City Kart Racing

I love watching Formula 1 racing, so when my husband went to City Kart Racing in Makati, I decided to tag along. I was bit confused when we entered the Parksquare parking lot and proceeded up the ramps. Turns out, the 7th level of Parksquare is where City Kart is located.

The place was empty at the time, it was around 7pm on a weekday. We waited for the rest of our companions inside the City Kart cafe and took pictures in the podium;

First Place!

When everyone came, my husband paid the fee of Php 760 for the pro kart plus the Php 150 registration fee since it was his first time to race. Racers can register using City Kart's state of the art technology. They automatically take your picture and you can input your details in one of their several computer screens, City Kart will email your race results each time you visit them. There was a short orientation for the first time racers on safety features, kart techniques and picking the right gear per racer. They have several helmets to choose from;

Clean and sanitized!

The helmet and gloves come with the fee. No need to pay extra, if you're a serious racer, you can bring your own gear. Finally, the karts arrived and each racer got in. Safety reminders were again brought up and off the track they went;

Race track

Track turns

For each heat, City Kart tracks the lap times of each racer. You can have a tournament with friends and the person with the best time is declared the winner.

Actual race results =)

For the racers companions, they can watch inside the cafe or at the sidelines where several chairs are provided. It's a bit hot inside the track and very noisy from all the engines. I opted to stay at the tracks to take pictures =)

City Kart Racing

Republ1c Wake Park

Location: Nuvali, Calamba, Laguna
Date Visited: May 20, 2012
Travel Time from Manila: 3 hours

Hubby came across the website for Republ1c Wake Park and decided that we should go to Nuvali and try out the sport. We left 2 days after the night he saw the site on a sunny Sunday morning. There were 7 of us in the van and we arrived at Nuvali before 11am. The park is not yet fully operational at the time but there were several people going around the man made lake.

Man made lake at Republ1c Wake Park

Sadly, we were unable to ride. We had the option to buy a board for Php 9,000 (no strappings included) so we can ride. But we decided to watch instead and explore the park. Walking around the lake, there were several little frogs jumping around. This was fine until we saw the parents;

ugh...

I had to walk carefully after I saw them. We saw the beginner's course and there were several people learning how to ride;

Beginners lessons

It was more interesting to watch the pros especially when they went thru the ramps and did stunts, the women were especially good!

Wake board fun!

After almost 2 hours of watching, we decided to spend the rest of the day in Tagaytay, rather than go home  =)

For more information (rates, membership, lessons, etc.) on Republ1c Wake Park, visit their website here.

Mega Merienda: Puto Bumbong

One cold and rainy afternoon, we had this for merienda;

Puto Bumbong

Who says Puto Bumbong only comes out during the holidays?

Spacing is the Key!

Pwede naman Taglish eh, No Doble Parking =)

A Hundred Miles to Hundred Islands

Location: Alaminos City, Pangasinan
Date Visited: April 10, 2010
Travel Time from Manila: 5 hours

Unlike our impromptu Baguio weekend getaway, we had more than a few hours to plan a trip to the Hundred Islands, Pangasinan. I think we had a whole day =D

My husband's childhood friends came for a visit from Guam and wanted to go to the beach. I don't know who came up with the idea to travel 5 hours to Hundred Islands but everyone agreed to go. There were 8 of us who went, 4 couples and no kids. We all fit in the van and packed the following;

1. Large cooler with ice cubes
2. Barbecue meat for our dinner
3. Hotdogs
4. Chips
5. Alcoholic drinks
6. Marshmallows (to roast over a bonfire)
7. Snorkeling gear
8. Zip lock plastic bags
9. Underwater camera

We left Manila at 5am, luckily, everyone from the group lives in the same village so we were able to pick everyone up on time. We took the NLEX route and had a total of 4 stop overs. First was in Tabang to have breakfast and the rest was to take bathroom/cigarette breaks.

