It's Christmas time in the city!
I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year!
2013 had been a roller coaster ride. I have a lot to be thankful for. God has been always good to me and it's always nice to acknowledge all the good things that I have received.
May everyone enjoy the holidays with their families and loved ones!
(As for me, I'll be crunching to finish all my backlogs and pending tasks before the year eds. I'm still hoping and crossing my fingers to finish everything. ^__^ )
I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year!
2013 had been a roller coaster ride. I have a lot to be thankful for. God has been always good to me and it's always nice to acknowledge all the good things that I have received.
May everyone enjoy the holidays with their families and loved ones!
(As for me, I'll be crunching to finish all my backlogs and pending tasks before the year eds. I'm still hoping and crossing my fingers to finish everything. ^__^ )
My Uncle from Japan regularly comes to the Philippines for work and if he had time, he would meet us. One time, before his flight back to Japan, he wanted to meet us and asked for help with last minute pasalubong. The family decided to have dinner at SM MOA since it's near his hotel.
Most of the family came from Laguna, so we were completed by 9:00 PM. By the time we finished buying some last minute pasalubong, the mall was already closed.
Everyone was starving and most of the food stores were closed. The nearest in sight was Gerry's Grill.
We are a big group, so we ordered a bit of their dishes. Most of my family are meat eaters (even though most of us are ladies)
Here are some of the dishes we had:
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| Crab Fried Rice |
I was happy to be invited to a Blogger's Event at Red Buffalo Wings & Pizza. They opened a new branch at the ever-busy-but-cool-and-hip Eastwood City.
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| Red Buffalo Wings and Pizza |
Red Buffalo Wings and Pizza has a 2 story store at Eastwood Citywalk 1. It had a pretty minimalist ambiance, taking you back to New York with their pretty artworks. We were told that they were planning to make the stairwell resemble a subway, which would be really cool. Red Buffalo Wings and Pizza are famous for their wings, which had the closest resemblance of the original recipe from New York.
I've been very blessed and grateful because God had been so good to me. Blessings are pouring in and I couldn't ask for more.
I won an Ipad Mini at a blogger event for Top Torikatsu. I didn't expect it but I was very grateful because it was my second Apple gadget. The iPad Mini would be useful for blogging as well as updating my social media sites.
I won an Ipad Mini at a blogger event for Top Torikatsu. I didn't expect it but I was very grateful because it was my second Apple gadget. The iPad Mini would be useful for blogging as well as updating my social media sites.
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| New Gadget! Yay! |
I was invited by the people from Zomato and Bigoli Eastwood for a Foodie Meet-up. I was excited because there will be good food, good company and lots of fun.
Zomato is an app that compiles the list of restaurants and establishments in the Metro. It serves as guide that is very helpful especially for foodies (like me!) if you want to know the best food places in the area. You can write a review to help other foodies give an insight on how the restaurants fare.
Ristorante Bigoli Eastwood takes pride in offering Italian Cuisine. They are located at Eastwood Citywalk 2 and have ample space to dine in for it has a second floor. They also have function rooms that you can conduct meetings with. We also got to meet Jerome Mitra, their Marketing Manager that day.
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| Foodie Meet-up |
Ristorante Bigoli Eastwood takes pride in offering Italian Cuisine. They are located at Eastwood Citywalk 2 and have ample space to dine in for it has a second floor. They also have function rooms that you can conduct meetings with. We also got to meet Jerome Mitra, their Marketing Manager that day.
After indulging ourselves at Ace Water Spa, We dragged ourselves in the pouring rain along the streets of Kapitolyo. Kapitolyo is known as a foodie haven since there are a wide selection of foodspots to try in the area.
After a little research and scouting the whole area, Three Sisters happened to be at every list I found if your looking for affordable eats in the Kapitolyo area. We both decided to try it.
Three Sisters has a homey feel, like you are eating in your own dining area. They are known for their grilled Pork BBQ and meals that resembles to home-cooked meals.
After a little research and scouting the whole area, Three Sisters happened to be at every list I found if your looking for affordable eats in the Kapitolyo area. We both decided to try it.
Three Sisters has a homey feel, like you are eating in your own dining area. They are known for their grilled Pork BBQ and meals that resembles to home-cooked meals.
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| Pork BBQ |
A foodie will definitely not say NO to a great food deal.
Superbowl of China introduced the Piso Weekday Deals last July 16.
