A Piece of Lemon

Happy dance! I'm making my first ever outfit post for my blog. I do not know if I'll pass the standard on how fashion bloggers make theirs, but hoping you'll appreciate my little effort. Lately, I have been enjoying on joining online giveaways on Twitter, Facebook and other blog sites. It was kinda fun that you just need to follow some instructions, like tweeting or answering a question and following other sites and earn the chance of winning a certain thing. Last November, I joined Kryz Uy's Lemon Online Giveaway. I followed every instruction she gave and answered and tweeted about it. Luckily, I was one of the winners! I never thought they did appreciate my long but meaningful answer on "I love Lemon because..."

I love Lemon for 3 main reasons. First, it is because your clothes are STYLISH AND CHIC that makes it fashionably elegant. Wherein it is so catchy, an attention grabber on the eye(cause it really caught my attention and wanted to have it by joining the giveaway hihi). Second, since it is catchy, who would have thought that they are CHEAP/INEXPENSIVE. We can have it in a low price compared with some branded pieces we see at the mall. And lastly, even though it's cheap, we have the assurance that they are in HIGH QUALITY simply because these pieces wouldn't be worn and be recommended and reassured by these well-known bloggers like Kryz Uy, if it is made in poor quality materials. So that's it, I love Lemon! Hope to squeeze some from your fresh pieces :)

And that was it. My winning answer lol! I was one of the four winners of that said giveaway. After a week, I received the package I got from Lemon Online Shop. And I loved it! We didn't get the chance to choose what top to get but seriously, every piece on that giveaway was chic. I got the black sleeveless sheer top which for me looks sexy and classy when worn.

The gold detail on the collar and the silver studs brought class on this plain black polo

Wearing it with a pants and a silver high heels to match the outfit

Okay, sorry for the awkward poses. I am not really good at it, but hoping to do good soon. I wanna thank Kryz Uy and Lemon Online Shop again for the top that I got. Really appreciate it. That was the earliest Christmas gift that I got for this year.

So hey, why not try joining too, my readers. Visit their sites for updates not just about giveaways but also on what to add on your closets. 

What am I wearing?

Black Sleeveless Sheer Lemon Online Shop. Silver heels Mario D'boro Shoes.

Christmas Adventure

Christmas is indeed the wonderful time of the year. I didn't came from a well-off family, but I am really proud to have this own kind of family who's living a simple life. Christmas is for everybody. Small or big family, rich or just the normal ones, complete or incomplete family members, there is no exemption not to celebrate Christmas. I always remember during my grade school days, our Religion teacher kept on reminding us that Christmas is not just a feast of gift giving but it is the time when we remember the day when Jesus was born. During Christmas Eve, we see to it, my family, that we attend the holy mass and thank God for an another year of celebrating Jesus' birthday.

For this year, we were glad that we celebrated Christmas with one of our closest relatives, the family of my dad's sister. We attended the yearly Misa de Gallo and had Nochebuena in our home.

And Christmas morning comes. Children with their parents are knocking on our gate asking for some "pamasko". Traditionally here in the Philippines, children will go out from their homes and visit their god parents to ask for gifts. Few may get gifts, and others receive cash on Christmas day.

But since, we've talked about on how we will celebrate the 25th of December, we decided why not go on an adventure instead of visiting our god parents. And we're too shy to ask for gifts 'coz we are not young anymore haha! The first plan was to go at Zoobic Safari, but my cousin, Ate Jobelle didn't agree with it. She wanted to go and see the dolphins at Ocean Adventure. At first, I hesitated because we went there last 2010 with their family too. But ate was not able to come because she works in other country. Since she's leaving again early next year, and we got nothing to do with her decision, and we wanted to make her happy, we all agreed to go in Ocean Adventure.

The show started at 2 in the afternoon. They will give you an itinerary of what shows you'll be seeing the whole day. And it all started here...

The brave soul, Russell

Boyfriend since birth

Papa on his wackiest pose

Amazing dolphin

Isn't this cool?

The Sea Lions

A day well spent. Simple yet awesome Christmas Adventure. And super tiring! Haha! I wanna thank Papa and Tita Ging's family for making our Christmas a memorable one, again.

And at the end of the day, I thank God for giving that day not just celebrate Jesus' birthday, but also celebrate love and life with my family. Merry Christmas!

Oreo Chocochip Cupcake

Few days ago, I was in the mood to play on the kitchen. Since I bought a box of muffin mix at S&R, I decided to make it into cupcakes. 

