New Year’s Resolutions For Your Home

Wazzup Pilipinas!

New Year’s Eve is a time to make resolutions for the upcoming 12 months, not only for yourself, but for your home.

Each one of us wants to attain some goals and are hopeful we could accomplish all of them within the year. We all try our best effort to reach our dreams and aspirations towards a better and more luxurious and comfortable life, whether it involves our career, family, or anything else we planned for our future, and eagerly intend to fulfill them as soon as possible, and definitely within our lifetime.

I've been making a list every year, and is always focused on making sure I am able to scratch off majority of what's listed. Though there are times I get distracted due to some failures or disappointing moments, I immediately try to bounce back and courageously continue what I have started.

As 2015 has now started, now is also the time to ask what property goals you would like to accomplish in 2015.

Global real estate marketplace Lamudi has compiled a list of five simple suggestions for revamping your home for the New Year.

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant: A Gastronomically Explosive Feast for the Family

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Your friendly neighborhood Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas, together with my wife and kids, had a pre-Christmas meal at one of the fab Japanese restaurants in the Metro located inside one of the popular malls in Mandaluyong city, or is it Pasig city?

Well, we really don't know since we don't care much of the city boundaries as long as we know the landmark establishment housing the restaurant. When we take a taxi, we don't really tell the driver to take us to the address of a location but normally we just name the mall or the building we plan to go to. Since EDSA Shangri-La Mall is one of the widely known malls, except for some confusion from the hotel nearby, or the other hotel located in Makati, as long as you say EDSA, the taxi driver will surely get you there easily without any need to mention the exact address.

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant in the Philippines belongs to the Bistro Group of Restaurants alongside other brands like Italliani's, Bulgogi Brothers, T.G.I.Fridays, Village Tavern and so on. The restaurant also has other branches located in Makati and Mall of Asia but the one at EDSA Shangri-La Mall is probably the newest since I don't see it yet on their Facebook page.

The family decided to try out the restaurant during our pre-Christmas bonding time after we had a family portrait taken at one of the photo studios at the nearby SM Megamall. Why did we transferred from one mall to the next when SM Megamall also has a lot of new restaurants? I guess we just wanted a change of scenery since we've been going to the same mall ever since it was built because it was the nearest and most convenient mall to go from our Pasig city residence aside from Robinson's Galleria.

Top Food Trends for 2015

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Since it's the beginning of another year for us, I might as well re-post what I have learned about the possible upcoming food trends for 2015 and beyond which I learned from a famous chef from one of the events that I attended last year.

The chef says food trends are like fashion trends because they come and go and speak of the times. When not in current style, food appears dated, unappealing and not so fresh. A good example is the cronuts which are like the loom bands that turned out to be more like a fad, and the food trucks that never caught on in the country because of licensing issues.

Globalism with socialism is now in the rise. There is now the demand for global flavors but with local ingredients and a mix source of herbs and spices.

Comfort food is still king, but they are now elevated by adding new ingredients, like mac and cheese with lobsters, and burgers with artisinal cheese.

There is also the interest for food with a conscience emphasizing on the keywords: sustainable, local, organic, farm-raised, free-range, pro-biotic, artisinal, heirloom, fair trade, and grass-fed.



Less in now more. Minimalism is in, the purity of ingredients and dishes with very few but tasty ingredients so that the quality and flavor of each will shine through.

There is also the Nose-to-Tail dishes where restaurants use the whole animal including the offal, intestines, liver, tripe and cheaper, tougher cuts of meat that are braised for a long time.

Wazzup Pilipinas Founder Featured on ABS-CBN's Rated K

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I'm so excited to share another lucky opportunity given to yours truly as your friendly neighborhood Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas, Ross Del Rosario, gets interviewed for ABS-CBN's Rated K hosted by Korina Sanchez-Roxas, one of the top broadcast journalist and news anchor of the country, and the supportive wife of Mar Roxas, our Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary.

