Hectic Season

Ho ho ho! Well well well! It has been quite a while huh? It is that time of the year and everyone is very busy christmas shopping, decorating, and organizing christmas parties! Wow, people are hectic these season! How's yours?


I owe you guys so many stories since last month! Here are some of the things I have been busy with for the past few days:


Last month, we went to Puerto Princesa in Palawan. We have been there before but the place is just so amazing that we don't mind coming back for a vacation!



A couple of weeks ago we went to Tuguegarao then Cagayan and explored Callao Cave which has seven (7) chambers but since we do not have a guide we only reached to the 2nd chamber. We also had a boat ride in the Pinakanawan River which is awesome!



Ok guys, I promise to post the whole stories very soon!

"Let Me In" Movie

Here is another vampire movie starring Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl from Kick Ass).

I personally think this is way better than Twilight. :-p I hate to compare... hold it... oh wait... what the heck... well the Twilight movie is just loaded with over-the-top cheesy-ness! Doesn't it? The characters in this movie, however, is just so natural. Kids in a not so childish roles.

I give Chloe Moretz some credit in playing such roles, roles where she can showcase herself as a good actor and get the attention of a mature audience. But at the same time, I just find her charming on screen. Pretty much reminds me of Kirsten Dunst though. But good for her!

The Impossible Quiz

You will surely get hooked to this quiz too. This makes our break time in the office fun!

You need to answer all the questions to complete the game. There are a hundred of mind-boggling questions. This quiz isn't that simple. There are a lot of trick questions which requires insane logic, fast reactions, and pure luck to get through! You will only have 3 lives per game. Once you get 3 wrong answers total, it's game over. You can start all over again, though. Also, watch out for time pressured questions (the one with bombs)! Nobody had probably ever get through this in just one take their first time, hence "impossible" quiz.

Play now? If the quiz doesn't appear below click here.

Game is created by Splapp-me-do.


The Impossible Quiz Flash Game

Surprise Party for Dad

Our most makulit, strict, but ever loving daddy is turning 80 on October 27! The best that we can think of for his birthday is to give him a surprise party! An early celebration that is.

Daddy

Dad likes the food in Max's restaurant. The branch along Quezon Avenue is a great place to set our party.
We arrived there earlier (before all the guests) to prepare, but noticed that the room seems small and we thought of getting a bigger room. The supervisor of the restaurant, sir Tom (who was very nice and accommodating to us by the way), is OK with our request but he was a bit hesitant because it is UPSTAIRS. He asked me "kakayanin pa po ba kaya ng celebrant na umakyat ng hagdan? Masyado po mataas", yes my dad is 80 but I told him "Malakas pa po siya mag-jog at mag-golf hanggang ngayon kaya OK lang po." he was surprised so he immediately sent his crew to prepare the bigger function room upstairs for us.

Maximo Room

Everyone arrived before 6PM, which is great! Just what we planned. I asked all of our guests to park at the back of the restaurant so that dad won't see any familiar vehicles once he gets there.

James Santos and Sam Mubarak

When mom texted me that they are near the venue already, we went all excited! We turned off the lights and looked outside the window to check. Then from the window, we finally saw them parked in front. Everyone were ready in their positions while holding up the party poppers and... SURPRISE!

Dad was really surprised.

Dad stood there frozen and looking at everyone in the room! He was genuinely surprised! Mom told him that they are attending a co-workers birthday, but he had no idea that it will be his birthday party. We all rushed to him, give him our greetings with hugs and kisses. I approached dad and told him to have a seat, but he was just so overwhelmed that he just wanted to stand for a while and look at everyone around him. Then he gave a little speech about how thankful and surprised he is.
Then he saw the cake and went there to have a closer look at it. We sang Happy Birthday as he blew the candles.

Dad blew the candles as we sang "Happy Birthday".

As we were waiting for our dinner to be served, Jhoanne and I showed everyone the AVP that we made for dad. I'll try again to upload the video soon (blogger sent me an error message when I uploaded earlier).

Watching the AVP.

Later on we went online to chat with my sister, Le-ai. The laptop was connected to the LCD projector, so everyone can see her on the webcam. Plus out tito Tommy called, using 3G, to greet my dad. Technology is just so great!

My sister online.

The surprise party for my dad was just a simple gathering with the whole family but really fun. It's a great feeling that everything went smoothly.

Here the other pictures:

Sam Mubarak, James Santos, Chie Sapinoso, Dad, and Marilyn Sapinoso.

Silly Cellophane.

The Stubborn Generals

Fun and Excitement in Star City

Star City is the longest-running and one of the popular amusement parks in the Philippines. They started in 1991. It is packed with exciting rides for kids, adults, and for the whole family. The park is also known for their Zyclone Loop and Wild River.

Zyclone Loop and Wild River

First time I've been to Star City was way back when I was about 10-years old. And that is the very first time that I rode the Zyclone Loop. I was too young to get in alone, so my mom had no other choice but to accompany me. And she didn't ride any of such ever again! Hehe

The second time was like 3 years ago with my nephew and nieces. The Flying Carpet (no longer featured in the park) became my favorite.