I am a person who is so in love with pastries and anything that is sweet. Dessert had always been my favorite course every meal. That I guess shows that I have a sweet tooth. I mentioned on my previous posts that I am more in love of me cooking and baking for my own food. I love experimenting. Since I am a graduate of Hotel and Restaurant Management. Baking was my favorite class during college. I just don't love the idea or should I say the fact that in baking, you should always be accurate with the ingredients. Because a little less or more you put will literally affect on the outcome of what you are trying to bake.

Well back to making my cupcakes. I decided to give my cupcakes a little twist. Few months ago I remember, I saw a post on Tumblr of a cupcake that has an oreo inside. I searched for the recipe on Google and there I saw that it was so easy to make one.

Here is a simple recipe of my own version of Oreo Chocochip Cupcake.

First things first. Mise en place. It is a french word meaning, putting everything in place. Getting and arranging all the ingredients and utensils you will use in place. So it wouldn't be hassle for you to just easily get what you need. Our professors back in college always remind us that every time the class will start and even end.

You will Need:

1 box Krusteaz muffin mix (double chocolate) *have real chocolate chips in the mix

2 eggs

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Oreo cookies

cupcake liners

cupcake molders/cups

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Place the muffin mix in a bowl. 

3. And add the water, oil, and eggs.

4. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until moistened. Can you see the chocolate chips? They are in medium size and are all over the batter.

Cute cupcake liners

5. Spoon 1/4 of the batter unto the cupcake liner and top it with Oreo cookies.

6. Spoon batter again until Oreos are stuffed inside. Approximately 3/4 full.

7. Place it inside the oven and bake it for about 12-16 minutes. Here's a tip. You can use a toothpick to prick the cupcakes just for you to know when it is already baked inside. When the toothpick still has batter mix when removed, it is not yet done.

8. Remove from the oven and let it cool for minutes.

Cupcake's ready! Made 24 medium cupcakes. You'll notice that there are few chocolate chips popping out on top of some cupcakes that is why it isn't a smooth cupcake top. Well, why would you still notice that if it will going to make your mouth melt haha!

Had a bite and look, the Oreo cookie! Perfectly stuffed inside the cupcake. All in all, it tasted a bit sweet. The Oreo cookie tasted like it was kinda minty on the tongue. Or maybe, it was just me. I don't know lol. It's an overload of chocolate goodness. The cute thing here is that when you have eaten or bite on some chocolate chips, you'll surely look for some more inside while eating it. I tried putting some on the fridge and it tasted more good. A great dessert after a full load course. Though it may add a little calories on your system. But it's worth a calorie!

That's it. It's easy as doing your own pancakes. Try making one! :)

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Will you go All-in?

Oh hey! My blog is one month tomorrow! But sorry, for I haven't been blogging since I started this. But since it is celebrating it's monthsary, I'll be blogging something yummy. And it is about burgers! So what with the burgers?

Have this ever happened to you, while you're watching the television and the commercial of McDonald's Big n Tasty burger suddenly appeared and made you crave for some? Well for me, yes! I always thought of myself eating those big yummy burger. Since fast foods introduced to us the all sorts of hamburgers, whether it is with cheese, bacon, mushroom, egg and more, different restaurants and burger stands also made some ways of bringing and introducing burgers at its best which they called as gourmet food.

I have been hearing this past few months about this small restaurant here in Pampanga that offers a very good and tasty gourmet burgers. It is Francis D's All In Burgers. It is owned by a Kapampangan which the restaurant got its name, Francis Dayrit. It started way back in 2010, but I guess it only made its mark this 2012.

Hearing all good comments and feed backs about Francis D's, I asked my friend out and told her if we can go and try eating there and she said yes. I always owe everything to my closest friends when I'm on the mood of trying new things because they are always game. So we went there one afternoon and luckily, there are just few people eating inside. At first, I thought the place is quite big and spacious but it wasn't. But big enough to accommodate 20-30 people. I was also thinking that it would be packed but since it is an ordinary day, people are still at the office and school.

When I get to try new restaurants and even new places to discover, I always look forward on seeing their interior design. I am fascinated of seeing nice interior and really good ambiance. When we entered the place, my attention was caught on its murals. They are really nice and painted so well. 

Halloween themed mural

It's Christmas time!

