Weekends with Me

Hop on!

2012-09-18T19:03:00.000+03:00

www.myquaintworld.blogspot.com

You know what to do :)

Printer Shopping

2012-09-18T02:09:00.003+03:00

I've been wanting to buy a printer for the longest time now but the non-stop moving out and moving in to new accommodations since last year made me think twice. I have a LOT of stuff already and lugging a printer around isn't such a good idea. I was waiting 'til I get fully settled to think about it again.

Good thing after a few months I'm finally settled on my (hopefully--) permanent flat. My former flatmate moved in with me recently which makes it a lot better. Now it'll be just like old times. We can buy stuff that we both need and split the bill. That way the cost wouldn't really hurt.

Our first project is to get a smart and cost efficient printer. We saw this HP 2600 model which comes with a free HP 2600 toner pack and it seemed like a good deal but we're keeping our options open. We're still looking for a better deal so I guess we'll just continue looking around. Any suggestions?

Proposition

2012-09-04T13:25:00.000+03:00

Lately I've been thinking of some diversion and other things that I can do to make my free time more productive. It's not that I have a lot -- but when I do have, I usually spend it idly. Most of the time, specially when I'm beat, I spend half a day or more on mindless stuff. Facebook, surfing, more Facebook, etc. I wanted to do something worthwhile and thought of reviving my old online store. Why not, right? That would be interesting. I have to do some research though since I'm not so updated with the process anymore. I need to brush up on information considering the fact that online selling and e-commerce has evolved into so many ways than one over the past few years. The last time I did it was almost five years ago -- before I left home so I could imagine the amount of learning I need to cope up with to get the groove back on.

It will probably take a few weeks but I'm definitely pinning this project on my board now :)

By the way, for online sellers that need some financial boost or assistance, I stumbled upon www.kabbage.com and read how Kabbage's small business financing has helped a lot of online sellers expand their business. It seems legit and pretty easy so you might wanna check it out.

Laid back Germany

2012-08-14T08:48:00.000+03:00

I had the chance to fly to Germany again after almost two years but was really bummed when I found out that I will be there on a Sunday. In Europe, Sunday is REALLY considered a rest day. Most shops are closed, even the malls except for some restos and fastfood chains. I was planning on going to Frankfurt Main but canned my plan the last minute because I figured I won't be doing anything there anyway if everything is closed.

Good thing our room looked very much comfy

Patrick and Squidward were on TV but they were talking in German, so I'll have to pass.

After a few hours of sleep, I decided to walk outside since the weather looked promising.

The streets were quite empty though.

I went to church to hear mass but didn't understand a thing. Well, it's the thought that counts, right?

St Boniface church at Luisenplatz

Walked around the block some more since the weather was really great.

I wonder what Leonardo 2013 is all about.

Spring + Summer mood

Boogey and Legolas sighting. Hehe

Decided to feed the ducks for a while before going back to the hotel.

It was so relaxing and destressing -- like taking a mini vacation.

It's amazing what nature can do for you :)

Dragon adventures

2012-08-14T06:24:00.000+03:00

Somebody just came from a gruelling 10-hour flight few days ago.

Since I can't really keep a pet in our flat, this is the closest I can get to having one.

Sorry sweets, no shower = no bed, so off we go

Call me :)

Love is for the weird

2012-08-13T15:59:00.000+03:00

Source: google.com via Pinterest

Fifty shades of none

2012-08-11T18:08:00.001+03:00

I wanted to use the perennial cliche "it's not you, it's me" but I think "I'm sorry, I can't" would be more approriate. Hehe. Hindi ko kinaya.

It was hard enough to read a love story, let alone a love story OD-ed with sex. I'm sorry, di kaya ng powers ko tapusin. No matter how much I try. I know that sounded pretty lame of me but who cares?

I'm hitting the delete button right about now coz I can't accept the fact that I didn't finish a book -- which I consider a grave sin, btw. I can't stand reading it anymore. Each time I try, I end up a little bit more disgusted than the last; so hindi ko na lolokohin myself. LOL. No offense meant to those who enjoyed and are still enjoying the book though. To each their own, right? I guess I was just being a lola right here and not really enjoying the plot. It was a good book but it wasn't for me.

So, good day Mr. Grey :)

Instagram Tutorial: How to embed Instagram into your blog

2012-08-05T09:26:00.001+03:00

As promised, I'm going to share how to embed an Instagram account to your webpage.

