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September, 2008

  1. Ventosa cupping experience @ The Red Oak, Two Serendra

    September 28, 2008 by ajay

    Ventosa Cupping

    Ventosa cupping has been on my to-do list for a long time now. As a spa enthusiast, I’ve always been curious how it goes. All I know is that you’re supposed to end up with round little splotches on your back. At an event recently, I finally had the chance to have it done, but almost backed out when I saw the suction cups being pressed on somebody and witnessed the not-so-savory sight of raised flesh!

    Me : Ewwwwe! Doesn’t it hurt?

    Therapist : Don’t think about it. You won’t see your back looking like this, right? You’ll be lying face down.

    That’s how I imagined it to be: 12 injections on my back which lasted for something like 10 minutes. Would be hypocritical to say pain was negligible, because it’s not. But as humans with built-in mechanism for tolerance, I would say you’ll get used to it. :P It’s only ten minutes anyhow. Just get it over and done with.

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    Category Health & Beauty | Tags: | 10 Comments

  2. Matt Mullenweg on why bloggers shouldn’t be like the Fourth Estate

    September 25, 2008 by ajay

    Matt Mullenweg interview

    My Blog-O-rama interview with WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg came out last Monday; it was cut due to space considerations, full transcript is here. The bad news is that I wasn’t able to attend the historic first WordCamp in St. Benilde :( The good news is that I was able to chase him down just the same. It was over a buffet breakfast, and we were both sleepless: him from drinking the night before, me from working the graveyard shift. Hehe. Also in company were two of the WordCamp organizers, Mr. Batang Yagit, Winston Almendras and Blogie Robillo. Anyway, we all agreed he was such a cool guy, that Matt :)

    Here goes:

    He’s only 24 years old but made history by creating and founding the platform that changed the blogging world – WordPress. Visiting Asia, and the Philippines for the first time during the most recent WordCamp 2008 here, Matt Mullenweg (named by PC World as one of the Top 50 Most Important People on the Web in 2007, most recently one of Inc.com’s Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30 ) sat down with us for a not-so-geeky interview on playing in casinos,eating pansit and why he thinks bloggers should dissociate themselves from all the PR hoopla, in order to remain “authentic.”

    Q. How were you as a student?

    A. I was taking up political science and philosophy in college,and only finished two years. Back then, I hated computers, or computer classes. I’ve always loved technology but to me computer classes were never interesting; one, because they were working in non-open source technology. To me, technology was always a means to an end, and I wasn’t interested in technology the way they were teaching it in school. I was pretty bad as a student ’cause I was always focusing on other things, like music. I scored high in my SATs, but I never passed my papers, showed up late, things like that.

    Q. It’s your first visit to the Philippines and spent some time at the maiden Philippine edition of the WordCamp. First impressions?

    A. People love taking pictures here and I prolly had more than a hundred of that in the WordCamp. It just blew my mind. It’s a little bit common in other parts but not the same here. During the event, I saw that Plurk was really big. Everyone was plurking!

    Filipinos are very warm, very outgoing. I think it’s cultural. In places like Germany, they’re a little more reserved. Filipinos like talking and communicating. You have big families, it seems. I was hanging out and this person has, like, five cousins in the room. I love that all the warmth and openness creates a very vibrant blogging community.

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    Category Technews | Tags: | 7 Comments

  3. Postscript: Philippine Blog Awards 2008

    September 23, 2008 by ajay

    This modest space congratulates the finalists and winners of the Philippine Blog Awards 2008 which just had its successful run at One Esplanade last Sept. 21. It was blogger power at its finest, the awards having been organized by a group of bloggers and carried to fruition by a big army of blogger-volunteers. Everything, from the smashin’ AVPs to the emceeing and last-minute details, was done by bloggers.

    I can still remember the first blogger event I attended in 2004 which filled a long table at Cabalen. Now, blogging in the country has come a long way!

