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Dec

PUTRAJAYA

Christmas 2012 Blog Series includes :

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22 December 2012. Saturday. Masjid Putra or Putrajaya Mosque, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur. After checking in at Hotel 1915 Kuala Lumpur, we simply dropped our bags and luggage, hit the shower and off we went to Masjid Jamek LRT station which is located a few steps from our budget-boutique hotel. We didn’t have a game plan but to do tourist-things in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s federal administrative center.

Like the LRT & MRT in Manila, Yamanote Line in Tokyo, MTR in Hong Kong, BTS in Bangkok and MRT in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur’s LRT lines spell efficiency and commuter-friendliness. A city is always easy to explore when there’s dependable transport system. And for this year’s Christmas holiday of my family in Malaysia’s capital, we chose to use more of the trains and less of taxi cabs not only to save on the pocket but for speed, comfort and convenience.

Upon reaching the Masjid Jamek LRT station on foot, we asked the counter to break our bills into smaller notes and coins, then purchased tokens from touch-screen dispensing machines. Adventure begins here!

From Masjid Jamek, we arrived in KL Sentral terminal at around 5PM. Despite we’ve been to KL Sentral quite a number of times already, we still needed to ask for directions. We transferred train line to KLIA Transit to get our feet to Putrajaya Sentral. It’s our first time to ride KLIA Transit and the experience was amazing! Better than riding a bus, or the old KTM train in KL and yes, better than driving your own car on those traffic jammed highways! The trip from KL Sentral to Putrajaya Sentral via KLIA Transit train only took around 25 minutes.

We hopped off the KLIA Transit train (that takes its passengers to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the other terminal besides Low Cost Carrier Terminal), stepped out to Putrajaya Sentral station and inquired again. While my family sat on one of the benches, I asked the counter what bus number should we take to get us to the Putrajaya Mosque, or more famously known as the Pink mosque. The friendly staff instantly wrote down the bus numbers on a small piece of paper but we decided to take the cab instead for the reason we wanted to be there quickly.

Because it’s almost evening (or it was already evening as “evening” for Malaysians begins after 2PM!), I got nothing in mind but to take my family to Putrajaya and experience another piece of must-visit-places in Malaysia. After all, our stay in this part of Asia is only until God-know-when! We never wasted time and took photos near the magnificently built, Pink Mosque.

“The Putra Mosque, or Masjid Putra in Malay language, is the principal mosque of Putrajaya, Malaysia. Construction of the mosque began in 1997 and was completed two years later. It is located next to Perdana Putra which houses the Malaysian Prime Minister’s office and man-made Putrajaya Lake. In front of the mosque is a large square with flagpoles flying Malaysian states’ flags.” (via Wiki)

putrajaya 12/22/12

I’ve seen the Pink Mosque during our few trips to Immigration office in Putrajaya back in 2010 but we were shuttled by our company’s bus then. I was too lazy to google how to commute going here but luckily and thankfully, we never got lost and found our way easily. We thought of going inside the mosque to appreciate it more however, we were told at the Informasi that non-Malaysian (non-Muslim) visitors are only allowed within the Mosque until 6PM so we simply roamed around and killed the time.

It was comforting and was so pleasant to see restaurants such as Nando’s and Secret Recipe along side with other local food kiosks inside an airconditioned food place within the vicinity of the mosque; plus even more surprising is a sight of a kiddie-play place!

Kodakan begins with a little bit of yamutan and more of kulitan…

Flying or diving? This photo is one of my favorites! Ang kulit!

A stone’s throw away from the Putrajaya Mosque is that emerald green domed, Prime Minister’s Office.

Picture!

Love and kulitan in Putrajaya…

Gabby voluntarily played as the Thinker…

and spontaneously jumped on high air…

He also tried to play as giant…

Tina took this photo and commented to me, “your teeth look like dentures!” lol

More kulitan moments…
putrajaya5
Nakakapagod! (Tiring!) But fun! We walked our way approximately 100-meters from the Prime Minister’s Office to the bus stop. En route, picture-taking again!

After 10 minutes, the bus arrived. With only 50 cents (PhP 7 or USD 0.16) per passenger and Gabby’s free, we took the Nadi Putra Bus on our way back to Putrajaya Sentral bus station; the ride took around 10-15 minutes. Of course, picture! This family’s happiness involves photos and more photos!

Back in the KLIA Transit train on way to KL Sentral…

Alighting from KLIA Transit train at around 8:45PM in KL Sentral, we transferred to LRT train to go back to Leboh Ampang. As we walked our way to the platform, we saw kiddie murals which we probably overlooked earlier because we’re on a rush. The Samsung-sponsored cartoonish paintings on the walls and stairs have environment-awareness theme, just wonderful. So, another photo-op was done. Picture!

It’s almost 9PM, must have dinner! At a local coffee shop near our hotel, we chowed down “lightly”.

Best meals and moments are yet to come as Yuletide 2012 in KL continues!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everyone!

____

Oct

HIS HALLOWEEN HISTORY

By docgelo 13 Comments

October. It’s that month of the year again when my family usually plan for Trick or Treating. Back in the Philippines since Gabby turned two, Tina and I used to bring him in full Halloween kiddie costume in TriNoma, Glorietta and Greenbelt malls and even in his school in Quezon City where he spent his Nursery, Kindergarten and Preparatory years, he participated and enjoyed Halloween celebration with his classmates and teachers. And when I brought them here to Penang, Malaysia in 2011, he also joined a Trick or Treat Halloween Costume Contest where he donned a Chinese-Pirate costume complete with face-make-up done by his lovely mom. He didn’t win in the contest but happily gained experience blending with Malaysian kids inside the mall. The photos above apparently show Gabby had fun in those Trick or Treating years. But for this year when Gabby turned 8 and has been acting and thinking like a young teenager already (read : he speaks of his crushes in school frequently), I’m not so sure if he still digs Halloween stuff; what I am definite is the fact that he’s excited again for the toys that Santa Claus will give him this Christmas.

This is one of the joys of spending QUALITY TIME with the family; regardless of the season or the occasion, it’s always nice when an ordinary moment turns into unforgettable pleasant memories.

____________________

Sep

OUR LEGOLAND MALAYSIA EXPERIENCE 2012

By docgelo 66 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, ILOVEPHOTOS, MALAYSIA and TRAVEL
Tags: amusement park, billund band, billund band denmark, blogger with family, coco the magic clown, disneyland in anaheim, doc gelo, docgelo, expat blogger, family, family day out, family fun, food, food blog, food blogger, food in legoland malaysia, foodie, genting highlands, johor bahru, kelly tarlton's antarctic encounter and underwater world, kuala lumpur, legiland denmark, lego, Legoland, Legoland Malaysia, lifestyle blogger, malaysia and singapore, market restaurant legoland malaysia, miniland, miniland in legoland, munchy's captain munch cookies, overseas blogger, philippines in legoland malaysia, the big shop, the big shop legoland malaysia, theme park, things you need to know about legoland malaysia, tickets legoland malaysia, tokyo disneyland, tokyo disneysea, tourism malaysia, tourism singapore, travel blogger, travel tips to legoland malaysia, travel tips to malaysia, traveling, travelling, universal studios in la, universal studios singapore

*This is another Beyond Toxicity’s long and photo-heavy blog post. Tips to visitors and tourists as well as suggestions to Legoland Malaysia’s officials are included in this entry. Enjoy!

Of all the amusement and theme parks I’ve been to, Legoland Malaysia is the most colorful! Nothing compares to its vibrant bricks that directly inspire everyone’s imagination and creativity to build, build and build. I’ve been to some remarkable theme parks around the globe like Sea World in San Diego, Disneyland in Anaheim, Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, Universal Studios Singapore, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Sea Life Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter Underwater World in Auckland, New Zealand, Genting Highlands and Aquaria in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, even our very own Enchanted Kingdom, Manila Ocean Park, Star City and Nayong Pilipino back home, thus, I have grown a personal appreciation and somehow I have defined my own standard. In so many ways, going to these kiddie places has been incredibly memorable when I became a family man and started sharing the wonderful experiences with my wife, Tina and our son, Gabby.

Like most kids, I grew up playing Lego. And now that our son’s into Lego too, experiencing the theme park made entirely of these timeless bricks was beyond fantastic! I remember, Tina and I first saw Legoland Denmark on TV via The Amazing Race. Never did we imagine that we would enjoy the same Legoland here in Malaysia so soon! It was surreal actually!

THE INSIDE STORY

I am grateful to Legoland Malaysia for inviting me twice to their media events that I failed to attend to due to some reasons. If you must know, my name was included in the list of bloggers and media who were exclusively invited to Legoland Malaysia’s Media and Family event last September 1st; that’s 2 weeks before the park opened to the public officially. Then recently, they threw another event last September 14, 2012 and during its opening last September 15, 2012, but I was only able to bring my feet and my family to Nusajaya, Johor Bahru where the very first Legoland in Asia and the 6th in the world is raised, last Sunday, September 16, 2012.

The Public Relations people who invited me on Legoland Malaysia’s behalf were gracious enough to still offer me via email a complimentary pass to the theme park for my personal review and blog feature. We only had to pay for Tina’s admission fee of RM140 (US$ 45+) and Gabby’s was waived because he was so fortunate and clever to spot a promosi on Munchy’s Captain Munch chocolate cookies at a popular grocery in Penang a few weeks back.

DIRECTIONS WHERE TO GO ARE ALWAYS ESSENTIAL

I tried to reserve a Deluxe Room via email recommended by the PR people of Legoland Malaysia however, it was too late because most hotels were full due to the anticipated opening of this theme park. I ended up booking a budget hotel that wasn’t bad at all; I did it few minutes before we left our apartment in Penang to head to Johor Bahru.

From our budget hotel in Johor Bahru, we were brought to Legoland Malaysia by a blue taxi cab that we hired for the day for RM 100 (US$ 32+). Good thing that the local driver’s already familiar with the roads because we noticed flags of Legoland Malaysia were only visible a few kilometers from the park itself. I highly suggest for Legoland Malaysia’s officials to put more directional signs like flags long before the Coastal Highway; better put signages at Larkin and Kota Raya bus stations, Singapore-Malaysia exit and entry points and install brochures with map in hotels because not all drivers, visitors and tourists have GPS. We’re just so fortunate to meet the taxi driver who picked us up from the hotel before 8AM and after 20 minutes or so, my family and I arrived at the ticket counters of Legoland Malaysia. We’re too punctual for the park’s opening at 10AM.

Another thing that could guide patrons of Legoland Malaysia is installation of signages of where to queue to buy and/or collect tickets at the gate. Expectedly, signs should be put at the vast parking lot, drop off points and the main entrance to the park. It’s always comforting to see signages that say, “This way, please!” My family and I were second in line but to our disappointment there was no sign that could have directed us to go to the 2 counters after Counter 14; those were the only 2 ticket counters assigned to issue Day Passes/Tickets as Counter 1 to 14 served only those who availed of Annual Passes. There’s a single flat screen TV monitor that showed what counter to go to but it was only turned on few minutes before 10AM where people were already on the wrong queue. Also, there were no labels of queues, just digital ticket counter numbers.

Toilet signs are in Malay, with no English or Mandarin translations.

Signs, signs and more signages please! We, the guests and visitors of Legoland Malaysia deserve to be informed.

What nearly spoiled my day was when I learned that my complimentary pass wasn’t endorsed properly by the PR people to the ticketing office. I could have easily paid for my admission fee but I was promised via email of a free entrance. There was neither media ID nor media pass/ticket provided. I believe it was a non-communication on the part of the PR and the ticketing office of Legoland Malaysia. Some important things have to be organized here. Nonetheless, I have to admit that a certain Legoland Malaysia staff named Fara was so caring, generous and apologetic enough to attend to my concern and escorted us to the gates of the park sans waiting on queue. THANK YOU!

Soon after we entered the park, we felt we stepped into one of a childhood’s dreams! The moment was euphoric!

GASTRONOMIC TREATS IN LEGOLAND MALAYSIA

I know. One doesn’t go to a theme park to engage in a digestive feast or simply to sample their culinary offerings but then again, no one can deny the fact that enjoyment is incomplete when the stomach is half-content, worse, empty. Fret not for my family and I proved that Legoland Malaysia is more than meets the eye! This newest theme park in Asia can also satisfy the appetite and the usual cravings with the variety of food and beverage choices they have.

Before you further escalate your excitement to know how Legoland Malaysia looks like, allow this blog to be different from the others that already featured Legoland Malaysia. I’m highlighting one of human necessities first prior visual pleasure. After all, this blog is all about giving reverence to my family, FOOD & fun! Behold, a shameless rundown of what filled our tummies the entire Sunday when we were there…

We had brunch at Market Restaurant. The space was noteworthy, just like the wide array of delicious dishes available. Combo meals of a Half Roasted Chicken with either Barbecue or Black Pepper Sauce come with soda and mushroom soup cost around RM 23 (US$ 7.50+). The servings were huge to meet my big appetite, tasteful too!

Tina had that British classic, Fish and Chips…

While Gabby enjoyed the pasta that I topped with parmesan cheese generously and a large cup of Strawberry Smoothies (RM 10 or US$ 3.27). He doesn’t like beef balls that much, so his parents came in to the rescue

There were a lot more choices plus desserts like cakes available in slices too, however we can only consume as much.

