Europino food fest at Serendra till April 1

Shame on me but it was only this week that I got to take a first look at Serendra, the latest hip and happening place in the metro which is located in the Fort, Global City in Taguig. Serendra is another project of Community Innovations (an Ayala group) which deftly combines commercial and residential areas to create a masterplanned hub. The apartment-buildings could have done better with a more trailblazing design though, especially if you factor in the P10 million or so price tag. My journalist-friends and I were talking about how this upscale condo looked just like the mass housing in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Anyhoo, my publicist-pal Amor invited me to attend the Europino foodfest in Serendra and it was a good chance to browse through the interesting boutiques and restos in the area. The public has until April 1 to view the festival which features combined European and Filipino culinary specialties expertly concocted by retailers especially for the festival.

These include:
Read more

Part 1: TV, Part II: TV, Part III: Game Boy, Part IV: Game Boy…

My apologies for the long title

Am just sharing what my son uttered to me when I asked him how his day was…

Looks like a loooooong summer indeed!

A Sumo Sam sighting of Marvin Agustin & why I love my gay friends to pieces

As an addendum to the Max’s Power Breakfast, there was also an invite to have breakfast with Piolo Pascual ( a Max’s endorser) but I skipped that one since the presscon was to be held in Quezon City .. a place that’s already probinsya by my Manila girl’s standards (though I could live there again someday huh).

Anyway, who would we find while gallivanting in Rockwell yesterday but another Pinoy heartthrob, Marvin Agustin. My friend Jamie and I stumbled upon him while we were about to have dinner at Sumo Sam. He was there to supervise a photo shoot ~ Marvin being one of the owners of the Japanese resto. Sorry to say, Marvin didn’t look like a movie star that day , he also didn’t act like one. The chap proved to be very friendly and gamely posed for this photograph. Bet you didn’t know Marvin and I have something in common – we are parents of twins, hehe. Marvin appears to have his feet firmly planted on the ground, considering the number of his restaurant ventures – not only Sumo Sam but also Oyster Boy and Tentitas in Gateway.
Read more

Waking up to a Max’s Power Breakfast

This is a delayed post on the Max’s Power Breakfast which am sure other bloggers had already written about. While languishing in front of our computers, some of us were showered with a One-Day Gift Pass to spend on one dish of our choice at Max’s which is famous in the Philippines for their crispy fried chicken. Since am a breakfast person, I couldn’t let this one go and ordered for five free coupons from the publicist who was gracious enough to email and deliver the passes right to my doorstep.
Read more

Asia’s GEM – Gaming & Entertainment + Leisure Expo Manila 2007

This past week has been very busy at work attending to the VIP guests of an international gaming expo which was held for the second time in the country this year. Seems not too many people got wind of the show at the World Trade Center (or maybe I just missed my blogger-friends?) Anyway, camphones and cameras of all kinds are not strictly not allowed in the casinos (for security reasons) but at the WTC expo we had the freedom to take shots ~ of all those leggy models, the sexy ladies, gleaming slot machines, colorful roulettes, state-of-the-art bingo, the electronic poker and everything else that’s the latest in gambling now. There was also a casino-dealing competition, a gaming conference and celebrity poker tournament. If you missed betting on the tables without spending a dime of your own money, be sure to be there in 2008 as this expo is getting to be bigger and bigger each year. Let the pictures show you why.

Back in the groove…almost

My apologies for a lack of post lately. Been very busy with my half-sordid, half-cluttered life. Some of my friends can almost believe that I court disaster like honey attracts the bees, my name might as well be “Calamity Ajay.” Here’s the rap sheet:

- some mean intruders barged into our apartment one early morning and took with them our living room TV, DVD player and my computer’s CPU. In its wake, a friend can only comment: “Ang malas mo naman!” (translated into: “how unlucky you are..) While my son mourned the loss of our almost 10-year old TV which he considers his “most precious possession,” I agonized over my CPU which had all my files in it. Living without a functioning PC in my house is like walking without an arm and a leg. Life’s not just the same without it (..till I get a new one, that is.)

Still, am thankful that Somebody Up There has shielded my family from unimaginable violence. To think that me and my brood were soundly sleeping in the adjacent bedrooms with our doors
unlocked when the incident happened. I can live without a PC but I can’t live normally with images of terror in mind. So thank God we’ve been spared that.

- My blog went nuts for a couple of days. Prior to this, I noticed that even I can’t leave a decent comment in this site, prompting my administrator to upgrade my outdated WordPress to the latest edition. In the process of upgrading, we caught a bug which even him had difficulty fixing. A few frantic messages later, my webhost hires a dedicated programmer. Now, this site is back on track (hopefully..)
Read more

So much about Krispy Dunkin’, Cello’s Doughnuts & Dips is heavenly..

While munching on our yummy KK giveaways after the last BlogCon, Karla and Aaron clued me in on this great doughnut place found in the university towns of La Salle and Ateneo. I made a mental note to visit whenever I got anywhere near Vito Cruz and was glad to do so one sunny day. Certainly I didn’t regret one bit munching on this doughnut brand – an all-Filipino concoction which could give Western donut chains a run, run,run for their money.

I ordered two of the house bestsellers, the cheese and Oreo donuts with brewed coffee. The Oreo screamed for more chocolate-y flavor but the cheese one I liked and could munch on forever. I don’t remember eating cheese donut before. Curiosity got the better of me and asked the countergirl what it was, she said it was parmesan. Whew!
Read more

Amazing World Light Expo

Amazing is the word to describe the 2007 World Light Expo which is ongoing in Manila till April 22. Stepping in, the onlooker is treated to a seeming wonderland of gaily-lit pagodas, intricately-decorated gates and arches, even a 100-meter dragon made from ceramic cups, saucers and plates! I regret not having a professional camera or videocam to capture all this beauty but it sure is a refreshing experience to see the Expo, a welcome breather from the smog and shopaholic excitement which we know Manila is all about.
Read more

Merienda at Hizon’s and precious lessons my son has taught me

We were supposed to go to the mall that weekend but realizing that I lost my wallet (after coming home groggy from my graveyard shift), I decided to tag along my son for a cozy date at Hizon’s, the venerable bakeshop in Ermita.

Actually, its real name is ZA’s Cafe, but people seem to forget. We always associate Hizon’s for the “best-tasting” ensaymada and the name has stuck since then. For one, the appellation best-tasting is subject to much contention; “pricey” and “overrated” is a better term in lieu of the advent of much superior fluffy bread (and cheese!) from the competition. But we don’t argue with the reputation it has built over decades.
Read more

Cebu Pacific’s One Peso airfare is back!

The Philippines’ very own low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific yesterday revived its One Peso seat sale dubbed ” All for Juan, P1+++ for All” to celebrate the completion of its refleeting program and the delivery of a new AirBus (or is it AirBuses?) The sale is on from March 2 to 8 and the travel period is from June 1- Dec. 15 of this year.

What’s good about this is that the single peso promo is not just applicable to their domestic destinations but also to CebuPac’s international flights to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
Read more

Next Page »