Are you Crazy for Crocs?

We are officially ten months away from our big day and luckily, I still don't feel the pressure or stress that I have been bracing myself for since we started planning. I guess being connected to technology makes a huge difference.

It was so easy for me to email my prospective suppliers, coordinate with my wedding planner, browse through sites after sites to get bridal gown ideas and even visit quite a number of YouTube pages to check out unique and funny wedding program videos. I know as the Big Day nears, I will start to feel the jitters and I look forward to the support and comfort that I will get from my friends online.

It's amazing what technology can do, at a recent promo launch, I learned that technology can even make you a STAR! Of course, we've heard of success stories from Charice Pempengco, Arnel Pineda and the funny duo Moymoy Palaboy...

Well, Crocs and Magic 89.9 has partnered-up to launch the Crazy for Crocs promotion! This campaign comes in three parts -- the Crazy for Crocs online video challenge, the Crazy for Crocs Grand Raffle, and Crocs Pick-a-Prize.

Here's an except explaining how the online video challenge works:

The Crazy for Crocs online video challenge is an interactive multimedia competition that invites real people to showcase their playful and fun side on YouTube and give them their 30 seconds of fame.

Contestants will be tasked with performing various Crocs-themed video challenges to be issued by the DJs from Magic 89.9’s Good Times radio show.

New challenges will be announced each week and each month on the official contest website, crazy4crocs.com. Participants will have to beat these challenges and capture this on video. These videos will then be uploaded to YouTube, after which they will be posting as an official entry on the contest website.

Registered visitors to the official website will then be given the chance to vote for their favorite entries, with the most popular video for a particular weekly or monthly challenge taking home the prize.

Contestants to the weekly challenges will get the chance to win prizes such as a Canon PowerShot A470, while contestants to the monthly challenges stand to win P100,000 each month.

However, for those who are camera-shy, do not worry! You can join The Crazy for Crocs Grand Raffle where exciting prizes such as the 26” Samsung LCD TV’s, Canon camcorders and a brand new Honda Jazz will be given away. Simply purchase a pair of Crocs in any participating store to qualify for the raffle.

The third treat from Crocs is the Pick-a-Prize promotion where in-store customers can instantly win Crocs premium items, GCs and a lot more upon buying a pair of Crocs too!

Join now! The Crazy for Crocs campaign will run up until November 30,2009!

To the First Man in my Life

I'll always remember how you would make sure to bring me yummy snacks everyday after school... How you would support my ever-changing cravings by filling up our cupboard with boxes of my favorite cookies or chips up until our cravings go away...How you would put us before anything else...Thank you for fighting AVM for us... We love you very much...


Happy Birthday Papa!!!

Figaro goes Chai

I remembered a recent interview that I've had with a friend. She asked me what I feel would be the food trend for next year -- I paused for a minute and told her that I feel that people would continue to go healthy.

With the rising popularity of healthy food alternatives, organic veggies and of course the ever famous frozen yogurt, I told my friend that I feel that everyone will eventually catch on and live a healthier eating lifestyle in 2010.

A couple of days ago, I attended the media launch of Figaro Coffee as they presented the Raspberry Chai Swizzle and the Cinnamon Chai Latte.

Partnering with Monin syrup, the team created a new line of healthy drink options to customers who gives top priority to the nutritional content of their beverage. By introducing Chai, which actually means tea in many parts of the world. It brings back the century old history of drinking tea in India where Chai Masala originated.

Chai tasting

While listening to our friends from Monin tell us the process of producing the syrups and eventually working closely with Figaro to create the new drinks, we were also given the chance to try these two drinks ourselves.

First came the Cinnamon Chai Latte. I must admit I was immediately drawn towards this hot drink because of its aroma and the fact that I love cinnamon. Taking careful sips, I enjoyed the sweet cinnamon flavor that's mixed with milk and chai syrup. Note that since this drink makes use of syrup which as we know is high in sugar, expect that it may be a tad too sweet for your taste. To play safe, be sure to tell your barista to go easy on the syrup when preparing your drink.

The second drink was the Raspberry Chai Swizzle. It's actually my first time to try this type of drink combination and I was excited to take a sip. This is an iced drink which is perfect especially on a warm day. This drink has a mixture of milk, real raspberry puree and of course, Chai syrup. I enjoyed biting into the tiny raspberry bits as I indulge on my second drink.

While enjoying, we were served with warm sandwiches which, as we were told, complimented the sweet chai drinks. I liked my Grilled Chicken Sandwich which has a generous serving of pesto and melted cheese on top of the juicy chicken meat. It has a strong flavor which I think matches well with the Raspberry Chai Swizzle.

