Exercise your Freedom of Choice at Tutti Frutti

Just as we thought we've seen them all..now comes a new player in the Yogurt world. Coming all the way from California, USA; Tutti Frutti has finally arrived in Manila!

Unlike its friendly competitors, Tutti Frutti will help you exercise your freedom to choose as you go through the entire self-service procedure with the help of their friendly staff.

Here's a simple guide on how to enjoy your visit to Tutti Frutti:

First, choose the size of your cup. If I'm not mistaken there are four different sizes. I like the huge tub at the far right, this is perfect for a group of four.

Second, choose your yogurt flavor. After trying at least six different flavors ranging from chocolate to taro and even fruit strawberry, I ended up getting the Original Tart which is your basic yogurt flavor.

Third, take a pick from the wide variety of toppings. I originally wanted to get blueberries and crushed graham but the blueberries looked different that I just ended up creating my own mix -- strawberries + mangoes + crushed graham.

Fourth, bring your yogurt masterpiece to the cashier and wait for her to ring up the total. The price begins at P19/oz. My total was just Php. 146.25 which I feel was pretty worth it considering I filled up my cup with lots of toppings.

Lastly, ENJOY!

Tutti Frutti is located at the 4th Floor of the SM Megamall Atrium, Mandaluyong City.

a Ravioli meal after the Storm

The weather has been unpredictable lately that a short drizzle can turn everyone paranoid thinking it might cause another catastrophe similar to what we have witnessed last Saturday. Everyone is still in a sad mood due to the news that we get every morning about the rising death toll, the number of families that are homeless and the constant plea for more donations from kind individuals.

During this bad weather, everything and anything that can uplift one's spirit is highly appreciated. For me, I turn to a plate of steaming hot pasta as my ultimate comfort food.

My first encounter with a dish called ravioli was during my first year in college. I would take a short walk to CPK in Shangri-la Plaza, together with a good friend, we would share on a plate of creamy Portobello mushroom ravioli to which I would sprinkle a lot of Parmesan cheese before taking a bite.

Oh how happy I was when I found out that a kiosk specializing in ravioli dishes opened right at the middle of the Robinsons Galleria food court.

Together with Paul, we arrived at the food court and easily spotted the Ravioli kiosk, sensing my eagerness to order, my sweet fiance just allowed me to decide on what to get for dinner. The menu was simple but everything sounds good that I had a hard time choosing on what to get. Thanks to the kind lady who's manning the kiosk, she gave me her recommendations to which I happily obliged.

My first pick was the Spinach and Cream Cheese Ravioli (Php. 115). The price was a great deal as my plate was filled with more than a dozen bite-sized meat ravioli. I liked how light the spinach cream sauce was. Although, it still lacks in having the perfect texture that a ravioli should have, I hope someday they can improve on this.

My second choice was the Spaghetti Bolognese (Php. 78). Paul loves tomato-based pasta and as a compromise to my first pick, I went back to the basic and chose the Bolognese. I believe that the best way to check if a restaurant or stall can make good pasta is through their most basic menu item.

So how did it fare?

To be honest, I wasn't that impressed by the noodles. It somehow tasted like instant spaghetti noodles to me. The sauce, however, was pretty good. Paul liked the sweet and sour blend coupled with the generous serving of ground meat and cheese.

Ravioli is the perfect place to go to grab a pretty good meal for less than Php. 200! Visit them at the Robinsons Galleria Food Court (same side as the supermarket).

A little help goes a long way

It was a couple of minutes past 9PM when Paul and I took a very short drive to Xavier School to drop off two plastic containers of crispy chicken nuggets and a cooler filled with C2 Lemon and some Mineral Water. I also brought a bag of crackers and candies for the victims. It wasn't much really...I was disappointed that I wasn't able to buy much since most of the supermarkets are out of canned goods. Still, we wanted to help in any way we can and so we thought of bringing cooked food and some drinks for the hardworking volunteers.

After a series of text messages sent back and forth between myself and fellow bloggers Jane and Christa, Paul and I finally arrived at the Angelo King Multi-Purpose Hall of Xavier School. After dropping off our items, we stood around and surveyed the area while watching the busy volunteers sorting, packing, boxing and sealing boxes which will be dispatched to 5 key areas namely: San Juan, Malabon, Quezon City, Marikina / Rizal and Manila. A couple of bags will also be given to the faculty members and staff of the school.

The atmosphere was lively but you can see how everyone took their roles seriously. Shortly after, Paul and I joined the group and for two hours we packed, sorted, filled up and sealed boxes together with everyone else. It was physically tiring but after being able to pack around 2,000 bags in less two hours, the feeling of fulfillment was undeniably priceless.

Yours truly with Paul, blogger Christa, M2, blogger Jane and Jane's nephew
It's not too late to help! At present, there are still a lot of families left homeless and who are in need of food, water and clothing. Xavier School is still open to donations for bottled water and noodles.

Click here to check the list of drop-off centers to know where else you can send your donations and perhaps help out too!

Public Advisory : Typhoon Ondoy / Ketsana

September 26 morning began with non-stop rains and moderate gust of wind. We were hesitant whether or not we should push through with the Candy Fair at the Megatent in Pasig.

