Check It Out - The Great Northern Sale February Freebies

HEY COFFEEHOLICS!

Check this out... The SALE made for SHOPAHOLICS returns.. it's..

THE GREAT 
NORTHERN
SALE!!! 

Up to 70% Off on selected items starting February 2, Thursday up to February 5, Sunday! Don't miss out on this awesome and rare FOUR (yes my dears that's 4!!!) days of sale. So be a wise shopper and  buy your VALENTINES GIFT during this special sale season here at SM City North Edsa! Don't forget to check out the SM Accessories that will be on sale at that time. That will definitely be a perfect gift for your special someone this Valentines day!



Oh and great news guys! Wanna get a hold on some freebies?
Its just easy as 1-2-3!

1.Simply LIKE on SM City North Edsa Fanpage

2. Then click LIKE on the exact same photo shown below.

Photo credits go to SM North Edsa FB

(I made it easier for you.. just click the word LIKE above and it will let you go directly to the photo on the SM North Edsa fanpage!)

3. Then SHARE the photo to all your friends and on your facebook wall!
See I told you it's easy!

TEN (10) Winners will be chosen to receive a Php 1,000 Gift Certificate from Zerona Laser Slimming and Aesthetics and FIVE (5) winners will also get Php 1,000 worth of services from Face and Figure Center. Winners will be announced on February 6!

So what are you waiting for? Share the news and spread the love my dear Coffeeholics!

Happy Shopping! Mwah mwah!

Food Diary - A Tearrific Treat

Tea~rrific!

Hey Coffeeholics! Yes I know the title of this post sounds so anti-coffee.. haha. But I must confess, ever since milk teas became a hit here in the Philippines, I have slowly found myself falling in love with tea as well. After all, tea also has caffeine in it right?! (haha excuses excuses..) Well I just want to share to you one of my recent "milk tea" discoveries!

Tea~rrific - an extremely good, healthy, and yummy tea beverage, created with passion!

So I was at SM City Annex the other day and had my laptop cord and plug fixed at SM Cyberzone. Has anyone been there already? Its really REALLY big! The Cyberzone occupies the 4th and 5th floor of SM City Annex. So in order to get the best deal possible for my laptop dilemma, I checked out and inquired at a lot of stores until finally I found the 24th Avenue at the corner of the 5th floor! I only had to pay Php 300 as compared to the others who wanted 100 deposit plus 500 for the repair fee and an additional 200 for any parts that needs to be changed. Anyway while waiting for it to be repaired, I checked out the food stalls at the Cyberzone area coz I was getting hungry and stumbled upon THIS!

Tearrific! is actually part of the company behind Fruitas. When I found out about that, I immediately want to try it out. Fruitas is actually one of my favorite fruit shake stalls so I knew that Tearrific would probably taste as good as well.

Milk Tea at an affordable price!

Affordable Prices of Tearrific!
Starts at Php 39!

Looking at the prices, I was pretty happy to see the very much affordable price range compared to other Milk Tea brands! I had no idea what to try out first though so I asked the sales clerk what was their best seller.

Wintermelon Milk Tea at Tearrific!

Bestseller = Wintermelon Milk Tea! Oh yeah! Since I already tasted it from other brands, I figured I might as well try this one out. The grande size was only Php 65! (I ended up buying the grande size coz there wasn't any other sizes available that day.. hmmm.. strategy? Hahaha!)  I immediately bought one and crossed my fingers and hoped that I just didn't flush that down the drain.

And here's my TEA~RRIFIC! Wintermelon Milk Tea drink!

Hmmm so what can I say about the drink? Well first of all, it DID taste like Wintermelon Milk Tea. Haha. I did kinda wondered about the taste because of the low price. It tasted actually nice after it became quite chilled. The drink automatically had black pearls (sago) so I was happy that I was able to eat that while drinking my milk tea. It may not be the best of the best (please don't kill me here.. I'm just being honest! haha) but I think its a great alternative Milk Tea drink if you are on a budget. It didn't wow me but then again it did made my taste buds somewhat happy so I'm ok with that! hehe.

