weekly travel theme: international women’s day

“This week’s travel theme is wide open for however you want to celebrate the woman or women in your life, or all women in general.”  Ailsa of wheresmybackpack.

This post is in honor of the two greatest women in my life.

My mother:

my mother

my mother

Today, even if my mother is old and gray now she’s still a big influence not only to us her children but to her grandchildren as well. She always tells her grandchildren the value of respect, love and kindness so they could all grow up to be better persons.

For her strength and guidance, i am giving her a bunch of green, purple and blue tulips. Green is the symbol of health and youth. Purple is for dignity and pride which represent achievement. Blue is for calmness and peace. I wish her good health, i admire her achievement for guiding us through our adulthood, and of course i want her to have peace of mind that we, all her children and grandchildren are all doing good.

tulips

My sister:

my sister

Isn’t she cute in the picture? I remember when it was taken because she’s the youngest and i’m the eldest among siblings. She was munching on an apple and even her cheeks have some apple bits. Anyway, my sister is my best friend. Of all the people in the world, she’s the one who really know me to bits. She always has an open mind and heart whenever i talk to her especially if dealing with some problems. She’s always been a great help whenever i needed help. I just adore her.

For her loving and caring qualities, i am giving her pink carnations. Pink carnations represent motherly or sisterly love. I want her to know that i love her so much and i miss her because she’s now based in Dubai.

carnation

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weekly photo challenge: home

“Where we love is home, home that the feet may leave, but not our hearts.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes

I would love to share with you my favorite little corners in my home.

Here’s 2 of my favorite coffee mugs hanging in the kitchen. I always start my day with a good cup of coffee.

coffee mugs

Then feed the lovable kitties and doggies… and grabbing a few bites of donuts in between. On top of the table are the cat food and the dog food, pet’s milk, some chips, a box of cereal drink, a box of donuts and my utility box.

tabletop

On my living room hung 2 framed abstract prints and my favorite reading lamp. This is where i watch tv, read magazine and sometimes take my power nap.

living room

And here’s my aroma lamp. I usually use it during the night because i love the soft light coming from it. I either add citromint or basilic oil which are both mild and relaxing scents, then i could go on with my blogging.

aroma lamp

My home is where i cook delicious food for my loved ones, share stories with my kids and play endlessly with my adorable furries. My home, no matter how humble or cluttered it may be is my favorite place on earth.

What does HOME mean to you? Visit the Daily Post to know more about this week’s photo challenge.

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tagaytay revisited

It only took us about an hour drive to reach Tagaytay. It was a long weekend and a wonderful time to go out of town and spend bonding moments with the family. As soon as we arrived, i took some photos of Taal Volcano and Taal Lake. Had a nice time basking in the scenery, watching the clouds, taking deep breaths and feeling the cool breeze on my face. It has been said that the scenery will rejuvenate the mind and uplift the spirit and i super agree on that.

taal volcano

During one of our adventures in Tagaytay, we’ve already experienced fine dining at Breakfast at Antonio’s which is a high-end restaurant, this time we decided to have lunch at Antonio’s Grill. Food at Antonio’s Grill is great, and i think the best part is trying out for the first time their kangkong (water spinach) salad with shrimp. The taste is so fresh, it has a little spicy bite, it is crunchy and taste so heavenly. Wow! I will surely include that in my favorite food list.

antonio’s grill

After lunch, we went straight to Summit Ridge which is just a short drive away from Antonio’s Grill. Chillax mode at Starbuck’s, just letting the hours go by, unmindful of time, feeling the chilly crispy wind of Tagaytay after all this cool weather is what attracts the people to the place.

summit ridge

Everyone is craving for hot soup and so for dinner we had ramen at RaiRaiKen. We’ve been here before and i must say that their ramen noodles are so good.

rairaiken ramen

We leisurely strolled around after dinner, bought some souvenirs, just enjoying the view, watching people come in hordes even at 9pm, taking wacky photos of each other and just having fun.

random

Sweet family bonding moments.. my treasure.

star

Me talking to hubby “I can’t remember buying a kitty for a souvenir..” LOL it’s my kittycat Star invading my shopping bag.

