When you hear “Mer-Nel’s” the first thing that will come into mind is the famous heart-shaped chocolate cake. University of the Philippines – Los Banos (UPLB) students will surely recognize this aside from the oblation in the entrance of this institution. A cake house located in Anos, Los Banos, Laguna, Mer-Nels will truly eclipse other cakes when it comes to the standard of sweet-loving Pinoys.
From a cake house in Lopez, they now have branches is Olivarez Plaza and South Super Market. I will admit that it came to my interest to get a franchise of Mer-Nels and put one in Metro Manila but I heard that the owners do not accept this arrangement yet. At the back of my mind, sometimes it’s still better for these businesses to remain with the original owners. Some of the products or establishments I used to love lost their magic when big companies took over and mass produce their once, or used to be, special products.
Mer-Nel’s Cakehouse and Catering Services
10438 Lopez Ave., Los Banos, Laguna
telephone number: +63 (49) 536-1145
website: www.mernelsplace.com
contact: Beth Guico (Marketing Manager)
Popularity: 23% [?]
There is a new branch of UCC Park Cafe in Burgos Circle of Bonifacio Global City. Together with my friend Abigail, who ordered Seafood Penne Au Gratin and Blueberry with Banana smoothie, I ordered for my all-time favotite – Japanese Seafood Spaghetti Soup and of course, Coke.
There were also coffee bean and ground coffee selections by the door entrance, which are interesting. The place was cozy and was decorated in good taste. Will definitely be back one of these days to try out some of their other dishes and coffees.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Today is Sunday and I should be getting ready to sleep to rest as tomorrow is another workweek. But then, sleepiness is still jumping around far away from me. So here I am thinking aloud to the vast blogosphere, another world in this world. What am I thinking? A lot.
- What to cook for Noche Buena?
A traditional Christmas feast, Noche Buena, is celebrated at midnight of December 24th after Misa de Gallo. Misa de Gallo is the end of Christmas novena usually celebrated at the break of dawn starting December 16th. At the 24th, this is celebrated before 12 midnight. There… what should I be cooking? The reason for my state of confusion is that a lot of dishes are flashing into my mind right now and I know I cannot cook them all for just one night.
- I still don’t have Christmas gifts for my friends.
In the previous years, I’d start collecting items when I see them in shopping trips to the mall or bazaars, sometimes even online. This way, I’d prevent the Christmas rush. But this year, no gifts yet. The only gift I have so far is for my mom. A new laptop… okay this may break the surprise you may think, but no, she knows (coz she requested for it and even told me her preferred color lol).
Although… I have an idea already what to give, I still haven’t done anything to buy any of the components to complete them. As much as possible I try to personalize the gifts for my friends and officemates.
- Pinoy Big Brother
As of this writing, my tv set is open to Pinoy Big Brother. Text voting is different from the past where viewers would vote for their bets to be safe from eviction. This week, people will have to vote for the housemate they’d want to be evicted. Now that the decision has been made, it’s just sad for the evicted housemate because thousands of viewers wanted her out.
I have not been a very big fan of PBB after Celebrity season 1 but the interesting love story of Melai and Jason (dubbed as MelaSon – with a double meaning of “with poison”) is sooo entertaining and an eye opener that I’m glued. One time I was so in a hurry to get home from the supermarket I cannot park my car properly. The tv in the car cannot get a good signal for ABS CBN at the time.
With other more good looking housemates than Melai, Jason fell for her good heart. In this time when cosmetic surgeries can be found almost everywhere and whitening regimens are in most shelves in the grocery, a sire sign of how physically concerned people are… it’s good to know that there is still love that may bloom beyond the physical but within the realms of what is essential.
There… nothing major. I’m still happy to have simple concerns and that in general, Life is a JOY.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Some people say that Christmas is just for kids. That when we get older, we tend to look at it more as a consumerism mafia. The glee of celebrating this global occasion seem to fade as the clock ticks to adulthood, unlike those of children’s who still believe in Santa Claus, flying reindeer, Christmas stockings, and elves . Apart from the real reason it is celebrated, the birth of Christ, another reason I personally associate with this season is giving, gratitude, and a celebration of the family. It is one of the busiest times when overseas Filipino workers (OFW) plan to come home and be with their loved ones.
