Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Wicked..

My youngest sister and I attempted to make Wicked Oreos.. Here's what we used..

For those who are interested to make some Wicked Oreos for themselves, here's the recipe:
1. Follow the instructions on your pancake mix box (mix eggs, water/milk, pancake mix).  
Mix until there are no lumps but try not to make the mixture too watery. 
2. Preheat the pan or the deep fryer.
Use EVOO if you have some.


3. Dip the Oreos in the pancake batter. Make sure both sides are covered.
We used regular sized reduced fat Oreos and bite sized Oreos for variety.
4. Put the Oreos in the deep fryer.
Maybe it was because our batter was too watery but I noticed that the Oreo coating was too thin so what we did was after we flipped the Oreo, we poured more batter (we layered the pancake batter) on it and re-flipped it again.
5. Watch the cookies and take it out once both sides are golden brown.
Yes, watch because it cooks fast so you should be ready to flip it or get it from the pan/deep fryer.

P.S. Best served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup
P.P.S. Sorry for the low quality pics. I dunno what happened.

Suffice it to say that I cannot show you any finished product not because we failed (well partly, we did) but because the finished products don't look appealing at all. But, I assure you that it tastes delicious. My sister tried to make a new batch the day after and she nailed it. Only problem is that we finished it before I remembered to take a picture of the Wicked Oreos.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Hello GIANT Panda!

Check out what I brought home from Brunei:
Hihihi, it's a giant Hello Panda! I wonder if the content is bigger too! Think: hamburger. HAHA
So cute! They are humongous! They come in plastic cylinders too! (top row)
COMPARE. hahaha!
It really pays to check out local supermarkets when on a trip abroad, you never know what unique item you might find!

Yummy! As of the moment, I am deliberating on eating it or giving it as pasalubong to my favorite cousin. Hmmm... whaddya think? :P

p.s. it's two weeks already since my digiperm! So far, so good! The curls are still intact thank goodness! haha :P

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Pretty pink

I prepared my outfit for the day with a different look in mind-- punk rock to be exact. But for some reason, after taking these photos, I realized I couldn't pull off the look, I was too "happy" to do punk. HAHA.
I think it has to do with the hair... the curls are too bouncy and girly that going the dark route is nearly impossible to do.
My leather and skull bracelet now looks lost in all the girly-ness. I should've just accessorized with pearls instead.
I unearthed this dress which I got (I think) four years ago from my closet. Since we got back from Brunei yesterday, all I can think about is going out and wearing the skimpiest outfit I could find. Hahaha! Seriously, I suddenly appreciated how Manila gives us freedom to wear anything we want, regardless of length or exposure of flesh. (more on this cultural peculiarity of Brunei in my upcoming Brunei post!) My great desire to go out and wear short outfits even prompted me to leave the house at 4pm and visit my old University just because I felt like it. Haha, I am too spontaneous sometimes :P

Wore this for a long day of check-ups, errands, shopping and dinner with the family. What a long day but I'm super happy to see everyone (and feel the buzz of Manila) that I don't even feel tired at all! :)

Oh Manila, I'll always choose to come home to you!

hot pink bubble dress: Human
black leather studded clogs: Parisian
necklaces: random from Beijing
white watch: ODM My Pilipinas collection
black bolero: Cherry Float (shop here)

Mary Jane is not just Spidey's love interest...

It is also currently mine. But of course Spiderman's MJ isn't one and the same as my MJ. I'm referring to these...
Recently unearthed (yes, unearthed..as it was at the bottom of the shoebox pile) this gorgeous pair from its hiding place, the shoe cloth inside one of my many clear shoeboxes.
Love love love the dainty design.

It's funny how I've had these for 3 years but I've rarely rocked it out. I guess that's why it still looks brand-spankin'-new! But now that I've fallen in love with it all over again, I'm sure I'll be wearing this as much as I can before I return it to its humble abode.


The only visible proof that I've had this pair for years now.
 What do you think? Will you be willing to wear mary jane shoes that looks similar to mine? :)

Friday, March 25, 2011

Yoghurt for your cereals!

I've been obsessing over frozen yogurt lately but since I can't have it ALL the time, I had to made do with what's available.


