Dancing with Barbie Dolls

"Oooh I wanna dance with somebody...I wanna feel the heat with somebody!" sings Whitney Houston.

Even Barbie is feeling the urge to dance...in the ballroom, no less! Spotted these special edition Barbie dolls at Target tied in with my favorite celebrity dance show "Dancing with the Stars."

Only serious Barbiephiles can afford to collect these at $34.99 each.

I would pick the Paso Doble Barbie if I had to choose between these two. The All-New Season of Dancing with the Stars returns on March 19th and I can't wait! Ballroom glitz and glamour as they descend on the spiral stairs! Who will I root for this season? I have a feeling they'll dance to at least one Adele song.

A Car That's 2Strong

It took two toll booths and a total of $18.50 to get to Woodside in Queens, New York to satisfy a Jollibee craving on President’s Day Weekend. It was really a request from our Canadian guests who came to visit us, and it was either that or freeze while queueing for the ferry boat to the Statue of Liberty (which they’ve been wanting to see up close). The red bee won, especially since we were all hungry and it was already lunch time.

Thankfully, parking was a breeze on a sidestreet near the one and only Jollibee branch in the entire East Coast. Right in front of our spot was this car with a heroic trunk and matching message on the license plate. Someone is obviously a huge (pun intended) fan of The Hulk! And that reminds me, the new Avengers movie is coming up! Hopefully it lives up to the hype!

I wonder if the owner of this car was dining in the jampacked fastfood shrine we were visiting, or perhaps lives in the apartment building right next to its spot. This is what I love about New York: it never ceases to amaze, surprise and amuse. If this were a car sighting in California, though, it can be a cool ride to do San Francisco hotel reviews in.  

Ideally, Bruce Banner would do this in a mild manner.

Gift Guru-ness

Some say Valentine’s Day is a holiday spawned by Hallmark and chocolate-makers. It’s a day when singles feel most singled out, but I enjoy the card-giving tradition that goes with it. It’s also an excuse to eat more chocolate, especially ones that come in some heart-associated, usually red packaging.

There is bliss in sending Valentine cheer, amplified when it is received from thoughtful friends from across the miles. These mailed goodies from Ody and Pavinee are just a few heartwarming examples. Love can come with a postage stamp!

For my cousins, there were the ubiquitous chocolates which I paired with movie certificates I had purchased at a wonderful discount. In gift-giving, a good rule of thumb to follow is that when in doubt, get them gift cards/ gift certificates. It helps to know where they love to shop/dine! Pick a store they adore and let them do the picking of what they really want. You will never go wrong! Gift cards are also a time and sanity-saving shopping device especially for those who do not want to linger at the mall mulling over what to get someone. Plus, you don’t have to wrap it.

So are you a Gift Guru?

Rolling Pin-and-Cookie Cutter Container-in-One!

Have you ever experienced finding exactly what you're looking for at the exact time you need it? That's what happened to me tonight while browsing at one of my favorite stores, TJ Maxx. See, I'm about to make my first Graduation Cake for my cousins' Graduation Party this Sunday and I want to buy a big rolling pin for the fondant. I ALSO need to buy star-shaped cookie cutters as I want to incorporate star shapes on their cake.

And this was the amazing product I serendipitously found! It's exactly what I need AND THEN SOME! A big rolling pin with 9 cookie cutters inside...one of them being a star shape! Wow! Thank you so much, Dear Universe! You read my mind and blew it away at the same time! (Only a fellow baking geek would understand how I feel.)

If there were wireless security cameras in that store, they would probably have seen me do my secret happy dance. It was only $7.99! And I was actually planning on getting an expensive Wilton-brand rolling pin and a start-shaped cookie cutter. This fabulous find saved me money, time and gas!

From Vienna With Love

Viva Vienna!

 Ody surprised me with this parcel containing Le Rouge Ecrin jewel lipstick compact in four shades, I Love Vienna postcard, heart-shaped Vienna fridge magnet, Manner Neapolitan Wafers, and a fish magnet from Coron. Ever heard of how you reveal part of your personality through the gifts you give? I heart the heart theme in these goodies! And the glam Parisian lipstick set! The Manner shows how sweet the gift-giver is! (See Miss Iggy with a pink Manner carriage in Vienna!)

I'm packing the wafers and lipstick in my luggage to Puerto Rico (I leave Sunday night). There won't be riding boots in there but flipflops!

Again, Danke, Ody, from the bottom of my corazon!

Tea Fit For Royalty

I was quick to snatch this royally purple tin can of English Breakfast Tea in Royal Wedding edition and ran it under a barcode scanner as my little souvenir of this important British event. I'm keeping the tin after I finish all the teabags, of course.

This way, I get my cup of tea with a fairytale flavor. Because deep inside my tea-drinking soul is a believer of Happily Ever Afters.

