Graham Choco Tart

 I finally had the time to give my "baking skills" (though no oven required on this) a 2nd try. haha! I already tried doing this last Christmas but I failed on some part. Though my mom and friends said it's still good. So proud naman daw ako? Lol. I was supposed to make a Sansrival Graham cake that day but we already had a cake for Noche Buena so I just tried to search other easy Graham recipes on the net. And this seems to be the easiest.

 Choco Mousse Tart

On my first try, I mistakenly used condensed milk instead of butter. So remember to double check the instructions if you're hopeless in cooking like me.

1st step:
BASE:
MIX 8 pcs choco/honey Graham crackers (CRUSHED) + 3 tbsp. MELTED BUTTER or margarine.
Press the mix on the tart mold. Then CHILL it for 10 mins.

2nd step:
MELT 18 choco pcs. (flat tops) in a pan over low heat. Then brush some of the melted choco on to the base. Then chill it again for 10 mins. Then pop it out after and put it on those paper cups. (Don't melt Choco-Choco with flat tops. I ran out of flat tops so I tried it and the melted choco dried out quickly. IDK if there's a connection with it. Lol. You may just mix in those choco bars stuck in your fridge (those dark ones had been in our fridge for more than 6 months already. haha.).

3rd step:
MOUSSE - Mix the remaining melted choco with 1/4 cup all purpose cream. I didn't really measured the all purpose cream but I think it still turned out  right. What's is important is to make it look like an icing.

RESULT:

It looked plain so I crushed some cashew nuts and sprinkled it on top. May potential na ba ako? haha.

The base turned out to be grainy. It didn't hardened (or kahit sticky man lang). And I don't know why. =[  I'm even more satisfied with the condensed milk + crackers (which is just too sticky to pop out from the mold). Pero at least today I can already pop it out without deforming it. hehe. Maybe I'll try doing condensed milk and crackers again next time but I'll brush on some melted butter on the mold first. whatchathink? Help, anyone?

Disclaimer: I just got this recipe here. Just check it out if I don't seem credible enough. hehe

Something “Berry” Globe!

 It’s the time of the month again, where we all just think splurging is not bad as it seems. (yea! Screw that. I’ve already been burning my wallet for these past few weeks! lol.) You know, the usual “Christmas naman eh…” line whenever you think twice in buying that things you’ve been eyeing on for some time now. haha! Plus, it’s even fun to go on Christmas bazaars and be dazzled on everything affordable just to realize you’ve already exceeded your budget buying all those mark down priced items and cute stuffs!

And now *inserts* the awesome Globe Blackberry Christmas Offer. hehe. 

I’ve been with Globe for so many years now and I’ve always been enticed by all their awesome promos. I still remember the days when they still got that “IMMORTAL” promo (which eventually didn’t last). Super love that! =] I think, they are even the first one who offered the UNLI promo (if not, still they got the best deal, diba? And I love Globe more than ever because of our UST sim where texting only costs P.50! oh yes, that’s Globe! So moving on. Globe is offering this Christmas season another attractive offer. Though I have never tried yet subscribing on their postpaid plans, I think these BlackBerry offer they got is something bargain hunters like me would like! They have four handsets to choose from and four UnliSurf Combo Plans to pick from. I’ll just push on 3 of the 5 taglines so I won’t sound too overly excited here. haha!

Something Free
- oh yes. the word that tingles our ears! haha! You can own a BlackBerry Curve 8520 for FREE at PLAN 599. u-huh! see, read that? PLUS it comes with unlimited mobile surfing! Perfect for those who can’t get off the net! Definitely a good deal. (More free phones you can have are: BB Curve 3G 9300 @ Plan 999/ BB Curve 9360 @ Plan 1799/ BB Bold 9780 @ Plan 9780)

Something Affordable
‘nuff said. It suits within the budget in varying levels. You can find something affordable that would be perfect on your budget and convenience. If you even get Plan 1799 and up, you can have a freebie of your choice. Plus a consumable amount of load. Practical indeed. You won’t ever think of BlackBerry as too expensive, ever again.

Something Exciting
I had yet to own a BB. But of course, anything NEW is EXCITING. right? It’s exciting to click-clack on that QWERTY keypad and get the hang of it in time (most especially when you got chunky fingers). It’s more exciting with all the BB apps you can get and try on the App World, whether it be paid or free. And it’s even more exciting to hop in the club of BBM. Anything that gets you easily connected to people is exciting. =]

Their promo only runs from December 1 to 31, 2011. Just in time for the Christmas season! And for the love of BlackBerry! =]

Paskuhan festivities!

So after checking out the World Bazaar at WTC, we headed back to school and traversed, again, the excruciating traffic along Taft. hoho. It’s Christmas time!
They are already in the middle of the Mass as we arrived. We passed by SB to meet some of our classmates and waited for awhile at the Quadri Park before heading to Seminary gym to line up for the feast. =]
Guess which is our college’s (Accountancy) logo! =]

So much lechon in a night! I think this would be the new way now every Paskuhan, unlike in the past where we have food stubs to claim pre-packed meals on the food stall of our choice. Well at least this produces less trash afterwards, which is good. Lechon, baka and chicken were served.

