There's something about doughnuts that makes me nuts! I forgot why though. I was shaken in bed by a reminder with an alarm that today's the birthday of my doughnut-addict alter ego. And I was extremely happy because finally, I'll get to stuff a couple of donuts in my mouth after a week of craving for it or so. And here's the thing. They're not just donuts! They're Krispy Kreme donuts which brings my craving to an international level.They're world-famous right!?

My only problem is that I'm actually late for the event. So I called a friend who was there at the event if it's still okay to come over and she said that they're still having lunch. I quickly searched for my invitation card and found out that I actually have two. In case you wanted to know I got them from Abreeza Ayala Mall over a meet-and-greet dinner with the mall's new manager. So I immediately went downstairs to drag my cousin (Minorca) who was caught unprepared for the things in store for her, I mean, in store for us at Krispy Kreme. Luckily it would only take us 5 minutes to get to the venue. ^_^ So it was a GO!

I think I have to tell you that my cousin is not really a blogger. She's not even interested but I've been bugging her ever since about it. I know she's really got a big potential of being a fashion blogger. I just know it. She needs a little help in the writing part but I know she'll improve later on. So, I dragged her along and when we arrived - BOOM! My happy-o-meter rose up declaring it's indeed my donut-addict alter-ego's self-proclaimed birthday. Oh, I know that sounds so 'assuming' but it really made my day.


What made it even more special is that I got the chance to create my own donut! More appropriately customize one. It's so simple. You pick an original glazed donut, dip it on their chocolate swirling machine, dribble it for some time, shake it 20 times (Yes, every shake counts!), pick it up and sprinkle it with whatever topping you want. :-)

It sounds so simple but it was NOT!! At least for me. You see, I've got big hands and it was a little hard for me to hold the donut without deforming its base. So I need to loosen my grip a little which got me scared that the donut might fall on the chocolate swirling machine. Halfway through I got so nervous that I forgot to count during the shaking part. (O__O) Suddenly, I was the one shaking. I was actually surprised that I got to do it - finally! *sigh*




After that my cousin and I ordered snicker doughnuts and iced coffee to fill our hungry tummies. Yey!


It wasn't my first time to try any Krispy Kreme doughnut but I've got to say that they have the best tasting doughnuts which is perfect for the Davaoeno's taste buds. Now I remember why I get crazy over doughnuts! I'm a Davaoeno. As simple as that.

Whenever a Davaoeno comes home to Davao from abroad or even just in Manila they would always bring a box of doughnuts as "pasalubongs". Somehow, I could say it has become a tradition. A Davao thing that's been going on since God knows when and now that Krispy Kreme has finally landed the Royal City of the South. There's no more flying! Only more of Krispy Kreme's goodness nextdoor. :-)

Life is Here!

P.S.

Please also check my cousin's first post on her blog! New blog actually since we couldn't recover her tumblr account. :-)  Check it here: Welcome Krispy Kreme! Be nice.

I rarely eat breakfast these days and when I do it's either I'm forced to wake up early to travel, attend an event or I'm about to sleep. No school. I stopped. Don't ask! Good thing there's brunch. It's supposed to be my tummy's new best friend as of my current lifestyle. But here's the thing. I usually wake up at around 10 in the morning and I'm left with a cold pandesal and some egg dish in the kitchen every fucking day. In fact, today I woke up with a cold pandesal and scrambled eggs for brunch. Tomorrow I'll probably wake up with another cold pandesal but with a sunny side up. The following day, I expect to have a cold pandesal and a scrambled egg with hotdog chunks. Then the day after that I think I'll wake up with another plate of a cold pandesal and a weird tasting tomato omelet. I know I should be thankful because I still got something to eat (even if it's always egg and pandesal) and most of all because I still get to wake up. Thank God! But I just can't imagine five more days, five more years, five more lifetimes eating egg and pandesal for brunch. If that ever happens - knocks on wood - I'll probably be able to lay eggs.



And in case there's a need for you to know, I don't usually eat rice during brunch or even breakfast. Not that I am on a diet or anything. I just don't feel like it. Char. I eat rice during those times only when I don't have a choice and my Mom's around to tease me about dieting. Which really ruins my day. Another thing, actually together with the egg and pandesal are either hotdogs, corned beef, preserved meat stuff and other canned goods cooked for breakfast. Unfortunately to me, these goods would always end up to the lunch boxes of my siblings who goes to school


Then one morning I was just staring at the cold pandesal and the hard-boiled egg on the table. And I swear I thought I was gonna die or something. Suddenly I heard a noise in the living room. I didn't budge because I still feel so fucked-up of waking up from my short sleep. When I turned back to the egg and the pandesal, the two looked back staring at me and I was like WTF! The hard-boiled egg quickly rolled itself down the table and the pandesal followed hopping like Jimminey Cricket. I immediately composed myself and tried to snapped out of what the hell was going on but I realized my brunch suddenly became interesting (At least, at last!). Choose the best answer in the parenthesis.

I went under the table to check but the two weren't there anymore. So I turned back and saw that the pandesal and the egg each developed some tiny arms and feet and that they're actually running towards the living room. I crawled going to their direction and noticed that they are headed to the wall clock that fell on the floor. As they neared the clock some beam of light came out of it and the egg and the pandesal leaped up to the light. They held each others hand while the song "Hawak Kamay" was playing on the background. I could also hear the ticking of the clock and suddenly everything was in slooooooowwww mooooottttioooooon. The two just floated on the light and got sucked inside the clock. I thought it was some kind of portal that leads to a world full of food. So with all my might and my craving for something else than pandesal and egg, I leaped towards the clock in slooowww motiiooon too. As soon as the light touched my skin I was vacuumed to reality, half-asleep and about to choose which meal set to pick.



