Let’s Make a Change… NO to Plastics!

This is (for sure) not your first time to read a blog entry 

expressing the same thing which I am blogging about now… 

But who cares?! 

Actually, I care… 

With the sudden changes in our climate, 

or the so-called global warming, 

I feel like we need to do something for Mother Earth… 

It may not be something so drastic, 

but we can always start on small things… 

I know that you know where im leading… 

Yes, we can simply start by decreasing our use of plastic bags… 

Each one of us is a shopper, 

whether a thrifty shopper or a frugal shopper… 

We always need to buy something, 

be it something we want or something we need… 

For years, we’ve been into using plastic bags when we buy, 

and we already know the implications to our atmosphere 

in terms of disposing these plastic bags… 

That’s why I really admire those who thought of using the recyclable bags… 

and these recyclable bags are not only made of the usual “kacha” as we may call it… 

currently, they have gone very fashionable… 

I like this photo from Ecosax

even celebrities are spotted using these, 

trying to make a change for mother Earth… 

I hope everyone will learn to adapt the same thing…

I myself had embraced this idea… 

I have been using recyclable bags for months now.. 

and I am proud of it… 

I have the foldable ones inside my regular bags, 

so in case I need to buy something, I am always ready… 

I appreciate also those establishments who practice the same thing… 

I believe in SM Supermarket, every Wednesday, 

they have a no plastic bag policy… 

The New SM Eco-bags

Here in Japan, some stores will require you to pay 

for every plastic bag you use… 

which is a brilliant idea, 

not only do they earn a few coins from this, 

but they somehow sway their customers to bring their own bags… 

If I were a government official, 

I would have passed a law like that… 

harharhar!

I mean it’s not something 

that’s very hard to do for mother Earth right?! 

You can just simply buy the cheapest of these recyclable bags, 

and you’ll be making a change! 

Big things come from small things… 

If 10 of us use these recyclable bags, 

we are already decreasing the use of the plastic bags, 

by how many??? 

By 10?? 

By 20?? 

Or even 50?? 

Imagine how many bags we take home every time we go the grocery… 

Of course, you’ll tell me it wont be wise to buy so many recyclable bags… 

but believe me,  you wont just have one.. 

after getting one, you will want to influence 

every one around you to do the same thing… 

how can you say no to these fashionable ones???

By Ecosax

By M&S

Even Elmo and friends are anti-plastic bags! ♥♥♥

My haul from Daiso with my fave Cherry Ecobag..

When Unfolded

My fave Black Ecobag with Cherry Prints...

These are unused ones.. Pasalubong from my boss after his trip in France..
They are bigger than the usual ecobags here...

Of course, I know they cost a bit much… 

that’s why, I have been thinking about making some 

and offer them at cheaper price… 

equally fashionable but cheaper…  

I hope I could convince my Mum about it… 

I really, really want to pull this project… 

so I am keeping my fingers crossed… 

Through this, I hope I could influence more people 

to refrain from using plastic bags, 

and help the Earth through my little way…

Let’s make a change!

Longchamp Afficionados

i know right?!

my blog has been containing pretty much the same things...

it's either Elmo or Longchamp!

not that i planned, but those are really the things that interest me lately...

but this time, it's a different Longchamp...

i have been google-ing and searching for nice buys...

of course, when your budget is limited, you would want it

to spend on something worth it,

and something you really really like...

but i came across one site selling these Longchamps...

Limited Edition..

with Limited Edition prints actually..

and they are absolutely CHEAP finds for a Longchamp!

hahahahahahahahaha!!!

i had to get a few...

it's either i wear them as necklace...

or as bag accessories...

aren't they cute?!

♥♥♥ LONGCHAMP OVERLOAD ♥♥♥

**guffaws**

source:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001540184454

Birthday Preps...

i have been looking forward to my daughter's first birthday...

it's every parents' dream to give their babies the best they could...

in our case, hubby and i were not on the same page 

when it comes to preparing for our baby's first birthday... 

he's the type of "just" celebrate it... 

and i am the make-the-most-of-what-we-could-give-our-kid type...

(of course within our means...)

we don't have money to spend for a glam or royal kind of birthday...

but i want it to be special...and within our budget!

at first we were arguing as to where to hold the party...

he wanted McDonalds, i wanted Jollibee!!! hahaha!

but we ended up not having it at neither of them, 

since none would allow us to have our ELMO themed birthday party!

and we can't afford not having one,

because the cake and souvenirs have been ordered and paid...

so we will be just having it at my Mama & Papa's house in Tarlac...

at least in our house, there will be no limitations as to what we want to set up for the party...

it won't be an easy job for me and my family for sure,

escpecially that i will be coming home just a week before the birthday...

i have delegated the cooking and budgeting of food to my Mama...

so only the decors and set-up will be handled by me and my sister at least...

well so far here are the things i have settled...

