Last Thursday, I wrote about this mystery woman we saw in Greenhills which jibed with what I read in two of the leading blogs, byahilo and chuvaness.com. As I had suspected, she’s a real character and her true name is Barbara Cruz.

According to Barbara’s close friend, “she’s real, all right. We’ve known her for some time, but she’s always looked that way no matter how hard we’ve tried to convince her to go with the modern times. She is afraid of change, and insists on clinging to tradition. Her appearance reflects her old-fashioned habits.”

A few weeks after the Barbara sightings, it seems she’s caught the interest of leading depilatory brand Veet which has launched a promo aptly titled Catch and Shoot Barbara. A gadget freak like me would like to join this contest, if only because the top prize at stake is a Macbook Pro, an iPhone 3GS and other exciting prizes.

The mechanics are vedy simple: watch out for Barbara in malls, bars, schools, and other places around the metro! Take her photo and upload it to the contest website, for a chance to win the Macbook Pro and other cool gadgets in the weekly raffle draws and grand draw.

As our first lead, Barbara’s friend said Barbara will be spending a day by the bay this week to watch the Paramore concert, so make sure you take a picture of her there!

Visit catchandshootbarabara.com for more details.

I now work on Sundays and was wondering why there’s been traffic in the Macapagal Boulevard area in Pasay nearing nighttime. It turns out the culprit is the 1st Philippine International Pyromusical Competition ongoing till March 14 at the Mall of Asia grounds. So last Sunday, the whole family decided to just bear with the traffic and watch the fireworks display itself.

VIP tickets with dinner cost P1500 and I presume those who bought these tickets get the best view and best seats. We just decided to hang out in one of the veranda restaurants which were also selling tickets. We were at TGI Friday’s, to be exact, which charged P750 per person of which P500 was consumable (and the garlic chicken primavera I ordered was godawfully unpalatable).

I found out that the spot was far from ideal because the table we were in was blocked by the foliage of trees and this really irritating giant replica bottle of Tanduay in the background. Still, I managed to get these shots using my trusted Lumix LX3

The night was a battle between the pyrotechnics prowess of France and Japan. Japan’s fireworks was more impressive and had greater impact. They even managed to put up symbols in the sky, such as this smiley face ….

Next to compete are Singapore vs. Malaysia on March 7 while the Philippines will have a showdown with Australia for the closing exhibition on March 14. The fireworks show starts at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit the show’s official website.

A few months ago, this humble space announced the holding of the Crazy for Crocs online video challenge. Time indeed flies so fast because the competition has ended and its wake are happy, contented winners who are holding their high-ticket prizes just in time for Christmas, thanks to Crocs.

Congratulations are in order to the following monthly winners of P100,00 each: Jeric Herrera, Jamielyn Ira Dy and Kimberly Tan. Crocs customer Priscilla Roco likewise won a brand-new Honda Jazz in the grand raffle. The others won Canon PowerShot cameras and Samsung LCD TVs.

Guess we’ll just have to wait for the next high-powered Crocs campaign. In a press statement, Franco Limjuco, VP for Marketing of All Condition Gear Phil. Inc, the exclusive distributor of Crocs footwear in the country, said: “With the online video challenge, we were looking for an innovative way of using today’s technology in showcasing amateur talents as well as promoting our brand.And from the response we’ve received, and the number of superb videos we’ve seen throughout the contest, we can definitely say that the campaign is a success!”

How to view the videos? Just go to the crazyforcrocs.com website! They are also available on Youtube.

I almost missed out on the winners’ victory party at The Fort due to the horrible holiday traffic. Still, am glad there was a surprise waiting for me. The new, latest style Crocs Malindi slingbacks in an attractive pink color… tee hee.

In this season when we are rushing to all the holiday parties and frantically shopping for last-minute Christmas gifts, uber-comfy sandals and slip-ons like Crocs are the preferred footwear of choice.

I have been a fan of the local YUMMY Magazine for the longest time. I always make it a point to buy the latest issue from the nearest Ministop or 7-Eleven, and have gotten a kick from trying out some of the recipes as well. I have just one complaint from this magazine: viewing its pages never fail to make me hungry. The pictures seem to leap from the confines of colorful paper and ink, looking ready to be eaten! My friends agree as well

That is why when the invite from Yummy came for their media Christmas dinner (thanks Fran and Ro!), I was excited to attend. The venue was the elegant Tosca Italian restaurant of the Dusit Thani hotel in Makati which had this impressive wine cellar.