This is a delightful way to start 2015! It may be just a short interview but being featured by one of the popular television shows of one of the top local channels of the Philippines is something to be proud of already. I am also overwhelmed that it was the very first activity I did this 2015 with special thanks to a friend who recommended me for the spot.


ABS-CBN has been one of the leading TV networks in the country and many people are saying that you've got it made already, or at least on your way to better opportunities, once you've been seen in any of their shows. Rated K is one of their top prime-time TV shows aired every Sunday and hosted by Korina Sanchez-Roxas, one of their top-notch and senior talents handling the news on both TV and radio stations of the ABS-CBN network.

They said I am sharing the segment with a Chef they interviewed earlier, probably a few days ago, on the same topic, and they wanted to hear about my own comments based on their research of 2015 food trends (Papatok na bagong kainan at lutuin na tiyak na pagkakaguluhan!). So I tried my best to share some thoughts even though I was trembling in nervousness. Lol!

Chef Lau Joins the Cast of The Apartment: Celebrity Edition

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I was excited to hear that our very own Chef Rolando Laudico, or better known as “Chef Lau” will be part of an international competition to represent the Philippines.

Culinary extraordinaire Chef Lau will be joining other 11 international celebrities from all over the globe brought together to compete for a chance to win a USD 100,000.00 prize for a charity of their choice on the fantastic new season of the number one design reality TV show, The Apartment - Celebrity Edition.

Chef Lau is competing against Actress/Host/Model Paula Taylor, Actress/Model/Jewelry Designer Xiao Wang, Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih, Model/Host/Singer Lucy Clarkson-Demeo, DJ/TV Host Patricia Knudsen, Producer/Singer Nicole Russo, Film Star Mary Christina Brown, Pop Singer Cindy Gomez, Host/Actor Justin Bratton, Singer Ryan Star, and Actor Bronson Pelletier.

The series is set at the breathtaking Bangtao Beach in Phuket, Thailand and brought to us by the Imagine Group, in collaboration with Fox International Channels, together with Castlewood Group and Dulux.

Blessed are the Weird

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Blessed are the weird people – poets, misfits, writers, mystics, heretics, painters, troubadours – for they teach us to see the world through different eyes"

I qualify on all those counts, does that mean multiple blessedness? Weird could be my middle name but I don't really advertise myself as such. I guess I'm an outsider. Always have been, and I don't intend to change.

People give lip service to this, but the reality of how the world treats creative people is very much different. I'm using this to inspire another piece but taking out "weird". We're not weird - we're original, creative and imaginative! Though labels are for selling things, not for identifying people. Eccentric, that has always been my label, and oh how I love it. Remember that everyone is blessed, some are yet to realize it though. Also 'invite', 'inspire' or 'provoke' would be better than 'force'.

All of my life, I have had people tell me that I am weird. I embrace it. Say it loud say it proud! I am a poet, a misfit, an artist, and yes I am weird and different, but for me I am content with that for I stand against the flow and follow my own path! I love being different. ...it means I am an individual. But aren't we all weird in some way or another?

New Years Resolution: What to Do Everyday to Make Us Proud of the Year

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I can't believe its already been a year. I couldn't stop the unflinching march of time as it quickly progressed from now into my future. Though my memories are less of the nitty-gritty details, the past year was like only yesterday - still so vivid and will forever be cherished.

2014 was a special year for me. Aside from all the amazing things I got to experience, I somehow fulfilled all of my New Years Resolution for the very first time! But I will sometimes still ask myself if I became a better person after all the accomplishments.

If  we did make a #NewYearsResolution last year and failed to accomplish it, just remember that it was never easy to discipline ourselves to do positive and sudden, sometimes abrupt, changes like living a healthier life. Know that it is a lifestyle change. It doesn't happen overnight. Stick with it for a long while, even for another year, until it finally becomes habitual and routine.

New year, new goals, new challenges! When we have strength, passion and dedication, there is no goal we can't achieve. We don't have to set huge goals that require a lot of work and willpower. Keep it simple and attainable. The rest, and bigger achievements, will soon follow.

