Happy List II: "Tastes Like Christmas!" Edition

Time for another Happy List! This time, it's all about PEPPERMINT-flavored things. Chocolate, ice cream, you name it... as long as it's minty, I love it. Haha :D

1. Meiji Apollo Feel Mint Chocolate

What we have here in the Philippines is the strawberry-flavored one. Would you believe, when I was a kid, a blueberry-flavored one existed, too? :D

This box of Meiji Apollo Feel Mint Chocolate came all the way from Hong Kong. (Thanks, Panda!) :3 The foil pack feels a bit sad though, since you can't reseal it.

It looks like green tea, but no! It's mint. ❤ The taste reminds me of Andes Mint Parfait Thins, only smoother and more "melty".

2. Lord Stow's Bakery Peppermint Brownies

If I were to bake my dream brownie, THIS would be it. At first glace, all you see is a regular brownie, but when you bite it, you'll immediately have a taste of Christmas with its strong minty kick. It's balanced by the thick, moist, and oh so fudgy chocolate. I can imagine this being served ala mode with... (see #3 NOW!)

3. Big Scoop Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I originally wanted to keep this as a secret, because you might hoard when you find out and leave no stock for me. Haha! I've always seen mint ice cream as a rare and special flavor. It's always sold expensively per scoop at malls. Until I found my dear Big Scoop. ❤

 

A pint of this Mint Chocolate Chip goodness is just priced at P95. I'm lemming on the HUGE 2 gallon tub at just P400+. You can purchase from Beyond The Flavors Ice Cream House in Banawe. 

4. Dippin' Dots Mint Chocolate Flavored Ice Cream

Who knew Dippin' Dots had ice cream pouches, too? Now if only they had dry ice to go with it, I would have bought home all flavors.

 

These packets also come in other flavors such as Banana Split (!), Cotton Candy, etc. Each packet is reasonably priced at P100. 

5. Pretty Green Slush from Sandwicheese!

Sandwicheese! by Banapple is located just beside Banapple at Sky Garden, SM The Block. I love their Chicken Pesto Mozza Sandwicheese and this refreshing drink! This Pretty Green Slush is a blend of sweet calamansi, mint, and brewed tea.

Fellow mint lovers, please let me know you exist. :D

Love,

Helen

26th Birthday

My birthday was over a month ago, and I really meant to do this post earlier, but here goes! I just turned 26. Do I feel any different? Not really. Well, I do feel signs of aging like getting tired easily. LOL! But aside from that, I feel like I'm in the best time of my life. I'll just recount the blessings I've received, so many years from now, I can backread and remember what I did and what I had for my birthday. How OC of me to document it all! :D

My Panda and I share the same birth month, and since we're part of Yabu's VIP List, they treated us both to a free katsu sets to celebrate! We both love Japanese food. :3

Cream Dory Katsu Set

Rosu Katsu Set

That was an amazing start of the month! (Thanks, Yabu!)

On the day of my birthday, my Panda surprised me early in the morning with the loveliest, most precious cake ever. He has a shot me with a "just woke up, no kilay, no makeup at all, in all pambahay glory" look holding this cake, but that one is private. Haha!

It's the first time someone ever baked me a cake, so this one is very special. He made it from scratch - cake flour and all! :o In case you're wondering, the green ones are bamboo, and the brown ones are paw prints and stones.

My birthday felt a lot like Valentine's Day. The mums were unbelievable strong - they lasted over a week inside my room! Other flowers would wilt in 3 days tops. We share the same love for anything with peppermint in it, hence the chocolates. And the cylinder you see at the back is a pretty purple yoga mat, for my ab workout at home. (Yes, I'm getting fat.)

For lunch, we drove all the way to Vikings at MOA, even if there's one at SM North. Everyone was saying it's better there, and so we went. You get to eat for free if it's your birthday! :D Initially, we were seated on a dark corner, so a mosquito feasted on my legs minutes within getting seated, but the kind manager Allan made up for it by getting us a nicer spot, and went the extra mile serving us tea, asking us how the food was, and cleared our plates (even if he didn't have to). And I didn't get dengue so all is well. Haha! The food selection was good, and we'd go back for special occasions.

