Been baking quite a lot these past few weeks...I just missed it, that's all. Here are a few pics of my Mango Cake and Butter Cupcakes.

I have a friend who suddenly suffered from pain again..after 20 years. her Lumbar disk gave way again. Now she can't do anything it's so sad. I sent her this beautiful rose to make her smile. I'm hoping to send her real ones today.

A biker friend of mine suffered the loss of his child in a car accident. The kid was going to school . I guess she was in a rush and at 19, she was gone too soon. This made me think of my relationship with my teenage girl, whom I love so much but is at arms length away. I don't know, maybe that's the way it is when you're a teenager. I really don't get it too much. I hope that the new frontiers of her life will open up her eyes to her loving family.

Jack The Giant Slayer

Just saw this movie. It was pretty good. The CGI was pretty much great as it should be at this present time. The lead actor was ok. .ok. not too cute for me haha but the lady princess was pretty . Overall, they looked great together anyways. All the other casts were known artists but I can't  recall their names. Funny, this aint a Movie review blog so i didn't put anything special about it hahaha.. I just wanted to document that I saw the movie and it was nice :) We watched it in SM mall of Asia  it was a pretty good night to relax. My hubby was extra stressed from work as usual and I was pretty anxious all week. Finding ways to fight off the feeling, we decided to watch this movie.

 so i should say..... if you haven't noticed, for me it is a Pretty movie.....hahaha!

Yeah, he was disgusting !

This is Della's digital artwork..,I really like it.

               
                    Made banana nut cupcakes and it turned out pretty good:-)

     
                                I'm going to find a way to get these nails asap! wahahah.

I've been working on my journal for sometime now, but only recently have I decided to keep it prayerful and meaningful ...as in faithfully meaningful. It matters to me how I express myself in drawing and this way I focus more on what I enjoy and how I revere the Lord. It's precious how colors reflect the heart.

Duck Cravings

The day started with an early service in Manila. The hubby craved for duck which came so late! we thought it wouldn't come anymore. Crown Prince Seafood was just ok. I loved their Hot and Sour soup. The place was filled and noisy. We had extra entertainment with a group of Chinese oldies who  had their singing group all lined up dancing and singing. It was noisy. But we had fun. The food wasn't bad at all. It's just that the duck was horribly late, chewy and bland.. The very reason why we went there anyway.

Hot and Sour Soup

Hot Shrimp Salad

      

The failed Roast Duck
here's where we got the suggested location to look for the duck
http://www.spot.ph/gallery/818/top-10-roast-duck-in-manila/article/47473#pid=11552


do they look the same to you??????

NO!

Strawberry Vanilla Cupcake from Frostings

One good Saturday Morning

Post Birthday Dinner date with a balikbayan

 We had one of the most yummy salads I've ever had. 8 spices has become my favorite no doubt. This is their version of Thai mango salad.
 Balikbayans are importantt for us and when we found out family was arriving. We just plan ahead to take them out for dinner...that's how filipinos are. We just had to give them the best asian food and show them around new places.
   It's a great way to bond except that there are a few people sometimes you'd love to be away from when family gets together. Here, am happy I took advantage of the early birds.

Balikbayan Boxes

It is very common for Filipinos to leave the Philippines to live and work abroad. A balikbayan is a filipino who is returning to the Philippines from living or working abroad. A balikbayan box is a box of items sent by the balikbayan to their family in the Philippines. The box can be sent or it can be brought by the sender when they themselves return to the Philippines.

Balikbayan boxes can be filled with almost anything but it is usually filled with items that cannot be found in the Philippines or items that may be too expensive for the average person to buy in the Philippines. Common items found in balikbayan boxes include: clothes, shoes, chocolate, nuts, vitamins, basketballs, coffee and tea, magazines, shampoo/conditioner, soap, body lotion, etc.

My parents sent balikbayan boxes throughout the year but always sent them to arrive in time for Christmas. We find out what the family needed/wanted and put everything in the balikbayan box. Our family LOVES getting the boxes. I suppose its just like Christmas Eve waiting and wondering what is in the box. My cousins would always tell me they savored the smell of the box right when it was opened- the smell of America. In February I continued the filipino tradition and sent a box to my mom. The box contained some gifts for the family and some of the belongings that my mom couldn't in her luggage when she left. In March it arrived and I was in the Philippines when it did. I opened the box and sure enough it smelled like home- like America, as they all said.

resource    http://www.filipinoplanet.com/filipino-traditions.html