Sweet heavens!

Have you heard? Cups and Cakes by Tal is now open! I'm so glad that aside from the tea shops and cafes springing out of the city, there's a new place to bond with family and friends, and this time, it's a cupcake shop! What could be sweeter? I've been patiently waiting for its opening since February and last Wednesday, the wait was finally over!

When we arrived, we were welcomed by the owner herself, ate Crystal Matias, and the shop's pretty interiors. I guess they were going for a dainty-minimalist look and I must say, they pulled it off nicely. And the cupcakes? Don't get me started! They all looked so pretty and tasted even better! I had the Smores while my brother had the Red Velvet cupcake. Both tasted real' good and I can't wait to try the other flavors and their cheesecakes, too. Btw, they also serve milk teas, which I think goes well with the cupcakes.

Red Velvet cupcake

Smores cupcake (With real Hershey's chocolate on top!)

Migi

Taro and Original milk teas

I wasn't much of a cupcake fan up until last Wednesday. I guess I'll be visiting every once in a while and I hope to see y'all there. :)

Cups and Cakes by Tal is located in the Arcinue bldg. M.H. del Pilar St. Dagupan City, just in between the newly opened Viva Salon (the old Pizza Hut) and 7Eleven. For inquiries, visit their Facebook page HERE.

Haha. I just had to squeeze in this photo. :p

xx,

keaiism

To Infinitea and Beyond

I didn't have work last Saturday so to battle the boredom and to give our aircon a few hours rest, I tugged my brother along to go to Infinitea, the newest tea shop in the city. It was supposed to open last week (April 15) but for some reason, it only opened last Friday, April 20. Infinitea is situated on the 2nd floor of MetroPlaza Dagupan City, just beside YohFroz. The place was small yet welcoming; the white and lime green interiors give the place a crisp, fresh, and perky ambiance. They serve a wide array of teas, frappuccinos, fruit juices, and even yogurt slushes. I tried the Wintermelon milk tea while my brother had the Taro milk tea. From what I've heard, you can choose how sweet you want your tea to be, which is good for the calorie-counting tea-lovers out there.

But what I love about Infinitea the most are the different games and puzzles they offer for free. Since they had no wifi yet, we tried playing with the Brain Twister puzzle game. My brother and I had a blast playing that we lost track of time. We spent 2 hours trying to figure out which piece goes where. It was fun!

 With Migi

We solved all 20 designs. Yay us!

Nowadays, we spend most of our time using the internet (social networking, online gaming, etc) that we forget about the classic games we used to play way back then. And with the presence of wifi in almost every place we go (like for an instance, in a restaurant), we tend to focus more on going online to tweet or browse through our Facebook feeds rather than actually eating and having a conversation with the ones we are with. It's sad but it happens, and I am guilty of doing it.

From today's experience, here's what I have to say:

The modern technology is supposed to bring people together through its innovations in communication, but sometimes, we tend to prioritize our cyber lives more than reality. I suggest that we all give our mobile devices a break from the free wifi services when out with our loved ones and spend real quality time with all of them. I'm sure it would make a difference. ;)

xx,
keaiism

It's been a week!

Hello! It's been a long and productive week for me. There were 3 things about this week that I loved the most:

1) Last Tuesday was Sashimi day! I've been craving for this since my birthday! It's one of my favorite food in the wooorld! I don't know why it took me about a month to satisfy my craving when in fact 2 Japanese restaurants are just around the city. I swear I have to eat this again next week!

Maki Yaki Salmon Sashimi

2. I'm working as a volunteer nurse again. I know I didn't blog about this, but, I resigned from Pangasinan Provincial Hospital days before my birthday. I couldn't stand the 1-hour jeepney ride from Dagupan to San Carlos city, the traffic and the road construction stresses me more than the work load. After one month of rest, I am now working as a volunteer nurse in Region 1 Medical Center, just a 5-minute tricycle ride from our house. I'm on my second day of duty and I'm still adjusting with everything. Wish me luck!

Just a glimpse of the road construction along Dagupan. The Calasiao bridge is also under construction so going to San Carlos would take you twice as long.  The congested, dusty, and narrow one-lane streets make travelling much more stressful.

