Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Kitchen Diaries Cafe: Our Food, Your Story

Dear Wazzup Pilipinas diary,

I have a wonderful story to tell about a promising new neighborhood restaurant which could very well offer almost everything you could think of. They are actually just a few months old and in a stage of experimenting to find out which of their dishes would click to their customers.

Our visit at their restaurant a few nights ago was labeled as a food coma for we were so overwhelmed with many interesting dishes from their menu, including the over abundance of sweets that our sugar level rose to an all-time high! The owners really pampered us to the extreme. We were actually surprised that they have so many food choices. At first look you would think they would only have sweet treats like cupcakes and cookies, but we were all wrong about that assumption.

There's an old saying that we should not judge a book by its cover, and we learned that the hard way. Their cutesy facade and display of sweet treats were just the cherries on top of the Black Forest cake. A closer inspection of the establishment introduced us to the many culinary delicacies that seem to magically came out from their kitchen.

Aside from the sugar-filled snacks, they also have filling main dishes fit for every time of the day may it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So you better start thinking beyond the usual cakes, krinkles, krunchies, choco pops, and other assortment of sweets for there are so much to discover at Kitchen Diaries Cafe.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The fast-paced advancement in technology has dramatically changed the way we live. We are in a stage of our lifetime when you could achieve almost anything as long as you have enough resources to support you in the conceptualization, development, and implementation. We now have several means to improve our lifestyle and could even have the power to extend our life and reach our maximum potential if we play our cards right.

A company has recently announced new facilities that features separate isolated processing rooms for cord blood and cord lining, the first and only such facility in the Philippines. The facility is designed with cryogenic storage capacity for as many as 30,000 cord blood/cord lining units.

Cordlife Medical Philippines Inc, a fully owned subsidiary of Cordlife Group Limited, a Singapore Exchange mainboard listed consumer healthcare company catering to the mother and child segment, announced the opening of their newly upgraded stem cell processing and cryopreservation facility at UP-Ayalaland Technohub, Quezon City. This expansion came less than 5 years from the opening of its facility in the country and was mainly driven by the growing number of parents who recognize the value of banking their baby’s stem cells in the country.

The event launch held at Crowne Plaza in Ortigas on Nov. 18, 2014 was hosted by popular DJ Delamar Arias and graced by celebrity moms, actress and beauty queen Lara Quigaman and reporter/journalist Niña Corpuz. Delamar, Lara and Nina all shared their personal experiences of being Cordlife moms themselves.

Gumbo Offers Combo Magnifico for Christmas

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Everybody’s in a rush because Christmas is just around the corner. If you have no time to prepare for your Noche Buena or get-together with your family and loved ones, then do not worry because you have the option to relax, just go out and dine in at any Gumbo restaurants!

Gumbo restaurants are located at the 2nd level, Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia; 2nd level, The Block, SM City North Edsa; 3rd level, Robinsons Place Manila Midtown; 2nd level, Atrium Bldg., SM Megamall; Gateway Mall Araneta Center; and Robinsons Magnolia.

Gumbo is a perfect place to celebrate this season as they prepare delicious and mouth-watering dishes for your family and friends to feast on such as Seafood Jambalaya, Fish & Chips, Cajun Fried Chicken, New Orleans’ Delight Pizza, Baked Artichoke, etc.

Likewise you should not miss Gumbo Christmas offering “Combo Magnifico” valued at P1525.00 but you can avail for only P999.00, a huge saving of P526.00! This sumptuous treat includes Chicken and Cheese Melt Fries, Shrimp Aglio Olio and Cajun Fried Chicken, plus a carafe or 1 liter of Coke, guaranteed good for five persons!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Everywhere you look would contain images and decorations pertaining to the very special holiday season. Christmas is truly in the air! Everybody is busy shopping for gifts for their friends and loved ones. This is also the time of the year for the much-awaited Christmas parties or get-together at schools, offices, neighborhoods and communities or at your own homes.

I know everyone is very busy nowadays that in case you have very little time to prepare foods for your parties, Burgoo is now offering free delivery at its Tomas Morato and Rockwell outlets. Now that's a very convenient offer from this famous American restaurant.

Just call 9277396 or 8981815 and you can have your favourite Burgoo dishes such as Shrimp and Ribs Platter, Seafood Caesar Salad, Chicken Dianne, supreme pizzas and pastas and luscious desserts, among others in an instant and without the fuss.