    Each year I feel obsolete, and each year I feel amazed at the wealth of blogging talents that keep cropping up. This is how I look at it because I judged the Blog Awards in some categories again this year. Doing so has always been an enlightening experience as it opens my mind to great blogs I haven’t added yet to my Google Reader. These are the blogs who we don’t get to see in the blog events, or get monetized, or who don’t receive 75 comments. Read: underestimated. I will always doff my hat to fellow bloggers who blog with aplomb and blog for the sheer love of it, treating it almost like science, or a well-researched dissertation. All i can say is: wow, people! :)

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    Category Happenings & Events | Tags: | 16 Comments

  4. Cebu Pacific flies to Japan…. the US next?

    September 18, 2008 by ajay

    You gotta hand it to the Gokongwei-owned Cebu Pacific to aim for domination in the budget airline market. This week, it announced that it will be flying to Osaka, Japan starting November 20, with a P1,999 seat sale for the destination until September 30. The new 5J flight goes to head with its closest competitor,Philippine Airlines, in cornering the Japan route. The only difference is that PAL flies to more routes in the land of the cherry blossoms,if we count its flights to Tokyo, Fukuoka and Nagoya.

    Now, if you’ve been closely monitoring the news, Cebu Pacific’s aim really is to offer budget fares to the US. Probably something in the range of$400 to $500 for the mainland? Hah. It’s not too crazy to dream. Insiders say this will most likely come true next year, as the airline is presently in negotiations to purchase Boeing 777′s for the US takeoff.

    Just have some questions though. How do you fly budget to the US, the Cebu Pacific way? :)

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    Category Travel | Tags: | 2 Comments

  5. Catch Celadon Manila’s Weekend Market on September 21 and 28

    September 17, 2008 by ajay

    Downtown Manila is a place I never venture much these days. True, it’s a big part of my childhood, but somewhere in between, I ended up in the semi-suburb; living as I am now near a place with airplanes hovering above me, instead of jeepneys buzzing to death beside me.

    Manila, it’s either you love it or leave it – the dirt,the smell, the sidewalks overflowing with goods from underground stalls,the noise and a thousand what-nots which make it one big,rough city.

    Still, visiting the Alveo Land development Celadon Manila recently,you’d think twice about your impressions of Manila as an “ugly” place. I still can’t believe this is what they made of the former San Lazaro Race Track.

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    Category Places Etc. | Tags: | 1 Comment

  6. Ever tried the Delifrance Tray Couture?

    September 16, 2008 by ajay

    …….. because if you haven’t tried it, now’s your chance to infuse your culinary life with some Parisian flavor. Tell us what selection you like from their present range, and get to sample the Delifrance Tray Couture creations for free. Commenters in this blog who give the most creative answers will each be given a Delifrance Tray Couture gift certificate.

    Delifrance Tray Couture

    Delifrance Tray Couture

    Think now:

    Are You a Henri?

    Premiere Clubhouse and Shrimp Pesto Pasta

    Or an Amelia?

    Seafood Deluxe Clubhouse and Pomodoro Angel Hair Pasta

    Possibly a Cherie?

    California Chicken Clubhouse and Garlic Pesto Pasta

    Or maybe a Philippe?

    Tuna Onion Mayo Clubhouse and Beef Stroganoff Pasta

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    Category Blog Promotion | Tags: | 4 Comments

  7. Last three days of the Manila International Book fair

    September 14, 2008 by ajay

    The written word is alive and well, thanks to the annual staging of the Manila International Book Fair. This event, which started last Friday, September 12 will end on Tuesday, Sept 16 so there’s only three days left for bibliophiles to hobnob with their favorite authors, get your favorite books at a discount and attend mind-enriching seminars.

    We saw in the schedule some interesting bits such as how to get published, productivity tips from top writers, a forum on book piracy, a cosplay workshop, how to earn from freelancing, and even a talk on “the business of blogging.” Here’s a handy list of what you’ll have to catch for the remainder of the book fair:

    TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

    8:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Meeting Room 4) Travel and Training Grants for Librarians Forum by Philippine Association of Teachers of Library and Information Science, Inc. (PATLS)

    8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Meeting Rooms 5 & 6) ICT FORUM by Diwa Learning Systems, Inc.