Disclaimer: I had no one else with me this time and just took a photo of myself!
Hence the blurry photo.. sowwwweeeee.. XP

So Coffeeholics and Tea~holics, have you tried out Tea~rrific already? If not, then why not try it out especially if you happen to drop by at SM Annex (I don't know where the other stalls are...). Its easy on the pocket and who knows.. it might just suit your taste palette! Hope you all had a Tea~rrific weekend! 

Mwah mwah,

OOTD - DIY Crocheted Creations

Black and White Top - Terranova
Denim Skirt - Forever 21
Gray Boots - Random Store (bought during US Trip 2010)
Bag - SM
Geek Glasses - My Sister's 

I miss my gray boots..
I bought that when I was in L.A. around May 2010.
Its kinda broken now.. the heel is already separating from the  bootie..
I feel sooooo sad. I miss it tons!

Yes this post for my outfit diary is super duper old! I had originally posted this on Chictopia around November 2010. I wasn't quite active on my blog back then so I hadn't thought of posting it here. But the main reason why I'm posting this now is not because I absolutely loved this black white and gray outfit but because of the Gray Beret I'm wearing. AND YES, I MADE THAT.. and I'm quite proud of my accomplishment!

MY CROCHETED CREATION - A Gray Beret!

I don't think I have been able to share this on my blog yet that one of my favorite (and random) hobby is doing CROCHET. Hahaha. I know right! I have heard all the cliches there are about single people and crochet.. which is why I don't blab much about it. But since the cat is out of the bag now (what with Jen wearing one of my crochet accessory creations - the slouchy RED beanie that she wore in her outfit post here), I guess I might as well let all the hidden threads unravel and show off some of the stuff that I have made.

My Crocheted BERET (Hat) Creations!

Same design as my gray one at the top.. except its in turquoise blue!
I think I gave this one to Jordy, Jen's sister.

Again, same design as the gray one.
I gave this Brown Crochet Beret to my bff Naomi! 

Would you believe that I've been crocheting since elementary? I really enjoyed crocheting and took it up to the next level and competed in national competitions. I won 2nd place in a national competition in the "Needles and Threads - Crochet" category. What did I make? A bunch of crocheted flowers in a vase! I also made a white crocheted "pinya" designed parasol on the following year and got 3rd place. I haven't made huge crocheted projects ever since I graduated from high school but just enjoyed creating or making small crocheted stuff as a personal hobby. I started making berets again around 2010 and have enjoyed making them ever since!

Wearing my Blue Track Stitch Beret

Track Stitch Blue Beret - what it looks like at the back!

Red Beanie Slouchie
I made that as a birthday gift for Jen!

Brown Beanie Slouchie
Yes, its the same as the Red one that I gave to Jen.
And I also gave this one to Jen (or was it Jordy?) as a Christmas present.

This is one of the most recent Beret Creations that I've done.
I made this during the Christmas break (Dec. 2011).
Its a new design that I tried out. It was quite difficult and tiring to make..
just coz it took me longer to finish it! hehe.
I probably won't be doing this kind of pattern anytime soon.

I ended up giving it as a gift AGAIN!
haha.. yeah... it was Alpha's birthday and we just recently  celebrated her birthday in a unique way
(will blog about that soon) and well, I did promise to give her a Beret LAST YEAR.. so yeah, it ended up with her. Honestly, I only have ONE beret that belongs to just me. Most of the berets that I've made were either sold or given as gifts! haha. I should really make a black one for myself soon.

I love making crocheted hats or berets! I personally think its a cool accessory although I guess its not that appropriate in our country though with us being a tropical one at that. But then.. since when has weather dictated our sense of style and fashion? hehehe.. I also made other accessories besides the hats/berets. 

