House of Polvoron (HOP) again!

Because we love HOP's polvoron, Tapioca and I decided to buy more and get all 7 flavors! Yay!

. . . 7 different flavors of polvoron

I haven't really tried all of them yet and I am still about to find out what my favorite is. One thing is for sure though, this is one of the best polvoron for the following reasons:

1. Have you ever tried a polvoron with raw tasting flour, or worse -burnt taste? Disgusting, right? Well on HOP's polvoron, the flour is toasted well and me thinks it's really important.

2. Each piece is individually wrapped. It's compacted so well it doesn't disintegrate or collapse on a first bite.

3. Variety of flavors. Yes! Me loves variety! You can be as adventurous as trying out different flavors like the green tea, ube, pili or cashew.

4. It's priced reasonably. I mean, the ingredients are simple and readily available so it shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. You can actually make these treats at home and that's even cheaper. But why go through all the hassle (unless you are very very passionate with polvoron and you enjoy and love making it yourself then by all means, pursue your passion lolz) when you can get them all packed nicely and ready to go? A box costs 120 bucks for the premium with 12 pieces and 18 pieces for regular. That's roughly 6.67-10 pesos each! For a cheapskate like me I wouldn't mind paying that price for a good quality polvoron.

    

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Team Outing in Zambales 2018

Last month, my former teammates and I went on an overnight trip to Zambales. It was supposed to be a Christmas party but because everyone was busy last holiday, it was moved to a later date.

. . . 1st trip for year 2018

The timing of our getaway couldn't get any better. It's off peak season meaning less people at the beach and cheaper accommodation.

We stayed at Canoe Beach Resort in Zambales. Simple, no frills accommodation that fitted our budget.

Our group of 18 occupied 2 dorm type rooms good for 20 pax. In fairness, the rooms are clean. Each bed has its own pillows and blankets.

My only complaint, the air conditioning cannot handle the midday heat. It's like it was not working at all.

I'm sorry but I didn't have a lot of photos to share. 

I have turned into a rusty blogger. Slacking off in taking pictures and documenting important details. 

Sometimes I think that it's a good thing. You know, living in the moment. 

Then there are times I think I am missing out. 

Sigh. 

Still trying to figure out how to balance it.

Zambales is still as beautiful as I remember it. I stepped into this paradise twelve years ago. I love how the mountains meet the sea. Whether you wanted a mountain view or an ocean view, you get the serene feeling of being one in nature.

I'm sure I will be back to this place. And when that day comes I'll make sure to bring Tapioca and the Munchkin with me.

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Breakfast at Seattle's Best

One more day before Tapioca turns a year older. This year is going to be special because his Mom will be in town to celebrate with us. I would love to tell you more about it but that'll be for another blog post to make.

For now, I will be blogging about our breakfast date this morning at Seattle's Best.

Tapioca and I will be shopping for new clothes at Market Market but before doing so we needed sustenance. We decided to meet up at Tim Horton's after work but ended up at Seattle's Best. I chanced upon their breakfast spread and got enticed by the sausage and cheese egg skillet. How can I say no to an egg dish in the morning? The egg addict in me felt giddy with excitement.

. . . tapioca's choice

Tapioca chose the Big Breakfast Plate 3 which consisted of schublig sausage, bacon strips, eggs, pancakes, wheat bread and fruit marmalade. He was very happy with his food. Super sulit for 250++ bucks. His only comment was that the bacon should be cooked longer to make it crispy and his egg cooked shorter because it was almost well done. And mustard should be made available for the sausage.

jellybean's choice . . .

My skillet. Bacon and cheese. At the last minute, I've changed my mind and zeroed in on the bacon instead of the sausage. Happy that my eggs were cooked right - still runny. It was lovely. I thought the toast that came with it wasn't enough but it turned out just right.

For the drinks, I had a Dilma strawberry tea and he had an Americano. Both were steaming hot which was how I like it.

