Two weeks ago, we went to Greenhills. Yes, we braved Greenhills despite the payday weekend. We found a nice playplace for kids at Shoppesville, where the kiddo had fun. While we went around to look for things to buy. It’s just overwhelming, how so many things are out there. So many things to splurge on! 

Aside from the usual knock off bags, shoes and shirts you’re sure to find in Greenhills, with the holiday season coming up, christmas decorations are starting to abound in Greenhills. And since we want to avoid the holiday rush, we’ll be off to Greenhills again this weekend.

Positioning itself as one of the most-sought-after dining destinations in Manila ’s famed culinary scene, Marriott Hotel Manila takes pride in introducing a young and vibrant newly-appointed Executive Chef– Meik Brammer.

33 year old Brammer is a native of Beirut , Germany and started his career breakthrough at the famed Reneissance Zurich Hotel as a demi chef. He took charge in the banquet, outside caterings, and in the lunch buffet in the all-day dining restaurant which gave him the “Associate of the Month” recognition. Read more…

I’ve been using Orlistat Alli for more than a month now. I found it on 50% sale in Mercury Drug about 2 months ago. The said brand is much cheaper than Xenical, although I’m not sure about Lesofat. I initially had hesitations but when I saw that it is from Glaxo Smith Kline, I went ahead and gave it a try.

In this day and age when we all are becoming accustomed to a very sedentary lifestyle, sometimes it helps to use fat burning pills. This one is particularly useful especially when your diet is mostly made up of fatty foods. One thing I like about this brand is that it also comes with a meal plan, which I have to start following soon.

There are some who make use of diet pills as well, more like the appetite suppresants. I still have some reservations at the moment but perhaps when I get a good review from someone I personally know, I might just give it a try. Sometimes it’s not really reliable to go online to read about which diet pills work best. Well, having said that, I guess some of you might not find this post entirely reliable, given that you do not know me personally. hehe

image taken from goingtentcamping.com

Camping is becoming a hit among travellers as of late, especially with the island of Campomanes in Zambales becoming more and more popular. It is a beach that is unique in its beauty as there are pine trees all around the beach, flourishing in the sandy island. If you find yourself putting that in your to-visit places, be ready to bring along camping essentials, as there is no resort in the place, only a couple of natives manning the place. You can rent tents from them, but the rest of the equipment and some food stocks should be something you bring with you.

Here are a few items considered to be camping essentials.

• kerosene and wood - to light a fire at night
• water – for drinking
• flash light – always comes in handy all the time (a good waterproof brand is brinkmann q beam)
• food – canned goods, chips and marshmallows for a good night
• blanket – a thick blanket should not be forgotten so you can sleep warm and comfortably.

Since it’s the rainy season, I’m sure not a lot of people are camping these days. But perhaps once the rainy season is over, I’m thinking it would be nice to go out and camp.

image taken from melindayeoh.com

For those of you who’ve read Robert Kiyosaki’s book – Rich Dad, Poor Dad; you know about the game he’s invented. The objective of the game is for each player to be able to get out of the rat race by saving and investing. I’ve long wanted to purchase the said board game, unfortunately it is something that is not readily available at most stores here and well, I do not know where it is actually for sale.

Last week, I found an email in my facebook account which is an invitation to join this workshop. I’m sharing the details with you guys, just in case you want to attend as well. I’m also looking for people who may want to come with me since it’s cheaper if we register in groups of 3. Well, here’s the rest of the information that you may want to know.

Hope to see you there peeps. Please email me to let me know if you are interested in coming so we can enlist together.

The Manila Marriott Hotel recently added Thai cuisine to their already sumptuous buffet dinner and people from the blogging world were given this wonderful chance to have a taste. I consider myself lucky to receive such an invitation, so the gloomy weather did not stop me to go all the way to Marriott Hotel which is well totally far from our place of residence. Too bad my husband was too tired to come as well.

The dishes served did not disappoint! It was a complete explosion of flavor, filled with mouth-watering gastronomical delights that is absolutely Thai in taste – yeah spicy! But I wont complain because I love spicy foods.

The soup tasted totally new to me, it’s like having Sinigang mixed with coconut milk. I wanted to try a little bit of everything so I did not stuff myself too much with the first set of food I got to try and liked. Going back to the soup, Leirs said she felt her clogged nose cleared up after finishing a bowl of this soup, pretty much the same effect you get when you had too much wasabi on your sauce.

