GIFT IDEAS: A's Gift Box.☺

hello everyone!

have you guys ever came to a point when you just don't know what to give that special someone on their special day, uhhh...say like a birthday? anniversary? even Christmas? i've often experience situations like this because i really do give gifts, either hand-made or bought, to people i consider special to me. :) i just love that feeling of searching for "that is the ONE" for him/her. plus its better to give than to receive. :)

these past few days, knowing that A's graduation is fast approaching, i had the same dilemma i was mentioning above. i have been searching in Pinterest, Tumblr and other blogs for their suggestion on what to give him, a boyfriend who is an IT major, loves music and a fan of magic tricks.

 their suggestions are really good and varied but it just that i've already done it or it just impossible for me to give him an electronic gadget. :)))) hahaha. i know i wanted my gift to be special and be the best but i am in a budget constraint here people so a Mac/Beats by Dre are totally outrageous!

so i stopped my searching and focused on something that really matters, his FUTURE. a graduation signifies a new stage in life A will soon be facing and i think one of the best ways to show him that i support his development is to give him some things that will help him go ease into the transition of a school boy into a young professional. i also considered that he'll be visiting the isle of Boracay in May.

i devised A's GIFT BOX.☺

CONTENTS:

1.  2 Beach Shorts- from the Landmark. :) one for his Puerto Galera trip and one for his Bora trip. these are colorful and versatile shorts that he can use not only in the beach but also for walking and church practices.
2. 1 White Muscle Tee- also for his beach trips. this is made from cotton so it'll be light-weight and easy to carry.
3. 1 Baleno Undershirt (muscle tee)- Kai (my brother) choose this for A. :) happy to help he is!
4. 1 Basic Tie- for future job interviews or jobs.
5. 6 White Handkerchiefs.
6. 1 Basic Black Leather Belt
7. 3 Pairs of Black Socks

it may not be much but i think these things are things that he will need when he finds work in any company. :) the important thing is he loved it.♥ since i mentioned that he loves magic tricks especially card tricks my aunt surprised him with a limited edition Bicycle Ghost Deck. :)

another treat for him is the IRON MAN 3 movie!!! yey for Tony Stark!☺☺☺

overall i'd say his day was really special and blessed. for he is also a blessing to his family and also to me. again good job A!☺ you deserve the best of every thing!

giving a gift doesn't really need to be expensive and over the top, simple stuffs such as these can make one person feel special because you remembered him/her and his/her needs. and as always its the thought that counts.

*shine!

summer pastels and cut-outs.♥

hello!

time for another "outfit of the day" post.☺ its been so long! i know. hehehe. 

this is my simple, dainty ensemble yesterday at A's celebration.

DETAILS:

dress- i got this from SM, a brand called Betty. :) the fabric is airy and light. perfect for summer. plus the cut outs are really cute. time to show some skin in a very delicate and subtle way. :) i love the paint splash print on the fabric. 

shoes- these i got from Ukay. yey for ukay! :))) these are super cute pastle mary janes! these compliments the color of the dress with out taking too much attention. i believe these are 2.5 inches of sturdy heels. 

these are my 3rd pair of shoes i got from ukay. :) will post about the next two someday.

these costs about 400php.

bag- i got this over 2 years ago and i almost forgot about it! hahaha. i got this again from SM Accessories for only 150php. its on sale. :) the lace detail is very feminine and adds formality on the look.

accessories- i just wore dainty studs from F21, and brought with me a white shimmery cardigan (for the movies)

love this photo of us.♥

alright..that's all about it. thanks for dropping by!

*shine!

Double A's Graduation Day.☺

"Dear young people, do not bury your talents, the gifts that God has given you! Do not be afraid to dream of great things!"

-Pope Francis

these words from our Pope is another inspirational thought to ponder on especially since we are in that time of year when we welcome a new batch of young professionals into the adult/real world. A's graduation day was yesterday. :) everyone was extending their greetings of congratulations to him and i for one, am very proud of what he has accomplished. 

why? you ask. well...A is not just an excellent IT student but he is also a member (and became the president) of the Lyceum of the Philippines Chorale for 4 years earning a 4-year scholarship and being a Dean's Lister on the side. <insert dramatic music here> hehehehe. while doing so he is also preoccupied with our church choir plus other activities in our parish, never did he reason that he is busy with schoolwork when he is needed in the parish and vice versa. and yesterday he finally earned the fruits of his labor, when he was called on stage to receive his diploma.♥

A with his parents, Tito Tony and Tita Agie

we celebrated this special day in Tramway Bayview Buffet in Roxas Blvd. :) click on the link to view their website. 

