Birthday Gift Ideas for the Bros

In line with the fact the today is my younger brother's birthday; I am incorporating you as I ponder upon what gift I should be giving him. As a side effect, you might also like the ideas that I would come upon in this post.

Of course, it is important to always consider the receivers wants and wishes in obtaining a gift. I hope you find this helpful.

1. Perfume/Cologne - My brother is the kind of person who doesn’t really buy his own cologne or perfume but uses one if available. If you have a brother like mine, this one could be a great gift. If your brother is a regular aficionado of scented spritz-y liquids, then you may want to give him something to add to his collection or introduce him to a new scent you found.

2. Wallet - You know how a man's wallet never leaves the back pocket of his jeans? They wear out easily because of this and by the end of the year some stitches are undone and it is no longer nice to look at. And it is not often for men to go shopping for a wallet so he might appreciate a new one.

3. Watch - This could be a little bit grand but hey, it’s his birthday. And watches makes great gift because they are useful. You just have to match the watch's appearance to the style of your bro and for sure you'll find it perfect on his wrist.

4. Basketball - It’s a good gift for the athletic and basketball fanatic brothers out there. But mine is not. I am still considering giving him a ball, though, to encourage him to become more fit and eventually be in a better shape.

5. Gadget - What kind of brother would not want a gadget of some kind? Especially for the music lover bros, anything for mp3 players (although, this function might always be included in their smart phones, it is still good to have something exclusive to use for jogging, working out, or just hanging out) to portable speakers will be appreciated. Gaming stuff also works if your brother is into that.

6. Toys - Boys will always be boys, find something that interests him. Even the big boys will love toys that remind them of their tender years. Some can also be fanatic for Lego and Hot Wheels. My brother is not very into collecting, but remote - control cars and helicopters still thrills him.

7. Backpack - Active lifestyle will require you to have some sort of pocket that holds all the things essential for your day. From cell phones to extra pair of socks, these backpacks will be something that your brother could use every day. Choose a cool design and you are good to go.

8. Book - Does your brother read? Sorry, but I find that sisters are the one into books. Still, I know my brother indulges himself to a light reading every now and then so I put it in my list. I'll just have to find a good book for him. J

9. Coin Bank - Particularly a good gift for someone who is a careful spender or a compulsive buyer. This will help him save up for any occasion.

10. T-Shirt - This is the last item because this is normally what I would get for him when I ran out of ideas. But he always loves great designs.

As you know, as I write this, I am pondering what would be a good gift this year for my younger brother. He has a particular interest in music and cars. I was hoping to find a Hot Wheels model of the car that he was dreaming to have but I gotta find a supernumerary idea if I would not be able to find one. I'll update you what I decide to go with. 

Update:

It was so funny because I was not able to find something I would really like to give my brother that belongs in the 10 items I've listed. I ended up buying a Rastaclat bracelet for him. It looks like this:

Rastaclat McFly Gray and Mint (photo grabbed from the internet)

But it was a good choice because he liked it so much. :)

Gotta Love Project Pie

Our curiosity had us! So even if the line was too long and it seems like it will take forever before we get to eat, hubby-to-be and I braved it all and took our chance to try the pizzas at the "Project Pie" last Sunday for dinner. If we had gotten there earlier, I am sure the line will not be as long.

We are comforted to know that the line is moving at a steady pace. This means our wait will not be as long as we expected it to be. We were given a list of options and toppings. You'd be delighted to know that no matter how many toppings you choose, the cost will still be the same - Php 285. It is pretty affordable for a good pizza handcrafted by a pizza barista.

When we speak of baristas, we usually think Starbucks. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I would dare say that Project Pie can be called the Starbucks of Pizza in terms of the method ordering.

There are 7 types of pizza in their menu, identified by the numbers 1 to 7. All you have to do is to pick one of the choices and customize it to your liking. You can also compose a completely different one if you like. So, it is virtually possible to have every topping they have on a pizza. I am pondering, however, if there is a limit as to how much of a certain topping can we put in a pizza. Maybe next time we go, I would ask the pizzarista (pizza+barista. Yeah, I made it up. Get over it.) that question.

There are also other options that you might want to order like salads and sweet pizza (like banana-nutella, strawberry-mango-nutella, and more) but these are not customizable. Their drinks are also always bottomless. Gotta love that, too.

Project Pie at Alabang 

Update:

Pizza Salad is ♥ and filling

This is a no. 6 with crumbled meat balls, bacon, jalapeno, and caramelized onions

Strawberry. Mango. Nutella. Yum :)

Easy Homemade Milk Tea

With the entire milk tea craze in the past year, it is still reassuring to know that you can easily create something similar if not better at the comfort of your own home with very minimal effort and ingredients.