You can also have them take out in other branches located at The Podium and Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay, Gateway Mall in Cubao, The Block at SM City North EDSA, SM City Marikina, Fairview Terraces Mall, The District Ayala Mall in Cavity, SM Southmall in Alabang, and Starmall in Taguig.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The hotel we formerly know as Traders Hotel Manila now rebrands as Hotel Jen Manila, as part of a diverse collection of hotels in the best locations across Asia Pacific, with a unique brand of style and service delivery designed to appeal to a ‘New Jeneration’ of travelers.

Your friendly neighborhood pambansang bloggers witnessed the rebirth of hotel into something more youthful and exciting. The hotel was filled with guests from all over including fellow members of the media, together with top accounts, owners and staff of the hotel.

At the unveiling are Mr. Gordon Aeria, General Manager of Hotel Jen Manila; Mr. Paulo Paulino; Mrs. Pia De Leon-Ongsiako, Chief Operating Officer of New Riviera Hotel; Mayor Juliet Ferrer; Ms. Kitchie Benedicto-Paulino, Chairman and CEO of New Riviera Hotel; Mr. Golden Whitehead, Director of Special Projects of Hotel Jen HQ from Hongkong; Mr. and Mrs Roger Rosales; Mrs. Jonah Paulino, wife of Mr. Paulino; ms. Ruth Corcega, Director of New Riviera Hotel

This is the first to welcome the Hotel Jen brand in the Philippines catering to a new ‘Jeneration’ of independently minded business and leisure travelers. The brand will launch quickly with ten Hotel Jens opening in major cities in Asia Pacific by March 2015.

A wonderful unveiling of the hotel logo plus the taking flight of a huge letter J tied to a group of balloons were officiated during the grand launch followed by a ribbon cutting at the entrance of the hotel. Traditional festivities followed the ceremonial champagne toast and speech from the owner like an Ati-Atihan native dance performance, some medley of songs from the Ryan Cayabyab singers, fabulously sweet champagne for everyone, and of course a wonderful feast from the Latitude hotel buffet for all the guests that day.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Busy, busy, busy! What a hectic week this will be for One FC organizers. This is ONE FC's adrenaline pumping week as Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization ONE FC has brought a series of engaging pre-fight events targeted at the various stakeholders. Fans, partners and media will get an opportunity to spend some time with the world-class stars set to feature on December 5 at the SM MOA Arena.

Today, December 2, will provide the media the opportunity to witness three of the country’s best in action. Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Kevin Belingon, Ana Julaton and Brandon Vera will conduct an open workout session, where they will showcase their skills as well as share with the country their mindset ahead of the upcoming clashes at ONE FC: WARRIOR’S WAY. Event will be at Fight Factory at Karport, Bonifacio Global City at 1 p.m.

Selected gym partners will also be in for a treat as one of the greatest minds in the sport today, ONE FC Vice President of Operations, Matt Hume will be imparting his skills in an MMA seminar. Several of Hume’s students have gone on to win world championships and he will share his knowledge with a few lucky gym partners. There will also a summit for some of the martial arts leaders in the country on that day.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

EDSA Shangri-La hotel was filled with amazing bodies from 24 individuals who personify great bodies that can be considered almost perfect. The candidates strutted and flexed their lean body and muscles to show off to the audience their amazing physical beauty. Fit, trim and muscle-bounded, these are just some traits that you'll find from the men and women who frequent gyms and fitness centers to keep their body to the most pleasant and healthy condition.

I am amazed of the discipline and patience of these individuals on how they can manage to keep their bodies to the optimum condition and appearance. It is no easy task to maintain such physical prowess. It takes a considerable amount of time to regularly visits gyms and fitness centers and a lot of fighting power to keep away from the temptations of eating fatty and cholesterol-laden foods. I envy these individuals who can resist indulging on the many sugary treats out there enabling them to keep their superb abs.

Slimmers World International, Asia’s foremost name in fitness, health and beauty recently held a media presentation and pre-judging of candidates as an initial activity to their search for the 2014 Mr. & Ms. Great Bodies on December 2, 2014 at the UP Theatre. Members of the media were at awe seeing these incredibly fit and muscled individuals from many age brackets and genders.
There were some older candidates but still with unbelievable bodies, and some members of the LGBT community but with well-sculptured bodies that straight ones would envy.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Fun runs are everywhere! I hear about a run organized by different organizations almost every week that we could probably also call our country the fun run capital of the world.

