Cars: Toyota 86 for the long weekend

November 30 - December 04, 2012

One of the most memorable test drives that Patrick has ever brought home in the four years that he's been test driving cars is THE Toyota 86.   During this week, he will have the Toyota 86, which we've fondly nicknamed Kratos (from God of War), to test drive and our first stop was at the Manila Auto Salon at the SMX of the Mall of Asia.  Of course, before heading out, we all had to have our picture taken with Kratos haha

So guess what we first saw at the Manila Auto Salon?  A red Toyota 86 at the Top Gear Philippines booth hahaha

After browsing through all the nice cars at the show, we were ready to go home.  We still couldn't stop ourselves from taking pictures haha The car was a real Beauty and Beast !! :D Granted, the kids were comfortable in the back seat, although of course, they preferred to be able to see outside, but they liked it when Patrick "drifted" the car LOL As a passenger, I felt that the car really handled well and though it is a sports car, the suspension didn't make me dizzy.

It felt good to be driving around in it since we all saw how people reacted to the car.  Some pointed it out.  Some wanted to take pictures of it.  There was even a time when at the traffic light, a jeepney driver had a conversation with Patrick about it.  It surprised us when the driver thanked us for taking the time to talking to him about the car!!

I'm sure if we had money, Patrick wouldn't need any prompting to buy the Toyota 86! :D The kids would probably love it too :D

Cars: Axe Bikini Car Wash

October 27, 2012

You know I consider myself lucky that I get to enjoy the weirdest pleasures with my family.  This time, our adventure was courtesy of Axe Philippines and their promo "Axe Anarchy Island Bikini Car Wash".  If I remember correctly, Patrick joined their contest and he had to post a picture of his car that really needed a good wash.  Well, if you left Stanley outside on the street for a day, expect that he'll be covered in dust and grime immediately considering the volume of vehicles that pass by on a daily basis.  So, in short, his photo got him registered for the event and on that Saturday, we all trooped to Mall of Asia to attend the Axe Bikini Car Wash not with Stanley but with Viktor, the Volvo test unit that Patrick had for the weekend.

The Axe Girls

Shelter from the Intense Heat

With Viktor, the Volvo

There were two batches of cars to be washed based on how early you were at the event.  We were fortunate enough to be the first of the 2nd batch so that gave us time to watch how everything was supposed to go.  First, there were 10 car wash bays, 5 on each side.  Each car is assigned a number as they register and will go into their corresponding car wash bay.  Each car wash bay is also assigned two girls to wash the car in the bay.  It was really Patrick's day because one of the girls that was assigned to wash Viktor was his crush, Yassi Benitez :)

Here were some of the girls who were assigned to the other vehicles :)

The kids had a blast because they were inside the car while it was being washed which was a first for them.  :)  Needless to say, Patrick also enjoyed himself immensely from his vantage point in the car.  Meanwhile, I just took the opportunity to have our picture taken with the hosts of the event.

On our way out after the event, there were some props laid out near the exit and we just couldn't resist taking pictures with them :)

After this fun event, we went to SM Mall of Asia for dinner and we chanced upon the Shell Ferrari Lego exhibit and the kids got their picture taken there as well :)  All in all it was a really fun day!

Kids: At the SM Toy Expo

August 25, 2012

I don't know if you are like me when I hear the word "SALE".  I sort of go into a panic and then I force myself to calm down When I saw on Facebook that there was to be a Toy Expo at the SMX in Mall of Asia, that's exactly what happened.  It's never too early to plan and buy for Christmas.  If there are sale events in the Metro which can help save you money, then by all means go to them and just be disciplined enough to buy only what your budget requires.  I know, it's hard! But if you concentrate on getting what you and your kids want, especially in a grand Toy Sale like the Toy Expo,  you'll have more money to spend on additional items.




We certainly spent a long time walking around the whole exhibition area and at the same time, the kids took their time getting their pictures taken at the displays and photo booths.  The Ben 10 and Thundercats section had their own photo background which the kids took advantage of.  Come to think of it, even Patrick got in on the picture taking :)

So, there was also a Power Rangers display, a small Bumblebee Transformers statue, an Iron Man statue and a Captain America statue.

Naturally, Patrick just had to try out the Gran Turismo on the PS3. It took him a while to get his turn because kids had to be dragged kicking and screaming by impatient parents.

One of the great buys that we got was this Spongebob Tent that we got for Dylan.