5 hour drive, it helps to have a reliever driver =)

We arrived at Lucap Wharf, before 12 noon. The place had a huge parking space that's safe and from there we were able to talk to a tour guide who prepared everything from our motor boat, island hopping tour and even lunch (Boat rental cost us Php 2,500). The downside of the wharf is that there are no public restrooms or baths. We found a sari sari store who had a bathroom we can use to change and shower in for a fee of Php 10/person. We left most of our stuff inside the van and brought the necessities; towels, wallets, cellphones, keys, etc. We kept our phones and cigarettes inside the zip lock bags so they won't get wet.

Before boarding the boat, we bought our lunch in the nearby market. There are  several canteens that can cook and pack food for you. The food is pretty cheap, less than a hundred pesos for a meal. We bought 1.5 liter bottles of soft drinks and lots of water. With our lunch, we boarded our motor boat, the Aquarius 300!

We started the island hopping tour and visited several. First was Governor Island, it had a resort and climbing the peak of this island gives you a bird's eye view of the Hundred Islands. It was crowded in Governor's Island so we proceeded to the Bat Island. There we saw several of the flying mammals sleeping upside down the trees;

Sleeping bats...

We saw several other islands including one that had it's own waterfall! Finally, we went for a swim in the Giant Clam area. It's nowhere near an island, just a spot in the open water marked with a floating platform and fish nets around the giant clams area. It's a good thing we had our underwater camera case to take pictures of the giant clams and several schools of fish;

Clam diving!

The motor boat crew provided us with snorkeling gears and life vests but it's recommended not to use one if you know how to swim so you can get close to the clams. The water is about 15 to 20 feet deep but it's really clear. After 45 minutes, we searched for a place to have a late lunch. Our tour guide found a small island and we had it all to ourselves! The crew unloaded a wooded  table and we all shared a meal of inihaw na baboy, inihaw na bangus, tinapa, kamatis, itlog na pula and rice.

Roughing it...

We stayed in the island to swim some more and I picked shells to take home to my daughter. Finally, we went back to the wharf. I again paid Php 10 to have a shower =) We then headed to Bolinao to look for a place a to stay. We found an old resort (I forgot the name, LOL) where a room for 2 costs Php 1,000. My husband and I strolled on the beach in front of the resort and watched the sunset.

We slept for a couple of hours before we prepared our own dinner. The owners of the resort were nice enough to offer us the use of their kitchen. We grilled some hotdogs and barbecue and served it all on a banana leaf. Since we didn't bring any rice, we ordered from the resort. Sadly, we were unable to have a bonfire so no marshmallow roasting for us =(

We had a few drinks at the resort's balcony. The next day, we ordered breakfast from the resort (Php 150/person) and left at 10am since we still had a long drive home.

Summer Vacation for Kids

Here are some ideas on how to spend summer vacation with your kids...

Go to the Beach!
This summer, we were lucky enough to visit 3 beaches (Subic, Batangas and Pagudpud). My daughter Clarice enjoyed every one of these locations. I've learned to bring along her beach must-haves;

• Pail and shovel to make sandcastles
• Rubber slippers or Crocs
• Goggles for her to explore life underwater (preferably Speedo, they have children's sizes)
• Tent to keep our things safe and to avoid too much sun exposure (Php 1,500 fits 3 adults)
• Wake board (Php 400 in local sports stores)
•  Sunblock! 
• Snacks and a cooler

My daughter recently learned how to swim so she had a great time in Pagudpud swimming underwater and seeing lots of fish. We also searched for seashells that we used to decorate a picture frame.

Sun Kissed Clarice!

Enroll in a Summer Program/Workshop
For 2 weeks, my daughter attended a swim clinic by Milo. We were lucky that Milo decided to hold this summer program in our village clubhouse. The cost for the ten day clinic is Php 3,500. Each lesson took an hour a day and there are 3 swim coaches who facilitated the workshops. My daughter learned proper breathing techniques, how to paddle using a board and of course, to swim!

There was an incident where we attended a swimming party and my daughter accidentally jumped in the deep end of the pool. She would have drowned since I was several feet away. Good thing she remembered her swimming lessons and was able to reach the stairs of the pool. Now that is my ROI for the Milo fee!