1. an Elmo 3D Cake ordered to May Santos of KitchenKrafts.. 

(the photo is by icingsnsprinkles... the one i'm getting from KK is almost like this.. but it has some lollies)

2. mini cuppies from Frupcakes, which will be topped with Elmo Face toppers given by my friend Mitch...

 

3. mini-stools as souvenirs from Grace Anonuevo of  http://www.handicraftsatbp.multiply.com

(big bird isn't ours.. )

4. Pen-holders as souvenirs for the Godparents from Grace also...

5. Photo will be by my officemates Sir Joel and Randy hopefully...

6. Invitations are by... eherrrmmm... myself... :)

for now, i am still searching for game prizes...

perhaps some tumblers and towels...

As for the souvenirs for the not-so-young anymore, 

i want to have this Elmo plush toys which are available in Divisoria... 

i will ask my sister to make some bibs for these Elmos with my daughter's name.. 

still waiting for my "Marses" to find the time to hoard these stuff for me... 

including some pinata... 

i want the pull string type... 

i remember on one of my friend's children's bday party, 

what they did was hit Elmo with a bat to let out the candies inside... 

which i cant allow to have on my daughter's bday... 

it's too violent! hahaha! 

she might find it traumatic! hahaha!

also, i am still in search of some Elmo themed disposable plates and cups... 

or plastic ones so we could reuse them...

but for the set-up, i am still searching on the net as to what kind would be best for our place...

so far, i plan to get these banderitas to include in the decors...

lots and lots of balloons...

this is so far the most difficult task i have ever had...

planning my daughter's first birthday...

delegating and coordinating every detail, while i am 1846 miles away...

(i sounded geek with that approximate distance huh?! but thanks to wiki..)

so far that's it...

41 days to go before her birthday celebration...

and

34 days to go and il be back to Manila! 

yahoo!!!

Finally gave in... :)

i have been going on and off with my decision 

whether to give in or not with my Longchamp desire... 

was so hesitant to give in as it might lead to endless longing for more... 

(the same as what happened to my Havaianas addiction before.) 

and of course, i want my very first purchase to be something i really really want... 

i really so much wanted it to be the Galleries La Fayette,

but because of its limited availability and its unusually high price,

i wasn't able to score one "YET"...

i still keep my hopes high... that's how much i like it..

despite my Uncle's info that it ranges from 14-17K Php in Dubai...

of course, i don't expect him to get me one... 

(kutos ang aabutin ko! hahaha!)

but because of endless surfing on the net,

i saw an online japanese site which was on a weekend sale...

and they have this one on sale...

i did a lot of thinking regarding purchasing one...

i was just staring at my cart, whether i was gonna submit the order or not...

i didn't decide that night...

i thought to myself, that if it's still available in the morning,

then we're meant to be... :)

unfortunately, come morning, i checked the link, 

only to find out that they ran out of stocks already...

so i just brushed off again the idea of getting one...

when i got back home from office,

i opened my email, and received an email in japanese...

couldn't understand it, so i had to seek the help of Babel...

then it translated... that the online shop would like to confirm

if i will be pushing through with my order, as they held one piece for me...

truly, we were meant to be, i guess...

i was supposed to receive my LC bag yesterday...

but, as usual i had trouble with the Takkyubin service,

coz they don't speak English...

so this morning i decided to just leave the money with our caretaker...

and when i got home tonight...

i finally met my very first ever Longchamp 

LM Metallic handbag in Bronze

::photo with and without flash::

"in actual, it isn't as shiny as others said.. 

which i like a lot.."

::the flap & the logo::

 ::the back of the flap & the care card::

at first sight, i thought i made the wrong choice in the size, as it looks small...

but when i transferred the contents of my Betseyville bag into it...

i still have a room for my book, my lunchpack, and so much more...

this bag is amazing! i cant believe it could contain this much!

it's gonna be my fave for sure...

and did i mention that it only cost me JPY 7900.00???

that's less than Php 4000.00

JACKPOT!!!

now, i found this cheap Longchamp bag...

i haven't seen anyone with this... 

but i find it really cute...

what do you think???

Give in??? or Stay away???