Setting up was a bit stressful as we had to wait in line in order to bring our items out safely. Luckily, at exactly 11AM our booth was ready to open. Little by little, Candy girls arrived but unlike last year, they came in trickles. Still we kept our optimism up and still put on a huge grin on our faces as we welcomed them to our booth.

At around 12 noon, my mom has received an SMS from our friend who lives a couple of houses away from ours. He was looking for someone with a tug boat because water is starting to rise inside his home and it has already filled up their basement. I felt a huge lump on my throat, the only person left at home was our dad, Scottie and a helper and almost every road leading towards home was flooded.

We were told that the San Juan creek has overflowed causing the great flood along Wilson street and in most parts of the city. This is actually a first for San Juan as we have survived two major typhoons (Rosing and Milenyo) in the past.

Here are some photos taken by my dad which actually was during the tail-end of the flood nightmare that hit San Juan City:




A lot of homes beside those in San Juan City were greatly damaged. At present, there are 50 casualties and a lot more missing and thousands homeless. According to the news, a big portion of Cainta, Rizal and Manila are still under water.

Thanks to the power of technology, we can now keep ourselves updated on how we can reach out to the victims of this devastating calamity. Here's a moving list created by my fellow blogger and neighbor Jane, with her permission, I would like to share the list to everyone as well:

MALLS AND COMMERCIAL OUTLETS

Aranaz Stores (Rockwell & Greenbelt) – accepting donations of any kind for Payatas communities

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (all branches) – canned goods, water, clothes, blankets, towels, medicine, and emergency supplies (no cash)

LUCA stores (Rockwell, Shangri-la, Eastwood, or GA Towers) - Send your old clothes & donations (no cash pls)

Mail & More, FedEx & Air21 outlets – now accepting donations. For locations, pls call +6328794789 or log to www.mailandmore.com.ph

McDonald’s (all branches in MM) – accepting donations as of Sept. 28, 12NN

MOONSHINE boutique (Rockwell) - accepting relief goods to help Ondoy victims in Marikina and Cainta.

Papemelroti stores (91 Roces Ave. / Ali Mall Cubao / SM City North EDSA / SM Fairview / SM Megamall / Glorietta 3 in Makati / SM Centerpoint / SM Southmall) – accepting relief goods (canned goods / milk / bottled water / clothes – NO CASH pls.)

PowerPlant Mall – accepting donations for ABS-CBN Foundation. Drop-off at Admin Office, P1 level.

7-Eleven (all branches) – serve as drop-off points for relief supplies such as ready-to-eat goods, mats, mosquito nets and water jugs.

Starbucks – accepting blankets, rice, instant noodles and bottled water. These items will be delivered to Ateneo de Manila University.

Team Manila stores in Trinoma, Mall of Asia, Jupiter Bel-Air and Rockwell shall be accepting relief goods (Canned Goods, Ready-to-drink Milk,Bottled Water and Clothes) for distribution by Veritas.

GOVERNMENT/RELIEF AGENCIES/ OTHERS

AKBAYAN - taking donations, call 433-69-33/433-68-31 to donate or volunteer.

BAYAN MUNA – bring donations to 45 K-7th St.. Bgy. West Kamias, QC. Tel 921-3473

Move for Chiz – asking for volunteers at Bay Park Tent, along Roxas Blvd., beside Max Restaurant and Diamond Hotel in Manila, or at Gilas Minipark at Unang Hakbang St., Gilas Q.C.

Worldvision Foundation – accepting donations/volunteers to pack relief goods in QC. For $ donations, BPI: USD acct #4254-0050-08

Philippine National Red Cross – visit their site HERE for various ways to donate.

Sen. Kiko Pangilinan is accepting donations @ AGS Bldg Annex, 446 EDSA Guadalupe Viejo. Contact Vina Vargas at +632917-8081247

WITHIN METRO MANILA

Cavite

NCST (Dasmarinas Cavite) – Volunteers/donations welcome. Call (046)416-6278 Ms. Angie

Makati

Assumption College (San Lorenzo Village) – Please drop donations off at the AC guardhouse.

Binalot (Greenbelt 1) – call Tetchie Bundalian at +632922-8573277

Whitespace (2314 Chino Roces Ave Ext) – Makati drop-off for relief goods

Mandaluyong/San Juan

CFC Center Ortigas (right side, immediately after you come down EDSA flyover) – open for donations in cash or kind. Call +632-7270682 to 87 or text +632922-2542819

La Salle Greenhills – drop off your donations (clothes, food, etc) at Gate 2 on Monday, Sept. 28, or volunteer from 9am to receive, sort, repack the donations.

Xavier School – canned goods, bread, noodles. Please bring to Multipurpose Center (MPC). Accepted till Monday, Sept. 28.