*Foodies rejoice!*
Superbowl of China introduced the Piso Weekday Deals last July 16.
*Foodies rejoice!*
Soshi and I celebrated our 11th year anniversary at Ace Water Day Spa. I have a Belle de Jour Buy 1 Take 1 coupon that we decided to use for the first time (I always have 2 coupons every year from my planner, yet I always give them out). We were planning to have a relaxed weekend, despite the rainy weather.
Ace Water Spa is not your usual spa place. It's a public spa which incorporates hydrotherapy massages. You will not have your own massage therapist neither have your own room for the massages. It's pampering at your own pace.
Hydrotherapy massage is a kind of therapeutic massage that utilizes "Ultrasonic Jet System" that massages specific areas of the body with its aquatic jets strategically located to relax and soothe tired and aching muscles. The massage is done in heated water, utilizing one push-of-a-button equipment which can be set as soft, moderate and hard massages. The massage systems, being "do-it-yourself" type, gives the freedom to decide which water equipment to use and which part of his body needs more attention.
Ace Water Spa is not your usual spa place. It's a public spa which incorporates hydrotherapy massages. You will not have your own massage therapist neither have your own room for the massages. It's pampering at your own pace.
Hydrotherapy massage is a kind of therapeutic massage that utilizes "Ultrasonic Jet System" that massages specific areas of the body with its aquatic jets strategically located to relax and soothe tired and aching muscles. The massage is done in heated water, utilizing one push-of-a-button equipment which can be set as soft, moderate and hard massages. The massage systems, being "do-it-yourself" type, gives the freedom to decide which water equipment to use and which part of his body needs more attention.
Hi!
Yes, it's been a month since I lasted updated my personal blog.
A lot have been going on, my hands have been quite full. I've been actively attending events as a representative for AroundtheBuzzPH, a lifestyle blog, and BloggerEngineer, a tech blog I've been writing and maintaining.
Yes, it's been a month since I lasted updated my personal blog.
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| Photo credit: macharianthunderguard.blogspot.com |
A lot have been going on, my hands have been quite full. I've been actively attending events as a representative for AroundtheBuzzPH, a lifestyle blog, and BloggerEngineer, a tech blog I've been writing and maintaining.
We had been experiencing the non-stop rainfall brought by Tropical storm "Maring" since Sunday, August, 18 which prompted PAG-ASA to extend the rain alert from "orange" to "red".
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| Photo credit: www.abs-cbnnews.com |
Due to inclement weather caused by Typhoon "Maring", classes on all levels were suspended on Monday, August 19. Work was also suspended on government offices as well as some private sectors on Metro Manila.
*late post*
I signed up for Alyanna's Fitness Party at Eastwood Mall hosted by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls last July 21, 2013. I've been wanting to join Alyanna's fitness party because I've been hearing great feedback about it. Her fitness party has been going on for quite some time, and this is the first time I was able to signed up for it (The event is exclusive and by invite only).
I was not feeling well the whole weekend so I was hoping to feel a bit better once I got my doze of cardio and workout. The whole day was packed with activities which made more giddy.
I signed up for Alyanna's Fitness Party at Eastwood Mall hosted by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls last July 21, 2013. I've been wanting to join Alyanna's fitness party because I've been hearing great feedback about it. Her fitness party has been going on for quite some time, and this is the first time I was able to signed up for it (The event is exclusive and by invite only).
I was not feeling well the whole weekend so I was hoping to feel a bit better once I got my doze of cardio and workout. The whole day was packed with activities which made more giddy.
California Pizza Kitchen is celebrating National Pizza day on August 15, 2013 with an awesome promotion. BUY 1 TAKE 1 on all their pizzas on that day.
All of us know that drinking Tea has a lot of health benefits. Tea contains antioxidants which helps prevent diseases like heart diseases, neurological diseases and also cancer. Tea aids in digestion and improves bone mineral density.
Tea Drinking is an uncommon culture in the country as compared to our neighboring Asian countries who drinks tea regularly. Filipinos doesn't have an acquired taste for tea. But as we are adapt with the changes in our lifestyle, tea drinking has been adapted and was made to suit our taste through the popular milk tea. As we all know, the Tea Shop industry had made its way to the market here in the country through the introduction of milk tea. I,myself LOVE milk tea. Milk Tea shops can now be seen anywhere, especially in shopping malls.
