A Cupcakeful of Joy

A Cupcakeful of Joy

                Hello everyone! I’m sorry for the delay… I just finished weeks of exam and projects in school [my explanation for the delay J]. The past weeks were stressful but people and different things around me helped me finish all those requirements. One of the things that helped lift my spirit up is a boxful of Cupcakes by Sonja (off course I shared it with my family J).

              I love love love cupcakes especially cupcakes from Cupcakes by Sonja. Their cupcakes (the bread part) have nice moisture. It’s not really wet and not really dry—in other words just right J. When you bite into it, it crumbles perfectly into your mouth. They have various types of batter for the cupcake. They have chocolate, vanilla, Traditional Southern Red Velvet, carrot, lemon, peanut butter, and many more! They are ALL GOOD! J And if the cupcake doesn’t convince you yet… let me describe to you their divine frostings. Their frostings are light and silky to the mouth. It does not have a buttery taste but rather a smooth taste depending on the flavor of frosting. The frostings give the cupcake more life and “personality”  J. Each type of frosting has the right sweetness.  Together, the cupcake and the frosting, it makes a cupcakeful of joy. J Maybe it sounds silly but seriously a bite of cupcakes from Cupcakes by Sonja makes me smile J. Yep! It’s that good.  But if your still not convinced… I hope you would be thru these pictures J…

open a boxful of joy :)

yum!

<3 <3

            

Or check out Cupcakes by Sonja’s website [it’s so fun J] : http://cupcakesbysonja.com/

Enjoy!

-DOT-

Photos are personally owned by writer, if you would like to use it kindly inform or at least cite the source thank you! J

A Sunny Idea on this Rainy Day

A Sunny Idea on a Rainy Day

        Right now, here in the Philippines, it’s raining hard because of a storm. And since there is a heavy down pour, I am stuck here at home.

        To spend my time, I surfed the internet for something to see or do. While surfing the net, I stumbled upon an interesting Yahoo News headline that says… “Incredible photos of 'levitating' woman”. Now, who would not be intrigued by this? First, I was intrigued by this article because of the fact that people don’t just levitate and, second, because I love photos and photography J.

        The article turns out to be photos of, Japanese photographer, Natsumi Hayashi from her website yowayowacamera.com. In her website, she posts daily levitating photos of herself and sometimes with other people. Her photos are so beautiful, creative, and inspiring. Hayashi’s photos are fun, cool, and sunny. It was such a joy to browse thru her works. It definitely made my, rainy, day warm and sunny inside J. Because of her photos… I now wish to have a photo just like hers or join her in her photos J.

        Well, till I get my photo with her… I picked some of my favorite levitating pictures from her site www.yowayowacamera.com . Enjoy! [the captions are my personal insights :)]

i like this so much.. this gave me an idea.. what about having tea :)

awesome| surreal

halfway in

i like this so carefree :D

try flying out the train :)

this reminds me of mary poppins :) and since its raining here i'd also like to float away :)

-Dot-

Credits to:

http://beta.news.yahoo.com/photos/defying-gravity-tokyo-photographer-levitates--1308611593-slideshow/defying-gravity-tokyo-photographer-levitates--photo.html#crsl=

For more levitating photos check out Natsumi Hayashi’s site : yowayowacamera.com

Yummy Chicken!!!

Yummy Chicken!!!

            I love chicken so much, especially when their fried to delicious, crispy goodness. J My love for fried chicken was redefined by Bon Chon’s Chicken [available in soy garlic and hot and spicy flavor]. The chickens are crispy and tasty on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. You will surely love their chicken J.



from: http://www.facebook.com/Bonchon.Chicken.Philippines



            Bon Chon is a South Korean restaurant now found in different parts of the world J. Here in the Philippines they are located at Ayala Triangle Gardens, Greenbelt 1, Megamall (bldg. A), and Acropolis.

