Halloween Treats

I haven't baked anything for a while and was looking for an inspiration. Buti na lang andyan si anney of Blog ni Ako who is never short of clever and inspiring ideas of things to make for chikitings and adults alike. Na-inspire naman ang lola at hinalukay ang baol ng inbox  for cake recipes that Ive saved to my 'to try one day' folder. 


I'm not holding or attending any Halloween party this year but that's no reason to miss out on treats, right?


So here they are folks, my home made Halloween Chocolate chip cupcakes 

and my take on Haunted Graveyard cake =)

 Little Poj couldn't wait to try the cakes but was nice enough to indulge me and smiled for the camera =)

My Cutie little Devil =)

Treats that await trick or treaters 

Happy Halloween everyone!

Lymington, New Forest

It was nearly lunchtime when my boys were finished with their haircut. (Opo, nainggit si Papa E kay Poj kaya nagpagupit na rin sya, hehe =) And since it was such a beautiful sunny Saturday, we've decided to stay in the area, Lymington. Papa E works here twice a week and knows the area pretty well. We don't come here very often coz it is 18miles away from our house. But the place is really beautiful & I love it.

We walked along the town centre looking for a place to eat but decided to head for the marina and eat alfresco to take advantage of the sunny day. The walk took longer because we kept stopping at the stalls of the town's Saturday market. It looks like the bazaar we have at home and they sell pretty much everything, from fresh produce to baked products, clothes, shoes, toys etc. Everything looks lovely but we stopped ourselves as it's never a good idea to shop on an empty stomach.

We were drawn to the Seafayre Seafood coz there were quite a few people in the queue. We liked the look of the crab baguette and tuna sandwich so we settled on those. Armed with our lunch we started our short walk along the cobbled street to the marina. We picked a bench and enjoyed our lunch & the view. And though it was sunny there was a chill in the air and the hot chocolate gave us the warmth that we needed. There were a lot of people & most of them were friendly, even stopping for a quick chat whilst they wait for the boat to take them on a short cruise around the Isle of Wight. Poj loved the crab baguette, but Papa E & i thought it was interesting, but a tad too fishy for out taste.

We stayed at the marina until Poj got bored then moved to our next stop (but not before we had some ice cream, hehe). 
We then went to Hatchet Pond at the New Forest. The idea was to relax, lay down the picnic blanket maybe read a book while the boys play in the pond or admire horses and donkeys. But Poj fell asleep in the car so we took off after I took some photos. Maybe next time 'ey?  =)

First Haircut

pics from Picsearch google

Poj is now 2 years & 4 months old but has never had a proper haircut till today! Yes, his Ama wanted him to have long hair - ewan, frustration nya siguro yun, hehe. But recently, his hair has been poking his eyes and he's getting really annoyed with it. So I've put my foot down and said that he's having a hair cut this weekend.

So we went to this hair shop in Lymington named His and Kids. We were greeted by their friendly staff when we walked in. I like the clean and simple interiors and the smiley staff. Poj loves the TV with the Lion design =) They handed Poj a toy straight away and and asked him what he wanted to watch (they have an impressive collection of kiddie DVDs). He of course chose Thomas and Friends. I was surprised when he just agreed to sit on the chair, wore stylist apron without a fuzz and allowed the lady to touch his hair. The hairdresser started combing his hair then took out her scissors, at this point Poj was too engaged in his movie to notice. Ang dami ng ginupit sa kanya pero deadma pa rin, kalerky!

