DIY Disney Cars Cake

My nephew JD had his 1st birthday this weekend and we had the party at our place to invite more friends and family. A week before the party, we realized that our budget was not enough to buy a character cake. Usually those cost P1500-P2500.

So I had this crazy idea to decorate one on my own.

I bought the chocolate cake with twirls from red ribbon. That cost P680 for a 12 x 12 cake.

These Cars cup cake toppers was from Cooks Exchange. They sell them for P85 for a 6 pieces. These were fantastic since all you have to do is just stick them to the cake. Cooks Exchange had other different designs based on your theme. Unfortunately, they only had one set of the Disney Cars topper so I decided to get another set with a clown/birthday theme. 

The toy plastic car I got from Divisoria for P35. You can usually buy these at 168 mall but be careful to buy the plastic one and not the die cast metal one (more expensive and heavier).

The background is just an 8R photo I had printed out from an internet shop. I looked for the perfect image from the computer, copied and inserted it on a power point slide, added the text and checkered flag on top, grouped it together (highlight everything you added to a picture, right click your mouse and choose "group together" so you can have it as one image) and save the picture as a jpeg file. I taped 2 bbq stick at the back then stuck in on the cake. Cost for printing was P27.

When the person at Red Ribbon was frosting the greeting, I just made sure that she gave me enough space to put the car and background print. For the base, I printed a couple of papers with a check pattern I found in google and covered a box. The number 1 candle bought from Red Ribbon for P22.

Happy Birthday, JD!

That's it! P934 for a Disney Cars Cake.

Some other things that we bought for the party - All were brought @ Divisoria (mostly at 168 mall)

Cars Birthday Balloon - P200 for 12 pcs

100 meter plastic bandaritas for P60

Banner for P50 and cars bandaritas for P25

Getting an NBI Clearance

Last month I went to the NBI Regional Office located at U.N. Ave in Manila to get an NBI Clearance. Since a co-worker of mine told us that he passes by this office at 6am and sees a long line, I decided to go at 5am. The NBI office is open from 8am-5pm.

Although I was early, I was expecting a long line. So I was really surprised to see only a couple of vendors outside the gate. Apparently, not a lot of people know that NBI has an office on Saturdays (I found out later it was only for January when they expect a lot of people obtaining the clearance for work). I went inside and saw a table set up just inside the entrance with a guy handing out some papers. This is Step 1: Get an Application Form.

They will then point to you go to the holding area which is like a big basketball court. I was feeling pretty smug that I got there so early. Then I saw this ...

Would you believe this is at 5:30am?

You will not be given a number. You sit on the next available chair and this will thus, then, be the "line". While waiting, I filled out my application form with the help of "Kuya Ronnie" who was manning the information booth inside the holding area, playing Boys to Men music (nice) and announcing how the form is to be answered through the loud speakers.

Note: He lets those with birthdays that day to go first :)

lumpia and lugaw being offered for sale by a vendor
- no need to even get out of the line

At about 6:30 am, they started processing Step 2: Data Check. Basically, they check if you answered the form correctly and you have a valid ID. The valid IDs are:

• Valid passport
• Voter’s ID
• Driver’s License
• PRC License
• SSS ID
• GSIS UMID
• Postal ID
• School ID
• TIN ID
• Philhealth ID
• Authenticated Birth Certificate
• Alien Cert of Registration
• Senior Citizen
• Previous Copy of NBI Clearance

Data check was done quickly. Then the real waiting begins. Apparently, even if the data check people were already doing their job, the next part (Step 3: Payment) has not yet started. So I waited for about an hour before I was able to go to the pay counter. This part was not as fun (hence, no pic) because once you go the pay counters,  you have to stand, there is no clear line and they issue the receipts by hand. Took a very looooong time. 

There are different fees for different purposes. Mine cost P115. For the complete list, see here. 

Step 4: Encoding. I went to the second floor to the Encoding section. At this point, no one was really directing people where to go. I took a seat and just moved when people moved. One of the encoders were talking in a very loud voice berating people who would walk by while another person's picture is being taken against the white backdrop.        

Once my turn came, the encoder got my receipt, application and  put my information in. Their monitor is angled towards you so that you can check the information. She took my picture, 

scanned my fingers and viola, the process is finished! Well, almost.