ICA Greenhills - accepting donations and open to volunteers too

Manila

Caritas Manila Office (Jesus St., Pandacan Manila near Nagtahan Bridge) - call +632-5639298, +632-5639308

MINISTOP IBARRA (Espana cor. Blumentritt, Sampaloc Manila) – Food (non-perishable goods only) Clothing, Medicines, Beds, Pillows, Blankets, Emergency Supplies

Muntinlupa

Hillsborough Village Chapel – Water, blankets, shoes, and clothes. These will go to families whose houses were washed out in the nearby sitios.

Paranaque

Alabang Town Center Concierge – acts as drop-off point for donations

Operation Rainbow (Zac Faelnar Camara) at Ayala Alabang Village - needs Canned Goods, Ready-To-Eat Food, Bottled Water, Ready-To-Drink Milk/ Juice, Clothing, Blankets, contact (+632-4687991)

Playschool International (47 Ghana St., Better Living Subd., Paranaque) - open to receive donations (NO CASH, PLS) for relief goods. Please feel free to send your donations there. Teachers/staff will coordinate sending these to the centers.

Pasig

Miriam Quiambao – drop off point: One Orchard Road Building in Eastwood, or message http://www.twitter.com/miriamq for more details.

Relief Efforts for Pasig at Valle Verde 1 Village Park – contact +632916-4945000, +632917-5273616

Donations and manpower needed at Megatent, Meralco Avenue, Ortigas beside Renaissance Towers. it will be open 24 hours til Friday

RENAISSANCE FITNESS CENTER (2nd Floor, Bramante Building, Renaissance Towers Ortigas, Meralco Avenue) – Donations can be brought starting Monday, Sept. 28/9am – 7pm. Contact Person: Warren Habaluyas (+632929-8713488) or email at luzonrelief@gmail.com

RFM Gym (Pioneer) – donations are being requested by GAWAD KALINGA. Call/text +63917-8888109 /+63917-8888304

Quezon City

ABS-CBN through Banco de Oro account number 56300-20111; account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Incorporation (NOTE: This account # needs verification because on the ABS-CBN Foundation website, the account # is 5630060113)

Ateneo de Manila University – cooked or ready-to-eat food, clothes, medicine, blankets, water. Donations may be dropped off at the MVP, University Dorm, or Cervini lobbies.

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health - accepting donations of medicines. A center in Pasig has more than 1,000 evacuees, mostly kids suffering from colds and fever. Call Louie Montalbo: (0918) 936-2095.

Bantayog ng mga Bayani, Quezon Ave. corner EDSA, QC - drop-off center for donations

Citizens Disaster Response Center (CDRC) – Relief goods for typhoon victims being accepted at 72-A Times St., West Triangle, QC. Tel (+632-9299820/22)

CONTEND-UP, UP Diliman Faculty Center -drop-off point for donations

Erica Paredes (Katipunan), +63917-4741930 – they need bread, packed juice, sandwich filling (tuna, chicken, anything) You can help her make them, deliver the sandwiches to her house, or help her distribute! Call for more details.

Kabataan Partylist, 118-B Scout Rallos, QC) – drop-off point for donations

KADAMAY (Urban Poor Group) – accepts donations of relief goods at 12-A Kasiyahan St, Bgy Holy Spirit, Commonwealth, QC Tel 427-4315

Manor Superclub (Eastwood City) – will accept goods and other emergency items starting Sunday, Sept. 27, at 10 am.

National City United Church, Times St., Q.C. -drop-off pt for donations

NoyMar Relief Operations – contact Clare Amador (+63928 520 5508) or Jana Vicente (+63928 520 5499). Drop-off for relief donations is at Balay Expo Center across Farmers Market Cubao. 8am – 9pm throughout the week until further notice. Donate drinking water, old medicines, clothing, blankets, canned goods, noodles. Volunteer to man stations and repack food.

Our Lady of Pentecost Parish (12 F. Dela Rosa corner C. Salvador Sts., Loyola Heights, Quezon City) – call +632-4342397, +632-9290665

Philippine Army Gym (inside Fort Bonifacio) or GHQ Gym (Camp Aguinaldo) - now distributing donations for Ondoy Victims.

Radio Veritas (Veritas Tower West Ave. cor EDSA) – call +632-9257931 to 40

Tulong Bayan, Cubao – needs clothes, salt and cooking oil in sachets: 0908-6579998, 0939-3633436, 9137122

UP College of Arts and Letters (Diliman) – Hotline: 09296454102 (Prof. Roselle Pineda). Look for: Guard on Duty (in UP CAL). Operations: 24 hours until Wednesday, Sept. 30, tentatively. Donate medicines, clothes, blankets, food to be distributed by Citizens’ Disaster Response Center.

UP College of Law – Kindly drop off goods at Student Lounge or contact Dean’s Office

UPD- University Student Council, Vinzons Hall, UP Diliman, Q.C. -drop-off pt for donations

Taguig

Enderun Colleges (The Fort) – needs volunteers to chop, cook and pack food. They are on 24-hour duty.

PROVINCIAL

Bacolod

CAFE BREIZH – drop off center for donations. Text 09193651101 for details.

ONLINE DONATIONS OR VIA MOBILE

Ayala Foundation USA – click on their DONATION PAGE. Look for the link “partners’ profile and projects“, look for “Browse Organizations” dropdown menu and choose PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RED CROSS.

