X Out Cervical Cancer

Stand Your Ground Against Cervical Cancer


HPV claims the lives of 12 Filipinas daily. Bravehearts in cooperation with FitFlop, GlaxoSmithLine, Institute Santre and Naked Juice Bar is holding an activity for Cervical Cancer awareness.

It will be on September 9, 2009 (Wednesday) at 11:30 am. The venue will be at ROX Bonifacio High Street, B1, ROX Building, The Fort.



The first 50 guests to RSVP will be able to get a discounted cervical cancer vaccine. I had shots with my OB already and they cost around Php 3500 per vial. I had to go back for the second shot after two months and my third and last shot will be this September.

There are other activities scheduled for that day, as well (free body fat analysis, consultations, free drinks from Naked Juice Bar and snacks from Quaker Oat Cookies). Attire for the event is Casual and if you own Fitflops, do wear them for a chance to win a special price.

RSVP:
Soleil Sanchez: 09167834839 / 5670611 loc. 407
Karen Magnaye: 0915-8510175 / 3031234 loc. 202

http://www.xoutcervicalcancer.com.ph/

SHOWDOWN: The Pepper Wars

The Original versus The Gaya-gaya



Nope, there was no riot on Ginger's street -- ManilaReviews presents another showdown! In this article, we decide which restaurant in the "fastfood pepper steak sizzling-plate smoke-in-your-eyes come-out-smelling-like-your-food resto" category (it's a pretty small category) has the better Beef Sizzling Pepper Lunch/Steak: Pepper Lunch (Shangri-la) or Sizzling Pepper Steak (Eastwood).

For the flagship dish, both have the same concept -- raw beef/pork/chicken arranged in a circle around a mound of buttery rice served on a sizzling plate. Of course there are other offerings/variations but that's the basic idea. :)

It's also worthwhile to note that Pepper Lunch came up with the original idea. It was founded in Japan in 1994 and it's been spreading to other countries since. Sizzling Pepper Steak, on the other hand is the local gaya-gaya-puto-maya version.

Let's get down to business:

AMBIANCE/CLEANLINESS: Sizzling Pepper Steak!
Pepper Lunch: 3 / 5
Tables were wiped clean and the place was pretty well-kept. Average cleanliness. It felt like any fast food resto feels -- bleh.

Sizzling Pepper Steak: 3.5 / 5
Tables and seats were clean, cleanliness was also average. However, SPS created a more formal restaurant atmosphere -- ala Tokyo Cafe or Teriyaki Boy so it was a bit more cozy.


FOOD/TASTE: TIE!
Pepper Lunch: 3.5 / 5
Everything was pretty flavorful. To add some more flavor, you can use either of the 2 sauces served on each table: honey brown sauce or garlic soy sauce. Oh and that secret butter they hide in the middle of the rice -- sarap! It's not the best dish I've tasted but definitely something unintimidating and comforting.



Sizzling Pepper Steak: 3.5 / 5
Surprisingly, SPS was able to capture the flavor of Pepper Lunch's Beef Pepper Lunch! But then again, it's difficult to find the nuances in different sizzling dishes because you're basically eating with a burnt tongue. However, I suspect that SPS did a bit more research / reverse engineering than your average sizzling plate place to get that particular Pepper Rice taste down pat.



SERVICE: Sizzling Pepper Steak!
Pepper Lunch: 2 / 5
Pepper Lunch is a fast food restaurant. You wait in line at the cashier, you pay, they give you a number (that corresponds to a table), you wait for your food, you eat. Nothing special here. However, an experience I'd like to share is that the 2 times I've eaten at Pepper Lunch Shangrila, they gave me the wrong food -- both times, the food was for another table.

Sizzling Pepper Steak: 4 / 5
SPS is a restaurant - that spelled the difference. Service was much better and proactive. But the service we received wasn't the typical resto service -- it was actually better than what we get in most restos. Our beverages were being refilled without us asking and the waiter took the time to teach us how to place our order. Just nice. :)


VALUE FOR MONEY: Sizzling Pepper Steak!
Pepper Lunch: 3 / 5
P235 for the Beef Pepper Lunch -- pretty pricey for something touted as fast food.

Sizzpling Pepper Steak: 3.5 / 5
P195 for the Sizzling Pepper Rice -- just P40 cheaper, it doesn't really shout bargain. But considering that you get better service here, you kinda get your money's worth.