Watch out for Figaro's newest drinks coming this September 1, 2009 in all Figaro branches nationwide.

A call for help for Mio

"Health is Wealth."

This has been Papa's favorite saying every time my sister and I are down with a nasty cold or we would need to take a day off from school because of a bad tummy ache. He would shake his head and give us a stern look just so we won't see how worried he really was about our sick condition.

Oh I totally dislike going to the hospital..the smell of sanitizers makes me nauseous and needles and blood give me the creep.

Friends, a little boy named Mio was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia . It's a really nasty type of cancer that spreads rapidly, attacking this 5-year old boy's body f-a-s-t.

His mom, Jasmine, is a former colleague of mine. Though we were just introduced once, I would like to dedicate this entry to call out to everyone who can help.

Here are some ways on how we can give our love to Mio:

1) Financial help
BDO (Banco de Oro) Savings Account # 0670385018
Account name: Charisse F. Espinar
Branch: SM North Edsa B

If you'd like to confirm the receipt of your donation, kindly get in touch directly with Cha Espinar @ +639178045453.

2) Blood Donations

3) Buy some beauty products
OK! EIC Frances Sales is selling some beauty items to help raise funds for Mio. Click here to check out her online store.

4) Prayer Rallies & Make A Wish Grants
Contact: Ray Ticsay & Leslie Lee (in Facebook)

5) Fund Raising
Contact: Jean Madrid - +639175719203

and a lot more!

Let us pray that little Mio will soon get well.

photo source: The Enemy in Mio's Body

Why, Hello Scottie!

Presenting the newest baby in our household!

SCOTTIE!!!

A two-month old Pomeranian who, as of the moment, has not yet been potty-trained. He loves walking around our first and second floors, doesn't make much noise and immediately knows who his master (my dad) is.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!!!

What a Japanese Feast!

For weeks, I have been craving for sushi. Normally my cravings last for a week or two or even shorter for as long as I was able to successfully satisfy this. A look back at my past entries showed how often I crave for different things... from frozen Mango Torte to sweet delectable cakes and pastries to Filipino dishes to spicy Buffalo Wings, the list just keeps growing and growing!

My sushi craving is probably the longest and most frequent which is the reason for the regular visits to the different Japanese restaurants in our neighborhood. Just recently, I was lucky to be invited to the media launch of Nama Sakana's newest menu. This trendy restaurant located along Connecticut street in Greenhills has a Japanese restaurant at the ground floor and a cool Japanese-inspired bar at the 2nd level. Diners can also opt to sit outside by the Yakitori grill.

Upon arriving, we were given a warm welcome and our server quickly ushered us to our table. We were served a bowl of Edamame (Php. 100) which are boiled green beans with a little sprinkle of salt. I'm a huge nut and beans fan so I really enjoyed munching on these while chatting with my fellow bloggers.

Then came the Seared Tuna Salad (Php. 230). I love the Japanese dressing that gives off a sweet, sour and salty taste. The tuna was soft and fresh but unfortunately there were a lot of carrot shavings on my salad which left a not-so-yummy after taste on my mouth.

Our gracious host allowed us to scan the menu and to order whatever interests us, I got the Nama Sakana Princess Maki which satisfied my sushi craving for that day. This sushi has all the yummy ingredients rolled into one! It has a slice of unagi, tempura, avocado, tamago and sprinkled with orange fish roe a.k.a. ebiko!

Aside from the maki, Paul also got a platter of Spicy Tuna Sashimi to share with everyone. While I normally have very low tolerance for spicy dishes, I love spicy sashimi and I would even dunk this in my soy sauce mixed with lots of wasabi! Nama Sakana's Spicy Tuna wasn't as fiery as I was hoping it to be thus failing to deliver the zing! that I always look for whenever I indulge in sushi and sashimi.

Up next was my new found favorite, the Black cod Gindara with Sweet Miso (Php. 680), eating gindara always leaves a wonderful dining experience as one enjoys the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth fish meat in every bite. In fact, a perfect lunch meal for me would be an order of gindara, a bowl of Japanese rice and unlimited fills of Japanese tea! Yum!

A lot of other dishes were served in between such as the New Style Salmon Sashimi, the Beef Tobanyaki and my personal favorite, the Katsudon. It was an enjoyable evening chatting with fellow bloggers over really good Japanese food.

Just when I thought dinner was over, then came the dessert. Normally, we would expect the traditional Japanese gelatin or a scoop of Wasabi ice cream in a Japanese restaurant but since Nama Sakana aims to surprise and delight its customers, we were served with a piping Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie (Php. 130). Everyone ooh'ed and ahh'ed as they took a bite. This was a fun dessert which is perfect for sharing. A perfect way to end a delightful meal!