The not-so-light-afternoon snacks that we savored for hours inside that thank-goodness-airconditioned-restaurant consisted of Beef Lasagna, cups of Cappuccino, Oreo cupcake that’s to die for! Chocolate cupcake, Apple and Cinnamon pie and Turkey Sandwich in Focaccia bread and Hot Chocolate. Can you guess who-had-what? Anyway, it was all glorious!

We only ate at The Market Restaurant and The Cafe; these are two of Legoland Malaysia’s restaurants inside the park; there are others like Pizza Mania where pizza, pasta, soups and desserts are on the menu and the ones outside the gates like KFC and others. We’re happy to know that Legoland Malaysia offers international cuisine! People who aspire to be global should take note.

HYGIENE AND SANITATION : DEFINITELY A PRIORITY

Apparently, it’s not enough that food looks enticing and tasteful. Legoland Malaysia, like other theme parks around should also maintain hygiene and sanitation particularly in food handling. Flies and other insects should be kept away and controlled at all times. We appreciate that the plates we had in Legoland Malaysia were prepared and served satisfactorily.

SOUVENIRS, SOUVENIRS, SOUVENIRS!!!

After we gained entrance to Legoland Malaysia, Gabby got hold of the map from the gate and we wasted no time; we all trooped to the very first gift shop.

Look what Gabby, Tina and I came up with mix-and-matching Lego parts…

Our very first souvenirs were a Gentleman, an Indian and a Punk! Gabby, Tina and I were delighted!

Legoland Malaysia’s 76 acre-park has 7 themed areas with more than 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions. The 7 themed areas are The Beginning, Lego City, MiniLand, Land of Adventure, Imagination, Lego Kingdom and Lego Technic.

THE BEGINNING

Next stop : another Legoland Malaysia gift shop, The Big Shop that houses the largest selection of LEGO products in Asia!

Did I tell you already how Gabby’s so into Lego Ninjago? He watches the animated series and gradually collects Lego Ninjago items.

Obviously, the boy had his time inside The Big Shop…

Whenever we travel, we usually buy fridge magnets but most of them come in sets of RM 54+ in Legoland Malaysia; we didn’t see anything sold per piece so we settled for second best handy and more affordable souvenir, keychains! They’re sold at RM19+ a piece. Here are some of the cutest and irresistible choices…

There were stuff toys too..

and those fridge magnets…

As we are both fans of the movie series, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tina bought one of these Jack Sparrow key chains…

While I failed to resist something that will remind me of Harry Potter series and perhaps would keep me sane on a daily basis, Rubeus Hagrid keychain, FTW!

There goes our very own happy little shopper!

LET’S EXPLORE LEGOLAND MALAYSIA NOW!

But wait, the sun was so unforgiving! Johor Bahru has the greatest blessing of sunshiny weather making a day in Legoland Malaysia impossible to endure without SPF lotion and sun protectors. Believe me, they’re so necessary! We came in ready with cotton long sleeved shirts, sunnies and fedora hats; better if you have umbrellas but best if Legoland Malaysia could provide more shades for their visitors. Because the heat of the sun was almost unbearable, we wished for Legoland to be an indoor park but of course it’s pointless and futile. What is more practical is to suggest to its management to build more brick-inspired shades and improve more their airconditioning units! They could plant more tall trees too! Because it was really, really hot, we had to go inside the restaurants and some airconditioned attractions in between the stroll around the park. And like most popular kiddie theme parks, Tina and I hope for Legoland Malaysia to provide FREE potable and filtered drinking water fountains that would keep people from being dehydrated. More rubbish bins and toilets too, we wish. Boleh?

We went inside an open-air-theater and watched a comedy skit that left lessons to the young and old audience about awareness of common dangerous materials found in the house. I just didn’t get it why it had to start with graceful acrobatic act; to perk up the audience, perhaps?

LEGO CITY

Finally, we explored this park. Of course, there’s Lego creation everywhere!

I think it’s only in Legoland that minors are allowed to drive! Cool!!!

There was literrally color coding! Red, Yellow, Blue! Take your pick. See how the little boys loved it!

Shark!

We continued to walk and reached the Land of Adventure… Amazing Lego Egyptian structures!

Moving on, more colorful and fantastic brick-structures ahead!!!

IMAGINATION

Most of the rides in Legoland Malaysia are for children whose ages range from 1-12. This Duplo PlayTown is very apt and safe for kids less 5. It’s so picturesque too!

Another interactive part of Legoland Malaysia is the Build and Test Center. The entire family can make vehicles, houses and buildings out of their imagination and Lego bricks and test them in the earthquake table and slopes.

One of the attractions of Legoland Malaysia that we all loved was the 4D studio (not in photos). I highly recommend it for all ages; surely, all members of the family can enjoy! Watching Lego characters in 4D movie with various effects was so cool! -There’s air/smoke, sprinkle of water and blowing of air to the audience; the theater’s nice too, spacious with comfortable seats. And again, the airconditioning was refreshing amidst the challenge of the sunny weather!

Gabby and I also had ultimate fun on this ride that to me, exemplifies teamwork. It’s a pull-me-up-pull-me-down kiddie ride and we loved our moments there to bits!

Despite the heat, the colors of Lego stuctures really made us smile ear-to-ear…

LEGO KINGDOM

This area of Legoland Malaysia provides an atmosphere of the Medieval years. Children can enjoy the Royal Joust ride where they assume the role of a Knight while riding a Lego-lized horse. Older park visitors can ride the Dragon, a rollercoaster ride that takes its spin with excitingly looking twists and turns while kids can opt to queue and try its children’s version, the Dragon’s Apprentice.

We didn’t dare ride the Dragon hahaha! Tina has vertigo and Gabby’s not ready yet for such thrill-of-a-life-kind-of-ride even its junior or kiddie version, The Dragon’s Apprentice located almost right across, while I have an episodic phobia of heights. Oops!

While we’re there, we can’t stop loving all the little details made of Lego bricks; the entire park is uniquely beautiful because of them! No corner was left unnoticed!

LEGO TECHNIC

Mindstorm and Lego Academy’s airconditioning kept us cool against the hot weather in Legoland Malaysia. Gabby was interested to learn how to build and program Lego robots inside however, Tina found out that we should have registered early upon entry; Mindstorm was already fully booked in the afternoon. So there goes another tip -if you want your kids to enjoy this intellectural feature of Legoland Malaysia, head straight to Mindstorm located in Lego Technic area and reserved them a slot within the day.

A splash of water from those fountain was refreshing and fun indeed!

If a little splash from the fountain isn’t enough to cool you down, try riding Aquazone Wave Racers! Surely, you won’t finish the ride without getting soaked! Tee hee!

If you don’t want to try these rides, always keep a bottle of water ready at hand or buy a chilled soda to hydrate you while inside the park. You definitely need to drink more than a liter of water during a day out in Legoland Malaysia. It’s a must!

Also in Lego Technic area of Legoland, another rollercoaster ride awaits the daredevils and thrill seekers. There’s this Project X ride that spells happiness with its sharp twists and turns.

Luckily, we paid Legoland Malaysia a visit on its second day from opening because we chanced upon The Billund Band from Denmark playing beautiful music around the park and on stage at Lego Technic. They sang and played one of the most beautiful versions of Aint No Mountain High Enough! I wished the crowd was more responsive to dance but I guess they’re happy to just clap and stomp their feet like what I did.

At almost 3PM, we felt the need to eat again at the same time, enjoy the airconditioning inside the restaurant called, The Cafe. We had some snacks and the highlight of our stay inside was our meeting with the Magic-Clown, Coco! Look how Coco entertained the kids inside The Cafe, and to our surprise, he really pleased Gabby and made him flash his widest smile!

Coco The Magic Clown made several balloon creations for the kids inside The Cafe but we really appreciate that he made his biggest balloon creation for Gabby! He made our Legoland Malaysia day truly memorable!

MINILAND

In my humble opinion, the most impressive and stunningly gorgeous attraction of Legoland Malaysia is the Miniland! I was left in awe and Tina and Gabby were overjoyed even with the tiniest detail of those famous Asian landmarks. It made us feel we toured around Asia for few hours with small steps, less the hassles of traveling! I am lost for superlatives to describe Miniland in Legoland Malaysia. Hats off to those who poured sweat to build these amazing Lego brick structures!

MALAYSIA in MINILAND

I have been to PUTRAJA in Kuala Lumpur twice, I think and the Putraja pink mosque never fails to impress me, more so when I so its version built in Lego bricks! Kuala Lumpur was Lego-lized! Beautiful!!!

“The SULTAN ABDUL SAMAD BUILDING is one of the oldest buildings in Kuala Lumpur and probably the most photographed. The Lego version is 7 meter long built in scale of 1 :20.” -Miniland, Legoland Malaysia.

They even recreated Kuala Lumpur Internationa Airport (KLIA) in Lego bricks complete with battery operated mobile vehicles and stationary aircrafts! Amazing!

This port must be somewhere in Malaysia, however it’s either I forgot to read its label or it was not tagged yet by Legoland. Nontheless another conversational piece!

MYANMAR in MINILAND

When I was at work, I showed one of these photos I took in Miniland depicting one of the famous spots in Myanmar, to one of my colleagues who hails from that country. She instantly smiled and uttered, “Yes! yes! yes! It’s in Myanmar!”. This is the Lego-lized KARAWEIK HALL in Myanmar.

“Karaweik Hall is a gigantic barge on the shore of Yangon, Myanmar. It was inspired by ancient royal barges. The word, “Karaweik” comes from the name of a mythical bird. Inside is a large restaurant where guests can see traditional crafts and dances.” – Miniland, Legoland Malaysia

INDIA in MINILAND

One of the travel destination dreams is TAJ MAHAL in India. I was silently jumping for joy like a kid when I saw its Lego version. The immaculate structure built because of love was immortalized and recreated in Legoland Malaysia.

CHINA in MINILAND

Stretching a length of 8,852 kilometers, the structure that can be seen from the moon, THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA majestically stands and lures the traveler in me. Who would not want to experience setting foot and touching those walls, brick by brick? Well, at least there’s a mini version made in Lego bricks in Legoland!

“THE FORBIDDEN CITY was the emperor’s palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties -that’s more than 500 years! The entire palace has more than 980 buildings and covers 720,000 square meters.” -Miniland, Legoland Malaysia

Legoland Malaysia isn’t only amusing, entertaining but educational too!

BRUNEI in MINILAND

Tina, Gabby and I toured Brunei for half a day while on a layover en route to Auckland, New Zealand back in 2005. We’re amazed with most of the mosques, hotel, and museums we visited during our mandatory overnight stay there. One of those remarkable mosques we’ve seen upclose is Lego-lized in Miniland…

“The beautiful royal SULTAN OMAR ALI SAIFUDDIN MOSQUE in BRUNEI is located in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. Its named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei. Its largest dome is covered in PURE GOLD!” -Miniland, Legoland Malaysia.

VIETNAM in MINILAND

“HOI AN is a city in VIETNAM on the coast of the South China Sea. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it’s a major trading town for Chinese, Japaenese, Dutch and Indian merchants. In modern times, tourists come to see the historic buildings, and visit the shops and restaurants along the water.” -Miniland, Legoland Malaysia.

LAOS in MINILAND

“PATUXAI is a monument of victory in the center of Vientiane, LAOS. It was built between 1957 and 1968. It’s made of cement that was originally meant for building an airport.” -Miniland, Legoland Malaysia

SINGAPORE in MINLAND

The pretty and charmingly expensive city of Singapore is Lego-lized represented by THE SINGAPORE FLYER, BOAT QUAY and of course, the iconic, MERLION.

INDONESIA in MINILAND

“PURA TANAH LOT is a beautiful temple built on a rock formation on the coast of BALI, INDONESIA. It can only be reached at low tide. At high tide, it’s an island! A special festival is held at the temple every 210 days.” -Miniland, Legoland Malaysia.

CAMBODIA in MINILAND

“ANGKOR WAT is a temple complex in ANGKOR, CAMBODIA. It was built by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century. By area, it is the largest religious building in the world!” -Miniland, Legoland Malaysia.

THAILAND in MINILAND

We failed to visit WAT ARUN last month when we went to Bangkok, nevertheless, we’re happy to see its Lego-lized version!

THE PHILIPPINES in MINILAND

Of course, we’re proud to see something that represents our beloved country in Legoland Malaysia! Out of our 7,107 islands back home, they chose BOLINAO, PANGASINAN to be Lego-lized Philippines!

“BOLINAO is a thriving fishing town on the coast of Luzon Island in the Philippines. In the town center is the Church of St. James the Great, built in 1609. Visitors come to Bolinao to see the colorful fishing boats and visit the beautiful beaches nearby.” -Miniland, Legoland Malaysia.

Within the vicinity of Miniland that Sunday afternoon, a simple yet lively parade entertained us! After watching the parade, we met again Coco the Magic Clown and one of the cast members of the show that morning, Mo, then we went to queue and hopped on the Legoland Express train!

What perfectly ended our day at Legoland Malaysia was the sight of Miniland at dusk. We intentionally waited for the sun to set at 7:30PM and maximized enjoyment until the park closed at 8PM. While Tina and Gabby were enjoying, capturing everything on video via her ipod, I had my time on my cam.