A with his family. :)

Kiel, Angeli, Julianne, me and A. :)

A and me and Julianne. :)

after dinner we headed back to A's place had some ice cream while solving 4 Pics 1 Word. then we arrived at MOA at around 10:15 pm to watch the last full show of Iron Man 3! it was AWESOME!!!!☺☺☺

i won't spoil anything from it sooo please watch it! 

us @ MOA, waiting for Iron Man 3.

its all about AA yesterday. :) we were really proud to be with you and witness your success! we all know that there will be great things ahead of you. we'll be praying for your future my labs. dream great and claim those in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he will give you what you asked of Him.☺

i love you, you know i do.♥

*shine!

YC Goes to FEU-Manila & WOF.☺

hello everyone!

here's another issue of YC Goes to... i know its been a while since my last post. i've been doing a lot of cooking and household chores this summer. although that's not my idea of spending the rest of the season i did learn a lot from these experiences. :) let's get on with my newest blog entry. 

a few weeks ago....

"Guys...wait lang. Pwedeng pa-help?" asked our future attorney, Sarah, during one of the OLFP Youth Choir practice sessions. she needed a choir to sing for the baccalaureate  mass of FEU-Institute of Law, where she is the VP of their student council. this sounded really great for us since the last time we were invited out was last December in Camp Crame. a few of us said a big "YES" while the others were held back because of other engagements like work. 

it was a mixture of laughs and nerves as we travel via LRT1 to the university. we talked, teased and tattled. thinking how would we perform and who will play the guitar and the piano. its a bonding moment for the rest of us who couldn't spend a lot of time together and wanted to make the best out of that day.

we attended the mass and listened to the wise words the priest said to our future lawyers. i remembered that he said that these lawyers should serve the people and use their intellect to uphold and ameliorate the way of living of the countrymen.
(perfect sermon for the coming elections! i'm just sayin' :))

after the mass we went sight seeing. :) haha! one of my favorite parts of the day. and met up the rest of the council of IL. when lunch was served we gobbled the KFC chicken like cavemen! :))

here are a few shots while we were in FEU.

 the chapel. :) i loved the murals depicting the Passion of our Lord!

smiles! :)

more fun ahead as Sarah and I decided to treat the kids (and kids at heart) to the World of Fun! this time i discovered that Monique, one of our altos, would make an excellent basketball shooter! beat that boys! haha! the whole afternoon was well played-out. by the time we were about to go home, we were all exhausted! playing almost 2 dozen games of basketball shooting and "the crane" but in the end all we got was bag full of Potchi!☺

the YC (from left to right):

Red, Monique, Jerommel, Luis, Aljon & A. :)

buying tickets! :)

playing the game!!!

thanks guys for this wonderful day! i hope we could have lots of it in the future!☺☺☺

STAND IN THE FAITH!

*shine!

HOW TO MAKE: Hoisin Chicken and Mushrooms

hello everyone!

since my mom started working again, we (the kids) were tasked to cook everyday meals for our family and Wednesday dinner was up to me. :) so i cooked a simple, Chinese inspired dish that i called HOISIN CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS.

here are the ingredients:

-i used 5 cloves of garlic-CRUSHED

-2 small red onions- CUT

*the key ingredient: HOISIN SAUCE

i actually have 3 kinds of mushrooms. :)

-shitake

-enoki

-button

1/2 kilo of chicken breasts

here are the easy steps:

1. first things first!

         -wash all the ingredients in running water.

         -then strain.

2. after that cut the ends of the Enoki, these are the long, thin, white mushrooms. wash again (you can never be sure)

    -then i soak the Shitake in water for a couple of minutes.

    -and strain all the mushrooms.

3. next will be cutting of the Shitake and button mushrooms into bite size pieces. :) i cut them same as size as possible.

4. for the chicken, its just super easy! after washing and straining the chicken breasts just cut them into strips.

    -then add 2 table spoons of Hoisin sauce and squeeze half a lemon.

    -mix until all the chicken is covered with the sauce. you can add more Hoisin sauce if you like. hehe.

5. the marinate doesn't really need to take too long but while you're setting the chicken, heat the pan and add oil.

6. once the pan is hot saute the onions until translucent, then add the garlic.

7. the garlic will immediately turn into golden brown, that's the time to add the chicken. :) stir.

8. keep on sauteing the chicken until the meat turns white. add salt and pepper to taste.

9. add half a cup of water and add more Hoisin sauce. i added 3 more teaspoons of hoisin.

10. mix and cover the pan. wait until it boils. 

THIS IS OPTIONAL: we added 1 diluted tablespoon of flour in the mixture to make the sauce thick. 

11. add the shitake and simmer for 5 minutes.

12. i used a fork to check for the tenderness of the chicken (this aspect really depends on you).

13. if the meat is cooked to my/your liking, add the remaining mushrooms to the pan, simmer for another 5 minutes.

14. stir and taste. add more salt and pepper if you like.