Nama Sakana Japanese Restaurant and Ramen House is located along Connecticut street, Greenhills, San Juan.

Get Ready Asia! The Search for the Biggest Loser is ON!

Since 2006, my family has been an avid fan of the US reality show Biggest Loser. This show is presents a group of contestants who subjected to healthy food intake, rigorous physical training and a lot more challenges under the guidance of top notch trainers that in turn will encourage them to lose the most amount of weight and live a healthier, happier life as the winner brings home a whooping $100,000 in cold, hard cash!

It was my mom who first broke the news that our favorite weight-loss reality show is coming to Asia! Luckily, Paul and I were invited to watch the auditions last Saturday at Fitness First Megamall.

an audition participant being interviewed
celebrity sighting! Ruby Rodriguez of Eat Bulaga
...and the line continues to grow
This is a very exciting show as we will see fellow Filipinos shed off all those unwanted pounds and start building muscles for a more healthier lifestyle.

Losing weight is hard and believe me it has been a lifelong challenge to always lose the fat and to maintain your target weight. While this may initially look like a physical goal, being fit and fab actually goes beyond that. It boosts one's morale, allows them to do things that they have never done before and gives them that much-needed confidence to have a better outlook in life.

From June 22 to August 31, 2009, aspiring Biggest Loser contestants can apply online via the Biggest Loser Asia website. I can't wait to watch the Biggest Loser Asia when it hits our tv screens probably in 2-3 months time.

For now, I'd better hit the gym and lose all those unwanted calories too!

photos by Paul Ang, video from The Biggest Loser Asia site

Pasta Love

For days, I have been craving for pasta... Oh how happy I was when our trusty helper prepared a huge serving of the good ol' spaghetti for me to bring to the office one day.

Pasta ranks definitely as one of my top comfort food. This is together with Sentro 1771's Corned Beef Sinigang and Cibo's Potato Chips.

I haven't had lunch yet and I'm starting to feel my stomach growling... what better timing that to receive an email from Delifrance announcing that they have two new additions to their pasta line up.

click to enlarge

A Mexican Fiesta at Agave

It's no secret how much I love Mexican food. I love nachos and I will forever be a huge taco and burrito fan. Of course, there's nothing like having a Margarita party that my friends and I would normally have after a hectic work week.

I'm pretty lucky that there is one good Mexican food stop available within the neighborhood and another one that's located in Paul's hometown in Pampanga.

Well, three is definitely not a crowd and I'm adding one more to my list of favorite mexican cantinas. This one is strategically located near my workplace making it highly accessible at any time.

I received an invite to try Agave Cantina at the Shangri-la Mall. While I'm not new to Agave as I have dine at their Eastwood branch a couple of years ago, I still said yes as I am curious if their menu has changed from my last visit.

What a Feast!

Agave's Chris Maier and Mat Tee took care of ordering for us making sure that we try out their best-sellers. Here are some of the dishes that made me say, "Muy Delicioso!"

First on the table was the Nachos Grande (Php. 350). Definitely a party must-have! We all enjoyed digging into the tower of corn chips topped with cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, jalapeño, refried beans and ground beef! *phew* This is a perfect appetizer to get the conversation started.

After enjoying the nachos, next came the Chicken Quesadillas (Php. 190 solo/ Php. 325 to share). I love the generous serving of guacamole, sour cream and pico de galle at the side and how huge each slice was. It's always fun to eat quesadilla because it is not messy and you can savor the melted cheese in every bite. Agave's quesadillas are toasted on the outside and served with lettuce and ranch sauce. Yummy!!

Chris asked us if there's anything on the menu that interests us and I didn't hold back. I've been wanting to try their Steak Chimichangas (Php. 295) which according to the menu is a crispy deep fried burrito stuffed with refried beans, Mexican rice, lettuce, pico de gallo, cheese and since we got the Ultimo, Agave added in Ranchero sauce, Mexican cheese, sour cream and salsa! We sliced it equally so that everyone in the group can have a bite and we all loved it!

Just when I thought we had enough, out came the desserts. It looks like majority in the group are chocoholics judging from the reaction given when the first cold plate was served. Boca Negra (Php. 210) is a serving of decadent chocolate cake with a molten milk chocolate center served together with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. One bite of this and I am in heaven! :)

The second dessert was Agave's specialty -- the Fried Ice Cream (Php. 175) which is fried vanilla ice cream on top of a crunchy cinnamon bowl and made more mouthwatering with drizzles of chocolate syrup and whipped cream. This is a very interesting way of enjoying ice cream but the only challenge here is that you have to eat it quickly at the ice cream melts right away.