It was a fun filled, uniquely informative and entertaining day out in Legoland Malaysia! We were delighted with what we saw and experienced but it’ll be more exciting to see improvements on the park and its services as we revisit it in the near future. We absolutely like to experience the Legoland Malaysia Resort to be delivered on 2013 and the Legoland Malaysia Hotel that’s scheduled to be operational by 2014.

Legoland Malaysia

puts Johor Bahru and Malaysia itself a niche higher in the tourism industry scale

within Asia and the rest of the world!

_______________

Have you visited Legoland Malaysia or the other Legoland theme parks around? How’s your experience?

To those visiting Legoland Malaysia who are not from Singapore, it’s nice to head to Lion City before or after going to Legoland as it’s only an hour away (including Immigration proceedings in Malaysia-Singapore borders). You’ll appreciate crossing borders of two Southeast Asian countries on foot!

Legoland Malaysia is located in Nusajaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Visit their website via www.legoland.com.my

Aug

A WEEKEND OF MOVIES, FOOD & A DENTIST

By docgelo 4 Comments

August 10-12, 2012. Our weekend officially kicked off at home last Friday night with a mug of coklat (pronounced as choklat, “chocolate” in Bahasa Melayu)-flavored ice cream. Look how Gabby spruced up his own mug.

The morning after, Tina, Gabby and I took 2 bus rides and trooped to Sunway Carnival Mall, one of the few malls in mainland Penang (the others are in the island). We were supposed to watch the movie, The Bourne Legacy. We first went to the cinema counter and found out that the said movie was rated R18; Gabby’s not allowed obviously. The next best thing was the Dark Knight Rises (which was rated PG13 but with violence too! Good thing that Gabby understands never to pick up bad elements from anything he watches and most importantly, he listens whenever advised); we purchased tickets and pyched up ourselves to be in Gotham City.

Before Batman movie, we needed to chow down. The decision was unamimous. Burger King topped the list.

Yes, those two large onion rings were my order! The kid-in-me longing for onion rings was satisfied happily! While I am a self-confessed onion-ring-monster, Gabby enjoyed his Grilled Chicken burger meal and Tina savored her Double Mushroom Melt burger combo. I also surrendered to Double Whopper large combo which I didn’t finish and had to take home or as they say here, takeaway!

We liked The Dark Knight Rises. We liked the twists and turns of the plot. Unpredictable! There was no scene that left us yawning. Bane was a very powerful and compelling villain! With Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, the movie’s more than enough to keep me awake. And with those last parts of the movie, we could only anticipate for a sequel. Despite we’re all entertained, I was still yearning to watch The Bourne Legacy and I know Tina wants it too.

We went to the grocery to shop our supplies for the coming weeks. Soon after, we’re hungry again. We kept it low and simpler this time by choosing the affordable restaurant, IloveYoo. We had the fried bread, yoo tiao that’s too perfect to be dipped in warm and fine bowl of congee, so we had dry scallop-flavored congee, some taho or what they call here, too foo far (did I spell it correctly?), chilled soya drink and a piece of lotus ball. Solb!

Last Sunday was even more memorable for the three of us, specially for Gabby. It was his very first dental check up. We know it should have been done at his younger age, but as they say, better late than never. It was Tina who made all the arrangements with the dentist whose clinic is located accessible to our place. The appointment was set at 10:30AM but since punctuality runs in our blood, we’re all there few minutes past 9AM. Excited lang perhaps!

Probably like children of his age, Gabby was a bit anxious to go to the dentist. Because it was his first time, he was not afraid nor hesitant but very curious with many queries! Tina and I brought him there for consult and we decided, if and when the dentist would find a tooth for extraction or filling, we would just bring Gabby back to her clinic. After a quick but thorough dental exam, the dentist cleared Gabby as he doesn’t need even dental cleaning; his set of teeth is clean and fine!

Gabby to us : “Mommy, Daddy, nagulat ba kayo, clean ang teeth ko?” (“Were you surprised to know my teeth are clean?”)

Tina and I were laughing our hearts out!

And because his teeth are in good condition, we celebrated our late breakfast at the hawker-restaurant several steps from the dental office.

It really looked like his teeth are in good condition, don’t you think so?

After that hearty meal of Koay Teow Soup and Pork (Sio)Pao, we all walked towards our apartment. Because Gabby can’t be admitted to The Bourned Legacy and Tina had to watch him over at home plus she had to do some chores and acquire much needed weekend rest, I got an approval from them for me to watch The Bourne Legacy alone in the island. Tina and Gabby bid me goodbye then I hopped on the bus and went my way to the cinema.

I am certainly not a movie critic but just like the food I eat, I know my taste so well.

As I posted on facebook and twitter, it’s incredibly amazing to watch Manila portrayed as Manila in a larger than life Hollywood film! It’s high time the Philippines gets the spotlight. Gone are the days when the Philippines is shown as Vietnam or Thailand on the big screen. I’m not sure if you remember that 1999 movie, Brokedown Palace which starred Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale and Bill Pullman. It was also shot in Manila but depicted as Thailand. Although to some, it may be versatility, I found it weird and unacceptable to watch my country’s capital city back then, shown as other place. At least now, Manila is Manila in The Bourne Legacy. I agree with one of The Bourne Legacy’s bit players, John Arcilla, who’s a Filipino stage and character actor, when he commented on one of his interviews about the movie that ”it’s surreal!” According to him, it’s unbelievable to see himself as a part of a Hollywood movie with jeepneys and all, filmed in the streets of Manila.

I swear the movie almost made me lost my blinking reflex! From that airport scene where the characters of Rachel Weisz and Jeremy Renner had to enter NAIA’s Immigration counters, to those breathtaking motorcycle chase scenes shot in the cities of Pasay, Manila and a public market in Marikina, until the movie ended in one of the Philippines’ paradise islands, Palawan, I was absolutely stunned! It was an awesome movie that I will repeat over and over again. I hope Tina and I get a chance to watch The Bourne Legacy together next time!

Have you seen it already? What’s your take on the movie?

How’s your last weekend?

The next weekend will be more exciting as our family will engage on a much needed loooooong holiday! It’ll be Hari Raya here in Malaysia or the end of Ramadhan on 18th August and the vacation from work extends until August 26th! We’ll be crossing borders of two countries once more! We cannot be grateful enough. It’ll be another weekend of family, food and fun! ;)

Jun

PAYDAY CASUAL DINNER DATE

By docgelo 12 Comments

It was supposed to be a spur-of-the-moment-dinner date with Tina that she thought of, just after we received our pay last month. It’s a RARE and remarkable moment (she’ll kill me for this!) when my wife asked me via our personal emails (how sweet! hahaha!) if we could go directly after office hours to Sunway Carnival Mall in Seberang Perai, Penang (that’s in main land as she didn’t want to take the ferry ride to the island–worried that she might have another vertigo attack). I am too weak to resist!

Then, her maternal being melted into bits after she received a phone call from Gabby at lunch time. Our kiddo who’s currently enjoying his 2 week-school holiday asked his mom, “Mommy, pwede ba ako sumama sa date nyo ni Daddy?” (“Mommy, can I go with you and Daddy on your date?”) Tell me, how do you say No to such query? So, I was like, “OK, Let’s just ask Mommy (my mom) to bring and accompany Gabby at the bus stop so he can instantly hop on the bus (we’re riding from work as it passes by our place in Butterworth), anyway, I’m planning to go out with Mommy the next day (which never materialized).”

And there you go, we had our Friday-payday-FAMILY dinner DATE at one of our favorites, NANDO’S!

Gabby was only 4 and half months old when we first dined at Nando’s in Botany Mall, Auckland, New Zealand back in 2005. And since our taste buds were accustomed to our local Pinoy love-favorite, MAX’S Fried Chicken and also to one of our default choices, KFC (which Tina and I consider as lifesaver on days when we don’t favor the menu at our present office’s cafeteria and Gabby’s favorite too!), we found this Portugese-South African casual food place, Nando’s as fresh to the palate and uniquely tasteful! Too bad that as of this posting, no one has ever brought Nando’s yet to our beloved, the Philippines. Hypothetically speaking, if money isn’t an issue for Tina and me, we could have pack our bags and luggages and head home to franchise Nando’s or, Old Town Coffee & Restaurant, or Restoran Kapitan or Roti Boy (which deserves a separte post) –those are my family’s favorite food places here in Penang. Oh, well, that’s only me wishing upon a star! But seriously, that’s how we like Nando’s; a bit pricey but money’s worth, definitely!

Caramel Cheesecake was the first to arrive on our table at Nando’s, Sunway Carnival Mall. Oh yes! Without asking us, the wait staff delivered the dessert prior to the entrees. Not a problem to us anyway, but apparently, it may spoil someone else’s appetite. Nonetheless, it wasn’t difficult for Gabby to choose this dessert; the boy, like his parents know his palate so well.

For the nth time dining at Nando’s, Tina, Gabby and I opted for Lemon and Herb rather than braved our tongues at their mild, hot or extra spicy Peri-Peri Chicken; we just had Lemon and Herb chicken even as toppings of our Caesar’s salad. But Tina and I savored their Garlic Peri-Peri sauce to spice up our grilled chicken a little….OK, fine, with only Lemon and Herb, kami na ang duwag!

I’m such a potato-boy! I like potato salad and those baby potatoes! Coleslaw is also a no-brainer order for me, hahaha!

While you can obviously tell who chose corn on the cob and fries, his mom went for grilled veggies and some humongous fries too.

At Nando’s or wherever we dine and the food on our plates are all just secondary. What matters most is the moment spent with the family. Now that’s cheesy!

*BEHIND THE SCENES : Tina made another video and pressed FFW to make it chipmunkie; you may want to peek at what actually happened on this dinner. Watch and see how Gabby struggled with his chicken, hahaha!

Apr

CHILD’S PLAY

By docgelo 29 Comments

“Daddy, thank you for bringing me there at the playground!” –I was the happiest man alive when Gabby uttered those words in verbatim. A simple one hour stroll to that nearby park cum playground became a memorable late Saturday afternoon for the two of us.

The father-and-son-date-at-the-park was originally set in the morning of Saturday, 04/14/2012 but despite Gabby woke up early on a weekend with a statement, “Daddy, I’m on time!” -referring to his punctuality to our morning call time of 7AM, it didn’t push through because he chose to play with his mom’s ipod leaving me to a cup of coffee while surfing the web and the cable TV channels. And so I told him, “If we’re not going to Taman Riang (Riang Park which is several blocks away from our appartment) this morning, if you want, we’ll go there late this afternoon when the sun is almost down.” Then he replied casually, “OK!”

After I spent hours post-lunch time on marking mini-test papers of my students which I brought home and other stuffs to while away time, I almost forgot my agreement with my son. At few minutes past 3PM, Gabby reminded by requesting me, “Daddy, punta tayo sa playground!” (“Daddy, let’s go to the playground!”). I told him, “Anak, mamaya, mainit pa!” (“Son, it’s still hot; we’ll go there later!”).

If you must know, our present appartment here in Butterworth, Penang also has its own playground however, Gabby’s interested to explore Taman Riang for he sees and passes by it daily with his service-van-driver, Aunty (the usuall petname of Malaysian older women, as Ate or Manang to Filipinos) who picks him up to and brought him back from school every morning and afternoon. Finally, I assured him, “Gabby, we’ll go to the playground around 5PM.”

As Tina chose to stay home to prepare and cook food and continue her devotion to watching “The Vampire Diaries,” Gabby and I geared up and got ready to go. Then the unexpected happened. It started to drizzle. And not for long, it rained hard. So I told my son that we can postpone again the stroll to that place. But I felt he really wanted to go, hence we both waited for the rain to stop.

Apparently, what we saw, what we did and how he and I enjoyed the moment were all documented of course, on those photos.

Quality time for family however long or short is absolutely important. I am blessed that I have my family here with me.

Mar

IN TUNG CHUNG

By docgelo 24 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, HONG KONG, ILOVEPHOTOS and TRAVEL
Tags: amusement parks, city gate, city gate hong kong, city gate outlets hong kong, city gates outlets, commuter train, cut steak and hamburger combo, darth vader, doc gelo, docgelo, double beef pepper rice, expat life, family, family blog, family bonding, family fun, family life, family outing, food blog, food court, foodcourt, foodie, for the love of food, hong kong, how to go to city gate from disneyland, how to go to city gate hong kong, Japanese food, korean food, lego, lego collections, lego darth vader, lego light buzzyear, lego pirates of the caribbean, lego star wars, lego toy story, lego watch, Legoland, Legoland Johor Bahru, Legoland Malaysia, Legoland Malaysia opens end of 2012, Life, life on a train, lunch, milo, mrt hong kong, ovaltine, Pepper Lunch, pepper lunch food, pepper lunch in greenbelt, pepper lunch in hong kong, pepper lunch in kuala lumpur, pepper lunch in malaysia, pepper lunch in powerplant mall rockwell center, pepper lunch in shangri la, star wars, star wars collection, steaks, theme parks, train, TRAVEL, traveling, trip to hong kong, tung chung, tung chung train station, vacation, what to do in hong kong

Parang Nasa MRT / LRT lang sa Pinas (less the stampede and the bomb threats! *no pun intended*)

Closed. Sarado. Tutup.

Siklistas are mall rats, train riders and bargain hunters too!