With the level of enthusiasm dwindling down for me, I tried seeking for ways to revive the excitement beyond green wreathes, red poinsettias, and glittery lights. So here, I was opened to a new level of joy with the Lemax Christmas Village Collection.
Christmas in the Philippines starts on September 1. Yeah, really… so don’t be so surprised if you’d hear Christmas songs over the radio 
I was excited to see the collections in Kaluxe (located at 2nd Floor of Robinson’s Forums in Pioneer, Edsa) that I wanted a whole village already. So I was able to contain myself and had it slow… For my first piece, here it is, The Olde Theatre. This is part of the Caddington Village Collection in the lighted category.
Lemax also has other themes such as Spooky Town (halloween), Harvest Crossing, Carnival, Plymouth Corners (seaside), Santa’s Wonderland (christmas), Vail Village, General Products (trees, bridges, etc.), and lot more other Christmas village collections.
Popularity: 6% [?]
The Sweet Life By Ange redefines the classic cupcake and brazo mercedes that we have been loving all these years.
Brazo de Mercedes aka Sweet Surrender
Imagine biting into a layer of graham with the creaminess of french vanilla ice cream mixing with the sweetness of custard… and the familiar yet different texture of soft meringue. This is the best seller of The Sweet Life by Ange called Sweet Surrender. This is a true winner and as the name suggests, anyone on a diet will surely surrender just to have it. Too bad I didn’t get a picture, it was a favorite there was nothing left in a few minutes. So here is one photo from flickr (just borrowing, it really is visually enticing apart from the real deal)…
Price: Small Box with Ribbon (4″ x 8″) @ Php 365; Square Box with Ribbon (8″ x 8″) @ Php 650
Couture Cupcakes
They are not simply cupcakes, they are called COUTURE Cupcakes. If you want to know why, just look at the pictures. For the taste, it’s for you to find out.. how? Place your orders from the numbers below
Popularity: 3% [?]
“Music is the shorthand of emotion.”
- Leo Tolstoy -
When God poured out singing talent, I was surely sleeping. This deprivation in talent doesn’t excuse me from enjoying good music. Sharing with you are some of my favorites that keep playing since the dawn of cassette, CD, to iPod.
A Bread that Feeds the Heart and Sweet to the Ears
I wasn’t born yet during the most successful years of this rock band – Bread, and yet I loooove their songs so mucho. Even some of the revivals are good because of the timeless melodies and lyrics that their originals offered. Their lead vocals David Gates has also popularized a lot of songs following the disband in 1977.
For their followers, like me, their songs keep on playing whether on my iPod, iTunes, YouTube playlist. Guitarists of any generation and various ages would have definitely came across their pieces.
- If
- Everything I Own
- Guitar Man
- Aubrey
- Make It With You
Some of David Gates’ as a solo artist:
- Someday
- Find Me
- Goodbye Girl
Goodrum
Randy Goodrum, in my book, is simply one of the BEST. I cannot pick the exact words – let me think of something close… Poetry in Melody. My favorites include:
- Love -
- Broken Hearted Me – which also makes Anne Murray, the singer, a favorite
- Bluer Than Blue
- Sad To Belong
- You Needed Me
Popularity: 1% [?]
Economic crisis, price hike, calamities… the list goes on. In the middle of all the turmoils, there are ways to enjoy small luxuries without really spending a lot. Here are some of suggestions from MyLifeJoys.
- Free meals simply by using credit card – use your points for rewards redemption. For a minimum purchase, BPI credit card holders can redeem free meals from various establishment for a certain period. For some time, they had Chowking, Jollibee, and Italiani’s as partner merchants. If groceries and other purchases from Php 1,000 and above, an average of Php 100 meal and above may be redeemed.
- Encourage kids to appreciate books by bringing them to bookstores – A lot of bookstores now have a kids section where they can browse and enjoy books. There are sample books for the kids to choose from. Some parents would even leave the child with another adult in this section using sample books without worrying if the kids will tear a book or two. This will also help parents to see if the kid likes a book or not prior to buying them. The second floor of Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street (BHS) has this section too. After browsing through the wide selection of books, they can run and roll on the greens at the park in BHS.
