Zagu's Pearl Milk Tea, Discovered!

I sent the hubby yesterday to the nearest Zagu kiosk to fetch me my favorite Mango with crystals. He came home a little distracted so I knew there's something. After a little bit of time passed, he blurted, "meron silang Pearl Milk Tea, masarap kaya yun?"

I quickly did the calculations, slush ice and milk tea plus pearl = hmm.. not bad, so I told him to get us some.

Today he came home with two large Zagus:

Christmas themed top ^_^

Mango and Milk Tea with crystals :)

I just got one sip and the hubby took it away but judging from that single sip, it was good. Not as good as Serenitea's but not too sweet as Chowking's. I just love its slushie texture ♥♥♥! My hubby loved it too ^_^


Cheers!

Travel Stays: Subic Bay Travelers Hotel

Our last Subic trip has brought us to this hotel: Subic Bay Travelers Hotel. It was the last week of September and Subic was not terribly crowded however we were looking for some place else to stay. We were getting a little tired of Bayfront Hotel, our place of choice for the past 3 years, so we decided to do a little scoping of the area for new - and better - temporary crib. lol :)

I'm not really sure if Subic Bay Travelers Hotel is new but their rooms are definitely better - smelled better too (a plus for allergy-prone people like me!)

For background read, Subic Bay Travelers Hotel is located at corner Aguinaldo & Raymundo Streets, Subic Bay, Olangapo. If you are able to spot HOTSHOTS (the diner serving mean flame-grilled burgers), take that little gravel road between the said diner and a salon (a road that we had mistaken for a parking lot). As soon as you take that turn, say hello to Subic Bay Travelers Hotel.

Photo taken from their website

It was raining hard - correction, there was a storm when we visited. lol - so I wasn't able to take exterior shots of the hotel. Here's a closer look, again taken from their website:

Photo taken from their website

Published rates are:

• Deluxe Room Php2,704
• Executive Suite Php4,058

*Inclusive of breakfast for 2

Room Amenities:

• 2 Queen Beds
• 32" LCD TV
• Unlimited FREE Internet Access (WIFI)
• Complimentary coffee setup
• Complimentary Bottled Water
• Full Personal Hygiene Amenities
• In-room safe
• 24 hours reception
• 24 hours Secured Parking Lot
• Hot and Cold Shower

They also have function halls, 2 swimming pools and a gym. Below are some photos I was able to take during our stay there:

was able to comfortably accommodate all 4 of us

Their beds are quite wide so we didn't have the usual problem of where to sleep and who sleeps with whom. Remember there are 4 us of during trips: me, my 6'4 hubby, my 10 year old baby girl and my 1 year old little boy. I, myself, am not skinny so space is really important for us when looking for a place to stay.

flat screen TV and work area

I just love the fact that they included a separate work area since most of the places we stayed at only have a small "dining" table which is not really comfortable to use when working on a lappy. I always end up working on a dresser (what?!.. I need a solid place for my lappy or else I'll have migraine for working in bed with kids jumping up and down on it!)

nothing fancy but it's CLEAN so 2 thumbs up!

other side. see? CLEAN.

My daughter is a poolnut so as soon as we checked in, she itched to jump into the pool

Pools up and down. can't wait to jump in!

Overall, I am giving Subic Bay Travelers Hotel a 4 out of 5 but it can easily be 5 if not for these reasons:

• Poor lighting. For the life of me, I couldn't find the "white" light, only yellow ones. I even went to the extent of inspecting the light bulbs one by one and they were all yellow hence we were bathed with yellow lights day in and day out. :(
• Unstable WIFI connection. The tech guy who assisted us told us that there's someone who was messing up with the lines as the lines were disconnected from whatever. Sorry, I tuned out by that time..
• Limited breakfast selection. ..and not really an impressive selection at that. Choices are: chicken or pork tocino, beef tapa and longganisa (sausage); garlic rice or plain rice; coffee or juice (no iced tea)

Hubby's sausages and eggs. lol XD

 And here are the reasons why I'd still stay with them the next time around:

• Did I say CLEAN?
• Efficient staff, very accommodating and courteous.
• Discounted price when off-peak. We got our room for 2,600 on a Saturday night and 1,600 the following Sunday night. Not bad considering the standard Subic rate of 2,500 per night (of course, depending on the hotel's location)
• Walking distance to our frequented spots particularly Meat Plus

I just hope they will improve their breakfast selection the next time around, say, include an "American" breakfast of bread, jam, bacon or ham, eggs, etc. lol :D

Cheers!

