Are you ready for summer?

It’s summertime! In the Philippines, summer isn’t complete without heading to the beach. With all those 7,107 islands, we are surrounded by beautiful waters, sand and the scorching tropical sunlight. I bet most of us have already booked to to a resort in Boracay, Puerto Galera or Batangas. We’re all set, from beach towels, sunblocks, cameras, sunglasses and of course, our swimwear. Swimwear…summer is the best time to show off those hot and sexy bodies after long hours at the gym and strict dieting for months. It would be awkward and takes a lot of courage to wear those skimpy outfits with flabby thighs and unsightly fat stomach, right?

Fret not, for those who don’t have time to go to the gym, there’s still hope. To aid us in achieving those bodies perfect for the summer, natural diet pills can be taken. It is different from other diet pills in the market because it’s proven safe and effective for long term use because it contains herbal extracts that are not harmful to the body. The combination of ephedra and caffeine will speed up the body’s metabolic process while burning more fat. There are a variety of natural diet pills in the market, but the best diet pill so far is Proactol. Eight clinical trials proved that it reduces fat intake by over 27%, this is the reason why it is highly recommended by experts. What’s great is it’s 100% natural and organic, even vegetarians can take this. Not yet convinced, read some Proactol reviews and watch this video testimonial of a Proactol user.

Raymund Marasigan at Team Manila, Mall of Asia



The Eraserheads fever is still on! After the March 7, 2009 concert, Eraserheads fans still can’t get over from that memorable event. In line with the concert, Team Manila released limited edition shirts. The shirts were selling like hotcakes and most of the time, they are often out of stock.

Raymund Marasigan
all smiles for Raymund Marasigan

Raymund Marasigan
my Team Manila t-shirt

Raymund Marasigan
brought my antique cassette tapes too…

Last Saturday, we went to Team Manila to buy the limited edition Eraserheads T-shirts and to have it signed by the band’s drummer, Raymund Marasigan. The Team Manila store were teeming with buyers who want to get their hands on the Eraserheads T-shirts. We were lucky to be there early at around 2 pm, we were able to grab shirts also for my brother, for a friend and for an officemate. I bet they ran out of stocks again for those shirts.

So this sums up the weekend of an ecstatic fangirl.

Playboy Philippines sponsors Bloggers Night Out at the Source Bar

The Bloggers Night Out last March 20, 2009 was one of the rarest events that I was able to attend as a blogger. Invites were sent by Azrael Coladilla, bloggers will be the first to witness as Playboy Philippines unveils their April 2009 Anniversary issue and introduced the new playmates. Early bloggers at the event got a free Playboy Magazine. The venue, Source Bar, provided cool music, cocktails and snacks. It’s quite nice to see familiar faces I’ve met in previous blogger events like Earth, Nicely, Edelweiza and Sarah. Well, gentlemen must have enjoyed the event more than the ladies that night, but as Azrael promised, it’s a wholesome event.

Playmates showed the April 2009 cover of Playboy Magazine
one of the Playmates

Want more photos? Visit Jeff’s Multiply site.

On Boyet Fajardo and Bayani Agbayani YouTube videos

Boyet Fajardo Duty Free Philippines incident:

I’ve been seeing the name Boyet Fajardo this week, it’s a very common name that’s why I didn’t bother to google him. Until I saw the news on TV Patrol about the incident on Duty Free Philippines concerning none other than, Boyet Fajardo. Boyet Fajardo who??? Apparently, he’s a fashion designer whose real name is Angelino Boyet Fajardo, his RTW line is carried by popular department stores, Robinson’s Department Store, Landmark and SM. But what made him the talk of the town this week is his behavior gone berserk towards the staff of Duty Free Philippines. Just because the cashier followed a standard operating procedure on asking for an identification card when making credit card purchases, he suddenly went furious and made a scene. Well, he did made his way to stardom that day, fortunately, his act were caught on CCTV, uploaded on YouTube and caught the attention of the media.

You can read the whole incident here. Below shows the video caught on CCTV…

Bayani Agbayani Pier One incident:

The 8-minute video from YouTube showing the furious Bayani Agbayani at Pier One, The Fort was the hottest news in Showbiz News Ngayon earlier. Bayani Agbayani was recorded saying cuss words to the men at a parking lot at the Fort. From an interview, Bayani Agbayani admits that it’s his fault that he bumped the motorcycle of the man but they reached to a settlement at once. What made him angry is that the other companion who is not the owner of the vehicle provoked him. Watch the video of the very angry Bayani Agbayani below…