- Playgrounds – Invite your friends to bring their kids in your subdivision and have a picnic at the playground or clubhouse where the fees, if there are any, are minimal compared to hotel pools, travelling to resorts, or indoor spas. If you don’t live in a subdivision with such amenities, city parks are also available or ask for your friends to sponsor you in their subdivision to use the amenities. Besides, most kids now are confined to online games, social networking games, and non-personal social activities. Personal interaction with nature and people are still better than friends in LCD screens.
- Second hand books – Personally, I love buying, reading, and collecting books. With all the natural calamities and environmental awareness, I have learned to limit my book expenditures to getting used books for those I don’t really collect. Aside from helping the environment, this also helps save money, after all the cost is around 80% less than new ones.
- Pizza Hut Palm Card – In offices, there is what we call “first blood.” This means treating officemates on your first salary. And then there are birthdays, promotions, and just about anything that people tend to celebrate. Pizza Hut Palm Card can be bought for Php 379. If your team or department usually have these celebrations, this is a good deal. How it works? Get a Pizza for the Month free with every purchase of regular or family pizza with Pepsi for take out and delivery orders.
Popularity: 1% [?]
It was a family event when we went to Sonya’s Garden for a spa weekend get away. I’ve heard so much about this place and so far everything were positive. Now that I’ve seen the place for myself, I totally agree.
Mine was a Full Body Scrub with free Cream Bath (Php 1120) – This is a one hour exfoliating full body scrub with moisturizing cream. The effect was not just polished skin but also invigorating with the massage that comes with this service.
Other services we had were:
Foot Spa with Back Massage, 1 hour Php 560
Hair Spa with Scalp Massage, 30 mins Php 560
Aromatherapy Steam Bath, 20 mins Php 450
Manicure/Pedicure, Php 150/Php 150
Lilac Package, 2.5 hours Php 2580
Lilac package comes with body scrub with a choice from rose, banana, green tea, or olive grove plus facial and hair spa, Sonya’s signature massage.
By the way, the soaps in their bathrooms were the mini-honey soaps from Ilog Maria, a honey bee farm nearby.
And then, there is a Panaderia (Bakeshop) with various local breads and pastries.
Sonya’s Garden
Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, Philippines (near the vicinity of Tagaytay City, Philippines)
For reservations: call or text +63-9175329097 or +63-9175335140
Email us at: info@sonyasgarden.com
Popularity: 1% [?]
Last September 26, 2009 the capital of Philipines has been hit by Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana). Today – a week after, the whole country is getting ready for another typhoon Pepeng (Parma) to hit Manila tonight. Heavy rains started in the Camarines and other areas of the Bicol region since last night.
Early during the day, people have been hoarding canned goods, rice, and other necesities should there be another flood and people get stranded in their communities. In the news, people have been expressing similar fears for their families and friends specially that the wounds left by Ondoy is still fresh and hurting.
Overwhelming “bayanihan” spirit that is inate in the Filipinos has helped victims of floods as donations poured in cash and kind. There were stories of pain and heroism in the aftermath of Ondoy. Now that Pepeng is just around the corner, Filipinos maybe afraid and anxious, but never coward to face the challenges ahead. Aside from strong will and resilience that we, third world citizens have, our faith and fervent prayers make us stand up to face trials in life. We will overcome this as a community, as a nation, as family.
Here is the view from NASA website of Pepeng (Parma):
Popularity: 1% [?]
Lord of the utmost High, Your loving heart is what makes us one nation.
In these trying times of the typhoon Ondoy aftermath, we lift to you our nation.
Help all those who are still in dire need of rescuing;
Strengthen the volunteers in the rescue and relief operations;
Heal those who are sick, grieving, and weak;
Envelope with your kindness those who are confused and lonely;
Inspire those who are able to contribute what they have;
Clear our hearts to set aside differences and conflicts.
May the Holy Spirit come upon us all to enlighten us
and see Your wisdom in all these and understand Your purpose.
Thank you for letting the sun shine on us this morning,
For the outpouring of love by the people are still able to do so
And for the gift of family, friends, and public service.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Recent Comments