Must Be My Lucky Week! :)

Procrastination is my bestfriend these days so I find myself missing laundry days and delaying appointments especially with those who love missing appointments too. I mean, I would go if they were a little bit eager to go too. lol. It must be the weather.

Anyway, I started my Monday morning the same as any other: iron R's uniform, do a batch of laundry, feed the baby, start writing articles, etc. 

..until I got a wall post from FoFo Kids ^_^

I am Lucky #3! yey!

I rarely win draws but got lucky this time. Thanks FOFO Kids! Can't wait for my swag bag! I'm excited!

btw, do check them out on Facebook. They have the cutest stuffies and beanies for kids and kids-at-heart! 

Then later around 9pm, Likha Laguna commented on this blog that I was featured in I love Laguna Facebook page for my Isdaan sa Calauan post! Of course, I was thrilled to the bone! who wouldn't?! Thanks guys! ^_^

Screenshot of my featured post! Yey - again!

 Yesterday, I was contacted by the hiring manager/recruiter for the job I have been eyeing since Monday. Thank goodness I passed the Evaluation test so I'm onto the next test level. I was told there will be three levels before the final interview. I was sooo nervous I made three trips to the bathroom due to a very queasy stomach so if there will be three of them this week, I suspect I could easily shed 20 pounds - including my innards - by the end of the week! lovely. lol :)

I'm Joining Weekend Blog Follower Caravan # 26 – GFC!

In my attempt to boost my sorry GFC number, I'm joining Mommy Rubz of Rubz Online this week.. and next.. and next.. lol :)

I welcome this week's participants with our WBFC badge:

 

My heartfelt thanks goes to our week's sponsors: Chika Bits and Dens Online

Shempre special mention si Mommy Rubz ^_^

For participants, please don't forget to leave a comment here (welcome post), that you have followed me thru Google Friend Connect. Easier for me to follow you back too :)

Please join us too, if you would like to get more GFC followers! The more, the merrier :) How to join: Weekend Blog Follower Caravan # 26 – GFC

Cheers! :)

Food Stop: Isdaan sa Calauan

Here I am, once again, blogging about food! No need to tell you guys how much my family loves eating yah?

..so the hubby saw photos of the newly-opened Calauan branch of Isdaan just the other night and made plans to go the next day which was yesterday. We already went there last month but the place wasn't serving food yet. The manong guarding the parking area was kind enough to invite us in and see the grounds after seeing my son so enthralled with their gigantic rock monkeys. Unfortunately, it was raining so we politely declined and drove to the next food stop, Palaisdaan. Btw, they are sitting side by side so I smell fierce food battle. I wonder how Palaisdaan would fare.

I begged the hubby to take us there a little early as I would like to take pictures while the sun is still out. As you all know, this blogger is only armed with her phone's camera during expeditions and that darn phone has no flash - curse you Samsung Omnia!

Since we still waited for my daughter to come home from school, we got there at about 5ish. Here's my first photo of the place:

no, this is not the entrance. this is just silly me taking random photos :D

If you're familiar with Isdaan sa Tarlac, this is the South branch, so basically what you find there, you'll find here too. Food is prepared and cooked by Barrio Fiesta so if you are familiar with the place - and their singing cooks and waiters - you will get that here too, the food and the feel. What wowed me though is the ambiance. It's just superb! Like you entered an entirely different side of the planet! Hats off to the one who conceptualized the place!