First off, let's go to Snapwidget to get started.

Once you open the webpage, scroll it down little bit and you should see this:

Now fill this field with your Instagram username or any hashtag you prefer

You may customize the widget according to how you want it to look

After doing so, you may now click the Get Code button. A pop up window will appear containing the generated code. Just follow the instructions listed and we can move on to the next step, which is adding it to your webpage

On your blogger account, go to the Layout section and click on the 'Add a Gadget' box on the sidebar

Look for the HTML/Javascript Gadget and click on it

A pop up window will appear looking like this

On the content box, paste the code we've copied on the Snapwidget page and click Save

That's it and you're good to go!

This is how it should appear on your sidebar, depending on how you customized it

Enjoy :)

Rediscovering Instagram

2012-08-05T09:06:00.001+03:00

I've had my Instagram account for almost a year or so but it's only recently that I've managed to update and upload photos. Oftentimes I would just use it as an image enhancing tool and totally forget how cool of an app it was. Or is. Ang saya. It's like reliving my 365 photo blog which I wasn't able to keep last year when I started to move out a lot. Now I can do it again. Yay! Only this time, it was waaaay easier and faster. Just a few clicks and it's up.

Sharing with you some of my latest posts:

Breaking the giant leap into tiny steps

Way above the clouds :)
Good morning from 35,000 feet :)

I've included an Instagram widget on my sidebar for more fun, too.

Next up, I'll show you how to do it :)

Wedding plans

2012-08-05T01:55:00.002+03:00

No, I am not getting married. At least not yet. It's imperative that I clear that out at the start of this post. LOL.

But two of my friends are! Really soon and I can't be happier for them. Just yesterday I was talking to one of them and I can see the giddy giddy happiness in her eyes. She just had so many stories to tell, which was kinda refreshing, since our chat cleared my mind off a few things. It was a breather.

We talked about the wedding plans, details, gowns - the works. She told me how she really wanted a garden or estate kind of a wedding but chose to have the traditional church wedding instead.

There are times though that she admitted she would still peek through some websites featuring bay area estate weddings and events and scan through their galleries. A girl can dream, right? And how could she not? She showed me some nice photos and it was really dreamy. I wish I could share it to you here but most of them are on private albums.

You can try and visit estateweddingsevents pictures though if you're also a bride and looking for some inspiration on your dream venue. I promise you'd like it. As for me, I'd stick to 'finding it dreamy and recommending to friends' mode since I don't need the inspiration just yet. Hehe.

MIA

2012-08-02T09:46:00.001+03:00

Flying like crazy and feeling lethargic on my days off.
That sounded more like a twitter update than a fitting blog post.

Oh well, I'll be back in a few with loads of stories.
In the meantime, let the sugar rush run in.

Coco pops and Reese's pieces waiting to be drowned in milk.
Bliss.

Date a Man who Dreams

2012-06-19T14:47:00.000+03:00

Date a man who doesn’t spend his money on drink, or clothes, or video games, but saves what he has to go on adventures and pursue his dreams. He might have problems dealing with everyday things but no-one sees the possibilities life holds like he does. This is a man who is ready for anything, who will drop everything on a moment’s notice to run away and get lost somewhere with you or show up unannounced to whisk you away on some crazy adventure. Date a man who sees the world in millions of colours, who has his head in the clouds and his feet on the ground.

Date a man who hasn’t got the money to spoil you or shower you with gifts but finds a way to do it anyway. You can trust that he’ll find a way to touch your heart and make you feel special in new ways. He knows that words and gifts aren’t what matters. Every time he gives you something or writes to you he is giving you a piece of his soul. And every time you give him something or write to him he will truly treasure it and understand the effort you put in to choosing the gift, the words, or even making it yourself.

Date a man who sees how amazing you are even if you don’t see it yourself, who sees how good things could be for you. Because a man like this who can see the end goal, the big picture, will keep on going because no obstacle can compare to what lies ahead. Date a man who believes in true love, in romance. He will dream up incredible fantasies that the two of you can bring to life together. He will take you places other people can’t even imagine. Date a man who believes in you, because he will help you believe as well. He will see echoes of you in every thing of beauty, and he sees beauty in everything. A man like this will always think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world and will always be there for you.