This shawl or shrug (whatever you'd like it) was made specifically for my mom. For my Crocheted Creations, I usually follow a pattern but sometimes I end up tweaking it a little to suit the taste or adjust the size of the one who is going to use it. This was my Christmas Gift to my Mom last December 2010. I was able to FINISH this in like 3 days straight! No net, no lakwatsa, and well just crochet crochet crochet (and watch tv, eat, and sleep) for three days. It was a good thing the pattern was very simple. What took me so long was that because of the length and width of that piece. hihi. So yeah, I had to work really fast coz it was nearly Christmas. I had no other time to do this! I had also made a similar one like that (except in green) for my Lola. 

I've also made and sold crocheted friendship bracelets!

A very simple friendship bracelet that was a hit among my students.
I wasn't able to take a photo of it but I also made bookmarks.

Check it out - Kai Crocheted Creations in the works!

Yes this is darling SOFI, Jen's daughter, getting all kikay and excited about my most recent Crocheted Creations - HAIR ACCESSORIES! 

This is just a prototype of my Crocheted Creations Hair Flower Accessories.
I'm still working on it and trying to get the correct size and do some modifications from the original  pattern that I have. YES, I have big plans for the Hair Accessories. Several people have already been trying to convince me to sell some of my creations. I'm still thinking on the long term basis if it is worth it in the end and if people will like it and order from me. As for now, I'm happy to make em and give it away as gift to my loved ones and friends. 

One of my dreams is that this form of art will continue to go on despite the distractions of the advancement of technology and disinterest in doing Crochet among the succeeding generations. I feel like its a dying art form coz I rarely hear of people still actually do it (well here in the Philippines anyway). Especially as a hobby and not just a school project. Some have probably shunned crocheting coz people have stereotyped crochet as an "old maid's" hobby. That "old-fashioned" statement just doesn't set well with me and it saddens me coz I know crocheted accessories can be cool, pretty, and fashion forward! Haha.. I'm a bit surprised by my "passionate" take on this topic. Seems like crocheting is indeed a hobby that is close to my heart! 

ANYWAY my dear coffeeholics, what I wanna know is what do YOU think? Do you think crochet is so out of place and so outdated? (I promise I won't bite your head off! haha!) Will you wear a crocheted hat or beret here in the Philippines? Or do you own one? And what do you think about the hair accessories? PLEASE let me know your thoughts! 

mwah mwah,

OOTD - Hotel Mirrors and Restrooms

Top - Thrifted
Dark Brown Sleeveless Shirt - Bazaar
Denim Jeans - Forever 21
Black Flats - Greenhills

Hmmm.. making sure I get a good shot of my reflection..
which is why I seem to not be looking at the camera in this photo.

Yes.. I am taking pa-cute photos of myself.. hahaha! pwede?

Necklace - My sister's!
Black Ring - SM Accessories
Watch - Timex

Hey dears! After viewing my outfit photos, can you now guess why my outfit post is titled like that? Hehehe. Yep, I took a photo of a reflection of myself in the floor length mirror at one of the restrooms in Hotel Intercontinental. This is what I wore during the Moulinex Semi-Finals event which I just blogged about in my food diary section. I was by my lonesome self that day... I missed my blogger twin JEN! So yeah, in other words.. there was no one else who could take my outfit photo for me. So I resorted to this! hahaha! Oh c'mon.. I bet you have had your famous CR photos as well.. diba? Lucky me, I had the restroom all to myself for a couple of minutes so I took the time to be vain and well.. voila! Self OOTD photos.

Now by this time you must be wondering, who takes my OOTD photos then huh.. well, most of the time its Jen who takes my photos. When she isn't available, I ask my sister or a friend who is with me at that particular time. :) So yeah, I really appreciate Jen, my sis, and friends who indulge in my requests and kikay moments. hihi.