WARNING: THIS POST HAS LOTS OF PHOTOS!! :)

Isdaan entrance. Me and my two kids :)

DON'T WEAR HEELS! That's a Bamboo walk. lol ;)

That's one big Yamashita Buddha! Bigger than that dinosaur on side :)

Kingkong's never satisfied with just a girl so he got himself two white girls. lol :D

View from our hut. away from that crocodile.

two maidens with plant hairs bathing

view from our hut. ahh.. relaxing ^_^

dine in or dine out. take your pick!

now you know how much to give your musikeros and bangkeros XD

my daughter inside our hut, inspecting the crocodiles

menu is this loooooong @.@

This is our first time here so we were lost as to what to order. The menu being that long didn't help at all. so we chose the "generics". lol. :)

Inihaw na spareribs was late so it didn't get into this photo op

There. on your own. Inihaw na spareribs Php243. Two thumbs up!

Pinukpok na Manok Php276. God, this is sooo good!

ridiculously small but overly priced  Bagong Saing sa Kaldero Php99.50

 

Single-serve Tadtad Mangga Php68

That talanding Manggo Sago (photo op) is Php76. lol :)

One friendly advice though when paying for your food: please take time to examine your receipt over and over again as we got charged with 2 bottles of mineral water when we didn't order those nor were they served. The only sign of water in a glass was that of "tap water" so I'm not sure if they charge those too. We discovered this error days after as my hubby is not really into "reading mode" when stomach-full. Food is good though so you'll definitely come back for more.

After eating, we went to "gala" mode. Roaming the grounds, these are what we found:

Taksyapo!! Vent your anger here :)

Not statues. real, live dancers.

Aha! so that's where you grill our Inihaw na Spareribs!

Play areas in every nook and cranny.

My son chatting with an angry bird

My kids and I with the late Pres. Cory Aquino :)

Spiderman, spotted!

Daungan. very romantic. yihiii :)

Although their food is quite pricey, the overall experience is very nice. They also have souvenir section as well as "pasalubong" section where you can buy Philippine made stuff from nibbles to bags. The ambiance is really nice and very child friendly. To me, it's more like a theme park as you'll enjoy the sights more and the food second. We spent 3 hours inside and the kids had fun! Very nice :)

Cheers! :)

Addicted to Serenitea Milk Tea!

My hubby and I share the same kind of passion when it comes to food. We love to try new things and experience them firsthand. Of course, us being a couple doesn't guarantee that our reviews will always be the same. However, Serenitea Milk Tea is a different story - we love it, oh no, make that ABSOLUTELY addicted to it!

Well, if trekking Laguna to Alabang for two nights in a row and paying 200 toll fee for each trip is not considered an addiction, I don't know what is!

There's just too much buzz about milk teas that it's quite hard to ignore the craze anymore. Anyway when you see back-to-back photos of friends sipping milk teas on your Facebook newsfeed, you know it's time you try it for yourself.

To begin with, we're not really a fan of teas. and milk. so just imagine how lost we were when someone talked "milk teas" to us. Well, that was before Serenitea. lol.

Medium Okinawa with crystals 95 pesos

This was my second cup, btw. lol. XD

daig pa box office!

The line to order was quite long, it's quite hard not to notice and be curious. This is Alabang Town Center branch. I think it's a kiosk as their spot is quite little. 

Here below is the Solenad II-Sta. Rosa branch. Spanking  brand new!

bagong tambayan. lol ;)

I wish they will extend store hours in this branch as we were expecting it to be opened till 11pm but when we got back from dinner, it was already closed and that was only 9pm. There were people outside, shocked like me, that the store closed at such an early hour when it's a weekend - hence our impromptu trip to Alabang. Also, I find it a little offensive to see the staff snickering by the door as unknowing people stop and stare, greeted by the "closed" sign, then left confused or step back astonished. I really hope they were not snickering at us. lol. XD

If you're a noob at milk teas, I suggest you try Okinawa, Hokkaido and Assam Milk Teas at "standard" sugar level (100%) and crystal sinkers. I've already tried Okinawa and Assam - I like Assam more than the former as Assam is milkier. I have yet to try Hokkaido but I heard it's good.