. . . our brekky spread

And because I wanted a cold drink (plain water wouldn't do), I've also ordered an OJ. It was thick but I can tell it came from the carton.

peace out . . .

. . . my haggardo verzosa face

No more dessert for us. We were full and satisfied with our meals. And now we're ready for some retail therapy.

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Nanay’s Day

Before Nanay's birthday even came, I'd already made plans. I've planned to have a little party at home. We will have spaghetti and fried chicken and of course, a cake. A party is never complete without a cake. I will be drinking wine. Two big glasses of wine. One for her and one for me.

Then I had a dream. In my dream, there was Nanay. She was telling me to include pineapple juice in my grocery list. I tried to find the meaning of my dream however it was futile.

It just wasn't making any sense. I thought, maybe, just maybe, it was her way of telling me to take care and watch for my health? That I should be health conscious? Because you know, pineapple juice = good health. It’s the drink recommended for a lot of ailments such as high blood pressure, heart condition, constipation, etc etc. Hmmm, if I were to discern what this dream was all about, I think I should just take it literally, don't you think? Could it be that she knew what I was planning all along and that she would rather see me drink pineapple juice instead of wine? Oh well, if that’s what Nanay wants then I will drink pineapple juice. Anyway, I can always spike it up and turn it into pina colada. Genius! I told you, none of these make sense. I digress.

I got sick two days before her birthday. It was a really really bad cold and cough. I was having second thoughts of pushing thru with the celebration.  Then on a Saturday night, while nursing a bad headache, I received a phone call from my Aunt - Nanay's sister. She said she would be coming over. Without hesitation and not minding that I was not feeling well, I said yes.

So on a Sunday, we had a celebration - an impromptu party. We just made do of what was readily available. I was happy and sad at the same time. When I saw my aunt, I couldn't help but notice her resemblance to Nanay. I wanted to cry but I didn't. I knew she wasn't Nanay, she just looked like her.

My brother and I, along with my nephew, visited Nanay’s resting place on her special day. I was disappointed in myself because I wasn’t able to prepare well and execute my plans. No cake, no flowers, no siopao. Thankfully, there were candles being sold near the cemetery. We brought pancit and pineapple juice for her. I don’t even know why we brought pancit. Yeah it’s her birthday however the pancit symbolizes long life and it was…. sad. I only realized that now. I should have brought siopao and a cake. Tsk, tsk. Oh well, I’ll do better next year.

. . . Nanay's resting place and my nephew Oler

Kuya and Oler . . .

After that we went to Jollibee and celebrated again with … 

. . . jollibee's champ - another favorite by Nanay !!!

Oler enjoying his burger . . .

Oh these things that reminded me of her. It has been months but I still miss her terribly. The last two years were my most vivid memories of her. I am glad that during those times she decided to stay with me and Tapioca. Our house has never been the same without her. But I also knew that she is happier now wherever she is.

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Paper Moon Cafe

Someone was craving for cheesecake so before heading home we went around Glorietta to find a place where we could have dessert.

Spotted . . . Paper Moon Cafe

. . . tapioca at paper moon cafe

It was right in the middle of the aisle but the place was just perfect. Love their seats.

We checked out the cake display and decided to order a cheesecake to share. Upon placing our order, the waitstaff informed us about a discounted mille crepe for every purchase of coffee. So we took advantage and got ourselves an original mille crepe. This was their best seller, according to her.

My cafe au lait with cute latte art.

cafe au lai . . .

The coffee was so-so. Good enough so you can have something to pair your cakes with.

. . . original mille crepe, white chocolate cheesecake and my cafe au lai

The white chocolate cheesecake with oreo crust was okay but I still prefer the traditional baked cheesecake.

i forgot to include tapioca's espresso teehee . . .

The mille crepe was just okay, too. Well, it's better than the one I've tried at Pepper Lunch. It's also very filling and somewhat cloying after you get the first few bites. Good thing we have the cheesecake to alternate between bites.

