Hello Lion!

Well, it's more of a Goodbye!  We took this shot before we left Baguio because we were rushing to get there when we arrived.  We were so lucky we got to take this solo shot.  I kinda went stage mothery and got pissed with the other people hogging the lion.  Make up your minds people!  If you want to take a picture, take the picture and leave.  Don't do it one at a time and finally decide you want a group shot.  We all want solo pictures with this lion! Okay, end of rant.

More about Baguio in my next entries.

Serenitea Free Upsize: Challenge Accepted!

For its 3rd year anniversary, Serenitea is giving its loyal clients a free upsize from large to jumbo for select drinks. 

Unfortunately, my favorite Royal Milk Tea was not part of the free upsize list.  The cashier recommended that I order Pearl Milk Tea which I did.

I put a Hershey Kiss beside it for you to compare how ginormous it is!

The Pearl Milk Tea was good.  I was scared it wouldn't be yummy but it was.  It took me 1 hour and 30 minutes to finish it.  I was scared I would puke or get umay.  It's already 10pm, I drank it at 11:30am and I still feel it.

I won't do it again BUT I will gladly share with a friend.

Serenitea free upsize promo runs until tomorrow.  Delivery not allowed for this promo.  People are finally hearing about this and after I ordered, I saw the queue getting longer and longer.  Good luck lining up tomorrow! Serenitea located in Alabang Town Center, Banawe, BF Homes Paranaque, Burgos Circle- Fort, Cybermall- Eastwood, Little Baguio San Juan, North Greenhills San Juan and Robinson's Place Manila.

Off to Baguio!

I haven't been here since the 90's.

I'm excited!  Tell you about our adventures when we get back.

You wait, I'll take a picture with you

Karl told her this lion bites people and now she's scared.  Great job Karl....

Picture from: VisitPinas.com

Stickhouse

If you have been in Eastwood recently, you may have noticed that Fazoli's has now been changed to Bigoli's.  Not only did they make a major overhaul in their interiors but the company also changed management.

Christmas Came in Early

After our late night pedicure sesh!

I have been thinking of buying Mia, Salt-Water Sandals since forever (Translation: 2010-2011ish).  Thank you Ninang Kim for being a generous benefactor!

Banana Morning Smile Booth

Can you spot Mia?

Remember when I blogged and bombarded some of you to like Mia's picture for a contest?  The organizers set up a booth to include the most memorable entries from the Banana Morning smile Facebook contest in Greenbelt a few weeks back.

Christmas in IFC

The International Finance Centre or IFC is a complex at Central Waterfront that opened in September 2005.  It includes two towers (One IFC and Two IFC- Yes, creative sila!), 2 hotels and 1 mall.  Around 15,000 office executives work in the IFC towers.  The 2 hotels boast of more than 900 rooms.

Hong Kong Disneyland Part II

This is really is it!

Here are some tips when going to Disneyland:

Hong Kong Disneyland Part I

How can I talk about Hong Kong without showing pictures of Disneyland?

Excited much? Disneyland ticketing station in Hong Kong MTR Station

We got our tickets before Disney increased prices last August.  Now, 1 day ticket cost $399 HKD for adults, $285 for children (aged 3-11), and $100 for senior citizens.  We got ours $50 HKD cheaper.  If you buy your tickets online, you can claim your ticket in Hong Kong Station just so you don't need to line up in Disney to get your tickets.

Creepy Weather

What is it with the weather these days?  Isn't it supposed to be cool and yet sunny?

This looks like mumu weather...

My Christmas Wish

This is totally not doable in the near future but maybe just in time for baby no. 2 (Who is still non-existent, don't get excited!).

As a mom who loves to be a real mom without a yaya, can I request our local malls to have this? Pretty please with cherries on top?

Hakata Ippudo

For our last night in Hong Kong, we ate in Hakata Ippudo.  I saw the name from a local blog I read before and had good reviews so I thought it should be worth a try.