Flying Carpet

Now they have a new featured attraction that the whole family will surely enjoy, the Winter Funland (former Snow World site)! Race and slide down the 68-meter ice slide with others, plus you can also play ice bowling after that!

The bowling ball and the pins are fragile given the fact that they are all made of ice. But no worries, because they can make bowling balls and pins in just minutes so they will not run out of it.
Everything is made of ice! So make sure you are wearing something to keep you warm aside from the coat that they distribute to the visitors.

Just outside near the Winter Funland is the Star Flyer and I immediately got more excited!
Star Flyer is the Philippines' first and only inverted roller-coaster with loops. I swear that this ride is fun and guaranteed to make you scream! Perfect for thrill junkies!

Loop on the Star Flyer

After alighting from the Star Flyer, we ran towards the Surf Dancer. I was just like "c'mon let's go!" when in fact I had no idea what it does... seriously. I just thought, probably it just swings around like the "Viking" ride

Viking

or something like that. Not quite scary at all, right?

The Surf Dance doesn't look scary here.


Ok, it probably doesn't look convincingly scary in these pictures. :)

But oh my goodness! The whole thing goes CRAZY, I tell you! That's the only word I can find to describe it, crazy. It swings, goes around, tilts upward and downward. OK OK, fun but still "crazy". My advice: don't ride it yet if you just ate.

The good thing about Star City is that they also have rides indoors, so rain or shine you can still enjoy your visit. It's the "ber" months so expect a lot of people in the park.

Stain Stain Go Away!

It's that time of the month that ladies experience and then, at time, the unexpected happens... blood stains! Oh the horror! That will definitely spoil a day at work, in a party or anywhere. What will you do? If you have a jacket or a long blouse to cover the stain then you're off with no trouble at all. But what if you don't have any? How will you remove the stain? I actually discovered from a co-worker an effective blood stain remover... "Baby Wipes" or "Wet Wipes".

How-to:

1. You need 2 to 3 sheets of wet wipes (or more).
2. Squeeze off the excess liquid. So that the stain won't scatter.
3. Simply rub it on the stain. One wet tissue at a time.
4. Let it dry and viola! It's gone!
*Much better if you use a hand dryer or hair dryer if there's any, to quickly check also if the stain has completed faded.

Repeat the whole procedure until the stain is washed out. Try it to see for yourself.

Manila Bulletin in 3D

The special issue of the Manila Bulletin today had most of their photos and advertisements printed in 3D. It's awesome!



The newspaper comes with 3D glasses.


But where is it?! Unfortunately, the copy that I got didn't have one. WHY?! My co-worker scrutinized every page but found nothing. Another friend told me that he didn't get the 3D glasses too. Well, what's the use of publishing photos in 3D in the news paper without providing the 3D glasses with it? Gee! I don't want to think that the tindero hid it, nooo! I mean, we don't have to ask for the 3D glasses if the paper really goes with it, right?

Did you get your own copy of the Manila Bulletin today?

Bake My Day!

Thanks to Chelski Nolasco-Bernardino who invited us to get some of these yummies after their product shoot:

Red Velvet Cake

Hot Cross Buns

Pork Floss Bun

Citrus Bundt Cake with Chopped Pistachios and Candied Cherries

Baking actually makes me nervous probably since I get too conscious that everything should be done with precision. From the measurement of the ingredients, to the heat temperature and the time.

What makes me worried also is that you have to do it all over again if it doesn't turn out right, uh, right? Unlike in cooking, you can always add a bit of salt and pepper, etc. every once in a while to get the taste. Nonetheless, it was such a delight for me to participate in our company's Baking Seminar last September.

Muffins, doughnuts, CAKES! Whether there is a baking class or a product shoot, you can always get to taste what they baked in the office. This is one of the joys when you're working in Flour.

Carlos Celdran pulled "Damaso" in the Manila Cathedral

Carlos Celdran was arrested after interrupting a mass in the Manila Cathedral by holding up a placard that says "Damaso" and shouted "stop getting involved in politics" inside the cathedral. Celdran says on an interview "I apologize for being rude. But it was necessary for me to be rude," and "I am sorry for the method I used, but I am not sorry for the message I made." This is his protest against the catholic church for being too meddlesome especially regarding the Reproductive Health Bill issue. He is then freed by his family last Friday.

Padre Damaso is one of the notorious characters in the controversial novel, Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not), written by our national hero Jose Rizal. The character portrays a cruel and malicious priest with cravings for beautiful women.

I was surprised when I saw the news. It was very brave of him to do such and I support him.

Tourism, that's the first thing that comes to my mind whenever I hear the name Carlos Celdran. Although I have not yet been in his tours, well I sure would like to meet him ever since I watched him featured in 5 and Up way way back my high school days. He is a popular tour guide roaming in Manila, most particularly Intramuros and he'd be usually spotted wearing a Jose Rizal - like outfit, or a Barong and Capri pants or what we call a puruntong here in the Philippines.

Stop Boredom

It's one of those dreadful Sunday afternoon, nothing much to do!