Lumban Ladies: Queens of Embroidery

Lumban is known for the beautiful embroidery (burda) created by their townsfolk. Their embroidery is recognized in the Philippines because of their excellent quality and intricate designs. In this issue 8 of Cake&Whiskey, get to know more about the talented ladies of Lumban.

Don't forget to get your copy now as this week is the final week to subscribe (all orders must be in by Feb. 1).

Subscribe here to get a copy: http://bit.ly/1vEdEoH

Good Vibes c/o Starbucks

Today's Good Vibes (GV) is brought to moi by Starbucks.

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Mornings in the office are usually quiet. But today, I just got back from 2 sick days... and got some weird office news. So tackling these things without coffee is a pretty bad idea. Went out for a coffee run and was pleasantly surprised how perky everyone was in the coffee shop. A lot of "good mornings", "we miss you!", and a lot of "thank yous" were said. No amount of negative vibes could survive that!

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How do you know if your barista misses you? When she writes "nice to see you :)" on your cup.

I've been an absentee customer for weeks because I have been brewing my own coffee in the office and I've also bought tons of VIA - this is why I also have enough stars to get a free VIA.

Happy people + free beans = happy me!

I hope your day ends up as happy as mine!

What you can buy for $6.5 Million

"Phantom" by Peter Lik 
Photo from source: http://www.popsugar.com/tech/most-expensive-photograph-36256506

Your $6.5 Million can buy you this photo. Yep, you read that right. 

This photo is worth big bucks. 

I won't try to act like a pretentious jerk and tell you that I get the pic. Because I don't. But I do think that it is a pretty picture, and it should be worth some amount of money - just not along the lines of millions of dollars.

I also think that this is more worth the money than Rhein II.

"Rhein II" by Andreas Gursky

Photo from source: http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2011/11/most-expensive-photo-world/44772/

Do you think these photos are worth the money?

My Pink Wasabi: Chocolate Cupcake

A cupcake is literally a cup sized serving of a cake, topped with frosting, and portioned just for you! Some people think that it is too girly, especially those varieties with pink frosting and glitter. Look beyond its feminine qualities, because there’s that yummy cake that makes it irresistible to men as well. The yummy frosting and moist cake makes the cupcake universally appealing.

I have tried different cupcakes here in Manila. Some have been quite good that I kept coming back for more, while some have been nothing but eye candy – they didn’t taste quite as good as I imagined it to be. Hrmpf. You can imagine my delight when I saw (via Facebook) that My Pink Wasabi was making some chocolate cupcakes and Chef Anna will be in the MOA area so she can bring some orders with her. Yes! Chocolate cupcakes!!! The joy doesn’t stop there… guess what frostings are available? 

Nutella Frosting!!!

Nutella … And dark chocolate… happy happy joy joy!!!

The Unboxing

First impression: The cupcake is a bit smaller than its other counterparts. I suggest that you stop looking at it and start biting. At first bite I was impressed, the cupcake is simply divine. Moist chocolate cake with just the right amount of sweetness - not sickeningly sweet. There’s no denying that you are eating a chocolate cake, there’s this right amount of bitterness from the cocoa melding with the sweetness of the cake. I was initially doubtful about the frosting. I am a big fan of cupcake frostings. I would usually eat a cupcake starting with the frosting before I proceed to the cake part. I was initially disappointed with the amount of frosting the cupcake had. Tentatively I poked the icing and tasted it. It was a proof that quality is better than quantity! I was soooo happy with it! It felt like Chef Anna melted dark chocolate and used it (without any cheap extenders) as frosting! Pure bliss! After noting my observations, I chomped on the last half of the cupcake. I was pretty much satisfied with what I ate. I was pretty tempted to get another piece because it was so yummy! But I had to save some for my hubby for later. I didn't get to try the nutella frosted cupcake, but I did give one to my office mate  Her reaction is enough to let me know that it was pretty yummy! She was asking me where can she order from My Pink Wasabi. It is pretty addicting I tell you!

I give these cupcakes 2 thumbs up! It's something that I would order again and I would recommend to people. Just one request for My Pink Wasabi... can you guys make red velvet cupcakes? Pretty please? :)

MY PINK WASABI
www.mypinkwasabi.com
mypinkwasabi@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/sweetfusionmanila
www.facebook.com/MyPinkWasabi.pastries

0947-8658634

Indulgence: Mocha

Instead of going downstairs to buy coffee, I have my trusty plastic-y French press here in the office. It has been saving me time and money ever since I bought it... I think in savings alone it has paid for itself. 

There are days when a girl needs about 4 cups of black coffee to get through the day. There are also days when a girl needs is a cup of hot mocha. Easy peas-y with this setup. Brew coffee (or make black coffee from your fave instant coffee), put black coffee in a new mug, add a packet of chocolate mix (or dark chocolate mix), stir and enjoy! :)

As good (or even better) than the 100++ peso ones you can buy in coffee shops!