WINNER: SIZZLING PEPPER STEAK!
Both places offered filling sizzling meat & rice meals. You come out of both places smelling like what you ordered. However, one place stood out because of service -- Sizzling Pepper Steak wins this one.


Details:
Pepper Lunch menu can be found here.
Sizzling Pepper Steak menu here.

Pepper Lunch
Website: http://www.pepperlunch.com.ph/
Locations:
The Power Plant Mall
Concours Level
Power Plant Mall
at Rockwell Center
Makati, Metro Philippines
Tel : +63 2 895 3164
Fax : +63 2 895 6185
Hours: 11am - 10pm
Shangri-La Plaza Mall

Garden Court Level
Shangri-la Plaza Mall
Ortigas, Metro Manila
Philippines
Tel : +63 2 634 3231
Fax : +63 2 631 6410
Hours: 10am - 10pm

Alabang Town Center
2nd floor
Corte de Las Palmas,
Alabang
Tel : +63 2 480 3485
Hours: 11am - 10pm

Sizzling Pepper Steak
Glorietta 5
3rd Level
Glorietta 5
Ayala Center
Makati, Metro Manila
Phone Number: (63 2) 856-3525 to 26

Greenhills Promenade
Ground Level
Greenhills Promenade
Ortigas Ave.
Greenhills
San Juan, Metro Manila
Phone Number: (63 2) 721-0973

SM Megamall Atrium
4th Level
Phone Number: (63 2) 633-1569

TriNoma Mall
1st Level, M1
TriNoma Mall
EDSA cor. North Ave.
Quezon, Metro Manila
Phone Number: (63 2) 916-7040

Oven Lovin - One More Time!

One More Time!

For all of the snack lovin' and dessert lovin' people out there, come to the Oven Lovin' Bazaar.

Stock up on baked goodies for sampling and sharing!

OVEN LOVIN' PART 2
August 29, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm
August 30, 7:00 am to 9:00 pm
Christ the King Weekend Market
Greenmeadows, Q.C.


Featuring Gigi's Custaroons, Symphony of Flavors, Mita's Cookies, Pastry Princess, Tartzmania, Yummy Temptations, AK Sugar Rush, The Bandana Baker, Love at First Bite, Gayuma, Let Them Eat Cake, Pan de Sam, Bittersweet Dreams, etc.

SALEcta -- Selecta Ice Cream Bazaar

Ice Cream @ 50% OFF!


Selecta Ice Cream Bazaar! 50% off on selected Selecta flavors! Flavors include Very Berry, Choco Chip, Halo Halo, Macapuno, Cookies & Cream, etc etc etc. More flavors will be sold tomorrow.

The sale is from August 28 to August 29. Last day tomorrow -- Saturday !!! Sale opens @ 9am!

To get to Selecta RFM, here's a nice little Google Map:

View Larger Map

DALI!!!!

CYMA's CURBSIDE - OPA!

Hey, CYMA's Fans out there, just in case you didn't know, CYMA is offering meals that you can pick-up. These are for busy people always on the go. Check out the details below:



Try ordering today! :)

Uncle Cheffy

A Picnic Feast

This restaurant is a brand new concept (4 days old) from the Chef's Quarter group (Chef's Quarter at Megamall and Old Vine in Eastwood Mall). I love the ambiance of this restaurant -- the wooden chairs & tables and the patches of wooden walls made the place feel homey and cozy. There are also tables outside, over looking the fountain area of Eastwood. The chairs there looked very comfortable and apt for late night drinking and chatting. The idea behind this restaurant is that they wanted the meal to feel like a picnic with the family.


The service was very good. The waiters were constantly refilling our glasses of water and bottomless iced tea. The staff also understood their food so they confidently made recommendations when we asked them.

The menu is also worth noting because each dish had a corresponding picture! The first page featured the oven baked pizza (panizza) - probably one of their specialties. We ordered the Cheese, Cheese and Cheese Pizza, upon the suggestion of Larry, the owner.

For our main course, we ordered 5 dishes: the Memphis BBQ US Beef Finger (P595/800g), the Blue Marlin, the Tuna Belly, the Hawaiian Duck BBQ (P120/100g) and the Mushroom and Brown Rice Pilaf (P295).