So for breakfast, I decided to recreate my favorite frozen yogurt mix from White Hat:

Baker's Hat: frozen yogurt + blueberries + almond clusters + cheesecake bits




My take:
Nestle Almond Clusters + Dutchmill yogurt drink + Macalauan farm Blueberry yogurt
Add a little bit of dutchmill blueberry yoghurt drink
Top it with blueberry yoghurt
Tadah! The perfect spoonful!
I often eat my cereals with soymilk just because drinking milk in the morning makes me acidic but now, I see I can use yoghurt instead! I am so happy with this discovery! haha :)

How 'bout you girls, do you like yoghurt?

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Rosy 'neath grey skies

Locals say that it hardly rains in Brunei but for some reason, it's been raining in every afternoon since we got here.
Sorry, couldn't resist the urge to highlight the flower bracelet. It is after all, my favorite
Top: cherry float
pants: bench
hat: SM dept. store
watch: ODM My Pilipinas
Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque

Royal Regalia Museum
Sorry, I only have time to do a quick post. Will do a proper "brunei" post when I get back :P

Monday, March 21, 2011

Trying out the discreet but successful Cookbook Kitchen

Back in February, my sisters and I were so bored at home that we decided to go to Eastwood and pamper ourselves. But we ended up munching at


We haven't eaten lunch but we were supposed to go to a party that night so we opted for food that are light yet filling.
Cream of Squash Soup
Garlic Shrimps
Parmesan Herbed Fries
I ate the most scrumptious, perfectly spiced, marble potatoes when we were at Manor Hotel Baguio so I was super excited to order the Temecula Ribs which are served with marble potatoes. But, imagine my surprise when I saw 3, yep you read that right, THREE pieces of marble potatoes. What's more sad is that it seems like they forgot to season it. Its saving grace however, was the main attraction of the dish...the temecula ribs. I liked its texture and flavor. The meat was tender and flavorful.

Hmm..to make the dish a winner, maybe they can pair it with baked potatoes or mashed potatoes instead of the 3 marble potatoes and rice?
Temecula Ribs served with marble potatoes
Of course we couldn't end our meal without ordering dessert. We agreed to get Helen's Moist Chocolate Cake.
Nomnomnom, doesn't it look delectable?


I know there's a lot more dishes to try at Cookbook Kitchen. I heard the Parmesan Crusted Fish and the Scarlet Cake is to die for. At least now I know where I'd be leading my company to whenever I'm in Eastwood.

Cookbook Kitchen is located at 8 Socorro Fernandez St. Mandaluyong City (call them at: 724.35.95) and at the outside vicinity, ground floor of  the New Eastwood Mall; beside Ramen Bar (call them at 709.35.93).

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Greetings from Begawan!

Quick post before I hit the sack. Guess where I'm blogging from?


More updates in the following days!

p.s. Wish you were here Soan :(

Tony and Jackey Digiperm experience

I am an extremely spontaneous person.
Boredom makes me want to explode.
Impulsive is my second name.

With all of those traits at play at an unusually uneventful Saturday, I found myself sitting at Tony and Jackey to have my hair curled. Talk about instant makeover!

So okay, you've seen how great S' curls are and how it is desirable to have your hair digipermed at Beautybrick but Makati is too far from me and somehow the thought that I've been to Tony and Jackey before makes me a bit more confident to "experiment" without thinking. haha!

I've always been a pin-straight-hair-loving-girl so going the curly route is alien to me. I've had my hair relaxed a number of times before with my last treatment about a year ago. I'm so used to the procedure for getting straight hair that I found myself completely blank during the whole perming period. I basically let the stylist do whatever she wants with my hair.

For ease of storytelling, let me enumerate the steps my stylist, Julia took:
  1. Cut my hair straight and trimmed my bangs
  2. Washed my hair and applied LPP which is supposed to protect the hair from damage, put on the heating machine and set the timer for 10minutes.
  3. Applied the perming solution for 10minutes, rinsed it off and prepped my hair to be attached to the "octopus" digital perming machine.
  4. Applied another solution which is supposed to be the keratin to lock in the shine.
So okay, that was fast! Well, it was actually! I could have had everything down in two hours except after step 3, my hair didn't curl. Que horror!

