Family Field Trip to Nuvali

For the past weeks, our family has been beset with sickness, yet again.  Dana was recommended to stay home for 5 days because of possible bronchitis.  It was funny because I was watching Dylan more closely because he was the sickly one and it turned out that Dana was getting sicker.  Patrick was also told to rest for a week because of severe asthma.  In the middle of all that, I also got sick from exhaustion and colds.

So, since Dana was asked to stay home, she missed going on her field trip.  Though it was better than missing the exams.  She, in fact, still went to school during those days that she was sick.  It's such a hassle to take special exams and by then she'd probably be feeling woozy from medication and her body is not up to speed so it'll really affect her performance.

When everyone was feeling better, I suggested that we take a trip to Nuvali since that's where Dana's field trip was so even though she missed it, she'll still be able to experience what her classmates did.  After all, it's only a short drive away and it'll be good for all of us to breathe some fresh air :)

We had lunch first at Rose and Grace Restaurant which is famous for their Bulalo (stewed beef bone marrow).  Naturally we ordered that and what's great is that it comes with refillable soup which Den loves hahaha We also ordered Lechon Kawali and Beef Steak :) Carnivores aren't we? ;) Combine that with 7 or 8 cups of rice and a tower of Nestea Iced Tea and you'd have rolled us to get to Nuvali which was just across the street LOL

Here are a few pictures while we were there :)

After that hefty lunch, we went straight to Nuvali.  Our first stop was the fish feeding station where you can buy fish pellets for P15/pack and feed them straight to the huge koi in the man-made lake :)  Dylan found it fascinating although he was a bit leery of the fish jumping to get at the food :) Though it looks like the fish are crowded, they're not.  They actually have the run of the lake.  It's just that this is where they flock because this is where most people stop and feed them :)

We spent some time taking pictures around the place while waiting for our boat ride.

We also spent some time in Conti's eating strawberry and blueberry cheesecake while waiting for our boarding time.  The place was jam-packed for the weekend and it was perfect timing that we got our seats so fast :)

After gulping down our cakes and drinks, it was time to board :) Donning our life jackets, we excitedly but quietly boarded the boat.  For a minute there I worried that one of us might be sick considering we just had a snack hehehe

Dana, Den and Mel

Dylan and Me

One of the fountains on the lake

Daddy and Dylan

 After 10 minutes going around the lake, Dylan got a little wet from the fountain and nobody puked (eww!) we're back on land and taking some time to take pictures again, this time at Pig Out.

All in all, it was a good day trip.  The kids had fun and there were a lot of reminiscing along the drive back to Manila ;)

Jaws: A mean great white of a Subaru :)

Over the weekend, we were thrilled when Patrick brought with him "Jaws" the great white Subaru Outback from Motor Image which he had to test drive as part of his duties for Top Gear Philippines.  As usual, the car can hardly fit in our cramped garage which he had to share with a Mitsubishi Lancer and a Honda Civic (both of which are my cousin's cars).  Seeing it in the dark only gives you a glimmer of its size, just like a Great White.  It's huge, it's sleek.  You wonder how it'll perform on the road. We found that out the day after when we took it for a spin along Metro Manila's busy roads.


 First, we went to SM Megamall, to visit the Asus Service Center where we're supposed to pick up the laptop battery of Den's Asus shell netbook.  After a month of waiting, we found out we ordered the wrong battery! LOL My mistake! Becoming senile at my tender age hahaha

It's really cool that Jaws is slightly smaller than an SUV but bigger than a regular car because it fit snuggly into the parking lot at Megamall.  That's a big deal because on a weekend, you'll probably wait a long time to get to a parking space.  And if you're a big ol' SUV, you're limited to parking in the middle areas where there are no pipes to hinder you.