To the Left. To the Left

Finally, we reached the CityGate Outlets located at the terminal end of Tung Chung Station via what else but Hong Kong’s very efficient MTR lines (Mass Transit Railway). Although it’s just a ride away from Sunny Bay Station where we hopped off from that awesome Disneyland Resort Train Line, you know what a new place can do for some first-timers-unseasoned-travelers like us. Luckily, our feet didn’t get lost.

CityGate Outlets is one those must-visit spots in Hong Kong particularly when you only have limited time to kill or you’re on a hunt for some branded merchandise on a super bargain price (read : 50 – 70% off, which to us wasn’t a surprise because in malls in Penang, discounts also go as low as those during sale season). As for us, our game plan for this short trip to CityGate was simply to see the place and while away time as we wait for our 5:45PM flight back to Malaysia. Oh, and to fill our tummies too!

KIDDIE TEMPTATIONS AHEAD!

Amongst the many branded stores of rubber shoes, bags, clothes offering huge sale, nothing seemed so enticing (to someone whose wallet was well guarded because the budget is uber limited!) to us than this kiosk…

LEGO. Eye Candy to Gabby and Me. And you? Do you dig Lego too?

Gabby's eyes popped upon the sight of this kiosk filled with Lego goodies. While he was asking Tina and I to buy him at least a piece (read : he still has a new large box of Lego which he got as a gift from my father in law last holiday and he just received an exactly similar Lego-Light Buzzyear watch from one of our fellows in our HKDL trip) I held on to my wallet tight and kept my will power. Success! haha! And although those keychains are cute, I passed the chance of buying for I am not much into keychains.

The Star Wars Lego gift that Gabby got from his maternal Lolo last Christmas was as big as this. He has yet to explore and build it soon!

If you must know, I frequently rise up early and always beat my alarm clock- even weekends and holidays, mind you. I believe I don't need a large one as that in my old mobile still does the job perfectly. But these Lego-movie-themed alarm clocks were such an enormous temptations that greater will power to held on to the budget was a must! I know I only wanted them but don't need actually (why do we buy things often times we don't need anyway?) . But then again, they're so cute, aren't they? haha!

FOOD REPUBLIC,

CITYGATE OUTLETS,

TUNG CHUNG, LANTAU ISLAND, HONG KONG.

Yes, Food Republic is the CityGate Outlets’ food court! And I apologize for thinking that we might smell like the food they offer after eating inside; I was so wrong! It must be a great food place for it’s almost packed when we arrived.

Thou shall not judge people by their hairstyles. There are 5 types in this shot, can you count them all? *snickers*

hip and edgy... i like the hoody more than the hair

It's a must when in Hong Kong

Ate, ano ginagawa nyo sa dim sum?

Bibili na sana ako Kuya, pero parang galit ka. Why?

HCR = Hainanese Chicken Rice is happiness. But we passed up because hawkers offer this in Penang anyway or perhaps, we're craving for something else.

Korea House : Tina's choice

Milo or Ovaltine? Guess.

Tina's Korean Lunch : A Bowl of Beef & Veggies. It was OK according to her.

I almost ordered a Korean Bento Box from that Korea House where Tina bought her lunch set but I decided to hop from one food stall to another and tried to feel what my gastric mucosa’s craving was.

Food Republic’s made of various Asian cuisines -Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and my palate opted for a Japanese fastfood favorite!

Impeccable Teamwork : While a lady-crew tends the cashier, these two create our very own favorite that was sorely missed (read: it has been more than 2 years!) Japanese fastfood sizzling yummies in a few sec. However, because queues and orders pile up, customers and hungry diners like Gabby and I need to wait despite the two's perfectly coordinated moves in the kitchen.

They're making Gabby's lunch!

I know.

When in Hong Kong, one should savor Chinese dishes –dim sum, noodles, and anything cooked Cantonese or Sichuan.

But it has been years since we last enjoyed cooking our own food in a sizzling plate with lotsa butter and pepper on the rice meal.

We love Pepper Lunch! We miss their Shangri La Plaza and Powerplant Mall branches back home (We have not tried Greenbelt branch yet). We even won in one of PL’s promo contests years ago (CLICK THIS!). I know now that PL has a branch in Malaysia, but it’s in Pavilion Mall in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur! That’s 5 hour-away via bus ride from Penang. So when opportunity presented itself, Gabby and I didn’t think twice, we had PL Rice for our last lunch in Hong Kong!

Gabby's Pepper Lunch favorite : Beef Pepper Rice (I can still hear my boy saying, "Daddy ang sarap! Favorite ko ito!")

My Pepper Lunch Meal : Cut Steak and Hamburger Combo. With butter beneath and over the meat, plus that favorite HONEY BROWN SAUCE, a cup of Japanese rice seemed not enough! ANG SARAP!!! Miss na miss!

We loved those moments in Tung Chung!

Before 3PM, we went back to Disney's Hollywood Hotel, collected our luggage and bags and rode a cab to the HKIA. Bye bye, Tung Chung! Bye bye Hong Kong. Thanks for the memories! They're one of our coolest! See you again in the near future!

*PS : LEGOLAND MALAYSIA in Johor Bahru (near Singapore) opens end of 2012 (view HERE!)

Mar

OUR HONG KONG DISNEYLAND TRIP 2012 : GLORIOUS DAY 2

By docgelo 33 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, HEADLINES, HONG KONG, TRAVEL and WISH LIST
Tags: alaskan crab, amusement park, angelo nino m. santos md, angelo nino santos, asian dishes, astro blasters, beef dishes, breakfast, cakes, cheesecake, cheesecakes, chocolates, cod fish, crab, desserts, dinner, disneyland, disneyland hotel, doc gelo, docgelo, enchanted garden, enchanted garden restaurant, family, family adventure, family and living, family blog, family bonding, family fun, family life, fantasyland, food, food blog, food blogger, foodie, fun, gelo santos, happiness, happy life, hong kong, Hong Kong Disneyland, hong kong disneyland merchandise, Life, lobster, mango pudding, mementos, restaurants, salmon dish, seafood, seafood platter dish, seafoods, southeast asia, souvenirs, stage musical, surf and turf, tenderloin, the festival of the lion king, the lion king, the many adventures of winnie the pooh, theater, tomorrowland, toy story, TRAVEL, traveling, travelling, trip to disneyland, trip to southeast asia, vacation, walt's cafe, winnie the pooh

18 February 2012, Saturday. Tina, Gabby and I woke up early from one of our restful sleeps in Disney’s Hollywood Hotel and excitedly prepared for our Day 2 in the Happiest Place on Earth!

It turned out to be glorious!

From Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, we hopped on the resort’s shuttle bus and headed to Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. We had a table reserved under our names at Enchanted Garden Restaurant for our breakfast buffet and Meet and Greet with the Disney characters! Everything seemed so thrilling particularly for Gabby!

As we went down directly to the basement of the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel where the Enchanted Garden Restaurant is housed, this beautiful space greeted us…

Enchanting, indeed!

We came in too early at 8AM (read : apparently excited!) and found from the Cast Member at the door of the restaurant that our table would be ready at around 9:30AM (so that’s the time that was reserved to us!). Without a hint of worry, we went out the door from the restaurant and spent time almost unnoticed in this perfectly manicured garden at the back of Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.

The gazebo looks inviting as a perfect venue for couples to exchange “I dos”. Imagine a wedding with all your favorite Disney characters led by no less than Mickey Mouse! Amazing!

A more interesting part of the garden is the hedge maze that Gabby, Tina and I tried finishing…

This is called, “Mickey Maze!”

Our kid totally enjoyed every second inside the maze…

Spot us in the Mickey Maze…

Let’s play “Hide and Seek!”

More cheesy but priceless bonding moments in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel…

Must be so happy? You bet!

After almost an hour at the garden, it’s time to freshen up and hit the tables and the spread. On way to Enchanted Garden Restaurant, we spotted super cool and nice things.

Exhibit #1 : Wooden high chairs for kiddos. They made me smile.

Exhibit # 2 : A room near the Enchanted Garden Restaurant will surely entice parents and their little daughters…

In “My Little Princess”, little ladies may be transformed into a Disney Princess of their choice.

This was just a “one proud daddy scene.” The moment reminded me of our wish (I and Tina’s) to give Gabby a little sister. (read :If it will come, it will in His time.)

Exhibit # 3 : Spotted Cinderella at the lobby of Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel with Alyanna and Mika (the beautiful daughters of Dennis and Thammie who were with our group in this HKDL trip).

Finally, a walk under those trellis! Splendid!

Being ushered to our reserved tables and seats felt surreal! Not that we’re excited to binge eat, hehe! but the ambiance exceeded our expectations!

The spread had Asian and Continental breakfast favorites. Everything looked tasteful and a must-try. There was more than enough for us to savor and be energized for another whole day at the park!

And then a thought popped out…

You don’t go to Hong Kong without sampling good bowl of noodles

and some tasteful dim sum and dumplings.

You just dont.

I just wished they had toyomansi (soy sauce + lime/calamansi) for the dim sums.

And because it’s Disneyland, Enchanted Garden boasts of Mickey Mouse figures in their waffles and pancakes! These made me stare at my plate for several minutes before I dunk my fork and knife at them. I had some of the goodies in pair, yum, yum!!! One of my plates had waffles, pancakes, hash browns and french toasts. Appreciate if you won’t calculate the calories! This is when my weakness in Math comes to be most useful! hehe!

The next set was mostly Tina’s and my plates. I had no chance to take photos of Gabby’s because he’s preoccuppied with excitement and huge appetite.

Known in local Filipino TV series, “My Binondo Girl as”Amethyst” that Tina religiously followed online (Malaysia has no TFC!) and more popular as a fashion blogger-celebrity and sister to Liz Uy, we met the charming and beautiful, Laureen Uy.

One Stellar Moment

More stunning episodes happened as some of the best loved Disney characters went to our table for us to take photo-ops! Diners of Enchanted Garden need not to queue to have memorable pictures with Mickey, Pluto and Goofy (and other characters). It’s another VIP treatment that we enjoyed in Hong Kong Disneyland!

Widest and sweetest smiles from my family as we posed with Pluto and Mickey…

Must have one more shot with Pluto…

After that one-of-a-kind-breakfast experience at Disneyland Hotel’s Enchanted Garden, it was time to explore and enjoy Hong Kong Disneyland Park again!

To those who are planning to experience HKDL for the very first time and have doubts if you can enjoy it in one whole day, actually, you can! But would you not wish to double the fun if you can be there on 2 consecutive days?

Weather forecast checked : 14 to 16 degree Celcius. We loved the climate; we didn’t have a downpour! God is truly great!

We wore various hats : A Cast Member volunteered to take our family pic just before a quaint door in one of the pastel-colored structures at Main Street, U.S.A..

Hot. Fresh. Delicious!

Then our feet brought us to Tomorrowland!

As Tomorrowland intends to give park goers a creative experience of being in the future, the moments became nostalgic to us.

Here’s how we looked five years ago…I guess only pounds and kilos of happiness were added!

Inside the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride, we have been warned.

We had FAST PASSES to this awesome ride! It was so cool when Buzz Lightyear himself introduced us to Astro Blasters!

Emperor Zurg!

Shooting robots. robots and more robots! We liked it here!

After that exhilarating Astro Blaster ride, we trooped to the largest restaurant in the theme park with over 800 seats, the Starliner Diner and grabbed a lip-smackingly good fried chicken and fries for lunch!

Over and beyond the food, what Tina and I liked was the fact that Hong Kong Disneyland’s Starliner Diner prioritizes sanitation and cleanliness by providing plastic gloves given inclusive of the food tray. You’ll find them folded and pack neatly with your tray. So eating chicken with hands was no-worries at all!

One more time on this car, Gabby!

2007 on the left ; 2012 on the right –Take a look at Gabby’s Then and Now photos and appreciate what 5 years have done!

Another ride within Tomorrowland available with Fast Passes is Space Mountain. We gave our Fast Passes to Laureen and her friends as we’re not fond of rollercoaster rides (read : Tina has Vertigo, Gabby’s still uncomfortable and cannot ride alone and I might throw up!). But if you’re adventurous and somewhat fearless, by all means, Space Mountain will surely give you the thrill!

We bid goodbye to Tomorrowland and strolled our way in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle to watch the Flights of Fantasy Parade for the second time! That 30 minute Hong Kong Disneyland parade really left us in awe!

Just before the parade started, Tina thought of a clever strategy. Since we didn’t have priority pass to the musical, The Festival of the Lion King, she suggested that together with Gabby while I am still drowned capturing the parade on photos, they will head to Adventureland just before the parade ends. In that way, while people are still busy watching the parade, they’ll be the first on the queue to that another must-see-musical..And true enough, it was a wise move.

The Festival of The Lion King at Adventureland

The scene became more fascinating after the stage lights were turned off. Let the show begin!

“It’s the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place

On the path unwinding

In the Circle,

The Circle of Life….”

It’s visually stunning! The songs and their voices are overwhelming too. We have seen this musical at HKDL more than a couple of times already and performance gets better and better! My particular favorite was the gorgeous air stunt of this lady-bird character; the act was so graceful; almost breathtaking!

These live musical shows (The Golden Mickeys and The Festival of the Lion King) make Hong Kong Disneyland specially different from the other Disney Theme Parks!

Then, it’s Gabby’s time for some Mickey Mouse ice cream! Sarap!

Few more steps, we found oursleves in Liki Tiki…
These “leaky” tiki jungle poles squirts water like fountains; look how our little one enjoys the drizzling effects…

Playing with tribal percussion instruments entertained Gabby to the fullest!

