International Women's Day (March 8)

March 8 is International Women's Day

This is a day of respect, recognition and appreciation for all the women in the world for their contributions to society. Last year was its 100th anniversary and a lot of events took place in different parts of the world. For this year, the theme is "Empower Women – End Hunger and Poverty". This is quite a huge event that a lot of countries consider this as an official holiday. Unfortunately, this is not widely celebrated in the Philippines.

In line with today's celebration of International Women's Day, I want to recognize some women considering their economic, political and social achievements.

Regina "Gina" Paz L. Lopez - the philanthopist

She is the Managing Director of ABS-CBN Foundation which introduced socio-civic projects such as Bantay Bata 163 and Bantay Kalikasan. Last year she was appointed as Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission chief. She received the Peace Award (2003) for her dedication in preserving the environment and Outstanding NGO for Community Development for Bantay Kalikasan. She recently had a heated debate with Manny V. Pangilinan regarding the issue of mining. Her charitable acts and her persistence to fight for her beliefs make her an outstanding woman.

 

Miriam Palma Defensor Santiago - The genius but hot-tempered senator.

You can always see her during the impeachment trial raising her voice at the prosecutors. She has one of the best credentials, earning Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude and Bachelor of Laws cum laude from the University of the Philippines College of Law and earned her doctorate in University of Michigan law School.  (source Wikipedia). Also, late last year she was elected as Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and she is the first ever female judge from a developing state in Asia (source:  DFA). She is truly a woman of excellence.

Teresita T. Sy-Coson - Queen of Retail

We all know that her father holds the top spot for Philippines' richest man. A part of his success was brought by the expertise of his right hand, and first child - Tessie. She has been the Advisor of SM prime Holdings Inc. since May 2008. She is the Executive Vice President of First Asia Realty Development Corp., President of SM Mart, Inc., President and Chairman of ShoeMart, Inc., and Supervalue, Inc. and last but not the least, Chairperson of BDO Unibank Inc. and BDO Leasing & Finance (Source: Businessweek). She is indeed a multi-tasker having different positions in their company. She is now part of Forbes Asia's 50 Power Businesswomen. She proves that business is not just for men.

Corazon C. Aquino - First Filipina President, 1986 Woman of the Year by Time Magazine

From a plain housewife, to being the first Filipina President to being the 'Mother of Philippine Democracy'. She was known in the whole world for standing up from dictatorship and restored our freedom. After she stepped down as president, she received numerous awards such as the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding from the Fulbright Association (source: Wikipedia) She was not just a political figure but she was a role model and an inspiration to all Filipinos.

Therese Tianco Badoy aka Gang Badoy - the rockstar educator

She is the founder of RockEd Philippines, a group that uses music to as an alternative education to present social issues. She was one of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) 2010 awardees and she was one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (2010).National Geographic Channel Asia even selected her as one of their "Live Curious" ambassadors. (Source: Wikipedia) She had the perfect vision to use music as medium in order to connect to the youth.

These women have brought significant changes to our country, not only for their excellence but more importantly for their passion which brings inspiration to many. We are all surrounded with great women and most of them don't get awards or get featured in magazine covers. They are just ordinary women but have touched our lives in an extraordinary way. Show them your appreciation and let's all be grateful we have them. Let's not only remember their worth during special occasions but show them love every single day.

To all the women in my life, Happy Women's Day!  =)

Image Sources:

Logo - http://www.careers.lon.ac.uk/blog/library/index.php/2010/03/it-is-international-womens-day-today-what-does-that-mean/

Gina Lopez - http://www.cdm.aim.edu/index.php/news-and-announcements/140-ms-gina-lopez-on-the-adverse-effects-of-mining-in-devt-at-work-forum-may-25-2011

Miriam Santiago - http://www.starmometer.com/2011/12/13/miriam-santiago-elected-as-judge-in-international-criminal-court-icc/

Tessie Coson - http://pinoypower.net/2012/03/07/sms-teresita-sy-coson-covers-forbes-asias-50-power-businesswomen-issue/

Cory Aquino - http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19870105,00.html

Gang Badoy - http://www.spot.ph/gallery/580/Live-Curious-Exhibit/article/46727#pid=6778

The Revolutionary Taste of K.K.K.