It turns out that I had a HIT which means that I either have a derogatory record or my name or part of my name is the same as someone else and it needs to be checked.  So, I was asked to return the week after :(
                                         
This was posted inside the holding area:

Seriously? 

They started processing people at 6:30 am and I got out at 9:30 am. I thought that was pretty fast considering I expected to be there until lunch time.

ADVICE

* Get to the place early. They only process a specific amount of application. For Regional offices this is 6,000 per day. For Satellite offices, this is about 300. After they reach their quota, even if it is only 2pm, they won't allow anyone else in.

* Better yet, apply online and fill out the application form at http://nbi.njis-ph.com/ . You don't need to go to step 1 - 3 and you will go directly to step 4 which is encoding, finger scanning and picture taking on the 3rd floor. When I went there, I did not know the online application was already available. A good resource for more details about the online process is this website.

* Make sure to have a valid ID. They will reject you if you don't have one. No exception.

* Dress appropriately. No specific dress guideline but I am willing to bet you will not be welcomed warmly if you come in tank top, shorts and slippers.

* Ask, ask, ask. Sometimes you assume that you are in the correct line but turns out you're not. Better be sure and ask if you are going to the correct place or you are doing the correct procedure. But ask the NBI employees and NOT the vendors or other applicants.

FYI: When I went back to get my clearance, it took me 5 minutes since all I have to do is go to Step 5 : Clearance. Gave my receipt, they typed it in, printed it out and I was done!


NBI CLEARANCE HELP DESK
526-1294
http://www.nbi.gov.ph/

Pinto Art Gallery : Antipolo's Secret Garden

Pinto Art Gallery is apparently a popular place in Antipolo. Especially for special events like a prenup sessions. I can see why. Take a look ...

Entrance to the Museum

simple facade

beautiful garden inside with a lot of chairs 

even a bed should you wish to relax a bit more

how romantic

simple water fountain but nice architectural touch

stairways leading to small gallery upstairs

small chapel

room they call a monk's cell

another fountain

they really want you to relax :D

upstairs leading to the ceiling deck

view from the terrace

must be nice to relax in the afternoon

statue of adam and eve beneath a tree

another stairways leading to a different deck

looking down to a courtyard leading to the Gallery's cafe

Gallery's Cafe

trees, plants and spectacular view

relax away

pretty courtyard

entrance leading to another gallery space

rickety bridge

wide open view

The Pinto Art Gallery is pretty interesting because it's not only one space where they put the art works on the walls. There's all different kinds of art on the walls, in the garden, in rooms, on stairs ... The place consists of different spaces and gardens which you can easily spend 2-3 hours without getting bored. They provide a lot of comfortable sitting areas where you can just relax, think and appreciate the artwork.The place has a Mexican vibe with wide open windows, white walls, old timbers and flat rooftops that can serve as viewing decks. Going up and down the stairs can be a bit of a problem, though, so be prepared.

They have a cafe that is catered by Bizu. For the review, please go here.

They allow photo sessions (ex. prenup) for a fee and you can also rent out the space for a small party.

Pinto Art Gallery
1 Sierra Madre St
Grand Heights 
Antipolo City, Rizal
Tel: 6971015

Open from Wednesdays to Sundays
9am - 6pm

Direction: Coming from Ortigas Extension, go straight towards Antipolo. Once you reach the fork where the Capitolyo and Ynares center is located, stay on the right side. Drive for about a 100 meters and you will see a Sr. Pedro Lechon Manok stand. Turn right on the first road after that. There will be a small sign for Pinto Art Gallery. Drive through Grand Heights road until you reach a guardhouse, pay P20 and turn right on the first corner and you will soon see the gallery.

FYI when you go to the Antipolo/Taytay intersection, you won't be able to go straight to Antipolo since there is a barrier. You will be forced to go to the right side (going to Taytay). That is fine but do a U-Turn at the first available slot so you can go back to the right direction. 

Pinto Art Gallery Cafe: Food Art

Who would have thunk it?

This weekend, my friend and I went to Pinto Art Gallery which was located smack dab in the middle of a neglected subdivision in Antipolo. It wasn't impressive at first but as we explored it more, I grew to like it.

simple facade

The place is big. It has several beautiful gardens, the building architecture evokes the feeling of a small Mexico community and they also have several interesting arts and exhibits.

who wouldn't want to see this?

or this in the morning?