Now here comes my first plate for the night. Yep you read that right, first plate! And that’s why it’s called a buffet!

Read more…

Celebrate the rich and unique flavors of Thailand as Marriott Hotel Manila brings the best of Thai in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Embassy of Thailand and Thai Airways.

One of the Asia ’s most favorite cuisines, Thai food has been gaining popularity worldwide with its worth relishing tastes.  FromAugust 1 to 31, satisfy your taste buds with a delicious showcase of authentic Thai dishes by Thai chef Thanathorn Krobsuay flown all the way from one of the most contemporary Marriott properties in Asia , the JW Marriott Bangkok. A Thai local himself, chef Krobsuay shares his sophisticated style and expertise in Thai cooking which never fails to mesmerize guests and capture the palates of discerning gourmands.

Start the adventure with a savory piping hot tom yam goong soup (spicy prawn soup with lemongrass and galangal) that will surely perk up the senses with its sweet and spicy broth.   Follow it with Som tum (spicy green papaya salad) a palate stimulating spicy salad starter made of shredded papaya, beans, and dried shrimp. Some of the classic main dishes include Thod mun pla (thai fish cakes with pickled cucumber) which is a marinated fried fish cake with green beans and herbs swathed in sweet and sour sauce, which remains a favorite tasty treat of Thais.  Featuring as well is the larb gai (mincedchicken salad with mint and ground rice) enhanced with the natural flavors of lime juice and fish sauce. Another favorite is Pad Thai (stir fried noodle with seafood)  considered a national dish consists of fried noodles, eggs, been sprouts, shrimp, chicken, and tofu combined with oriental ingredients such as tamarind juice, hot chili, and fish sauce producing a nutty, pungent taste. To end a hot Thai feast, complete the meal with a refreshing kanom thai ruam (selections of Thai royal desserts) that has an amusing sweet and salty balance of tastes. Usually made of coconut milk based or sweet sticky rice, all desserts feature most piquant Asian ingredients and recipes. Read more…

Gather the whole family and sweeten the getaway Father’s Day treat as everyone greets “Hats Off to You Dad!”

On June 20, let dad devour special range of dining options to ultimately satisfy his foodie soul. Take the whole family at the Marriott Café and enjoy superb line-up of international cuisine from Western, Filipino, Indian, Chinese, and Japanese. Featuring as well are carefully chosen item from the carving, seafood, soups, salads, and dessert stations. Be assured of a delightful ending with Marriott’s signature homemade ice cream, offering extensive variety of flavors daily. Must-try is Rojanni’s true love, a symphony of luscious strawberry and chocolate made perfect with chocolate bits and graham. For those who recoil from sweets, sorbet is an equally pleasurable treat with mango mint, coconut, and mixed berries as popular variety. Read more…

It’s been ages since I last visited the city of pines. I’ve only been there thrice, for the life of me. Yet each trip to the said place is memorable just the same, since I’m with different sets of people when I went there. First was when I was five, of course, I was with my family back then and well, the second time I went up there was with friends and the last one was with my then boyfriend now hubby and my mom and her friend.

Right now, the start of the rainy season got me dreaming of going up to Baguio. Weird huh? Yeah, I guess. Perhaps I’m too extreme. Anyway, I officially have the Hotel Elizabeth in my places to visit list. I’ve read a lot of nice reviews of the place as well as the service. I’m just wondering if they have an electric fireplace installed in each of their rooms. It would be nice to see one like that in Baguio. Well, with or without, I’ll be there some time. This is a promise I’m making to myself.

Quite a few eons ago, when I was still 5, I remember riding a horse in Baguio – then branded as the summer capital of the Philippines. I proudly rode my horse without anyone riding with me. I think I rode a young mare. Too bad the pictures were all lost due to the flooding brought about by Typhoon Ketsana. I wish someday my son could try out the experience. Perhaps when he turns 3 or 4 it would be nice to have try riding a miniature horse. It would have been a pretty site to see my little man ride, with the miniature complete with a riding ensemble like a horse tack, a saddle of course and other things you need to put on them before riding them. Well, if you are planning to give your little ones the same experience, make sure you put on safety gears on them, like a head gear and if you can riding boots.