Date a man who reads books and comics, who watches films and cartoons, who laughs at stupid jokes and knows when to fall into a reverential silence and drink in the moment with you. You can just be yourself with him and he’ll just be himself. He’ll understand why you love the things you do and he’ll appreciate them and be interested in them too, even his own passions lie elsewhere. He understands your whims and desires, because he’s seen them acted out in his mind. And whatever the scenario, no matter how bad things get, he sees how the story ends. And because he sees how it ends, he knows that all tragedies are overcome, all villains vanquished and fears are banished, no matter how desperate the situation may appear. Better still, date a man who writes.

Date a man who can’t be pigeon holed into any one category, who can mingle in any crowd but doesn’t truly fit in any one scene. He’s an individual, a man who knows what it takes to stand out from the crowd and who doesn’t mind being judged or thought of as different. That’s why he will never judge you or make lazy assumptions about you. That’s why he will always see you as your own person, as a unique and wonderful individual.

Fail him. Let him down. Hurt him. He’ll do the same to you: but he knows that this is just how things go. He knows that life is made up of ups and downs. He will understand that when you lash out at him or push him away, there are many reasons why. Instead of getting mad or retaliating he’ll try and make things right. He knows when to apologise and admit to making mistakes. He’s also quick to forgive because he knows how easy it is to make mistakes. He understands that your flaws and vulnerabilities make you beautiful and strong.

He knows that perfect harmony doesn’t exist and that nothing is forever. He knows that you see this too: he sees beauty and freedom in this and wants to help you see it too. He knows fear and embraces it. He knows sadness. He knows his many flaws. He is prepared to adapt and to change because he respects your values and your opinions. He knows that nobody is perfect but that doesn’t stop him trying to do his best. He knows that love needs to be worked for, that relationships are a constant flow from love and laughter to arguments and conflict, that like all things the good times come with the bad and that the dancing and loving and laughing are worth the fighting. He wants you to be happy even if it means not being with you, but in his heart he believes that he can make you happy like nobody else and so will do anything to be with you.

Date a man who remembers every little thing about you, who is intuitive, who can see when you’re happy or sad, when you need cheering up or when you want to get away from it all or just forget everything for a while. He sees everything about you. He understands that you’ll be a different person from moment to moment, that you’ll change your mind and your mood without warning. He knows that you can switch between being a baller shot caller, a kawaii otaku, an artistic auteur or a femme fatale in the blink of an eye, an that they are all a part of who you are. He loves and pays attention to each and every aspect of your personality, from the girl who needs to be cuddled and cared for to the woman with her own needs and desires.

Date a man who fights to be in your life no matter what. A man who values you and believes he should be with you will only see that you are scared of how much this could mean for both of you. This kind of guy who will always be there for you when the times are tough, who is always looking out for you even when you’re not together or when you cannot see him. Date a man who will always believe you should be together: a man who will never give up on you no matter what. Date a man you’re scared to date, precisely because you cannot think of a reason you should be scared to be with him.

Date a man who knows that this isn’t about him, but about you: a man who loves you with his heart and soul. You deserve it.

Date a man who dreams. Who dreams about you.

Or better yet, date a man who lives his dreams.

--Dom Tsui http://domtsui.tumblr.com/

Art Project: Done!

2012-06-19T14:42:00.000+03:00

Finally, I'm done with our art project! Just waiting for some small bits to dry then I'm gonna put it back to it's frame.

Isn't it cute? :)

Bacon Wrapped Aparagus

2012-06-17T06:59:00.000+03:00

I was intending to take a quick nap when I ended up with an 8 hour sleep. Imagine sleeping at 5pm and waking up at 1. Messed up body clock, yet again.

I was so hungry but tamad at the same time so I decided to make a quick meal (--more like an appetizer) since I don't want to eat something heavy at wee hours.

I saw Jamie Oliver on tv last week making an Asparagus wrap for a picnic and I've been craving for one eversince. Good thing I was able to buy some Asparagus from my recent Manila layover. Asparagus is gold here in the Middle East, I tell you. Super mahal.

Anyway, I baked 3 strips of bacon first for around 10 minutes while washing and cleaning the spears.

Once done, wrap each baked bacon around a batch of Asparagus and bake for another 15 minutes. You can drizzle it with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

I like mine a little charred for a grilled taste so I leave it a little longer.

It's yummy!

Playing with frosting

2012-06-16T06:28:00.000+03:00

Boogey got me a piping bag together with a Wilton 2D tip from Gourdo's recently so I couldn't wait to try and play with it.