To be honest I wasn't really alarmed when I saw how the curls didn't look too obvious. I think I was just so naive with the whole process, I was expecting my curls to "appear" after they blow dry it. But with just one inspection, Julia turned to me and motioned for her assistant to tell me that she had to repeat the procedure. Gaaaah, WHAT?

I interviewed her assistant a bit and she told me it was natural for perming to not work on previously straightened hair. I get it, I've also heard of similar stories but what bothered me however was the fear that even after repeating it, the curls still won't stick.

For the "repeat procedure", Julia used a different machine with smaller hooks. You can see that in the picture below. It's those last two on the right. Smaller machine, same concept and procedure. I think maybe this time, she picked smaller rollers.


I used the leftmost machine during my first session and the one in the middle during the "repeat"
After going through steps 3 and 4 again, I was done! Finally,curls!

The curls look so tame and loose here but a few days after, my hair was all over the place! Curls, ringlets and whatnots were going haywire on my head!

I know I should feel a bit of irritation/dissatisfaction with the whole "repeat procedure" thing but no, I actually feel grateful that Julia repeated the procedure when she saw the curls didn't stick. Like what her assistant said, Julia could have easily told me that it was because my hair was previously straightened but she didn't do that. She didn't wait for me to scream at her or turn into an irrate customer, she immediately remedied the problem without any hint of arrogance or denial. I admire her for that.

To be truly honest, I can't say I'm not satisfied with how it turned out because I am! I'm really enjoying the curls especially how my look varies depending on whether I twirl it into chunky ringlets or run my fingers through it for that boho vibe. It's nice to feel like a different you once in a while :)

The next couple of weeks is the real test of how long my curls would last but I'm praying for the best! I mean hey, I did wait almost four hours in the salon chair and paid a hefty amount for it so it better be worth it! (wait for my update in two weeks!)

The Tony and Jackey Digiperm package costs Php3,000.00

Relevant post:
My two-week hair! 

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Written in the cards

One morning over coffee, S and I were just talking about getting our fortunes told when we decided to just go for it! So off we went in search of a "fortune-teller" booth of some kind-- that's when we were "led" to the Seekers' Cove.


S said her officemates were talking about going to this place in Galleria to get their fortunes read. When we got to the supposed place however, we saw that they did tarot reading which surprised us because we were expecting to see signs that specifically said "fortune-telling". What greeted us however were notices that stated that it was for those who wanted to be one with themselves, etc. etc. (huh?)

Since we were unsure, S had to text her officemate first to check if were indeed at the right place. Turns out, we were :P So although we were already having second thoughts, we decided to just push through with it because we were already there, plus, it would be a good experience, either way.

Much like how Ms. Stella (our guru-slash-adviser) briefed us, let me brief you first on what Tarot reading is all about.

Tarot reading revolves around the belief that cards can be used to gain insight on your past, present and future. It relies on a person's subconscious, meaning the things that would come out are the things you yourself would want to express/tell you. Tarot reading also relies on a person's intuition-- that psychic ability to foretell events. Basically, tarot reading involves you, your inner being and the universe.

The tarot cards themselves are not too intimidating. They are very clear on what they mean. You can rely on the pictures and the titles on them to interpret what your subconscious is telling you. The role then of the "spiritual adviser" goes from being a fortune-teller to just being an "interpreter".

When the session begins, you can opt to focus on specific areas of your life you feel is most confusing/unsettling at the moment or you can also ask for a general spread to see all areas of your chart. You can also ask specific questions during the session. One interesting thing is when you pick out the cards, you have to pick using your left hand because it is said that the left hand is the one directly connected to the right area of your brain (that one that holds your subconscious thoughts).

So on to our experiences!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Sultry Summer by Ensembles

Summer is upon us and even if the cool weather we're currently experiencing says otherwise, the change in months is a clear indication that summer is literally weeks away!

It only means one thing in fashion: Summer collections!

So to jump start summer, let us give you a preview of Ensembles' Sultry Summer collection featuring the ever gorgeous Carmina Villaroel!
Gorgeous! Love the wind in her hair and her accessories! She looks like an heiress on a Safari trip!
Bold wild prints scream summer!

Color blocking takes center stage again!

Apart from dresses, Ensembles will also be coming out with bold-colored swimwear and cover-ups. I can't wait!

