Lakan Diwa: September 2011

Window of the World Theme Park, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China (Part 5)

Canada

Finally, here is my last post about the world squeezed theme park, Window of the World. here is the list of attraction in the Americas region;

The Grand Canyon

    Disneyland, U.S.A.
    Mount Rushmore National Memorial, U.S.A.
    The White House, U.S.A.
    Skyscrapers of the Manhattan borough of New York, New York, U.S.A.
    Mount Corcovado, Brazil
    The Statue of Liberty, U.S.A.
    The Houses of Parliament of Brasilia, Brazil
    The Totem-Poles of North American Indians
    The Statues of Warriors, Mexico
    The Capitol Building, U.S.A.
    Jefferson Memorial, U.S.A.
    Lincoln Memorial Hall, U.S.A.
    The Globose, Mexico
    The Statues of Easter Island, Chile
    Linear Drawings at Nasca, Peru

We weren't able to see all of the attractions because we spent much time photo-shooting in the grand canyon area.

The Grand Canyon replica is beautiful, I could imagine the real landscape, triple the beauty, I guess. This was part of Utah's badlands. You could take a ride down the Colorado River through it in a small boat.

I know this has been a very lazy entry. My apologies guys, I ran out of words to describe it but I think, the pictures explained it well. Promise, this is my fifth and last post, lol!

The world is really huge and I want to explore every corner of it. I guess, that is one of the reasons why I work hard and hopefully get a good pension rate when I get a little bit old. Through pension comparison, I hope I could get one.

Where's Our Hard-Earned Money Going

We work so hard to earn money for our family's future, our health and for our security. We tend to double our time working from one full time job plus two or three extra job or part time. We earn more money and we also pay more taxes but every time we pay our taxes, it feels painful.

It's tax time again and I strongly believe that each and every citizen of our nation has to know where is our money is going. I admit, I am ignorant with the facts (actually, i don't even wanna know where my tax is going.). What I knew was it is all going to pay off the country's debt. Every single cent of our taxes actually just pays off the interest which accumulates each year on our national debt.

Don’t get me wrong but I pay my taxes religiously, not me, but the company I’m working with, Internal Revenue's cut from my hard earned money has been deducted automatically to my salary. Its very convenient for me because I don’t need to worry much in filling my taxes. In case I need to go overseas, I could secure extension form online and file for tax extension. So I have no choice to skip. It is painful, but I’ll survive. I pay my dues because I am a responsible citizen of my country. My only wish is that my hard-earned money would be put appropriately in good government projects and not be pocketed by a corrupt politician.

On Rainy Days

Rainy season is really long and its killing me. The ~~bed~~ bad weather is stopping me to travel and visit the places I planned to explore. Staying away from wet inside my rented unit is so boring. Days like these are for movie marathon, cook and eat. But Im kinda lazy to cook. Gosh! Im craving for pizza!....but wait! I think I have Peter Piper Pizza Coupons. Perfect!

The Ayala Triangle Project: Banapple

Baked Creamy Cheese Penne, Php 185.00 ($ 4.23)

The corps d'elite of IBM Global Process Services, "The Canadians", went to the Ayala Triangle Gardens for our traditional Saturday brunch. Highly anticipated since Wednesday last week, we agreed to review a friendly bakery cafe that serves freshly-baked pies, cheesecakes and desserts, as well as delectable food and coffee, Banapple. As per Banapple's facebook page, its name came from their two best sellers Banoffee Pie, and Apple Caramel Crumble.

Herbed Chicken Rolls with Basil Cream Sauce, PhP 185.00 ($ 4.23)

We arrived around 8 - 8:30 AM and have to wait in line just to order because the restaurant was crowded, could be a testament of good eats, I thought. The place can only accommodate a few people inside and the al fresco area didn't help much in accommodating the number of customers coming in. So, I wont recommend to eat there especially during those times. The good thing is that the crew are very courteous, attentive and fast, they put us on waitlist when we arrived. We waited for another 30 minutes to get a table for three. Once seated, we have to order our food in the counter like fast food and minutes later our food were served fresh.

Hickory Smoked Barbecued Country Ribs, PhP 185.00 ($ 4.23)

We already decided what to order days before, I chose Herbed Chicken Rolls with Basil Cream Sauce, herb crusted chicken breast, stuffed with cheese and ham strips, and smothered with their rich basil white sauce; served with glazed carrots. Gemma had Hickory Smoked Barbecued Country Ribs, extra tender country ribs grilled in hickory smoke, glazed with their homemade hickory barbecue sauce, served with corn relish and seasoned garlic rice. Nath tried Baked Creamy Cheese Penne, a luscious white cheese sauce and meaty tomato sauce, with al dente penne pasta and sauteed Hungarian sausage, served with pesto bread. We had a Blueberry Cheesecake for dessert. Their servings are for sharing, they really have big servings for the dishes. Plus, it was presented according to its value.

Blueberry Cheesecake Slice, Php 100.00 ($ 2.29)

So, here's our ratings;

Food Quality : 5

Ambiance : 4

Service : 5

Cost/Prices : 4

photo taken from where I stood while waiting in line.