It was an enjoyable afternoon chatting with Chris, Mat and my fellow bloggers. Chris also shared with us that Agave Eastwood is turning TWO this August 22 and to celebrate this, they are offering 2 Peso Margaritas for every Php. 150 on the total bill. What a great way to party!


Agave Cantina has three branches located at Eastwood City, Shangri-la Plaza Mall and the new SM City North EDSA Sky Garden.

Making it to the Nuffnang Philippines site

August is a happy happy month!

First, I finally turned a year old as publisher of my two beloved magazine titles.

Second, it's Papa's birth month and we're so excited to give him our birthday surprise (which I will disclose in a couple of weeks).

Lastly, I was chosen as Nuffnang's Featured Blogger for the month of August and I am truly in cloud nine :) Yipeeee!!

I pray and hope that this will be the start of bigger and better things to come! :)

Oreo on my Doughnuts...makes sense to ME!

Who would have thought that America's well-loved doughnut factory, Krispy Kreme, will someday team up with every kid's favorite cookie, Oreo?

Well, they just did!

To celebrate Krispy Kreme's 72nd anniversary, doughnut lovers and chocoholics can now unite and enjoy this yummy crunchy creation!

I was lucky enough to receive a box of the new Chocolate Kreme Cakes and I enjoyed biting into the soft cake-like doughnut topped with chocolate creme and sprinkled with crunchy Oreo bits. This is definitely a feel-good sweet treat!

There's no news yet if this will be a regular mainstay in the Krispy Kreme menu board or it will just be available for a limited time only but my best advice is to head to your favorite Krispy Kreme store and enjoy this delicious creation NOW! :)

*thanks to Krispy Kreme and GMCI for the photo

So, what's for lunch today? :)

Sonsi's Alaminos Longganisa (Php. 125)
Thanks to Anton for the heads up. I found another yummy food stop near the office. Sonsi's House of Longganisa

Imagine a place that offers all types of longganisa coming from the different provinces in the country. Craving for sweet longganisa? Get the Pampanga or Cebu longganisa. For those who wants their longganisa with a bit of spice and garlic, order a plate of Bacolod longganisa.

For my first visit, I went with their best-selling longganisa -- the Alaminos longganisa meal. For only Php. 125, you get a generous serving of crunchy longganisa slices, garlic rice and fried egg.

For those who wants more than longganisa, Sonsi's has a lot more to offer. This is also a great place to unwind with friends over platters of longganisa and a cold bottle of beer. Cheers!

Sonsi's House of Longganisa is located at Madison Square Pioneer, Pioneer street, Mandaluyong City.

SUNdating at Sentro 1771

Paul and I have been extra busy the past month that I was actually looking forward to spending one whole day just with him.

Thanks to my sweet colleague who handed me two free cinema tickets to watch GI JOE, we drove all the way to Greenbelt 3 to catch the 430PM screening. Ask me about the movie and I'd say it was nice despite the fact that I slept through 80% of the story. Still, I woke up just in time to see Duke saving his beloved Anna from the bad guys. Not bad huh? ;)

Sorry GI Joe but for me the highlight of the evening was actually dinner.

Since we rarely get to go to Greenbelt because we are so comfortable dining and dating around Greenhills, I know I have to make our visit worth it.

We were both craving for local Filipino dishes and I was ready to settle for either Cafe Bola or Recipes even if I've tried both in numerous occasions. Then Paul insisted that we go to Sentro 1771. I gave him a huge huge hug and picked up my pace before he changes his mind.

Inside Sentro 1771, which by the way was voted as one of the top restaurants in the Philipines by the Miele Guide for 2008, we were ushered to a window seat where we had a good view of the 2nd floor fountain. I studied the menu while Paul happily munched on the complimentary sunflower seeds.

Thankfully, the menu was laid out in such a way that there are mouthwatering images of the restaurant's best-sellers. I also liked the little icons that they put beside certain dish to say if it's Vegetarian or a House Specialty. I then focused my attention on all those with the House Specialty icon.

Corned Beef Sinigang
My first order was the famous Corned Beef Sinigang that I've been hearing so much about. Second pick was the Rated GG and lastly, I got the Fried Kesong Puti (Php. 250) as an appetizer.I felt my stomach growling as soon as I handed over the menu to our server.