Another thing to be excited about at Ensembles is Carmina's Muñiz shoes!!! Remember how we featured them last year? Well, Ensembles now carries Muñiz shoes at select branches! Woot!



Now, are you getting excited for summer? I am!

New seasons call for new wardrobes! Check out Ensembles to see the complete summer collection or check out the following links for more:


On Facebook, search for “Ensembles”

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Yey for Gumbo!

When I hear of the word "Gumbo", I am immediately reminded of Forrest Gump. Remember his friend in the army whose family business was shrimps? Gumbos in particular? The scene when he was enumerating all the dishes you can do with shrimp is still vivid in my mind so when we got to Robinson's Ermita and I saw the sign of Gumbo, all I can think about is shrimp, shrimp, shrimp.

I've only eaten at Gumbo once and that was so many years ago so going back to Gumbo for lunch was like a discovering a new place. Before anything else, just to remind you, there won't be any shrimp on this post (I'm vegetarian), so you might want to lower your expectations a bit :P

While waiting for our order, the very pleasant and cute waitress served us some complimentary bread:

Apparently the oil + roasted garlic dip is popular in a lot of resto. Remember Chelsea?

I didn't care so much for their bread. It's nothing spectacular, the dipping oil was likewise unremarkable but the mere fact that they give out free bread makes them good in my book ;)

We really didn't have to wait long, after just a few minutes (around just 5 I think), our orders started coming! Talk about really fast service! *clap, clap!
We had some artichoke and formaggio for starters.


Ohehmgee, it was SO good! The only other place I've had Artichoke and Cheese dip is at Itallianni's. For some reason though, I find this one from Gumbo better! I think it's because they drained their artichoke well so it didn't taste so sour anymore (often artichokes are soaked in vinegar).

Next we had some Mozzarella sticks!
Coconut encrusted Mozzarella sticks
The mozzarella sticks were amazing! I really enjoyed them because they were not greasy at all! Plus the coconut gave it an interesting texture and added flavor! I would compare it to the crust and taste of a chicken nugget. So good!

Then came our main dish: Pasta Putanesca!


Normally, I don't like eating Putanesca because I make really good putanesca and I always look for that same taste, but since there was no other vegetarian option (plus I was too hungry to think), I agreed on getting it. Much to my surprise, the pasta tasted AMAZING!-- even better than my own recipe! It's that goooooood! I tell you, I chowed down that baby in forkfuls, I didn't care if I looked sloppy while eating it. haha!

Now, I don't see "shrimp" flash before my eyes when I hear of "gumbo", all I can see is pasta! mozzarella! and artichoke dips! :)

TMF rating: 10/10!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Matters of the heart

We realize we didn't do anything "special" on Valentine's Day so to somehow compensate (a month after!), let me share some realizations/advice I gained from all the boys who've come and go. (haha, hope there's no tinge of bitterness there):

1. Good looks does not equate to compatibility. Someone may be good looking but he can also be the most boring person on earth. Look beyond the physical. You are bound to be with that guy possibly for the rest of your life, so find someone you enjoy talking to. (But you should also find someone you won't have trouble LOOKING at okay?)

2. Find someone you can be friends with. Lovers should start as friends. Find a boy that you enjoy being with regardless of whether there's anything romantic between the two of you.

3. Don't hurry love. Don't rush into it. Don't force yourself to feel something you don't. Love is a process, it is a journey. Take your time getting to know someone. If his intentions are real, he will wait for you no matter how long it takes.
4. Don't get caught up in the idea of love. Take judgment from what he is offering you; not what he can offer. Don't be caught up in your fantasies that you fail to see the red light.

5. Give everyone a shot. Don't close your door on anyone too soon without even getting to know the person. Even if you two don't end up being romantically linked, it'd still be worth the effort knowing you gained a friend.

6. Don't over think it. Don't be paranoid or crazy. Just go with the flow. Love should be enjoyed! If it starts to feel otherwise, then it might not be the right kind of love.

7. Never second guess yourself. If you find yourself getting wary, anxious or just plain bothered by him, detach yourself a bit. If he truly wants you, he would make you feel loved EVERY single second.