Tina and I are the happiest when he’s happy.

OK, so we left Adventureland with a smile and moved on to Fantasyland with even wider smiles!

This Pixie Dust area where Tinker Bell usually drop by for photo-ops wasn’t existing yet way back in 2007 (Gabby’s first trip to HKDL).

Time for some Mickey’s PhilharMagic! This colorful 3D movie adventure about how Mickey Mouse lost his wizard hat and what Donald Duck has to do with it never fails to amuse us. You never get tired of great attractions in Hong Kong Disneyland!

3D glasses on!

Our last Fast Passes on our hands were for the The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh...Gabby was only 2 years old when he first rode the track to the story of Winnie.

Cinderella’s Carousel has 60 graceful, prancing horses!

I learned that last year’s celebration of the 5th Anniversary of Hong Kong Disneyland, Tink had showered Sleeping Beauty Castle with her pixie dust… The effect is even more magical at dusk!

After Winter Must Come Spring… Is it Spring yet?

Smiles and blooms perfectly blend…

Ahhhhh… another stupendous day at Hong Kong Disneyland is about to end…

Thank You, Lord for another magical day!

We made sure we remember this trip not only through photos and video but mementos and souvenirs from HKDL shops itself. Other than the Disney character-hats that we bought, Gabby got himself a rubber Mickey Mouse wrist watch (When we got into the hotel room, he received a gift from one of our new friends in our group–a lego writs watch with Buzz Lightyear design! Thank You, Ms. Elizabeth for such generous gift!).

Before exiting the shop, Gabby called my attention, “Daddy, picture!” hence, this…

Before 7PM, we left Hong Kong Disneyland Park with almost a heavy heart. It’s our last day in the park and surely we’ll miss all the fun!

Thank you for the memories, HKDL!

We had our last dinner in Hong Kong at Disneyland Hotel’s WALT’S CAFE. I’m almost lost for superlatives to describe how great the overall gastronomic experience we had. First thing came to mind : The dinner was EXCELLENT!

I think diners of Walt’s Cafe can opt to enjoy their meals at the lobby…

I checked the reservation and we’re instantly led toward the end of the restaurant where everything seemed perfect.

This is the beautiful corner reserved to our group. Isn’t it divine?

Looking at my photos after the trip made me wish I have sampled a bottle of their wine…

The view from our table… The ambiance and the look of that by-gone era was almost ethereal!

The smiles to live for….

Now, let’s get down to business. We loved everything we chowed down; starting with this crusty bread that looked like a hot air balloon when you work your imagination; it’s baked to perfection and can be enjoyed sans butter.

Gabby favored one of Mickey’s Kid’s Meal -Oven Baked Ham and Cheese Macaroni with carrots and green peas, fresh fruit salad and a choice of drink; our kiddo got himself a hot chocolate.

For Tina, she savored, Grilled US Beef Tenderloin and Simmered Beef Short Ribs with Mushroom and Pinot Noir Sauce, HK$ 268.

Let me tell you, I had a great time from browsing the menu to having a taste of everything my family had. Here’s my preferences and recommendations from Walt’s Cafe..

Chicken Breast Fillet with Poached Crab Meat with Papaya and Mango Salad served with Honey Lime Scented Dressing, HK$ 128.

My palate was satisfied with its texture and flavors. The fusion of freshest and sweetest fruits complemented well the crunchiness of the greens. And the Chicken Breast Fillet? Heavenly!

I requested the wait staff to provide extra small plates so I can share my order with Tina and Gabby. I also sampled one Walt’s Cafe’s soups -

Double Boiled Black Mushroom with Kam Ha Wam Soup, HK$ 78.

The soup’s tasteful. I like the flavor of the Chinese ham and the black mushroom. Beautiful combo! The mushroom was shaped into Mickey Mouse’s head too! Amazing!

Then for my main entree, a huge plate was served first with one of the prettiest veggie side dishes I ever had…

To people who think amusement parks and their resorts only offer fast food junkies, think again! Hong Kong Disneyland’s Corner Cafe and Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel’s Walt’s Cafe proved it otherwise. Their menus are beyond sumptuous! The ambience, sublime!

Seafood Platter for Two. (Grilled or Poached. I wanted it grilled). Lobster, Scallops, King Crab Legs, Squid, Salmon, and Cod Fish with Lemon Dill “Beurreblanc” and Crustacean Sauce, Assorted Garden Vegetables, and Boiled Potatoes. HK$ 538.

One word : Outstanding!

Just take a look at that lime gorgeously wrapped with golden tulle and ribbon; wonderful!

The entree, Tina, Gabby and I shared….

We cannot be grateful enough!

Moving on to desserts…

My choice : Penny’s Bay Mango Pudding with Mango Puree.

Tina’s sweet preference : White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis

Gabby’s dessert plate was the most divine!

Oreo Cheesecake never tasted this great!

It’s one FUNtastic dinner to end one glorious day of everything that this blog gives reverence for :

FAMILY. FOOD. and FUN!

———————

I cannot help but marvel at the immense scale of blissful experiences we had in Hong Kong Disneyland! That 3-day-2-night vacation extremely gave us unforgettable memories that Tina, Gabby and I will cherish forever.

Hong Kong Disneyland spells H-A-P-P-I-N-E-S-S!

Thank you so much, Hong Kong Disneyland!

*Up Next : The concluding post of this Hong Kong Disneyland Series! Stay Tuned!

———————————

This Blog Series Includes :

Jul

CHOWDER X MONGOLIAN BBQ

By docgelo 36 Comments

I don’t know if you’re like me who barely know CHOWDER.

It’s NOT that thick and creamy soup with yummy seafoods that’s best served on a bread bowl but this :

I grew up on Popeye, Smurfs and Thundercats and am currently lost with my son’s numerous favorite cartoons; one of them is Chowder from Cartoon Network.

Imagine how Gabby became so excited when last Friday afternoon, we chanced upon watching its free mascot show in TriNoma before we hit the grocery shelves in Landmark.

Tina and I were amazed how Gabby knew almost all the antics of the show. I guess what draws him to Chowder other than its being colorful is its theme of cooking. The show we saw involved Chowder and friends to cook a dish called Froggy Apple Crumple Thumpkin; whatever that means! So much for half an hour of kiddie fun.

Then undecided of where and what to eat, we went to TriNoma’s foodcourt and had different choices.

My wife enjoyed an affordable but satisfying meal from Le Ching Tea House : Chicken Mushroom Rice Toppings and HK style Asado Siopao + ‘the essential,’ chili sauce. You might think that my wife eats like a carpenter but she shared her food with Gabby and me. Yum!

Then my kid and I tried one of Tina’s favorites, Mongolian barbecue!

Our bundle of joy who dreams of becoming of a chef someday really enjoyed getting all the ingredients from the spread as I guide him what to put on our bowl.

Rice, vermicelli, julienned carrots, Chinese cabbage, onions, garlic, julienned turnips, red and green bell peppers, leeks, cubes of tofu and a personal choice of all-squid meat (there are also strips of chicken, pork, beef, squid balls to choose from) plus its sauce made our Mongolian barbecue bowl; all in for PhP 160.

There are directions on the spread on how to seasoned the bowl. I wanted it SWEET and SPICY :

1 tsp brown sugar

2 scoops Teriyaki sauce

1 scoop Mongolian sauce

1 scoop Szechuan sauce

1 scoop Lemon water

1/2 scoop Garlic water

1/2 scoop Sesame oil

1/4 scoop Soy sauce

-recipe from Mongolian Rice Bowl, Foodcourt, TriNoma, Quezon City.

and voila!

Do you like Mongolian barbecue?

What’s your favorite cartoon/s during your childhood?

How’s your weekend?

Enjoy the new week, everyone!

Jun

WEEKEND FAMILY MOVIE : TOY STORY 3

By docgelo 38 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO and Film
Tags: blogger, buzz lighyear, cartoons, children, doc gelo, docgelo, entertainment, family, family and living, family fun, family life, filipino blogger, Film, movie, movie review, pinoy blog, pinoy blogger, toy story, toy story 3, toy story 3 review, weekend, weekend fun, woody

26 June 2010, Saturday — Despite the fact that I only had 3 hours of restless sleep and had to go with a family appointment that I’ll blog sometime next week, so early at 9AM on a ‘bed-weather‘ Saturday morning, we’re grateful that our weekend still ended on a happy note.

Tina and I were glad to finally give in to Gabby’s request to watch Toy Story 3 on the big screen. We didn’t want to deprive our preschooler son of a simple pleasure but the reason for the delay of watching it was because we initially thought that we’ll just enjoy it on its dibidi dibidi DVD copy days months from now which of course will be so much cost-saving.

After our 9AM appointment in Ortigas, we could not say No anymore to Gabby who’s doing so-far-so-good in his first week in school; we all went to Shangri La Plaza to eat lunch and to see the movie.

Due to lack of sleep, I was half-awake at few minutes of the beginning of the film. But as the story of those junky playthings soon progressed, I found myself in a roller coaster of emotions –laughing at most scenes and believe it or not, I was almost moved to tears that doesn’t happen frequently while watching a kiddie film.

The story happened when Andy who’s now 17 years old, starts packing his things to leave home for college.

His mom asked him to segregate his things in boxes –1 box with label for college, and another to be left in their attic.

Andy’s toys, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Bullseye, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, the 3 alien squeak toys from Pizza Planet, Slinky Dog, Rex and Hamm the Piggy Bank all wished that Andy will play with them for the last time before they get stored in the attic. Woody also hoped for a day to be played again and even for Andy to hand them down to his future kids.

And the rest of the amazing story is for you to see; it’s really worth watching!

with Buzz Lightyear, Hong Kong Disneyland, January 2007

I never expected that adult themes like abandonment, neglect, commitment to friends, loyalty to love ones, moving on with life and letting go of the past will be presented in an animated film primarily intended for children and the young at heart.

There was one particular scene that I think was most unique to the animated stories I’ve seen. It was when all the toys held hands before they were nearly incarcerated; it showed loyalty and friendship and yes, even the serious issue of facing death with dignity.

And did our son like the movie ?

While I was holding his hand when we’re descending the stairs of the cinema, he told me and his mom, “It’s the best movie!”

Have you seen Toy Story 3 ?

What’s your take on this 3rd movie installment of those lovable toys?

———————————-<@

*First 4 photos were sourced via FANPOP.COM

May

BECOMING MORE SENSIBLE OF CHOCOLATES

By docgelo 37 Comments

How long has it been since you last enjoyed your favorite chocolate?

Although we have varied preferences, my family and I do not deny the fact that we all LOVE CHOCOLATES; who doesn’t? Either fruity, nutty or just plain, for as long as it’s DARK–bitter and mildly sweet, my day’s fine! While Tina and Gabby want their chocolates better with nothing. We’ve been eating, munching, drinking chocolates but haven’t taken any effort in appreciating its origin, the required processes before it becomes a candy bar, a syrup, a divine ingredient in cakes, pastries, ice cream, fondue and whatnot until we attended HEAVENLY CHOCOLATES’ Chocolate Appreciation 101.

I’ve been invited to this monthly chocoholics’ FREE workshop by fellow blogger and the chocovangelist herself, Ms. Marga (a.k.a. Midge) of SybDive several times since early part of this year but it was only yesterday that I got to bring Tina and Gabby to this fun but comprehensive event.

Tina who came from her work, met Gabby and I in a fast food along Tomas Morato at around 4PM where we had our early light dinner. Then we came to Heavenly Chocolates several minutes before the 6PM workshop (poster above with 7PM schedule was an erratum).

On the wall : Chocolate Facts–

The Aztec Emperor Montezuma drank nothing but chocolates -50 pitchers prepared for him each day (Just so you know, chocolate wasn’t sweet those days but SPICY!).

Cocoa beans were used as Aztec currency : 10 beans for a wife and a hundred beans for a good slave (no typo error here, just facts!).

Only Aztec kings and members of his court could drink chocolate. It was a drink for royalty.

It was Gabby who was really excited to sample one of Heavenly Chocolates’ yummies –cakes! So he went to the display bar and pointed to his mom his choice. The staff commented, “Marunong syang pumili!”

FRENCH DARK, PhP 100 per slice.

One of the most delicious chocolate cakes we’ve tasted; heavenly is an understatement! Price is reasonable and it surprisingly comes in a generous slice; bigger than usual servings in most coffee and cake shops. Thumbs up for this cake; next time we crave for this delectable treat, we want a whole!

After Marga met us briefly, she ushered us to THE LOUNGE, Heavenly Chocolates’ newest offering–a party space for intimate gatherings, with cool and casual interiors that can be booked for PhP 3000 consumable (that’s lot of cakes, drinks and more!) for 3 hours, FREE CORKAGE FEE so anyone can bring in potluck foods and drinks; the room upstairs has wide flat screen TV fit for videoke or Magic Sing moments, also with comfy couches, seats and tables, good for 20-25 people. It serves as CHOCOLATE APPRECIATION 101 venue.

The workshop started as Marga handed the attendees dried lavender. She instructed us to rub those tiny petals in between palms, then bring it closer to our noses to sniff and inhale. And in a blink, soothing aroma kicked in; everyone instantly became relaxed and in the right mood for the event.