The Pizza was really good. I mean REALLY good. It was a rectangular-shaped thin-crust pizza. This all cheese pizza is a combination of different cheeses -- mozzarella, cheddar, brie, and some other cheeses I can't recall right now. It's served with alfalfa, chopped tomatoes (salsa-like) and arugula. You eat it by wrapping these ingredients inside the pizza and then rolling it. It was heavenly! This is the best cheese pizza I have tasted so far.



The Blue Marlin is served with an herb butter on top that you have to spread. It's served with Rice Pilaf which complimented the taste of the fish. I liked this dish, while EJ liked the Tuna Belly with Arugula and Tomato Salad. The tuna belly had a sauce which used mayonnaise as base.




The Hawaiian Duck BBQ was good, but we still liked the original one that we tasted in Chef's Quarter and Old Vine.



The menu says the Memphis BBQ US Beef Finger is 1000g -- 1 kilo! But it was more like 800g. The beef was tender and very flavorful. It's good even without the sauce that comes with it! Perfect for sharing: good for 4 people.



It's been a while since we really enjoyed a new restaurant experience. I highly recommend Uncle Cheffy's @ the new Eastwood Mall.

Details:
2nd Floor, Eastwood Mall (far right side, facing the fountain)
tel no -- to follow! :)

Browhaus

The Brow Architects

We have gone to dermatologists to make our faces flawless. We have gone to spas to pamper our bodies with scrubs and shiatsu massages. We have gone to salons to have our hair fixed. We have gone to the dentist to make our pearly whites even whiter. But we forget our eyebrows... yes, our EYEBROWS.

Believe it or not, these brows are important. The eyebrow shape that you have should fit the shape of your face. Here's a video from eHow that can help you in some way.

What Eyebrow Shape Fits My Face? -- powered by eHow.com

I had grown my eyebrows these past couple of months since I wanted to have it shaped nicely. I have used wax, threading, etc. previously, but I didn't really like the shape of my brows. It wasn't even. My right brow didn't have the same shape as my left one.


Before going to browhaus, if you want to try their services, I suggest that you have your brows grow first for a month or two.

I went to Serendra for my 10:00 appointment on a Friday morning. Unfortunately, when I arrived there was only one staff doing the brows. The wait didn't take that long though. While I was waiting, I was admiring the decoration. The walls had different eyes with different eyebrow styles.



Even the chair had this design.


I also loved their brochure. Check this out!



After around 10 minutes, I was called in by the reception. EJ wanted to watch so he went inside with me. The name of the lady who did my brows was Cora. She was very good. She looked at my brows and gave me a mirror. She then explained what she wanted to do. She told me that since I had strong jaws, my brows had to have a pointed arc, not like the shape it was in right now (slight arc). She also noticed it wasn't even, so she told me to try to grow it back (she pointed where she wanted the hair to grow). I told her that I would go back if that area had grown so that I woukd finally have even brows.. haha!

I took the BROW CONSTRUCTION (Basic Brow Shaping) service. It was a combination of threading and tweezing. The service cost me Php 580, not bad for a service that it seemed they were really good at and understood. After the plucking and tweezing, Cora placed ICE CREAM (geesh, there goes my diet!) on my brows to sooth my skin and reduce the redness. It was a catchy name for cream. They actually sell this at Php 1,750, together with other products for the eyebrows and lashes.

For those who'd like to have their eyebrows colored, you can have the COLOR TWEAK at Php 900. Browhaus is actually known for the BROW RESURRECTION. This is an advance technique that constructs your brows, strand by strand (although this is just temporary).

Another service that I'd like to try on my next visit is the LASH CURL UP at Php 2,200. The receptionist said, when I interviewed her, that no matter how short your eyelashes are, they would be able to curl them. The treatment would take around one hour.

So let's not forget our brows... visit Browhaus!

Contact details:
2nd Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City
Tel. No.: 8569140
Mobile No.: 0917-5771352
Store hours: Monday - Sunday; 10AM to 10PM

4th Floor, Greenbelt 5, Legaspi St.
Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. No.: 5013998
Mobile No.: 0908-8606115
Store hours:
Sunday to Thursday; 11AM to 9Pm
Friday to Saturday; 11AM to 10 PM

www.browhaus.com

The Sexy Chef Cafe

The Gourmet Diet

I've always been an actively physical person. At 5, I was taking ballet, jazz, and tap lessons. When I got to 11, I started going to the gym. At 13, I started joining countless aerobic marathons and 10Ks. Now, I still run in the mornings and practice yoga in the evenings. You'd think losing weight won't be a problem but you'll be mistaken. Since January, I've been stuck at137 lbs.

