SUMMER is not yet over!

Last Sunday May 6, me and my friends had the chance to explore and 

took advantage to discover the beauty of the three islands located in Quezon province.

Our island adventure last only for 1 day! But we didn't waste any time for us to visit all the

three islands for a short span of time.

Let me show you some of the pictures i took during the island hopping.

Fist stop, BORAWAN ISLAND!

Yes, you read it right it's BORAWAN island.  It's obviously a combination of two words,

BORACAY + PALAWAN!

Natives there called it as Borawan because the place carries the rock formation you can usually

seen in Palawan and the white sand in Boracay.

I've never been in Boracay, but my friends told me that the sand is not as fine

as in Boracay (let me take note of that co'z my next adventure will be in boracay).

Second stop, PUTING BUHANGIN in Pagbilao, Quezon!

The pictures speak for itself why it is called as Puting Buhangin Island.
That day is really really hot, it could actually burn your skin even if you just stay a little time
under the sun.  But the island is worth it for you to get burned! Lol!

Third and last stop, DAMPALITAN Island.

We didn't get a chance to stay a little longer in this island,
but as we stroll around, taking pictures, you can actually feel the ambiance of stressless
place and the scenic beauty of Quezon.

Maybe for some 1 day is not enough for this adventure, but for me, it's enough!
Those pictures will serve as evidence of what those three islands can offer.

It's really more fun in the Philippines!

Till next time! Goodnight!

Travel time from island to island: Approx 40-45 mins

Gateway to these Islands: TAMARIND TREE resort located in Padre Burgos, Quezon

LOVE DESSERTS ( eat-all-you-can-desserts )

My curiosity really dragged me to hell when I saw my friend's pics of different desserts

and read her testimonials regarding this dessert store located in Banawe, Quezon City.

It is a Eat-All-You-Can desserts for only P199.00 only!

 

( Crepes, Ice Cream, Puffs, Sylvannas, Pinoy Nacho, Cookies, Cakes, etc. )

My sister and I tried mostly all the variants served that night.

But the one we really appreciated and ate to the max are these!

( Singkamas and Hilaw na Mangga with Bagoong; Cheese Stick with a twist )

These are perfect as "pan-tanggal umay".

It's really nice that they serve something sour and salty to break even the sweetness.

The one that's look like "lumpiang shanghai", it's more of like Cheese Sticks but 

with green chili inside (the one we use in sinigang).

Very original, love the taste of the cheese and a little kick of spicy taste!

Not to mention also the mayo dip, really good :)

And the singkamas and hilaw na mangga, the bagoong alamang, they are all nice.

( the setting is simple and well organized )

(  look at those pile of sweets! yum! )

There are also different kinds of drinks served.

From Iced Tea to Milk Tea. Coffee variants are also there like

Cappuccino and Coffee Latte.

You can also have Milk Shakes by request.

( Love Letter section )

 Where you can share your experiences at Love Desserts.

Overall Rating: SATISFIED! 

There were hits and misses but the price is very reasonable.

A must-try for all sweet lovers out there.

LOVE DESSERTS

915 Banawe St cor G Roxas St

Quezon City ( beside Bruno's Barbers )

Tel #:  3483551

Apology for the low-reso of pictures. 

I only used my mobile phone, forgot to bring my slr with me.

Find time to visit Love Desserts :)

God bless and goodnight peeps!

Meet my new PLAYMATE!

Bought this new zoom lens last week for my Nikon D5000 slr.

Found it cheap and very suitable for me as a beginner in photography.

What I really like about this particular lens, i will be able to practice

and familiarize the (M) Manual Focusing technique.

Although I am using a autofocus (AF) type of camera, it is not applicable

for this kind of lens same with other AF cameras such as D3000, D60, D40-series,

F3AF, F-601/N6006, F-501/N2020.

( AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G )

 A convenient range of focal lengths from 70mm medium to 300mm telephoto.

The closest focus distance is 1.5 (4.9 ft ), so this lens is also suitable for portraits

and snapshots. 

Take a look at it's specifications:

TYPE OF LENS: G-type AF Zoom-Nikkor lens having built-in CPU and Nikon bayonet mount

FOCAL LENGTH: 70mm-300mm

MAXIMUM APERTURE: f/4-5.6

LENS CONSTRUCTION: 13 elements in 9 groups

FOCAL LENGTH SCALE: 70mm, 100mm, 135mm, 200mm, 300mm 

DISTANCE INFORMATION: Output to camera body

ZOOM CONTROL: Manually via separate zoom ring

DIAPHRAGM: Fully automatic

APERTURE RANGE: f/4 to f/32 (at 70mm), f/5.6 to f/45 (at 300mm)

ATTACHMENT SIZE: 62mm (P = 0.75mm)

WEIGHT: Approx. 425g (15 oz)

Hope this lens will provide me with years of exciting picture-taking opportunities!