It's 2:30AM Eastern Time....the wedding begins in a few hours. I hope I wake up and see most of it. It's gonna take more than tea to keep me awake at work today!

Hey, check me out in England four years ago!

Glee Glam!

I've seen various Glee-inspired merchandise out there, but never Glee makeup sets!

I know you can find pretty much everything at Marshall's and TJ Maxx, from furniture to tv brackets to bags and clothing, but this is the first time I came across Glee cosmetics. Would you rather look like Rachel or Quinn?

I've been missing out on this season's Glee episodes, though. I need some catching up.  

It Takes Tea To Tango

A cup of tea is literally my cup of tea! I prefer tea over coffee, actually. I consider it my beverage for rejuvination. My cousin who's a Business student at NYU recently came back from a university-sponsored educational week-long trip to Buenos Aires and brought me these: Argentine tea with a souvenir tea cup made out of hollowed gourd and a tea infuser spoon!

I love the tango couple engraved on the cup! Buenos Regalos de Buenos Aires!

These are Guaymallen chocolate cookie sandwiches that are individually wrapped but come in a big bag. You will have a sweet tooth explosion because the chocolate sandwiches do have fillings!

Delicioso!

A Tote Bag of OMG-itis!

I received this tote bag filled with two years' worth of birthday gifts from Ging recently. It was a happy coincidence that my mom flew to the Philippines so she had an opportunity to get these sent to me. I had only expected to receive a spare Miss Igorota doll to send to our newest recruit in Maryland, but I got all these!

• 4 Miss Igorota dolls (One was already sent to Maryland)
• One vintage Holland America canvas tote bag (I have a good feeling about this, it may be a travel omen of sorts!)
• Balloon-decorated padded envelope which reminded of me the Balloon Cake I made!
• Curly Tops & Chocnut chocolates!
• Papemelroti notebook, Desiderata 2011 Calendar, ink stamps & blue earrings!
• Brown fish plush!
• Bell + Howell BF 35 camera! OMG!!! Totally unexpected! And the ironic thing about this camera is that the box says it's made by Jazz Photo Corp. which is based in New Jersey!

My heart overfloweth with gratitude as much as this tote bag overfloweth with generous goodies! I was so happy I thought I needed to be strapped to an EKG machine from hyper glee. I thank thee, Ging!

Cupcake Connoisseur

I may have alienated some of my blog readers by my continuous chronicling of all things confectionary.

My eyes light up whenever I spot cupcake-inspired merchandise....such as this cupcake keychain from Bath & Body Works. (They also have an itsy bitsy hand sanitizer that's cupcake-scented!)

And this cupcake bib! What a sweet little accessory for a birthday baby!

"Desperate Cupcakes" book at Macy's. Cupcakes Gone Wild. Cupcakes in Adult Situations.

Cupcake cookie jars! With cookies inside!

And Michaels has these cupcake items in stock! Cupcake erasers and cupcake-shaped favor boxes! Not in photo are their cupcake notecards.

I just got myself a cupcake apron, by the way. (Apron porn alert!) Now if they only had a cupcake-themed heated blanket, too...

Just Beat It!

It was a huge relief when my mom unearthed this unused stand mixer that she got as a Christmas gift many years ago. As I've been mixing batter after batter a lot more lately because of my cake decorating classes and a few special occasions, this was a much-needed kitchen tool upgrade from the tedious egg beater and hand mixer.

What I love about it is that when you switch it on, the bowl spins in its place while the metal blades spin in the opposite direction. And it comes in six different speeds!

All this sweet, sugary stuff has me wondering about oxyelite pro side effects at the back of my mind, but I can't help having fun with these cakes!

Christening Couture

My baby niece was recently christened, and of course, our family was all hyper-busy with the party preparations and make-shift accommodation our home provided for our guests from Chicago and Canada. As is the norm in Filipino christenings, my niece had more than a pair of godparents. She had a total of six godparents!

One of her godmothers ("Madrina" in Spanish, as my niece is half-Puerto Rican) gave her this cherubic Christening gown. If you look closely, there is an embroidered detail of Our Lady of Guadalupe on it. Isn't it just immaculate on her? And also, aren't her eyelashes just stunningly long?

Her gifts yielded a huge lot of gorgeous baby clothes enough to keep her fashionably up-to-date all summer long. We can't wait to get her in those stylish summer dresses that would let her drink in the sunshine more, as she's been mostly indoors because of winter. And let's not forget the beach!

Christening Cupcakes

There's a story, a celebration, behind every cake. These are the cupcakes I made for my baby niece's christening last Saturday. I only had one muffn pan to bake these cupcakes on, so I stayed up late baking batch after batch and adding swirls and Spring-themed sprinkles on top of each cupcake.