The early attendees, including Tina, Gabby and I were lucky to sample GHANA AOX, a chocolate serving with nuts and raisins; the fusion of its flavor and textures was nice.

As the interesting lecture-workshop on chocolate history, trivia, differences between some chocolates we like, countries that produce and consume chocolates, manufacturing processes were relayed (it was our first time to see on slides those huge amazing refining and conching (uninterrupted stirring) equipments–from the old windmill-powered machines to the ones chocolate factories used these days), FREE TASTINGS of Heavenly Chocolates’ goodies came one after the other. It was indeed engaging!

SUMAN+MANGO SYRUP paired with SINGLE-ORIGIN DAVAO chocolate drink :

We learned that SINGLE-ORIGIN in chocolate terms means its beans were grown in one particular area or region. And this locally produced chocolate drink doesn’t disappoint. Sarap! Its taste is comparable to a chocolate tablea used in chocolate porridge. It perfectly compliments the suman with mango syrup.

SAO TOME :

“An island republic in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa, that is a prime growing area for the Amelonado subspecies of high quality Forastero. São Tomé cacao can be bitter with flavors of pure cocoa, sharp red fruits, cinnamon, and vanilla. It is a good base for blended chocolate.” Sourced via The Nibble.

SAO TOME jas thick consistency with smoky taste and richer aroma.

GANACHE which is actually an accidental discovery when a chef’s assistant poured cream into a chocolate mixture was also introduced. The velvety smooth combination of cream and chocolate can be dipped in chocolate and rolled in cocoa powder to make a TRUFFLE.

SACHI NAMA (left) was served; Tina liked it so much and TRUFFLE (right) with a light hint of rum was made on the spot by Marga:

Yum! And look how Gabby involved himself as the only kiddie participant amidst chocoholics :

We’re so glad we finally attended Heavenly Chocolates’ Chocolate Appreciation 101. It was truly more than a well-delivered live lecture and a fun workshop but a pleasant interactive event for everyone interested to be more appreciative of what we usually enjoy.

I was told that topics vary per month, so if you want to experience this FREE chocolate workshop and tastings or simply want to savor Heavenly Chocolates goodies, you may call them at (63-2) 6662208; they’re located at 127 Roces Avenue (near Tomas Morato), Quezon City. Click the map on the right to enlarge.

You may also ‘like’ and give thumbs up to Heavenly Chocolates via their facebook account and get loads of updates.

Special thanks to Ms. Marga and Mr. Benjie for making us more sensible of chocolates! The experience was indeed glorious!

Apr

LETTERS FROM TOKYO #10 : TOKYO DISNEYSEA

By docgelo 23 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, TOKYO and TRAVEL
Tags: american port, disneyland, disneysea, doc gelo, docgelo, europe, family, family and living, family fun, family life, food blog, fun, japan, mediterranean, pinas, Pinoy, spring break, themed parks, themed resort, themed resorts, TOKYO, tokyo disney resort, tokyo disney sea, tokyo disneyland, tour, tourism, tourist spots, TRAVEL, travel blog, traveling, travelling, trip, trips abroad, vacation

Dear Tina and Gabby,

It was last Sunday, March 28 when our group rode Yamanote Train line from Gotanda to Tokyo and hopped off from Tokyo Station to Disneysea. Yup, it’s only in Japan where one can find and enjoy DISNEYSEA. Remember I told you that we availed of their promo rates of Y10,000 (PhP 5K) for both DISNEYLAND and DisneySea on 2 consecutive days? (One park entrance fee on regular rates costs Y5,800 or PhP 2,900). We’re glad to grab the chance because it was all worth the fun!

From the Disney Resort’s main entrance, we paid Y250 (PhP 125) for one-way-Disney Train-ride and off we went to the other happiest place on Earth.

SM Mall of Asia ? Naaaah… Tokyo DisneySea Plaza…

There were those tiny and colorful petals near the entry gates that were so attractive that I cannot resist but to capture… It’s the start of the Spring season in Tokyo when I left. Imagine these plants a few more days from now; they’ll be in full bloom!

Welcome to Tokyo DisneySea…sana kasama ko kayo dito! There’s always a next time… someday!

Tokyo DisneySea’s tag line is : Where Adventure and Imagination Set Sail… It’s true that we sailed into its 7 beautiful themed ports of call starting with MEDITERRANEAN HARBOR…

MEDITERRANEAN HARBOR has the ambience of Southern European port where one can even take a ride on a gondola!

We’ll ride those gondolas in Venice one day (libre naman mangarap di ba?).

One of the features of Mediterranean Harbor is the FORTRESS EXPLORATIONS…

It’s an interactive fun at the Fortress and Galleon…

We all lined up for the LEONARDO CHALLENGE but was dumbfounded that the “mission” on the map given to us by the staff and its clues and directions were all in Japanese! LOL We were all smiling when our “lost in translation” episodes in Tokyo continues…

There’s something about boats, ships and galleons that I like; perhaps, I’m a sailor in my past life, LOL.

The Japanese made an amazing job putting up all these… It’s just fantastic!

After Mediterranean Harbor comes AMERICAN WATERFRONT…

TOWER of TERROR is one of American Waterfront thrilling attractions. It’s a tour of an old, abandoned hotel to explore its treasures and mysteries. Supernatural phenomena and spine-tingling climax await visitors.

According to Tokyo DisneySea’s map, in American Waterfront, one can find both the excitement of the big city and the charms of a New England fishing village in this vibrant themed port.

At CAPE COD…

Our group had a leisure trip around the park via the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line. After which, our feet led us all to PORT DISCOVERY…

People get to visit the scientists of the Center for Weather Control in this themed port located across the horizon of time.

Attractions at Port Discovery include Storm Rider (a movie shown inside a theater) and AQUATOPIA, a twirling ride with watercrafts that spin wildly through a maze of fountains, rock formations and whirlpools.

After Port Discovery, Mount Prometheus greeted us at MYSTERIOUS ISLAND…

Captain Nemo has created this secret base for his explorations into the depths of the Earth and beneath the waves.

Don’t you wish to explore the abyss with that submarine? I think it’s only for display.

All of the attractions in Disneyland and DisneySea have posted time of waiting on queue. In Mysterious Island, there’s that JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (inspired by Brendan Fraser movie) ride aboard fantastic vehicles designed by Captain Nemo. And guess what? Waiting time : 3 LONG HOURS! Some of the doctors who took the ride told us that the wait was worth it. Sulit daw; Sayang di kami sumakay!

Moving on…

LOST RIVER DELTA …

The ruins of an ancient Central American civilization await visitors deep within the remote jungles of this themed port.

One of biggest attractions in Lost River Delta is INDIANA JONES ADVENTURE : TEMPLE OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. Another is RAGING SPIRIT for those daredevils who wanted to try roller coaster ride with 360-degree loop.

MERMAID LAGOON is one of the most colorful features of Tokyo DisneySea…

The world of Ariel, the little mermaid, and her aquatic friends is filled with fun for kids of all ages.

Inside the Mermaid Lagoon are attractions like Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster, Scuttle Scooters,Ariel’s Greeting Grotto, Mermaid Lagoon Theater, Jumping Jellyfish, Blowfish Balloon Race, The Whirlpool and Ariel’s Playground.

Then the last area we’ve explored for several minutes was the ARABIAN COAST…

We set sail for an adventure ride at SINBAD’S STORYBOOK VOYAGE. The tour inside the theater on board a water-floating seats was meant for kids but nevertheless also fascinated me; except for the songs of Sinbad in Nihonggo. After Sinbad’s Storybook, we had hot cups of coffee which were so soothing…(read : it was a single-digit-degree-celsius again that day in Tokyo).

These are the pillars of the cafe where we had our coffee…

Other than Sinbad’s StoryBook Voyage, the Genie from the Disney classic film, Aladdin has created this themed port full of magic and mystery. There’s an entire garden devoted to Jasmine.

With Tokyo DisneySea, I thought I was touring the world; I almost forgot I am in Japan!

Even creeping grass were made to be fascinating…

At late afternoon, we headed to Mediterranean Harbor again near the main entrance; we got time to shop for pasalubong (I’ll have another posts for pasalubong soon) and ate early dinner…

I chose this lunch/dinner set of ham & turkey sandwich with muffin (that I gave to nurse Ruth), strawberry panna cotta and coffee.

I like it even if it was Y1480 (PhP 740); quite pricey but I know nothing comes cheap in Tokyo and secondly, this set came with lunch box with Tokyo DisneySea characters and logo on it. Of course, Gabby the lunch box is for you, anak for you to use this coming June in school!

Our day at Tokyo DisneySea was capped by BRAVISEA MO! a show of waters and fireballs (read : Disneyland has fireworks, DisneySea has fireballs!) over the Mediterranean Harbor. The night came more alive with the miraculous tale of love between Bellisea, the spirit of water and Prometeo, the spirit of fire. It’s a must-see, magnificent and spectacular show of fire and water! A perfect show to end the day.

The Lord knows how I wished that I have enjoyed Tokyo Disney Resorts with you, ‘ney and Gabby. I’ll just hope that one day, I’ll get to bring you there and savor these wonderful themed parks together.

Two days are not enough for these 2 wonderful attractions in Tokyo.

Although most of them say that Disneyland and DisneySea are the happiest places on Earth, I say it’s still HOME!

I love you Tina and Gabby!

So glad to be home.

Tatay-doc.

——————————

Dear Kind Readers,

After viewing my posts on TOKYO DISNEYLAND and TOKYO DISNEYSEA, which do you want to experience ASAP one day ? Which park do you think is far better than the other ? Take your pick.

I’ve got more posts on Tokyo coming up! Thanks for following and may the good Lord bless us all always. Stay safe, healthy and happy, everyone! Advance Happy Easter!

-gelo.

*note : most descriptions of the park’s attraction written in italics were sourced from the Tokyo DisneySea October 2009 –March 2010 Guide Map.

Mar

I’M HOME

By docgelo 18 Comments

Categories: EVENTS, FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, TOKYO and TRAVEL
Tags: comfort food, doc gelo, docgelo, family, family and living, family fun, family life, Filipino food, food, food blog, foodie, graduation, home, japan, kindergarten, KKK, PAL, parenthood, pinas, Pinoy, preschool, TOKYO, TRAVEL

I am home now! I had to cut my Tokyo trip shorter to a couple of weeks instead of 30 days because of an internal problem that I’m not in control and I cannot share publicly. I never failed any training because there was none for me to begin with. Nonetheless, I have experienced the worse and the best of Tokyo and will continue to share them here on the coming days.

TOKYO DISNEYSEA will be my next post so be sure to visit my site again. To my kind readers, I’ll swing to your blog soon.

For now, I’m sharing you the things that happened yesterday…

Tina herself, did the rescheduling of my flight with PAL last Sunday in less than 5 minutes. I had enjoyed my 1-hour trip from Tokyo to Narita Airport terminal 2 via the very efficient Narita Express. Ticket from Shinagawa to the airport costs Y3,310 (PhP 1,655).

Some people told me that flights are fully booked until April but these pictures will speak for themselves…

It’s Holy Week and time to reflect on things so I’ll try to avoid rants…Moving on..

My meal at 36,000 feet before heading home…

Beef stew with blanched carrots and okra; served with Japanese noodle soup, bread and butter and mung bread; orange juice and coffee.

The flight went OK except for bumpy descent and hassle of an hour of waiting for my luggage at the NAIA terminal 2. To PAL : improvement is much needed!

Traffic at EDSA was minimal so I reached our place in Quezon City in less time I expected. I just dropped off my luggage and bags at home and headed straight to Gabby’s big day…

I can’t imagine myself missing this moment. I brought to the graduation venue Gabby’s most requested pasalubong; PSP with 4 gig memory stick which I bought from AKIHABARA ELECTRIC TOWN. A 3rd honorable mention-Kindergarten graduate and a very adorable son deserves more than this.

After the event, we had simple dinner at KKK in SM Cubao… I was craving for Pinoy food for 2 weeks and these were very comforting…

The smart kid requested for Halo-halo…

We shared Nilagang Bulalo, Buko Pandan Juice, Halo-Halo Mestiza, Kaning Puti and Kare-Kareng Baka ng KKK…

Nothing beats the comfort of being HOME.

Time to avoid meat...Have a blessed Holy Week everyone!

Stay tuned for my next posts : TOKYO DISNEYSEA and so much more about Tokyo…

Feb

WE WON AS FINALIST AT HP @ PL!

By docgelo 16 Comments

I was literally surprised to receive a call from Ms. C last Saturday afternoon; it went something like …

Ms. CVS : Hello, docgelo?

me : Yes, who’s on the line?

Ms. CVS : CHUVANESS.

me ( a bit sleepy) : who?

Ms. CVS : Cecile. You won! Kaya lang finalist lang. So when do you want to get your GCs from PL-Shang ?

me : Oh, Ms. Cecile! Wow (me -wide-mouthed-drop-jaw on the phone)!!! Thank you for the call. You made my afternoon, really! We’ll claim it tomorrow–Sunday afternoon.

Ms. CVS : OK, i’ll just leave it Mylene (the store manager). Thanks!

me : Bye, thank you so much (wide smile up to my ears).

Hey, Tina, nanalo daw, finalist yung picture nyo ni Gabby! Yehey!

And so this picture of my wife, Tina and our 5-year-old son Gabby made it as one of the finalists at HP @ PL contest, conducted by Pepper Lunch, Shangri La and HP. We didn’t win any of the 2 units of HP Premium Printer/Scanner/Copier but are still grateful of such blessings!