The menu for the night: Potato Sour Creme Soup with Lemon-Grilled Shrimps and Tarragon; Chicken Breast Filled with Marinated Apricot, Orange-Cinnamon Couscous and Green Asparagus. For dessert, we had Trilogie of Vanilla and Red Wine Creme with Caramelized Mango. The chosen dishes didn’t really remind me of Italian food (as I know it) but I must agree with the others that the dessert was heavenly.

I also had fun taking pics of YUMMY editors and staff who make the magazine exciting and worth reading issue after issue.

In this table: Angelo Comsti of yummy.ph, Chef Aileen Anastacio and editor in chief Becky Kho.

I was fortunately seated beside food editor Rachelle Santos and yummy.ph staffwriter Dudi Aureus . A running question through my head: being surrounded by tons of recipes and food products to try, why are most of them so thin? LOL

In this corner: managing editor Paulynn Afable, Jonathan, Liezl and associate publisher Fran Haw.

Some important tidbits from the dinner:

If you’re a foodie and avid cook, it’s probably time to ditch the Starbucks planner and get your dainty hands on the YUMMY 2010 planner. It’s replete with recipes, shopping lists and cooking tips and is available for for only P250 at your favorite newsstand.

A gift that will make your foodie friend smile this Christmas: the handy and portable YUMMY cookbooks! I was one of the first to buy YUMMY Meals in Minutes when it first came out, and now am glad they’ve also released YUMMY So-easy Sweets, and soon – YUMMY Weekend Cooking. This glossy compilation of YUMMY recipes should be a welcome addition to your cookbooks and they’re a steal at only 100 pesos!

Finally, grab the December 2009 issue of Yummy for a chance to try luscious baked treats and to find out who in their opinion offers the best lechon in Metro Manila. Thanks to them, I am dying to try this best lechon maker soon

Bloggers writing about food is one thing, bloggers cooking the food itself in full view of the public is another. So yeah, that’s how I attended one of the most enjoyable blog events ever – the Century Corned Tuna Bloggers’ Cook-Off held last Saturday, Nov. 7 at The Stock Market in the Fort.

The concept was similar to Iron Chef. There was this long table laid out with a variety of ingredients, and the challenge was to come up with any pasta and appetizer dish that would appeal best to a panel of judges, all to be done in 45 minutes! Our finished dishes would be judged based on the following criteria: Plating (20%), Originality (20%), Taste (25%) and the Innovative Use of Century Corned Tuna (35%).

That’s moi with Jane and Erlyn prior to the cooking frenzy. Was so glad to belong to Team B which also consisted of AJ, Arpee and Ohmski. One thing that made us win: our incomparable teamwork!

There was also our great coach, Chef Donna Morales. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without her helpful suggestions

One thing we learned: Century Tuna is healthy to eat, and so versatile. You won’t believe the kind of dishes we made just by using it.

We were able to prepare:

a delicious Tuna Quesadilla added with thinly slices of pears for that extra crunch

a savory Asian-inspired Tuna Pasta with Spinach, Asparagus, Almonds and Miso.

I promise to share our recipe here soon, as they’re easy to make and yet, will surely impress guests at your next party.

Judging time. There were a number of judges including advertising exec Ariel Comia (a.k.a Mr. Bearbricklove) and Doc Gelo, as well as the Century Tuna Superbod Model winners.

The best part was winning the grand prize of ten thousand pesosesoses which we had to divide among ourselves for an early Christmas shopping money. Yippee. Thank you Century Corned Tuna, PC & V, Rogue Digital, and The Stock Market

The World Pyro Olympics 2009 will soon light up the Manila sky, and it’s something to look forward to starting the third week of November. This is the fourth staging of the prestigious event in the country which is just right in time for Christmas. Unlike in the past three years when it was held in the SM Mall of Asia, the 2009 World Pyro Olympics will happen in all of its glimmering splendor at The Fort Open Grounds, Bonifacio Global City Taguig (just behind Bonifacio High Street.) Expect the area to be full with locals and tourists from abroad and all over the country.

We noticed that there seems to be fewer countries participating this year. Another change to expect from the 4th World Pyro Olympics is that it’s going to be a pyromusical competition. Meaning, the fireworks displays will be synchronized to music. It should be an exciting time. I don’t really expect Jaiho being played while fireworks burst across the evening sky

To recap, here’s the schedule of the World Pyro Olympics 2009:

November 21 – Germany, China
November 28 – Japan, Australia
December 5 – Canada, Italy
December 12 – Korea, USA
December 19 – highlights from the participants, to be led by the event host La Mancha International

Past winners in the World Pyro Olympics competitions are:

Australia (2005), United Kingdom (2007), and Italy (2008).