I had originally planned on using the Peeps marshmallows as cupcake toppers, as if they're sitting on a nest of frosting. I ditched the idea last minute and used the Peeps as decor instead.

I was excited to use the cupcake tower I had bought on clearance from Walmart after Valentine's Day. For a mere $5, this tower came with a lid, 6 icing bags and 3 decorating tips.

Last night's dinner at a Chinese restaurant had me pulling two fortunes from just one fortune cookie. The first said "You are gifted in many ways." The other said "You will be unusually successful in business." Could the heavens be telling me to open up a cake business? Baking franchises, maybe?

I'm so glad I signed up for the Wilton Basic Cake Decorating course this month. Best $17.50 I've ever spent for myself so far. Only two more Mondays until the course ends. But we're already given another discount coupon for the next courses if we're interested.

I see fondant in my future!

Litratong Pinoy #98: Kayumanggi (Brown)

Did you know that it's Barbie's 52nd Birthday this month? Yes, the world's favorite fantastic, plastic doll is a golden girl! And her wardrobe has gone through a fashion time warp, too! What caught my eye recently at Target was the line of destination-inspired Barbie dolls!

From left: British Barbie in a brown, Big Ben dress! Ask her the time and she'll tell you it's time for high tea AND high fashion! Then there's Aussie Barbie with a dress as architecturally complex as the Sydney Opera House! Finally. there's Japanese Barbie in a memoir-worthy geisha garb!

Not sure what else is there in that line but there wasn't an Arctic Barbie with trekking poles on display.

Which one's your favorite? Mine would have to be the Big Ben Barbie...London's the only place I've visited among the three! (Layovers in Japan don't really count!)

I do recall seeing Maria Clara-outfitted Filipina souvenir Barbies at Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall in the Philippines. Now that would be a true brown incarnation of Barbie!

Naaalala mo pa ba ang unang Barbie doll mo? May Ken ka rin ba noon? Susyal na talaga si Barbie ngayon, no?

Fortuitously Fabulous 10th Blogoversary Giveaway!

I finally put together my prize package to celebrate my blog's 10th anniversary (March 7th)! The pieces you see reflect bits of my personality, namely, my love of travel, postcards, shopping, cats, and more recently, baking!

I hope you're not too feaked out by my cat's candid paw attack there. She was curious about what I was trying to photograph and just reached out as I clicked the shutter, so there it is. Perhaps she got jealous of the tiny ceramic cat figurine!

Details on the prizes:

-CAT FIGURINE: I love cats. I also love this figurine so much that I have two of it! It's been with me for a looong time. I had bought them with the intent of giving the other one to a fellow cat-lover sometime in the future. I decided to give the other one away at this momentous blogging milestone. Below her butt reads "The Franklin Mint Copyright 1986"

-J. CREW TOTE BAG: I love tote bags, and I love J. Crew, even before First Lady Obama made it famous! I draw photographic inspiration from their monthly catalogs. Sometimes, I just go in their store to get a catalog. Even the one for their "Crewcuts" line. They recently started selling these tote bags! So, tote your books in style with this 100% cotton tote bag with a sassy illustrated print! (Made in China)

-STRAWBERRY APRON: I'm a budding baker and a recent apron aficionado. I want to share my kitchen inspiration with you through this strawberry-print apron from Michaels! I chose the strawberry print because it's the official fruit of my traveling doll, Miss Igorota, who originally came from Strawberry Farm in the Philippines. May this apron inspire you to create something delicious and proudly home-made, or you can also wear it for your crafting hobbies! Or be a trendsetter and wear it as a beach cover-up! The apron is a full-sized bib style apron with an adjustable neck strap and has ties at the waist, and a pocket on the chest. Cotton, Made in China.

-WOODEN JOURNAL: I also collect journals, and write on them! This one has covers made of "eco-friendly sustainably harvested wood" and contains "100% post-consumer paper." I'm the type of person who is recycle-conscious and thinks thrice before throwing stuff away. This cute journal is made in "Homewood, OWLabama" by Night Owl Paper Goods. Write with an eco-friendly conscience!

-TAIWAN SCREEN POSTCARD: One of the most awesome postcards I ever came across! I love postcards and I saw these at the Taipei Airport gift shop on a layover last year. It has a screen photo of tourist sites that's like a film slide, and it has its own stand for automatic display! A picture frame postcard! The photo shows Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.

-CHICAGO KEY CHAIN: I go to Chicago fairly regularly because we have family there, so here's a quintessential travel souvenir: a key chain!

HOW DO YOU WIN THESE?

Simple! Just leave a comment here answering any OR all of these questions:

1. How did you get to know my blog?
2. What do you like about my blog?
3. What DON'T you like about my blog?

Be honest! Nice things or brutally honest things said do not increase or decrease your chances of winning! Randomizer will do the picking for me!

