RYU RESTAURANT ( LUCENA CITY )

The YAPPY BUNCH are in Yub's hometown in Lucena City spending time with his family for the Chinese New Year. Normally, we would be in the streets of Binondo stuffing ourselves silly with Chinese food. But this time, he decided to spend it instead with his Yap family.

Tonight though we agreed to try out anything that the family craved because we were still full from our Palaisdaan lunch. It was suggested that we go for this new cafe that also had live music and platters of food....

RYU RESTAURANT!

And no, this is not the Ramen hub that's popular in Quezon City.

RYU had a sleek wooden design that's reminiscent of cafes in the Metro.

BARBECUE NIGHTS AT F1 HOTEL MANILA

For our F1 HOTEL MANILA staycation this summer (blog post coming soon) we had an awesome dinner under the stars at the CANARY LOUNGE!

Photo from F1 HOTEL MANILA

Normally the CANARY LOUNGE is a pool-side cocktail area to have drinks and hang out. But that night, we were lucky to be spoiled by our favorite F1 HOTEL MANILA with a barbecue all to ourselves!

Our barbecue night at F1 HOTEL MANILA!!!

Barbecue nights are not really regularly offered in F1 HOTEL MANILA but you could set it up with their food and beverage department. It's a great alternative if you feel like having a romantic and gastronomical dinner under the stars.

That night though we had this big glowering moon over us. May not be camera friendly but I felt this gave us perfect lighting and ambience! 

OUR YAPPY NEW YEAR CELEBRATION FOR 2015!

And once again just when you thought I was done with my holiday entries, HELLO! My last one sprouts up! Because like I said, I became lazy as a daisy (and big as a beluga whale) during the Christmas season that I didn't get anything done.

Would you believe I just packed my gifts in used paper bags? Yu-uh. Like I said. Lazy. 

Oh and cheap. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Anywho, to somehow "let go" of the holidays of 2014, I am now sharing what we did this New Year's vacation in Quezon Province. As much as I want to skip ahead and just feature the latest in my life (like my recent staycation with Benedict Cumberbatch), I want to put on record the fun that THE YAPPY BUNCH had in saying hello to 2015.

And no cutesy poo brit could stop me from doing that. Weh he he he he!

Now moving on, let me just share that ever since the Chinese Adonis and I got hitched, we have been spending our New Year's with his side of the family in Quezon Province. Since I know a LOT of people about to get married (you know who YOU are, that is, if you read my blog), a workable arrangement in sharing the love every holiday season is to spend Christmas with this family and New Year's with this family. It may be quite unsettling at first and you may shed some tears when you miss your loved ones at the strike of 12, but don't worry. You will be building new memories with your newest "team" that you will immediately start counting your blessings instead of getting all broken up with sentiment.

So that's what we did! We may have our usual New Year Traditions with my family but the prospect of creating new special moments with THE YAPPY BUNCH is too irresistable to resist. So even if I still feel a tug in my heart saying good bye to my family every year at the end of December, I have the Quezon Province with Yub's gang to look forward to.

And we have a blast every single time (super pun intended). 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Every time we go to Quezon Province, our first stop would always be lunch at our favorite PALAISDAAN!!!

This time though, Andrei brought with him the fishing rod he bought with his own allowance. 

LEAVING LAS VEGAS!!!!!

And FINALLY.

After about 4 months of non-stop posting about our US trip last May, it has finally come to this.... 

Our last blog entry about our US vacation to celebrate Andrei's 7th birthday!!!!

I know you may already be sick and tired of this but sorry to say, the Chinese Adonis and I ARE NOT. He he he he! Besides, we did ERICJAZ FOODIES to serve as our online diary/photo album and since we enjoyed our family vacation in the US so much, we want to remember every single minute of it!

So with this, I bring to you our last day in Las Vegas.... hopefully, for now. Tee hee!

Anywho, the day of our flight, I woke up extra early for THIS.

OW EM.... to the highest maximum gulay! It's the day of our flight and I haven't even started with packing all our boxes and bags!! Even if the Chinese Adonis was willing to help, I have my own proven technique in doing it (taught by the great Ate Shiela) that saves space and cushions even the most fragile of objects. 

But since I was too hungry (AND lazy) to function, I went to the kitchen to have some breakfast first!

Garlic rice with lots of ham!

Crispy Bacon!

STUDIO B (M RESORT - LAS VEGAS)

Before going to Las Vegas, I promised myself that I will only eat a quarter of meat matched with a whole platter of vegetables so that I could still maintain my (ahem) wonderful figure. I have been pretty successful so far especially that I would just share entrees with the little lords then control my food intake by just having a side salad. Everything was going well until my Kuya Nap happily announced that he was going to take us to a seafood buffet in M resort.

Wow. Seafood and buffet. I don't need a picture to know that my diet will go downhill from there. 

We were driving to California on Sunday so we attended Saturday mass  in my cousin's parish. 

As their custom here in the Philippines, the little lords ran up to the priest to give respect (here we do it via "mano"). 

I'm sure the priest did not know this Filipino custom but he did give the kiddies blessings and a few words of wisdom.

After church, it was a long straight drive to M resort. Wow! You don't see this very often in Manila. This is what my husband definitely misses in the US!

And so we're here...

STUDIO B!

CHILI'S (PART DEUX)

My husband may not be a romantic (NOT by a long shot believe me) but I could say that he would do what he can to make me happy. During his birthday weekend, even if the celebrant was supposed to get his way in EVERYTHING, he heard that I was craving for mashed potatoes and insisted that we eat somewhere that served it. 

Awwww... considering that he did not touch the stuff, isn't my guy the best? 

I did not tell him though that my mashed potatoes should have a side of steak... Ha ha ha ha ha!

And THAT was why we ended up at CHILI'S!

CHILI'S! One of our favorite restaurants because it is where we first met on a blind date!

BLECH!

KETTLE

It seems like KETTLE is all the rage nowadays and I've been hearing a LOT of raves left and right. With that we were not just compelled but rather hypnotized to mark our calendars and set our next date night there. 

KETTLE!