The acronym K.K.K. immediately made me think of Andres Bonifacio and all the other events that transpired in Philippine history. This is also what the restaurant K.K.K. (Kainan sa Kalye Kanluran) is all about: the rich taste of Philippine food that will leave your taste buds revolting.

The ambiance of the restaurant would right away tell you that it offers Filipino cuisine. The walls were covered with dried anahaw leaves and bamboo just like a nipa hut or widely known as 'bahay kubo'. Checking out the menu, they offered the usual 'lutong bahay' favorites like sinigang, ensalada, kare-kare, lengua etc.

Our friendly server Shiara served some 'kropek' or shrimp crackers while waiting for our order.

Our first meal is Bistek Flakes (P 230)

I was amazed on how tall the flakes were arranged on the plate. I assumed the flakes would look dry but it looked like it was dipped in sauce. "Bistek" is the Filipino version of the American beef steak. While the latter is being served dry and usually cooked in the griller, our version is filled with the 'special' sauce which gives it the distinct sweet-tasty-sour taste.  While the normal beef steak would be topped with rings of onions, our plate of bistek flakes had chopped onions and tomatoes underneath. I tried eating it without rice and I didn't like it at first because the flavor of the sauce was too strong and a bit sour. However, upon eating it with rice, I eventually liked it. =)

Our second dish is Pancit Tinapa (P 140)

'Tinapa' is famous in the Philippines as smoked milkfish and usually served during breakfast together with sinangag (garlic rice). This caught my attention because it was described as 'creamy' which is quite odd. Nothing special with its presentation but it was neatly placed on the plate.pon seeing it, it looked like pancit with carbonara sauce =P. It was indeed creamy but it only had few Tinapa flakes (I wish it had more). It would also be better if they added some herbs to add flavor and a bit of spicyness would give it a twist.

Each meal is good for 2 and the price is very reasonable. They had very accommodating and friendly servers as well. The place was clean and not crowded. Highly recommended to bring balikbayans =)

Dessert-ed Island: Baker's Dozen at Rockwell Powerplant

As a sweet treat from Rockwell last Valentines Day, they had the Baker's Dozen for all weekends of February. I'm sure all dessert-lovers know this event. It is a gathering of all bakers and dessert concessionaires. For me, it's a little island of desserts (Heaven!) I first saw Costa Brava, which is my ultimate favorite and decided to give in to my craving.

 

Costa Brava is so far the best caramel cake I've every tried (probably at par with Estrel's). It was created by Judah Liu. I've tried their 7x9 caramel cake for my parents' anniversary for P500. Unfortunately, they don't deliver. You can only pick up your orders at their residence at Bel-Air village Makati and you have to order in advance. The slice I bought was P70 and it was enough to satisfy my craving.

These are the other concessionares:

Kitchen’s Best Home Patisserie by Roselyn M. Tiangco 

I heard their best seller is the Purple Yam Cake which was featured at Inquirer's '20 Desserts of 2011' =)

Baked by Carmen

I was able to try their dark chocolate cookies last Christmas (Yum!)

Iya's Jumbo Pastillas

I wanted to try this one since my friend saw this at Market Market. However, I just had sore throat and pastillas causes my throat to itch. (bummer!)

Casa San Luis

The Sweet Life by Ange

Crukitchen

home made ice cream

Taho

Aside from cakes and pastries, they also have their own taho and home-made ice cream =)

 I wasn't able to take a pic of all the concessionaires but I think I got most of them.  Also, you can check out their Facebook accounts wherein you can view their other products and you also view their contact details in case you would like to order.

