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???

Godiva Chocolixir

What's the first thing that comes into my mind when i hear GODIVA???

it's a delicious and high end brand of chocolates, which therefore, i need to keep myself away from... coz aside from the calories that comes with it, the ridiculous price just really sends me some meters away...

i have been seeing the Godiva store in Yokohama for quite a long time already.. 

but i wasn't brave enough to check because of the above reasons.. 

but there was this one time i was with a friend, after burning some calories from playing badminton, 

we passed by the area and noticed a number of Japanese lining up at the Godiva store.. 

we got curious and checked.. 

and we discovered the Godiva Chocolixir... 

it's a frozen drink made up of Godiva Chocolate with Whipping Cream! 

talk about 660 calories per serving.. 

but can you blame us?? 

it's freaking 37 degrees outside.. 

and that's more than enough reason for us to try it.. 

It comes in 5 flavors:

1. Dark Chocolate Raspberry

2. Dark Chocolate Decadence

3. Milk Chocolate Caramel

4. Milk Chocolate Decadence

5. White Chocolate Raspberry

and this summer they are gonna have the chocobanana! yummm!

but in the mean time, i tried the Milk Chocolate Caramel..

It was really heavenly.. 

very creamy... 

it's like eating the chocolate in every sip..

not that pricey for 550 JPY (approx..i forgot the actual price, blame it on the anaesthesia...)

and it's very soothing for the hot summer days here in Japan!

i will definitely go back and try the other flavors!!!

PLUS

these ice cream truffles looks promising!

Mini-Shopaholic: Latest from the Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

Believe it or not, the very first ever book that I bought is THE CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC… not that I am a self confessed one, but something about the synopsis caught my attention plus the very attractive cover got me into reading it… I got hooked into it and before I knew it, I was on my 5^th book already… I have always been a chic lit lover and the Shopaholic Series is really my first on the list… Becky Bloomwood was such a character who is very easy to fall in love with (and relate to, OUCHY!)… plus her humorous struggles with debts and shopping galores… it would keep you put and will keep you turning the pages one after the other…

And when I thought that her adventures are already over… the sixth book is scheduled to be released on September 16^th…

I am sure it will be another blast for Sophie Kinsella… Here’s the synopsis for the MINI-SHOPAHOLIC… I am sure, everyone will feel like and relive the "Becky" in them all over again… and now  that I am a MUM myself… I will  definitely be able relate to this book… I cant wait to get my copy! ♥♥♥

"Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) thought motherhood would be a breeze – but it’s trickier than she thought. Two-year-old Minnie is a little tearaway who has created havoc everywhere from Harrods to Harvey Nicks to her own christening. She hires taxis at random, her favourite word is ‘Mine’, and she already has a penchant for Balenciaga bags. Becky is at her wits’ end.

On top of this, she and Luke are still living with her Mum and Dad, there’s a big financial crisis so everyone’s having to Cut Back – including all her personal shopping clients – and her husband Luke is feeling low after the death of his beloved stepmother. To cheer Luke up, Becky decides to throw him a surprise birthday party – on a budget – and that’s when things become really complicated. As Becky tries to keep the arrangements secret, misunderstandings and excuses sprout everywhere, and soon she’s told so many fibs she can’t keep track of them. Will Becky pull off the surprise? Will Minnie give everything away? Will Minnie’s godparents ever stop arguing? Who will end up on the naughty step and who will get a gold star? And what will happen when Becky discovers Luke is keeping a big secret too?"

i will post a review once i get to read it... :) ♥♥♥

Birthday Cake Dilemma

I am trying to finalize and to take note of all the details for my daughter's birthday in October... since i will be in Manila just a week before the party, i need to plan ahead so that i can delegate the tasks to my sister or to my friends in Manila...

Most of the important stuff have been assigned and delegated already... and last Monday, my hubby is supposed to deposit the initial payment for the cake.. but until now i have not decided if i am going to push thru with it...