The Paskuhan 2011 Christmas Tree. I wasn’t able to take a full shot of it. tss!

It’s my year! Hello to my fave color up there! =]


Pretty lights!

While we were eating, Kamikazee were already playing so I got no pictures on that. Too bad. It’s already crowded when we went to Plaza Mayor. And this is the closest we can get. err!

 

And just in time for Parokya ni Edgar!!! =]




the red balloons tossed around.

Thanks again to the 12mp that made zooming photos a bit acceptable. =]
Darius

Chito & Vince

When they started playing the intro of “One Hit Combo”, I ‘m already popping my head up and getting giddy because for sure Gloc 9 is somewhere there. hehe. And yes I’m right! As soon as Chito says “…Pasok!”, Gloc 9 emerges from the backstage and then the crowd goes wild! haha! Fun times! =]

Gloc9 is one of my favorite Filipino artists. So fast yet you still can fully grasp every word he says.

That’s how our view looks like for almost half of their performance.  It surely would pay to be early next time.

Yes Yes Show

One last. The coolest building in campus. =]

The next day is the main night of Paskuhan. The most anticipated Paskuhan fireworks and the all night concert with a lot of guest bands happens in that night. To which, I didn’t go to, so I don’t have a post for it. I guess Parokya ni Edgar is already enough to complete my Paskuhan 2011. =]

11th World Bazaar

Sorry for this very late post. Lazy me.

The 11th World Bazaar recently concluded last Sunday at the World Trade Center. I’ve already mentioned this in my last post. But I just want to share it again. haha! And this time, I got my cam with me. I took some photos, but please excuse the crappiness of them. I was discreetly taking photos because my friend said that it’s prohibited. But I don’t see any signs. err. But anyway, I wal also busy scanning all over the place.

The hour long bus ride to WTC. Hello traffic!


I just love taking photos of water dripping on windows. It gives me a warm cozy feeling. =]

We went there last Thursday after class. We also stopped by at the Gadget side of the bazaar. And we just ogled on these bladeless fan. haha! Can someone explain to me how this works? So cool!



And off we went to the other side. I was just suppose to buy the blouse mama was asking me to buy but ended up buying some more stuffs. Hard to resist on super low priced items. They got so much variety of items there. And in our 1st hour, we even just ended up trying out those free samples and buying food on different stalls. haha! 


It was a weekday but still the crowd gets bigger in just a short time.



Cute mug!



My friend got to buy a sneakers in this stall for just P340!


After getting our feet tired, we went back to UST again for the Agape and Pre-Paskuhan Concert …which would be on my next post.

Saturday fun!

It was a fun filled Saturday for me because there's so much happening in just a day.

1. Buy AJ Rafael tickets
- at last! I finally got to go to a ticketworld outlet on my way. I didn’t have classes that day because my professors for that day are absent. haha! We went to Rob. Manila and went straight to their customer service at the ground floor. I even got a bit pissed off because no one was assisting us or even asking what we need. wow! Great service, huh? Anyway, I’m already set to go on Jan. 18! I didn’t got to buy the VIP tix with m&g because first, I’m still broke from our SG trip. Second, the remaining seats are already far way back and besides I already got to see  (and hug!) AJ last year when he went to MOA. haha! Sorry for that bragging vibe there. lol. See you, my fellow AJR filipino supporters! =]

2. Bazaar hopping
While watching tv, I randomly talked about the ongoing bazaar at World Trade Center and PICC Tent and thinking about going there because they really have good bargains. And just the least I was expecting, Papa agreed to go see the bazaar tonight and after an hour (and a couple more hours because of traffic) we’re already there parking and walking towards PICC. ahuh! The Noel Bazaar opened at PICC tent yesterday and will last till Dec. 18 but it will transfer to World Trade Center again on Dec. 23. The area was a bit smaller. They also have an area there where GMA artists’ items are on sale (which is mostly from Jaya). After going around I only got 1 blouse and Papa bought a mug. And so after rounding up the whole area, off we go to WTC to check out the other bazaar. Obviously it’s bigger. Entrance fee also costs 50php same with Noel Bazaar. And some of the stalls from Noel were also there. A lot more stalls of course and I was already tired halfway because there’s so many people but still I got to  snag some more bargain stuffs. =] 50 php was more worth it there because there’s a lot more stalls. Just don’t go on a weekend.

