked for new games in the Apps store.

This shocked me (OA maybe, but I just finished the book so I was shocked to see the game).

Plants War from Ipad

I am surprised to see "Naiad" and "Dryad" which were the names for water and forest nymphs.

Oha, another interesting discovery.
I didn't enjoy the game though. I like "Temple Run" better, without the grrrrr whenever my player gets his head chucked off.

X

i heart rodolfo

after a full day stuck in bed due to my award winning monthly abdominal cramps, it was a pleasant surprise to be handed a "gift" from no less than the owner and maker of this shampoo and conditioner.

the handwritten note was just appropriate -- happy shampoo day! indeed, i need a long rinse with all the sweating from a day of tuwad-tumba position to battle my cramps.

it was so kind and thoughtful of bambbi to have sent these, as is usual of him. last time i bumped into him was probably 5 years ago when i set my friend up for a business meeting with him. last time i spoke to him was most likely 3 years ago. yet, since i met him around a decade ago, he has not failed to send me (and then also hubby) gifts every christmas.

i am so happy he has his own shampoo and conditioner line. it's his dream, along with a make-up line. while i am quite loyal with my pureology (volume), pantene (anti-hair fall), head and shoulders (menthol) and johnson's baby shampoo tandem, which i use alternately or at times combined (yeah, weird, i know!), this bambbi fuentes shampoo and conditioner will definitely find a permanent space in our shower rack.

you're an angel, bambbi! thank you, thank you and more power!

and why the title?! (X must be raising her brow!) chicka minute!!!! bambbi's real name is rodolfo! the rodolfo with such a big heart...kind, funny, thoughtful and down-to-earth.

love ya, bambbs! miss ya, mwaaahhh!

Z

can't help but judge the book by its cover

this is the funny duo maverick and ariel... but for now, focus is on maverick, the blonde guy.

on the other hand, this is tulisa, the pretty host with her trademark arm gesture at the beginning of every "x factor (UK)" episode showing her tattoo.

i like both maverick and tulisa...

but sorry, the look of maverick and the tattoo of tulisa combined in a famous personality is not like-able a bit (in my opinion).  add the botox at such a young age and the american slang in answer to tagalog questions -- i just do not dig this talented pinay.

 Z

flats for my flat feet

this classic RV has evaded my flat feet for the past 2 years...i want this for my cropped or folded or distressed jeans, plain tees and blazers -- fab irony.  wonder if our stars (and my budget) will be aligned this year, hehe. or, will it ever be?  for now, this will just be in my iWish list, hehe. 

Z

fab: the royal umbrella

have you noticed the queen's matchy-matchy umbrellas?! 

these see-through birdcage series are by fulton of london.

fulton has collaborations with cath kidston, orla kiely, lulu guiness and ella doran, all collaborations having these similar see-through birdcage umbrellas with their classic prints.

cath kidston

ella doran

orla kiely

lulu guinnes

for my iWish list, and perhaps the only umbrellas that are ever in my "planned" list (since i get my umbrellas for free as christmas freebies or hubby's free golf giveaways and i have bought only 1 in my entire life as "emergency-no choice" purchase lest i soak)...

spots: fuchsia red handle with colorful spots! love, love, love!

for formal, i would rather go with silvery gray than black

so there, iWish.  how useful can these be for ondoy and milenyo, haha!

Z