Last November 23, 2014 was one awesome comic experience for many running enthusiasts as they braced themselves for one epic run! The HERO RUSH 2014 was a superhero-themed fun run with a cause with lots of freebies as well courtesy of their sponsors.

Since the run was open to the public, the students of the University of the Philippines Diliman was joined by other students from different colleges and universities and other runners from all walks of life. We even saw a few foreigners joining the fun. In fact, they were the most competitive among the hero rushers.

Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger also saw a cosplayer in an Ironman suit. This made me look around just in case there's a Captain America cosplayer as well. But sorry, only Ironman was there to thrill the crowd with some photo opportunity with him.

Kiddo-Preneur Christmas Bazaar 2014: Learning Entrepreneurship at an Early Age

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Bigger and better, the Kiddo-preneur event had just concluded a well-accepted Christmas bazaar flocked by thousands of buyers from all over the Metro. Most buyers were fascinated and curious seeing children as the primary sellers of numerous products ranging from all-time favorites like ice creams and shakes to fancy printed shirts and glittery accessories. Guided by their parents and/or guardians, these kids were naturally eager to show off their products and interact with their customers like it was more than just play time.

I attended the summer run of the Kiddo-preneur event held by the same organizers a few months ago at Robinsons Place in Manila, and I could say that the event held this November, a few weeks away from Christmas, was a stunning success for engaging a lot more young entrepreneurs in participating in a very educational and worthwhile event. I saw many of the same faces have returned to compete again for some recognition, or maybe just to have fun exploring how it is to be in business earning their own money at a very young age between 5 to 17 when most kids will just spend their time checking on their social media accounts or playing with their game consoles or tablets.

The whole day event held at the Glorietta Activity Center, Palm Drive in Makati last November 23, 2014 teaches the "kiddos" the value of earning the hard-earned money. It primarily focuses on four learning motivations on how to earn, save, invest and donate. The principle of donating is an admirable activity added to the event as it teaches the kids to recognize charitable institutions and advocacy programs as a way of giving back to the community.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Watching the third part of the Hunger Games entitled as Mockingjay Part 1 was a definite thrill as we are all excited to what comes next after the first two parts of the movie, and too excite us further for the upcoming fourth part dubbed as Part 2 of the Mockingjay.

Thanks to Golden Ticket and Astig.ph, many of us were able to watch the movie before the actual play dates ahead of the rest of the crowd. I wanted to post some spoilers already but I made an extreme effort to put it on hold.

The special blocked screening was given an extra value of appreciation when they informed us that there would be a bloggers gathering a few hours before the actual movie. We are very thankful for the extra dinner treat plus giveaways. These perks made the special blocked screening really "special."

Practically all of us got something to bring home with us. The movie was a great treat already. We levelled up further by receiving a few tokens from the many sponsors (namely Racks Megamall, Torch, Great Image Photography, Food Panda, and Regroe) of the special blocked screening.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

These spherical tasty takoyaki tummy treats at Tamayaki may just be the "tama" (right) filling snack you can conveniently grab to eat while doing almost anything. They come in handy cardboard boxes along with a "spork" so you can easily eat it out while strolling in the mall or watching your favorite movie in the cinema houses.

Takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese street food snack made of a wheat flour-based batter cooked in a special grill. Tamayaki is a lot more than just the traditional takoyaki balls containing bits of octopus. Its is actually a franchise from China with over 200 branches all over the world.

The family owned restaurant managed by four sisters has lots of other fillings so you are sure to find more than one favorite. Prices ranges from P95 (Chicken Teriyaki and Korean BBQ) to P125 (Mussels & Cheese). They have flavors like the Mussel & Cheese and Smoked Mackerel which are only available in the Philippines and uniquely made to suit the Filipino taste.

They also come with either spicy or sweet sauces, or a mixture of both. I would prefer both sauces on my Tamayaki as it somehow enhances the flavor into a more fulfilling dining experience.