('to na nga ba sinasabi ko.. hirap umayaw pag nasimulan na!)

DONUT tease a Doughnut lover!

Disclaimer: 
This entry may entice your sweet tooth. 
So, get hold of your cravings!

I am a self confessed Doughnut lover... 

i remember as a kid, being the first niece in the family,

my uncle and aunts used to bring Donut King...

they studied in a university in Angeles City, 

and they always bring me some doughnuts from DK...

i can still remember myself patiently waiting for them after school..

Donut King was the very first brand of doughnut which was introduced to me...

Then years later, we used to live along Mango Road in Aurora Blvd., 

and so i used to stay at Dunkin Donuts in Balete for long hours... 

it was the best location we ever lived at...

it was when i met my first love... 

Boston Creme...

Then i met Mister Donut...

It was the twisted doughnuts that got me into it...

it was a cheap means to fill one's tummy during break time in college..

i also love their dutch choco crunch.. yummm!!!

by the way, until now i still go for Mister Donut, 

since, as per my tastebuds, it's the only brand 

who didn't go with the super duper high level of sugar in doughnuts... 

they maintained the right amount of sweetness...

just the way i like it... :)

Along the way, i also met Hot Loops!

I think that was 2005 to 2006, when Hot Loops was introduced in the market...

we used to go to Robinson's just for a bite 

and lurk at how they make their doughnuts...

but i can never eat more than 2.. 

i usually just have one.. 

since they were sweeter than those brands that i grew up with... 

among their flavors, 

Peanut Better was my fave!

Before i left the Philippines for my first assignment here in Yokohama,

we were in our Gonuts Donuts stage...

i would always ask my then BF to get me some from Makati...

coz from where i lived then, there was no dealer of GD...

my faves were the Peanut Butter Frost and the Choco Glaze...

actually, i found GD sweeter than Hot Loops, but then GD has sugarfree variants..

but still sweet for someone who's not a sweet tooth...

. . . 

then, my love for doughnut went to a halt 

when i noticed the increase in the level of sweetness among competing brands... 

it was really just too much for me... 

years came by, and i already forgot about my love for doughnuts, 

until Krispy Kreme invaded Manila...

but the only variant that i liked was the original glazed...

but it still takes almost a week before we can eat a box of 6...

and i like it hot with my hot coffee in the morning by the way..

the rest of the flavors were just insanely too sweet for me...

i feel my soul leaving my body everytime i take bite! hahaha!

. . . 

and just when i thought i will never find the brand of doughnut that would make fall in love again...

i met 

Doughnut Plant New York City...

i have been eyeing on these doughnuts for the longest time.. 

i often spent some minutes at the Queen's after office looking for something to eat...

but i usually brush off the idea of trying it out...

until this evening... 

i went by the shop's display rack, 

and wasn't able to control myself from taking away

a box of 4 plus an extra square doughnut...

and ended up going home with 6 doughnuts in the bag...

coz for every 5 you buy, you get to choose one as a present!

here's the lot i got!

1. Chocolate Coconut

This is a seasonal variant. 

It makes use of coconut milk from the Philippines and Thailand.

Price: JPY 290  

♥♥♥

2. Fresh Double Berry

This is a sweet and sour variant. It has fresh Blueberry and Cranberry on top.

It has a perfect balance of sweetness with a tinge of fruity flavoring.

Price: JPY 320 

♥♥♥

3. Blackout

This is cake based doughnut made with dark Valrhona Chocolate 

and it has a ring of chocolate pudding inside. This one has to stay on my list! yummy really!

Price: JPY 320 

♥♥♥

4. Triple Valrhona Chocolate

It has a triple line of white chocolate glaze.

It is made up of Valrhona supplied dough kneading chocolate and Valrhona cocoa powder.

Price: JPY 280 

♥♥♥

5. Tres Leches

This is a conservative variant. It has a pleasant condensed milk ring inside its moist cake.

Not that sweet. This will definitely be a better choice with my morning coffee!

Price: JPY 320 

(This was the freebie from the lot i bought.)

♥♥♥

6. Lemon and Lemon Cream

A non-conventionally shaped doughnut. 

It is glazed and has an original lemon cream inside.

Price: JPY 420

♥♥♥

DP NYC Doughnuts are made with the highest quality all natural ingredients.

Glazes are made with seasonal fresh fruits and fresh roasted nuts!

NO Fats!

NO Preservatives!

NO Artificial Flavorings!

NO Eggs!

Plus it comes in a very cute packaging.

How about you???

What's your favorite brand so far???