What was surprising was that they have a gallery cafe catered by Bizu. Yes, the same company that has several swanky Patisserie in the city.

Gallery's Cafe

open courtyard leading to the cafe

"Crazy Mind" 

They only have a limited menu; 3 pasta dishes, 3 main entrees and 3 dessert. No appetizer. For the entree, it comes with soup of the day, rice/couscous and dessert. We decided to be good and order a pasta and 1 entree to be split into two.

Soup of the Day : Tomato Soup 

The soup was very tomato-ty (if there is such a word), very rich, very thick but ...... unfortunately reminded me of spaghetti sauce from one of the famous fast food chain. Don't get me wrong. It still had some good flavors but if you put some noodles in, you can already have meryenda :D

Shrimp Gnocchi - Potato Gnocchi Pasta, Fresh Shrimps, Garlic
Tarragon, Buerre Noisette

For our pasta, we decided to try the Gnocchi. A gnocchi is basically a type of pasta/dumpling made from flour, egg, semolina, potato, cheese or a combination of these ingredients. Since this was my first time to taste gnocchi I was pretty excited. The dish smelled amazing. However, the gnocchi was not as fluffy as I thought. It was pretty dense and I could only taste a little of the potato but the shrimp was fresh and they used plenty of good olive oil. I did wished they would have pumped up the flavor more like maybe add a dash of balsamic vinegar or even salt?

Herb Crusted Sole - Fried Sole and Saffron Buerre Blanc

The fish was served on this huuuuge plate and it looked so polished and pretty. The fish was fried nicely - not oily at all, crispy and tasted fresh. The sauce was excellent. Wish I had more ;-)  Buerre Blanc translates into white butter in french (Yes, I googled). Its a butter sauce made with a reduction of vinegar or white wine and shallots. What can I say? Butter always make things more delicious. The rice was a bust and it tastes more like malagkit (glutinous rice) and beneath it was this very tasteless pureed thing which turns out to be polenta. Also, where's the saffron?

So nice to eat in this kind of setting

Finally dessert. They did have chocolate molten cake and yema tarts but we decided to go with the server's suggestion which was the 3-1 dessert of vanilla ice cream, cheesecake and banana brulee. Among all the things in the menu, dessert was the one I was so looking forward to since it is Bizu, right?

awwww, how pretty and artistic!

Loved the plating, I must say. So unexpected and special.

The brand of ice cream was not one we recognize so it might be home made? Not as creamy as the commercial kind but good vanilla flavor. The cheesecake was very dry and not good at all. The half banana was very ripe and mushy but the caramelization on top was okay. Overall, the dessert was a bust and very disappointing.

babae sa bintana

Final Verdict?

The food is expensive. Expect to pay around P1,200 for two. The menu was limited and I wish they would have offered something light like a sandwich or a salad - everything was a bit heavy (duck confit? lamb shank?)The food was not all that bad but I expected more since it was Bizu. However, the food presentation was spot on and dining inside a beautiful garden was a very nice experience.

I was told that the menu hasn't changed for a year and that it's the same choices for dinner. But for a minimum number of guest and advance notice (I did not ask for details, sorry), Bizu Catering can make you a special menu for a special date/party. Nice place to relax, unwind, feel more cultured and have a bite.

The place itself was an unexpected pleasure and posted additional pictures here.

Pinto Art Gallery
1 Sierra Madre St
Grand Heights 
Antipolo City, Rizal
Tel: 6971015

Open from Wednesdays to Sundays
9am - 6pm

Direction: Coming from Ortigas Extension, go straight towards Antipolo. Once you reach the fork where the Capitolyo and Ynares center is located, stay on the right side. Drive for about a 100 meters and you will see a Sr. Pedro Lechon Manok stand. Turn right on the first road after that. There will be a small sign for Pinto Art Gallery. Drive through Grand Heights road until you reach a guardhouse, pay P20 and turn right on the first corner and you will soon see the gallery.

FYI when you go to the Antipolo/Taytay intersection, you won't be able to go straight to Antipolo since there is a barrier. You will be forced to go to the right side (going to Taytay). That is fine but do a U-Turn at the first available slot so you can go back to the right direction.