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

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

Shameless Plug: My SoundCloud

I think I've mentioned before that I love to sing. For as long as I could remember, I've enjoyed just humming a tune, or even belting out a song, sometimes at random, which is weird, I know. Hehe.

I love to sing-a, about the moon-a and uh June-a and the spring-a...

It's just my ultimate stress-reliever. I've joined singing groups, I love doing videoke, my mom even let me take voice lessons at some point. 

However, I find it weird when I hear myself. I think everyone does, especially considering we sound a bit different in our heads than from outside.

Nevertheless, in the interest of trying to get better at singing, I've started to record myself. I've also signed up for SoundCloud. Posting covers of songs gives me that extra motivation to improve.

I'm pretty new to it but I am very excited about it. :D

Here's my latest upload:  https://soundcloud.com/andrea-monica-valle-gonzales/tadhana-cover

Be happy!

<3 Missy

Quick Step by Marc Devon (QSMD Manila)

Anyone who knows me also knows that I love to sing, and somehow, through the years, I have grown comfortable with singing. 

Not many people know that I've always also wanted to dance, only I'm so scared of trying it. I'm just so awkward in general that the thought of using my body to express myself just irks me. Even now as I'm writing this, I feel awkward. Also, legit dancers just scare me, because they look so cool and all, and I don't. Hehe. 

Anyway, I've always wanted to conquer my fear of dancing, and so I got excited when I saw that two of my elementary school friends, Frawnel and Ira, were taking a dance class in Makati. I haven't met with these two in such a long long time, so it was perfect. I get to re-connect with my friends, conquer my fear, and have my friends there for me. :D I set up a date with them right after one of their classes.

Re-connecting with Ira and Frawnel.

It was over a fried chicken dinner that they told me all about QSMD Manila. QSMD stands for Quick Step by Marc Devon. Marc Devon is a former member of the very prestigious G-Force dance group, which regularly performs in ABS-CBN shows. 

Mr. Marc Devon. I know. He even looks better in person.

And so my friends told me about QSMD Manila's next event then, which, was a charity event. "I Dance I Give: A Dance for a Cause!!." How could I say no to that? 

I was super nervous about it that I kept bugging my friends with questions like how it would be like, or if only legit dancers are allowed there, or what I should wear. They would just laugh at me and tell me to just enjoy the thing.

I did. :D

Me and my friends were a bit late that first day, and the beginners class had already started. The song was Anaconda by Nicki Minaj. There were about six lines of people, with about ten people per line. We all faced the mirror. In front was of course, the teacher. He would teach the choreo to us, step by step. After a step, he would ask us to do it, as a group, then per line, then he teaches another step, until eventually, we learn the whole choreo.

I of course felt very very conscious at first, but, I quickly got over it, because the class was super quick as well. Meaning, if I didn't pay attention for a split second, I would be lost, although the teacher welcomed questions. The fast pace was a good thing, because it didn't give me much time to think about how awkward I felt, or to look at what the others were doing.

At the end of the routine, we were all told to go sit in front, then people were called in groups to perform in the middle. This was nerve-wracking at first, but surprisingly, the people there were all very supportive, even to non-dancers like myself. :)

It went on like this for the other two classes (the intermediate and advanced classes). But of course, the choreo became more and more complex. I remember thinking and even saying out loud many times that learning the steps was one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my entire life :)) And I've been through a lot, learning-wise.

Needless to say, I made many mistakes. However, I also made many new friends :)

The teacher also calls us after the end of each class to take a group picture. The one below is my favorite group picture so far. :))

BAGSAK.

I enjoyed so much that I courageously signed up for another class..

Our teacher's birthday class :D

:)

"Team Bully"

Yes. We love taking groufies.

And another. I even brought my good friend boyfie Harmy with me! :D

Me and mah boyfie Harmy <3

A very bad screencap of a video of me and Harmy.

In fact, me and my friends are going to another class this Saturday. :D Maybe you'd want to join us?

And oh, if you're not doing much this June, and would like to be part of something awesome, why not join their dance video shoot? :D I am still thinking about it though..

You can learn more about QSMD Manila here: http://www.facebook.com/QSMDMANILA?fref=ts

Be happy!

<3 Missy

Challenge completed! Buffalo's Wings N' Things Ultimate Wingsanity.

I love spicy food. 

A while back, I got into a discussion with an Indian friend as to what "spicy" meant. He told me that the term has two imports, namely: (a) rich in spices; and (b) hot. 

So let me clarify by saying, I love my food hot. For me, the heat just makes my dining experience more exciting. 

Sadly though, my love for spicy food has led to my immunity to the heat. It's not unusual that during a meal, the people around me would have violent reactions as to how spicy the food is, and I would have no idea what they were talking about. (-_-) It's also not unusual for me to order the spiciest version of anything in a menu, only to be like "meh."

So when I heard of this spicy wings challenge that Buffalo's Wings N' Things had that even required a waiver, I was excited. Unfortunately, life happened, and I didn't get to doing it. 

Until last Sunday. 

Me and my friend Ira were just hanging out in Nuvali and decided to have dinner there. When she suggested Buffalo's, I suddenly remembered this challenge I've wanted to take on for so long. So I went for it. 

Photo grabbed from TripAdvisor 

We decided to stay in the al fresco area, because our witty server said the waitresses are prettier there. Haha. 

Below is their deliciously simple menu:

Photo grabbed from Buffalo's FB page

Photo grabbed from Buffalo's FB page

Hmmm just looking at that menu makes me want to go back! Anyway, I ordered 1/2 pound of their Ultimate Wingsanity wings, blue cheese dip, and mashed potatoes. My friend Ira opted for 1/2 pound of their New York's Finest wings, blue cheese dip, and NY Dirty rice. 

Ira got her food first. She had no complaints. 

While waiting, I was made to sign their waiver. Basically, I had to waive any right to proceed against them if I experience any physical discomfort because of the spicy food. 

We're ready to eat! :D

This will be a breeze. 😎

I would have to admit that these were the spiciest wings I have ever eaten. Also, the wings were yummy. :) I loved that despite the unadulterated heat of the sauce, the juicy tasty flavor of the wings still came through. The wings were not oily at all, and the skin was oh so crispy. 

The sweetness of the blue cheese dip married perfectly with the tangy flavor of the wings. 

Their Mashed Potatoes was very thick, creamy and tasty. Could have had more though. 

I'm a slow eater, and I enjoyed every second of eating my Ultimate Wingsanity wings. They were hot. I felt the heat not just in my mouth, but also in my chest and stomach. Ira said I kinda turned red. Also, it made me sweat a little. 

Maybe it didn't help that I had a cup of strong brewed coffee right before dinner. I had a bit of stomach discomfort while eating. 

Ira was kind enough to get me some milk. I was okay after drinking it. 

I eventually finished, and they gave me this nifty Certificate :D

 

Yay! ^_^

I will have this framed. 

To be completely honest, I would not go for these Ultimate Wingsanity wings on a regular day. I fear for my stomach lining. Haha. But they are good and they are super hot. So for spicy food lovers out there, by all means, go for it! :) 

Challenge completed!

Check out Buffalo's Wings N' Things here: 

https://m.facebook.com/sharer.php?sid=121670539546&referrer=pages_feed&refid=17

Be happy!

<3 Missy