To add to the treat are several choices of drinks from milk tea to juices that perfectly matches the food. You'll enjoy every bite and sip of the two combinations. What else can you ask for?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The night of was full of music with different renditions of their own contest piece and songs from the Apo Hiking Society. It was a night with competitors from different schools around the metro. All time favorite Apo song was Doo Bi Doo with different attack from different schools. My personal favorite was Ewan sang by School of the Holy Spirit. Everyone was singing like I was watching Pitch Perfect all over again. I loved how these kids sang from their hearts that made everyone in awe.

Panel of Judges include Jim Paredes, Boboy Garrovillo, Janet Sabas-Aracama, Ma. Lourdes Hermo, Jun Murillo, and Emmanuel De Leon Jr.

Participants were all competitive with their own renditions as well as their choreography. Everyone did a great job from the students to their mentors. While the competition was going on, I had my personal bets and favourites. One was the Paref Southridge High School who gave Blue Jeans a very nice version and had a comedic performance too.

On the other side, bias side, I was rooting also for School of the Holy Spirit because I was an alumnus of Holy Spirit too but in Mendiola. They were really so good. I never had listened to a great version of Ewan, and they’re one of those on my favorite list.

On the fashion side, I loved the costume of UST High School because it was so consistent from head dress to shoes. Wwwooowww!!! I also loved the gown worn by the School of Holy Spirit. The simple red gown just made them more beautiful. I also loved the pink dress of Manila Science High School because it’s very wearable.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago: Stupid is Forever Book Launch On December 3

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Ignorance is curable, stupidity is eternal.

Watch out stupid presidential wannabes. She has arrived! I'm referring to the book Stupid is Forever which is a compilation of jokes, one-liners, pick-up lines, comebacks and speeches delivered and/or curated by the senator who hates corrupt politicians.

Yes! We are talking about Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. She is undeniably an icon in Philippine government already that the media pay closer attention to her than any other politician except of course for those who have current issues.

This is a great choice for a Christmas gift since the season of gift-giving is fast approaching. What better way to spread cheer and joyfulness but a gift of good laughter from a humorous personality who has been known to crack jokes during her talks may it be an inspirational message, a keynote or privilege speech, an interview, or a press conference.

Would you agree that stupidity is eternal?

I'm sure regardless if you agree or not, this will be a sure hit at the bookstores soon as it launches on December 3, 2014 at National Bookstore in Trinoma. Many will be curious to read the contents but a lot more would like to keep this as a collectors' item. After all, it's not everyday you read a book written by one of the most controversial politician in the Philippines.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

More than 60 percent of renters in a recent survey of online house-hunters cite cost constraints as the primary reason why they leased their home. The top of mind reason for Filipinos who choose not to buy property is "affordability."

Here are the key takeaways from the research:

Affordability emerged as the key reason why many Filipinos choose not to buy their own home
Nearly three-quarters of buyers cited security as their primary motivation for purchasing a home
Two-thirds of the real estate agent surveyed are expecting growth of 8% or higher in the property market this year. The country’s real estate market has emerged as one of the most promising in the Asia Pacific region

Global property website Lamudi recently released a survey report indicating the situation of real estate in the emerging markets. The report, Real Estate in the Emerging Markets, provides a comprehensive overview of the property sector in 16 emerging countries, including the Philippines.

Based on a series of online surveys conducted with house-hunters and real estate agents in each country, as well as onsite data from Lamudi’s global network of websites, the research examines the habits of online property-seekers, while offering insights into the future of the property sector based on interviews and surveys with local property experts.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Asian Games gold winner and Wushu world champion Rene Catalan has arguably one of the most impressive track records among all Filipino fighters.

Even though his mixed martial arts career has not gotten off to as smooth a start, he always put up a spirited performance. He may have fell to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Alex Silva and then had a controversial loss that was eventually reversed into a no contest against Khim Dima, he continues to rise up to prove his might.

On December 5, 2014 he now gets a chance to right the ship in Manila, as he finally gets to compete in his home country for the first time when he takes on Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke at ONE FC: WARRIOR’S WAY- the much awaited MMA big fight to be held at SM MOA Arena in Pasay City.

Enlisting the help of ONE FC Malaysian Featherweight Champion AJ Pyro, highly publicized last year as one of the first foreigners who went to Tacloban to help the victims, Rene Catalan aims to do great against his opponent.

Coach AJ Pyro, fresh from winning a ONE FC tilt in Kuala Lumpur, pledged his earnings to Yolanda’s victims. He arranged a visit in Tacloban, along with a team of 25 doctors, thru ONE FC.