    10:30 AM – 12:30 PM (Meeting Room 4) Choosing the Correct Catholic Bible by Sinag-Tala Publishers, Inc.

    10:30 AM – 12:30 PM (Stage Area) Pistang Panitik: Blog! The business of blogging.

    1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Meeting Room 4) Memorial Lecture on Library Pioneers of the Philippines: Dr. James Alexander Robertson by Philippine Foundation for Library Scholarship, Inc.

    3:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Meeting Room 3)Multiple Book Launching by Sibal Group

    5:30 PM – 7:30 PM (Meeting Rooms 4 & 5) Book Launch by St Pauls

    5:30 PM – 7:30 PM (Meeting Room 6) Bible Appreciation Seminar by Phil. Bible Society

    6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Stage Area) Salaysayan Finals
    by Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY)

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    Category Press Release | Tags: | 2 Comments

  8. More breakfasts: spotlight on UCC Coffee

    September 11, 2008 by ajay

    I like UCC food and coffee. But I have to admit that while I can have a McDonald’s breakfast everyday, UCC is more of an indulgence because the prices are quite, ehrmmm, “expensive.” (read: above the minimum daily wage for some) Which is a pity since I find the UCC chain of cafes really good, and the quality never wavers. Dining here is akin to experiencing the bistro life in Japan. Spaghetti soup, hamburg patty and omurice, anyone?

    Of course, UCC is also known hereabouts as serving the high-priced Blue Mountain Coffee. At P349 a cup, this coffee surely beats any other hotel’s coffee for the cost. Only true-blue coffee connoisseurs know why. Blue Mountain coffee, which is exclusively grown in the mountains of Jamaica, can be its distinguished for its immaculate, smooth flavor which is surprisingly not strong, but sweet.

    UCC breakfast sets range from P289 to P389.

    What I ate recently : Spam and Cheese Omelette. Simply scrambled eggs with mozzarella and cubes of our favorite Spam, on toasted whole wheat bread. This one didn’t disappoint.

    I think I gotta try the waffle and frankfurters pairing next time.

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    Category Munchin' | Tags: | 5 Comments

  9. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and then some!

    September 6, 2008 by ajay

    I heart my Pinoy breakfast. For once in the day, I forgive the preponderance of oil in the tapa, the salitre in the tocino, the saltiness in the tuyo, the sodium nitrite in the corned beef and the cholesterol in the eggs. Add in my favorite boneless bangus, too and chopped tomatoes! There’s nothing more heavenly than all of them paired with fried rice and all those garlicky bits. And oh, don’t forget the hot brewed barako coffee.

    There are times, though, when I want to try something new. Like my favorite custard bun and coffee mocha bun from The Patisserie. With the mushrooming of similar places in Manila, didn’t know that that the best bread with the most generous kaya filling inside was inside this hotel outlet. The custard bun was immaculate as well, with ample cream filling inside to make you say “yum!”


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    Category Munchin' | Tags: | 6 Comments

  10. The return of Savory, and my favorite Solihiya fried chicken

    September 1, 2008 by ajay

    Fried chicken is my kids’ favorite comfort food. It is a staple when we dine out. Luckily, one’s never wanting of fried/roast chicken in the metro. Just a roll call of my favorites:

    Max’s - a classic! best eaten when hot!
    KFC – chicken made tasty by the very monosodium-glutamate-y breading :D
    Jollibee – Chicken Joy is almost an icon in these parts
    Kenny Rogers – love the choices this chain has, they have salads and sidings which other fastfood don’t have
    Aristocrat – their chicken-java sauce pairing is simply yummy. Surprisingly, their tapa is very good too. Just a bit on the pricey side.
    Bacolod chicken inasal – seems Manila versions are not as good as the real thing, but is still good at satisfying one’s cravings. Must try JT’s Manukan soon!
    Andok’s, Baliwag or Lechon Manok ni Senor Pedro – stalls all over, the latter especially for doing away with the perennial lechon sauce, like lechon Cebu.
    fried chicken by Ministop

    And then, there’s Savory Chicken.

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    Category Life & Living | Tags: | 16 Comments