Paddling with a board

Be Creative!
Since it would be too expensive to go out every day, I have some fun activities that can be done at home. I got out my daughter's unused watercolor palette (Php 25 from National Bookstore) from her school things and set up a table with a small easel. Next, I collected all of her test/quiz papers and used the back of the pages for her to paint on. I then made her wear an apron to keep her clothes clean. For 2 hours, I left her alone so she could paint, and paint she did!

Photo edited using Instagram for iPad

This project continued for almost 2 weeks and the only problem I had was looking for used paper.

Make your own Easter Egg Hunt!
When I was a child, my cousins and I celebrated Easter Sunday with an egg hunt in my grandfather's house. Our parents would boil chicken eggs and hide it all over the garden. For each chicken egg we find, we get Php 1 and for a quail egg, Php 5. I wanted my daughter to experience an egg hunt but since the malls charge Php 500 to join an egg hunt activity, my husband and I decided to paint and hide the eggs ourselves. Total cost for egg hunting is only Php 300 for loads of family fun;

• Poster paints (Php 200 for 6 colors), these can be used in other art projects
• Paint brushes (Php 60), I bought 3 brushes because we all wanted to paint!
• Carton of egg (Php 45)
• Quail eggs (free, I asked some from my mother in law)

The day before, I boiled all the chicken eggs and set them in the egg tray to cool. Then the fun started!

Between the 3 of us (me, hubby and Clarice), we were able to come up with the best egg designs! The next day, we hid the eggs from Clarice, gave her a basket and let the hunting begin!

Literally skipping while hunting!

Clarice had so much fun she asked to have the eggs hidden again!

Read and Write
Make use of what your child learned from school. My daughter and I would read books both in English and Filipino so she can practice and perfect her reading skills. I also encouraged her to keep a diary where she writes down her daily activities. This way, she maintains her neat handwriting and also learns how to spell new words. You can use the blank pages of your child's school notebooks as a diary.

Chores
I ask my daughter to help out at home. Now she knows how to set the table, fold her clothes, make her bed and take care of her pets. This helps create a sense of responsibility. Of course, we never let her do any heavy lifting =D

Food Trip
Need not necessarily eat at expensive restaurants. We recently sampled the new flavors of the McFloat and had a great time sharing fries. We also tried several ice cream stalls at the malls for less than Php 20.

Sweets for my sweetest!

Have a Disney Movie Marathon!
This is really fun! We downloaded several Disney movies (especially the Princess Collections), bought microwave popcorn and prepared a pitcher of ice tea. One afternoon of pure Disney fun!

Cleaning Out
Ever experienced wanting to throw or give away your child's old toys but your child refuses to do so? This is a great time to sit down and have a 'discussion' if you can throw or donate your child's toys. Sometimes it takes some patience and reasoning powers to convince your child that the ratty and torn doll needs to go... I told my daughter to donate some of her toys to children who are not as lucky and needs toys. She really understood this and we were able to donate a box of her old playthings (and clothes).

Feel free to comment on how you spent your summer vacation =)

The Road Leads to Baguio!

Location: Baguio City
Date Visited: April 27, 2012
Travel Time from Manila: 5 to 6 hours

It all started with a Facebook post on a Friday afternoon;

Twelve hours later, we were on our way to the Summer Capital. There were 6 of us in the van, 4 adults and 2 kids. We had no reservations for our accommodation. We left Manila at 6am and had our first stop over in Pampanga. We had lunch at the karinderias along Rosario highway, specifically, the Charice Canteen. The stretch of karinderias are known to serve papaitan, a soup made of goat innards with bile and sili. We got 2 orders of the inihaw na baboy, chicken curry, tortang talong, oysters, papaitan, rice and 2 cold bottles of Pepsi.

Lunch with a variety of local dishes

After lunch, we headed up the remaining kilometers to Baguio. First stop, the famous Lion Head along Kennon Road for a few photo ops.