So last month, I decided that I had to do something else in order to break that plateau. I read about different diets and came across the Sexy Chef diet online. I have heard about this before and have seen their little store in Gold's Gym. They make meals following the South Beach Diet which has three phases. Phase 1 is two weeks and Phase 2 is another two weeks. I don't think they have a formal Phase 3 since this phase is actually maintenance. Their meals are at Php 875 a day.

So I started with 137lbs and went through both Phase 1 and 2. They delivered 5 meals a day - I had breakfast, that normally was cheese omelette, or vegetable omelette or boneless bangus or corned beef with one hard boiled egg.

Lunch and dinner were delicious considering this was supposed to be a diet! Talk about gourmet, everything was well prepared although portions are, as expected, small. Fortunately, small they may be, the dishes were quite filling. I loved the Shrimp in garlic sauce (gambas). I also love the huge meatballs with cheese inside! They also sent me salad at times but salad was mainly composed of lettuce and cucumbers, but the sauces were always so good! Sample daily menu can be found here.

I also had a mid-am and mid-pm snack. Phase 1 was the hardest since I was not allowed to eat fruits even. Snacks for me that time consisted of Jello or peanuts or cashew nuts.

In Phase 2, they slowly introduced carbs, like whole wheat bread and brown rice. They also started giving desserts like apples, food for the gods, choco chip cookies.

Anyway, I am not on the diet anymore but right now, I weigh 131lbs. I guess it's quite noticeable, since people have been telling me I have lost weight. I never knew 6 lbs could be noticeable (since probably i've never really lost that much :) haha! I am maintaining the weight now and I plan to go on Phase 1 again on September, just before the wedding, and hopefully I'll lose another 6 lbs.

So brides to be or just those who want to break the plateau, try Sexy Chef. It's the diet that doesn't feel like torture!

Contact details:
Tel. nos.: 9117399
Mobile nos.: 09177992433
thesexy_chef@yahoo.com
http://www.thesexychefcafe.com/

Getting a Digitized ID from SSS

I've always wondered when I'll get to benefit from the monthly SSS contributions I've made over the last 10 or so years that I've been working. The time came when I had to cash in the maternity benefit from SSS when I gave birth seven months ago. The SSS Maternity Benefit according to the SSS website "is a daily cash allowance granted to a female member who was unable to work due to childbirth or miscarriage." For one to avail of the benefit, the mom must, "have paid at least three monthly contributions within the 12-month period immediately preceding the semester of her childbirth or miscarriage". Also, most importantly "that she has given the required notification of her pregnancy through her employer if employed, or to the SSS if separated, voluntary or self-employed member."

When I got pregnant, our HR/Admin personnel gave me a MAT-1 (Maternity Notification Form 1) to fill-up which I submitted together with the latest ultrasound that I had of my son as proof of pregnancy.

The cash payout is capped at Php30,000 (For a guide on how to compute how much you are entitled to click here) This amount is advanced by the company to the employee. SSS in turn reimburses the company upon the submission of the SSS form MAT-2 (Maternity Reimbursement Form) along with a duly registered birth certificate and in the case of a caesarean delivery, a certified true copy of operating room record/surgical memorandum (or whatever document the hospital will provide as proof of the procedure).

Here's where the SSS Digitized ID comes in. Without the ID, the company cannot reimburse the benefit they've advanced you and the company will have to deduct the benefit from your salary. Aray.

With that in mind, I went to the SSS East Ave head office last June 26 with the hubby in tow. We didn't have the new IDs yet so we both took the day off to get our schedules. Yep, schedules, you go to SSS, fall in line to get the schedule when you would be having your picture taken for the ID.

Here are the Three Things to Remember When Going to the SSS Main Office:

• Only the first 100 applicants will be entertained - NOT TRUE. When my hubby and I arrived we were numbers 116 and 118 and that was at 7 a.m. already. There were still people coming in at 9 and 10 am also and they weren't being turned away at the door.

the line at 7 am

• Bring a good book or a game. The queues are long but they are very orderly thanks to the manong guard who made sure that no one was cutting in line and the announcer who barked the next available booth and the next applicant to be served. You will be waiting for at least one hour though so bring something to keep yourself entertained.