Ippudo opened in 1985 with a 10 person seating capacity.  Its owner, Shigemi Kawahara earned the title of the "Ramen King" after winning 3 consecutive times in a Japanese TV show where ramen experts had to cook ramen.

I'm a Barbie Girl

Yes, another one of those pictures for Mia's future AVP for her wedding

Not alot of people know that I still have boxed Barbies in my house- around 20 something pieces.  Most kept in a baul so it won't fade (Yes, I'm O.C. like that).  I didn't feel the need to open all the Barbies I got for my birthdays and Christmases.  I saved those collector pieces and even "splurged" on  $100 priced Barbies every time I went out of the country as a memento for that particular trip.  I made sure all of them travelled safely, most of the time, hand carried!  I don't even know how my mother tolerated this.  The last time I bought one was in 1999.  Yes, my youngest is more than 10 years old!

Picture of the Trip

If a picture can sum up our trip to Hong Kong, it would be this:



A face only a mother could love.

Yes (as you can see with Karl's outfit), it's not cold but Mia insisted on wearing her earmuffs a.k.a. earphones ala Justin Bieber.  Mia mostly sat on her stroller.  Maclaren is highly recommended- very light and easy to collapse and put up. 

Mommy and Me(ow)

Left: Zara Right: H&M

One of our few(Tears!) purchases from Hong Kong.  This is my first dibs on animal print.  It's my daughter's THIRD pair.  I'm not even counting the animal print clothes that she has.  More on Hong Kong in my next blog entries.

P.S. Should I even mention that her pair is THREE times more expensive than mine?  I demand equal rights!

Off to Hong Kong!

See you in a couple of days. Will update you, hopefully even before we get back!

Mia on her outfit today, "Mom! I look like Adele!"

Weh?????

Curling Hair with No Heat Part II

I already taught you how to curl before.  This is another way.  This was actually the first way I learned how to curl.

Cute na sana, ignore ugly me in the background. Not fishing!

My fascination with curling started when Mia and I got a haircut from our Korean stylist.  After her normal bob, the stylist used her curling iron to twist Mia's thin hair to curl and volumize it.  It was so amazing I attempted to do it for that year's New Year's Eve celebration.  Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as it looked.  I kept on burning my fingers every time I attempted to twist her hair.  Either the stylist had numb fingers OR I had no clue what I was doing.  It was probably the latter.

Fruits of our Labor

We picked up our Toast Box gift certificates today.  We took a picture with the friendly staff since Toast Box also requested a picture so they can post it on Facebook and on Twitter. 

I was already having a problem in my head how to spend P1,000 in one visit in Toast Box but they were wayyyy ahead of me.  Their gift certificates are in P500 denomination!  Woohoo!  So we spent P500 today and I still get to treat my officemates as promised!

Mia's Quotable Quotes Rewind 2010

I was supposed to do 2010 but since my account just froze, I am trying my best to go back.

For now, this is what I was able to copy:

August 3
While Mia was on the toilet... Mia: Mommy, can you pinch my nose because my poopoo is stinky. At least she's honest.

Mia: Mama, I don't want to sleep the right way. I want to sleep the left way.

August 5
Mia: Mommy, this morning daddy kissed me and then he kissed you. Daddy's a prince! I had to put up a straight face when she made that realization. Hehe...

Akitaya Restaurant

One lazy Sunday morning, the family decided to try out Akitaya Restaurant.  We were supposed to go to Ukkokei for some ramen craving.  As usual it was a fail, this time around it was because they were undergoing renovation until November 14 (Take note people!)