The dishes that we tried were above average and the prices were reasonable. Our only complain is the long wait. I hope they would open as early as 6:00 AM and/or a 24 hours delivery service. Regardless, Banapple is definitely worth a come back.

Please note that we are non-professional critiques and we are just doing this for fun. We hope that our non-expert reviews help you decide where to dine-in if you happen to check out the restaurants in Ayala Triangle Gardens.

Banapple

Ayala Triangle Gardens

Ayala Ave, Ayala Triangle

Makati

(02) 756-2675

Window of the World Theme Park, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China (Part 4)

The Taj Mahal, India

I know you're getting bored. But this is not my last post about our China trip, I still have ample of pictures to show. Prepare yourselves for more exciting photos of our adventure. This time I'll show you the best of Asia. Although my pictures are not complete, here is the complete list of the miniature attraction in the Asian Region.

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Thailand
    Gyeongbok Palace, South Korea
    Itsukushima Shrine, Japan
    Shirasagi Castle in Himeji, Japan
    Modhera Sacred Well, India
    Borobudur, Indonesia
    The Angkor Wat, Cambodia
    The Taj Mahal, India
    Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar (Burma)
    The Tower of Kuwait
    Merlion, Singapore
    Kek Lok Si, Malaysia
    Mount Fuji, Japan
    Swoyambhunath, Nepal

Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar (Burma)

Modhera Sacred Well, India

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Thailand

If you have plans to explore this place, make sure you have ample of time at least 8 hours. Windows of the world is an awesome place to explore, make sure you don't miss a single attraction to see.. ..I really enjoyed our exploration. My only complain is we don't have enough time to see all the famous landmarks.

Itsukushima Shrine, Japan

Learn the Art of Pastry at Enderun

An Invite to La Cuisine D' Alain Ducasse

Pork Giniling (Cheesy Ground Pork in Dole Tomato Sauce)

Hi folks! How's Wednesday treating you so far?

Monday-Tuesday: Did you do anything fun? just another plain workdays? or unspeakably mundane?

Perhaps you have big plans for the weekend, or maybe hot? or private?

As for me, Wednesday is driving me just fine. Not too fast nor too slow, it is treating me just right. It's wonderful and fantastic I would say.

Perfect indeed, for another recipe adapted from The Peach Kitchen.

The stillness of this day made me think of a comfortable brunch. So, I added quick melt cheese.

Of course, I wouldn't keep this moment secret.

Come here, join me....

Ingredients:

500 grams ground pork
100 grams Magnolia quick melt cheese
2 potato, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 cup raisins
2 cups Dole tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup water
3 pcs hard-boiled egg, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) In a wok, heat 2 tbsp cooking oil, fry potatoes and carrots for 10-15 minutes, set aside.

2) Sauté garlic and onions in the remaining cooking oil until onion become translucent.

3) Put in ground pork and cook around five minutes, allowing the meat to turn a little brown and bring out the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste

4)Pour in tomato sauce and water, add the raisin. Bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes. Mix well.

5)Add potatoes, carrots and Magnolia quick melt cheese. Simmer for another 10 minutes until cheese melts.
.
6)Add hard-boiled eggs and simmer for another 30 seconds. Turn-off heat.

Serve with steamed rice.

Window of the World Theme Park, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China (Part 3)

Let me take you to the the Mysterious Africa region. The miniature Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza in Egypt, Great Temple of Abu Simbel also in Egypt, Lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt, The Dwelling-Houses of African inhabitants, The Ivory Gate, Kenya and The Africa Safari Park, Kenya are among the vivid replicas of the world's wonders.

Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza, Egypt

Indeed, Africa is always full of life, vigor and perhaps... mystery. One of the places that I dream of exploring in real life. I hope I would be able to fulfill my biggest dream of conquering the wonders of the world, and put marks in every attraction I've been to, like putting asset tags in every beautiful spot I visit.

The Great Temple of Abu Simbel, Egypt

Reflected by its visual art and architecture, Africa's culture is very rich and diverse. Distinct and indeginous music and dance, sports, and religion are some of the many reasons why I dream of exploring this region and personally witness the rhythm of their lives.

The Africa Safari Park, Kenya

Africa boasts perhaps the world's largest combination of density and "range of freedom" of wild animal populations and diversity, with wild populations of large carnivores and herbivores ranging freely on primarily open non-private plains. That I think is a great adventure.

The Dwelling-Houses of African inhabitants

Dulce de Leche Apples

As y'all knew, me and my cousins are alternately hosting themed tea party every month. This month's tea party was hosted by Peachy her chosen theme was "Fall". My entry last Sunday was Dulce de Leche Apples , inspired by The Peach Kitchen's Caramel Apples. I chose this recipe because it is apple season and I noticed that fresh apples are abundant in the market with very low prices for just PhP 10 each. Its cheap, just like the tungsten jewelry online that I browsed recently.