-DOT-

check this site for more details: http://www.facebook.com/Bonchon.Chicken.Philippines

Sparkling Seoul [part 2]

Sparkling Seoul [part 2]

      Paris won’t be Paris without the Eiffel Tower, India won’t be India without the Taj Mahal, China won’t be China without The Great Wall, and Seoul would not be Seoul without the N Seoul Tower.

     

      When in Seoul, don’t miss visiting the N Seoul Tower because it gives you a 360 view of the whole city. It also gives you wonderful panoramic views of the different parts of the city. It would be best to visit and go up the tower during late in the afternoon, to see the busy streets, till at night, to see the colorful night life in Seoul. Or you could just stay the whole day up in the tower as scenes change from early morning to sunset.

Riding the cable car is a great way of going to the tower

                                                        Going up Seoul Tower (via cable car)


Seoul (late afternoon, check out the cherry blossoms)



all of the window panels in the observatory have labels of diff. cities and the corresponding distances

panoramic view of Seoul (sunset and night)

       Aside from the observation deck, the tower also has gift shops and restaurants at the top. But the tower is not the only thing to visit at N Seoul Tower because below the tower different things can be seen. Below the tower one can find the “Locks of Love”. Literally these are thousands of padlocks with different, shapes, sizes, and color that symbolize couples’ love for each other that can’t be broken. It is such a wonderful sight to see. Not far from the Locks of Love is a small version of the Teddy Bear Museum. The Teddy Bear Museum features teddy bears (of course J) depicting the different scenes in Seoul history. Speaking of history, the Beacon Lighthouse, a structure that serves as a lookout for the army, is also situated below the tower. And across the lighthouse is a beautiful pavilion.

Locks of Love <3

The Teddy Bear Museum

The pavillion

      With all these sights to see, one can relax and dine at the different cafés and restaurants found below the tower.

N Seoul Tower at Night

      I hope that I have given enough information on the wonderful N Seoul Tower… well if you’re not fully convinced… check it out for yourself J.

Till next blog! 감사합니다!

-Dot-

Check out this source for more information on N Seoul Tower:

http://www.nseoultower.net/english/nseoultower/intro.asp

http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=260067

song in the video: Summer Parade by Depapepe

the Photos and the video are personally owned by writer, if you would like to use it kindly inform or at least cite the source thank you! J

Sparkling Seoul [part 1]

Sparkling Seoul [part 1]

      I have just arrived home from my four day trip to South Korea, particularly in Seoul. I really enjoyed my time there. I loved the weather (since here in the Philippines is so hot), I loved the food, I loved the places, I loved the shops, but most of all I loved the people (they were so kind J).

So starting with this blog entry, I will be writing about some random awesome stuff I liked while in Seoul.

      When in Seoul, make sure to watch a Nanta show. Nanta is a theatrical performance infused with music, comedy, drama, a bit of martial arts, and cooking. Nanta is a story of four chefs, a manager, the manager’s nephew and a wedding to prepare. As the characters near the deadline of the wedding preparation, they do all sorts of things like cook, play around, and make music. The characters do finish the task and finishes it triumphantly J.

     

Inside the Theater ( show was about to start and no cameras are allowed during the show)

You will surely have fun :)

As the show continues, I’m sure that the audiences will enjoy and really feel the performance. Nanta is for all ages and for all nationalities. Dialogue won’t be an issue since Nanta performances have few Korean dialogues but are accompanied by great acting and facial expression. I am sure of this because I too experienced it. It not only entertains you but it also teaches you some Korean culture like the music, traditions, and food.   

So when in Seoul make sure you stop by to watch a Nanta performance or other great theater shows like Miso, Jump, and many more. J For more information on where to watch a Nanta show or how much would a show cost or questions regarding other shows, check out this website: http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_2_3.jsp

-Dot

photos are owned originally by the writter ask permission or atleast acknowledge the source :)

Oh me! Oh my!: An Update

Oh me! Oh my!: an update

Wow! It has been a while since my last blog… (Blame it on the academicsJ). I’m finally done with schoolwork and now its summer time here in the Philippines. These past week have been really hot now- an indication of summer!!