Next, we met up with an 'agent' in Burnham Park who'll help us look for a place to stay. We went to 1 bed and breakfast but it was already full. Luckily, the second house we saw had an available space with 2 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and a parking space. They also had cable TV. We didn't stay long as the kids wanted to go horse back-riding so we went to Wright Park. A 30 minute horse ride will cost Php 200 and you get to choose your horse from their 'colorful' collection;

Horses with pink/purple manes!

While waiting for the kids, we had some taho. After the ride, we went up to see the shallow rectangular pool and The Mansion. Since our companions wanted to do some ukay ukay shopping, we went back to Burnham Park. The kids took a bike ride (Php 40 unlimited time) while I ate cotton candy and more taho from the street vendors. My husband started looking for the famous chicharon bituka that is sold on the streets. For Php 20, you get a small brown paper bag with the chicharon that is salty and crunchy, it's not something you can buy in Manila =)

It was getting dark so we were unable to take a boat ride in the park's man made lake. We went to the Baguio Ayala Technohub in  Camp John Hay and had dinner at Pizza Volante. The food was good but we were disappointed with the steak. It had a huge serving but the cut was thin. Also, they staff served us cold gravy! Good thing their waffle tasted better.

My order of steak, rice and veggie sides

The next day, we planned to pick strawberries at the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad, Benguet. On the way to Benguet, we saw the Tam-awan Village. There is a minimal entrance fee (Php 50) to explore the village. Inside, one can see the simple Ifugao huts. You can even go inside a hut just as long as you leave you shoes outside. The place also has their own restaurant that serves great coffee. There is also an art gallery and art exhibits are usually held here.

Inside the hut

We only stayed for a short while since the kids were excited to pick strawberries. Arriving at the La Trinidad Strawberry Farm, we parked right beside the strawberry ice cream vendors. This is a must try as they use fresh strawberries to make the ice cream. An ice cream cone costs Php 15 only. We went inside the fields to start picking strawberries. An attendant approached us with a basket and said that for half a kilo of strawberries, the cost is Php 200. This is expensive compared to buying in the market. But, we were there for both the fruit and the experience =D

Strawberry picking in La Trinidad, best to wear comfortable clothes and footwear!

The strawberry picking took around 30 minutes. It was fun because you have to look for strawberries that are not squashed or bitten by insects. We got more than half a kilo but the attendant was nice enough not to charge us extra. Right outside the farm, there are several vegetable stalls. I did my pasalubong shopping here so we won't have to go to the wet market in Baguio City. For Php 300, I got;

• 1 kilo of broccoli
• 1 kilo of lettuce
• 1 kilo of carrots
• 3 packs of young corn

All of these fit inside a big rice sack provided by the vendor. This is such a bargain as a piece of broccoli in Manila costs Php 50 to 80.  Not only will my family enjoy the veggies, so will our pet guinea pig Bruno =D

We had lunch at the Strawberry Valley and Restaurant across the street. The service is fast and the food is good. They serve Filipino dishes but weirdly enough, when we ordered the beef with broccoli, there were very few broccoli! If you want to fill your water bottle with their distilled water dispenser, they will charge a minimal fee.

After lunch, we headed back to Manila and the trip took us 5 hours.

HYUKIZU

This is what you get when you combine 3 automobile companies...

So if you have all 3 brands, you get to visit 1 store =)

Thousand Cranes Shabu Shabu

As a Mother's Day treat, our family went to Thousand Cranes Shabu Shabu (Eastwood) for dinner. There was quite a crowd so we waited for about 20 minutes before being seated inside. The receptionist offered to take my cellphone number in case we wanted to go around the mall instead of waiting.

Thousand Cranes Shabu Shabu Eastwood Mall

We decided to order ahead. As an appetizer, we got the Mixed Sashimi (Php 350) and the Set A Menu for the main course. The set menu consisted of the meat, seafood, and vegetable shabu shabu ingredients, 6 glasses of fruit juice or shake and the fruit platter for dessert (Php 5,000).

Unlike other shabu shabu restaurants, in TCSS, each guest has their own hot pot. You get to create your own shabu shabu combination and your own level of spiciness, saltiness, etc. Each guest can also control the level of heat for their hotpot. This is good because I get to turn off my daughter's pot so her soup can have a chance to cool.