. . . selfie

Overall, the items we tried were mediocre at best. Not something we'd be looking for or crave enough to get us back to this cafe asap. But I would give it another shot because I still wanted to try their ube or blueberry mille crepes and the cheese tarts. Maybe after that I can conclude if it's worth another visit or not.

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Super Bowl LII

It has become our yearly tradition to watch the Super Bowl. I haven't really blogged about it until now but if you're following me on Instagram, you should see my posts about this special event.


Tapioca was actually having second thoughts of whether to watch it or not. We had a long and tiring weekend before it even started. But I was glad when he changed his mind and decided to push through.


The Super Bowl always kick starts the birthday week of Tapioca and Valentine's day. What we do is we celebrate by going all out on a Super Bowl Sunday (Monday in the Philippines). It is our Superbowl/Pre-Birthday/Pre-Valentine's Day celebration rolled into one. We are happy this way and we think of keeping this tradition for as long as we can.


This year, we went again to Buffalo Wild Wings. It's the 2nd time in a row that we watch the game in this place. As I've mentioned in my previous post, there was no reservation required because TV 5 bought the rights of ESPN including this year's Super Bowl. Thank goodness we were early. We got good seats at the bar area.

. . . view from our seats

Sleepy and still feeling tired, all I really wanted was a good cup of joe. Buffalo Wild Wings got 2 options - an espresso and americano. Thanks, but no thanks. I got a mango shake instead.

my mango shake . . .

Please don't ask me anything about the game. I have absolutely no idea. I was just there to give moral support to Tapioca and of course, to eat, drink and watch the Halftime show.


I was so hungry that morning I did all the ordering and eating while Tapioca rooted for his team - New England Patriot. Here's our Super Bowl munchies . . .

. . . italian flatbread

I think I'm starting to have a love affair with flatbreads. They are like pizza only thinner and crispier, thanks to the flat bread crust.

ultimate nachos . . .

This is overpriced, I think. So little toppings, so disappointing. How can you name something "ultimate" when you can count on your single hand the number of ingredients. Tsk, tsk.

. . . buffalo wings with ranch dip

This is what they're famous for. I got the spicy garlic wings. The heat was there but not enough to tickle my buds. I think I should have ordered something more spicy. The next level or higher than the spicy garlic. They have different spice levels to choose from. I love the celery and carrot sticks on the side.


When I thought I was ready for a drink, I got my Hoegaarden Rose.

hoegaarden rose . . .

It's draft and it's diluted. Draft Gastropub's Hoegarden is better in my opinion. I also had an issue with the glass. I wanted them on a hex glass hahahaha. #artelang


Halftime Show with Justin Timberlake.

. . . photo from harpersbazaar.com

Justin's performance was good but somewhat bitin. I wanted more!


The Patriots lost. Eagles fans and anti-Patriots fans were rejoicing. It was a good game, Very close match. They said, if only Tom Bradey didn't have the hand injury they could have won. I say, injured or not if it's meant to be then they're going to win. But not this year, dear. Better luck next time.



Until the next Super Bowl.

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New Water Bottles

Happy Friday folks.


I am very much excited for this weekend. You know why? Because for the longest time in such a long time, Tapioca and I will have the same weekend off which means more bonding time, more QT and more family time. Yay!


Anyway, I am blogging about these new water bottles I recently purchased.


Like our time off situation, for the longest time I've been hunting for the perfect water bottles for our fridge.


You see, for the longest time (I think the title of this post should be "For The Longest Time” lolz) we've been using recycled soft drinks bottles as our water containers. They are not the prettiest but they serve its purpose.


Back in 2013, I found what I think I was looking for at Howards Storage. However, it's 500 pesos a pop. We needed about 4-6 of them so that’ll be like 3000 pesos all in all! Eeek, I didn't think I was ready to splurge on water bottles. And please don't remind me of the KOR hydration vessel. There's a difference, me thinks hehehehe!


Then life got in the way and looking for new water bottles went into the backseat. Just like what happened to this blog. And so many other things.