15. serve.☺

TADAH!

this took me about a good 1/2 an hour to prepare. perfect time for people who are running late.

the result is a sweet, oriental style dish that my family said was new and good! 

*big hand for me!!!

will post more of my cooking soon! i hope you guys try to cook some of the dishes we've made!

*shine!

RESONATE!☼♫►

hello every one!

check this out. :)

made this via ipiccy. 

i have to make this fund raising work for my Rondies.☺ these kids have been asking me what to do to get our Rondalla up and running again so i think its best to initiate the act by gathering funds for the group. 

our instruments are already worn out due to years of constant use. plus new members are joining so we need more. having their own assigned instruments gives them motivation to practice and serve the Lord. it also helps them improve their musical talents and interpersonal skills. 

my own part is to sell pre-loved clothes for super low prices! :) i can guarantee that these clothes are in good condition unless i indicate that its not so. hehehe!

i hope i could get your support on this fund raising!

will update you soon!

thanks!

*shine!♥

spark it up!☼♥☺

hello everyone!

lately, i have friends who are affirming my blog and my posts. :) as the creator/author of Kimpoy's Notes i felt really blessed that my entries were a source of joy and inspiration to them to make blogs of their own! not only that writing is a way of expressing yourself but its also a way (for me) to touch their lives.

but there's this inevitable question of "HOW DID YOU START BLOGGING?" i am not a popular blogger here in the Philippines nor an expert journalist, all i can share with you guys are the things i did when i started blogging.

Multiply was the first site where i encounter the word "blog". i am clueless about what's supposed to go in that particular tab since i was internet illiterate until the end of my fourth year in high school. so what did i do? ANALYZE. i defined the term first then started searching for blogs online. there i found that blogging is like an online journal where any thoughts, emotions can be published for the public eye to read, even criticize, and of course solicit subjective information about a certain topic of interest.

i was never a stranger in writing. :) i have been member of journalism classes since i was in elementary until after i finished college. it just came to me naturally and brought me awards and recognition. these honors and experiences made me think that i could write a blog of my own. 

MY TIPS:

1. before anything else...i thought about the things i'm passionate enough to write about. well for me...its my PERSONAL LIFE and every thing in in are the things i love! 

-my love for clothes, shopping and UKAY.

-food i eat, restos where we've eaten.

-places i visit.

-people that i love.

just every thing that makes my life really really vibrant! yours can be short stories, poems, or news! it can be your photoshop projects or an online portfolio. or business advertisements! possibilities are endless!

2. next things that i considered were the AUDIENCE. who are the people who's interested in visiting my site? what age group do they belong? are they mostly male or female? so writing would be focused on OUR SAME interests and wouldn't be patches of this and that. this i find helpful in searching for certain topics like DIYs, fashion, food, travel, reviews, and of course personals.

and of course the MEDIUM/LANGUAGE of choice. using English would probably be more acceptable than my native Tagalog for me to connect with international readers. if ever i used a Filipino term it will be italicized and translated into english. 

3. after those 3 were settled i opt to find which BLOGGING SITES would be best to host my blog. you could chose from a variety of blog hosts. i just happen to use Blogger which is really easy to use and maintain but you could try Wordpress or Tumblr.

you could even search for reviews in which of those top sites are better to use. those reviews will give you pointers in which one to chose and some would even break down each and every detail for your convenience! well that's helpful and informative! 

4. let's say you've chosen a blog host then its time to CREATE the account/blog! :) of course after you've chosen what is/are the things you love to write and share about. 

for example. like mine. my title pertains to my love of NOTE TAKING. and this is MY own blog so i used my nickname. tadah! kimpoy's notes was created. hmmm...not really dramatic right? i never really put hard effort in my blog's title. but it is what it is, its ME. :)

5. START BLOGGING!☺ my advise in the first entry is to introduce yourself and what your blog is about in order for people to know what to expect from you.

another one is to "THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK." 

remember that a blog is made for the public to see. and when i mean public i mean a whole world of a billion people who can read and perceive "what kind of a person you are" just by reading your blog entries. they might not know you personally but they can scrutinize and assume that you're this kind of person based on the topics you write about or your moods and tone implied on the write up. 

its real difficult to explain that last point but i know you guys get me. :) don't get me wrong people! i'm not saying that you should pretend to be someone else by blogging, i'm just encouraging inspirational and interesting topics that will bring entertainment and happiness to the person reading it and not the opposite.

i hope these tips that i shared based on my experiences could help anyone who would want to start a blog in the near future.☺ and please ask me more questions if you want, i'll make sure to answer them in a post or message.

goodnight everyone!

*shine!

simple delights!♥

“There are three possible parts to a date, of which at least two must be offered: entertainment, food, and affection. It is customary to begin a series of dates with a great deal of entertainment, a moderate amount of food, and the merest suggestion of affection. As the amount of affection increases, the entertainment can be reduced proportionately. When the affection IS the entertainment, we no longer call it dating. Under no circumstances can the food be omitted.” 