Here are the ingredients;

5 small, fresh, crunchy apples

1 c alaska condensed milk

25 grams butter

100 grams brown sugar

lollipop sticks or wooden sticks or whatever stick you like

Chocolate syrup to garnish

Directions

1) Wash apples thoroughly, dry with clean cloth, push lollipop sticks or wooden sticks into the core of the apple.

2) In a small pot, heat butter and brown sugar until tiny bubbles start forming, just before the simmer.

3) Pour in Alaska condensed milk, bring mixture into a boil, stir constantly with a wooden spoon until thick or about 20-30 minutes until mixture reaches 255-260°F.

4) Let the mixture cool a bit, put it into a small bowl then dip the apple in the mixture until it’s coated.

5) Garnish your Dulce de Leche Apples with chocolate syrup, let it cool and set.

Rich

Chocolate, men, coffee: some things are better rich....

A taste of Starbucks' creme brulee frapuccino stands tall above all.

The Ayala Triangle Project: Chef Laudico's Bfast

Bangus Belly Paksiw, PhP 158.00 ($ 3.66)

Last year, when I was working somewhere in The Fort, I planned to review all the restaurants in Serendra. However when I was about to begin, something great came up in my career. I need to move in to a better company located in Makati, more good news when I found a different location, the Ayala Triangle Gardens. Folks, I and my new set of colleagues will review restaurants located in Ayala Triangle and we'll call this The Ayala Triangle Project.

Angus Tapa, PhP 168.00 ($ 3.89)

The project's criteria are; Food Quality, Ambiance, Service, and Cost/Prices, where Five (5) indicates "Exceptional Experience", Four (4) indicates a place "worth a comeback", three (3) means "a casual place to eat", two (2) means "acceptable", and one (1)) means "poor". Please note that we are non-professional critiques and we are just doing this for fun. In some other way, perhaps, our non-expert reviews help you decide where to dine-in if you happen to check out the restaurants in Ayala Triangle Gardens.

Special Beef Stew, PhP 168.00 ($ 3.89) Braised beef in meat sauce topped with garlic mushrooms

Food Quality : 3

Ambiance : 4

Service : 3

Cost/Prices : 2

Angus Tocino, PhP 168.00 ($ 3.89)

Overall Impression:

The taste of food were good but the presentation was poor. Except for the Special Beef Stew and Bangus Belly Paksiw , our food were served in plastic plates. I hate eating in plastic plate and drinking in a plastic, oily cup. We asked for drinking straw but the crew politely said that drinking straw was out of stock. We waited more than 20 minutes but our food were served cold. The ambiance was great, we dine al fresco, surrounded by the most prestigious office towers in the Philippines.

Chef Laudico's BFASt

Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati Ave. Bel-Air
Makati City, Metro Manila
Philippines
Telephone No.(02) 621-6100

Criteria	Score
Food Quality	3
Ambiance	4
Service	4
Cost/Prices	3

Window of the World Theme Park, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China (Part 2)

Window of the World is a theme park where most famous tourist attractions in the world squeezed into 48 hectares (118 acres), a replica park situated in the western part of the city of Shenzhen in the People's Republic of China. What you'll see here are vivid replicas of the world’s wonders, historical heritages and famous scenic sites both man made and natural. It's like traveling the World in just one day, entrance fee is 140.00 CNY ($ 21.91) The Park is well divided into eight scenic areas,the World Square, the Area of Asia, the Area of Europe, the Area of Oceania, the Area of Africa, the Area of America, the Sculpture Park and International Street.

The World Square - After paying our entrance fees, we went in and amazed with the collection of elite culture around the world, a square-shaped oval with relief wall, statues, and stone columns of various styles. Its is really amazing like cloud computing. Just like the solid picture of the development of human civilization in history. It is the most characteristic part of the scenic spots in the window of the world. Below are the complete list of the miniature attraction in European Region.

The Eiffel Tower

France- The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre Pyramid, Notre Dame cathedral and the fountains of the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris, The Palace of Versailles near the town of Versailles, Île-de-France, The abbey of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, The Pont du Gard aqueduct of Vers-Pont-du-Gard, and Languedoc-Roussillon

L’Arc de Triomphel, France

Germany-The Cologne cathedral of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia

Lion Gate of Mycenae, Greece

Greece-The Acropolis of Athens, Attica

Italy-The Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps of Rome, Lazio,The Leaning Tower and nearby cathedral of Pisa, Tuscany, The Piazza della Signoria of Florence, Tuscany, Canals and Piazza San Marco of Venice, Veneto, The Matterhorn mountain, divided between the Aosta Valley region and the Valais canton of Switzerland

Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Netherlands- A typical landscape of Holland, with windmills and tulips

Russia- The wall and clock towers of the Moscow Kremlin and Saint Basil's Cathedral of Moscow, Winter Palace of Saint Petersburg

Spain- The Court of the Lions of the Alhambra complex, in Granada, Andalusia, The Park Güell, in Barcelona, Catalonia

Switzerland- The Matterhorn mountain (see Italy section);

United Kingdom- The Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge of London, England, Stonehenge near Salisbury, England

Buckingham Palace London, England

Stonehenge Salisburry, England