Cheers! :)

PHOTOS AND UPDATES

Here are some more photos - this time of food they offer. They are absolute ♥♥♥! ..and affordable too ^_^

Pepper Corn 50pesos

Chicken chop 70pesos

Mochi buns 95pesos

Weird Dreams And Realizations

As much as possible, I don't want to blog about super - major,major? lol ;) - personal things about me. I did that on my first blog and I have learned my lesson. You just don' t do that. It's like hanging dirty laundry in public.

But here I am now and believe me, I have been thinking if it's wise to blog about this, perhaps up until I hit that "publish" button. If you're allergic to cheesy posts, please stop right now and just wait for my next post, as this post is a celebration of love.

Lately, I have been going through so much stress, partly because of my super duper late sweldo. Sleep was quite elusive these past few nights. The only thing that I find good about it is that I managed to put some more hours to work.

The other night, worms found their way into my dreams. they came in all sorts of shapes and sizes,it was gross! I googled its meaning and I found out that it denotes weakness, or helplessness, even doubt. Funny that when you kill worms in your dreams, you will receive money in your waking life. Had I known this, I would have killed them all, with laser beams and shiny swords! lol ;)

Then last night I found myself married to somebody else. Take note, this "someone else" whom I will call dream-husband, is hunky and good looking and laglag-panty sa yummy. My husband-husband was there, as well as my two kids, and for some reason, I was down to my dalaga size of 25-inch waistline. Kung tatakas ako sa responsibility ko as mom and wife, that would be the perfect time to do it!

You know what's funny? I found myself crying when dream-husband told me he's taking me home - his home - which will become OUR home. I was crying so hard, he agreed to take me to my parents' house. Still, I was crying because I wanted so much to be with my husband-husband and our two kids, I just want him to go away and let me be with my loved-ones. Buti na lang nagising na ko.

My marriage is far from perfect, this I tell you. There were times when I was soo tired of being a mom and a wife, I just want to leave everything behind and not look back. Sometimes I wondered what would I be had I not married my hubby. or if I chose to be "childless". or if I just stopped at kid #1. While there was really nothing to regret, I wondered a lot.

My dream made me realize that deep inside, I wouldn't have it any other way. That if push comes to shove, my fat behind will still be by my hubby's side. with my kids. all four of us as one. and it feels so nice.

There. I can sleep now. Happy weekend. ^_^

I *heart* Purbasari Lulur Mandi Whitening + Vitamin E ^_^

I am making a quick post here about Purbasari Lulur Mandi Whitening + Vitamin E and why I fell in love with it the first time I ever tried it!

Php130 a tub

Just FYI, I was looking for the Asian Secret brand but the said brand is always out-of-stock according to Watsons. I stumbled upon this one and thought, why not?

According to its label, Purbasari Lulur Mandi is imported from Indonesia. Looks good enough for me and the smell is simply divine! - it's Jasmine, btw.

Mandi lulur, according to my good friend Google, means lulur bath. Lulur is a Javanese word which means  "coating the skin". Mandi lulur is a royal tradition practiced by brides from Java. It was said that a bride should be prepped by having Lulur bath for 7 consecutive days prior to the wedding date. That way she'll be all smooth and silky come wedding day. 

Enough of the nerdy talk. Here's what you'll find inside a tub of Purbasari Lulur Mandi:

Oooh, the smell. Pure bliss.. ^_^

scrub on my dry hand

Yesterday I gave this baby a shot while the human baby boy was busy playing with his bath water. lol. While the label says scrub on dry skin, I went for slightly damp as I was worried how my skin would react. I have this kind of skin that when I scrub, even with soft wash cloth, it will instantly become patches of red skin all over so I am really careful about the products I apply on my skin. Sensing no telltale signs of violent skin reaction, I did a full body scrub. The Jasmine smell was amazing, it even stayed strong for full 2 hours after bath!