Our pots of soup were boiling when we sat down, the food came immediately after;

Veggie/noodle platter (2 kinds of noodles, corn, tofu, crab sticks, fish balls, carrots, button and shiitake mushrooms, fish cake and taro)

Seafood platter (Prawns, squid, fish fillet, oysters and seaweed)

 Assorted Meat Platter (Rib eye, Angus beef and pork)

Another seafood platter (crab and lobster)!

My pot with tofu, noodles, meat and carrots. The oysters sank to the bottom =)

Our table for 6 was so full! We had to cook several items at once just to make space for the sashimi. For our drinks, we get to choose from their selection of fresh fruit shakes/juices. I ordered the watermelon shake while my daughter had the orange juice. With 6 pots cooking at once, it can get really hot with all the steam rising up. Order some ice water to cool off. Guests can get a refill of the soup from the friendly waiters. I had 3 refills for my pot =)

The food is really good, I added the soy sauce and garlic to put more flavor to my pot. My favorite ingredient was the lobster tail. It took just a few minutes to cook it under a slow boil. My daughter loved the thick noodles, especially since she got to cook it herself. The meat platter was also delicious, the thin cut made it cook faster. The crabs were good but a bit hard to eat, you have to use your hands to get to the aligue. We had to use the mall's restrooms as the restaurant did not have their own. 

The fruit platter arrived promptly after the dishes were cleared. The plating was simple yet elegant;

The platter had mangoes, apples, watermelons, pineapples and oranges. The mangoes were gone in a second =)

I love TCSS, so does my daughter. Getting to cook her own food, she had a big appetite =) 

If you plan to dine here, be sure to arrive early. The wait list can get long as they have plenty of loyal customers. Dining alone? They have mini shabu shabus as well =)

In Love with Mango Torte

I love my cousin Adrienne, but I love her the most because she lives right next door to Dulcelin's West Triangle store!

My cousin brought their delicious Mango Torte for my birthday last year. Although it was a bit melted, it was still good. The mangoes were plentiful and sweet, the crust is the perfect nutty and buttery combination and the cream... Sigh. I asked my cousin where we could buy some more and she said that the Dulcelin store was right beside her place. I was a bit sad when the torte was finished by the rest of my guests but 2 months after, cousin Adrienne brought the same thing for our Christmas Party. She said that since I loved it so much, she got the bigger size (12 inches of pure mango heaven).

This time, I made sure to follow the instructions on the box to keep the torte frozen and then to slightly thaw the torte before serving. This is the only dessert where I had more than 3 servings!

It's like Santa dropped a special gift to be opened!

Time to serve

Dulcelin makes other special desserts as well, for more offerings, visit their website http://dulcelin.com/

How to Take Care of a Guinea Pig

One of the cheapest ways to entertain a child is to take him/her to Tiendesitas. Particularly, the Pet Village area. While walking around, I saw a store that sold rabbits and guinea pigs. Since my little girl was taking a long time looking at the guinea pigs, I decided to buy one for her. My total cost for 1 male guinea pig;

• Guinea Pig - Php 200
• Small cage - Php 200
• Bag of pellets - Php 50 to Php 80

I decided on a male guinea pig as I didn't want to risk buying a pregnant female. On the way home, I noticed that the cage was too small as the guinea pig could not walk around so much. We bought an even bigger cage at Ace Hardware for less than Php 500.

We have a habit of naming our pets after singers so we christened our rodent Bruno Mars.

In taking care of a GP, it's always important to change the newspaper at the bottom of the cage as these rodents poop and wee all the time. Their diet should consist of the following;

• Pellets
• Green leafy vegetables
• Carrots
• Apples for vitamin C
• Daily replacement of water

Don't overfeed the guinea pig, they might become overweight and have heart problems =)

What I love about Bruno is that he loves being touched and carried. We make sure he stays clean by giving him a quick bath once a week. In a sink, wet the guinea pig's body. Rub a mild shampoo and rinse off. Wrap him in a towel and pat dry. Bruno loves taking a bath!

