Last Thursday was Mark's birthday. It was different from his past birthdays because this was the first time that he took a leave from work on his birthday.

It's my parents' 31st Wedding Anniversary yesterday and we celebrated it by having a simple dinner at home. I was supposed to make a cake, but because we still have some leftover cake from Father's Day, I just decided to make some brownies for my mom and dad.

Choco Dulce de Leche Brownies

I made chocolate fudge brownies with walnuts and cashew nuts and then decided to make it a little more special by adding some dark chocolate and dulce de leche drizzle. :D

Please forgive me for another long overdue post. I'm just trying to cross out each one of my backlogs. :D

Part of the series of the pre-birthday celebrations that I had was another lunch out with my family. It was actually an impromptu lunch out. I guess Daddy was just feeling a little lazy to cook that time that he decided to eat out.


I already knew that we will have to dine at a Chinese restaurant, as that is the only cuisine that somehow keeps up with my daddy's meticulous palates. :) Good thing the Chinese food choices within Antipolo are already expanding. We now also have North Park here in our place. Yay!

Was very touched and surprised with the little something that Mark prepared for my birthday last January, so I thought of doing something special for him too on his birthday today. I initially thought of making a Lebron shoe cake for him, but something came up and I wasn't able to make it.

So I just decided to make a little note for him. I drafted this note on my phone and I was already halfway through it when I kinda thought that I already made something like this before. And when I checked on my previous posts, there, I confirmed that I have made the same note over again, with the same LDR situation as before, but with a just a different order and some additional 'To the one who...' entries. Hahaha! :D

But oh well, I guess it's all what my heart really wants to say, so I'm still posting it. I included a different set of photos, anyway haha! :p

*****

To the one who I can spend some lazy days with...


To the one who I can share my food trips with...

My older brother, Chino, just turned 30 last Monday, January 13. I already posted about the birthday cake that I made for him, now let me share with you what we had for his birthday dinner. :)


Daddy had to go to work so we had Chino's birthday celebration over dinner. And because Daddy was out during the day and got no time to cook, he just had us order some Shakey's pizza and sushi.

Today's the birthday of my older brother, Chino, so I decided to make a birthday cake for him. I was already thinking of designs for my brother's birthday cake as early as after I made my own birthday cake. Special thanks to my baby brother, Jaoey, for suggesting the designs. He knew how Chino loves cars and basketball so these were the designs that he had in mind.


I was choosing between a sports car cake or a basketball cake, and, because I thought it's kinda hard to sculpt a car out of a cake, I just chose the latter. :p

Our initial plan was to just have a little family dinner out during my birthday since Daddy's still not sure if he'd have to go to work. But because Daddy was allowed to be on leave during my birthday, I got to celebrate the whole day of my birthday with my family! Yay!


After having breakfast at home, we started our celebration with thanksgiving at Monasterio de Sta. Clara in Quezon City.

I celebrated my 28th birthday last Friday, January 3. And because birthdays won't be complete without birthday cakes, I made my own birthday cake! Yay! :D


We usually buy cakes from bakeshops during special occasions, but ever since I started making cakes and cupcakes, the cakes that are present on our feasts are of course those which I personally made. Will do a separate post for that. :)

It's my 28th birthday yesterday and it was such a fun day!


Actually, even weeks before my actual birthday, I already had a couple of pre-birthday lunch-outs with my loves. I'd go to the details in my next posts, but for now here's a sneak peek of how I celebrated my 28th birthday!

We had a dinner feast at home last Sunday, May 12. And just like last year, we again had a double celebration -- celebration of Mother's Day and an advanced celebration of Jaoey's 11th birthday. :)


Most of the dishes on our feast were the birthday boy's requests. He specifically pointed out that he wanted to have beef caldereta, lechon kawali, fried chicken, and spaghetti.

After having some summer fun with my family, Mark and I went out on a date with his mom and cousin the day after, last Tuesday, April 9. Aside from it being a holiday in the Philippines (Day of Valor), this day is very special for Mark since it's his mom's birthday. :) 

The Birthday Girl and the Mama's Boy :p

We had a lunch feast at Mark's house and then we headed to Robinsons Magnolia in the afternoon as per Tita Juliet's request. We had some snacks and then we watched a movie. After the movie, we roamed around to search for a restaurant for dinner. There were a lot of food choices and after a few minutes of rummaging, Mr. Choi Kitchen was what caught the heart of the birthday girl. :p

To my equally beautiful sister :D...


my room mate...

Mark and I spent the day together on his birthday last February 7. We met past lunch time and had a light lunch over at Hap Chan in Alimall, and then watched a movie at Gateway Cineplex after lunch.

We then headed to Lola Cafe+Bar in Scout Lozano in Tomas Morato for our dinner. We got to the restaurant around 8pm.  I've read in reviews how the restaurant is always filled with people, but I wasn't worried that we won't have any tables since I have already reserved a table for two while we were still at Gateway. :)

Parking Area

Lola Cafe+Bar has a nice laid back and homey feel with its cozy vibe and minimalistic design. The restaurant was comfy and spacious and has three dining areas.

Mark came over at our house last Friday and spent the whole weekend, up until Sunday, with me at home.

The family's all complete, Gia's boyfriend also came over, last Sunday, and so daddy decided to throw a lunch feast for Mark since he'll be celebrating his birthday this Thursday, February 7.