3. I had a 2-day stay in Manila and it is the best 2 days of my April!!! I'm always at my happiest whenever I go there, just like how a little kid feels when he's in Disneyland. I also miss my Manila friends, too bad I didn't get the chance to see even just one of them. But still, I had a blast with my Tito, Tita and cousin. More on my 2-day "vacation" on my next post.

NLEX at 5 in the morning

(Oh God, I missed blogging!)

xx,

keaiism

Holy Week '12

No, I didn't go out of town nor did I spend my Holy Week in a beach or resort... I spent it the way it should be: in the church, praying. It may not be as extravagant as yours, but this year's Semana Santa is special for me 'cause I spent it with God and with the best people on earth, my family. My titas, titos and cousins came over to celebrate Good Friday and Black Saturday with us. We had a seafood feast on both days, which is still appropriate 'cause we didn't eat any meat. Overall, my Holy Week was a happy and meaningful one.

Here's my week in photos. Didn't take much because a) I was busy enjoying b) laziness took over me.

Mom's bday in Padis.

My brother feel asleep in the luggage. Bwahaha. Uploaded the photostrip in FB.

Sweeet!

Kayenne's nail art by yours truly :D

Warm blue polish on my nails.

Hahahaha! The best score I had. I suck, I know. :P

P.S. Sorry for the low-quality photos, iTouch camera sucks.

How to: Hair Bleaching

MIGI and I had just discovered how to bleach hair in 5 easy steps. Here's how:

1. Prepare the materials/equipment

   - Bleaching powder

   - 12% oxidizing lotion/solution

Both were bought in HBC. Just mix the powder and solution in bowl and mix thoroughly.

- Mixing bowl

- Brush/comb

- Personal protective equipment (goggles, mask, gloves)

Since I have no available PPEs at the moment, I tried to be resourceful and used nerd glasses as goggles and a shower band as mask.

2. Prepare hair.

Since my brother has curly hair, I ironed it first for easier bleach application.

3. Apply the bleaching solution on hair.

I don't know the proper way to apply the solution but what I did was to cover the entire hair tips first then the roots.

4. Wait for 15-20 minutes or until desired hair color is achieved. Rinse thoroughly.

5. Never mind the 4 previous steps I mentioned. Go straight to the salon if you don't want your hair to look like this:

Hahahaha. It was a disaster! I don't know if it's just because my brother's hair is just unevenly colored to start with or because I didn't apply the solution evenly. Either way, the damage is done.

The next day, this is what he looks like: Rooster hair. Lol!

P.S. Sorry for the low-quality photos, took the first 5 photos with the iTouch.

xx,

keaiism

Congratulations, batch 2012!

Aside from being my birthday month, March is also when graduations are held. Last Tuesday, two of my brothers from different schools celebrated theirs at the same date and time. It sucks 'cause I had to miss one for the other. I attended Migi's high school grad while my parents attended Bastian's.

My favorite part was when the valedictorian delivered his speech. It was very natural and heartfelt. I almost cried as I listened and I can't imagine what it's like for his parents, they must be very, very proud. My least favorite part about the event was being my brother's photographer. I was following my brother around in my 4-inch heels trying to take pictures of him and his friends.

Most of my shots appeared blurry... I wonder why. Hahaha. I swear it's the camera!

Check his blog HERE

But some were clear! By some I mean, 20% of all the shots I took. Haha.

Of course I had to squeeze in a photo of me!

at Dagupena Restaurant

The event was a fusion of different emotions: happiness, excitement, sadness, pride, gratitude, and triumph. It was truly a memorable moment for all the graduates and their parents. Congratulations!

xx,
keaiism

Hair story

Earlier today, I realized that I haven't been posting photos of myself as much as I used to. Blame the hair. It's been almost three months since I've had it chopped off and everyday was like a bad hair day. Viewing my Facebook profile made me miss my long hair even more.

Entered college with a hair like this. Okay, not exactly that long, maybe 3 inches shorter. And I had side fringes then.

 

And left college like this.

Attended review classes with the same long hair plus the hair color.

Left Manila like this... (Curled by yours truly)

Tired of curling it so I had it permed.

A few months after...

Now this is after the haircut. "New Year, New Hair" ironed version:

"New Year, New Hair" normal version:

So what hairstyle do you think suits me best?

xx,
keaiism