Early Valentine's Date

I spent the first day of February by going on an early Valentine's date with the two special men in my life -- my husband and my son. We had dinner at the newly re-opened Spiral restaurant at Sofitel Philippine Plaza. Some of you may remember that back in September 2011, Spiral was devastated by a storm surge that flooded many establishments in the area. Spiral was submerged in waist-deep flood waters. Sofitel was forced to temporary close their flagship restaurant because of the damages brought by typhoon Pedring. The renovation of Spiral took more than a year to finish. It finally opened its doors again last Nov. 8, 2013.

It was our second time at Spiral. We enjoyed our first lavish buffet experience. The three of us had no doubts that our second experience would be equally great.

We went down the familiar grand spiral staircase leading to the elegant restaurant below. Lovely ladies welcomed us to the newly refurbished Spiral. We were seated just across the back of the grand staircase with a view of gentle, flowing water. It was perfect!

The food was as great as we remembered. We were glad to see our old favorites and there were a lot of new dishes added to the sumptuous buffet. For my family, it's the best buffet in the country. The abundance of food is simply overwhelming. The new Spiral is actually divided into 21 dining ateliers.  I don't think it's possible to try everything in one night.

Some of my husband's personal favorites include crabs, shrimps, crayfish, steak, bulgogi, beef short ribs, lamb chops, and the Asian pulled noodles. I love the Peking Duck, Chinese dimsum, Korean noodles, and skewered seafood. My son, Yohan love their salad, pasta, and freshly baked pizza.

I was surprised how my little man turned out to be quite a cheese connoisseur because he enjoyed trying out the different types of cheese at the Cheese room.   The three of us share a liking for Japanese, Chinese, and Italian food.  We also loved their freshly baked bread that we dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yohan preferred butter and pesto on his bread.

After that sumptuous feast, we barely had room for dessert but I knew I would regret it if I missed their delicious creme brulee. Sadly, they don't serve those melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookies like before. I think Spiral should really consider bringing those heavenly cookies back. Yohan enjoyed the candy bar and the chocolate fountain. The three of us tried the Creamery which serves different types of ice-cream and toppings. Sadly I was too full to try their chocolates, truffles and pralines.

I had a fantastic time with my family and I'm so happy because on that same evening, I met a dear old blog friend in person. It was a pleasure seeing Kathy of Life is KulaYFul! She is sweet and charming in person as she is on her blog.

 

Warm New Year Greetings

Hope everyone had a beautiful Christmas celebration.  Sending you warm and heartfelt New Year wishes. May your hearts be filled with love, joy, and hope this 2013! God bless.

A look back at last school year's highlights

It's a brand new school year. Summer is long gone and rainy days are here again. When I think about the past school year, I realized I have a lot of things to be thankful for.

•  Yohan won a bronze medal in the school Math and Science Quiz Bee.  He was a little sad when he  came in 3rd but I told him that I felt very proud of him the moment I found out that he was chosen as a participant in the Quiz Bee.  Winning a medal makes me twice as proud.

• I'm happy that Yohan met a new friend in class. J and Yohan clicked immediately because they realized that they share many things in common.  They both love to read, draw and play video games. Yohan's adviser told me that she immediately noticed that both of them are wide readers.  They both excel in class.   J and Yohan have become best of friends.

• Yohan had his Cub Scout Investiture last school year.  I witnessed the kids light their candles and recite their oath. I went up on the stage to put Yohan's cub scout neckerchief to symbolize his formal acceptance as part of the Boy Scout of the Philippines. 

• I'm so proud of my son for earning an Academic Achievement Award at the end of the school year.  I'm very happy because has been a consistent 1st Honor since pre-school.  Last school year's Recognition Day was very special because my mom was here on vacation.  It was her first time to see her grandson go up on stage to receive a medal. 

• I found out on Recognition Day that Yohan was Ranked No. 1 in the whole Grade 2 level.  I was teary-eyed when I heard the official news from the school administration.  The Top 3 students were given corresponding discounts on the following year's tuition fee. Since Yohan was Top 1, he received the biggest discount. I'm proud of Yohan's academic achievement and thankful for the big savings.

You'll Be Missed Beyond Words

My father-in-law passed away last week. He fought with Alzheimer's disease for 15 years. Sadly, the disease robbed him of his memory. It had been tough on the family seeing him deteriorate through the years. It was sad to see him go but I know that he's in a better place now.  My husband and I dreamt about him. He was smiling in both our dreams. It must be his own way of letting us know that he's happy and at peace.

