.. chocolate is LOVE ♥ ..

Phew! A new year has passed by and I’m finally making up a new entry. One topic I would like to focus is about CHOCOLATE. Why? It’s because I simply love them. They’re irresistible, aren’t they?

What are chocolates by the way? They are processed cacao seeds – dried, cleaned then roasted. They are then grounded into cocoa powder and liquefied. These liquefied cocoa are put into molds that make up chocolate.



Types of CHOCOLATE? Let’s break them down…

Unsweetened Chocolate – is pure chocolate liquor, also known as bitter, baking chocolate or cooking chocolate, mixed with some form of fat to produce a solid substance. It is unadulterated chocolate: the pure, ground, roasted chocolate beans impart a strong, deep chocolate flavor. With the addition of sugar, however, it is used as the base for cakes, brownies, confections, and cookies.

Milk Chocolate – is chocolate with milk powder or condensed milk added.

White Chocolate – is a confection based on sugar, nutmeg, and fat without the cocoa solids. Some consider white chocolate not to even be chocolate, because of the lack of cocoa solids.

Dark Chocolate – is produced by adding fat and sugar to cacao. It is chocolate without milk as an additive; sometimes called "plain chocolate" and "black chocolate".

Semisweet Chocolate – is often used for cooking purposes. It is a dark chocolate with low sugar content.

Bittersweet Chocolate – is chocolate liquor to which some sugar, more cocoa butter, vanilla and sometimes lecithin has been added. It has less sugar and more liquor than semisweet chocolate, but the two are interchangeable in baking.

Some most popular brands of chocolates are Cadbury, Hershey, Mars, Toblerone, Snickers, Skittles, M&M and Lindt.

One brand I would love to recommend is Cadbury with Fruits and Nuts or Cadbury with Caramel. So sweet! Also for those who are not really fond of eating sweets, you could try Cadbury Dark Chocolate – bittersweet! =]]

Anyways, I would like to promote irhene-nee-chan’s site: IGC and join the Chocolate Fan Club I made there.

.. my very first wallpapers ..

after months of not updating my blog, i'm terribly sorry! i have been busy with school and i really don't have much time to blog.. and even if i blogged, i think i couldn't post any since my brain is drained! *literally!*

these are the very first wallpapers, i made using Adobe! *consider these as a sense of accomplishment, okay?*

they're not really good since the edges are not well-defined.. *there are irregularities in the pictures* but it's okay.. i've improved in using the software now though, i haven't made a new wallpaper yet.. soon! =]]
note: i made these three for one day.. unbelievable, isn't it?

Fruits Basket Wallpaper
- Tohru Honda -

Little Snow Fairy Sugar Wallpaper
- Sugar -

- Izumi Sakurazawa Wallpaper -

.. pictures from Baguio with love .. ♥

♥ As I said in my previous post, pictures will be posted and here they are! Enjoy! ♥
*hint: click on picture to view full size*

this is the view from the log house we stayed in:



these are the wonders that exist in Teacher's Camp:





The Mansion:



Botanical Garden:



uhm.. Burnham Park's Man-made Lake:



~enjoy? comments are highly appreciated! thanks. =]]

.. hanatsuki hime ..

I just read this manga series a while ago.. *no kidding!*

But this series took my breath away!

Hanatsuki Hime

Plot Summary:

When Lys was born, her heart did not beat at all. To save her, her mother made a contract with a devil: Lys can borrow his heart until the day she turns 16, but after that, he will eat her body. Together with her companion, Siva, someone she met by chance on the desert at night, she travels around as a dancer girl to find the devil who sealed her fate. One day, while they were traveling, they suddenly meet an egoistic prince and a ring spirit… A Thousand and One Nights romance between the devil and the young girl.

credits to: aerandria

- to read free manga online click here
- to download its release click here

* credits to aerandria.. click here to visit the site..

.. avatars ..

here are some avatars I made for quite some time.. they are too simple, mind you.. you might not like it but here it is:








.. I told you so ..
.. I certainly hoped you liked it! ..
.. thanks for checking it out! ..

note: please don't claim them as yours, plagiarism is a crime, you know?