MyAyala.com site for Jesuits (from Fr. Johnny Go) – You can use your CREDIT CARD and donate ONLINE. Go to www.myayala.com/sjph/. On the line “I would like to donate to:”, write “xs4ondoy“.

Red Cross Load Donations – Right now the easiest way to make donations from the seat of your chair is via mobile phone load. The Red Cross Rescue and Relief Operations. To donate, text RED and send to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart). You can donate 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 300 pesos. (Update as of 9/28/09: Globe has waived transaction fee for donations to Red Cross)

TxtPower – now accepts donations via SmartMoney 5577514418667103, GCash 09179751092 and Paypal.

Via www.philippineaid.com – some of the people behind this site are blogger friends. Donations are via Paypal or credit card. The ChipIn widget visible on the site tracks all donations.

Worldvision Foundation – For $ donations, BPI: USD acct #4254-0050-08

IN THE USA

New York

Ondoy New York Disaster Relief drop off center - @ Pandayan Center, 406 W 40th St. Between 9th and 10th Aves.
For more updates, please click here.

Let us continue to pray for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy.

take one BIG BITE at the Candy Fair!

Calling all girls (and boys), kids and kids-at-heart!!!

Here comes the Greatest Show on Earth! Happening on September 26, 2009 (Saturday) at the very accessible Megatent in Pasig City, be there as the Candy Cuties are Coming to Town!

It will be a fun-filled day where you and your friends can meet and chat with your favorite Candy cutie, participate in booth games, win loads of prizes, dance and sing to your heart's delight at the Variety Show and best of all, get to try really yummy Hotdog Poppers and Chicken Nuggets at the Big Bite stall!!!

Simply bring a copy of your Candy Cutie mini-mag or pay P100 to enter!

See you there!!!
Oh, and Paul will be celebrating his birthday on that day too so please do drop by our booth and wish him a happy happy birthday! :)

Making it to the List

This morning, I opened my Plurk page and browsed through the unread messages that were posted by my fellow plurkers. One specific message caught my eye which led me to the official website of the Philippine Blog Awards.

I can't believe it has been a year since the last awards night where Paul and I went to 1 Esplanade to applaud the winners and mingle with our fellow bloggers. Indeed, it was a fun night.

I can't believe we're a week away from this year's awards night and boy am I excited! What makes this year's awards night more exciting is because of this latest development....
Frannywanny.comis one of the finalists under the Food and Beverage blog category
Yahoooo!!! Another reason to celebrate! See you all on October 9 for the Philippine Blog Awards!!

Proceed with Caution

To be very honest, I am currently having a love-hate relationship with Eat-All-You-Can buffets. Being a food lover, dining in buffets is the perfect way to be able to try different menu items without over-ordering and spending a whole lot. However, after trying various eat-all-you-can buffets here and there, I've come to realized that it is also important to choose quality over quantity.

Just yesterday, I accepted a long-standing invite from a friendly PR representative who once invited me to try an afternoon dimsum buffet. The said buffet is being hosted by Gloria Maris Podium. Unfortunately, I had to decline her first few invites as my work schedule was pretty hectic then. Finally, I told her that I'm free on the 21st if the schedule is still ok with her. She agreed and so my dimsum date was set.

With two fellow bloggers in tow, I arrived at the mall a little past 230PM. We proceeded towards the restaurant and I immediately called my contact to inform her that we were already there. Unfortunately, I found out that she couldn't make it as she is currently in another event. She assured me however that we will be endorsed to the store manager. We didn't have any problem with that knowing that we will still be in good hands....or so we thought.

After numerous failed attempts of asking the receptionist to kindly call the manager, we still decided to wait in line together with the other hungry diners. Finally, I approached the guard and asked to see the manager one more time. Thankfully Mr. Guard was more efficient and immediately called the manager. In less than 3 minutes out came the lady manager who had a serious look on her face. I gave her a small smile and immediately introduced ourselves. I told her that we were endorsed by my contact and her reply to us was a curt "O, Tapos?" (Ok, and then?). We were appalled and to be honest I really wanted to back out had it not been for my contact who has been really nice to me.

Apparently, lady manager didn't get the endorsement and was obviously not expecting us to be there. However, her remarked was downright humiliating and had I been a little bit meaner, I would have given her a piece of my mind..then again, I kept my mouth shut. :x

She asked us to wait in line some more and assured us that the next open table would be given to us. Well, at that point we have already reached the front of the line so it was pretty obvious that we were really next in line. We kept our cool and just waited some more.

Finally, we got our table and just when we thought we can just throw all that bad initial impressions away and just enjoy the food, we were surprised to see a half empty buffet table where people would literally just grab every single buchi or pork cutlet on the serving dish. It was simply chaotic.

It was pretty surprising since there was still more than an hour left before the end of the buffet and it was taking forever for each dish to be replenished. My friend who was pretty resourceful thought of getting by installment basis. For instance, we would get some rice during the first round and wait for the meat on his second round.

Surveying the room, it looks like we were not the only unhappy campers there. Standing near the buffet table was an angry looking woman airing out her complaints to the poor waiter. Others were just standing by the buffet table waiting for the dishes to be refilled.