Being in the baker’s fair would make you drool over the different flavors of cakes and cookies and you would have a hard time resisting those tempting cupcakes! So for those on a diet, I would suggest not passing through Rockwell’s Concourse level (only if the fair is on-going). I would definitely try more products next time.  For those who love sweets, this event should not be missed =)

Jollibee Chicken Mushroom Pasta

Many of us have grown with the traditional, Filipino sweet-style spaghetti, covered with thick sauce, filled with hotdog and topped with grated cheese. This has become every pinoy kid's favorite dish (and even kids at heart =P).Where else could we find this classic favorite, no other than in Jollibee. A few days ago, I was able to try their new product 'chicken mushroom' and I must say that Jollibee veered away from the original Filipino taste to a more Italian feel. The new pasta was a bit spicy because if you look more closely the sauce was covered with pepper. (sorry I wasn't able to zoom in). I really loved it! I would describe it as the more 'mature' spaghetti because of its gourmet-like taste. I'm not sure if kids would still love this, but I'm sure grown-ups will. For P54, this is very affordable for merienda. =)

New Crocs 2012 'Everyday' Collection

Crocs is known for being a comfortable footwear than for being fashionable. Mainly because their launching product is the traditional clogs which are mostly worn by children and the not so young ones. This year Crocs has changed their image from being the conventional go-to comfort shoes to the more casual and fashionable everyday wear.

Now you wouldn't be ashamed of wearing Crocs in public. Their new collection has brighter colors with modern styles but still with the same comfort. The price range would be P1,000-P5,000 depending on the style. To check the prices, visit their site - http://www.crocs.com.ph/

Source: http://www.spot.ph/shopping/50567/everyday-footwear-from-crocs-2012-collection-now-available

A Different Katy Perry

Katy Perry 'Interview' cover

Looking at the picture alone, you wouldn't recognize who this A-list celebrity is. You would probably think that she looks like Amy Winehouse (because of the cat-eyes and black teased-up hair) or probably some ad from Guess (black and white effect with sexy model). Who would have thought it would be no other than Katy Perry? Katy Perry is known for her fun, vibrant, and outrageous fashion sense. She usually performs or walks the red carpet with her themed dresses and to top it off, her brightly colored hair. This photo is very stunning because not only did she look extremely gorgeous, but a more serious and glamorous side of her personality is shown. This would probably make Russel regret letting her go. 

 

Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/katy-perry-interview-cover_n_1304698.html

Photo credits:

http://mystylebell.com/2011/09/08/would-you-wear-pink-hair/katy-perry-pink/

http://style.mtv.com/2011/06/13/katy-perry-last-friday-night-tgif/

http://www.fhm.com/girls/katy-perry-has-blue-hai r-20100607&docid=sriF40qGQyw_8M&imgurl=

 

Cafeteria Verde

Some of us are probably sick of eating at our usual go-to fast food restaurants for a satisfying and budget-friendly meal. Since I was looking for a new place to eat without the long lines and  without the guilt of all the calories, my friend and I tried this place in the middle of Robinsons Galleria’s sports loop. It was a nice and cozy place where you can hang out and probably read since the place was quiet and easeful. I ate there around 2pm for late lunch that’s why it wasn’t too crowded.  

Good thing I always bring the coupon that I bought from Smart Concepts. I got this coupon from a sales agent at Big Chill (Solaris One Branch, Makati City) for P400.00. [I know it is quite expensive but  I’m a constant consumer of their products and I thought that it would be worth it, so I bought it =P]   

We ordered one Paad Thai, Panini and Super Fresh drinks all for P149 (using the coupons) and I saved P114.00. Here’s the breakdown:

Paad Thai – P 99

Superfresh shake – P45 (Medium)

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Total: P 144

Free with coupon:

Superfresh shake – P35 (Small)

Panini – P 79

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Total: P 114

Coupon 1: Buy any drink and receive any drink of lesser value FREE!

Coupon 2: Buy any food item and receive any food item of lesser value FREE!

Note: You can use use coupon1 and coupon 2 at the same time but not 2 coupons of the same kind. =)

As for the food, it was not too great but I liked it.
1. As for the Paad Thai, it didn’t taste like the authentic one but it was good enough. It was tasty and it was satisfying for a light-eater like me.


2. I liked the Panini. Inside the Panini were mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil. You can really taste the freshness of the tomatoes and basil.


3. The best part of the meal was the drinks. The mango was so fresh and the coconut milk gave it a different twist. I enjoyed it with sago =)

All in all, I enjoyed my simple meal. Diet-conscious people will like the place and it’s a good spot for vegetarians as well. The food is budget friendly and it will still satisfy your craving taste buds. You can also order for take out if you’re planning to go to the movies (a better alternative to chips).