Family Mart Crystal Charms <3

I've always wanted to get a charm bracelet. They just look so pretty and fancy and I like the idea of each charm having a special meaning. However, good charm bracelets are usually expensive, and I've got bills to pay, so I haven't gotten to getting one, because #priorities. 

Imagine my delight when I saw Family Mart's ad while walking home from work a few days ago! 

The charms caught my attention because they were travel-themed. :) There are ten charms available, and each charm represents a country. Each charm is encrusted with a Swarovski crystal. 

To get a charm, you need to buy Php100.00 (equivalent to 5 stickers) worth of products, and add Php89.00. 

You can get the bracelet with a built-in charm for Php199.00, and yes, you can also use this purchase to get stickers! :) 

The bracelet comes in a clear plastic. 

The charms come in a sealed pack and also comes with a velvet pouch. 

I got 5 charms that represent the countries I've travelled to so far; Philippines, China, Thailand, ISA, and Japan. :) 

I love my new charm bracelet. <3

The lady from Family Mart told me that the charms originally sell for Php900.00 each. She also told me that they're made from hypoallergenic stainless steel. The promo runs until November 30. 

Be happy!

<3 Missy

Tokyo Tokyo Mt. Katsu Bento Meal

I had a meeting in Greenbelt last week, so I decided to have lunch inside the mall. I knew I wanted some kind of fast food, but I didn't want to go to my usual fast food places (i.e, Jollibee, KFC). Saw Tokyo Tokyo and tried it for a change.

Did you ever experience seeing something on display and wanting that exact same thing? That's what happened to me. Their menu on the screen prominently displayed what appeared to be fried chicken with toppings. I asked the cashier, "Ano yung nasa picture?", and she explained that it was chicken karaage with onion rings on top. She said that I can get it in a bento meal with a drink, rice, and  dessert for Php254.00. It was a bit pricey, but I really wanted the food in the picture, so I gave in.

I quickly changed my mind about the meal being pricey when I saw how big the chicken was! I think two people can share this chicken by just ordering some extra rice. Even the rice was plenty. I thought that the meal would come in a bento box but yeah, I don't think all that food would have fit in a bento box.

The chicken was meaty, tender, and juicy. It was covered in a sweet, slightly salty, and tangy sauce, almost like a teriyaki sauce. I liked how the crunchy breading complimented the juicy meat.

The onion rings on top had a light and crispy batter. I like how the onions inside still had some bite in them. Also, unlike some onion rings, you can actually taste the onion here. 

The fried chicken karaage plus the onion rings had an umay factor, but the rice, miso soup, and red iced tea that came with the meal balanced it out. Tokyo Tokyo has probably perfected cooking their Japanese rice, and I like how they sprinkle sesame seeds on it. As for the miso soup, it's as good as any miso soup. and it has lots of silky tofu and seaweed in it. The red iced tea was pretty standard.

The dessert turned out to be mango pudding. It's very very slightly sweet and has a tiny bit of mango flavor. It almost tasted like water. I wouldn't order this as a stand-alone dessert, but as a treat after a deep fried meal, it really worked for me.

I wasn't able to finish everything, and took away two slices of the chicken as well as a few onion rings. I eventually ate them while I was stuck in traffic later that day. They were still good!

For Php254.00, the Mt. Katsu Bento Meal gave me value for my money. It's a complete and delicious meal that can make one hungry person, or even two not so hungry people happy.


Be happy!

<3 Missy

Burger King Chicken Fries

Burger King Chicken fries got me curious a few weeks back when I saw these cute cartoon chicken ads behind buses. I kept wondering what those chicken fries were. Are they chicken-flavoured fries? Chicken in the shape of fries?

It was only last weekend that I was finally able to find out, after I saw a Burger King on my way back from a quick Antipolo trip.

Php149.00 gets you 9 pieces with fries/onion rings and a drink, but it's also available in just 6 pieces. I got it with onion rings, and paid extra to upsize it and my drink.

So chicken fries turned out to be fries-shaped chicken. The fries come in this cute box. The fries served to me however were too oily, although this could have been easily avoided if they just drained the fries first.