Goodnight everyone!

THUMB'S DOWN!

Last week, a very hot afternoon, me and my sister together with my son 

Xander decided to go to a mall (SM North Edsa) to take a walk, sight-seeing, 

and to feel some cold air from the mall's aircon (hehe).

There was this pizza parlor named Papa John's Pizza. The outer ambiance is very eye-catchy,

even inside it's nice and comfortable.

 ( photo credit to their fb page )

After some walk and shopping, we decided to eat and finally taste what Papa John's

Pizza can offer.  At first, we were excited and can't decide what to order.

And finally, we ordered for 2 sets of 9 inch pan pizza, it's Hawaiian and Pepperoni. Since that

was our first time so we go for the classic flavors.

For pasta, we ordered Seafood Carbonara (Penne), for side dish

we ordered for Classic Potato Wedges and lastly for dessert we decided to go for

Chocolate Mocha Cake (it's actually Xander's choice).

Waiting time 15 to 20 minutes.  And for me personally, it was such a waste!

Oh em, i didn't expected that it would be an awkward and unsatisfying experience for us.

Even my son, a certified pizza lover did not like the taste of their pizzas.

Very salty and some like "malansa" taste.

The pasta is also disgusting! It tasted like Seafood "SOPAS" what i mean for

sopas is the one we usually made at home. It's not like that they used cream but milk.

Sadly, my cellphone's battery got empty so i didn't get a chance to take pictures,

only this

 ( Classic Potato Wedges )

Overall rating: UNSATISFYING, thumb's down for Papa John's Pizza :(

Note: The whole story and rating is based on personal experience 

and opinion of the blogger.

Photography ( trying hard photographer, Lolz! )

I really admire those people who took pictures in a very good way.

I am amazed on how they edit or what are the procedures they use to make the simple shot 

transform it into a masterpiece.

I am on a process right now of researching, experimenting and trying different techniques

in editing pictures.

here are some of my works:

( i really don't know what kind of flower is this, yayks! )

( watermelon and mangoes for snack, yummy! )

( different angle of the first photo )

( Cross at Mt. Tapyas' peak )

Trivia: Mt. Tapyas is one of the most visited place in Coron Palawan.
You have to hike up approximately more than 700 steps to get to the peak!
Unfortunately, i didn't get to reach the peak :(
but i did hike more than 600 steps! almost there, but my legs are really tired
and my heart beats really fast already so i decided
not to continue to hike.

 all those pictures were taken form our last vacation in Coron, Palawan.

the beauty and and the relaxing ambiance of the place give me

the urge to get my camera, turn it on and olah! capture everything surrounds me :)

you can check out some of my other works on my facebook page
just like us on fb by clicking this link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/XRN-Photography/361612793852388

please bare with my works, i am just a beginner :)

good night everyone!

P3's Christmas Ornament Swap

Oh em! super late upload/blog about this event!

Month of December has been very busy month for all of us, 

so now is the only time to update my blog :)

Last December, our guild had this challenge called "Xmas Ornament Swap".

Not like the first swap we did (the black n' white bead swap), this time the group was divided

into a sub-group. Each sub-group consists of maximum 5 members.

The number of members determines how many items we are going to make.

and here is my entry:

( X'mas Chibi Picture Holder )

I only made four pieces, one for Donna, for Oshee, for Val and for April.

I didn't include myself in the swap :)

and this one, for P3 Christmas Tree!!!

( Angel X'mas tree ornament )

P3: Trash to Treasure

The long wait is over!

Finally after a week of voting, the photo with the most number of likes is revealed.

I must say that all the participants did a great job, including me? lol

Here are the entries for T2T (trash-to-treasure) challenge:

P3 goes clean and green.  The mechanics for this challenge...

Participants encourage to make a Clay Project out of recyclable materials.

From so called trash, the clayist will incorporate Polymer Clay into it

and make it as a masterpiece!

And the winners are:

( 1st place: Jennifer Cruz of Purpleluggage )

( 2nd place: Jhoi Montano of Enjhoiwith Clay )

( 3rd place: Melody Manalaysay of Crafting Time )

Yay!  And here is my entry...

( Floral Candle Holder - Center Piece)

I cannot claim it as a "masterpiece", but i am so happy with the outcome of my work.
So proud to be part again of P3's challenge and looking forward for
more challenges to come.

This guild (P3) keeps me learning and learning and learning!

Congratulations to all the participants especially to the top three winners!

Please keep on supporting P3!

-Riezl An Carpio

MICA POWDER: Projects made for the first time...