This is something I learned last Tuesday night and can’t wait to share it with you, dear reader, even without the graphic assistance of photos.

Here is what you need:

1. Milk of your choice, about 1 cup
2. Tea in a tea bag of your choice
3. Milk pan or just a regular pan
4. Stove

Here's how to do it:

1. Heat the milk in a pan.
2. Dip in the tea bag when the milk starts to warm, stir a little.
3. Let the milk come to a simmer (note: not to a boil or the milk will curdle)
4. Pour in a mug. You may want to leave the tea bag in depending on how strong or weak you want the tea taste to be.
5. You might also want to add some sugar depending on your liking.
6. Enjoy.

It was so marvellously easy to make and tastes great too! Tito Ferds said it was an old trick they used to do when he was working as a crew in a cruise line ship.

With the cold/wet season we are in now, this is a perfect cozy drink to warm you up. 

Messed Up the Icing on your Cake? No Problemo!

How many times have you messed an icing on a cake? Well, I have, quite a few times. And since it is a cake it should look good, you should have to be able to remedy that.

Here is one way:

It is always good to crumb coat cake. The first coat helps to hide the cake especially of you are using a bright or dark colored cake like red velvet and a lighter colored icing.

I am trying to go for layers of icing - something simple. 

It went well for a couple of layers but it soon became crooked on some parts. 

What you can do is take a popsicle stick or a small spatula and make short spiral strokes across the layers of icing. This is cream cheese frosting, by the way. 

I used short up and down strokes to achieve this kind of pattern. 

Continue and do the same in the upper half of your cake. 

I used a toothpick to create swirls on top. 

And there you have it. Simple and easy trick to save your cake! :)

First Time for Razon's Famous Halo-Halo

Ever since I started working, I've been hearing about how people really really liked Razon's halo-halo.

I really don't know why it is that I did not get a chance to try it earlier. Today I was able to try it and here is my verdict. :]

I like that it is not too sweet. It has a creaminess to it that makes it delicious. There are only three ingredients in it but it still works. I think the three ingredients are sweetened banana slices, sweetened young coconut shreds, and leche flan on top. Of course, in order to be called halo-halo it also has shaved ice and milk on it too.

As delicious as it is, I find thay there is nothing super special about it. 

My Christmas Cake

It has been a while since I last posted something here. It was Christmas and I got tied up with cramming over completing all the presents I need to buy.

I guess it is too late for Christmas Gift ideas now. haha! But one thing that will still be applicable is to start early next year. Will surely do that! :)

Aside from that, I was also busy with perfecting some cakes for the holidays.

Here is my Christmas version of the Chocoholic's Cake.

I added around 10 to 15 drops of mint to the ganache recipe. It is really up to you how much mint you would want. If you want just a hint, I say start with 5 drops and add a few drops at a time to adjust the potency. I use this peppermint emulsion in my ganache.

To make the green drizzling on top, you just mix 1 part cream 3 parts white chocolate and melt over a double boiler. Add a drop of green food coloring. Be careful not to add a lot the first time. It would be easier to darken a lightly colored ganache rather than lighten a darker one. I used a toothpick to get a few of the food coloring to avoid the danger of having the whole thing pour over your melted chocolate. Then, add a few drops of mint.  I used a piping bag to create the drizzle.

And there you are, a sweet treat for a the chocomint lovers! :) 

For the Love of the Basketball Shoes 👟👞👠👢

I am not a huge basketball fan. Yeah, I know most of you are. It is really just not my thing. Though, I celebrated with all the LaSallians out there when they won the last UAAP.

What I love more than the game is the shoes! Yes! I am a girl who loves to wear sneakers. I find them as fashionable as heels plus it gives a bad ass feel to an outfit. 😎

Basketball shoes are becoming one of my favorite sneakers. They are engineered to support an active athlete who runs, jumps, and does some footwork. This means they are made to be sturdy and comfortable.  And who wouldn't want sturdy and comfortable shoes? It makes me feel good and confident knowing that I can stand and walk (sometimes in a hurry),  comfortably all day.

Here are my shoes that I might never be able to wear in the court but will definitely be wearing in many of my productive days. 😊

Air Jordan 1 "Highlight Reel"

Air Jordan 5 "Floridian"

Air Jordan 13 Pink and Gray

Other comfy shoes also includes...

Asics Gel Lyte III "Knicks"