We are having the party in a fast food... so serving the cake is not an option at the moment, since they wouldn't allow... It's a rule not to serve any food aside from those which they will be providing... that's the reason why i am hesitant to spend Php 4,400.00 on a cake which wont be served to the guests anyway... the cake will just be for picture taking and during the candle blowing... am i making sense here?? i mean i can just find someone who can make me a cheaper cake, perhaps half of that price... but doing so, will i be jeopardizing the whole idea of the birthday's highlight??? isn't candle blowing the highlight of every birthday party???

i need an answer.. ASAP!!!

by the way, the cake that i am getting is almost similar to this one.. except that Elmo's friends wont be in it.. but Elmo in different colors...

my other option is this one.. perhaps the price will reach  Php 3000.00

if the other Elmo colors wont fit, i plan to just add cuppies with Elmo heads in different colors as per our theme..

or from Perfectlysweets, less than Php 3000.00

Elmo Dreams

i am not an original Elmo fan...

but a friend of mine and her daughter inspired me to make Elmo my daughter's character 

(well at least for now, while she can't decide yet for herself)...
 

so mummy's sticking to her Elmo theme... 

been buying a few Elmo stuff even before i gave birth to Yulia...
 

but i cannot really say i am collecting Elmo... 

it wasn't like i am getting out of my way just to get them...
 

i only get those which i have easy access to...
 

like those in UFO machines here in Yokohama... 

my friends and i were able to complete all 7 colors of the Elmo Dreams!
 

these colorful Elmos are only available in Japan at the moment... 

so i am taking the opportunity to hoard as much as i can from Taito's UFO machines

these are also available in Rakuten, but i dont wanna spend that much 

plus the fun and thrill in getting them have made these Elmos priceless

it will be the theme for my daughter's first birthday this coming October...
 

i have sent home the extra Elmos which i have piled up here in my flat... 

i am just glad my daughter's enjoying them!

"happy 10th month birthday Elmo Gurl! 
 mummy misses you so much..."

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

My ELMO Loot here in Japan for the little one

Her Elmo Hair Ties, which will have to wait at least 3-5 yrs more 

before she can wear them, as they are too big!!!

Elmo Headset with my old Ipod Nano...

Elmo spoon & forks..

An Elmo bag and purses which i got on sale..

I dont have these yet but a friend from Hawaii will bring a few packs of these for Yulia's birthday.. They will be used as toppers for the cuppies...

Her souvenirs will be mini stools like this Elmo on the photo in 7 colors.. :)

Her cake will be Elmo Dreams themed as well... it's gonna be almost same as this one, but the character lollies at the base cake will be Elmo Dreams in 6 colors instead of the sesame street characters.. why 6?? because the Elmo topper will be red Elmo already... :)

and i am so CONTEMPLATING on getting this one for my daughter.. but it will be so much hassle to bring it home.. they might ask me for Elmo's passport and Air Ticket! hahaha!

Venus Raj: Miss Universe 2010 4th Runner Up

Venus Raj is the representative of the Philippines to the 2010 Miss Universe. I remember months ago, when she won in the BB Pilipinas Pageant, she was dethroned due to some discrepancies in her documents. She had to do some efforts to correct those for her to win back her crown... Sorry i did not follow the full details..

Anyway, i still don't understand why some people keep on bashing her because of her answer during the final Q&A Portion... I still think that among the 5 questions given, hers was the trickiest... of everything you've gone through life, you had to choose just one?! and i'm sure she didn't want to bare her mistake to the whole "universe"... and now that she came out clean, she's being bashed for that! not only by other countries, but by her fellow Filipinos... sad huh?!

Everyone was saying she had the chance to win the crown, and it slipped the moment she gave her answer to Mr. W. Baldwin's question... Well, every lady that night had the chance of course, don't they??? And admit it or not, Venus was our savior after the embarrassing scene that Mr. Mendoza did during the Bus Hostage incident... our "pambawi" for that matter!

I even came across Facebook, the same question was asked to US Ex President George W. Bush... Even him, he was not able to give a sensible answer, and just laughed at it...

People!!!
Let's just brush it off and let it slide!!!
She's still the 5th most beautiful woman in the universe!!! 

Let's just be happy and be proud of this achievement!

After Miriam Quiambao, it took years before a Philippine contestant made it this far in the Miss Universe competition..

A Filipina Beauty, which every Filipino should be proud of!

But of course, in every competition, there's always a real winner...

Jimena Navarette from Mexico was crowned Miss Universe 2010!