Revisiting 2011: Singapore Trip part 2

Night Safari

Night Safari, the world's first wildlife night park was just a few steps away from Singapore Zoo. It was a unique experience to see nocturnal animals in action.  We rode a tram and embarked on a fascinating adventure.  We saw leopards, tigers, lions, hog badgers, Malay civets, tapirs, deer and many more. Flash photography wasn't aloud so I didn't bother taking photos.

The Thumbuakar Performance was amazing. It was a spectacular display of dance and fire-eating stunts. The human torches could blow flames up to 5 meters high! Imagine that! We could feel the heat from our seats.

 

We were entertained by the Creatures of the Night Show. It was a 30-minute show featuring trained animals such as otters, raccoons, snakes, wolves, hyenas, owls and many more.

Revisiting 2011: Singapore Trip part 1

Let me begin the year by filling the void I left on my blog.  Last year was a good year and I would like to take this opportunity to share some of those memorable highlights.

I'll start with our family trip to Singapore last summer of 2011. It was a very memorable vacation because it was Yohan's first airplane ride and it was our first trip out of the country as a family.  It was an adventure from the start because we didn't go on a tour. The tour packages we reviewed only featured selected places so we decided to go on our own.  It was a great decision because we were free to choose our destinations. I booked our airline tickets and hotel accommodation online.

Our Singapore trip was tailored fit for Yohan. We know how much he loves animals so we put the top 3 zoos in Singapore on our itinerary.

Singapore Zoo

The Singapore Zoo was so amazing! It was an adventure in a tropical forest. We came close and personal with different animals. Just imagine 2500 animals living in that 28-hectare sanctuary.

The animals in Singapore Zoo enjoy living in wide and lush habitats. They have a taste of freedom unlike the animals from other zoos that spend all their time in small cages.

 Some of the animal attractions in the zoo.

Here are just a few of the animals we encountered during our walk ...

It was a pleasure to see 3 beautiful white tigers, also called Bengal tigers. walking, swimming and playing in such a spacious habitat. 

One of the majestic white tigers at Singapore Zoo.

Yohan and I rode on the back of a beautiful Asian elephant. We also saw several other elephants playing with a huge ball and spraying each other with water. I've always been awed by the intelligence and strength of elephants.

Fun elephant ride.

  

There were free-ranging orangutans on top of the trees. It was so cool to see them swing, lounge and play right above our heads.

Swinging orangutans.

It was Yohan's first time to see a giraffe. We wanted it to be truly memorable so we let him feed one of the giraffes.  Just look at that long tongue!

Feeding the giraffe with carrot sticks.

At that time, Angry Birds was at the height of its popularity. It was funny because a foreigner approached my husband and offered to buy the shirt he was wearing. Jules politely declined. :)

The zebras were so close.

Before going home, we bought several furry pals and shirts as keepsakes.

At the souvenir shop.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my Dad, hubby and all the wonderful dads around the world! I would like to share this Father's Day card that Yohan made for his Dad. As you can see, he was inspired by the FIFA World Cup.  Hubby is a big fan of FIFA. He stays up until the wee hours of the morning watching the games on TV.

Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo

Last Sunday, we went to Antipolo to hear mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. Going to Antipolo church every month of May is an old tradition of hubby's family. We left the house before 5 a.m.

The drive from Batangas to Antipolo was smooth and quick. The traffic started as we approached the church. Parking was really tough. A guy in a white shirt helped us secure a parking slot in one of the nearby streets.  He ran along side our van as we made several rounds in the area.  He must be really fit to be able to endure all that running. To my surprise, he politely declined the tip from my brother-in-law. He just requested that we go to his food stand if we decide to buy suman and casuy (rice cake and cashew nuts) after the mass.  Suman and casuy are popular products of Antipolo.

The sight of the huge crowd made my knees weak. I doubted if we could get inside the church.

Slowly we inched our way near the church entrance. It was still early but the sun was already beaming its hot rays down on us.

We eventually managed to go inside the church. Luckily, my hubby, son and I were able to get some seats. Other family members had to go back outside because there were no more seats available. There were so many church goers that day.

Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, popularly known as the Virgin of Antipolo (Birhen ng Antipolo) rests above the pedestal. Many church goers ask Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage for blessings for a safe journey or passage (especially those who are going to another country). The image was brought to the Philippines by Don Juan Niño de Tabora in 1626. It was sculptured by Mexican craftsmen using dark hard wood similar to the Black Nazarene in Quiapo.

The Antipolo church has been a center of religious pilgrimages for three centuries.  One of the popular annual pilgrimages is the "Alay Lakad" from Quiapo Church to the Antipolo Cathedral.

There are LCD screens placed in strategic areas of the church so that people outside can still see and hear the on-going mass.

Photo Hunt :: Monthly

Come and join PhotoHunt

My hubby, son and I love good food. We make it a point to eat out at least once a month. I guess you can say that dining out is one of our monthly bonding moments.