.. talking about summer ..

Recently, I've been posting blog posts shorter than what I've expected but nonetheless, it's a bit convenient though because I'm not really that brainstorming a lot. *laughs*

Anyways, want to know what I'm doing recently? Here's an update:

As I was saying in my previous post, there's a wedding I should attend. As a matter of fact, I sacrificed my publication workshop. *sigh* But even though it's okay since I felt like I truly had fun traveling this summer. It's my first time that I traveled by land, by sea and by air - not to mention the naivete of riding an airplane. Another is I traveled up to the North down to the South.

Honestly, I'm just pretty much sitting around and doing nothing aside from listening to music and singing. *coughs* I even find it weird that I'm not into watching television that much now compared to before. Well, maybe one reason why is that is perhaps there are only a few shows in which I would like to watch. I'm also a bit picky in these kinds of things.

One thing I want to profess is that I take care of my baby cousin here. *laughs* I wouldn't call myself a baby sitter because I don't want to be called such and furthermore, I'm pretty much used to it. I've been taking care of my younger sister and brother when they were still little. Tucking them to sleep is my specialty. *smiles*

Some things I do are household chores. I'm proud of myself because I thought I couldn't do them even though I know how to do them. I practically wash the dishes, mostly after dinner since I eat the most during the particular mealtime and the family is complete so there are more plates to wash. *challenging, isn't it?* I also laundry my clothes and press them after. I cook! *laughs* But not always compared at home. One reason that I cook because I love food and eating them. *what else do you do with food?*

Before I forget, I currently live with my grandparents here with two dogs.

Why did I mention that?

Apparently, they are two dogs that guard the house here. One's named Kirby and the other is named Beagle - my favorite. Why did I like him? Even though, his eyes are bulgy and sometimes when he's not on the mood, you can't mess with him. He usually approaches me when I'm eating food that he likes. Yet, when I pat him on the head, he growls. He sometimes doesn't when some people are around. I'm still happy though because he listens to me when I ask him to come inside. He could be named, "Beagle the Grouch". *laughs* Let's move on to Kirby. Compared to Beagle, he is playful and eats anything that is edible as Beagle hardly eats anything since he is allergic to some food. Kirby's favorite food? Bitter gourd.

Totally, I like my summer this year and I like it here. When I would finally come back home, I'd spend time with my friends - watch movie together, food trip and fun-searching.

Until here! Ciao! =)

.. up the cold North ..

In my previous post: Summer - Live, Laugh, Love Life!, I aforementioned that I would be having a vacation in the North. It was really very nice! Want to know where? Baguio City! The City of Pines. A God-given place, a true sanctuary for which it has a green environment.

People in Baguio are indeed honest - a one peso change would still be returned back to you after you rode on a taxi. Speaking of it, taxis in Baguio are unconditioned. It's one of the things that amazed me the most. Moreover, its tourist spots are near the civilization. You don't have to ride for kilometers.

What else?

Would I ever forget the flowers? They're so pretty and well-taken cared of. Sunflowers and Daisies were among those I recognized. Some flowers were new to me and pretty much, perhaps, they only live in places with cold climates.

I also wouldn't forget the fog that happens every morning and dusk. It also fogs before it rains or when it currently rains.

The last thing I couldn't forget are the strawberries! Strawberries are naturally sour. Its life span for staying fresh is only a day. You need to eat them right away after you buy or handpick them. If you can't consume then the most advised thing to do is not to refrigerate for it would have black spots the next day. Strawberries are also made into jams or preserved wholly in jars. They are also made into kisses - aside from peanut and chocolate.

The cold climate and green environment, what more could you ask for? Visiting the place was really worth it and fun-filled because you get to see the beauty of the things He has given to us. The adventure is out of this world!

Partly convinced? Let's travel! Bon voyage!

.. pictures would be posted soon ..
A picture does say a thousand words, doesn't it?