Aside from remembering to write 2015 instead of 2014, here are some ideas of New Years Resolutions we may want to apply as our own:

MMFF 2014: List of Winners and Blockbusters

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We've heard how Vice Ganda's The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin movie got the highest grossing film recognition followed by Kris Aquino's Feng Shui 2. Both movies actually starred an Aquino since Bimby Aquino-Yap, son of Kris Aquino and James Yap, was co-starring in The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin. While, Coco Martin, also a very popular actor, co-starred in Feng Shui 2.

It looks like the magic of Vic Sotto and Ryzza Mae tandem, even though Marian Rivera was co-starring, did not make it to the top of the blockbuster hits...but you'll never really know since the entire show dates are not over yet.

It is also a fact that Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera's real-life sweetheart, is starring in another MMFF 2014 movie entry namely Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2, a part two of the first dubbed as Tiktik, which features state of the art computer animation as part of their special effects. The movie has Isabelle Daza and Julie Anne San Jose as co-stars and also features comedians like Jun Sabayton.

The usual three-segment movie Shake Rattle & Roll series, now on its 15th, is still demanding attention during the MMFF 2014 tradition with a star-studded cast since it has three different short movies in one production.

Derek Ramsay and Jennylyn Mercado were announced as Best Actor and Best Actress respectively from their English Only, Please movie. Derek was quoted as saying “I thought I won’t make it. I just prepared a speech..." Hhhmmm.....

Also seemingly having an entry every MMFF 2014 is Jeorge Estregan's action movie entitled MM .357: To Serve and Protect (Muslim Magnum) movie co-starring the sexy and luscious Sam Pinto.

But we send our congratulations  to the Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo movie for winning the Best Picture award in the recent 40th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2014 awarding ceremonies. The movie is truly deserving since it is the only one among the 8 competing movies in the MMFF 2014 that dared to present a real meaningful movie filled with very informative and educational content.

AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Missing, Search and Rescue Operations Ongoing

Wazzup Pilipinas!We got news of  something unfortunate that happened earlier this Sunday at exactly 6:25 in the morning of December 28, 2014 to another plane from a different airline. A colleague has shared that a plane, with 155 passengers and 7 crew on board, flying from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore, AirAsia Flight QZ8501 has gone missing and the search is now on.

They said the air traffic control of Indonesia lost contact with the plane at around 8: 24 am of Singapore time. An Indonesian Transport Ministry official, Hadi Mustofa, mentioned that the plane had asked for an unusual route before it lost contact.

Both the AirAsia airline and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore has already released an official statement regarding the incident. They have announced that search and rescue operations are already ongoing and will release further information as soon as available.

We are hopeful that this incident will be resolve as soon as possible because it is heart-breaking if we will again hear of airline mishaps just like what happened to the flights of Malaysia Airlines. The disappearance is the third air incident this year involving Malaysia, where budget carrier AirAsia is based. Remember Malaysia Airline flights 370 that vanished without a trace? It was carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. How about Malaysia Airlines flight 17? All 298 passengers and crew aboard were killed when the it  was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine.

Below are the official statements of AirAsia and Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

Artistang Artlets of UST Presents X.O.X.O.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Artistang Artlets, the official theater guild of the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Santo Tomas, on its 34th season is proud to bring you its 2nd Theatre Literacy Program this coming January.

Artistang Artlets brings you X.O.X.O, a play that introduces us to a world wherein one’s right decisions, thinking, and actions will determine whether he or she will win the game that affects people the most – the game of love. Are you willing to gamble everything for the sake of love? Will it be worth it? Ready? Set, Gamble.

X.O.X.O is a twin bill production, featuring the 29th Gawad Ustetika 1st and 3rd place holders for Dulang May Isang Yugto category entitled “Baraha” written by Kris Joven Medalla and “Ang Kasalanan sa Kasalan” written by Danielle Joyce Factora, respectively. X.O.X.O will be directed by Jennie Ver Gabon and will be produced by Hazel May Sartorio.