Just make sure there's a way for me to contact you when you leave a comment such as a Blogger profile or email address. Comments for this giveaway will be accepted until 11:59PM EST, March 7, 2011. Winner will be picked by random and announced on March 8, 2011. Contest open worldwide!

GOOD LUCK!

Apron Porn!

Bitten by the baking bug--that's me. You may have noticed my previous posts on my baking baby steps. Right now, I'm mostly using boxed cake mixes, but I do eventually want to bake from scratch. I understand that when you want to be really good at something, you have to learn the nitty-gritty basics. I imagine instant cake mixes must offend the Gods of Cookery, but I must start somewhere easy. I would eventually want to make ube (purple yam) cake from scratch, because it's a favorite flavor for Filipinos.

At this stage, I'm more interested in decorating cakes with icing. So interested I am that I enrolled in a Wilton Basic Cake Decorating course next month at our local Michael's Store. It'll be every Monday in March for two hour sessions. The first class will be about decorating cookies. Ultimately, I want to be flawless with fondant...but that would be another Wilton course. Or perhaps I can learn it on my own!

With the baking bug comes this aching for aprons which I sought to satiate with Ebay. I was seduced by the vintage ones--the ones not available in department stores. An apron is an important kitchen apparel which when worn should inspire you to create something delicious!

So my apron loot consists of these: an authentic Strawberry Shortcake (in pristine condition, hard to believe it's vintage)--because I'm a sucker for Strawberry Shortcake; a set of Hawaiian fish half apron wih matching fish-shaped potholders (vintage but unused in original packaging, made in Honolulu); a quilted Holly Hobbie Christmas half apron, also vintage; and last, a more recent Giada De Laurentiis for Target full-sized apron, because when I first saw her cooking line at Target, I wasn't crazy about baking or aprons yet.

My baked goodies will be in direct contrast to thermogenic fat burners, but I'm glad I have these lovely aprons to keep me inspired to bake!

Are you obsessed with something right now that inspires you?

Hawaiianas

It just struck me as TROPECULIAR that I obtained Hawaiian-themed thingamajigs from The Becky, whom I met with her husband in New York City last month, and Kayni--from her birthday blog contest (which I won) also last month.

The hula girl toe socks were given to me by The Becky, while the Hawaiian planner, bookmark and Mahalo greeting card were all from Kayni. I love them all!

Just look at the kawaii-fine-oh details on the toe socks!

Coconut bras, hula skirts and sequin leis! My feet would be itching for a luau! As in, now!

Thank you, girls, from the bottom of my snowed-in heart!

How Tweet It Is

Nowadays, people say "Tweet Me!" to those they like instead of/aside from the traditional "Call Me!" If you met in a bar, you'd scribble the Twitter username of the other person on that piece of napkin prefixed by the "@" symbol instead of the usual phone number.

Times have changed. Just look at this social networking-inspired candy to illustrate my point. Twitter is really just an advanced form of texting in which shortened URLs and hashtags are part of the 140 character-conversation.

What to watch on Valentine's Day? Maybe another round of that "Mamma Mia!" DVD, a story which stemmed from the lack of paternity testing technology in that gorgeous Greek island. Thank heavens ABBA saved the day!

Litratong Pinoy #94: Malambot (Soft)

This is one of the very first photos I took with my DSLR back in August last year. I assume this soft Liberty Duck makes a quacking noise when you press its tummy. This plush piece of poultry was spotted at a souvenir shop in Manhattan, where you won't find weight loss pills that work, but will find postcards to send back home.

Bigla ko naalala si Aiza Seguerra noong maliit pa siya. Pinasikat niya yung "duck walk" sa Eat Bulaga! at sa mga sine niya kasama si Tito, Vic at Joey. Hindi na siya bibe ngayon.

Pirate Piñata!

If you're having a pirate-themed party, then this pirate piñata is the perfect paper vessel for all your loot, spotted at the party aisle at Target yesterday.

Do pirates plunder phenphedrine reviews? I think Capt. Jack Sparrow won't say "Aye!"

While inside the Disney Store, I happened to catch the trailer of the newest Pirates of The Caribbean sequel, which I thought ended for good with "At World's End." This time, it has no Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightley, but does have menacing mermaids and a powerful Penelope Cruz! Oh, and yes, it's in 3-D! (And it sure looks like Penelope Cruz is dying to crack open Johnny Depp's character like a piñata, but with a sword!)

Coming out this summer (May 20th to be exact), "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" brings back the sensational and savvy Sparrow, but with a tinge of strangeness since Bloom and Knightley are no longer in it.

The latest quest is for the legendary "Fountain of Youth." And it ain't Botox, me hearties!