When our lives were finally back in order and back to regular programming, I started shopping around for those damn bottles. I had some major realizations and one of them was my water bottles. They’re such an eye sore in my kitchen. I needed to get them replaced - ASAP.


I went around shopping, searching and looking high and low in every supermarket, groceries and department stores. Wherever there were plastic containers, I was there. It took some time and difficulty because I have high standards (ehem ehem) until I stumbled at Robinsons Forum supermarket and found this . . .

. . . lock & lock water bottles

This is sorta like the one I found from Howards Storage 5 years ago.

2-way, up or down . . .

And it's freakin’ 500++ pesos! Oh well, they are from Lock n Lock so it's given.

. . . yikes

Then I found another one.

home gallery fridge bottle . . .

. . . hmmm, not bad

Cheaper but the top is not something I think I can rely on should we put it laying down in the fridge.

top cover not approved by jellybean **thumps down** . . .

Then here's a cheaper one. Buy 1 take 1!

. . . love the design with the hand grip - though it can't be put laying down as well

it's like 70 pesos each, what a steal!!!

Sold! Yes, I got sold with the buy 1 take 1. Also because, these were the last 2 packs. Nagpanic buying ako. Low EQ lang ang peg which was so wrong. So much for having high standards ** insert facepalm emoji**


When I got home and showed the bottles to Tapioca, pinagalitan ako. The bottles were flimsy. I doubt if it will even last a year or months. That's why it's so cheap. I should have known.


Lesson learned:

1.       Do not fall for the buy 1 take 1 strategy.

2.       Do not be tempted to buy even if it's the last piece on earth. There’s a reason why it’s the last piece. Could be good or bad but in the end it is not worth the gamble.



I think I should make a list of things to remember so I will never fall into the trap of these marketing tricks hahaha!

#neveragain #beasmartshopper

UPDATE, UPDATE!!!

After a few days of usage, Tapioca finally realized how nice the bottle design was and told me to buy more. Unforch, those were really the last two packs from Robinson's. Though the water bottle was designed really well, it's just that the material used is poor. I just hope they will last. If not, no hard feelings. Ang mura, eh!

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Oreo Thins

I've been seeing ads of Oreo Thins in my Instagram feed for a while now and realized I still haven't tried them yet.


I got the opportunity to buy a couple of boxes when Tapioca and I went grocery shopping. If it wasn't for the lady in front of us at the checkout counter (who was buying a bunch of Oreo Thins), I would never have thought of getting some for myself. Heck, it did not even reveal itself to me while browsing each and every aisles at the supermarket.


The life of a working mom. You know you've grown older and become busier that you no longer have the time to really peruse and scrutinize all items on display. Instead, you  focus more on your shopping list and be done with it until all items are ticked off. Adulting 101. Hehehehe.


Here's what I got. Oreo Thins in two flavors - Chocolate (tiramisu) and Vanilla (vanilla delight).

. . .  pouring myself some milk

  

tiramisu and vanilla delight . . .

The way to eat and enjoy an oreo is by dunking it in milk.

. . . dunk it in

I love thin crackers and lace cookies. Oreo Thin's cookies are indeed thin, crunchy and not as salty as the regular Oreos.

oh yeah!!!!

My only issue was the stuffing. The stuffing was also super thin! I mean, come on. Oreos are all about the stuffing. I would always buy the double stuff kind because regular stuff is not as fun as the double stuff. Hahaha, that's just me, okay?


Anyway, if they can make Oreo Thins with double - er, make that triple or quadruple (the more the merrier!!!)  ***insert greedy smiley*** then I will be totally digging this new Oreos.



Until then, I will be happy with my double stuff oreos. And yes, vanilla please.



Did I mention that I am also on the lookout for Oreo's in different flavors? Have you guys tried it? I am curious! Like the Oreos candy corn, caramel apple, red velvet and etc. etc. I would love to try them out and share on the blog what I think about them.

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