We recently had dinner at Buon Giorno! It's a lovely and cozy restaurant in Cliffhouse, Tagaytay that serves Italian cuisine. 

You can dine outside al fresco or you can choose to eat inside.  The interior of the restaurant has a homey feeling to it.

We ordered Buon Giorno's Special (crisp crunch of mixed lettuce greens, cucumber and tomato with feta cheese and dressing).

We also had New York Pizza (assorted meat, bell peppers and cheese topping on a crisp,crusty dough). 

I wasn't able to take a photo of Yohan's order. He had kiddie chicken fingers with curly fries and a tall glass of Mudslide freeze (blend of chocolate shake).

This is Buon Giorno's most reserved place - the Opium Bed.  It has big fluffy pillows and white canopy.  When you reserve this place, you can enjoy the scenic view of Taal as you dine.

Buon Giorno! Caffe & Bistro
Unit 4, Cliffhouse Tagaytay
Gen. Emilio Highway
Tagaytay City, 4120
(046) 4132102

How To Make a Race Car Using a Box

Transform a big cardboard box into something fun and useful.  You can make a race car using a big box. It's a great project for the family. 

Materials:

• Big cardboard box
• 6-7 paper plates
• 4-6 red cartolina (poster board)
• colored paper or construction paper
• glue gun (ordinary glue if you don't have a glue gun)
• scissors

Procedure:

1. Fold the two long flaps of the box inside. Do the same with one of the short flaps. Glue them permanently using a glue gun.  Another option is to cut the three said flaps.
2. Fold the remaining short flap at the middle and form into an inverted V.  Glue the lower sides of the flap to the box.
3. Cover the outer box with red cartolina (or any preferred color).  You can use the rest of the cartolina to cover the inner box. 
4. Enjoy designing your own wheels using paper plates. Use colored/construction paper and cut-outs to make desired details. Simply attach the four wheels on the box using a glue gun.
5. Make a steering wheel using paper plate if desired. You can glue the steering wheel or secure it with a button fastener just below the dashboard.
6. Use two paper plates for the headlights.  Adjust the size by cutting it into smaller circles.  Use red colored/construction paper for the outer border and yellow for the inner circle. 
7. Cut red and yellow circles and glue them at the back of the box to serve as tail lights.
8. If you have a printer at home, you can search and print pictures of a speedometer, fuel gauge, tachometer (rpm gauge), etc. Glue them on the dashboard.
9. Have fun adding more details to your car.  

My son requested for a Ferrari.  It was fun watching my husband and son create a cardboard Ferrari. All I did was print the Ferrari emblems. When it was done, Yohan grabbed his small chair and placed it inside. He hopped in and he let his imagination take him to his destination. Vroom ... vroom!!!

You can also use this cardboard race car as a toy chest.  I'm sure you can use this project to encourage your child to be responsible by putting away his toys after he play time.

Koi Action and Water Taxi in Nuvali

Nuvali is a nice and refreshing place where you can dine, relax and unwind with family and friends. Aside from restaurants, it also has a multi-functional lake, outdoor trail and wide open spaces. Visitors can feel close to nature because of its green surroundings.

Nestled at Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Nuvali is becoming a favorite place by many. 

A great activity that you can enjoy in Nuvali is fish feeding. Fish feeds are sold for P15 a pack.  Take note that only Nuvali fish feeds are allowed.  So don't make a mistake of throwing a piece of bread or chip in the water.

I've seen Koi ponds before but this is the first time I've seen a lake with a massive number of Koi. Adults and kids will surely be delighted by the overwhelming abundance of Koi swimming and eagerly hoping for Manna from heaven.

The moment you drop some feeds in the water, the exuberant Koi will swim frantically to get some of that coveted treat.  It's an amazing display of fin flapping and fish tail movements. You might even see one or two Koi doing a cartwheel in the air. No kidding!

Perhaps the Koi are doing it on purpose so that you'll go back to the booth to buy some more of those feeds. ha! ha!

I surely fell for it because I went back to the booth several times to buy fish feeds.  It was worth it because my son had a great time feeding the overzealous Koi.

Fish feeding at Nuvali is from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM daily.

Riding the Water Taxi is another fun activity for the family.  The short boat ride costs P30 per head. 

Enjoy the refreshing wind on your face and watch birds flying nearby.  Expect to feel gentle water splashes as the boat makes a turn.

After feeding the Koi and riding the Water Taxi, my family settled for appetizing snacks at Conti's. Hubby had halo-halo, Yohan chose chicken empanada while I enjoyed a slice of Bananalicious Pie.

It was an afternoon well spent.