Rustic Chocolate Torte by Purple Oven

For dinner, my family had dinner at Nomnomnom Happy Food at Tomas Morato. I chose this restaurant since I wanted a healthier restaurant for my Dad who had food restrictions. Wrong move though; the food wasn't bad, it was just okay but kind of pricey. The dishes didn't blow us away, and the serving size for some were small. The final thing that ticked me off was when we asked them to bring out the cakes, and the waitress told me I'll be charged P80 for corkage - even if I spent over P3,000+ to treat my family, even if it was my birthday. (No photo because I was pissed and they totally killed the mood.)

Verdict: Never going back. Ever. The owner was nice enough to invite me to a free lunch or dinner, but I don't like special treatment just because I'm a blogger. I want to experience a restaurant for what it really is.

We went home instead to slice the cakes. This one is from my friend Tope of #TopeTravelandTours. (Purple Oven FTW!)

The next photos were the other gifts I received.

Meiji chocolates from my boss

Terranova Floral Clutch from my friend, Kyra

Landmark Linens from my sister, Cindy

This one has a deep purple color; my camera went loco hence this shade of bright purple. I have yet to wash this, but I've never been this excited to change my sheets. LOL

My birthday gift for myself is a Lenovo laptop. This one's a good investment; I bought it with the main purpose of blogging. You see, my posts decreased in quantity this year since I was dealing with a faulty computer at home which would turn off mid-upload or as I'm doing my posts, which made me lose motivation. Now, I don't have to settle for a bulok computer, since I have a sleek, sexy, and precious laptop! Unboxing post soon, yes? 

At church, my small group family Tuesday Diversity surprised the August celebrants with cake, too! :3

Last but not the least are these rainbows I saw just last Friday morning as I was going to work. The brighter one is the biggest and closest I've seen in my life. So beautiful! It's like God telling me, "Everything's gonna be alright." At this moment, I was thankful for my gift of sight.

So those basically sums up my day. I have yet to reply to the greetings on my FB timeline though. Help... Haha :D Thanks to all who remembered! :3

Love,

Helen

From Taiwan, with Love ♥

My Panda went on a trip to Taiwan a month ago. Having him come home safely was already enough for me. When he finally came home, I was met with these sweet goodies as well! :> You can guess the reason why I'm finally gaining weight. :D

This post can also be your cute guide on what goodies to get on your next Taiwan trip!

I remember during our Thailand trip earlier this year, we would shop at every supermarket and 7-Eleven store we came across, just because we love food! :D Now, we still like grocery shopping here in Manila, but it's more exciting abroad since we get to see a lot of stuff that aren't available here.

Pocky Panda

Spot the difference! :3

Milatte Fashiony Black Eye Mask - Panda

How cute is this eye mask! :D

Panda and Husky Coin Purses

Let me explain husky! It's our favorite breed of dog (even if I don't own one). :D

Bourbon x Disney Frozen Choco Strawberry Biscuits

In the supermarket, we have Bourbon's Choco Coffee Biscuits available locally. That one's good, too!

Latte and Milk Tea

They don't look like ready-to-drink beverages, and the bottles are too pretty to be thrown away. :o

Calbee Jagabee

So many unique flavors... purple potato, seaweed, and sweet potato anyone?

Hi-Chew in Lychee, Peach, and Qmmy

Sweet, fruity chewy candies to keep me awake at work. XD

Meiji Galbo Mini and Strawberry Cookies

Girly snacks :>

Hello Kitty Luggage Tag

For our future travels! :D

 Green Tea Treats from Lotte, Meiji, and Morinaga

M&M's Mint

I mostly like strawberry, green tea, and mint flavors. Panda's choices were spot on. :3 (Thank you for all of these!) :>

What's your favorite from this loot? :D

Love,

Helen

Lucky Citrine's Happy List I

Cute stuff and sweets never fail to make my day, thus inspiring me to create my own Happy List! :D