9 pieces sounded like a lot, but the fries were not that filling. The meat in it was not packed. However, they were tasty and flavourful, thanks to all the spices packed in the crunchy breading that covered the fries.

I did enjoy eating them, even if I was bitin with the serving. Also, I think they go better with (potato) fries rather than onion rings.

After my BK visit, I googled the product and found this:

Yep, that's pretty much it, although my server forgot to give me my sauce. :(

The fries are good, but for Php149++, I expect my tummy to get full. Will probably try them again though, just so I can eat them with the sauce.


Be happy!


<3 Missy

Kenshin Japanese Izakaya Restaurant

I've been living in Makati for a little more than three years now, and I find that there's still so much that I haven't explored in this place. I would drive or walk by so many interesting-looking places and make a mental note of checking the place out, but the temptation of going tita/tipid mode and staying in, or sticking to my go-to comfort food places gets the better of me often. 

One of the places I always drive by is Kenshin Japanese Izakaya Restaurant. It's new, and just a few blocks away from me, but it's been I think almost a year since it opened and I still haven't tried it. 

It took my birthday and this random FB ad and my favorite tita person (hi, Ley!) to get me to get off my butt and check the place out. :)) 

The place is beautifully decorated, and will make you feel like you're in a tiny shop in a tiny Japanese town. 

I especially liked the wall paintings and the paper lanterns.

There is also a TV showing what I presumed to be Japanese music. 

Their menu offers a wide variety of items, from noodles, to rice bowls, to sushi, to dessert, and yes, they have drinks. Prices are not cheap but also not expensive. 

The star of their menu is their Make Your Own Takoyaki (Php288), so we had to try it. Also, sushi is life so we ordered their Sushi Combo Platter (Php298). Ley also ordered Cold Sake (Php98). 

The sushi was okay. Tasty enough, but could have used more filling. Ley didn't like that they fell apart easily; but still, 12 pieces, 3 kinds, and under 300. Pwede na. 

I wasn't in the mood to drink, but I tried the sake and liked it. It was sweet and mild. It may be too mild for alcohol fans, though. 

Anyway, how do you make Takoyaki you ask??

You start with a stove, a grill, and the ingredients: batter, butter, squid, veggies, and toppings..

Put butter on the grill so the batter wont stick..

Pour in the batter and let it cook a bit..

Sprinkle in the ingredients, and let it cook some more..

And then turn and turn and turn, like your life depended on it, to make it round!

When the half of the ball is hard enough, pour in more batter and turn some more..

Until you end up with little spheres of happiness. ^_^

Drizzle with mayo and soy sauce and put on fish flakes.

It's tiring but a lot of fun! And the Takoyaki is actually yummy! The batter is light enough to let the flavor of the squid and veggies come through. The way we cooked it, it was hot and a bit liquidy in the inside, and chewy in the outside, which is how I like it. :) 

This is definitely a fun place, and I'm looking forward to trying out their other items. However, the place seems a bit under-manned. They only had three servers attending to more than ten tables, and a booth. We weren't surprised that the servers weren't too friendly. They must have been tired. 

We didn't want to bother them so we took these pictures on our own. :))

Kenshin Japanese Izakaya Restaurant is located at GF, The Linear Makati, Yakal cor. Mayapis St., Makati. You can find out more about them at their FB Page: https://mobile.facebook.com/kenshin.ph/

Be happy!

<3 Missy

Duaman 2016 + A noob's guide to surviving multi-sport. :)

Two Sundays ago, I became a Duaman!

Joining a dua event was Step 2 in my road to being a triathlete. 

I got into running last year. This year, I decided to take it up a notch by aspiring to become a triathlete. 

Per my coach/friend Mike's expert opinion, it goes Step 1- run, Step 2 - bike, Step 3- swim. So I joined him and another friend, Jeriel, on rides using my Kuya's bike. 