We won PhP 1,000 GC from Pepper Lunch and my family’s photo landed a space at Ms. C’s blog! View here –CHUVANESS

After we heard mass at St. Francis of Assissi last Sunday; enjoyed spoonfuls of cereals at Cerealicious in Shangri La Plaza Mall, Tina, Gabby and I with our dear friend LG, headed to PEPPER LUNCH in the same mall to claim our Pepper Money.

It was definitely another awesome PL experience!

What did we savor?

This was my hot grill plate – SHIMOFURI PEPPER STEAK, PhP 650. Where else can you enjoy an affordable and tender-licious beef steak in a SIZZLE-IT-YOUR-WAY-style ? Sarap! This is my next PL favorite to Double Beef Pepper Rice.

Flipping the beef strips onto the grill in a few seconds will give you this heaven-on-a-hot-plate!

While our friend LG enjoyed his order…

SALMON PEPPER RICE, PhP 275.

Tina had her favorite (and mine too!)…

BEEF PEPPER RICE, PhP 198.

I love PL’s KANI SALAD, PhP 99 while Gabby had his MOLTEN ALA MODE, PhP 140.

We LOVE PEPPER LUNCH MORE not just for their delicious PEPPER STEAKS AND HONEY BROWN SAUCE but for being so FAMILY-FRIENDLY. All PL people from staff to the manager are always ready with warmest smiles and courtesy. One even provided Gabby with crayons and something to color which we really appreciate. :D Good job, PL!

Surely, after every meal at PL, everyone’s a winner!

Thanks again, Ms. C., PL and HP!

————————————————-

PEPPER LUNCH, LG Level Shangri La Plaza /aslo in Alabang Town Center, Greenbelt 5, Power Plant Mall.

Jan

FIELD TRIP 2010 : PART 3

By docgelo 16 Comments

After a wonderful animal-encounter at Ocean Adventure in Subic, the 5 buses of preschoolers (Gabby & his batchmates) with their parents (including me and Tina of course) and teachers trooped to Clark, Pampanga and had a brief exposure to Filipino history & culture.

We already heard few years ago that NAYONG PILIPINO which was previously located in Pasay City near the airport, is now in Clark, Pampanga but we only got to see it last week. This TEMPORARY RELOCATION of the famous replica of most tourist spots of the country was done to give way for the building of the 2 Ninoy Aquino International and domestic terminals. And the latest we’ve known from our trip, plans have transpired to push through with the new construction of Nayong Pilipino near the SM Mall of Asia area. Have you heard of this news?

First stop : the replica of church in Bulacan imprinted on Philippine Ten Peso-Bill.

MALOLOS CHURCH served as venue for so many Philippine Constitutional Conventions.

Then there’s also those WALLS of INTRAMUROS and what appeared to look like a river however, there was no running water but a rock bed.

The Nayong Pilipino guide informed us that this Clark’s version is divided into 2 parts : Precolonial and Post Colonial eras.

At the Precolonial area, the simple Pinoy lifestyle before the Spanish regime is depicted. We were greeted by an Ifugao native dance…What a warm welcome for all of us!

The short performance of the natives was a fresh sight to the kids who were used to gyrating pop music.

The simple and creative way of living of Filipinos long before we were under foreign rules were shown in these huts built without a single nail or screw and amazingly can withstand any typhoon. I guess these native shelters truly represent what early Pinoys were – imaginative, resilient, simple. Do we still have these qualities at present ?

“Movable Ladder – Walang Akyat-Bahay! Ang galing ng ating mga katutubo!” (click the picture to enlarge)

Weaving of textiles with intricate and colorful patterns was also demonstrated.

Panggatong, anyone ?

This is a replica of an upscale Muslim house that’s suited for a Sultan or Datu, the village chief in Maranao, Mindanao. It’s called TOROGAN.

The Torogan House has colorful and intricate butterfly-like end beams that protrude in front of the house; apparently gorgeous Maranao artwork!

There are also monuments inside Nayong Pilipino to honor Philippine History and Literature…

On the left is Ang Alamat ni Malakas at Maganda… And on the right is Lapu-lapu, the chieftain of Mactan, pardon the pun, appeared to us as depressed in his stance… (click photo to enlarge) I believe Lapu-lapu deserves to be depicted victorious having been considered as the country’s first hero.

There are also monuments for Philippine Folklore’s goddesses – the likes of Mariang Sinukuan and Maria Makiling; but I didn’t take photos for I personally didn’t like how they were created. Imagine a statue of a women who look distraught complete with a dress-slit nearly up to their inguinal areas!

Moving on… The Post Colonial Era…

As far as I recall, there are replicas of houses of Filipino heroes – Apolinario Mabini’s, Jose Rizal’s and others’ that played significant role in Philippine History.

Note the features of houses during post colonialism greatly evolved and was then inspired by Spanish architecture.

As parents, Tina and I are always trying our best to be well-rounded with Gabby. We appreciate joining his field trip for we know that there’s more to life that kids should learn outside the corners of their classrooms and beyond reading their books.

We left Nayong Pilipino at around past 5 in the afternoon to head for our last pit stop : Puregold Duty Free for some shopping.

Another family fun-bonding time enjoyed.

PS : Because we as a family have experienced being in few amusement parks abroad, Tina and I wish that local authorities would exert more efforts in putting up and maintaining quality and cleanliness in our very own tourist spots.

Jan

ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE YEAR (PART 1)

By docgelo 24 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO and TRAVEL
Tags: binondo, binondo manila, buddha, buddha statues, chestnuts, chinatown, chinese, chinese charms, chinese restaurant, doc gelo, docgelo, dong bei, family, family and living, family fun, family life, gold, jewelries, kuchay dumplings, lakwatsa, manila, manila chinatown, ongpin, ongpin manila, oriental

with less traffic and while everyone was still enjoying the holiday spirit, we went here….

Tina, Gabby and I with my in-laws — docBibs (my wife’s sister) and Daddy Larry (who’s on vacation here from San Leandro, Ca) roamed almost the entire Chinatown in search for good food and best buys. You might be thinking that my family was in the spending mode and I’ve already disregarded my annual wish to save, save and save (so help me, God!) as early as the second day of twenty ten but we just accompanied my dad-in-law to buy himself Chinese medicine for arthritis that he heard (not from me, definitely) from his friends who have been using such. He also had a taste of what Manila has been since he left it decades ago.

We got the snake-bone-in-capsules (read : I am not yet prescribing and am not aware of effects) in this drugstore across DONG BEI (where the freshest kuchay dumplings are and I am so recommending!) in Yuchengco Street, at the back of Binondo Church..

A walk through Binondo and Ongpin Streets in Manila is always amusing…

For a healthy start, here’s a cart full of veggies found usually in sidewalks…Cauliflower sells for PhP 40 per kilo, sarap sa chopsuey!

or fibrous and vitamin-rich, fresh fruits; they’re very round too! perfect to attract prosperity for New Year!

Are you fascinated with chestnuts roasting on an open fire ?

Tina and I asked the manong about cooking kastanyas. The small and black pebbles which are warmed in oil prevent the chestnuts to stick together during roasting and sugar is added to make everything sweeter. Entire roasting lasts for about half an hour before they sell it for PhP 120/kg. We bought 2 kilos.

This altar of a cross with Chinese incense sticks and sampaguita leis with red ribbons (not the bakeshop but for good luck!) never fails to draw attention veneration. Imagine Catholicism and a bit Chinese beliefs unite to strengthen a community!

Gabby wasn’t complaining of our walk from Binondo all the way to Ongpin. He even managed to grin when my generous balikbayang-biyanan bought 2 boxes of tikoy or glutinous rice from a stall vendor who also sells dried seafoods. See those huge packs of hibe (dried shrimps)? It made me crave for ginisang monggo.

Among those Oriental charms and ornaments we saw in Ongpin…

I fell in love with this…

It’s a smiling-fiberglass-Buddha in jade color that stands more than 2 feet. I like it’s almost perfectly round stout belly that believed to bring best luck when rubbed. It’s affordable at PhP 4,800. And if only we have extra budget for unnecessary things, we’ve brought it home in a blink.

Our Daddy Larry didn’t buy a Buddha statue but two cats and a tiger (2010 is a Tiger year). He also didn’t forget to buy my lovely mom-in-law who was left with their kids in Ca, a little surprise pasalubong…

Gold loop earrings as big as a peso coin that weigh almost 3 grams; I’m sure my mom-in-law will be delighted.

Now, what’s this blog a trip to Binondo and Ongpin without eating Chinese ?

–that will be on my next post!

What do you like best in Ongpin and Binondo?

Is there anything you hate about Manila Chinatown?

Dec

RANDOM WISHES FOR 2010

By docgelo 10 Comments

Categories: EVENTS and FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO
Tags: 2010, doc gelo, docgelo, family, family and living, family fun, family life, family relationship, new year, prayers for New Year, wishes for New Year

I never practiced having New Year’s resolutions other than complying with my Elementary teacher’s requirement decades ago. Perhaps, like you, I don’t believe that change should only be done every turn of a calendar but regardless of the moment. Instead of listing down resolutions, I have so many things to be grateful for this 2009 and also have random wishes for 2010 and beyond.

My gratitude…

1. Thank you, God for a healthy and happy family.

2. Thank you, God for all the blessings – big and small.

3. Thank you, Tina and Gabby for being so you throughout the year. You know I love you forever (naks!).

4. Thank you to our parents, my in-laws, our brothers & sisters who have been very supportive with us.

5. Thank you to our closest friends whom we keep like gems.

6. Thank you, readers and followers of this humble site. You never fail to inspire me to blog.

7. Thank you to all people who have contributed to our personal and professional growth.

8. Thank you to our students who tirelessly submit their attention to learning.

My wishes…

1. I wish to travel more with my family, within the country and abroad.

2. I wish to have financial stability (it’s a never-ending process.). So help me, God!

3. I wish to work with less hassles and stress (is this next to impossible?).

4. I wish discipline, respect to God, laws and one another and of course love be inculcated in every Pinoy, young and old. (it’s high time, folks!)

5. I wish for peaceful election.

6. I wish to have a corrupt-free governance from the smallest community to national offices –we deserve it!

7. I wish to bring my family to more hotels and restaurants! *grin*

8. I wish poverty be alleviated; crime rates be reduced; and charity be infectious.

9. I have to spend more quality time with my family.

10. I have to commune with nature more frequently.

11. I wish to use my credit cards less.

12. I pray that my dad-in-law’s petition to my wife be granted this 2010 or an employer would petition Tina who’s already a California-Registered Nurse.

13. I wish Gabby to grow up smarter, more God-fearing, obedient and further develop his GMRC.

14. I have to learn to be more patient. I know it’s a virtue.

15. I pray Tina and I will save more for the future.

16. I wish Beyond Toxicity (yes, this blog is called such) to inspire more people to have fun with their families.

17. And of course, we pray for WORLD PEACE. AMEN!

What about you? What are your wishes and hopes for the New Year?

Have a fantastic and prosperous New Year everyone! God bless us all.

Keep all celebrations safe and fun! CHEERS!!!

Dec

THE ART OF HAVING FUN

By docgelo 5 Comments

About a couple of weeks before Christmas, we met up with our friend, Rob at Shangri la mall where he treated us for a lunch and sponsored his godson’s activity without me asking it. Gabby was really delighted spending time again at COLOR ME MINE. It’s a paint-your-own-ceramic-studio where the environment offers relaxing & inviting ambiance. How’s that possible in a mall? Color Me Mine has wooden furnitures and shelves where ceramics are on display. One can spend his time alone or with his families and/or friends to unwind by painting ceramic/s; it’s actually a nice bonding activity.

Although prices of would be ‘art-pieces’ vary depending on size and design, clients are only required to pay PhP 180+, for the use of the venue until their ’masterpiece’ is done, all-colors-of-paint-you-need, use of brushes, paper stencils, sponge etc. and the glazing and baking of the finished product in their pottery kilns by their staff.

Gabby, inspired by the holiday season, personally hand-picked a ceramic plate with Santa Claus’ face embossed design that costs PhP 780 all-in.

Our last visit to Color Me Mine prior to this was February of this year when we had our second art activity that can be viewed here.

While I was coaching Rob for his Nursing exam and Rob were catching up on the other table, Tina and Gabby were busy being ‘artists’.

After painting job is done, client submits the ceramic to the staff, pay and claim the receipt with specified date when to redeem the finished art work. Baking on pottery kilns enhances the colors of the paint, making it glazed and more vivid.

Here’s the ‘before and after’ look of the posterior part of the plate. I wrote all our names including another friend’s who was a-no-show that day.

Tina gave Gabby freedom to choose most of the colors and only guided him on taking strokes with the brushes. Clients need not worry if they’ve no artistic inclinations for there are pencils and small paper stencils that would serve as patterns for the designs.

Another ‘before and after’ photos of the plate taken on its anterior side…That’s our son’s handwriting there of his name! (FYI, he knows now how to read and write at 5 y/o).

Whether it’s an art activity or something else, spending quality time is always the best gift we can give our love ones.

Let’s keep our New Year celebration peaceful, safe and healthy!

Hope you enjoy the rest of the holidays!

_______________

Color Me Mine, 5th Level Shangri La Mall, Mandaluyong City.

