I was busy on my laptop while my Dad was watching the news last night and while I was pretty much passively listening to what was being talked about on TV, one thing that made me stop what I was doing was when the announcer said that we got "15 days to go before Christmas Day."
WHAT?!
That was my immediate reaction. I'm not ready for Christmas yet and judging on the non-progress made on our gift list, it looks like I will be getting into a shopping frenzy in the coming weeks...that is if I don't do anything about it NOW! It doesn't help too that Yaya M1 will soon be going on her month long Christmas vacation back in her province which means I will be extra busy helping Yaya M2 watch over my twins who are starting to enjoy half-walking/half-running around the room.
I can't believe I'm saying this but as a busy Mom, I am so grateful for technology and online shopping. I've lost count of the number of times when technology and the ease of ordering online has saved me. From that impromptu pa-burger for our household staff to secretly buying Paul's birthday gift without him knowing (or seeing the bill haha), I've relied on the beauty of technology in helping me get the job done.
Of course, there's my favorite bee.. Honestbee! This has been my go-to app when I need to buy some groceries but I can't get out of the house or when, just like that pa-burger session, I need to quickly buy food for the house. This Christmas, they has definitely up the ante by making Christmas shopping much more convenient for all of us. I'm not talking only about buying gifts or pastries but also for your Noche Buena spread too. They even partnered with Philippine Daily Inquirer's Best Desserts for 2018 to ensure that you now have access to the best dessert suppliers out there.
Recently, they invited us for an exciting preview where we got to sample some of the yummiest Christmas items that will be available from their long list of merchants. Mind you, these merchants were specially chosen by Honestbee thus you are assured of getting nothing but the best.
My personal favorites include my childhood favorite Jud's Fruitcake (hello Jamie and Auntie J!), Carabella Ice Cream, Marie's Pistachio Cake, General's Lechon, Old Swiss Inn and Wu's Kitchen's Asado Platter. I was also so happy to see that Yankee Candle is finally here in the Philippines and they're available at Honestbee too.
Enjoy the video above and may this bring more Christmas cheer to all of you! Once again, in true vlogger fashion... thumbs up if you like my video and please do not forget to subscribe! ♥
All throughout this month, I will be sharing with you great finds that you can bring to your upcoming Christmas parties and gifts for your loved ones too.
I think the best way to jump start this festive month is to tell you about one of the best lunches that I've had this year. It was an invitation to dine at the lovely home of Ms. Bambi Javelosa with some of my favorite foodie friends namely Mr and Mrs. Our Awesome Planet, M of Eatsplorations and G of Dude for Food. I love dining with small groups as we get to catch up and have meaningful conversations while enjoying good food. That and simply because I am (seriously) an introvert too and big groups can really drain the life out of me.
Our lunch began with Miso Marinated Salmon with Shiitake and Bokchoy which was so good! I love salmon and while this may look simple, it's totally bursting with so much flavor. It has a nice savory sweet flavor that goes well with anything..and I really mean..anything!
If there's one thing my one year old twins are starting to show great interest in, it's unboxing with Mommy whenever there's a new package that gets sent out way. The sight of a mysterious-looking box most especially one wrapped in a big bow never fails to make them clap with happiness and quickly crawl/baby walk towards me. Sometimes, I would patiently wait for them to wake up from their nap in order for us to unbox the package together. Oh how I wish they'll never get tired doing this with me even as they grow up.
That said, I shall start a new series in this blog where I will be featuring the different boxes/packages that my twins and I have unboxed and their genuine reaction towards it coupled with my personal thoughts about the product too. Thus, I present you my first entry under "Unboxing with the #AngTwins". Tadaahhhh!
The Pipa Duck as very memorable as it was my first time to come across it and we even had an inside joke about it within my team. (To YOU whom we were teasing about the Pipa Duck...know that I miss and love you! hihi).
source: https://bit.ly/2DWKRMx
Anyway, the Pipa Duck is not another type of duck. It's exactly the same kind normally used for Roast or Fried Duck what made it different is how it was prepared. Split open in the middle and "butterflied" to flatten it out, the reason why it's called so is because it resembles that of a pipa 琵琶, a traditional Chinese wind instrument, that is shaped like a flat guitar. However, this type of cooking method somehow makes the skin extra crispy while retaining the tenderness and juiciness of the duck meat inside. Really yummy!
This was predominantly my thought as we got nearer and nearer to the day of The Music Run. Well, back in July, when Paul and I decided to sign up, the main objective was because we wanted to get into a healthy lifestyle for our twins. The plan was to train for this run at least 3 months ahead thus making the 5K distance an easy peasy challenge for us.
Well.. that didn't happen. We barely prepared for this run and we were already telling friends that we might just walk all the way. Luckily, I still had the presence of mind to sign us up for the Fun Run so that lessens the burden than signing up for the timed marathon. We also had considered not showing up or backing out. The race fee wasn't that expensive and for fear that we might just breakdown during the race.. we thought of letting it go. But... we're not the kind who backs out that easily. So..there we were on the afternoon of November 17 together with thousands of avid runners and sports enthusiasts. Two totally out of shape individuals trying to stretch every muscle in our body in hopes that we won't get cramps or worst, fall and injure knees or ankles.
I can't believe I've never written about Market Cafe. Being a huge fan of what was then the Hyatt Hotel in Manila where Paul and I would frequent Lili and The Fireplace, I can't believe that I never got around to writing my experiences at their all-day buffet restaurant, Market Cafe.
The hotel is now under a new management and is now known as AG New World Manila Bay Hotel. Despite the name change, the enticing and very welcoming look of Market Cafe stayed the same. One thing that I remember about dining here is that even their drinks are part of the buffet. This is just a minor add-on but it's really the little details that make the difference, right?
The selection is not as wide as perhaps its hotel buffet counterparts but rest assured that it's well curated and the quality is top notch. Start your meal by visiting the Cheese and Cold Cuts station. I really like starting with small bite-sized portions of these appetizers every time I dine at a buffet. Either this or a plate of hand-rolled sushi. I was with my twins and L, in particular, loved the hard cheeses! My little girl is truly a gourmet in the making. I'm one proud momma. They also have a good selection of freshly baked breads which my twins enjoyed as well.
Moving on, there's the Japanese station which is divided into several parts. First, the sushi/sashimi station which has quite an impressive spread. I love the fresh sashimi and pair this with some Japanese pickles and dip it into your DIY soy-wasabi dip.
There's also the teppanyaki selection which was quite good but one thing you can't miss is the ebi tempura. This is one of the buffet's most popular choice that you can expect to wait for a few minutes for this to be available. The Chef would be seen deep-frying non-stop but the moment a new batch gets served on the buffet line, it gets snapped up so quickly by the dining patrons so there's hardly any chance that you'd get your ebi tempura right away. Patience is, after all, a virtue. I promise you though that it's worth the wait.
Love burgers? Love shawarma? Well in an ordinarily normal world, these two types of food items will never ever mix. You can only have one or the other. But who ever said life is ever ordinary? The metro's well-loved shawarma joint, Shawa Wama, recently invaded the space of its sister restaurant - 8Cuts and I personally couldn't be happier.
You see, Shawa Wama opened their first branch at the Powerplant Mall and for somebody who rarely gets out of San Juan City, this has been on my to-try list for the longest time. Thankfully, I got wind that Shawa Wama will be at 8Cuts until November 11, 2018 so I made the most of this opportunity and dragged Paul out for an impromptu shawarma date at our neighborhood 8Cuts outlet for lunch one day.
