Bye-Bye Britannica =(

Back in the days when the internet was only limited to MIRC chats and google was not yet existing, I used our encyclopedia to do research. I still remember the old smell of the pages and how heavy it was to carry a 'book' which only covered subjects starting with letter A. I still remember how fragile the pages were and how my mom would always remind me to slowly turn the pages so as not to tear them. I kind of miss the days when I was in our elementary/highschool library to do school work.

I recently saw an article saying that Britannica will no longer print copies after 244 years and they will now solely be digital. I'm quite nostalgic about it since it was a huge part of my student life. Also, it still feels different when you have it on hand than seeing it on your monitor. Everything's being replaced by the internet now but it's also nice to look back on how it was before. I'm thankful that we have our own copy. I will truly treasure it even though a lot of people think it's obsolete. Our encyclopedia will now be antique. =)

Lotte Double Bianco (Strawberry)

On a hot summer day, it’s nice to have a cold treat. As I was strolling along the streets of Makati, I dropped by this small Korean store and decided to try their ice cream. I was a bit hesitant to try it since most of them had characters I don’t understand, but upon seeing the different flavors and feeling the scorching heat outside, I decided to give it a shot. I tried the Lotte Double Bianco. The strawberry ice cream was not too sweet and it had enough syrup to give it flavor. Since ‘bianco’ means white in Italian, I thought it meant ‘double stuffed’ as the cup was really full. But upon reaching the bottom part of the cup, I slowly realized what ‘double bianco’ really meant. It’s not just a simple vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry syrup, underneath it is another layer of apple sherbet.  I really didn’t notice it at first since the apple sherbet was also color white, but upon tasting it, it had a strong flavor of apple and the consistency was also different. Thus the name of Double Bianco – it really meant 2 white treats =P I also loved the packaging. The foldable spoon hidden under the cup was very convenient. Also, it had a very reasonable price (P 58) considering it’s imported from Korea. I’ll definitely repurchase and try their other products.

Ingredients:

Corn syrup, sugar, mixed milk pd (imported,milk), strawberry syrup (korea), high fructose syrup, vegetable fat, processed butter, apple concentrated juice, whey pd, citric acid (source: Lottesamkang.co.kr) 

Bangkok meets Manila - 4th Thailand Trade Exhibition [2012]

While walking around Makati, I saw this poster about the 4th Thailand Trade Exhibition (March 1-4) @ SMX Convention Center, MOA. Since this would be a sneak peek of  my 'dream trip' to Bangkok, I decided to go.

There were a lot of booths that offered different products like food, beauty commodities, and arts and crafts from Thailand. There was the Tong Garden which is very popular for their nuts and the manufacturer of Lactasoy which offered different flavors of soya milk.

In order to showcase Thailand's culture, there was a live demonstration on how they cook steamed rice flour dumplings or Khao Kreab Pak Mor which I was able to taste and a demo of the ancient art of Kae Sa Luk (fruit carving). [Trivia: Pak Mor means 'pot lips' in Thai]. The dish probably got its name from how it is cooked. A cloth is placed on top (lip) of the pot to cook the rice flour batter. Once the batter starts to solidify the filling is placed on top and the skin is lifted from the cloth to wrap the filling covering it. At first I couldn't recognize what the filling was made out of since it was already rolled into small balls. According to the local that I asked, it was meat. Upon tasting it, I think it had sugar and some nuts since it was quite sweet and tasty. I really loved it and I actually wanted more. However they were not selling it and the line was getting long for the free taste.

I really adored their glass rings and their accessories. They were very colorful and crafty. The glass rings were sold for P350 each while the others varied in prices according to its design. I was looking forward to see their fisherman's pants but they only have hand-painted dresses.

Good thing we were able to catch the cultural show featuring Thai Classical Dances.

It was a fun and interesting visit. I'm hoping that there would be a fifth one and I'm expecting more food haha. 

I wonder if there would also be trade expos for other countries as well. I'll try to find out and I'll keep you posted =)

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. =)