point-shoot-expose!!! (BATAAN SUMMER 2010)

another snapshots during our summer 2010 kick off at Morong, Bataan. i thought that Bataan is near Manila (guessing around 2hours drive), but man, was i proven wrong! we left manila around 6am and reached Morong, Bataan around 10.30am, almost 11! too bad we didnt get to go to the peak of Mt. Arayat. :( maybe, next time!

SUMMER CAME BY TOOO FAST!

I AM TRULY A "BEACHY" KINDA GAL! :P

***i find solitude near nature, and when i saw the scenic view this beach resort has to offer, i am at peace. damn good feeling! life couldn't be more this purrrrfect!

***love the clear blue skies and the sea

boats, boats, boats and more boats! :D

truly love the sunset...

ALONG THE ROAD SCENERY...
who would have thought that all these can be seen in the philippines???? no need for passport, visa or airfare... just an adventurous spirit and a feet willing to go places...

**this one for some weird reason, reminds me of Stonehendge in England

***i don't have any idea what this was, but this sort of box-kinda-room-thingy made of stone stands in the middle of the road like it belong there.

***when i saw these, i found them simply intriguing!

***awww, lonely coconut! :(

taking one step at a time,
prettytwistedchick

point-shoot-expose!!! (PANAGBENGA FESTIVAL 2010)

these pics are looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong overdue. (i know right?! the panagbenga festival was last february and only now (august) did i post these pics...) sorry, i haven't quite grasp concept of real-time uploading! hahaha

THE FOOD...

cafe mocha in the house! 

***breakfast at house of waffles was simply divine. their cafe mocha was perfect for the chilly weather...

beef tapa was enough to last me till afternoon! :)

this hearty meal was one i could never forget... i even see these in my dreams! sausages,  eggs (your choice of poch, scrambled or sunnysideup), ham, bacon, hashbrown, pickles, toasted bread and strawberry jam... trully tummy-filling!

the coziest Starbucks cafe i've seen so far...

THE PLACES...

i love these pine trees...it's as if someone took the time to align all of them!

i simply liked the house. it was like i'm in the woods and that's my cabin!

a view from mines view

the cathedral

just like how the building looked like!

THE PEOPLE...

this was how crowded Session Road was during the parade. the "muscled men" were part of the parade.

THE THINGS...

Panagbenga Festival wouldn't be the same without Baguio's infamous flowers, arranged to perfection!

colorful things you'll see along the way...

taking one step at a time... :D


prettytwistedchick

OREO CHEESECAKE

oreo cheesecake is one of my favorite dessert, especially when from Starbucks. last weekend, armed with a personal budget of P600, i went to the grocery, bought some ingredients and made an oreo cheesecake. (one of my spur of the moment "culinary-calling" and much to the surprise of my mother!).

my cheesecake was not bad for a novice in the kitchen...NOT BAD AT ALL! hehehe my "baking" skill got a bit rusty since i havent been cooking for quite a LOOOOOOOONG time...
i leave it up to my mom, a superb cook, to fill my tummy's cravings. hahaha


here's how i made it:

Ingredients

Crust:
1 1/4 c. Oreo cookie crumbs
3-4 tbsp. butter, melted

FILLING:
1 cup whipping cream
3 (8oz package)Pheladelphia cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
24 Oreo cookies
12 mini Oreo cookies

Direction

CRUST:
Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into a 21cm loose bottom pie pan. Place in freezer while preparing filling.

FILLING:
Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Place in refrigerator. Whip cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and blend. Coarsely chop 24 Oreo cookies and fold into cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipped cream. Turn filling in crust and spread evenly. Divide the 12 mini cookies over the top. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Loosen cheesecake by running knife around edges. Release sides of pan.

tadaaaaaa! here's my finished product! in fairness most of the people who got to taste it loved it and i got positive reviews. :D in my cheesecake, i did not use mini oreos, i just cut a normal oreo cookie in half (for the topping!)




sweet-tooth,
prettytwistedchick

lunch at pepper lunch

it was a sad day indeed.

after typhoon basyang wreaked its havoc within metro manila last night that left sooooo many uprooted trees along the streets and high ways and a total blackout, my dear officemates received yet another sad news--they were asked to go on forced leave for about 3weeks since no new project is open to accept them within the company. (we were hired on a project-based type of tenure **if you can call it a tenure** actually there is no such thing as forced leave in our own labor code, but what the heck, i'd rather not go into technical details of labor laws...)

so to uplift our melancholic spirits, the team (whoever was in attendance that day) decided to have a lunchout at greenbelt. pepper lunch was suggested by one of my officemates hence lunch was at pepper luncg (we couldnt be more redundant than that! hahaha)

**i love their signage!**

i have heard about rave reviews of this restaurant from friends but i must admit that despite my daily walks along greenbelt, this is only the first time i've set foot inside this establishment. i'm quite amazed at how people are willing to wait in line during peak hours just to eat here. (i doubt if you can eat it elsewhere since you have to sort of "cook" it yourself. but the long wait will definitely be forgotten once your palate comes in contact with the wonderful variety of meal they offer. :)

i ordered beef pepper lunch (being a preferred-beef-eater), and among all of us i was served last. (apparently this beef pepper lunch is a crowd's favorite!) i was definitely NOT disappointed. i like the idea of seeing your food "cook" before your eyes and by you! twas a great experience indeed!

