bake fest

So while the whole archipelago is buzzing with the latest Vicky Belo and Boy Abunda cat fight, we were busy baking cupcakes. Okay not really. It’s my wife that’s real busy. A friend at the office commissioned her to make about 75 cupcakes in individual boxes, complete with ribbons, cupcakes toppers (in fondant icing with the name “Veto” embossed), and tags for a christening. So she made four different batches of cupcakes last night to test which ones are the best. Four different batches of chocolate cupcakes! *insert happy dance*

So between browsing the web for cheap auto insurance, playing Command and Conquer 3, Tiberium Wars (my wife on the other hand loves Wedding Dash), and tinkering with my new site, this little guy, who currently has this nasty habit of spitting globs of saliva (insert Eeww!), and I were eagerly awaiting for the first round of the bake fest! Look at the goodies!

Of course, everybody’s a critic. Some prefer this batch, and some of us prefer that batch. Will provide more pics and details come Monday. Have a great weekend!

Buhay Bahay-Bahayan

Oh! Shoot! I forgot to mention that my new site Buhay Bahay-Bahayan is up and running. I knew I forgot something. I’m actually on my 8th post already. I blame it on the heat. Manila’s getting hot, hot, hot!

It’s gettin’ hot in here (so hot)
So take off all your clothes
I am gettin’ so hot
I wanna take my clothes off

Cheesy, I know! Well, good thing Sheng “gate crashed” my new site and reminded me. Thanks Sheng! Of course I won’t abandon this site. It’s just great to finally have something to call my own. So come and visit my new bahay. Don’t forget to update your links! Thanks!

MOA attraction

A few weeks ago, when we were at Mall of Asia (MOA) looking for pool supplies (I did mention it’s hot, hot, hot), we discovered this new attraction at San Miguel By The Bay. Lots of kids are lining up to get a taste of this new treat.

First, the balloon is deflated. Then, a kid is placed inside, and air is pumped in through a compressor. There’s a big “zipper” to lock the air inside. And the “balloons” are placed inside a small pool with water. Don’t let it fool you. It’s actually a lot harder that it looks. We saw a kid not even managing to stand up (notice the kid in red shirt in all the pics, but the one in white shirt was really good). He would always slip and fall. Only for kids, not kids at heart. Bummer! I would have a had a blast.

Bag of Beans

One of our favorite places in Tagaytay is Bag of Beans. So after a very good lunch at Hawaiian Bar-B-Que, The Boutique, we thought that it’s only fitting to cap off our Tagaytay weekend with a cup of coffee. We were quite surprised with the change. The place now seems…uhm… cleaner, not that it was a mess before. I think they moved and removed a few plants to make it look a lot more “organized.”

Since it was a weekday, a Monday no less, early afternoon, we practically had the whole place to ourselves. One of the things that we noticed was this small cabana with a daybed and wood flooring.

It had this lamp on top. I don’t know if it works though, maybe only at night, or maybe it’s only there for decorative purposes. But I like the stained glass; it somehow reminded me of my grandparents’ our old house in the province.

Another major change they had was the bathrooms. Nice and clean. Always a good sign.

We ordered two cups of coffee (cappuccino and cafe latte, I think)

and shared one big bowl of Banana Split. Yummy!

outside the casita

I previously posted our “unusual” experience at the Moon Garden casita here. While the casita may initially give you this Mesothelioma (a cancer through asbestos exposure) feeling because of its rustic design and stone floors and walls, and you kinda feel that it’s dusty, the garden view outside is something worth visiting Moon Garden for.

There’s actually no Moon Garden signage whatsoever apart from the lonely banner attached to some bamboo trees, so after turning right from the main highway, drive slow. Right after you park, you’ll see this gate.

Peering closer, you’ll see a glimpse of the garden.

Apart from the flowers, shrubs, vines, and other plants, the garden is also filled with paintings. That’s me by the table, with my belly courtesy of a hearty late lechon kawali lunch at LZM Restaurant.

Here are some more interesting things we found there. This walkway with flower vines was just stunning. Perfect for wedding pics.

This lamp made of bamboo was just beautiful.

A fountain with a huge flower pot on top, and a view of the dining area at the back.

Main dining area, with huge paintings, and not the creepy kind.

And here are the best tables. If you ever plan to visit them, reserve either of these tables. For contact details, see my previous post here.

black and beautiful

I got this in my e-mail (from T2rad) a couple of days ago. Jay Contreras of Kamikaze and Sarah Jane Abad, sister of Kaye Abad of Tabing Ilog fame, got married last February 12 at the Paco Park. And what makes this worthy of a post was the unusual and beautiful wedding they had. Astig!

And if you think that’s something, wait till you see what they did for their prenup.

See more wedding photos here and prenup pics here.