Before I tell you how the food was, let me tell you the Legend of the Barats.  It's not really a legend.  People know that I am a thifty person in general, and my husband, in my personal opinion, is thriftier than me.  Akitaya is located along Mile Long, the other side not near McDonald's or Sango.  Anyways, when we got there, the guard was charging us P30 for parking.  I told Karl why not park in the McDonald's side since the week before we were there for a kiddie party and were not charged anything for parking fees.  When we came out of the restaurant it started to rain and we did not have any umbrella.  Karl refused to borrow from the parking attendant (Pride chicken) so he walked to the other side to get the car.  Clincher: Parking was P40 on the other side!  Apparently we were just lucky that we didn't get charged the last week.  I reasoned "Okay na rin yan, on average  P20/parking tayo dito."  So that's our story, now going back to the food.

Toast Box for the Win!

Remember the contest I mentioned before?



We won! Yehey! Thank you to our non existent fans!

I'm so excited!  As for the winnings, I promised 2 of my officemates that I'll treat them when I get my prize.

Mia's favorite

If you ask Mia who her favorite parent is, without batting an eyelash, she'll tell you it's me.

Makapal na sa makapal but I know I am my daughter's favorite.  Based on my experience though, it does not necessarily guarantee that I will be forever my daughter's fave, but for now I'll thrive on it.

If there's one thing Karl and Mia love to do though, it would be sleeping.  I am not sure why this became their favorite pastime(I googled the spelling! Don't correct me.) or if this is even counted as spending time together but here are a few shots I took of them sleeping.

Yoggle

Just like shawarmas, badminton, Zagu, SLR, etc.,  I believe the yogurt craze is almost dead.

After our dinner in Jozu Kin, Mia wanted some yogurt to call it tonight. (Yes, it's wrong grammar on purpose).

Cute colors!

Not 1, not 2 but ALOT to choose from...

It's do it yourself. 4 flavors to choose from and in between the 4 flavors they have twirled flavors (2 flavors that comes out as a flavor).  You have a variety of toppings to choose from too.  It's P20/ounce.  We didn't get alot because I know as soon as it melts, Mia will stop eating it and make me (but mostly Karl) finish it.  We just got plain yogurt with sprinkles (which didn't taste so good anymore).

Yoggle is located in Ronac Art Center.

Jozu Kin Restaurant

Since I was craving for some Japanese or Italian and there weren't really alot to choose from in Ronac Art Center, either Charlie's or Jozu Kin, we opted for the latter.

Nice, clean and cozy!

Ronac Art Center

In my personal quest to try out new places, the family decided to go to Ronac Art Center to check it out.

I don't need alot to get pleased.  We were greeted by a very uniquely designed basement parking lot.



Underground... Weh? Di nga?

Guess where Mia is?

A sauna?

A cabin?

A crate to be shipped somewhere? I wish sometimes.

I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.

Mia's Quotable Quotes Rewind 2011

I just realized that either a. I haven't been spending time with Mia or b. She stopped being witty because I stopped having my daily quotes from her.  I think it's the former which is bad.  Here are highlights of 2011.  Enjoy!

January 25

Grandma: Mia, can you please call your yaya to prepare your food.
Mia: Grandma, don't you have a telephone?
Even Grandma is tablado.

March 19

Mia: What am i wearing today?
Candice: Skinny jeans.
Mia (singing):....jeans, boots with the fur. The whole club looking at her.
At least we have potential in continuing a song with a word contests. Hehe.

March 26
Mia: What car are we using today?
Candice: Rav4.
Mia (singing): Four? I whip my hair back and four, I whip my hair back and four.
She's getting better at it

Happy Yoga Birthday to Me!

It's been two years since I first started.  In between, I got dengue, a "real" job, and a few trips here and there.  I tried other exercises but I still go back to Bikram.

Standing head to knee

Just like any birthday, I celebrated it... With yoga practice.  I even had a guest.  Haha.  Thanks Em for practicing with me.

Here's to two years and counting!

*Thanks Dana for the picture.

We Won!

Kasi naman, apparently with all the girls who want to be fairies and princesses, there's actually a Best in Fairy and Best in Princess award.  We won in the Best in Fairy category!  Yay!!!

We won an ampao!