(c) Francis D's FB Page. Menu Board

(c) Francis D's FB Page

It was after our food was served when I realized why they posted this thought. It took for at least 10 minutes before it was served. But nonetheless, the wait was indeed rewarded.

Bacon Mushroommelt

I gave Bacon Muchroommelt a try since it was their best seller in the house. It has bacon, mushroom, shredded cabbage, onions, melted cheese and burger patty. This burger is definitely heavy! My tummy was on a party then. But the best part here is that, the burger patty is the bomb! It's a home made patty that is thick and very juicy. I couldn't explain how it really tasted, but it's a combination of real beef love. They are perfectly seasoned burger patties. You must try this. I really recommend it.

Tuna Cream Pesto

Garlic fries

We did try Tuna Cream Pesto pasta and also garlic fries just to have a full coarse meal. The pasta was fine, I just don't love pesto at all that's why. But for feed back purposes, I think they should make it extra creamy. While with the garlic fries, well yes, it tasted like garlic. I wanna try next time the Parmegiano fries and Mrs. D's ice cream.

While we were eating, this man started painting again. He is the man behind all the murals. I wish I have that talent too. It's never easy to be an artist. Hands down to this man.

Anyway, this is really good for people who are in tight budget but does think of the quality they are eating. Budget friendly meals that surely make your tummy happy. Try it out! It's in McArthur Highway in the city of San Fernando. Just in front of my Alma Mater, St. Scholastica's Academy.

*Sorry for the crappy photos, I only used my camera phone in taking it. Wishing to have a digital camera of my own or DSLR haha! Wishful thinking but fingers crossed! :)

Fresh Start

Hello there! I'm quite excited typing my first ever blog entry here. But I guess, now that I'm already making this blog post, it's as if words came jumbling inside my head. Seriously, I really do not know what to say. As what we usually do during first day of school, I'll introduce myself to you.

Hi! I'm Kathleen Leslie Mariano Torres. 22 years of age and turning 23 on December 29, 1989. People usually call me Kath. I think one syllable names are often easily remembered by our mind, don't you think so?  I was born and raised in Pampanga. I am a proud Kapampangan. Though I spent all my life here in Pampanga, I wasn't able to learn how to speak this language. I speak Tagalog but still, I understand when people talk to me in Kapampangan. It's just that we were used in speaking Tagalog at home and in school. I was sent to a prestigious school from Kindergarten until I graduated in college. This I guess was the reason that build my passion for writing. Having all those composition writing assignments back in high school and doing all kinds of essay writing during my English class in college, that somehow helped me express my thoughts well. Until I became a fan of reading blogs.

I had my Tumblr account since last year and it came to be my practice blog site. I had one blog entry there which was about blog inspirations. Try checking it out here. After reading their blogs and searching stuffs about them, from following their blog and twitter accounts (stalker like but not), I came to an idea of making my own blog too. As I said earlier, I started practicing my craft in my Tumblr account, which I think was a good start. As days go by, I kept on reading blogs of different blogger not just about fashion but also food, travel and more. I became more inspired that made me create my own blog. Not just create it on my mind, but literally, make it here on this site.

That explains part of my description in my home page.

"Kath is a free spirit girl that cares about getting to know herself and the world around her. She is in love of trying new things which makes her to have a strong desire to travel. A foodie by nature and is fashionably unique on her style. Kath will take you away to places and things you'll almost like to know about."

A wanderlust. I really have that strong desire to travel. Don't you want to travel too? It's really fun isn't it. I wanted to try and know every detail of a place and things around it. It may be about food, fashion or art. I love eating. I love trying new places to dine in and new food to taste. But I am more in love to the idea of me preparing, cooking, and baking my food. I love stalking new styles in fashion. But unfortunately, fashion still is not in love with me. But I am creating my own unique fashion sense. I read about this one quote about fashion and it is, always wear what you want to wear. Yes it's true. You just need to wear something comfortable. Style is nothing without comfort(Anthology). And that simply is fashion.

A walking girl in the fast lane of life. As we know fast lane is a lane of highway for vehicles that are moving rapidly. And that made me realize that our life is like a fast lane. It has been moving very quickly, we do not know a year is almost near to an end again. Days really pass by so quickly. And so, I am slowing down and will cherish every walk, every day, in the lane of life. 

So that's it. Come with me here in my journey as I take you to places you want to see. Be blogging certain stuffs about myself too as I explore and know more about myself in this world. This is my online diary and you are welcome to see it! :)