As you remember, the frosting looked really kawawa on my red velvet last time so I'm really eager to try this one :)

I decided to make Vanilla cupcakes with the recipe I got from the Brown Eyed Baker.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 20 to 24 minutes

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg , room temperature
2 large egg yolks , room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

3. Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting.

I hate transferring the batter from the bowl into the liner manually though because it drips in the corner most of the time, leaving a messed up look.

They say the best tool you can use for this method is an ice cream scooper -- you get an even and neat batch easily without any hassle. Well, that's only good if you have one. I don't have any at the moment so the best thing I could think of is my trusty sandwich bag.

Scoop out the batter and transfer it to the bag with a wooden spatula. Cut a triangle on one of the botttom edges and start filling the liners. Very easy and mess free!

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Yield: Enough to frost 12 cupcakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.

2. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.

You can store any unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container; let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer before using.

Tried making buttercream rosettes for the first time and it was fun! I loved doing it. I could use some more practice though since my frosting had some bubbles. Cheese cream frosting, you're next!

Kitchen and the Kitty

2012-06-15T08:52:00.002+03:00

Look what I found at the Kitchenware aisle

Sorry for the 'hurried' photos. People were giving me weird looks while taking these pics so I couldn't take a decent photo with my phone. Duh, it's my first time to see Hello Kitty pots and pans!

Vienna Calling Part II

2012-06-15T08:31:00.000+03:00

More Vienna awesomeness

Eating out at Maredo's

Yummy food and great atmosphere. Cutleries are Solingen -- wow.

Schönbrunn

Walking around the yellow palace.

Carnuntum culture vultures

Carnuntum is the Roman army camp situated in lower Austria.

The way they took care of this place is amazing. We were literally in a different world.

Why, hello there!

View from Melk Abbey

The famous Danube River

One of the coolest chapels I've ever seen

Quick view of the city from the Donauturm

How can you not miss this place? I've said this before and I'll say it again. Ich liebe dich, Wien. We shall see each other again.

The Elvis cake

2012-06-14T23:29:00.000+03:00

I was looking for a nice recipe for my leftover banana (-- which I couldn't eat on its own) when I saw this recipe for an Elvis cake from Yummy magazine. It looked easy and yummy so I had try. Luckily, I have all the ingredients listed.

Anyway, it's called an Elvis cake as a tribute to Elvis Presley, who apparently likes peanut butter and banana sandwich topped with bacon. I love peanut butter and banana too! I'll save the bacon for something else though.

This is how far I've come to loving pink. Gosh. I didn't realize I had this much pink stuff until I took this picture.

Making the crust

Almost done...layers of peanut butter creme and chocolate ganache topped with banana. Yum!

Whipping the cream

Can I tell you a secret? I love whipping the cream by hand! Nevermind if I get construction worker arms! Haha. I just like doing it manually. From powder form to liquid --

-- to seeing soft peaks

And no, it's not tiring at all. Maybe 3 minutes tops. The trick is to freeze the bowl and whisk for 10 minutes and use cold water to dissolve the powder.

Whisk and fold the mixture til it becomes light and fluffy. It's fun!

Spread onto the cake

Best served with coffee, I heard. But I don't drink coffee so I'll stick with tea :)

Good day everyone!

Vienna Calling

2012-06-11T01:31:00.000+03:00

It's been more than a couple of years since my first and last Vienna trip and it feels like I could use another one right now. Kaso, no budget at the moment, LOL. Kawawa. Plus I don't have any leave balance left to cover an impromptu vacation. Sadness.

I really feel like reminiscing so I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to OD you on photos. I can't believe I didn't post a single photo about this trip -- except for the souvenirs and a short text that declares how much I love Vienna. That's bull. What was I thinking? That wasn't enough. I guess I was too preoccupied with a lot of stuff then. Anyway, here's some of the 1,000 pics I have on my archive.

Makes me miss a LOT of things that I can only find in Vienna.

Fine, peaceful European mornings...Ham and cheese breakfast that you buy off the streets. Simple happiness.

The morning market just outside my cousin's flat

Fresh produce everyday. We can go there on our sweats and jammies and not care. lol. Plus, it's not smelly at all.

Cafe Oberlaa

I'm not a coffee drinker but I had one in Oberlaa. The place is so cozy that you just wanna sit there the entire afternoon while drinking coffee and load up on sweets. Love their macarons, too!