3. Hunger Games shirt! (save the best for last, lol)
Mama texted me while I was at school that my package has already arrived. And I already know what that is. hehe! MY first ever online purchase. And of course, for the love of HG! As soon as I heard about the HG inspired shirts of @SkipTrain that @HungerGamesPhil mentioned, I signed up on the pre-order form at once. I haven’t even done these for Harry Potter (maybe because I wasn’t lurking on fan pages back then), sad. This is my first time buying online so I’m still new to the shipping and paying. Good thing is they reply to every inquiry/question, and FAST. =] I deposited and sent the scanned slip last Wednesday, around 2pm. They only sent it to the courier on Thursday, even had a small problem with the courier (which they told me at once) but good thing it was solved that night so it’s not further delayed. So everything’s set and they gave me 1-2 business days for the package to arrive. Got it after 2 days. Good! =]
 
The red packaging


Love the tag! =]





Unisex, medium



They’ve got a lot more designs. Check their FB page or tweet Skip Train to order your shirts now. Good night Tributes! =]

Zoo-per day: Avilon Zoo

One random Sunday, mama woke me up and asked me if I want to go to Avilon Zoo. Ok? Is it because I'm always watching Daldalita these past few days? Lol. It turned out that Papa had long been planning to visit it plus my pamangkin would be turning 4 in a few days so we tagged him with us. I don't usually see him so I can seriously feel his awkwardness in the back seat. hehe.

It's a very long drive from Cavite to Rodriguez, Rizal. And its napaka-unstrategic location was harder to find because of lack of signage in the main road. They have been open for a long time already but still they can't provide simple arrows. We only got a view of their one and only sign about more than a km. away from the zoo. Annoying. Kala ko alam na nila Papa yung way, too late to know that they have a map in their website. Annoying x2.

The "less-traveled" road. You can drive down that river going to Avilon but of course we opted to go around the other way.


At last! Hello Avilon Zoo!

Entrance fee is 300php and 200php for kids 3ft. and below. It's a 7.5 hectare zoo so the lady asked us if we would want to hire a tour guide for 400php. We're four in the group, I'm not sure though if it's the same rate for larger groups. I asked if they have at least a map so we could just explore it by ourselves. And the answer is... none. They have a 7.5 hectare zoo and they don't even bother to even plot a simple map for convenience? We also told her about the need for signage in the main road. She said that's really one of their problem and they're now in the process. Ok, at least aminado sila. =]

Having had to decide a name for this wildlife sanctuary, Jake thought of combining two French words: AVES meaning of or about BIRDS, and LON meaning LAND, to form the word AVILON or LAND OF THE BIRDS. Of course Avilon zoo isn't just about birds, with its large exhibits of more than 3000 specimens of exotic and indigenous animals represented by more than 600 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, fishes and invertebrates as well as close to 400 species of plants of which more than half are endemic to the Philippines, Avilon Zoo is one of the zoos in Southeast Asia having the most diverse representation of flora and fauna.

AVILON ZOO embraces the philosophy: Celebrating Life! Life is precious and every living creature on Earth has a right to live --- freely and fully. Avilon Zoo showcases the Living Creatures that share the Earth with us in all its diversity and splendor; its cycles of birth and rebirth; its fragility and resiliency.

   - text copied from their website, which I think was updated last year pa.

First thing you’ll pass by is their canteen, though you can bring in food and drinks inside. Better. They also offer balsa for rent if you want to eat in the heat of the sun while floating in the water. joke. It’s shaded.


Si mother Daisy! Haha. (I was referring to one of the characters in Daldalita, in case you’re wondering)


The funny gibbon! Warning: Don’t read the next sentence if you’re eating. I have a video of him pulling his poop out with his bare hands and examining it. It’s interesting. LOL.


The lazy orangutan. I can’t blame him, he’s alone there and they got high voltage wires below in case he jump out. Kawawa lang. =[


Someone needs a mani/pedi.


I have this weird mannerism from time to time. I tend to bend my head sidewards and let it hang when I’m watching tv or when I’m idle. And I think it runs in the blood. Lol.


Meet my friend Trixie (not sure with the name). hehe. You pay 50php for a photo op with the animals each in different stations using your own camera. It’s supposed to be limited to 2 shots only but they’re nice enough to let us take endless shots. haha! Maybe that only applies if there’s a lot of customers.

Her hand is heavy! XD

Cute! =]


Love the color!


Oh yes, they’re pecking me!


Love this shot.


Parking space.


The rough road.


It was a really nice zoo, only if given a more accessible location and attention on details it could gain again more visitors and be a hotspot for tourists and locals. I love how spacious the pathways are plus the close encounter to some of their animals. They don’t have an elephant and a giraffe. I think they have snakes in there but we haven’t seen it. They should really check out even those simple things needed, it’s a waste of money kung papabayaan lang nila after so many years. They have to feed an entire zoo everyday. Sad.

Sorry if this post takes time to load because of so many photos in it. I can’t stop myself. I still have to share some of my fave shots. haha!









Avilon Zoo
Bo. San Isidro, Rodriguez, (Montalban) Rizal, Philippines
(632) 948-9866, (632) 941-8393, (632) 941-8530
teenagaw@avilonzoo.com.ph