With nothing else to do in Megamall, we drove straight to Shopwise in Cubao to do our grocery shopping.  You ask why in Shopwise when there's already a supermarket in Megamall?  Well, it's simple.  The goods that we want aren't there!  It's a pain to go around the supermarket only to find that they don't sell the brand that you're looking for.  So, it's off to Shopwise for us :) Anyway, the kids don't mind the change in venue because as you can see form the pictures they're very comfortable.  You just have to be patient with them asking for a cup of drink to put in the cupholders hahaha

After buying the necessary (and not so necessary) stuff we drove from Quezon City to San Juan where we had dinner at Charlie's Grind and Grill near Greenhills.  The kids love their hotdogs, while Patrick and I are fans of their buffalo chicken wings and Black Angus burgers with fries :)









DAY 2

Since Patrick was able to test drive in the city, he wanted to test Jaws' powers on the highway and so off we went (just the two of us this time) to Tagaytay.  Along the way, Patrick decided that we'd go "house hunting" (like we had any money ) and check out the residential developments along Daang Hari.  He said that since we had this awesome car, they'd (sales agents) probably entertain us more since we appear to be loaded hahahaha  We only had time to visit one project and that's Ponticelli.  Their houses were huge and expensive (something in the range of Ph3Mn upwards).  I liked their designs but I wanted bigger lots.  It felt cramped to me seeing houses too close to each other and the roads can only accommodate 2 very narrow lanes.  I did appreciate the agent's spiel.. He wasn't they hard sell type and was simply showing us the different layouts available.  

After that, we headed straight to Tagaytay planning on having lunch there.  On the SLEX, I knew Patrick was fiddling with the controls because car-newbie that I am, I can sense some changes in the engine.  When I asked Patrick what he was fiddling around with, he gave me this mischievous smile and said, "Cruise Control" ;) It was a novelty to him to be able to finally, actually get the chance to drive a car with Cruise Control hahaha and he loved it! :) Oh and I can't forget that little button called the SI-Drive (Subaru Intelligent Drive) that shifts your engine's mode from Intelligent, to Sport to Sport Sharp :D There's also the Sportshift thing that lets you shift control from automatic to manual.  Oh and since I was only a passenger I loved the fact that I can customize the position of my seat in so many ways as to give me comfort while driving. :)

Anyway, after lunch, we headed back to Manila, met up with Den and Philip at the Asus Service Center in Megamall to finally get the correct laptop battery.  From there, we went to the Samsung Mobile Phones sale at the Market, Market in Fort Bonifacio where Den and Ate Mel (through me) bought their Samsung mobile phones.We bought Krispy Kreme Donuts to take home for the kids and then we had a late dinner at Chic-Boy.

While at Chic-Boy, there was a couple beside our table who when they were finished with their food, moved to a different table (now at the back of us).  We were all wondering what they're up to when we overheard their conversation.  They were talking about Jaws who was parked directly in front of us and can easily be seen from inside the restaurant.  The guy was really amped about Jaws' size, apparently it's the first time that he's seen a Subaru Outback.  Even his girlfriend/wife liked Jaws and if they knew that we were the ones driving Jaws they'd probably ask to have their picture taken with him hahaha

So that's kinda long (I can get chatty, sorry!).

Visiting Wingman and their Buffalo Wings

August 4, 2010

One great advantage of having your very own vehicle is having the freedom to go where you want, when you want.  Ever since we got Stanley we've been able to go to places we normally wouldn't be able to visit.  It's fun when you can do as you please. 

That's why when Patrick heard through the grapevine that there's a restaurant that's got great-tasting buffalo chicken wings, talk about stars in your eyes :) We took the kids and went to Wingman, along Malugay Street in Makati.  

Here's a look at their menu:

Quesadillas

Chicken Wings

Fish n Chips

Corn Puppies (small corndogs)

I didn't really know what to expect when we went there.  As far as I know, we were just going to eat hahaha So, since we're eating buffalo wings, my personal reference was Charlie's.  We only tried the mild sauce but it was already very spicy for my taste but for Patrick it was good. :) I would have liked to have more meat on my chicken too hahaha The Fish N Chips was a little too overcooked.  The quesadillas were a hit, especially with the kids.  Though they were excited about corn puppies (they love corndogs) I guess the corn puppies weren't that appetizing to look at hehehe 

I have to admit, I wasn't too fond of the food.  I guess it's seasoned to mix well with alcoholic drinks which they serve.  The staff was very courteous and pleasant though so that's a good point.  I think the owners were there too and they made us feel welcome :)