Stephansplatz + Stephansdom

Stephansplatz is a place or a square right at the heart of Vienna. It is named after Stephansdom, which is a big cathedral located in the area.

I just love walking here. It's always full of people and tourists but it didn't feel busy nor overcrowded. Very laid back and you won't feel the "turista-you-look-kakaiba-picture-ng-picture vibe". Did I say I love it?

To be continued...

Art Project Update: Halfway through :)

2012-06-04T12:53:00.000+03:00

Remember our art project? I'm done with the hair and pants :)

Jules asked me why I colored the boy too dark. I told her because Boogey is dark, too. Lol. Just kidding. We ran out of Flesh so I just used Dark Brown.

Werkin' the orange hair :p

I wonder which color should I use for the shirt and shoes? Hmm.

I should be done with it pretty soon so maybe I can show you the finished product on my next update :)

My go-to Fettuccine

2012-06-04T00:36:00.001+03:00

I called in sick for work today and slept almost the whole afternoon. Good thing I felt a lot better when I woke up.

Decided to make simple Fetuccine for dinner since it's the easiest to make and I wanted some comfort food as well.
Comfort food = Carbs.
Carbs usually perk me up, albeit being bad for my sugar level. Minsan lang naman. :p

I like the garlic a little bit toasted.

Stuff from home. Yay!

Good thing I still have fresh mushrooms. I love mushrooms btw. I can eat them everyday.

Ideal Pasta introduced by my sister. She doesn't approve my San Remo choice. lol

While I was preparing, Jules woke up and was looking for something to eat before her flight. I told her we can just split my food. Had to hurry cooking though since her pick up time is in 1.5 hrs.

No time for niceties. We just dumped it in our plates. We're hungry! I wonder why they look orange-y in this photo.

Just then we realized we don't have anything to eat with it so we made a quick garlic butter toast.

As in quick.

Three seeds bread + Lots of Garlic + Butter + Rosemary + A little Parmesan.

I feel so much better already :)

Art Project

2012-06-03T23:29:00.001+03:00

Boogey recently discovered paper clay art from a friend and bought one big kit for himself the same day. He sounded too giddy with it and asked that we do it together.

He divided the project between us -- girl part for him and boy for me.

He framed it and sent me the kit after coloring his part.

It came looking like this:

Aww. So cute and sweet. I wanted that yellow hair. Hihi.

Started working on it as soon as I got home. It's addicting but kaduling at the same time.

Aliw. I had fun doing it! I'm still halfway through but I can't wait to finish as well. So cute. I'll post my progress in the coming days and hopefully the finished product.

-----

This paper clay art kit is from JNBM Paper clay art. You can visit JNBM amazing arts for more designs and info.

Although they were designed for kids, it wouldn't hurt to try and make one on your own. I swear it's super fun and relaxing.

After a busy week

2012-06-02T13:40:00.000+03:00

It has been a busy week with few negative vibes choosing tumambay in my corner but I decided to ignore them. Enough already. Thank you very much. You're no longer welcome in my nook. Haha.

In other news, I made my first Red Velvet cupcake yesterday and I couldn't be happier with the result -- except I could use some help with the frosting. My frosting looked kawawa. Haha

Friends came bearing gifts, too. Pasalubong from their summer getaways.

Jules went on a roadtrip to Ilocos

Cool looking sweets

I <3 Vigan

While Jem just came from Bangkok

Silk Elephant Plushie -- Roomie will have a playmate now :)

Tamarind candies which I couldn't bring myself to eat. They look like mom's gallstones +_+ eeek. Sayang, I used to love these candies.

*sorry, I know it's gross +_+

Call me maybe

2012-05-24T13:26:00.000+03:00

Super fun to watch! Except for Manny and Anne..sorry. Di ako na entertain sa kanila.

BTW, I think Raymond looks cute in this video. Cuter than Borgy. Hehe.

Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale et al has their own version as well but i think Georgina & co.'s version is waaay too fab.

Modern day wizards

2012-05-23T02:22:00.002+03:00

I don't really find the Corona trial amusing coz I think there's too much hatin' and diggin' going on but sometimes I'd watch it because of them:

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and Retired Justice Serafin Cuevas

Seriously, how old are these guys already? It felt like I'm watching Gandalf and Saruman battle it out -- minus the long hair. But man, they are sharp! Ilang memory plus kaya tine-take nila everyday?

Gandalf and Saruman

*images are all from different sites I found on Google