Bruno after a bath

Guinea pigs need their exercise, even though the cage is large enough, we let Bruno run around my mom's balcony at least once a day. Bruno hates too much noise and tends to hide in corners when the TV is too loud. My mom made Bruno a bed from a porcelain dish with a soft hand towel. The dish also serves as Bruno's gnawing post since he's teeth keep growing. When it gets chilly at night, Bruno wraps himself in the blanket. Guinea pigs are really smart.

Bruno got a new pyrex bed for Christmas last year!

Guinea pigs usually live for as long as 5 years. BUT, with proper care and lots of love, some live longer. I'm really hoping Bruno lives longer, my mom calls him her 'Bunso' =D

Crash Ice for Sale

While hubby and friends were out looking for ice...

Best served with a tall glass of cola!

Ark Avilon Adventure

Location: Frontera Verde, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City
Date Visited: January 21, 2012
Travel Time from Cainta: 30 minutes (less if no traffic)

I decided to go back to Ark Avilon this year since the first time we went, my husband was unable to go with me and my daughter. My 6 year old daughter asked if we could visit the zoo this time with Daddy.

We left the house at 11am on a Saturday and headed to Pasig City where Ark Avilon is located. Fortunately, we were able to get a parking space right in front of the zoo. What's so special about this zoo? It's the only interactive mini zoo in the country =) So if your kids are afraid of animals, this is a good spot to overcome their fears!

Ark Avilon entrance

The zoo is quite small compared to the one in Montalban. Entrance fees are as follows;

• Adult - Php 300
• Children 3 feet and above - Php 200 (their measure is the counter, if the child's head does not reach the counter, they get in for free).

Upon entering, the first thing you will see is a souvenir shop where you can also buy food for the various animals inside the zoo. There are vegetables for the mini horses and sheep, fish food for the carps and even chicken heads for the giant Arapaimas (one of the world's biggest freshwater fish).

Souvenir and Animal Feeds Shop

In the first floor alone, we were able to see several animals. The white tiger was my husband's favorite, too bad the big kitty was sleeping!

No interaction for this animal!

In the middle of the area was a small pond full of carps. Beside it was a patch of land with mini trees full of exotic birds! Guests can take photos with the beautiful and colorful parrots, just ask assistance from the friendly staff. If you're feeling adventurous, you can take a photo with the sharp clawed eagles.

Photo collage created using smilebox

Right behind the birds was a hairy little guy named Colin. Colin is an Orangutan and loves to drink orange juice. He's also wearing clothes, shoes and the sweetest smile! Colin is trained to pose with the guests, although my daughter was a bit afraid of Colin, we were able to take a 'family picture';

Colin loves his OJ!

We toured the rest of the area and got to feed the mini horse and see a cute black bear cat walking around. Be careful, you might step on a slithering albino python =)

Various animals children can interact with in Ark Avilon

We headed up the second floor and my daughter's level of excitement increased ten-fold because this was her favorite part of the zoo. The 'bunnies and guinea pigs cage' as she called it. For this part, it's best to have children wear pants, socks and closed shoes. Kids will enter an enclosure full of rabbits and guinea pigs and they will sit on these wooden benches while they feed these cute little critters with skewered carrots.

Cute critter feeding!

The second floor also has several goats and sheep for feeding. The place sells green leafy vegetables that kids can give the animals. Since it was my second time here, I came prepared. I brought our own kangkong from home since it's cheaper. My husband was especially fascinated with the rams because of their horns. My little girl loved feeding the little lamb. The goats keep nudging each other to get to the food. There were even hogs but they liked to sleep than to eat =)

Feeding the sheep, sleepy hogs and cute little lamb

Our stay in Ark Avilon lasted less than 2 hours.They have a snack bar on the second floor but since it was lunchtime when we finished, we opted to eat at the nearby Tiendesitas. If you love the guinea pigs, Ark Avilon sells them as well as a few other animals. I saw the cutest little hedgehog near the exit area;

I guess they really are nocturnal

For more information about Ark Avilon, visit their website here.