Within minutes, another server approached our table and gave us a small teacup. She asked us to try the soup broth and see if the sourness of the Sinigang was just right for our taste. I was totally impressed. :) One sip, I liked the hit of the sour tamarind which later left a calming effect on my taste buds. Paul and I gave her our thumbs-up and she returned to the kitchen to prepare the rest of our soup.

Fried Kesong Puti
Paul and I are both cheese lovers. Name it, we love it! Since we're at a Filipino restaurant, what better way to enjoy our love for cheese than to indulge in 16 bite size Kesong Puti nuggets that we dunked into either a spicy guava sauce or a creamy garlic dip. I love Kesong Puti and this particular creation by Sentro 1771 was a winner! The two dips perfectly complemented the salty cheese that I can't even decide which one is better.

From salty cheese, we went to sour soup. Our Corned Beef Sinigang (Php. 420) was finally served. I love the comforting effect that a Sinigang (soup cooked with tamarind) soup gives. The corned beef was so tender that there is no need to exert much jaw effort while chewing on the meat. At this point, I was glad that we have a cup of rice to go with this yummy sour beef soup.

Rated GG
Lastly, for our seafood, we chose the Rated GG (Php. 230) simply because I'm curious on how Sentro 1771 can give a gourmet touch to our everyday seafood staple. To be honest, I rarely get to eat galunggong and this upgraded style was a welcome change. This dish reminds me of my family's favorite Spanish Sardines on Olive Oil. Imagine six boneless galunggong strips topped with crispy garlic bits that I happily mixed into my rice to make it more flavorful.

Dinner was fantastic but what made it memorable was the time spent with Paul as we talked about our Big Day plans and our future being together. :)

Sentro 1771 is located at the 2nd floor of Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City. You may contact them at 757-3940.

PROMO ALERT! Good Times with Mo' Twister

Lookie, I just received an email from Magic 89.9's DJ Mo Twister!

click to enlarge
Well, here's a great deal! Tune in to his show called Good Times with Mo from Mondays to Thursdays, 6 to 9 AM and share your juicy, brilliant thoughts with him.

You may also call me at 6310899, email me at goodtimeswithmo@yahoo.com, or text Magic899 to 2968.

If Mo liked your ideas and comments, you'll get the chance to treat your barkada or even your entire office to a Delifrance French Dip Roast Beef Sandwich Party!!

Now here's a good reason to wake up early every morning! :)

When being Stress shows

July was a crazy month for me, it was time for our 2010 Strategic Planning and this entailed spending long hours brainstorming, more hours getting the plans approved and at least two entire weekends spent to prepare for the actual presentation.

I didn't realized how bad my stress level was until a colleague asked me over lunch how come I look tired. I just told her that I have a lot of things on my plate right now but she continued by telling me that this was actually the first time she saw me this stressed out. Oh no...the last thing I want is to let stress overcome me. Yipes! Not good at all...

I guess it's time to relax and pamper myself to a couple of hours of full body massage, a mani/pedi treatment and maybe a facial?

I've been wanting to get a facial for as long as I remember. It's just that I'm really not that comfortable having my face touched my someone I don't really know that well. I shared this info with a close friend and she gave a wonderful solution: "Why not have your own facial at home?"

On the beauty side, I'm pretty a low-maintenance girl. I hardly wear makeup even to work and at most, my beauty ritual includes making sure I wash my face with a good facial scrub at least three times a day, applying a deep cleansing liquid at night and finally, moisturizing my face before I go to bed. I guess the down side is, I have close to zero knowledge on how to fix myself up (eg: apply decent make-up) during special occassions. Needless to say, I am thankful to have friends who are more than willing to lend a talented and shall I say, artistic hand whenever I need it.

Ok, so back to my DIY facial at home. Not wanting to sound like a product endorser but I only trust certain brands especially on my face. Take my facial scrub for instance, I only use Pond's Facial Scrub particularly the ones with the microbeads. I guess the beads give me that re-assurance of saying good bye to all the dust, oil and what-have-yous on my face.

Then came a message...

I opened my inbox and was greeted with a wonderful news:


I guess it's really a sign that I have to take this pamper-me plan seriously this time. I'm excited to load up on my Pond's facial stocks and this time I'm throwing in the Pond’s Age Miracle™ Microdermabrasion Kit, Pond’s Flawless White™ Vitamin Soak Lightening Mask and of course my favorite Pond’s Clear Solutions™ Anti-Bacterial Facial Scrub.

STRESS, stress go away! :)

Goodbye and Thank You Lola Cory...

First Female President of the Philippines
Corazon C. Aquino
January 25, 1933 - August 1, 2009
photo source: http://pinoywired.com/2008/03/27/prayers-for-tita-cory/