A Saccharine Life

Hi Everyone, It took us a while to figure out what Sofia was saying. "Idalido Icha!" What??? More baby talks? Finally, when we were watching t.v., she imitated the Mininon, and there were those words again. It was a Minion language all along. :D She loves Minions, that's why when we learned that McDonald's are accepting pre-orders for the Minions Happy Meal toy set, we rushed to the nearest McDonald's in our area. For only Php949, you will have 10 Happy Meal Minion toys and 10 Happy Meal food stubs. The best part, you'll get them before it becomes available individually at McDonald branches. You'll avoid out-of-stock toys! Perfect! Here's how you can pre-order: Step 1 - Visit any McDonald's store from June 15 - 20. Step 2 - Pre-order the complete Minions Happy Meal set in the front counter of a McDonald's store. Step 3 - For only Php949, each pre-ordered Minions Happy Meal set includes a Claim Stub Set for all 10 Minions Hap

Hi Everyone, Yesterday was Sofia's second day in school. As expected when there are first time schoolers, tears are bound to flow. So, I cried... big time. :D I guess Mommy is just too attached to her daughter. You see, for her first day of school, I was on vacation leave to accompany her to school. Parents were allowed to stay with the kids inside the classroom. I attended to her needs in the classroom, and told her to participate in class. Everything went smoothly. Yesterday, I had to go back to work. After I brought her in her classroom, she was asking me to sit beside her again. I told her I can't because I have to go to the office today. One thing I learned from my boss is that I should not sneak away from my daughter. I have to let her know if I am going away, so she will not be worried every time that I might be sneaking away from her. So when I was telling her I need to go to the office, I felt guilty because I can see in her eyes that she's worried, but sh

Hi Everyone, I just want to share with you a pasta dish that Daddy and I experimented on. We were doing our grocery, and I told him I want to cook spaghetti, so we can use the parmesan cheese we have sitting too long in our pantry. He readily agreed, but he want to try something different. So we bought olive oil and basil, and crossed our fingers.

Hi Everyone, We were able to finally visit Puerto Galera last April. I have never visited Boracay, but they said Puerto Galera was similar to it because of the night parties.  The travel going to Puerto Galera was long. We had to take an hour and a half trip from Cavite to Batangas City Pier. From there, we had to take an hour-boat ride to our destination. I will never forget how scared I was when I walk across the plank connecting the boat and the pier!  We arrived at Puerto's shores, and I was so amazed at how clear the water was. I have never seen anything like it. The restaurants served good food, too. My favorite though was not found in the restos, but on the beach front - the mango ice scramble. Remember those pink ice scramble you had when you were a kid? They have it in mango and strawberry flavors here. I hope someone would come up with the same thing here in Cavite.

Hi Everyone, "Of relaxing in the summer sun, just lettin' off steam." -Olaf Sun-kissed skin. Upbeat music. Peals of laughter. A perfect summer getaway. It is my first time to visit Volets, and it did not dissapoint. Volets is a perfect swimming venue for kids and kids-at-heart (and for people who do not know how to swim like me. Learning to swim remains in my bucket list. Maybe I'll learn with Sofia. :D). There's the wave pool, the Olympic size pool, 2 kiddie pool areas, lazy river for the kids and lazy river for the adults. There's no way you can get bored, because there are many pools to switch to, and each one is different from the other. What I liked about the place are the shallow pools. I was not in constant fear for the safety of the kids. I was also able to enjoy being in the water, especially the lazy river and the falling water from the huge bucket.

Hi Everyone, My brother- and sister-in-law spent the weekend at our home. When Barezas get together, the unconventional things are expected to happen. :) Our family and in-laws love food. And because of this relationship with good food and love for unconventional things, our idea bulb just lit up. Presenting... our very own version of Yakimix! We took out our electric stove, put our non-stick grill pan on top, spread some oil, brought out the food for grilling... and voila!  It just cost us Php600. We had marinated chicken, marinated pork, shrimp, squid and hotdogs. It fed 5 hungry grown-ups and 3 kids. Not bad. And we had fun! This is a unique dining experience at home. Everyone can't wait to take their turn in grilling their food. We need a bigger pan. When you do this, just make sure you have a fan pointed an at open window to serve as your exhaust. It's expected to get smoke-y, and oh-so-yummy smelling. We certainly will do this again next time.  Live,

Hi Everyone, We had fried bangus and daing na bangus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's not that we were abstaining from meat; it's the only thing available in our fridge. :) Fitting for the season, too. The scorching heat of the sun, and the not-working air-conditioning unit of our Tamaraw FX served as our penance.  We decided to visit churches in Batangas. Some are churches I visit frequently before. There's something about churches that makes me feel like I am an intruder when I enter their huge doors. Like there are angels singing, and I should listen quietly. Like each church is wrapped in a thin holy film, and that by just being there, without even saying a prayer, I feel that all my sins are forgiven.  San Roque Parish, Lemery, Batangas (I accidentally deleted the picture of its facade.) Basilica of St. Martin of Tours, Taal, Batangas Parish of Immaculate Concepcion, Bauan, Batangas Basilica Minor of Immaculate Concepcion, Bauan,

Hi Everyone, I turned 33 last March something (people close to me would know the date :P). I thought I was just turning 32! And then I realized, it was already 2015, and doing the math (although I hate math), I should really be 33.  Why???! How???! I must be insane in the membrane. Anyway, let's not dwell into that.  [Pause...] Why???! How???! We decided early morning, that we will not celebrate anymore because we bought a brand new t.v. the day before and our pockets were almost empty. Our CRT t.v. was already dying, and it was a step we had to take. O.O (Pat on the back there for finally owning a t.v. beyond the caveman age.)   Daddy had a struck of conscience though of us not celebrating my 33rd (why? how?) birthday. So we decided to have dinner at King-bee, Manggahan. And since it was my birthday, I got to order the dishes I really want (ergo no pure vegetable dish). Haha! Waiting for her favorite Chicharap (yeah, the name's from Chowking; I did

Hi Everyone, Pinto Art Museum captivated me effortlessly. The entrance fee of Php150.00 per person was so worth it. It housed a massive collection of paintings, sculptures and art installations. It was a visual feast for anyone who stepped into its doors.  There was a little chapel near the entrance of the Museum. It was very simple. When I entered, it felt like it was only God and me there. There was also a building dedicated for the indigenous art. It was mostly  oohs  and  aahs  as we looked into one art creation after another. The largest painting in the museum was " Karnabal ". I had a hard time fitting this painting in the camera. We almost missed this wing (because we did not make use of the map that was given to us). Good thing, Mama Dolly roamed around the area while Daddy and I were resting.  This was my favorite section of the gallery because the paintings here are more modern, "funkier"; there was a happier less serious