1. Panda room slippers

From who else but my panda! Hihi :3 Now I have comfy and warm room slippers. Thank you! :>

2. McDonald's Hello Kitty Bubbly World Plush Toys

Saw these in McDonald's at Bangkok. Wish I bought ALL of them as they're not available in the Philippines! I also spotted some cutesy Hello Kitty body wash and lotions at Zalora, which will definitely add a pop of color to our bathroom. :3

3. Etude House Etti Block Calendar

Etude House gave this as a GWP in the previous months. Imagine not having to buy any other desk calendar ever again! This one's like lego blocks you have to assemble each month. Sooo cute!

Hello, May 2015!

4. Etude House Sunprise Natural Corrector SPF 50+ PA+++

May this girly sunblock inspire me to use it everyday in this crazy summer heat. Etude House Sunprise range can be use for both face and body. The Natural Corrector doubles as a makeup base, too!

5. Haitai Choco Kit & Meiji Strawberry Apollo Choco Stick

I seem to have an obsession for Meiji Apollo. :3 In Japan, they even have it in mint! *Faints* :D I got both of these from Bangkok as well. The Haitai Choco Kit looks so fun to make. Meiji Apollo also comes in a choco lollipop form. ♥

6. Made In Candy Jar of Helen :D

I still haven't gotten over our candy making experience at Made In Candy. Aside from that, they gifted me with a personalized big jar of candies. So sweet! :> Part of me wants to keep this forever, but they'll only keep for 6 months. So torn. Haha!

Hope you liked my very first Happy List! ;) What's your favorite item from here?

Love,

Helen

Haul: From Hong Kong, With Love

I'll be sharing with you once more my love for sweets! Most of these are pasalubong from my sister who went to Hong Kong for a vacation.

Kit Kat Matcha Green Tea Flavor

This one reminded me of the boxed Kit Kats that my friend got from Japan, only this one was packaged in plastic. It's way cheaper, too! Each pack of mini 12s costs just about approximately Php 160.00! It's country of origin is Japan, but it's sold at a more expensive price in Japan, and cheaper in Hong Kong. @_@ So yeah, don't buy from Greenhills because you know the real price now. Haha! :D

Meiji Rich Matcha

Give me anything Matcha and I'll happily receive it! I love almost all types of Meiji chocolates. Seriously, Meiji can do no wrong. This one we don't have here in the Philippines, and I think it's a must-try.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly in Mint

And not only do I love anything Matcha, I love anything Mint as well. This makes you think that I love everything right? Haha. But no! :D We also don't have this variant of Cadbury locally, and how I wish we did.

Frutips Fruit Pastilles

Everytime a family member or friend of mine goes to Hong Kong, they almost always bring home Frutips candy! I am not such a fan of those super sweet and cheap jelly candies in the supermarket, but I love Frutips. Each piece is just so juicy, and you can distinctly taste the flavors of each color/variant. This one also comes in a blackcurrant-only tube (which must be a best-selling flavor) and a GIANT tube, wherein the shape of the candy corresponds to the fruit flavor (like a lemon wedge shape for a lemon flavored piece).

You may have noticed that everything pictured above is green! It's not my favorite color, but all my office stuff (like water tumbler, notebook, folder, ID lace, etc.) are green, and even the chocolates and candies I received are green! Some of my colleagues don't believe me (at first) when I say that my favorite color is pink. Haha :D

維他命水果軟糖

This big tube of candy from Taiwan was from my boss. She gave each member of our team this one since it was her birthday. My colleague says that it tastes like Frutips, but I have yet to try it. Too many candies! :D

Arome Bakery Room Japanese Premium Cookies

My sister got this box of Arome Bakery Room Japanese Premium Cookies for my parents, but as of the moment, we are eating it with our parents. Haha. I will do an unboxing post soon. :D

Keychains

Last but not least are these touristy keychains from my former colleague who went to Canada, and the other 2 are also from my sister.

That's all for now for my foodie/trinket haul. I can't believe I had so much to say about candies. Haha!

Love,

Helen