― Judith Martin

hello guys!

how was your day? i had a blast this week all because i was surrounded by scrumptious food! yey! foodie heaven indeed. as i said bye bye to my "supposed to be summer body," i embraced the fact that food will never be out of my system. :) well at least i'm happy!

let's start shall we.

1. GILIGAN'S 

-after our choir meeting, A and i with a couple of friends, decided to grab a bite at BGC. however, seeing that the entire Mercato was occupied we headed to Makati Ave. and parked at A. Venue Hall.

it was a nice change of scenery. :) to think that we spend most of our time in Glorietta and Greenbelt.

it was a nice choice because even though its a Saturday night they have plenty of spaces for guys like us who are not looking for beers.

-total money spent here was 130php.

A and me.♥ while waiting for the meal.

2. BIGOLI

-this Sunday i met my college barkada in TriNoma.

-we met at this Italian resto, i love the decor and the friendly service.

-the servers are roaming around to offer free, unlimited bread sticks! yum!

-total bill of my meal was 235php (this comes with unlimited iced tea)

me, ate Zee and Caren.♥

3. SUMOSAM

-for the last stop, A and i ate at this restaurant, also in TriNoma. :)

-A has a very huge appetite, i mean really, so going into this place was totally worth it. its kinda pricey. :P

-i loved the Salmon Sashimi and A's Chicken Teriyaki Donburi. 

-i also loved the ceramic plates and saucers that they provide so i also took some photos of those too!

can't get enough inspiration!

 salmon sashimi is LOVE! :) with lots of wasabi in the dipping soy sauce!

chicken donburi that is surely filling! :)

the perfect remedy for A's craving for rice meals!

there's always room for dessert! this is SumoSam's version of a banana split! 

the ceramic plate and saucers i really liked! :))

what a yummy, delish and satisfying week! i can't wait for this week and the following weeks to come!

i hope you guys enjoyed your 1st week of April!

catch you guys again next time!

*shine!♥

color obsession: LILAC

hello everyone!

i'm a sucker for pastels. :) especially this time of my life wherein i'm experimenting with colors other than blacks, navy and neutrals. these shades makes me think of colorful Easter eggs and yummy French macaroons! lovely colors.♥

pastels are not just for clothes, its summer time here and these can be a part of a wedding's color palette!

last Thursday i met a really tender-hearted couple, Mel & Arlene. their color of choice was LILACs and PURPLEs which completely tickled me pink! 

 starting from the flowers made by Vatel Manila which are always divine!
i believe these are in shades of lilacs, baby blues, baby pinks and a dash of magenta. 

next are these wedding details:

the bible, invites, bowties and ties, even the cake!

just wait and see these creations from etc: handmade goodness! from the well thought of pillows for the rings and arrhae and the super dainty boutonnieres! 

this wedding incorporated lilacs and other shades of purple tastefully! resulting in another color crush of mine!☺
have a great day!
*shine!

Easter @ chili's.☺

hello everyone and welcome april!

can you feel the heat? yes. all the 32 degrees of it! 

its time again to tickle your senses. :)

yesterday, we celebrated Easter at Chili's in Greenbelt 5, if i could remember correctly, the last time i ate there was during the "Avengers" season. and now i'm back with the boys and Tita Olga.

i love absolutely every dish plus kudos to their service!!! we were totally blown off by their super fast and very friendly attendants. the food was served just a couple of minutes after we ordered, no need for follow-ups. glasses were refilled with lemonade as fast as we gulped it down. i mean, really, amazing service! 

the food was OMG-ness good! i keep on saying this that i love food but the dishes here are very very good. one of the other things i love about this place was the free refills of nacho chips! haha! 

here are some photos of the things we ordered. :)

left: free nacho chips and salsa

right: skillet quezo 

triple dipper, which are buffalo wings, egg rolls (must try!), and chicken fingers. these are served with 3 kinds of dips. hence the name. :)

these are 2 kinds of burgers that the boys ordered. :) forgot the whole name. but i believe one is burger with bacon and the other one was burger with mushroom sauce. 

a slab of baby back ribs! :) ohhhh...yummy!

featuring one of my favorites! pesto cilantro shrimp pasta. :) i'm a happy kid. i love pesto and cilantro and shrimp individually as ingredients but i never thought of combining those 3 ingredients to make one hell of a pasta dish. i'll make sure i'll eat this again!♥☺  

Kai ordered fajitas. :)

for dessert Marlon chose, molten chocolate cake. :) 

the boys with tita gay :)

Ken and Me

ken's series of burger biting events. :) i believed he enjoyed it.

visit Chili's @ GB5 next time your family dines out. the dishes are big and good enough for sharing. 

that's it! have a happy lunch!

*shine!