The most amazing thing about the whole experience is that my skin didn't react as expected. No redness. No itching. There was a silky feel after bath that you won't be needing lotion anymore. I stayed feeling silky for the next 27 hours. Yep, I timed it. lol. ^_^

I braved scrubbing my face with it this morning. While I didn't enjoy it as much as when I did the full body scrub, it was not bad at all. I think you won't be needing a moisturizer if you choose to scrub your face with this. I'm not even sure if it's recommended to use  for face area but I definitely recommend it for full body scrub! I have yet to see if it works with regard to whitening. I heard it's good for stretch marks and underarms. we'll see.. :)

UPDATE AFTER 2 WEEKS OF USE:

I'm happy to report that my love affair with Purbasari Lulur Mandi Whitening + Vitamin E has been a fruitful one. For one, patches of chicken skin on various parts of my body are all gone and they are now noticeably smoother. Groin and underarm/armpit are now lighter and best of all, my stretchmarks, although they are still there, are now less noticeable than before i.e the skin in that area is now lighter too.

I am about done with my first tub and planning to get another one. However, I still have my Asian Secret lulur tub full and waiting and I'm planning to give it a shot right after Purbasari just to see if they really have the same efficacy. Asian Secret smells better, hands down, so I'm really excited to get on with it!

I'm not seeing anything special that Purbasari has done to my face though and I'm still working on my elbow and knees as they are still a little bit dark for my taste.

Cheers!

Blogger Blogging From An IPad

Lol. My title sounds like a tongue twister!

I am now blogging from an iPad and this serves as my test post. I have been testing ways to blog away from home and this proves to be quite a challenge. The most successful so far was when I blogged using a Blackberry Playbook which I will write about next time.

If you will use the Blogger app (free in iTunes) which I am now, expect simpler user interface. So simple that the only album you can access is your own iPad's camera roll. This I don't like because I upload all my blog photos on Picasaweb and if I'd like to use it here, I will have to download those photo via Safari and save them in my camera roll. Not really a convenient way to add photos on my posts. That or use photos stored in this iPad.

What I like about this app though is the ability to scroll. That is, you can go back and forth a post and edit texts before actually publishing a post. This I find hard to do with both Playbook and iPad.

My labels are missing too. Nice concept but missing a lot of native Blogger features. I think I'm going to delete this app after this post and make do blogging via Safari.

If you'd like to give it a shot, view and install here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blogger/id459407288

See, no linkies too :(

October Mission: Beauty On A Budget

These past few weeks, I have been growing quite uncomfortable about my skin. I have already blogged about how reptilian it has become since having the baby and as much as I would like to take skin vitamins, I'm also hesitant about its effect on my breastmilk. I know about those websites for lactating mothers however I won't take chances and would rather wait for my son to finally wean off.

Problem is, my sweldo is late this month and I'm just stretching last month's money until this month's pay come through so that makes me a 30something mom on a VERY TIGHT budget!

So instead of visiting my favorite beauty shops, I am now scouring online shops and department stores for deals and quick beauty fixes. Here's what I came up with:

October beauty loot :)

From Watsons: Pantene Night Miracle Leave On Crème Serum about Php260, Purbasari Lulur Mandi- Whitening + Vitamin E. Php129 and Nichido blush brush Php138.

From South Supermarket: Garnier Light Overnight Whitening Peeling Cream at Php99 - comes with a green beauty pouch and 2 Garnier Light Moisturizing Cream sachets.

From Mercury Drug (lol. ikr): Ever Bilena Advance Perfect Eye Concealer - CO1 - Light at Php100.

Total of about Php700 for all these.

Yesterday and last night, I was able to try the concealer stick, Garnier moisturizing cream and overnight cream. I have yet to try the other three. will post reviews soon ^_^

Share your quick beauty fixes here! I would love to hear your secrets!

Cheers!