Tickets are priced at P200, P500 and P1,500 (with dinner). For reservations, call (632) 568-6908, 384-0239.

The kids and I hang out at the Manila Ocean Park over the weekend, just in time to catch their recently launched Mermaid Show. This is a 30-minute treat where attractive (and should I say, curvaceous) swimmers perform dances, moves and acrobatics underwater. Of course it’s a given, they gotta be professionals to do that!

I must say it’s a real delight for kids, who must be harboring fantasies about being the next Little Mermaid or even our homegrown Dyesebel. It was fun seeing the women-swimmers in their colorful, alluring costumes, waving and smiling at their audience while grooving to the beat of the music. I took a video but I still have to upload it to YouTube

The show is one of the free attractions you can have in Manila Ocean Park at the moment. It’s almost “free” considering that they give you one ticket for every P150 purchase at any of the park’s restaurants and food outlets. You can choose to buy the tickets per se, but I think the first option is preferable.

The performance happens at the Buhay na Karagatan exhibit area which is the biggest tank in the oceanarium. Viewing is being done at the Look Function Room and even though they announced that no picture-taking was allowed during the show, the rest of the pack was using their cameras like me, just no flash allowed.

The crowd is allowed to have their pics taken with the mermaids still romping in the tank after the show, and there’s more photo op in the mermaid booth, like this one:

The Mermaid Show at the Manila Ocean Park
happens everyday, except Mondays
4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 pm

Address: behind Quirino Grandstand
Luneta, Manila

Call telephone no. 5677777 for inquiries

Just a few hours and the whole Philippines will be glued to the historic May 2 big fight between Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand Arena. The grand confrontation is scheduled at 8 a.m. Manila time, with Martin Nievera singing the Philippine National Anthem.

I will be out of town and will not be around to know how traffic in Manila stops during this time. Although I’ve pinned my hopes on Pacman before, this time am betting on Hatton to humble down the greatest Filipino boxer of all time. But then again, I could be wrong and that makes their match really exciting

The City of Manila under Mayor Alfredo Lim has been notable in offering free screenings for the match to their residents in chosen venues, like the sports complexes. Likewise , the AFP and PNP are doing free screenings for military and police personnel. (just a note: won’t this compromise the security situation?)

On the other hand, malls, hotels, restaurants and bars take advantage of the public anticipation to sell tickets, ranging from P500 to P1000 so viewers can enjoy the show, complete with food and drinks. People are cashing in on the match, in more ways than we can imagine.

I will be on blog leave as the world switches off today their lights for Earth Hour, happening in the Philippines from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time.

With global warming, unabated pollution and other environmental ills upon us, just one hour will make a difference for sure.

Fo this initiative, Vote Earth is the battlecry. This is the time when people from all over the world will take control of the future of the planet and do something to effect change.

And oh, if for one hour – from 8:30-9:30- you plan to be in the world’s most famous landmarks like the Sydney Opera House, Golden Gate Bridge, Colosseum in Rome or Petronas Towers in Malaysia….

do not!

because those places will be in total darkness!

Donations are hard to come by, in these times of recession. Companies are cutting back on all fronts, including charitable contributions which used to be an appropriate venue for tax breaks and aiding underprivileged sectors of society.

That is why we were quite elated when we heard the news that fastfood giant Jollibee turned over P18 million to eight recipient-foundations who will implement programs to benefit Filipino children around the country.

The eight beneficiaries of the Jollibee grants are Cottolengo Filipino (Rizal), ERDA Tech (Manila), Families and Children for Empowerment and Development Foundation (Manila), House with No Steps (Quezon City), Marcellin Project (General Santos City), Shontoug Foundation (Baguio City), Philippine Children’s Medical Center (Quezon City) and the Busog, Lusog, Talino In-School Feeding Program of the Jollibee Foundation (Leyte).

At the turnover rites in Manila Ocean Park, we were able to take a snapshot of Fr. Julio Cuesto Ortega, the president and executive director of Cottolengo Filipino which provides residential care and rehabilitation for abandoned children and persons with disability.

“With Jollibee’s help, we will be able to build a Multisensory Room to provide the necessary mental and sensual stimulation, as well as relaxation for the autistic kids under our care. At the same time, it will help a total of 82 orphans and students with special needs,” said Fr. Ortega.

Nice. Sometimes I am guilty of eating too much fastfood and imagine all that fat in the Chickenjoy. But I don’t mind doing all of that now, again and again, if all the calorific content I am afraid of is benefitting other people.

Tit for tat. Besides…. who can resist french fries?

Mabuhay Jollibee!