Okay Mia, just because of this, I will not roll my eyes next time you suggest your costume.

Happy Halloween!

From 3 Angry Birds except the other one got shy so she hid!

These are my mom's neighbor's yayas so syala.  Their alagas were also Angry Birds.  Winner!

Happy Halloween!

Banana Morning Smile

Share your smile

Yes folks, we joined another contest.

Va Bene Pasta Deli

Karl and I decided to try Va Bene Pasta Deli in one of our date nights.  We have heard so many people recommending it and telling us to try it that we finally decided to try it out.

Yummy complimentary stuff

Happy Halloween!

So it's finally Halloween season.  Mia has already attended her first Halloween party.  She has around 4 more left before we call it quits for the year.

What I learned so far from this year's Halloween?  Don't buy wings because they're a hazard to the other kids.  In a span of 30 minutes, I saw my daughter whack several kids unknowingly with her supposedly dainty fairy wings.

I hope everyone makes the most of one of the funnest holidays ever!

La Mesa Ecopark

La Mesa Watershed is the primary source of drinking water for 12 million Metro Manila residents.  The area is around 2700 hectares, 700 hectares is the reservoir and 2000 hectares is the forest surrounding it.

La Mesa Entrance

Competitive, Chinese Style

What happens when this is your first prize?

Not 1, but 2!

Pambato

This is our entry for the contest.  I hope we win....

It's a real dinosaur! Try to beat that.  Hehehe.....

Curling Hair with No Heat Part I

I have 2 ways of curling Mia's hair with no heat. The first way, I learned through YouTube, the other way I just discovered when my mom bought this in Divisoria (Like SM, they've got it all for you).  I'll show the YouTube version some other time but here is how you do the Divi version.

So not in the mood for a demo

I Have Never...

Whenever I had to play "I have never..." game in college, I always used to tell them that I have never ridden a bus to commute in the Philippines.  I have ridden them in other countries.  I have ridden them here for field trips but I have never ridden them to commute.  Taxis, jeepneys, tricycles, roro- check!  Bus, not quite.

Took the red route

On a Toasty Sunday Morning

We had other plans today, but since our schedule cleared up, we had a random Sunday morning.  We decided to go to Fort.  We originally decided on going to High Street but since we realized they were closed until 11am, we went somewhere else instead.

Always look before crossing

Urban Ashram Manila

Finally!  Another fitness post!

It took me awhile to blog about this because my camera makes a sound while taking pictures and I was scared they would tell me taking pictures is not allowed.  Dork!



Funky lockers!

Signature Pose

I am inspired by Bianca Gonzales' tumbling shot pose.  Check out her September 10, 2011 entry (I can't link it directly, you have to look for it).  Amazing!  Makes me want to have my signature pose.  No, I will not do a model pose like Mia's.  That's her signature.

Anyways, take that Kim Chiu!  Yes, I know she's not competing with me but I think mine is fairly decent.  So I guess this was the pose they were channeling for this advertisement.

Pigeon pose. I made the picture distorted. Duh.

My officemate suggested this be my signature pose.  Hindi ko kaya!

1. My clothes will get dirty.
2. I will look ridiculous.
3. I will look ridiculous.
4. I will look ridiculous.
5. My husband will disown me.

This list is in no particular order.

The Cubed Braid

Another hair post!

I got this inspiration from one of the blogs I read.  She finally decided to make videos so it's easier to follow!

Things you will need: the usual suspects

Frankly My Deer

Last year, for our annual anniversary trip, Karl and I went to Japan.  We decided on going around the Kansai region, Osaka and Kyoto.  Since it was in the area, we decided to take a quick day trip to Nara.



Let's play count the deer

Tame deer roam around Nara. According to the legendary history of the Kasuga shrine, the mythological God named Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara riding a white deer to guard the newly built capital.  Since then, deer have been regarded as heavenly animals.

Not Following Directions

The theme was WACKY.