After getting into it, and after much bullying, I finally bought a bike of my own. <3

Sometime in March, Mike heard about SBR's Duaman event on May 22. 6krun, 20k bike, 3k run. By that time, I already went as far as 40k during rides. Also, I've run as far as 21k. So, I thought I'd give it a shot. 

Because I was such a noob, and Mike was super bibo, we registered as early birds for only Php1,500 (regular rate was Php2,000). For that price, we'd get a finisher shirt, medal, bibs and stickers, a GPS thingy, and food. :D

Unfortunately, I couldn't get my butt to train regularly before the event. Nevertheless, I still attended. 

I was so excited and got to the venue at around 4:30am. By that time, a few people were already registering. 

As opposed to plain running events, where kits are distributed in advance, multi-sport events usually give out kits on race day. I liked that I was early, because I didn't have to fall in line. I think about 800 people participated in the event. 

After putting on my bib and GPS thingy and placing the stickers on my helmet and bike, I placed my bike in the transition area. 

Afterwards I did some brisk walking and just waited for the others. 

I loved the energy of the people there. We were all excited. I even got to meet fellow noobs! We were all scared that we'd finish last. 

It was also super cool that they had a drone there. I like drones. 

The race was supposed to start at 6am. However, the organizers said that they were going to wait for everyone to register before we start, so no one gets left behind. :| I guess that's sweet and all, but I think we should have started on time, to be fair to those who got there early. Also, the sun. We started at around 6:30am and the sun was already up so by the middle of the race it was already too hot. :(

Before starting, the organizers briefed us. They gave last minute tips, and explained some minor changes to our route. 

Again, I didn't train for the event, so I was super slow. :( My goal was to finish before lunch time :)) 

I'm happy to report that I did reach my goal. I finished at around 9am. My official time was 2:38:05. True to my race number, I finished 28th in my age group. :D 

I finished the race and was happy about it, even if I was practically burnt because of the sun. I went ahead and devoured my packed lunch. The drink was not included. Had to buy it for Php50. 

After finishing, we had to wait for everyone to finish before we could get our bikes and helmets from the transition area. They said we had to do this for security reasons. 

After getting our bikes, it was picture time!

Okay so now that I've joined a bike race, I feel like a legit bike person now. :)) Here's some tips for my fellow non-athletic noobs:

-Make time to constantly squeeze in some training. Short but regular training beats a one time big time training. It's all about building your endurance. 

-Invest in a good bike. Make sure it fits you. You can get a decent bike for about Php30,000. It beats buying a cheap-o bike then having to upgrade parts. Also, bike shops usually offer a free bike fit and initial tune-up. Make sure to take advantage of these. 

-Invest in your safety. A good helmet can save your life. Make sure to try it on and make sure it has a snug fit. 

-Get bike friends. If you're a noob, it's best to ride with other people first. Adjusting to a road bike can get scary. You might also need help in case something goes wrong with your bike. 

-Hydrate. Make sure to bring water or some other kind of hydration when you go on rides. You lose a lot of body fluids when you ride, and you can get dizzy and/or pass out. For extra long rides, it's best to bring a small snack to avoid hypoglycemia. 

-Protect your skin! The sun can get crazy fierce that sunblock sometimes isn't enough. Even if it's less comfortable, wear leggings and sleeves to protect your skin. Of course, wear sunscreen BUT DO NOT PUT IT ON YOUR FOREHEAD BECAUSE IT WILL GET IN YOUR EYES WHEN YOU SWEAT AND IT HURTS LIKE HECK. Some people wear scarves and shades. Obviously, this noob is speaking from experience. :))

-Stay on your right and always look when changing lanes. The rule is to stay right so other riders can pass by your left. Bikes are quiet. You sometimes won't know if one is behind you, so always look before changing lanes. 

-Make your presence known. Again, bikes are quiet, so the person in front of you may not be aware that you're about to pass. Don't be shy to shout BIKE LEFT! Wheb passing people. I know, it's dyahe, but it's better than crashing into someone. 

So there you have it. I'm a Duaman now. Step 2 finished. Now, it's time for Step 3. :D 

Be happy!

<3 Missy