Anyway, hope you all have a wonderful week ahead. Tomorrow is the Chinese New Year.. so YAY NO CLASSES! Where you Coffeeholics going to hang out? I have an awesome "birthday" party that I will be attending on Monday. I will definitely share to you all about that soon!

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI everyone!

FOOD DIARY - Moulinex You Cook Semi Finals Part 2

Hey Coffeeholics! Sorry I had to cut my previous post a bit short. I was experiencing some laptop problems but thank goodness its working now! So let's continue what I was sharing to you guys on the previous post about the Moulinex You Cook Semi Finals Event last Saturday. Anyway, as I was saying, I was able to taste one of the dishes made by the contestants! I really enjoyed that. And if you are wondering what the other dishes looked like, here are some photos of some of the contestants for this Moulinex You Cook Video Challenge 2.

Cottage Pie

by Juno Pocholo Sedigo

Halo-Halo Mousse
by James Adrian Bicaldo

Blackened Pasayan Inasal with Annato oil, Balsamic Vinegar Reduction, Adobo mousse, fried Sotanghon, Bringhe and Pechay Towerby Leonelia  De Castro  

Papaya Gazpacho with Spiced Veggie Skewers
by Joemary Grace Balza

White Chocolate Moringa Mousse
by Rosanna Ramel

Crab and Kesong Puti Ravioli with Malunggay Pesto Sauce
by Halson Lapuz

Poncan glazed Pork Medallions in Black Rice and Asian Slaw on the side
by Hilario Gamaliel Manikan

Filipino-Style Bread Salad
John Ryan Trani

Sinful Sans Rival
by Karen Grace Santiago

Caldobo (Calderata Adobo)
by Nino Carlo Rosali

I don't know about you but looking at these photos has made my mouth water again! Hehe. If you want to see all the dishes and how all of these was made, do check out their video entries at the Moulinex You Cook website.

Each Semi-Finalist were awarded with their very own Moulinex Blender.

After several hours of hard work, finally the judges were able to choose the Top 8 Finalists for this challenge.

CONGRATULATIONS to Moulinex You Cook Video Recipe Challenge Year 2
Halson Lapuz, Romeo Apostol Jr., Juno Pocholo Sedigo, James Bicaldo, Nino Carlo Rosali, Rosana Ramel, Karen Grace Santiago, and Leonila de Castro!

with the judges!

Now that the Grand Finalists have been chosen, its now time for us to look forward to the Grand Finals to be held on January 28, 2012. The aspiring chefs will go head to head in their last showdown, where they will have to use their acquired culinary skills, creativity, and passion in order to cook the most delicious recipe they can produce, given a set of random ingredients. The contestant with the highest score will be declared the Moulinex You Cook Video Recipe Challenge Year 2 Grand Winner! Grand Finalist will get a Php 40,000 cash prize, Stay and Learn Program inclusive of an overnight stay, Moulinex Demo Tour, and a whole lot more. Not only do the contestants get something but their mentors and respective schools as well.

Anyway, I really enjoyed watching this and I wish all the Grand Finalists all the best. Who will I be rooting for this challenge? My bet would either be Leonila De Castro or Karen Grace Santiago. Yeah, I'm rooting for the girls! LOL. I'm pretty much sure all the Grand Finalists will be working and preparing hard for this cooking showdown which will be in just a few days. Still, its really anyone's game and it will depend on their performance during the Grand Finals.

Thank you Moulinex for inviting me to this event! I felt really privileged and enjoyed it a lot. Also wanna thank the company of my fellow bloggers who were there. Events like these are always awesome coz I get to meet new people and make new friends.

with Miss Norma

with Marj

with Marj and Jonel

Thank you Miss Yovilyn Valenzuela, Brand Marketing Head - Moulinex & Krups!

Event Sponsor - KRUPS

MOULINEX products

So Coffeeholics, aspiring chefs and food enthusiasts -- don't forget to drop by Moulinex Facebook to be updated or do check out the Moulinex website and vote for your favorite video entry!