My kind of mix: Chicago Mix of Chicago Popcorn Shops

chicago popcorn shops1
Chicago Popcorn Shops, Mall of Asia

Tucked away from the busiest part of Mall of Asia, at the 2nd Floor of the Entertainment Mall, is one popcorn place waiting to be discovered. We are not aware what Chicago Popcorn Shops is, we only intend to check out if Team Manila has restocked their Eraserheads t-shirts. But the interesting and classy facade of Chicago Popcorn Shops made us pay the store a visit. And boy are we glad, Jeff and I were treated for a free sample of their freshly popped popcorn, “It’s the Chicago Mix, cheese and caramel popcorn combined, our bestseller!”, the storekeeper proudly announced. I popped the cheese-flavored one first, it’s surprisingly cheesy and the popcorn is soft. Next, I tried the caramel, it’s sweet and crunchy! The storekeeper told us that it’s best to pop the 2 flavors together, so Jeff and I obliged. This is where the magic happened, the marrying of the sweet and salty flavors is surprisingly just right. Nothing overpowers the sweetness or the saltiness of another. This is far better than Kettle Korn’s, it’s beyond compare as a matter of fact.

chicago popcorn shops4

Chicago Popcorn Shops tools of the trade

Chicago Mix of Chicago Popcorn Shops is like a gourmet popcorn. You can tell that they don’t scrimp on ingredients. According to the storekeeper, they don’t use cheese powder in their popcorns, they use melted cheese. The caramel popcorns don’t stick but each are perfectly covered with caramel.

chicago popcorn shops7

One tin of Chicago Mix, Php 280

We left the store with one tin can in tow, priced at Php 280. We’re advised to bring the empty tin on our next refill to get the discounted price of Php 200. What’s great is that we can customize our Chicago Mix, we can have it 70% caramel-30% cheese. In our case, we had 50% caramel-50% cheese.

chicago popcorn shops2
pricelist

chicago popcorn shops3
sizes available

The tin is now empty after 2 short days, I can’t stop munching on it. The tin is on its way to the Chicago Popcorn Shops MOA on Saturday and I’m thinking of getting two tin cans at once. This gourmet popcorn joint did not disappoint.

Chicago Popcorn Shops
2nd Floor Entertainment Mall (near Team Manila)
Mall of Asia

I heart Pepper Lunch!


Jeff and I left early from work at 2 pm and headed to Ortigas area to meet someone. But before we head to San Miguel Avenue, we were on to our target at the lower basement of Shangri-la Mall, Pepper Lunch! Yes, you read that right, Pepper Lunch opened its second branch aside from Powerplant Mall in Rockwell. We intended not to eat lunch at the office to savor our first taste of Pepper Lunch.

Pepper Lunch in Shangri-la Mall


The store is well-lit and spacious, there were 3 or more group of diners inside Pepper Lunch.We were greeted at the entrance and led us to the counter where we chose our orders. Knowing what to order, from bloggers’ recommendation, we ordered Beef Pepper Rice (Php 235) and Salmon Pepper Rice (Php 312). Each meal comes with drinks but they also have ala carte meals which is a bit cheaper.


A few minutes later, we already heard the sizzling sound and true enough, the Beef Pepper Rice was served. The server offered to mix it for us but we declined because we took photos of it first. It’s piping hot, smoke comes out from the plate and I can smell the peppery taste. I’m starting to feel hungry, soon enough, my Salmon Pepper Rice was served. I am almost tempted not to cook my salmon because I can see that it’s fresh and the salmon is in its most pink color.

Beef Pepper Rice (Php 235)

Salmon Pepper Rice (Php 312)


What’s exciting about Pepper Lunch is you get to cook your own food your way! Make it well-done, medium-rare, it’s your call. “Sizzle it your way!” Season your meat or fish with the honey brown sauce or garlic soy sauce according to your taste. Another secret is to mix it immediately after serving, at the center of the plate, there’s a surprise butter sauce, spread the love all throughout the rice and the veggies. Be careful though, the plate is heated up to 260 degrees Celsius so be careful when mixing.

instructions on how to cook your steak

4 steps to yumminess:
1. You can cook both sides of your steak on the plate as the beef is raw.
2. When the steak is ready, please put a steak sauce (Amakuchi or Karakuchi/Honey Brown Sauce or Garlic Soy Sauce) on it.
3. You can place the cooked steak on vegetables so that it will not be overcooked.
4. You can also cook the vegetables on the plate. Then you can taste it with a steak sauce (Amakuchi or Karakuchi).

I can’t determine what makes my order so delicious…. is it the fresh salmon? the perfectly cooked Japanese rice? the sauce? the patented sizzling plate? or the pepper perhaps? I don’t know, maybe it’s the excitement of preparing your own dish and seeing it transform from uncooked to perfectly cooked. I would give Pepper Lunch a perfect score in the taste department.

yummy!


As for its price, it may not be that affordable but this is because all of their ingredients are imported. The unique experience also adds to its charm. Another food adventure for a food-lover like me. Check out their menu below:

Pepper Lunch Menu


Pepper Lunch has branches at Power Plant Mall, Rockwell and Shangri-La Plaza Mall.
Website: http://www.pepperlunch.com.ph/

Comodo SSL