I can say that I had tried plenty of milk tea shops in the metro. It was my first time hearing about SuperDuck. SuperDuck originated in Lu Kang, Changhua County, one of the Top 10 Small Tourist Towns in Taiwan. It's their first shop here in the Philippines and I was grateful that I was invited to sample their teas.
Tea Drinking is an uncommon culture in the country as compared to our neighboring Asian countries who drinks tea regularly. Filipinos doesn't have an acquired taste for tea. But as we are adapt with the changes in our lifestyle, tea drinking has been adapted and was made to suit our taste through the popular milk tea. As we all know, the Tea Shop industry had made its way to the market here in the country through the introduction of milk tea. I,myself LOVE milk tea. Milk Tea shops can now be seen anywhere, especially in shopping malls.
I can say that I had tried plenty of milk tea shops in the metro. It was my first time hearing about SuperDuck. SuperDuck originated in Lu Kang, Changhua County, one of the Top 10 Small Tourist Towns in Taiwan. It's their first shop here in the Philippines and I was grateful that I was invited to sample their teas.
Now that the rainy season has arrived, the temperatures dropping and everyone's feeling under the weather most of the time. It's the perfect time to whip up our favorite soup dish, sinigang. If you are looking for something to spice up your usual cooking, here's another version of our ever favorite sinigang. Sinigang with a twist, called red sinigang because of inclusion of tomato sauce in the dish.
What is Detoxification?
Detoxification is the process of naturally eliminating the free radicals or toxins that had been accumulated in our body as an effect of our daily lifestyle. It does this by removing impurities from the blood in the liver, where toxins are processed for elimination. The body also eliminates toxins through the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymph and skin. Detoxification helps purge out the harmful toxins in our body, cleaning the bloodstream and recharging body organs.
A detox program process includes:
Detoxification is the process of naturally eliminating the free radicals or toxins that had been accumulated in our body as an effect of our daily lifestyle. It does this by removing impurities from the blood in the liver, where toxins are processed for elimination. The body also eliminates toxins through the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymph and skin. Detoxification helps purge out the harmful toxins in our body, cleaning the bloodstream and recharging body organs.
A detox program process includes:
I was invited by Aldous to attend the quiz night for bloggers at Grilla Bar and Grill at Kalayaan Ave. Grilla Bar and Grill will be introducing their new cocktail drinks along with their signature dishes.
Here's what we had that night:
The lechon baka was a bit tough but definitely tasty. I just had a hard time eating it specially with my braces.
Here's what we had that night:
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| Sizzling lechon baka |
I was invited to witness the launch of Buddha Bar Manila's Business Set Lunch. As we all know, Buddha Bar is a lounge which usually opens at night to cater party goers and people who wanted to chill and drink the night away.
Buddha Bar Manila is actually open for lunch goers, offering them a delectable taste of the Pacific Rim cuisine Buddha Bar offers all across the world. I was lucky to taste most of the dishes they would be offering.
I was invited for a bloggers business lunch to hear about this new innovation in health and wellness that Juenevie has in store.
The lunch was set at Tivoli, Mandarin Oriental Hotel. We met Michelle, the woman behind Juenevie along with her mom. I didn't expect her to be that young and very charming.
The lunch was set at Tivoli, Mandarin Oriental Hotel. We met Michelle, the woman behind Juenevie along with her mom. I didn't expect her to be that young and very charming.
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| Michelle Lim |
Here's what I wore one weekend. I had two events to attend to that time, one was the press screening of Turbo 3D in the morning and food tasting at YummySoy The Fort in the afternoon.
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| Hear me roar! |
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| I wore my favorite wedge sneakers, all ready to dance all night! |
I was invited to meet the PR Manager of 7th High, Ms Abbi Gabasa one Wednesday night. She wanted to meet us personally and get to know us bloggers. She was pretty and very charming. She shared on how they came up with a unique concept for 7th High and how they are constantly researching of ways to get their patrons hooked. She also toured us to the whole building to see the scene 7th High has to offer.
We were lucky that we were also asked to try some of the new dishes they will soon be offering at 7th High. We were able to meet Chef Joaquin Migallos, the resident chef at 7th High. He walked us through the new dishes they would be offerring soon at 7th High. He shared to us how he thought of ways to make the dishes interesting and at the same time appetizing for 7th High customers.