Happy birthday Daddy!!! May God bless you with more love, happiness, wealth, and good health! We love you!!! ♥♥♥

The first two Sundays of August mean birthday feasts for our family. :D Last August 5, my mom celebrated her 49th birthday. Yup, she doesn't mind having her age published here because she looks way younger! :D

She doesn't look her age, does she?

Since the food that we have during any feasts is always cooked by our dear daddy, we always do a merienda-to-dinner celebration to make time for the preparations.

Had a double celebration at home last Sunday, May 13 -- a celebration of Mother's Day and an advanced celebration of Jaoey's 10th Birthday.

We were up early last Sunday morning to greet our mom and right after breakfast, we handed our gifts to her. :)


Jaoey also wanted to open his gifts, but since it's still a day earlier than his actual birthday, being the bully sisters that we are, Gia and I insisted that he can open only his gifts come 12am. :p  We saw him curling up in bed crying so we finally made him open his gifts haha! :p

Mark celebrated his 27th birthday last February 7. Days before his special day, I was already thinking of places to go for his birthday celebration. He actually told me that he also wanted it to be some sort of an adventure just like what we had during my birthday. Since our schedules didn't permit an out of town trip, we had no choice but to settle for the places here in the Metro. Good thing I remembered Pan de Amerikana, the first and only chess-themed restaurant in the Philippines, which was once featured in a local magazine show.

I immediately thought that Mark would love to visit and dine in this restaurant because, as not everyone may know, aside from being into bodybuilding, Mark also is an expert in chess. :) He was a chess varsity player during his high school and college days and he also competed and won in the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) chess competitions.

After a 20-minute cab ride from the Gateway Mall, we arrived at Pan de Amerikana in Marikina just in time for breakfast. Seeing photos of the restaurant already got me excited, more so when I saw the real thing! :D I was amazed with the life-sized Netherland windmill which was really moving! I wasn't able to take a photo of it though, so here's one that I got from the net. :)

Photo taken from crumb-trails.com

Mark and I posing at the bench near the entrance of Pan de Amerikana

Aside from the beautiful facade, Pan de Amerikana also takes pride of its garden-themed interior. This is what welcomed us as we entered. :)


The restaurant is a pay-as-you-order type. The photo below is their cashier and ordering area. Aside from their menu, our attention was also caught by the pictures on the bricks which showcase the celebrities, politicians, and big people who have already been to the restaurant.

Cashier and Ordering area

We placed our orders and then roamed around while waiting for our food. :)

This is where they do the grilling.

Dining Area

There is also a dining area with tables having built in tournament-size chess boards. Tournament-size chess pieces may be requested at the cashier area for free. :)

Dining Area/Chess Area

We chose a table near the giant chess board. The jumbo-sized plastic chess pieces were about 3 and a half feet high and were imported from New York City.


Mark and I played chess while waiting for our food. And being the chess expert that he is, after a few moves, he won the game through check mate! I played pretty well though because I was able to capture some of his chess pieces. :p

Check mate!

Our orders were served and so we went back to our table to eat. It was still early for lunch so we just ordered light food for breakfast. Mark must have eaten breakfast at home, so he just ordered a chicken sandwich. I was a little hungry so I got one tuna sandwich and arroz caldo with egg. :)

Their sandwiches come in what Pan de Amerikana is famous for--the 1950's pan de sal. There's no denying that the mega-sized wheat pan de sal was delectable. But Mark and I both agreed that their tuna and chicken fillings tasted like the instant spreads that can be bought in grocery stores.

Tuna Sandwich and Chicken Sandwich - Php 25.00 each

Their arroz caldo was okay but not something to crave for. I enjoyed it though, especially when I dip my pan de sal into the hot porridge (I'm kinda Barbaric sometimes, you know!) :p.

Arroz Caldo with Egg - Php 35.00

Melon Shake and Watermelon Shake - Php 30.00 each

Mark must have gotten hungry over our chess match haha! So he ordered baked macaroni after he finished his sandwich. I got to try a spoonful of it and didn't really like it. I love the generous amount of cheese though. :p

Baked Macaroni - Php 65.00

Mark and I both finished our dishes but didn't enjoy that much. Maybe we should try Pan de Amerikana's specialties next time. :)

After our breakfast, we continued to check the place out. Right next to our table was a glass cabinet with different chess pieces. What I liked the most was the Star Wars Chess set.

Star Wars Chess Set

Aside from the garden ambience, we also felt like we were inside a museum as we roamed around. A mixture of Filipino, European, and Italian cultures was very evident in the restaurant's interior. Everything is but a lovely work of art!


You can also see different paintings hanging all over the place, which reminded me of my very talented cousin. :)



Another attraction is the hammock and the tree house with hanging bridge.


Though we never really enjoyed the food, we really had fun seeing all the works of art. Thank God the birthday boy enjoyed our first time at Pan de Amerikana :) I also loved that the the staff was not restrictive when it comes to diners enjoying the facilities and roaming around the whole restaurant.

If you want to taste authentic 1950's pan de sal, dine in a garden setting, play chess for free, or see life-sized wind driven Netherland windmill...Pan de Amerikana is the place to be! We will definitely come back and try their specialties! :)

More photos HERE :)

PAN DE AMERIKANA, Marikina
92 Ordonez St., Marikina City
Metro Manila, Philippines
(+632) 475-2398, +63917-5308824
pandeamerikana.multiply.com