            This blog entry is an update of blogs to come. I will soon be posting an entry on a new restaurant at The Fort. J I will also update you guys on summer happenings here in the PhilippinesJ.

            Since summer is here let me just reminisce great beaches I’ve been to. The first beach worth reminiscing about is Boracay!! It is located in the Visayan Area of the Philippines particularly in Aklan. It is known for its long stretches of white sand shores and breathtaking sunsets. (I always find sunsets to be beautiful). There are a lot of great places to shop, eat, play, sleep, and more. When I was there, I enjoyed going back and forth to D Mall. There one can buy jewelries, shirts, souvenirs, food, drinks and many more!

Another beach that I would like to go back to is at Sipalay, Negros Occidental. This place may not be very well-known… but let me tell you... this place is so AWESOME!!!!  The place is very quiet and still “untouched” (not to public and exposed). The sand is also white there J. When I was there I enjoyed walking at the shore, island hopping, and just chilling.

The last beach I would like to revisit and highly recommend would be El Nido, Palawan. There are so many  good things I could write about El Nido… but here are just some things that make me crave for El Nido: beautiful clean beaches, clean and super clear water (therefore you see all types of sea creatures), wonderful wildlife, and lush green forests. When I was there I loved island hopping and swimming at the cool clear waters. Oh, I could just be lost in my thought right now. J.

            I just love these beaches. If ever you’re planning for a seaside vacation… I highly recommend these places J.  So that would be all for now! Stay tuned to my next blog entryJ.

-DOT-

Photos are from : http://www.tourism.gov.ph/SitePages/PhilippineBeaches.aspx and from the writter. kindly site or acknowledge owners when using the photos thank you.

A Wonderful Birthday Indeed

A Wonderful Birthday Indeed

Last last week, I celebrated my birthday! Hooray for me! [Thank you Lord for Your faithfulness to me.] I thought that my birthday would be celebrated by having dinner at home or just watching a movie, but I was wrong. My parents had better plans for my birthday celebration. Although it was only celebrated by only me and my family, I had a wonderful time.

My parents treated me to dinner at Katre, a Mediterranean fusion restaurant. It is located in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. It is described as a Mediterranean fusion because it combines Mediterranean dishes with Filipino cooking… and the marriage of both is just so wonderful.

For my birthday, my dad ordered grilled tuna on top of rice served with mussels and potato strings. It was very good. The fish had the right moisture and the flavor was perfect. My mom had chicken covered with a rich white sauce with mash potatoes and a tomato salad side dish. Again it tasted so good. The chicken was, I think, roasted since it still had a nice brown skin part. I loved the mash potatoes. The dishes my parents picked were really good… but I think mine was the best [biasedJ].

my dad's dish

my mom's dish

I liked the dish I ordered because it had the combination of my favorite foods. It had grilled chicken and pasta. These are my comfort food. The pasta was the base of the dish then it was topped with the grilled chicken then topped with potato strings. It was so delicious. The pasta had white sauce with mushroom and the chicken was grilled to perfection. The sizes of the dishes were just right for me and my parents to appreciate the wonderful flavor masterpiece.

so goooooood!

After enjoying our dishes, the management and staff of Katre gave me a complimentary chocolate birthday cake slice. It was very good. The cake was so chocolatey, but not too sweet and it had the right moisture. It was so scrumptious.

Truly I enjoyed my birthday not only because of the food but also because of the people who were with me.  If you’re in the Tomas Morato Area and you’re craving for good Mediterranean fusioned dishes, stop by and dine at Katre… also be sure to check out their other delicious dishes.

-DOT-

P.S. sorry for the bad quality of photo… it was taken using itouch.