We are just a bunch of nice people, I guess. We even considered the thought that maybe the manager was just caught off-guard earlier thus the excuse for her curt response. We approached her once again to say good bye to which she told us, "So ano na?" (So, what now?). Until she later answered her own question by saying "ok I will just contact _______" without bothering to apologize for her nasty comment earlier.

Pondering over what happened yesterday, I wondered if things would have been different had we arrived earlier. Still, a part of me continues to believe that no matter what, bad service is downright unacceptable whatever the situation may be.

It was disappointing to say the least. I am not writing this to discourage anyone in availing of buffets. Believe me, I am still a believer and a huge fan of buffets but I guess after being burned once.. I will definitely learn to proceed with caution.

a table for one at Joey Pepperoni

I've mention time and again how much I love hanging out with friends. However, I also do enjoy spending some time in my lonesome. In fact, there are actually some activities that I'd rather do on my own.

Take shopping, for instance, I treasure the moments wherein I can easily go through one store at a time at my own pace. It's simply that quality me-time that I regularly treat myself to once in a while. Yup, I'm unique like that and I honestly don't get it why people would take pity over those who chooses to spend some time alone.

Last week, after finishing a major presentation due pretty soon. I treated myself to a quiet dinner at Joey Pepperoni, a casual dining restaurant located along Pioneer street in Mandaluyong City.

I entered the restaurant and noticed that there were quite a number of tables occupied by big groups. After telling the server that I'm dining by myself, he ushered me towards a table by the door and handed me the menu.

I was craving for pasta and I also wanted to try their pizza. Luckily they have a couple of Chef Set Meals that combines two slices of pizza with either your choice of pasta or a salad or some chicken fingers. The good thing also is that these meals are good enough for one!

Finally, I made my choice. I got a Chef Set Meal #6 (Php. 160) and a platter of Mozzarella Sticks (Php. 185) as an appetizer.

First came the Mozzarella Sticks platter. I love how it was perfectly deep-fried without being too greasy. The pomodoro sauce that came with the sticks was also very yummy. I was surprised to see 7 medium size mozzarella sticks making the price very affordable.

After munching on three mozzarella sticks, I asked the server to wrap the rest for my family to try as well.

Then came my Chef Set Meal #6. This platter consists of two slices of pizza (Margherita and Classic Romana) and a single serving of Spaghetti Carbonara. I enjoyed the pasta as the noodles were really al dente. The sauce was not too thick and it was very flavorful thanks to the bits of ham, bacon and some parsley. The pizza on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment. I find the crust too hard that there was a bit of a struggle in every bite. The Margherita lacks in flavor which was a let down considering that I am a huge pizza Margherita fan. The Classic Romana, on the other hand, was ok. I love capers and olives which stood out in this slice of pizza.

I will definitely go back and try more of their pasta dishes. It's confusing though because Joey Pepperoni boasts of their pizza selections but judging from the two slices of pizza that I tried that evening, it looks like you'd be better off ordering their pasta items instead.

How about you? Tell me about your latest dining out me-time :)

Joey Pepperoni has branches in Pioneer street in Mandaluyong, SM Southmall, Mall of Asia, Robinsons Place Manila, LP Leviste in Makati, Iloilo and more.

and the WINNER is.....

When I first opened my 2nd Anniversary raffle promo, I thought to myself... I'd be really happy if I'd be able to get at least 30 respondents. I also thought that most of the responses that I'd get would be from my fellow bloggers and friends.

My dear readers,

You just made me feel so special and loved as at the end of exactly 10 days from the start of the promo, I was surprise to have a total of 125 respondents and majority of which are from readers whom I've never met and I hope I'd be able to meet something.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on how I can improve and the things that has made you come back regularly to my blog. I am truly overjoyed hearing from all of you and thank you also to the first-timers whom I hope to see more often here :)

There are times when I would just browse through your suggestions and comments and i can't help but smile while reading all your kind messages and words of encouragement to keep on blogging.

All I can say is...THANK YOU VERY VERY VERY MUCH!!!

Now, as my way of saying THANK YOU, I would like to announce the winner of my 2nd Anniversary Raffle promo. The winner will receive a limited edition bag specially created by Baubles, Bangles 'n Beads as well as a P500 GC from Figaro Coffee!

and the winner is.....

Elna Escalante-Leal!!!
Elna, I will definitely be contacting you within the day!! :)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Special thanks to Boy Kuripot for helping me in spreading the word!!!

Modu™ Phone: the world's lightest phone

I guess I was lucky...to be born right on the decade where technology was starting to take the mainstream.

I guess I was truly lucky...to be spoiled by my dad who would easily give in to my wants despite my mom's undying attempt to teach me to just stick to the things that I need.

That was my life as a teenager.

I admit I have fallen victim to a number of technology trends that has, at some point, became the center of very teenager's attention. From beepers to analog phones to the coolest Nokia 5110 and to the endless changing of styles and models. I have repeatedly pleaded for my parents to get me the newest product in the market just so I can keep up with the trend. Yes, shamefully, trends and technology has brought out the whining brat in me.

Luckily, this phase ended pretty quickly. It was when I have learned to stay loyal to just one model for years and would just consider replacing this when it's already on its death bed. I guess, eventually, we would find that one phone that perfectly suits our lifestyle and needs that there's really no other reason to replace it right away.

At present, I needed a phone that will be able to store as much memory as it could where I can type in my daily schedules, notes and most importantly, some reminders. I was very happy when Globe Telecomm sent me a beautiful, professional-looking phone a couple of months ago as this was part of their loyalty rewards program.

I like to go out and I love to change my bags and accessories to match my outfit. Just last week, I wanted to use this cute purple sling bag that perfectly complemented my purple top and skinny jeans. Unfortunately, while putting my stuff inside the bag, I realized that my phone just won't fit inside forcing me to unload more items just to make my phone fit. That at point, I wished I had a smallest phone.

Wish Granted

I guess heaven must have heard my plea with the arrival of the newest and lightest phone in the world.

Presenting the modu™ phone!

It's the sleekest phone that I've ever seen...so far. With a dimension of 72.1mm x 37.6mm x 7.8mm it is almost as big as your average mp3 but as light as a USB flash disk.

Well, here's a trivia: I was told that the one who created the modu™ phone was also the same brilliant guy who created the USB flash disk.

So expect the modu™ phone to be powered with enough memory space (2GB internal memory), Bluetooth® technology, cool mp3 tunes from Globe Telecomm and Universal Records, the basic call features and a long-lasting battery life that has a talk time up to two hours!

While exploring my new phone, I noticed that it was a USB connector at the bottom for both the charger and a USB cable where you can synchronize your contacts to your Microsoft Outlook® and Windows® contacts. This phone is also tri-band which means you can bring it with you when you travel.

For something this light and small, I was surprise that Globe Telecomm is offering this for a very affordable rate! The modu™ phone is available for a low as Php 7,999 with either a Plan 500 post-paid plan or a Globe Tattoo prepaid kit. Each kit comes with one free modu™ express jacket (with a keypad for easier texting) plus a year's supply of Immortaltext! This means that you'll get twice-weekly free text allocation from Globe Tattoo! How's that for a great deal?

Post-paid users may also avail of this cute looking phone. Get the Plan 1200 or up and you'll get your modu™ phone for FREE!

Take a look at the series of photos below as I compared my modu™ phone with my Nokia 3110:

front view

see how slim is it?

Contest Alert!!!

Now, don't you wish you have your own modu™ phone too? Well Globe might just give you one!

Simply upload a video showing what you would do with a Modu™ to this website or reply to the Globe Tattoo Youtube channel and who knows?! you might be a new owner of the lightest phone in the world!

GOOD LUCK!! :)

Burger lovers unite at the Bite Club

It was pretty late in the afternoon when our shoot ended. Feeling a bit tired and hungry, we decided to grab something to eat. Since my sister, a proud Blue Eagle, knows Katipunan Avenue inside and out, we allowed her to take care of choosing where to stop for our hunger-fill.

We finally decided to bring out our carnivorous side as we stopped at Bite Club for our late afternoon snack.

As mentioned before, it wasn't long ago since I've re-joined the beef-loving community after five years of hiatus. I never looked back since then.

So there we were inside Bite Club's receiving area browsing their laminated back-to-back menu. Since it was our first time in their Metro Manila branch (the other branch was in sunny Boracay), we went all out and got the humongous XXX burger with Garlic and Cheese dressing (Php. 260) to share.

For all Bite Club newbies, the XXX is actually a 1 pound burger filled with your choice of toppings. It's really for those with a hungry appetite but since we just wanted to fill our hunger and not totally ruin our appetite for dinner, we asked the server to divided it into three.

There are other burger sizes for the solo or couple diners though, you can either get the Club Burger (Php. 110) or the Burgerella (Php. 145) which are both 1/3 pound burgers. The only difference is that the latter is stuffed with oozing Mozzarella cheese for the extra yummy factor. There's also The Bomb (Php. 165) and the Bombarella (Php. 205) are half pound burgers which is heavy enough for the manly-men out there.

To complement our giant burger, we got an order each of club fries (Php. 65) and potato wedges (Php. 65). Obviously, we are huge potato fans!

Joining the Club

Take a look at how HUGE our burger was! It was pretty impossible to eat one-third of this and still keep everything clean and drip free. However, that's the fun part of eating a burger, just use your hands and savor it all! The meat was very tender however, I would have liked it better if it was grilled evenly. A part of our burger has burned marks while another part still has that pinkish color. I liked the garlic and cheese topping though. The garlic gives a very subtle spicy note without being too overpowering to the point of giving you bad breath.

Well, a visit to the Bite Club will not be complete if you don't get the Club Fries. It has been unanimously chosen as the best item from the three things that we have ordered. It was very crispy and lightly salted making it a delicious siding to your burger.

The basket of potato wedges was pretty good too. I guess the Bite Club should also be proud of their potato products as well.

How I wish that they add more branches. All I know is that they have one along Katipunan Avenue (opposite Blue Ridge) and another one in the beautiful island of Boracay.

Does anyone knows where are the other Bite Club branches?

Till we meet again, Zapata's

Today, the Hollywood world once again mourns for the lost of another star. This morning, we bid goodbye to Patrick Swayze who starred in the blockbuster hits Ghost opposite Demi Moore and Dirty Dancing as he succumbed to pancreatic cancer. The news was depressing to say the least. I can't believe how many stars have gone since the start of 2009.

Over lunch today, I received yet another news that truly broke my heart. Coming from a fellow blogger who hails from Paul's hometown in Pampanga, I was told that Zapata's, one of my favorite Mexican restaurant in Angeles has closed its doors due to rental issues.

Zapata's was where Paul and I had our Valentine's lunch this year, it was actually a memorable lunch as we truly enjoyed every thing that we ordered and the service, despite the fact that the place was jam-packed, was superb.

I was hoping that Zapata's will continue to delight both Capampangan's and visitors alike. I hope that they will soon find a new place where they can re-open again.

Till we meet again, Zapata's!

go Nuts with Krispy Kreme!

Take a peek at what was delivered to our doorstep last Saturday....

*yum*
After the successful team up of America's well-loved doughnut company and every kid's favorite cookie, now comes another exciting creation!

This time, Krispy Kreme presents the Snickers Doughnut! Soft and moist doughnut topped everything that I love in a Snickers bar -- crunchy nuts, sweet chewy caramel, nougat and rich chocolate coating! Snickers has always been my guilty indulgence back in high school. I always grab a bar during finals week to calm my nerves. I'm so happy that Krispy Kreme has made this delicious flavor for Snickers fan all over the country.

Be sure to drop by your favorite Krispy Kreme to grab this yummy treat! :)

Fine Dining at Cesca

Good friends are hard to find...especially those who'll stick with you forever...

As I grow up, I've had my share of meeting new friends, keeping the old ones and learning to let go of the bad ones. It sure has its own ups and downs but nothing beats celebrating true friendships that continues to grow through time.

It was a rainy Saturday evening and while the weather made it very tempting for others to just stay home and laze in bed, Paul and I braved the unpredictable downpour to be able to have a relaxing dinner with three of our long-time friends and their respective special someones.

The initial plan was to have dinner at a Japanese restaurant but after a long wait, we have decided to just move next door...to Cesca, a fine dining restaurant with menu items that seems pretty reasonable.

Their menu was simple and since I wasn't in the mood for beef, I zeroed in on their poultry and seafood choices. Finally, Paul and I decided to share to be able to taste two dishes at once. My choice was the Seared Cream Dory while he got the Rosemary Chicken.

While waiting for our entrees, we were served with a piece of dinner roll and butter. The dinner roll was soft and delicious however, the butter was a bit too frozen for me to be able to successfully spread it on my bread.

Service was pretty fast that right after our bread was served, out came our entrees. Surveying the table, I also liked the look of their lamb chops, pepper steak and sea bass. I will definitely put this on my list of must-tries in our next visit.

I love how well my Seared Cream Dory (Php.225) was presented. The buttered veggies was delicious and my cream dory was perfect. I wonder what sauce was used here as it perfectly complemented both the fish and the veggies.

Paul's Rosemary Chicken (Php. 185) was yummy too! They gave him extra sauce which he happily poured over his veggies and more on his chicken. It's a good thing he remembered to give me a couple of slices to try. :) I was definitely happy with our two choices.

Cesca's ambiance is very laid-back which was perfect as there were a lot of catching up that took place. The servers were also very attentive to our needs which made our dining experience wonderful.

Before we left, I told Paul and we should definitely go back as I still want to try the other items on their menu.

Cesca is located at the Upper Ground Floor of Il Terrazzo along Tomas Morato, Quezon City. Telephone number is 391-7978

We're Hooked!!!

Let me tell you about the best dinner that I had this week.

It actually consists of a wide array of dishes mostly served on an aluminum pan and brought piping hot to our table. My friends and I feasted on the restaurant's battered cream dory with al dente pasta, hot and spicy beef curry rice and a lot more!

I guess we've all have encountered this dilemma before...when we wanted to order a certain dish but the serving is just too much for one's consumption that we have to settle for something else.

Finally, Fish and Co. has the perfect answer to this problem by introducing a couple of delicious entrees as part of their Just for Me menu.

The first on the list was the Baked Fish Napolitana (Php. 265). It has my favorite battered cream dory fillet baked with Napolitana sauce and mozzarella cheese served on a bed of al dente spaghetti noodles. I've always been a fan of Fish and Co.'s Fish and Chips and this is the exact same fish used minus their yummy crispy fries.

Boneless Chicken BBQ (Php. 250). While slicing through the chicken meat, I had to ask Paul three times if this was really chicken that they use. The meat was so tender that I thought our server gave us Salmon instead. I also love the seafood rice and sauteed veggies that came with the chicken barbecue.

Aside from cream dory, I also love boneless bangus! While I'm used to having this grilled or fried to the crisp, Fish and Co. has introduced another interesting way to enjoy bangus through the Bangus ala Pobre (Php. 265). My friends and I enjoyed the strips of bangus fillet that has a perfect sweet-garlicky taste.

So far, these three dishes were pretty mellow enough that perfectly suited our dinner objective which is to unwind after a busy day at work. However, for those in need of that extra zing I would highly recommend that you try the Beef and Eggplant Curry (Php. 275). Initially, I thought it was a mild version of beef curry but the moment I took one bite, the spicy flavor just burst like fiery flames inside my mouth.

After that hot and spicy dish, I was so happy to once again indulge in a non-spicy option as we were served with the Eggplant & Mozzarella Pasta (Php. 225). I love the combination of the tangy tomato and cream sauce that evenly coats the eggplant and spaghetti noodles. While I'm not that fond of eggplants, this dish was good enough to make me take a bite or two.

It's amazing that if the five dishes that we tried tonight came in a good-for-one serving, I was truly satisfied with all the things that I had for dinner that night. Combine this with the great company and the laughter shared around the table, it was truly the best dinner for me this week.

This is the reason why I'm a fan of Fish and Co.!

Here's one great reason to Get Hooked!!!

Be a fan of Fish & Co. by click this link: Fish & Co.'s Facebook fan page

Once you're a fan, bring two of your friends to dine at Fish and Co. and they'll treat you to one of the dishes from their Just for Me menu similar that we sampled during our dinner!

Visit any of the Fish and Co.'s branches located at Shangri-la Mall, Trinoma, Greenbelt 3, Alabang Town Center and Mall of Asia!

*photos by Paul Ang

All aboard at the Whistlestop!!!

It somehow felt nostalgic, the moment we stepped into the newest branch of Whistlestop along Jupiter street in Makati.

Our last Whistlestop visit happened four years ago and this was when Paul and I met up with a couple of fellow online sellers for an afternoon of chit-chats and good food. After that, Whistlestop bid us goodbye as the original owners migrated to the US. For something this good, we were hoping and praying that Whistlestop will come back.

Our prayers were answered because early this year, Whistlestop finally opened its doors again under the management of young entrepreneurs Lex Ledesma and Dennis Gan.

Over lunch last Sunday, we were invited by the owners to sample some of their well-loved dishes. We entered the cozy looking restaurant located beside Starbucks Coffee Jupiter which was just a stone's throw away from my previous office. Oh how I wish Whistlestop was already there when I was still working in Makati.

As we exchange stories with fellow bloggers and the two hardworking owners of Whistlestop, the dishes started coming and for more than an hour we have tried quite a number of mouthwatering entrees that have made our lunch really memorable.

Let me begin with the Spanakopitas (Php. 180) which is a filo-pastry appetizer filled with three types of cheeses. This starter is very light that we initially felt 6 pieces were not enough as we were enjoying every single bite of this cheesy wonder.

Next came my personal favorite. While I love to wine and dine, there will always be that one dish that I will forever love no matter how simple it is -- call it my comfort food, the Spaghetti Bolognese (Php. 180). No sophisticated Italian taste here, it's really just that sweet, meaty sauce over al dente spaghetti noodles that my mom would always prepare for us since we were small. Needless to say, I think I just had a Ratatouille moment there.

For my fellow bloggers who were brave enough for some spicy treat, they were obviously happy with the Boneless Buffalo Wings (Php. 220) which just has the right amount of kick that temporary lingers on your taste buds leaving you wanting for more. The blue cheese dip definitely paired well with the boneless wings.

Whistlestop's Lex Ledesma was particularly proud of their Hainanese Chicken Rice (Php. 195) which is a set consisting of soup, steamed chicken and flavored rice. I took one bite and I immediately agree that this dish is really something to be proud of. The chicken meat was very juicy and tender and the soup was delicious. I would have loved it better though if the rice has more chicken flavor similar to how the locals of Singapore would have it. Nonetheless, the price of this dish is already a good deal as it is.

Another crowd favorite was the Crispy Pata (Php. 380 / 420). De-boned for easy serving, this dish is one of the things you should try out especially during a night out with friends.

Finally, the sweet stuff. After welcoming back and enjoying a number of Whistlestop's specialties, then came a generous slice of the Banoffee Pie (Php. 150) which is actually good for sharing. A trivia here is that all of the desserts being served were created by their in-house pastry chef. We enjoyed this cake so much that we requested Lex and Dennis to consider selling whole cakes for customers who would like to serve these in their own parties. The two (equally delicious) desserts on the menu are the Mango Pannacotta (Php. 95) and the Chocolate Truffle Cake (Php. 120).

While enjoying our meal, we can't help but be amazed at the simple but beautiful interiors of the restaurant. By the entrance lined a colorful set of luggages that can be easily mistaken for as a staircase leading to...well no where. Moving further in, we noticed a wide collection of vintage cameras which are owned by Lex. There's also a 50's looking coat rack complete with a trench coat and some classy-looking hats.

My favorite though are these tiny clear glass filled with yummy candies from our childhood!

Whistlestop is open 24/7 and is located at 28 Jupiter street, Bel-Air Village, Makati City. They deliver too!! Call them at 896-1989