Here are some of the dishes we tried:
(WARNIING: A LOT of food photo after the jump)
We were lucky that we were also asked to try some of the new dishes they will soon be offering at 7th High. We were able to meet Chef Joaquin Migallos, the resident chef at 7th High. He walked us through the new dishes they would be offerring soon at 7th High. He shared to us how he thought of ways to make the dishes interesting and at the same time appetizing for 7th High customers.
Here are some of the dishes we tried:
(WARNIING: A LOT of food photo after the jump)
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| A suit jacket and short combination |
Here's what I wore when I attended the Social Media Weekend. It was a rainy weekend so I opted for a short and suit jacket combination, dressy but not too casual as to what I usually wear.
Starbucks Philippines will officially launches their new line of products on July 16, 2013. They are offering a new line of beverage, the Dark Mocha White chocolate pudding Frappuccino and the Green Tea white chocolate pudding Frappuccino.
Tomorrow, from 2:00PM until 5:00PM, for every purchase of their white chocolate pudding featured beverage, you can get a second white chocolate pudding featured beverage for free (equal or lesser value) . This promotional is limited to two featured beverage per transaction. So, head over to any branch to taste their new featured white chocolate pudding beverage and share it with a friend.
Tomorrow, from 2:00PM until 5:00PM, for every purchase of their white chocolate pudding featured beverage, you can get a second white chocolate pudding featured beverage for free (equal or lesser value) . This promotional is limited to two featured beverage per transaction. So, head over to any branch to taste their new featured white chocolate pudding beverage and share it with a friend.
Searing is a process of cooking that creates the crusty surface texture most people find appealing and the caramelized sugars that gives us that flavor we want. I personally like searing chicken rather than frying it. For this recipe, you may opt to oven bake the chicken for a more healthier choice. I was browsing through my recipe books and magazine to look for a recipe I could use as "pambaon". I bumped into this recipe in my Yummy food magazine October 2012 issue. I like searing meat to the same degree of sauteing it.
I am officially hooked on Instagram (who doesn't?). I am mostly active in Instagram rather than in Facebook or Twitter. The photo feed that Instagram has is very appealing, specially for artsy fartsy photo enthusiast like me.
Here's a glimpse of what my feed looks like.
It's no secret that Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter spreads are a huge hit here in Manila. When it hit here, almost boxes of cookie butter jars were shipped here just to cater the increasing demand here in thge metro. Several establishments and online store carry it now as their product and even food establishments try to incorporate it in their menu.
Krispy Kreme was one of the pioneers in utilizing cookie butter in their menu. They recently launched their cookie butter donut variants.
Krispy Kreme was one of the pioneers in utilizing cookie butter in their menu. They recently launched their cookie butter donut variants.
Here are two snack suggestion for people who have special diet needs or for health conscious addicts.
Nutri-Vron Stevia Polvoron with Mango
This is one of the products of Choco-vron, known for their choco-coated polvorons. This is a healthy and low calorie snack because it is made of wheat flour and sweetened with Stevia, a natural zero calorie sweetener. It's a great addition to one's diet because it's only only 80 calories. I loved their choco-coated polvorons, abut somehow I didn't enjoy the dried mango bits present in it. But it is a good alternative snack.
Nutri-Vron Stevia Polvoron with Mango
This is one of the products of Choco-vron, known for their choco-coated polvorons. This is a healthy and low calorie snack because it is made of wheat flour and sweetened with Stevia, a natural zero calorie sweetener. It's a great addition to one's diet because it's only only 80 calories. I loved their choco-coated polvorons, abut somehow I didn't enjoy the dried mango bits present in it. But it is a good alternative snack.
I've been hearing a lot of buzz about Kiehl's products, but somehow when I pass by their store, I somehow feel intimidated about going in. After mustering enough courage, I decided to went in a Kiehl's store at the newly opened east wing of Shangrila Mall to have a 5 minute skin consultation. Mitch, the skin consultant was very friendly and accommodating. She willingly answered all my queries about skin care.
For the skin consultation, two strip of paper were places on my T-Zone (forehead and cheek area) to test what my skin condition is. They have a gauge of measure to know which category your skin type falls under.
Today, Starbucks is offering a frappuccino treat for two on all their branches. Between 2:00PM till 5:00PM, You can get any of these two featured beverage, Mocha Cookie Crumble Frapppuccino or Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino for the price of one (you get to pay the one with the higher price).
You just need to present a printout of the picture above and present it at their counter (you may even just show this picture from your mobile phone). You can get the photo from their facebook page.