There's a hand waving in my face and I heard someone saying "What do you want to eat?". I collected myself back and quickly chose the Roasted Chicken with Macaroni Salad on the table. Sooner reality on me and I realized "OMG! I'm at Cafe France" and I barely had any sleep. Stupid daydreams! It was around 11:00 o'clock already and my stomach started to grumble in hunger. So I immediately eat my food. The roasted chicken tasted nice by the way, but I thought if there's anything I need to try in Cafe France it had to be Cafe France's pastries. From the internet I've read about that Cafe France offers a wide array of yummy treats and their best sellers comes from the baked ones. And since it's their first branch in Davao, in fact, outside Luzon I was more than eager to try out nearly everything they could offer us during the Press Launch.



So I tried their Seafood Marinara, some California Chicken Clubhouse, salad and the croissant from the breakfast tray. And the winner for me was their croissant! In fact, I totally agree with what Jesse said about Cafe France's Croissants! "They are God's gift to human kind." And thank God my pandesal-and-egg infected floppy tongue is back to normal again.


Since then I've been going back to Cafe France just to order croissants! I've tried their Chocolate Croissant, Butter Croissant and Choco Almond Croissant and oh..they're perfect with a hot chocolate and sometimes even with the milktea I'd bring. Hehehe

Cafe France is more than your usual coffee shop. They offer a wide selection of great tasting pastries, stomach filling meals and a croissant that doesn't only satisfy one's tongue but snaps you out of your nightmarish egg and pandesal daydreams.

Credits:
Photos Courtesy of Chic Foodies! Thank you Algene. :-)

WARNING: This post can be utterly annoying because it's full of borrowed thoughts, grammatical errors, interrobangs, emoticons and bullshit that it poses risks of injury, potential global catastrophe – or worse, the end of mankind.

At some point during my childhood, folks at home used to spoil me during my birthday. It's like waking up feeling like a millionaire for a day! Don't get me wrong though because none in the family would give me a briefcase full of cash - how I wish! But if I demanded them so, maybe all they can hand to me is a brief. .no case, no cash. Just brief! LOL.

When I wake up everyone greets me with a "Happy Birthday!" which is usually followed by reaching of their pockets and giving me whatever they have. I'm really happy about it and I thank them in response. The most I had was an accumulated P500 with my parents, grandparents and an uncle each giving a hundred peso bill.

Those were the time that all that ever mattered for me was to have a birthday celebration at home. It's usually a very nice celebration with all my relatives attending my birthday, balloons and at least 10 different dishes in the table. I don't receive lots of gifts though but I remember receiving cash from my extinct Godparents.

I get to invite our neighbors who are mostly just our relatives. No! Actually all that I ever invited to my birthday were my relatives. But you know, during celebrations such as birthdays and fiestas you can't help strangers to come in the house and eat. The best thing about celebrating birthday as a child is the preparation. Whenever it's my birthday or my siblings', well let's just say it's my birthday, everyone's busy preparing the food except for my Grandpa. He's really not into that though but anyway there's my grandma in charge of the kitchen. My Dad and Uncle helps my Lola with the main dishes while my Mom's preparing the dessert upstairs. I also remember my Grandmother signing a cross on my forehead using, probably a chicken's blood during my birthday. Aside from all the preparations, I always like it when we go to Church to light a candle and then pray during my birthday. I feel so good afterwards but I feel better when my Dad would ask me "Where do you wanna go?". Then I would whisper "Jollibee!". :-)

I'm not really approved of the thought of celebrating my birthday in school because I think it would be embarrassing for your classmates and teachers to sing you the "Happy Birthday" song in class. But then I remember a time or two where I got the chance to celebrate my birthday in school. It was actually nice and (I think) we brought Spaghetti for everyone. Oh god how I wish I could go back to those times. But I can't and I have to accept the fact that life moves forward and time flies so fast!

The best thing I've ever received on my birthday was a pair of shoes. Those were the shoes I cried for when I was a freshman in high school. It was my birthday then when my Mom told me that she couldn't buy me new shoes. It was my only request but because we were on some sort of a financial turmoil that time my Mom couldn't give me anything on my birthday.

Looking back, I remember how I was really immature that I couldn't understand our situation. That same day, I went to an abandoned house just right behind our house crying about the shoes. I locked myself inside and cried until I fell asleep. The moment I woke up my Dad was knocking on the door with the shoes on his hands. That afternoon I realized how selfish I was but of course I felt thankful and happy afterwards. Since then I never asked or requested anything from my parents. :-) I also accepted the fact that I'm too old for birthday parties and even cakes.

Today, I really don't know how to spend my birthday. Maybe I can go out with friends, watch a movie, buy a book, a shirt, shoes maybe - I don't know! For sure we're going to have a small family dinner later. I also plan to go to church later and thank God for all the blessings, the life and everything despite all the trials for the past 21 years. Maybe, I'll just look for something that will make me happy or spend the day with the people who makes me happy - my family.

Last year, my birthday post was about the Paranoia of being 20. This year I couldn't care less about how old I am. All that matters to me now is to be Happy on my Birthday! :-)