 

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food trip @chili’s

Food always plays an important part in our family bonding moments. Whether we dine out or just having home-cooked meals, weekends are always something to look forward to. Now that hubby is here, we always see to it that we spend quality time as much as possible since in 3 month’s time, he’ll be leaving to work overseas again. Just recently, we visited Chili’sGrill Bar and Restaurant upon the request of the kids. It was lunchtime and the place was so jampacked. Actually, we’re number 5 on queue to be seated but the wait was so worth it and here’s why.

chili’s

chili’s tabletop tile mosaic

I couldn’t help but notice the tabletop design. The color is as red as a chili and it totally complements the happy ambiance of the restaurant.

chili’s triple play P495.00 (about $11.78)

We ordered Triple Play for starters.

chili’s country fried steak P510.00 (about $12.14)

Since i’ve been craving for some mashed potato for quite sometime, i’ve chosen the Country Fried Steak. The serving is generous, i was full to the brim.

chili’s guiltless grill salmon P595.00 (about $14.16)

Hubby ordered the Grilled Salmon. Vegetable side dish is cooked perfectly. I love the smokiness of the salmon. It’s nice that it was cooked very simply to bring out its rich flavor.

chili’s chicken crispers P300.00 (about $7.14)

For the love of chicken, my daughter ordered the Chicken Crispers. With corn and fries on the side, she really enjoyed this meal.

chili’s grilled baby back ribs P595.00 (about $14.16)

The grilled baby back ribs was fork tender, and there was a large serving of corn and fries on the side.

chili’s fajita trio P660.00 (about $15.71)

Among all the dishes we ordered, my son enjoyed the fajita trio. It was served together with the fajita wraps and condiments and it was fun putting all the ingredients together, and then slowly rolling the wrap to make your own fajita roll.

fajita condiments

fajita wraps

fajita roll

This is just the first of the series of post about our food trip. As for my overall review, well in terms of food and ambiance, i would say its excellent but be very prepared as the bill might be tight on your budget.

Next food trip …

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banapple pies & cheesecakes

banapple pies & cheesecakes

Last weekend, family bonding time was spent eating at Banapple Pies & Cheesecakes, a newly opened restaurant at the mall.  It was lunchtime and as such we’re on queue #5 and waited for a while to be seated.  After several minutes, we were led to our table and immediately noticed the cute and colorful design of the table top that reminds me of sweet M&M’s.

cute table top design

The place is a little bit small with only a few seating capacity but i love the interior. There is a homey kind of feeling in it because of the lovely decorations adorning the wall as well as the beautiful lighting fixtures and chandeliers on the ceiling.

wall decoration

wall shelves with an assortment of cute and colorful decors

lighting fixtures

a close up view of the chandelier

Food is ordered at the cashier.  Good thing that while on queue i already listed our orders which made me save some time ordering our meals.

ceasar salad P120.00

baked rolled lasagna P180.00

baked rolled lasagna

baked cheesy penne pasta P185.00

panfried porkloin P180.00

hickory BBQ ribs P185.00

banana berry cake P120.00

I love the cheesy goodness of the baked rolled lasagna.  The hickory ribs are moist and meat is tender.  Serving portion is generous, their slice of cake is larger than those served in most coffee shops.  Price is reasonable since we are a group of 4 and i spent only P1,100.00.

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happy new year!

I promised my hubby (who is sea-based) that i would be posting the photos of the food that we shared during the new year celebration.  So, here they are, our simple new year feast.

fresh fruit platter that i made consisting of dragon fruits, pears and apples

macaroni salad prepared by my sister

beef kare-kare, a specialty of my sister-in-law

chicken roasted in turbo broiler prepared by my mother

oven baked baby back ribs, my own specialty and the kids' favorite

sausages grilled perfectly on hot charcoal

grilled pork belly that i just seasoned simply with salt

my perfect dipping sauce for grilled pork and fish (see my previous blog entry)

grilled fresh tilapia, my brother's favorite.

novellino wine

Adding to the excitement of everyone, meet Jack, the two month old puppy who is the new member of the family.  He is so cute and adorable.  Who could resist this little face of cuteness overload..  He provided us with his own ways to entertain us.  I guess we all fell in love with Jack.  If you could only see how his teeny-weeny tail wag.. so cute.

jack, new member of the family

I became more excited when i received this souvenir Burj-Dubai paper weight as a gift from my sister who arrived home just to spend the holidays with us.  She never fails to give us nice little gifts from Dubai.

paper weight

Everyone really had fun.  I had fun too even if i missed my hubby so much.

Welcome 2012!

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