          ...One night, after watching my fave love story program on tv, suddenly I felt I want to do a clay project.  I worked on a green rose with leaves attached in a piece of heart-shaped metal which I dettached from a danggling earrings.  Staring on it before baking made me decide to add something on my creation ( coz it looks so blunt and lifeless ), but I have no idea of something to add life on my piece of work.  Until... When I turned my head, my eyes catched these mini containers containing of shiny-shimmering powder like thingy :) so I opened it, brushed some on my rose and leaves, and tadah! here it goes:

 

          ...Super loved the outcome!  For first-timer, I can say that "I did a great job" ( yabang mode hehehe ).  I find using Mica Powder so addictive.  From a rose project, it didn't stop.  My next project was a Clay Mosaic:

( Inspired by my co-guild member "Ms. Ghie of Trinket Tales")

          I wasn't satisfied with the outcome of my clay mosaic.  So thanks to mica powder which add shiny-shimmering effect on some part of the mosaic and antique-finish on the border part.  It made my project more beautiful and eye-catchy :)  But wait, there's another one:

          I told you it's so addictive!  But this time, it's a personalized Compact Mirror for myself  :-)  It was also the first time to do a clay project incorporate to a compact mirror because I am really hesitant to try it maybe because I'm afraid to bake and break a "mirror" inside the oven :) ...



          Looking forward to do more projects with this "Wonder Powder"!



P3: Black and White Bead Swap

          Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay nagkaroon ang "Polymer Clay People Philippines" o "P3" ng una nitong challenge para sa mga charter members nito, ang "BEAD SWAP".  Layon ng challenge na ito makagawa ang bawat kasali ng sarili nilang beads na gawa sa polymer clay na ang gagamitin lamang na kulay ay "puti at itim".

          Noong una ay nag-aalinlangan pa akong sumali, ngunit sa bandang huli ay nagdesisyon din akong sumali, ika nga "bahala na si batman" hehehe.  Hindi lingid sa aking kaalaman na ang mga lumahok na charter members ay bihasa na sa pagki-clay, kaya sa una pa lamang ay hindi na ako natahimik at walang humpay sa pag-iisip kung anong disenyo ang aking gagawin.


          Aaminin ko na talagang nahirapan ako sa disenyo na aking gagawin, ngunit wala na akong panahon para pagisipan pa ng maigi kung ano ang dapat... sa huli, eto ang nabuo sa aking isip at naisakatuparan ko...

          At sa wakas dumating na ang oras na hinihintay ng lahat ng lumahok sa challenge na ito... ang pagdating ng mga BEADS na gawa ng bawat isa sa amin!

          Bawat isa ay nakabuo ng napakagandang disenyo ng beads... Walang itulak-kabigin.  Kaya naman napakasaya ko at lumahok ako sa naturang challenge.  Marahil, hindi man maipapantay ang nagawa kong beads sa nagawa ng iba, ngunit alam ko sa aking sarili, na ginawa ko ang aking makakaya at masaya ako sa naging resulta ng aking proyekto...


          Hanggang sa susunod na challenge P3!

FOODTRIP!!!

...just started blogging, hope in this simple way mai-share ko un munting saya na nararamdaman ko sa tuwing meron me bagong matitikman na pagkain. yun tipong napa... "SARAP NAMAN NITO"! hehehe

like this one... this is "Stir Fried Squid with oyster and chinese sweet sauce" cooked by my father :) super sarap nito, super lambot and perfect talaga yun lasa and pagkakaluto nya :)))

...my son, Xander really loves doughnuts!!! everytime i'll ask him if anong pasalubong ang gusto nya, hay naku 100% walang kaabog-abog na sasabihin nya "DONUT NANAY!" hehehe

...newly discovered ko palang itong particular na bilihan ng dumplings, dito sa ROBINSONS NOVA MARKET, right in front ng entrance. iba kasi sya sa mga nagsusulputan na dumpling house ngayon. ang kakaiba sa kanya ay yung sauce nya. unlike sa ordinary na toyo, kalamansi at chili... eto thick ang sauce nya, timplado na kung baga, ang panlasa ko sa sauce nya e para bang sauce ng LUCKY ME PANCIT CANTON! hahaha :))) kaya kung trip nyo LM Pancit Canton, for sure magugustuhan nyo din 'to! :)))

...nung una hesitant pa ko na kumain sa resto na 'to, pero when i tried eating there and tasted yun chicken platter nila, consist of different taste of chicken (spicy,regular,sweet style, etc) aba, at napa"WOW" talaga ko. try nyo din sa PERI-PERI Portuguese restaurant at SM NORTH EDSA (ANNEX) :))) two thumbs up!