Dec

MORE HAAGEN-DAZS MOMENTS

By docgelo 5 Comments

We only have a few more breaths before we welcome a NEW YEAR! And I thought of posting my backlogs something to delight your senses!

The love for ice cream runs in our blood! Few weeks ago, we trooped to Mega Atrium of SM Megamall and spent an afternoon of nothing but family fun (read : INDULGENCE!).

We’re still in awe and have been savoring our HAAGEN-DAZS FONDUE experience more than a month ago and thankfully, we’ve sampled few of their heavenly treats again. What’s best with these velvety-ice-cream moments isn’t only enjoying it with my lovely family but having all of them for FREE! No, we’re not HD afficionados but we’re only lucky to receive HD’s GCs from an event we attended.

We’ve tried their branches at Robinson’s Place, SM Mall of Asia and recently, Mega Atrium in SM Megamall. And there are 3 common things we like in these Haagen-Dazs stores :

1. They know how to value their clients. At least with our few dine-in experiences, we’re satisfied with their service. Staffs aren’t only friendly and nice but know their goodies so well!

2. Clients have the luxury of finding flavors that are truly inspiring! Indulging in HD ice cream is such a pleasurable way to end a very tiring day or to start a new week fresh!

3. And Dine-in customers have the freedom to MIX, MATCH, INVENT, COMBINE, CREATE & most especially ENJOY scoops and spoonfuls of Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

Now allow me, Tina and Gabby to give you the license to drool, *pun intended*

The B E S T BANANA SPLIT I’ve tasted to date…

BANANA SPLIT, PhP 380+. Haagen-Dazs classic Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry Ice Cream, fresh banana and crispy almond flakes topped with maraschino cherry. But as I’ve mentioned, in HD, there’s the liberty to MIX, MATCH, INVENT, COMBINE, CREATE and ENJOY; I chose variation of its original flavors…

For my BANANA SPLIT, I had :

1. CHOC CHOC CHIP : a velvety blend of milk chocolate ice cream with a generous handful of dark chocolate chips. FYI, I like dark chocolates!

2. STRAWBERRY : Sweet, summer strawberries are introduced to pure cream and natural ingredients.

3. VANILLA CARAMEL BROWNIE : The elegance and sophistication of vanilla mixed with bits of chewy tasteful brownies with caramel drizzle.

Gabby had his own share of a BRUFFIN, PhP 60+ and a scoop of COOKIES AND CREAM, PhP 150+.

While Tina also opted to have her own choice mix and match moment…

My wife had two scoops of ice cream :

1. DULCE DE LECHE : A delicious combination of caramel and sweet cream, swirled with ribbons of golden caramel.

2. STRAWBERRIES CHEESECAKE in what Haagen-Dazs called BELGIAN WAFFLE DREAM, PhP 350+.

She opted for that second flavor rather than Macadamia Nut Brittle which is also a bestseller; her plate was served with warm Belgian waffle and freshly whipped cream.

*Expect more Haagen-Dazs Moments from me and my family next year!

Do you also indulge in ice cream?

What’s your favorite flavor?

What do you eat with ice cream?

Nov

SMOKELESS GRILL, SUSHI AND MORE!

By docgelo 67 Comments

Last week, everything was unplanned when my family and I had a glutton’s gastronomic adventure from breakfast at Starbucks Coffee and lunch at Filipino restaurant, KKK, to ultimate dessert at HAAGEN-DAZS and ending the day at YAKIMIX!

My wife, Tina, our son, Gabby and I, all came with hungry tummies with my youngest brother, JC for dinner to this buffet-and-grill-all-you-want-restaurant that we’ve been wanting to try for several weeks now. Initially, we planned to try it months ago as we spotted Yakimix in their branch along Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City near those seaside-’dampa’ restos. But unexpectedly, after long hours of strolling in SM-Mall of Asia last week, finding difficulties in deciding where to chow down from so many choices, we’re just lucky to find Yakimix’s posters at the entrances of the mall as one of its newest food places.

We had to wait for few minutes when we came to Yakimix-SM-MOA before 5:30PM as it re-opens in the evening. When we’re ushered in to our table, we saw this impressively spacious buffet place…

This was just one view taken from where we’re seated. Another section is available to accomodate, more or less 60 to 70 pax inside and few more tables are outside catering to those who prefer al fresco dining. Believe it or not, before we get to taste our first choices from the spread, the place was packed in a heartbeat…

I know you’ll agree with me that whenever an oriental food place is full of chinky-eyed diners, then it verifies the taste of Japanese and Chinese foods it offers. That was so apparent when we dined at Yakimix; the more we got excited to try all dishes at the buffet table.

I got this plate filled with raw seafoods and marinated meat for us to cook in our smokeless grill at our table…

Soon after the wait staff smeared oil on the grill and turned it on, our little ‘chef’, Gabby became too busy

Obviously, our son enjoyed cooking for us Look at his ‘masterpiece’…

We’ve tried Shabu-shabu few times before and still enjoyed Yakimix for it’s purely grilling pleasure. Everything was browned by Gabby to almost perfection

There were more seasoned cut meats and seafoods on the buffet spread; skewers which we failed to sampled; there’s always a next time.

It may not be the best Sukiyaki in town but it satisfied my craving for that sweet and salty Japanese soup. For me, UMU in DUSIT THANI, Makati City serves the best Sukiyaki. My brother, JC had the other bowl of Hot and Sour soup which was also just OK.

I got few sushi and two slices of sashimi

On Tina’s ONLY plate : ebi tempura, fried unbattered prawns, california maki, bacon-wrapped shrimps, crab sticks, mushroom and veggies, and according to her, the best among she tasted from Yakimix were those “seafood balls” . I cannot agree because I failed to bite at them

On my plate : almost the same thing but I got to try the noodles. There were more on the spread that we passed on simply because we’re so satiated already. And unlike what you might be thinking, we don’t have bottomless gastric pits, LOL. There were just so many dishes, but so little time!

There were salad bar, fresh tropical fruits and yes, cakes and pastries too, mostly from Red Ribbon and Goldilocks.

On our table :

Yakimix offers Selecta Ice Cream included in the buffet! Gabby went several times to the dessert table for these ice cream sprinkles…

Although I found Yakimix’s dishes plain and ordinary, it gets our nod because of its wide-array of choices, better traffic of diners and spacious ambiance. Our drinks were refilled at an instant even without asking, but nothing special for the commonly tasting instant juices and iced tea. Far from the other blog reviews of Yakimix-Macapagal branch, service at SM-MOA was quick and friendly exceeding my expectations. :) Yakimix’s buffet costs half as hotel buffet prices and can surely give Dad’s Saisaki Kamayan Ultimate Buffet a stiff competition.

Another reason to give Yakimix a try : where else can you find an eat-all-you-want-Selecta Ice Drops ? LOL

We’ll visit their branch in Tomas Morato, Quezon City whenever possible because it’s closer to our place.

Have you been to Yakimix? How’s your experience ?

————————————-

YAKIMIX /Unit 122-126 Ground Floor SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City /

Yakimix Weekend Buffet rate : PhP 580 per pax; bottomless drinks at PhP 55.

PS : Gabby ate for free (children below 4 feet get to dine free of charge)

Aug

JAPANESE BREADS & MORE

By docgelo 9 Comments

Categories: FOOD & MORE FOOD!
Tags: cafe, cakes, chocolates, coffee shop, desserts, dezaato pan, dezaato pan breads sweets cafe, doc gelo, docgelo, family fun, food, food blog, foodie, gelato, Ice cream, japanese bread, Japanese food, restaurants, sweets

This was my tray of Japanese baked goodies that I brought and paid at the counter of Dezaato Pan located at the corner of Tomas Morato and Roces Avenues in Quezon City. I had them to-go as pasalubong for my son & his mom.

Dezaato Pan provides free wi-fi access to dining clients. Breads are on display at a glass-topped wooden shelves that somehow prevents contamination of microscopic and air-borne pathogens.

This is their edge over Breadtalk that has their breads exposed to air. Another Dezaato Pan advantage is their price; the cost of each bread is a lot cheaper than Breadtalk’s. But we love Breadtalk. We like their bread called FLOSS especially that CHEESE FLOSS; it’s always a must-buy whenever we’re at Breadtalk. Nonetheless, Dezaato Pan’s goodies also tasted OK but some were not. I don’t know, probably because my wife Tina and I are too biased with Breadtalk so when we tasted Dezaato Pan’s, it suffered criticisms from my wife’s meticulous taste.

However, if there’s one reason for me to go back to Dezaato Pan, it would be this bread…. I honestly liked this soft bread topped with salty delicious KATSUBUSHI or tuna flakes. The marriage between the buttery bread and its toppings really worked for my palate. This bread is called RYOUSHI OISHI, PhP 42. Sarap!

Our son Gabby and I also liked ICHIGO DELIGHT. It’s like a danish bread topped with strawberry jam; reasonably delicious at PhP 39.

I don’t know about your taste, but for me, the next two breads were not that good. I failed to finish them, and my wife disliked them too. The one of the left is called KING NIKU PORK NORI SESAME, PhP 45 and on the right is KANI & CORN ROLL BREAD, PhP 39.

Other than breads, there were cakes too…

Tina, Gabby and I liked the cakes from Dezaato Pan.. I bought a slice of TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE, PhP 95.

We also got to taste a slice of CARAMEL GREEN CREPE, PhP 80. It tasted and smelled like Jasmine flower; uniquely delicious.

It has layers of different textures; predominantly soft and melt-in-your-mouth consistency.

Surprisingly, Dezaato Pan also offers more than breads and cold & hot beverages. They also have gelato!!!

Those gelato are sold at PhP 70 per 100gms. Again, it’s cheaper than the other gelato but it will have to wait until my next visit for me taste it.

The service staffs were friendly, and the wifi-ready dining area was comfortable enough to while away time. There were lots of baked yummies that looked probably go well with coffee; i’ll try some more on my next visit.

DEZAATO PAN BREADS SWEETS CAFE, U-5 Thompson’s Square, Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

Jul

FACEBOOK THAT BINDS

By docgelo 14 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO
Tags: doc gelo, docgelo, facebook, facebook applications, family, family bonding, family fun, family life, farm town, food, food place, foodie, fun, restaurant city, restaurants

When I became a daddy tatay-doc to my son at the age of 28 about five years ago, I never thought that one day, an on-line social network would be a source of wholesome fun and family bonding. Now that almost everyone is into facebook (including the Pope, no less), our family is not an exception. Initially, I was clueless about facebook, until my wife Tina and our 4-year-old son Gabby opened their individual accounts and introduced me to facebook applications that unobtrusively led to uncontrollable addiction! We’re simply hooked especially to its applications – RESTAURANT CITY and FARM TOWN. But we make sure that Gabby gets to play it only after his preschool homeworks and reviews are all done. It serves as his reward whenever he performs well in his studies.

In Restaurant City (RC), a player is given the basic requirements in a food place : a couple of tables and chairs, a stove and a set of menu - one starter, a main dish and one dessert. As diners come and eat at your virtual restaurant, you earn coins that are needed in feeding your wait staff and cooks; coins are also useful in acquiring additional decors and other essentials of a restaurant. Upgrades and innovation can be done not only to your menu as recipes are completed by trading an ingredient with your facebook buddies but also modification to your restaurant’s interiors and exteriors is also exciting thing to do. In short, everyone can be a restaurateur and a foodie at RC which my son, wife and I want !!!

Since our son Gabby, at his young age, already professed his dream of becoming an iron chef one day, enjoying RC at Fb is a pleasurable means of motivation and inspiring him more to pursue his aspiration. I think with Gabby having fun with his virtual restaurant and as we gradually exposed him to actual grand buffets in few hotels, and in various restaurants and fastfood hopping, we’re sure he’ll soon develop his own appreciation of food and everything about it, and most nice things that life can offer.

This was my virtual restaurant’s former exteriors. I named it Chef Docgelo’s; it’s an upscale carinderia, lol, with a viking’s roof before. It took me a week before I got bored with it so I had it renovated by means of several ‘left-clicks’ at the mouse and transformed it into an all-glass food place…

But I still maintain the same interiors…

I put two ponds (made of water-tiles) surrounded by plants and awards in between a walkway to the main mess hall.

Look how diners are satisfied and satiated with the dishes I serve, lol…

It was Tina who first discovered RC and introduced it to me and Gabby. Below is her restaurant’s present exteriors with a roof of a submarine that she bought with her virtual coins for 9,000 I guess.

Cool, isn’t it? Now the interiors of my wife’s food place called TINA-PIE-yan, looks like this…

I know you’ll find our son’s restaurant the grandest cutest! I can’t blame you.

Because we have 2 laptops and 2 broadband connections -one with a cable and a prepaid broadband access, we can play fb’s applications all together simultaneously. This idea of using internet as a source of family bonding had won my entry 3rd place in one of the local bloggers I follow, Anton Diaz’s Our Awesome Planet Digital Daddy Contest (see previous post below).

As we improve our restaurants, we maintain healthy fun competition. Actually, we help each other by trading ingredients to further our menus.

And did I already tell you we’re also in Farm Town? Here’s the little hacienda I maintain…

I had several plants and trees that bear fruits and crops. I have to catch up with my colleagues and friends with FT.

Do you also enjoy facebook applications ?

Please excuse me as I update my Farm Town and Restaurant City…

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