Strike 1.
Strike 2..
Strike 3...
Strike 4....
Strike 5.....

Guess who did not follow instructions?

We Got Featured!

By WE, I mean, Mia’s picture and my name acknowledged as the photographer.

I didn’t even know our picture got posted until Mia’s classmate’s mom posted it on my wall.

Thanks for the heads up!

It may not be the Sartorialist, but we're getting there.  Ambisyosa!

October Fest

When you're a mom and it's October, there's only one thing you fuss about.

HALLOWEEN!

I had fond memories of Halloween when I was a child.  My frustration was never going to Ayala Alabang for trick or treat.  I heard a house there made their maid and driver pose as Jasmine and Aladdin on top of their house in a carpet.  Is this true or urban legend?  Anyways, as Mia's mom, I have taken it upon myself to make sure she makes the most out of her childhood with all her Halloween memories.  Lahat nang pwedeng puntahan, pupuntahan.



2007: 2 months old.  She went out to get her candies!



Happy Anniversary

It's boyfriend girlfriend anniversary.  BUT STILL!



REPOST: Fake Smile

Originally blogged in July 31, 2009.  Karl always tells me I should talk to people more, but whenever I try to say hi to people who I've met before, somehow I always end up talking to people who don't remember me anymore.  Am I really that forgettable?!  They always give me this fake, yeah I know you look but really I don't, awkward silence moment.

-

For most of you guys (my contacts... Hehe...), you already know that I'm really not a people person. I'm a creature of habit. I don't like small talk and I will not go out of my way to talk to people I don't know. AND I will not go out of my way to say hi to people I barely(sort of/ talk to) know (but I know) when I see them. My face is not a smiley face and generally I look like I'm mad at the world.

Take for example last week, I was in a store (Haha, anonymous, malay mo, kamultiply ko siya!). I saw a college friend who was my groupmate in this and that class. I saw her, but she didn't see me, so I let it as is. I didn't want to talk about this and that for 5 minutes and say, "Bye, let's keep in touch!" but really we don't. I just let her do her shopping while I maneuvered myself out of the store without managing an eye contact.  She still looked the same, I probably didn't (Clue: I'm a mother now!).

Lily the Zebra

Early this month, Mia had homework for school.  Unfortunately, I am one of those anal homework mothers- good for my daughter, bad for me.  The exercise was that she took home a "mascot" or class "pet" and basically she just had to take pictures of the activities that she did that weekend and compile it in the scrapbook where the rest of her classmates posted their own pictures with Lily.

Lily the Zebra

Happy Birthday Rustie!

Hey Rustie,

Happy Birthday!  Finally, a post with your pictures.  Due to your insistent demand.

April 2010

Thanks for making work life more bearable, livelier and something to look forward to each day.

September 2011

Here's to being 29.  Here's to our growing friendship (more on your part, see picture.).  Here's to a sexier new you!

Looking forward to more memories with you.

Love,
Mahaderang Frog Candice

UCC Park Cafe Express

Remember my craving for ramen that was an epic fail because it was never satisfied?

UCC!

Last Saturday, Mia and I had a lunch date in UCC Park Cafe Express to check out their ramen.  This branch is supposedly the only UCC branch that had ramen.  For the first time I was happy that the weather was gloomy.  Nothing beats yummy soup on a rainy day!  I was excited.  Haha, ramen dork!

Another Family Adventure

I'm excited!  The last time we were here was in 2009.

Mia with not much hair

I hope the weather cooperates!  No typhoons, please.

Sock Bun

I am so glad my daughter did not inherit my hair.

Why mom are you showing this to the world?

Chateau Hestia

After our massage, Karl and I decided to take my parents to Chateau Hestia.  We stumbled on this restaurant when we ate in Bawai’s with Karl’s cousins and decided to walk around the area when we got too full.



Taken last May: If Senator Guingona had his birthday here(Says so in their chalkboard), it must be good!