Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Monday, January 5, 2015

Ross Del Rosario of Wazzup Pilipinas on ABS-CBN's Rated K

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Thanks to a blogger friend for taking a photo of my "short but sweet" appearance at one of the top prime-time television shows of ABS-CBN last Sunday, January 4, 2015.

Yes! Your friendly neighborhood Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas, Ross Del Rosario, of WazzupPilipinas.com was interviewed by Rated K about Food Trends for 2015.

A former classmate of mine from high school commented that it was "Short but meaningful..all words swak talaga." Wow! Thanks for the compliments! I asked her if "mas healthier" was also correct, and she said "Lahat tama depende yun sa opinion mo..he he he..Congrats!"

My kids were all laughing at that particular statement because they were saying I was being redundant. According to them it should be "mas healthy" or just plain "healthier" instead. Hahaha! My kids are really grammar Nazis! :)

My family and I just got home from a whole day of bonding time (or call it "food tripping") with the family starting with attending Sunday mass at the Sta. Clara De Montefalco church near our residence in Pasig, a festive lunch of noodles at Modern Shanghai Glorietta 2 (a restaurant belonging to the Bistro Group of Restaurants), bought a new shirt at Gap Glorietta, an afternoon of learning Science and Technology at The Mind Museum of Bonifacio Global City (BGC), testing our creativity with Do-It-Yourself pancake snacks at Slappy Cakes SM Aura and a delightful hot and crispy chicken dinner at KFC SM Aura. The day ended with all the boys (including me) lining up at the neighborhood barbershop since it's the first day of school tomorrow (January 5, 2015).

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"From the organization that brought to you the first ever college music festival from DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY, get ready for the sequel of the grandest one yet as DLSU ENGLICOM presents JACKO WACKO MUSIC FESTIVAL: INTO THE WAVES.

Happening on February 7, 2015, Saturday! 4pm onwards, at the SM MALL OF ASIA OPEN GROUNDS BLOCK 22!

Water, foam and music! Your favorites, all in one!

Together with Styles Entertainment, Pioneer DJ and many many more!

Featuring:
Up Dharma Down
Ace Ramos
Marc Marasigan
Katsy Lee
Jess Milner
Lucio Pua
AND MANY MORE!

Everybody unite as we ‪#‎RaveWithTheWAVES‬ and get down to the beats of the best ever DJs and artists in the country!

Come on board and ‪#‎LetsSailTogether‬ with the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation as the proceeds of the event will go to the chosen beneficiary; because ‪#‎HopeSails‬ within us.

So be ready this 2015! See you there!"

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant: Where You Can Say Frohe Feiertage Everyday

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Frohes Neues Jahr is German for Happy New Year. Since we are now featuring a German restaurant in our blog today, I will try to insert a few German language in this blog post! Joke! All I know is "Ein frohes Weihnachtsfest und alles gute im neuen Jahr!", which means "We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!" or maybe say "Frohe Feiertage" which is grammatically correct but some would say "Frohes Fest!" instead. Regardless, it's a lot safer if I stick with English in greeting everyone a wonderful new year ahead this 2015.

A friend of mine called me up one night and invited me to join him in dining at one of the German restaurants in the Metro, specifically the one located at EDSA Shangri-La Mall. I was actually in the middle of an event that night but since I was so eager in trying out that restaurant, I accepted his invitation. I quickly asked my correspondent (who was fortunately also there covering the event) if she could cover the even on her own. I believe I was meant to taste the German specialty dishes that night because she immediately agreed without any hesitation.

So your friendly-neighborhood Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas quickly took off from the event happening in Makati somewhere at the Magallanes area and hurriedly took the MRT ride to reach the Shaw Boulevard station. Just a short walk from the station and I was already there at the Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant.

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.

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!

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?

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: