Angels Pizza Pasta Combo : So Breadilicious!

It was a rainy Friday evening and my parents are on their way out to attend a party. The initial plan was for the three of us (Paul, my sister and yours truly) to either order pizza and camp out in our room while watching TV or to head out to Greenhills for dinner. We haven't finalized the plan yet since all of us have been busy that day.

Just what could probably be a sign from above, the doorbell rang and our helper who answered the door, later entered the house with boxes and containers of food. It was a delivery from the guys of Angels Pizza Pasta Combo (thank you very much!) and they sent us a huge box of pizza, three boxes of the pasta on a dough (Carbonara, Bolognese and my favorite Tuna Pesto) and three bowls that became the highlight of our late Friday night dinner.

Needless to say, we had a relaxing dinner at comforts of our home despite the rainy weather.


Let me tell you more about the three bowls that were delivered to us. Peering into the clear cover, we saw a huge piece of breaded chicken in different sauces. Underneath is a generous serving of rice. It was Angels Pizza's new offering -- the So Breadilicious rice bowls.

It was a good thing there were only three of us so we each got our own pick..or at least that was the plan:


Paul chose the Chicken Parmigiana since he loves anything with tomato sauce in it. After having a few spoonful of the rice meal, he commented that the chicken was pretty tender and he liked the touch of the cheese and tomato which was baked with the fried chicken. I took a small bite and indeed I liked how the tomato sauce was not too tangy, in fact it was sweet that little kids will surely enjoy as well.

Starbucks Coffee : Hot Lunch Sandwiches

One thing is for sure... blogging with an empty stomach can be hazardous to your health. I'm typing this before having breakfast and I can literally hear my stomach growling like a mad lion.

To torture me even further, I am about to share with you something so delicious that the thought of it can really make my mouth water (and my stomach rumble louder).

Yes, I'm such a sadist. *sigh*

Last Monday, Paul and I were invited by my former colleagues of Starbucks Coffee to try a couple of new lunch sandwiches that they will be launching soon. I was so excited as knowing my talented friend C, who takes care of R&D for our local Starbucks food items, these sandwich are sure to be delicious!

I remember back when I was still working for the Green Siren and C was working on those breakfast sandwiches, oh how I enjoyed hanging out with her at the training room as I watch her heat up samples after samples of sandwiches and she would generously share them with me. Now you know why I love C very very much! ♥

Anyway, the moment Paul and I arrived at the store, we saw plates of sandwiches on the table. Of course, to follow the usual Starbucks Coffee ritual, we began with a coffee tasting session. I have seriously lost touch with my coffee sense as I had a hard time distinguishing the unique characteristics of the coffee. :( Really need to practice some more.


Finally, it was C's turn and she began by making us try the Ultimate Grilled Cheese (Php. 140). It was pretty light despite having 6 different types of cheeses inside -- Feta, Gruyere, Emmenthal, Provolone, Mozzarella and Cheddar. I love cheese and I wonder how it could taste like to have Brie or Bleu Cheese inside.


We were halfway through our cheese sandwich when L came and gave us a small slice of Roasted Chicken Pesto with Shiitake Mushroom on Flat Bread (Php. 140). I love pesto and I enjoyed the strong aroma of basil in this sandwich. The chicken was tender and the shiitake mushroom gave it a smoky taste. I'm glad C tried using flat bread as it reminds me of my favorite panini sandwiches.

That's two sandwiches down and five more to go!! I seriously have to watch my every bite.


The next one was a healthy sandwich perfect for the vegetarians. The Roasted Vegetables on Flat Bread (Php. 140) has an assortment of Mediterranean vegetables such as carrots, zucchini, onions and bell peppers. It has a slight spicy flavor with the inclusion of a mild chili dressing. Not really my favorite as I'm not too fond of the vegetables included in this sandwich but I'm sure my Mommy will enjoy this a lot!

Yumemiya Japanese Cafe in Northeast Square, Greenhills

Before our fun bonding session over delicious icy dessert at Cold Layers, I met up with K and B for dinner at Yumemiya Japanese Cafe.

Side story: I heard learned about the restaurant on its opening day. This is because a couple of us were invited to the restaurant to celebrate their grand opening and to try the food until we were told that the event got canceled the morning of the event day due to them running out of food. We never heard from the PR guy ever since. *sigh*


Anyway, I found myself finally dining at Yumemiya Japanese Cafe a couple of months after. I purposely waited a while as I wanted to get feedback from friends regarding the restaurant. I heard a few, some raved about it, some had very neutral comments.

Thus, I went with an open mind and a tummy ready to feast on Japanese food. Since I arrived quite early, I had the chance to read through the menu over and over again. I noticed that unlike other Japanese restaurants/cafes, they have a very short line-up. No sushi, sashimi or even a bowl of edaname for me to munch on while waiting for my friends to arrive. I asked the very friendly server for her recommendations and she was kind enough to point out the best-sellers per category.


For starters, I decided to order the Deep Fried Chicken (Php. 178) to enjoy while waiting for K and B. It's a good thing they arrived just as the appetizer was served allowing all 3 of us to try this at the same time. The chicken was fully breaded and had a crunchy covering but I somehow did not appreciate how oily it was. I somehow wished they also served some Japanese dressing to go with this basket of fried chicken.

Bulletin Board: AFC's Next Celebrity Chef and Solenad 2 in Sta. Rosa

AFC's Next Celebrity Chef


Do you love to cook? Do you have what it takes to be a celebrity chef? Well, here's your chance to stand out and be discovered as the Asian Food Channel is looking for the last man/woman standing who can withstand all the kitchen challenges thown his/her way!

This is actually a first in Asia as AFC will conduct a region-wide search consisting of 5 countries -- Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. Auditions will run from August 3 - August 16, 2011 in the five participating countries.

The prize is an exclusive one-year contract as an AFC Celebrity Chef with the Asian Food Channel. In addition to that, the winner will be awarded the opportunity of a year-long employment contract with the E&O Group, taking on the mantle of Creative Director and Head of R&D for the E&O Gourmet Group.

Sounds amazing huh? For more information, log on to: http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/nextafcchef. Who knows, you might just be the NEXT Celebrity Chef of AFC!

Solenad 2 : a new active lifestyle complex in the South


Great news for residents in the South! A new retail complex will soon open its doors to give you more dining and shopping options! Let us welcome Solenad 2 in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna!

This complex has a wide-range of local and foreign retail brands and even some of my personal favorites such as : All Flip Flops, Bratpack, Res To Run, Payless Shoe Source, Nine West, Aldo and a lot more!

Of course, Solenad 2 is a place for the entire family so be sure to try out the new dining establishments here. They have Krispy Kreme, Serenitea, Pancake House, Max's, Sumo Sam, Gerry's Grill to name a few.

Now, there's more reason to do a stop-over at Nuvali every time we go to Tagaytay! Check out Solenad 2 as it opens on July 29, 2011!

Sambo Kojin Eat All You Can in Eastwood City

We're on a roll!!

After celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary with an eat-all-you-can dinner at YakiMIX, I found myself on the way to Eastwood City with Paul and my sister last Saturday night to try another popular yakiniku grill-all-you-can place -- Sambo Kojin.


My friends who have tried both, have been telling me that is the BEST yakiniku grill-all-you-can place in town and I believe them. This time, I also did my research. I read up on blogs and website who did reviews on the restaurant and even bump into an old friend that morning who assured me that I won't be disappointed. Needless to say, I arrived at Sambo Kojin with really high expectations.

The place was packed and luckily we had a reservation. The friendly receptionist led us to our table and we were greeted by Jeffrey John, our server for the evening.


On our table were two small platters filled with some Korean appetizers. We settled down and began by trying the kimchi, bean sprouts, potatoes, dilis and spinach. Not bad.

Jeffrey John came back to our table to get our drinks and offered if we want to start with soup. We agreed and so I got a bowl of Miso Soup while Paul and Pan chose to have Sukiyaki. I was just too engrossed trying everything out that I only had a few spoonfuls of my soup and it was gone in a snap as Paul enjoyed both his beefy Sukiyaki and my Miso Soup.


Unlike other grill-all-you-can restaurants where it's basically purely self-service except when you want to have your drinks refilled, here at Sambo Kojin we were well taken cared of by Jeffrey John who offered to bring plates of raw meat and seafood to our table. Paul, who was our designated chef that evening, didn't even found the need to stand up and check the buffet table out. Jeffrey John started by serving a plate of US beef strips followed by a platter of mixed seafood.

Colds Layers at Northeast Square in Greenhills

Last night, I met up with my friends B and K. I met them while working for the Green Siren and coincidentally we have all moved on and have pursued other careers: I went to publishing, B is now the Marketing Head / Trade Head / CEO (hehe) of a premium beauty brand and K is handling research for one of the country's biggest food empire. I love the fact that we still manage to keep in touch even if we don't get to see each other on a daily basis anymore. Definitely, food will keep us together ♥.

We agreed to have dinner at Northeast Square in Greenhills. This is really sweet of B and K to agree to meet up in San Juan since B lives in Makati and K is from Manila. I definitely love these girls!

Dinner was at the new Japanese restaurant Yumemiya, which I will tell you more about in my next entry. As we were going through the menu, B mentioned that there's a dessert place called Cold Layers located at the 2nd level of the same commercial complex and that her friend has been raving about. I actually have been seeing this whenever I visit Deliboys and have been wanting to try this so I was really excited that we're heading there after dinner. Looks like the thought of dessert got us all excited that we made sure to have a light meal.


Finally dessert came and we headed up to Cold Layers. The place was good to accommodate around 15 customers but they also have a few tables outside as well. B's friend recommended that we try the Avocado with Red Bean (Php. 240) to which we complied.

We were actually planning to try another flavor but decided to just stick to one as the serving seems to be quite big. In my mind, I was trying to visualize what this ice dessert looks like. The server said that the concept came from Taiwan and I thought it would be the usual crushed ice with fruits on top very similar to Ice Monster before.

What I didn't expect was it was a bowl of flavored ice shavings that was so fine it somehow made me feel like I'm eating snow. I love how rich the flavor of the avocado was and B's friend was right, it was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! They have also added a few fresh avocado slices and a generous serving of red bean.Yum!


While enjoying our Avocado with Red Bean dessert, the server came to our table with a bowl of First Crush (soy ice shaving, sago, black gulaman and syrup). This was complements from the owner. While we were browsing the menu, he actually suggested this and I told him I'm not very fond of soy. Well, I ate my words as you can guess who finished off this particular bowl off. It was like eating cold taho only I can feel the very fine ice shaving slowly melting in my mouth. I love the texture and chewiness of the sago too. This is definitely a must-try especially for taho lovers out there.

It's Show Time! : Sweet Charity

It has been a while since I've watched a musical play.

It has been more than 2 years ago to be exact.

I fell in love with watching theater acts way back when I was still in high school. I'm lucky that my school (an exclusive all-girls school) and our neighboring school (an exclusive all-boys school) have combined to create an organization called Stage FX where a number of amazing production numbers have been staged featuring, of course, the talented students of both schools.

Okay, because anyone jumps into the conclusion that this is where I have honed my drama queen skills, well I was a part of the production crew thus I work behind the scenes...far far away from the limelight. Still, I enjoy listening to the cast rehearse and I never miss a play night. That's how much I love watching plays.

For those who feels the same way towards watching musical plays, well here's one show you shouldn't miss -- Sweet Charity!


This will open on August 5, 2011 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Avenue in Makati.

For August 13 (Saturday) tickets, visit the official PressPlayProds website.

Tourne by Chef Sandralyn Hataway at The Fort Strip

I am pretty blessed to have friends who share my passion and love for food. We all get excited over new food finds and our radars get stronger as we discover newly opened restaurants all over town together.

After enjoying our first ever meet-up over delicious President's Steak *drool* at Myron's Place, it was time for another dinner out with my two favorite food bloggers Jin and Leslie and this time, it's Jin's treat.

I first heard about Tourne from fellow blogger Richard who dined there a few days before our visit when he went with his talented and lovely wife Irene and Sister-in-Law. Richard has been raving about the Southern Airline Chicken saying that it is so delicious, in fact it's "the best tasting chicken breast he has ever had". As much as I was curious to try this amazing chicken dish, what held me back was the fact that it was served with cornbread stuffing. Sadly, I am not allowed to eat corn except when it's mashed or cooked polenta-style.

Still, I was so excited to try Tourne that I even made sure to have a light lunch to make space for dinner.


I arrived at The Fort Strip at exactly 7PM and as I entered the parking lot, I saw Jin and Leslie already inside the restaurant. I joined them shortly and the stories and laughter never stopped from that point on. Looking around the restaurant, I loved the blue and white plaid table cloth which also matched the tiny patches on our table napkins. It reminds me of a sun-shiney country home.


While going through the menu and listening to Leslie and Chef Sandralyn discuss the special meal allowed for Leslie's very strict diet (which, by the way, has been sooooo successful I was amazed at how slim she already is now! *woot woot*), Jin and I enjoyed munching on the complimentary Tofu Chips with Salsa served to us. I love how refreshing the freshly-made salsa which perked up the mild flavor of the healthy chips. We loved it so much we asked for a second round which they graciously accommodated.


After perusing the menu, I chose the Tourne Salad (Php 228) for starters. What attracted me was the inclusion of crusted goat cheese and candied Bicol pili nut. I love cheese and the more cheese a dish has, the higher the probability I'll order it. The balsamic vinaigrette was very light that it went well with the rest of the salad. Little did I know that this was the start of my pili-loaded dinner.

Roomie Tales: Wall Candy

If there's anything that I am quite ashamed of then it must be the fact that it's taking me forever to fix up our room.

Despite working for the country's best-selling home magazine and being able to browse through as much copies of the magazine anytime I need to, I have been putting off this little room project since we got married exactly a year ago.

Well, it's not like there hasn't been any progress at all. At the start of the year, we bought our side cabinet that now houses my magazines and books and serves as my bedside table top too.

A few months back, Paul and I finally found THE couch that we've been wanting to have. Its a 3-seater red couch that my husband enjoys sitting on when he's having one of his DVD nights.

Still, our walls remain to be bare and we still have a blank space waiting for the arrival of our dresser cabinet. Really, I totally salute all the talented room decorators and Martha Stewarts of the world for being able to turn a plain looking room into a beautiful dwelling space in just a snap of a finger.

Thanks to my friend Val who emailed me offering to send me two of her newest products to help beautify our room for this I am truly grateful for. Val, aside from being my room project fairy godmother, is also the girl behind Wall Candy -- an online shop selling adorable-looking wall stickers.


I first learned about wall stickers when I saw the August 2009 issue of Real Living Magazine. This was followed with another pretty cover for our November 2009 issue. Notice how the floral wall stickers have successfully made the brown walls even more beautiful? Since then, I've been very interested about wall stickers and the fact that you can change the look of your room every so often without having to do any paint job that can cost a fortune.

Wall Candy currently has five collections available -- Nursery and Kids, Modern, Decor, Chalkboard and Whiteboard and Glow in the Dark.

Kanzhu Hand-Pulled Noodles in J. Abad Santos, San Juan

I'm nursing a nasty cold right now...it's the type that permanently clogs my nose making me unable to breathe properly. It's also the type of cold that's giving me a very nasal voice and is currently making me feel very very very....drowsy.

