Kids: Enjoying a Mini Jigsaw Puzzle

When you want to teach kids something, you have to keep it fresh and fun.  It's also good if it's a multi-learning approach like playing with jigsaw puzzles.  I am so thankful that my friend Erlinda gave us this mini jigsaw puzzle because it was challenging but fun. 

Food: Papa John's 2 Family Pizzas All-In for P495 treat

Last August 19, the kids and I decided to order pizza for dinner.  We settled on Papa John's Pizza because they were offering this Duo Saver - 2 Family Pizzas for P495.  Now, considering that most pizzas cost P400 each for a Family-sized pizza, this deal is a bargain.  But, you do have a certain selection of flavors to choose from:  Italiano, Cheese Trio, John's Special, Cheesy Margherita and Bacon Cheeseburger.  We chose Cheese Trio (the kids love cheese) and Bacon Cheeseburger (because it was a new flavor).

Food: Used OpenSnap to search for Yoshinoya in Glorietta #ShareSnap

Last August 9, we all went to Glorietta to visit the Camerahaus branch so that they can check the Fuji camera that Patrick won as a prize.  We thought at first that the memory card was at fault but we already had it replaced twice, so maybe it was the camera that had a problem.  But it turned out that it was the memory card – for some reason, it required a 32GB memory card for it to work, we only used a 16GB.  So, Patrick was very happy to have got it right this time.

At first, we were getting really stressed when the day started because the kids were taking too long getting ready and then when we reached Glorietta, Dana’s shoe broke and she had to keep dragging it across the floor to be able to walk and finally having to buy her new shoes at Bench (it was the closest).  I thought the day was getting too stressful. 

But after the camera got fixed (though it wasn’t really broken), it was time for lunch and we weren’t familiar with the dining choices in Glorietta (we haven’t been back in a long time) so it was a good thing we have the OpenSnap app on our phones.  Rather than having to find a customer service desk to ask for food choices or even having to go looking for a directory just to view the list of restaurants, this app allowed us to view all the available restaurants and dining choices in Makati.  We can even search by restaurant name for a more specialized search. 

Since it was raining that day, we wanted something cozy and soothing. The closest restaurant that fulfilled our needs was Yoshinoya and it was great because we haven’t tried it before.  I liked that it was bright and airy and at that time, there were still a lot of seats available.  We all had ramen, Chashu and Chicken, and some California maki.  We liked the green tea beverage that came with the dish.  I also have to mention that I liked their bathroom because it had a bidet, was huge and was clean. We all felt rejuvenated after our meal.  :)

Thanks to OpenSnap for helping us find the restaurant so fast :)

For more restaurants and food finds, download OpenSnap app from App Store or Google Play.

Full Throttle: Primetime viewing - Mondays 7PM on the History Channel

The first episode of Full Throttle was aired last August 8 at 5PM on the History Channel.  It featured hosts Rhian Ramos and Sam YG and special guest Manny Pacquiao.

If you missed it last Saturday, you can catch its primetime airing tonight at 7PM on any of the following channels:





SKYCABLE:
History 67
History HD 165

CIGNAL:
History HD 125

CABLE LINK:
History 43

DESTINY:
HC 57

DREAM:
HC 30

Here's a clip of what's in store for the episode:



Don't Get Left Behind!! Watch Full Throttle on History!

Full Throttle : S01E01 viewing party at Bugsy's (BGC)

Full Throttle Season 01 Episode 01 has finally aired on the History Channel!!!

Their first guest is none other than the Philippines' Pambansang Kamao, Congressman Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao. He opens his garage and his home and lets you take a peek at what an ordinary day is to a busy guy like him.

You'll also see Rhian challenged by what she's tasked to do in the episode :)

Family: Reunion with Paypon-Jose-Rosanes Family

26 July 2015

I hold family gatherings as exciting milestones in our lives.  Most of my family live abroad so whenever some of them come back to Manila, I make sure that we attend the reunions.  This time, it's my cousin Martha and her family that came back from Wisconsin.  Her Mom and Dad came ahead of them so we're one big happy family!

Travel: Trip to Fort Santiago, Manila

Today, Dylan, Tracy and I went to Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila to be with Patrick and their production team as they shoot scenes with Apl de Ap for Full Throttle.

Mind you, it has been a very long time since I was last here and I remember it was part of an educational field trip in my school. It was Dylan's and Tracy's first time to visit so it's like seeing it all for the first time again :)

Cars: Launch of Full Throttle at House Manila

In a previous post, I uploaded a press release for the launch of the new TV show, Full Throttle, on the History Channel.   Last July 16, Thursday, that event became a milestone in our family life, especially for Patrick who had to leave Top Gear Philippines as a full-time writer to concentrate on this endeavor.  As mentioned, the launch was held at House Manila in Resorts World and it was a resounding success having many car manufacturers, advertisers and press people in attendance.

DIY: Bake your own Banana Bread

14 July 2015

We usually have bananas in the house but the problem is that if you don't eat them quickly, they can turn rotten so easily.  So rather than let them go to waste, I thought I'd try my hand at making banana bread out of them.  :)  Naturally, I scoured Google for an easy-to-follow recipe and I found one here.

This recipe was very simple.  I don't have a blender or a masher so everything I've done is by hand.  If you have the equipment then feel free to use them :)

Ingredients:

4-5 medium-sized bananas (you can add more if you want)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Procedure:

Step 1:  Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl then set aside

Step 2:  Mix the butter, sugar and eggs in another bowl.  Set aside.

Step 3:  Peel the bananas then mash them.

Step 4:  Mix the mashed bananas with the butter/sugar/eggs mixture.  After that, put that mixture with the flour/baking soda/salt and just blend them together. Put it in a loaf pan (in my case a baking pan since I don't have a loaf pan).  Oh and don't forget to spread some butter on the surface of the pan to prevent the bread from sticking.  

Step 5:  Put the pan in the oven (preheated at 350 degrees F).  In the video I looked at, the baking time was 60-65 minutes.  With the pan that I used, it only took 30-35 minutes.  You can check if the bread is done if you stick a toothpick in the middle and when you pull it out, nothing sticks to it.  That tells you that it's done.

We let it cool out of the oven when it was done.  Here are my assistants enjoying our success :)

Family: Luke's Christening

12 July 2015

After 3 days of "No Classes" because of three consecutive typhoons in the Philippines, we were all happy to get out of the house and attend Stevie and Toni's baby boy Luke's Baptism.  We all trooped to the Christ the King Church in Libis.  The venue for the reception was also within the church's grounds (very handy!).