8. Remember that someone who is worth crying for won't make you cry. If someone breaks your heart, don't dwell on what-could-have-beens. He is not worth it anyway. There are a lot of reasons: maybe you're just not meant for each other; maybe he doesn't love you like you do; maybe this isn't the right time for you both; or maybe you just deserve someone better.

9. Be transparent. Don't be afraid to involve your parents, your friends, your colleagues and everyone else in the relationship. Believe me, you NEED their advice. Don't sugarcoat anything, let them judge for themselves, because really, why do you have to hide anything from anyone? Love is not a crime! Besides, there are things you fail to realize that they can point to you. You need them.

10. If it doesn't work out, remember, it's not the end of the world. As my current favorite quote goes: Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. Much like the lessons I've learned from the men who've come and go, I feel more experienced now when it comes to love. Be thankful. Don't just get over the pain, move forward.

I hope this list help you in finding the man of your dreams! For those who aren't so fortunate and is heartbroken as of the moment (ehem, ehem) let me leave you with one last thought: "Every wrong guy you meet takes you closer to the right one."

Happy post-Valentine's girls! Cheers to Love!

Beauty Brick Digiperm, the repeat!

Last Saturday, not only was I tired of my hairstyle, I was also very very bored. So aside from having my hair colored at Straight and Smooth Salon (click here for my INOA hair coloring post), I also headed to Beauty Brick to have my hair digitally permed again.

I tell you, this day was filled with luck. After my hair coloring treatment at another salon, I impulsively went to Beauty Brick even if I did not have an appointment. When I arrived there at around 2:30 PM, the salon was packed! I approached the reception area and asked if they can still accommodate me. She was about to tell me that they were fully booked but then she recognized me.She asked me if I've already had my hair done there. I cheerily said yes, and just like that, she told me that I just have to wait for a few minutes for them to be able to accommodate me.
Here's a picture I got while waiting for the treatment to do its magic to my hair. That's the waiting area, I tried to exclude the seated people from the shot. Hehe, fail.
The process actually felt like a breeze but in reality, I spent 3 hours in the salon. The only thing dissimilar to my last experience was that I literally had to transfer to different chairs per treatment. But like before, the first thing they did was shampoo my hair. I waited for Mr. Shin to check my hair's condition. Fortunately, after all the things I've done to my hair, he said that it is still as healthy as ever. So he then asked me what I wanted for my hair. I asked for higher curls with the same tightness as before (medium). He agreed and also suggested a new hair part for me but instead, I asked for bangs. He laughed a bit. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad sign but as I remember, the first time I had my hair digitally permed he asked if I wanted bangs. He proceeded to trim my hair after which he called his staff to apply the first treatment.
Had to wait for 20-30 minutes under this machine: the ionic processor.
One of his staff checked on my hair and set the timer to 7 minutes more, I have no idea why. Hehe. After that, they rinsed the treatment and applied the second treatment. Mr. Shin then came back to prep my hair for the digital perm machine. I heard him say that the roller sizes to be used were 15,15,18,15 (if that matters to anyone reading..haha). I'm guessing that that's the level of tightness of the curls per layer. From the last time I went here, I can safely say that the staff has already mastered their craft. They now wrap the prepped "hair-on-rollers" with towelettes so that you won't feel the heat on your scalp or nape. After 20 minutes of waiting (yet again) for my hair to cook err curl, they applied the 3rd treatment. And yes, I had to wait for another 20 minutes. Afterwards, they rinsed my hair, applied a scalp conditioner of some sort, blow dried and styled the hair. Mr. Shin finished trimming the bangs and focused more on teaching me how to style it. What perfectly capped off my experience was when Mr. Shin kept smiling and saying kawaii. Aww. Jeez, thanks! :">
Please don't mind the facial expressions :)

Now all I can hope for is to be able to maintain my new curls (and color) as long as possible!

Wallet damage: Php3,300 for digiperm for super long hair (includes free haircut which supposedly costs Php600!)

Beauty Brick Hair Art Studio is located at Unit 103, 122 Doña Consolacion Bldg, Jupiter St., Bel-Air Makati City (beside Red Ribbon and Frank Provost). Give them a call (and book an appointment!) at 473.51.08


For our other posts on digital perming, click the links:
First Beauty Brick digiperm experience
Facts you need-to-know about digital perms
Some products for digipermed hair

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