Times like this I truly can't wait to curl up in bed under my thick, comfy comforters and to sleep the night away. Before that of course, I have to attend to my growling stomach. If chicken soup may be the comfort food for the soul, then mine would be that Plain Noodle Soup from Kanzhu Hand-Pulled Noodles.


My first time to try Kanzhu Hand-Pulled Noodles was last Friday with some members of The Foodie Club, as we were invited to try some of their dishes. I've been passing by this restaurant since it opened taking the place of the Club's first meeting place -- Beijing Hand-Pulled Noodles. I'm happy to note that Kanzhu has a lot more varieties and Paul and I loved the quality of their noodles more.

Let me share with you some of the dishes that I personally enjoyed that evening:


Black Fungus with Jelly Fish (Php. 80)
A delicious cold appetizer where I enjoyed the crunchy bite and flavor of the three key ingredients: black fungus, jelly fish and wansoy. I think I ate a lot of this as it was placed in front of me for quite a long time.


Century Egg (Php. 80)
I love century egg with congee, with noodles, on top of steamed rice, or even eaten alone...in short I ♥ century egg and this is one thing that I would always order together with the Plain Noodle Soup. I love that it's just lightly salted and one serving has quite a lot of slices of century egg that I can enjoy.

Frannywanny Birthmonth Giveaway!!! : ...and the WINNERS are....

After two weeks, 711 shares on Facebook and 277 valid entries, we finally have our WINNERS thanks to Random.org!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to the following readers:


(2) P1500 City Delivery gift certificates goes to Bianca Juliano and Lourdes Espanol.


P600 worth of Boulevard Diner GCs is awarded to Vanessa Salosagcol.


Pond's White Beauty White Cream and two Gold Radiance Serum loot bag goes to Gessa Marie C!!


Beach Hut Face and Body Sunblock goes to Levy Martinez.

Thank you to all who patiently sent in their entries every single day. For the winners, kindly expect an email from me soon.

Watch out for my next blog contest coming up in a few more days!!! :)

Coca-Cola Can Glasses

Look what's inside this big black box!!!

It's a set of the new Coca-Cola Can Glasses and I'm so excited to use these when I have friends over!


Perfect isn't it? Glasses of icy cold Coca-Cola and bags of chips! I also have the complete set of glasses from last year's collection (sports series) and I must admit I liked this design more. The glasses come in 6 colors: pink, green, blue, lime, charcoal and purple!

This makes a good collector's item as the glasses are only available in select McDonald's outlets in 13 markets worldwide! Stocks are limited so head over to McDonald's and avail of these by adding P25 to any Extra Value Meal!

*note: thank you NN for this!

YakiMIX Eat all You Can at the Podium Mall

To celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary, Paul treated me to dinner last Saturday. He asked me to choose where I want to eat and since we were already at the Podium Mall, my stomach and heart led me towards YakiMIX..(that is after considering Cantinetta, House of Wagyu and other classy restaurants at the ground floor of the mall..kidding!). Actually, Paul tried to throw a number of other restaurant suggestions my way even mentioning my favorite Arya but I was dead set about trying YakiMIX that evening.


We got to YakiMIX at 6PM as we know that it can be pretty difficult to get a table knowing the popularity of this restaurant. I went with very little expectations as I've heard quite a lot of mix reviews from the terrible ones to those who truly had a great YakiMIX experience.


Luckily, we didn't have to wait and were quickly ushered to our table nearest to the door. I loved the interiors as I was not actually expecting for it to look like a high-end Chinese restaurant with matching chandelier.


Our first stop was the sushi/sashimi table where we filled our plates with all types of sushi, fresh sashimi and even some Japanese salad. I loved the Tamago sashimi and the Hawaiian Sushi the most. The others sadly all tasted the same that I just felt like eating rice rolls after rice rolls with nori, ebiko and kani.