**this is how the meal is being served**

**after mixing and adding some sauces**

***the officemates-turned-friends, who despite hearing some bad news in the office still have room for laughter and appreciation for a hearty good meal!


highly recommended! YUM!

bon apetit! :)


prettytwistedchick

Big Brothers Burger Half Off

as you all probably noticed, i have this "thing" with great food at a bargain price. who wouldnt want to eat a delicious and tummy-filling dinner without burning a hole in your pocket, right?

so last june 23, 2010 ALL Brothers Burger branches (except the one in Bonifacio High Street) participated in this Big Brothers Burger sale. Imagine BIG Brothers Burger normally costs Php175 a piece but on that particularly glorious day, it only costs Php87.50. IMAGINE THAT!!!!! (i can feel myself drooling by just imaginig, goodness me!)

The down side was that it was only offered a particular time on that day, it was only around 11am-12pm and 6pm-7pm. Plus, only the BIG brothers burger was on sale. However, you can add additional toppings if you want. Plus the maximum number of 20 burgers per guest ONLY :)

That day, my officemates and I headed to Brothers Burger Ayala Ave around 10am but as we entered the establishment, the place was already packed. (SWEAR, THIS IS SOOO TRUE!) However, there was no system implemented for ordering, to my dismay (so much for a hassle-free service!). Upon entering the place, no one was in line yet, in fact, there was NO LINE AT ALL! We asked around whether there was a number system for ordering, but there was none. We asked the service crew if we could fall in line already, as it was still 10ish, and she said it was up to us. Hence, we made a line of our own, much to the surprise of the people who were already inside the establsihment before us. (hey, its not our problem if we were smart enough to ask, right?!?)

we even met a nice middle-aged american lady who was surprised as to how packed the place was. she was nice enough to converse with us and tell us her amazement at what was going on. if she only knew, she said, she'd buy 5 more burgers insted of just one.

by, 11am we already got our orders and we headed back to the office. we stopped by 7-eleven first to buy a liter of cola to complete the meal...

i must say, a BIIIIIG burger with a hand-full of great friends plus good conversation makes a VVVVEEEEEEEERRRRRRYYYY GOOD MEAL! :)

sorry i want able to take pictures coz i was THAT hungry and was busy chitchatting with friends.:) i ate the meal at 11am but still felt full at 9pm! that is how BIG, Big Brothers Burger is!

bon appetit!

prettytwistedchick

Chili's Big Mouth Burger Sale

an office mate read about this in the newspaper last week. hence despite us having a rigorous training, we really made a commitment to go to Chili's and avail of this scrumptious meal offer.

thus this morning, a quarter before 11, me and my two other office mates head to Greenbelt 5...we were excited like a kid on christmas morning!!! i ordered the bacon burger and a bottle of ice cold beer--SAN MIGUEL LIGHT! (well we ordered the bucket thing and mine was San Mig Light). We met up with the girlfriend of my office mate and her friend and that made us a party of five (from the initial 3)!!!

before the attack *grinning in anticipation*

i must say that up until now (its evening already), i still relish the feel of biting into that crisp burger bun and juicy well-done delicious burger patty! With a very hearty serving of tasty french fries... YUM YUM YUM LOVEEEEET! :D (i almost didnt notice the saltiness of the fries coz the "STAR" of the day is the lovely burger.)




haaaay THIS IS THE LIFE! :D
bon appetit!

prettytwistedchick

apolitical, huh?!?

upon seeing my blog, i suddenly felt excited! this is slowly forming like the "blogs" i envisioned it to be... so i told myself, i gotta do another one! hehehe

since elections is just around the corner (less than two weeks!) and baller ids are everywhere, i decided to make a political statement (despite me, claiming to be an apolitical!) NOTE: i am not leaning towards any candidate as of this moment. despite my friends having strong and sometimes varying opinions regarding who is "better evil" or who will "less likely to corrupt THAT much", i have no idea yet as o who i will vote. my political stand is still a blur!

so i gotta ask my dear candidates: CAN YOU WALK THE WALK, OR ARE YOU ALL TALK?!?

i am really amazed at the gull of those candidates who are entering the political arena in a level that are really arent up to their sleeves. i mean how can you handle a higher level position without even going through the lower levels. PLUS, i am somewhat irritated by those candidates who (i assume) just decided to run for elections just for the heck of it. when you look at their resumes as candidates, they havent even done any community work. whats up with that?

public service does not start upon filing the certificates of candidacy. it happens waaaaay before that. because the true definition of public service is giving without asking in return for the betterment of the filipinos. now, all those crappy candidates have hidden agendas. no one now has that true love for country, unlike the older days wherein everyone is willing to give up their lives for the philippines. now, its more like how the can gain more money, more power...


sad sad sad

prettytwistedchick

sometimes

eagle's point of view

by no means am i a photographer nor do i even level myself as a photo enthusiast. i have ZERO knowledge as to photography and my love for pictures is just a by-product of my love to observe. so if you have a critical eye regarding any of my photos may it be technical or just its plain aesthetic appeal, be mindful that beauty is in the eye of the beholder..

in the end, its all just a matter of perspective..but comments are more than welcome! *WINK WINK*

look at all those smog! argh and its only 8 in the morning... pollution has enveloped the metro

**a viewpoint from the tallest building in the Philippines**

took this photo primarily because of the amazing makati infrastructure. now, who says we're a third world country with all these businesses thriving and developing by the minute... :D

i have more photos to upload but i have few little time to do it (am a working woman ya'know!)
'til my next snapshots...

prettytwistedchick