Before we knew it, the lady was done. Poj was a gold star customer! He wad awarded with a Well Done sticker and a certificate. She also put a bit of his hair in a small envelope for us.
The only time he realised his hair was shorter was when we went to the washroom and he saw himself in the full length mirror - he giggled and said 'oh Ina, short hair,'  Ngek! Di pa pala nya alam na ginupitan sya nung sinabi nya sa mga hair sa floor "Ina, daming kalat!"
I assured him that he just had a hair cut =)

Before & After

The Sea Life London Aquarium

The London Eye and The Sea Life London Aquarium

 We've been to London many times and have been on the London Eye for 4 times already but have never entered the huge building near it. So when a friend invited us for a birthday dinner in London, we  thought it was our chance to visit the aquarium. 
There was already a long queue at the entrance when we got there at around 1030am. Luckily we have a Merlin Annual Pass so could go straight in.  The attraction was extremely popular so it was expected that there would be a lot of people. 
Poj loves his book titled Smiley Shark which featured a shark and other fish as well, and we knew he would love to see them swim in the water. 


The London Aquarium is one of Europe's largest display of global aquatic life. The glass tunnel walkway encased in a gigantic skeleton was pretty impressive. I was even more impressed that Poj was not scared at all of the huge fish even when they come near the glass. 

They have over 500 species from every part of the world, more than 40 sharks from 12 different species, 14 themed zones over 3 floors and 2 million litres of water. The place is massive! We know we have to go back when Poj is a little bit older to get a chance to interact with the animals at their interactive public feeding and diving displays. 

They also have 30 species of plants and foliage...

Poj loved Nemo and Dory!

Their newest attraction proved to be a hit most especially with little Poj, the Penguins Ice Adventure.  They have put interactive features such as freezing touch pools and they had decorated the area to make the area look and feel similar to their natural habitat. 

Poj had a blast at one of the ice caves 

my boys looking really charmed by the cute penguins

There are obviously a lot more to explore which we've saved for next time. And hopefully I learn to take photos in low light to get better pictures for next time. My little one can't stop looking back, he had a great time! =)

Autumn is here...

from Exbury Gardens UK

The summer has been up and down with the sun shining bright one day then rainy the next. Then we were blessed with 2 gloriously sunny weeks at the end of September when autumn has supposedly  arrived. 

It has been looking a lot more like Autumn within the last week though. Short, wet & dark days are here. So out with the summer clothes and it's time to dig out our coats, scarves, gloves and winter clothes as we know it goes downhill from here.

from Hillier's Garden

But I suppose the beginning of fall is not too bad. The leaves turn to red and yellow which adds colour & makes the surrounding picturesque. It is when all the leaves have fallen off the trees that i feel a bit down.... It all looks gloomy and sad and foreign, reminding me I'm thousands of miles away from home.

But never mind, this is the path we've chosen and these are all part of the deal. At least there's the Internet, email, Skype and soon iMessage to help bridge the distance between ourselves and our family. =)

I hope everyone's having a better October and I'm praying that that's it for typhoons for everyone in the Philippines... 

May Free Pa Pala Ngayon

May mga websites dito na nagbibigay ng mga deals, savings, discount vouchers at offers sa mga shops, restaurants, holiday etc para sa mga NHS employees. (National Health Service o mga government health workers). Isa na dito ang website na NHS Discounts. 


Ilang buwanna ring natapos ang mobile contract ni Papa E kaya't naghahanap sya ng magandang deal. Hindi naman bothered si Papa E sa latest handset, ang gusto lang talaga nya ay libreng phone, ang makatawag at makapagtext. Pero since mahilig syang magbasa ng balita dito sa UK at sa Pinas, sinabi ko na mas okay kung makakapag-upgrade siya to a smart phone. 


At tada... eksaktong nagemail sa kanya ang NHS Discounts - FREE iPhone 4 sa tariff na mas mababa pa sa dati nyang contract, 250 texts, 450 minutes, free landline calls, 750mb data and unlimited wifi. I know, I know... malapit na i-launch ang bagong iPhone, but I think this is a good deal considering na other networks are still charging £229 for the same tariff. 


I'm happy to report that they delivered the phone for free 24hours after the order was confirmed. And I'm pleased to report na happy naman si Papa E sa kanyang new phone, phew =)