Discovery Suites in Ortigas Center, Manila

To achieve perfection, I always believe that everything relies on the details. Big or small, adding the right detail can simply turn an ordinary hotel overnight stay into a memorable one that will last forever.

Exactly a year ago, Paul and I spent our first night as husband and wife at the Discovery Suites in Ortigas. I remembered how surprised we were upon entering our 1-bedroom suite to see a bottle of wine on our table and as we walked towards our bathroom, the entire floor and bath tub was filled with red rose petals. We were speechless yet our hearts were screaming words of gratitude towards the very thoughtful staff of Discovery Suites.

Today, we celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary and instead of flying out of the country or taking a long drive out of town, we decided to book a night once again at Discovery Suites, thanks to the amazing deal that we got from Deal Grocer. I got the 2nd to the last coupon for a 1-bedroom suite stay with breakfast for 2 for only half the price.

From the moment we checked-in and as we were assisted by Front Desk Officers Emily and AC, we were surprised when AC greeted us a happy anniversary. I asked him how he knows and he just gave us a mysterious smile and say "we know everything ma'am". Instantly, I thought of my dear friend Gemma who heads the marketing team of Discovery Suites. Looks like Gemma and team has something up their sleeves again!


As they were preparing our room, we were given our welcome drinks. Delicious mango juice which was truly refreshing and perfect as we just spent the entire morning manning our stall at Mercato Centrale.

Shiok in Greenhills Promenade, San Juan

I can't believe it has been almost a year since Paul and I flew to Singapore then to Malaysia for our 2-week long Honeymoon. I remembered being welcomed by our friend HK who took us on a fun food trip around the Tekka Market where I had the best tasting Lamb Briyani and later we dined at a Nonya Restaurant where it was my first time to try this type of cuisine. I knew from that point on that our honeymoon will truly be a gastronomical trip.


As we get closer to celebrating our first wedding anniversary, Paul and I were invited to a food tasting at Shiok where we relived the fun eating moments that we both had during our Honeymoon. We met Chefs Nicco and Denny who are both owners of the restaurant. They first opened a branch at the Fort Bonifacio and lucky for us Greenhills loyal visitors, they now have their second branch at the food court of Greenhills Promenade.

Initially, I thought Shiok means "cheap" as directly translated in Hokkien. It was only after meeting them that I found out that it means "delicious" in Singaporean slang. The logo looks quite familiar which I later realized is closely similar to that of Hong Kong's Cafe de Coral.

We had the chance to try more than 14 items and boy we were so full after! Let me share with you some of my favorite dishes and these are the ones that I will surely go back to Shiok for:


Crispy Pork (Php. 180)
Everyone loves Lechon Macau most especially when the restaurant can successfully make the skin extra crunchy and the meat tender. Others would prefer to dip this in Hoisin Sauce but I love it with a thin layer of mustard. How I wish though that Shiok can lessen the fat and have more meat.


Fishball Kway Teow (Php. 185)
It was a rainy evening and I'm glad that we had a bowl of warm soup each. While I find the soup a bit too bland for my taste, I enjoyed the rice noodles served with Singaporean fishballs, bean sprouts, ikan bilis and fish cake.

Krazy Garlik in Greenbelt 5

It has been almost 10 months since Krazy Garlik opened its doors to the public. Since then, it has teased the palates of hundreds of garlic lovers in this side of town. Who would have thought that they can add garlic in practically any dish ... yes, even in sweet desserts.


My first visit was pretty memorable. I enjoyed the Hara-Kiri, the Snowflakes Pizza and the Garlicky Crispy Pata. Most of all, I will never forget the special Crema Catalana that had candied garlic cloves on top. It was THE BEST.

Due to its location, I rarely get to visit Krazy Garlik even if it has been on my list to dine in again. I'm glad that I had that chance to go back with fellow bloggers one weeknight and Paul was also able to join me on my return. Hooray!