I was meeting my sister at SM Mall of Asia to borrow some stuff from her. I promised in return to treat her a milk tea. Since she just stepped out of her office for a bit, the nearest milk tea place I spotted was a kiosk named Cobo.
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| That's my sister right there. |
Liempo or Pork Belly has a bad reputation for having the highest level of fat and cholesterol. But it doesn't stop anyone from devouring this part by incorporating it to some of our dishes. Crispy Pork Belly is a deadly dish and not for the faint of heart. But still, one can't resist the urge to try this oily, crispy and savory dish. With the right sauces, you may opt to ask for more rice and sidings to satisfy your belly's appetite.
Here's my own version of the Crispy Liempo:
Here's my own version of the Crispy Liempo:
Man of Steel opened last June 12, 2013 here, I was lucky to score some tickets to catch it on the premier. I won two movie tickets for the viewing at Resorts World Cinema, courtesy of a post I made for Nuffnang and Wacoal.
One weekend, I was running out of ideas on what food to prepare, and just scanned through all the things we have on the kitchen. An idea popped into my mind and I decided to make meatballs with sauce. Here's my version.
Meatballs in Tomatoes and Cream
Meatballs in Tomatoes and Cream
There's something new at McDonalds that everyone would anticipate, the new McSpicy Burger, spiced just right to spice up your day.
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| McSpicy chicken burger (Php 80) |
This was an impromptu trip to Pangasinan for Francis's birthday last January 2012. Originally we planned to go trekking at Mt. Pinatubo. But due to the bad weather, our plan was postponed. So we just boarded the bus going to Pangasinan to check out Hundred Islands. But during our 6 hr bus trip, a fellow passenger mentioned about the white sands of Bolinao, and at that time, we were determined to check the place. It was a fun trip since we had the resort to ourselves..
Sinigang is a staple for every Filipino household. It had been a crowd favorite ever since. It is actually easy to cook this recipe because of the commercialized soup packs readily available to aid busy people in cooking it. Different ingredients can be used as a base for the sinigang recipe like pork, shrimp and chicken (which is also known as Sinampalukang Manok). Here's my version of the very easy and simple pork sinigang.
Sinigang na Baboy ( Pork in Tamarind Soup)
Sinigang na Baboy ( Pork in Tamarind Soup)
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| A warm and sunny day |
To kick off the school season this June, Manang's bringing back the “Pabaon ni Manang” coupons. Present these coupons upon order and enjoy instant treats for free!
We decided to drop by Market Market one weekend. The foodie in me
wanted to try something new so we scouted the newly renovated wing for
new food places.
We had lunch at Moshi Koshi Noodle Bar. We decided to give it a try.
I
went for the shoyu ramen since eating is a challenge for a newly
adjusted braces. The ramen was good, especially the noodles. Servings
were okay for the pricing.
We had lunch at Moshi Koshi Noodle Bar. We decided to give it a try.
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| Shoyu Ramen (Php195) |
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| Errands on a rainy day. |
Once again, Papa John had brought back their unlimited pizza promo from May 21 until June 2013. Rush to Papa John every Tuesday between 5-9pm to stuff your mouth with their yummy and mouthwatering pizza.
As much as I love eating, I also enjoying cooking. I like the smell of different flavors mingling and combining to produce a distinct palatable taste. For this week, I dared to try cooking mussels. I love to eat mussels eversince I was a child, my mom would always have it every week as a staple food. I researched and googled some recipes about mussels and whipped out something like this.
Filipino Mussel Soup (Sinabawang Tahong)
Ingredients:
1/2 kg fresh tahong (mussels), cleaned
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 thumb sized ginger, sliced
3 native tomatoes, sliced into chunks
1 tablespoons canola oil
2-3 tablespoon patis (fish sauce), add more to taste
6-7 cups water just enough to cover the mussels
handfuls of baby bokchoy or any green leafy vegetables
1 tablespoons canola oil
2-3 tablespoon patis (fish sauce), add more to taste
6-7 cups water just enough to cover the mussels
handfuls of baby bokchoy or any green leafy vegetables
This blog is currently under renovation.
I've been doing a lot of thinking, and now I'm finally doing it.
I'm going to give this blog a reboot.. a new start.
Hope everything goes well according to plan.
I've been doing a lot of thinking, and now I'm finally doing it.
I'm going to give this blog a reboot.. a new start.
Hope everything goes well according to plan.