I love the happy, crazy vibe of Krazy Garlik. As you enter the restaurant, you'll see a bright colorful mural of Alice in GARLICland. Walk towards the washroom and let the characters of the story direct you to the right cubicle.

We had a feast and believe me, it truly was a FEAST. The food just kept on coming as we tried one garlic-filled dish after the other. Let me share with you the 12 amazing dishes that you should try at Krazy Garlik:


Garlic and Anchovy Affection (Php. 195)
The presentation was slightly different from how I remembered it used to look before. I remember that it used to look like escargots but now, it was served on a big platter like canapes.

Kitchen Knight to the Rescue

This is one business model that I truly admire. With the growing number of people working at night be it at a call center, BPO or any retail establishments, the clamor to have more food choices is getting louder and louder. Of course, you can always count on the usual fast food chains or grab a quick bite at any convenience store but don't you wish there's someone who can provide delicious hot meals in just a snap of a finger?

Meet the Kitchen Knight. Serving a wide-array of Asian favorites to the hardworking midnight crowd of Makati and its neighboring areas, Kitchen Knight is literally just a phone call away.


One evening, I was lucky enough to be able to try some of Kitchen Knight's specialty for dinner. The rider came on time and efficiently presented our meals which was carefully packed in sturdy styrofoam boxes and delivered to us in huge plastic bags.


Of course, my first pick was the Katsudon (Php. 85) as this is my favorite Japanese donburi (rice topping). I've had quite a number of Katsudons here and abroad and I can pretty much distinguish a delicious one from one that totally fell short from what this dish should really be. For me, the pork cutlets should be tender with a tiny piece of fat, the egg firm yet flavorful, the crust thin and crunchy and the rice should be moist, fragrant and has a small amount of Katsudon sauce on it.

Celebrating the 4th of July at the US Embassy in Manila

On the 1st day of July, I was lucky enough to be invited to a celebration that was held at the US Embassy in Manila. It was a dinner hosted by Ambassador Harry Thomas as the United States of America celebrated their 235th Independence Day.

I arrived early as requested in the invite and my car underwent very strict security check (I think the most strict that I've have ever seen in my life so far). I was dropped off right at the front door where it was filled with security personnel and ushers ready to assist you. Not knowing where to go next, I just followed the long line which they called the receiving line. In my mind, I thought this would lead to a registration table where I will be meeting J, my fellow blogger who invited me to this very exclusive celebration.


Little did I know, as we inch our way closer to the ballroom, I would reach the welcome committee headed by no other than Ambassador Harry Thomas himself. He was a very nice man that I was initially speechless and all I uttered out was "hi, I'm Fran, thank you for inviting me."

Inside the ballroom, people were busy mingling as it seems like they've known each other for quite some time. I tried to look for a familiar face but failed on my first attempt which lasted for a good five minutes. It's a good thing, the friendly usher led me towards the garden area where we can get refreshments and food while waiting for the ceremony to start.


At this point, I was successful to spot a familiar face in the crowd -- it was a former Starbucks partner who was busy serving Starbucks Coffee to the distinguished guests. Aside from Starbucks, there were also booths from Dunkin Donuts, TGI Friday's, Dairy Queen, Burger King and Hyatt Hotel who prepared a delicious roast beef sandwich.

Coffee Shop Survey

Hi readers!

While I truly hope you're having fun joining my ongoing contest (12 days to go, guys!!), here's something you might want to do too.

It's very EASY!


All you have to do is to answer this quick survey and get a chance to win one of 10 SM Gift Certificates worth P1,000 each!

The survey won't even take up too much of your time! I finished mine in less than 10 minutes and I'm also crossing my fingers to be one of the lucky winners of the Gift Certificate which I will use to seriously decorate our room. 

Good luck!! :)

*image credit: http://www.applied-corporate-governance.com/free-online-survey-tools.html