• Bring 2 Valid IDs with pictures. A company ID will do and then bring one government ID. There were some applicants who didn't bring any IDs and had to be turned away.

where the IDs are inspected

The line moved right away. A security guard inside the well-lit and spacious office kept everyone informed of the procedures and processes. He would bark reminders every now and then which kept people up and alert. When we went in, two ladies in a booth checked the IDs we brought. I brought at marriage certificate and my license. All applicants must bring two valid IDs, with one bearing a recent picture of yourself. After checking the IDs, they stamped a number at the back of my E6 and the long wait began.

Numbers are called out by a person behind a booth. At 7 am, it was impressive to know that there were at least 5 booths open that serviced the taxpayers. The "emcee" called out numbers and the booth they had to go to. The SSS ladies would raise a flag with their booth number to let the emcee know that they're open. (There's an electronic sign board in the building but it's at the other side of the waiting area where no one can see it....hmmm).

booths a-plenty

At 8 am, the emcee led everyone to a morning prayer. It was actually a nice and welcome stop but being in the government though, shouldn't they not presume that everyone was Catholic? In UP we never said morning prayers. But to quote my high school teacher "walang dyos sa UP!!".

The whole process was orderly although the wait was a bit long. However, 2 hours isn't much if you think about it from start to finish. If your records are in order, the ladies at the booth would only need to enter a few details about you, ask a few questions and then send you on your way. The last stop is a booth near the exit where a lady would staple a piece of paper which shows your schedule. Mine was Aug. 6.


Honestly, I expected worse knowing how notorious government offices can be. But SSS that day was clean, efficient and orderly. My hubby, who just found out that his ID number was temporary, was not given a hard time either. He was asked to photocopy his ID and to come back after two weeks though to get his schedule. By 10 am, we were done.

playing the waiting game

I had my pic taken last Aug. 6, I was in and out in an hour. Only people who are present at the scheduled window are allowed to sit down on the chairs though. If you're an hour early for your "photoshoot" for example, the manong guard will ask you to line up.

Even if one does not have the digitized ID, companies can submit the acknowledgement receipt of the E-6 to get their reimbursement As for the actual digitized ID it may take up to 3 months before the ID is sent to our house (they send the ID to your mailing address). Ergo, mawala na ang lahat, huwag lang ang stub.

VIP - very important paper

Old Vine Grille

Good... if you catch them at a good time.

Old Vine, a concept from the folks who brought you Chef's Quarter, is a fairly new restaurant in Eastwood Mall. We celebrated Tita Annie's birthday here -- it's a good choice for family meals.

Food: 4/5.
We started the meal with some freshly baked rolls and butter. The bread was really good, although strangely shaped. It was a good start to the meal (if the meal didn't start almost 2 hours later... more in Service). I wish extra servings of the bread didn't cost anything but, unfortunately, they charge P50 for every basket of 6 rolls. For me, this really makes the restaurant appear cheap. Plus the since the food came so very late -- almost 2 hours later, I really think they should've just given us the bread. However, the prices of the entrees are already reasonable so the bread issue didn't ruin the whole lunch.

The Marinated Duck Confit I ordered was a dissapointment. It costs P320, smothered in lemon-orange sauce, served with rosted potatoes, orange wedges, and a salad. Aside from being noticeably thinner/less than what I got before, it was really tough and chewy. This came as a surprise because when I ordered the same dish before (both from Old Vine and Chef's Quarter), the duck meat was really soft and almost melted in your mouth. It seriously made me question the restaurant's consistency.



The Baked Cream Dory (@ P295) with mushrooms in tomato-garlic coulis & angel hair pesto. The dory was creamy and the sauce was very tasty. It was very generously stuffed with portobello mushrooms. The mushroom had a tendency to overpower the dory though.



The Tessie Tomas Salad (@235 single / 550 family) according to the menu is a combination of prawns, salmon, grilled shitake mushrooms with mesclun salad in a creamy balsamic dressing. The dressing was delicious and complimented the prawns well. The shitake mushrooms were juicy and flavorful. The salad also had a lot of prawns -- well worth it for the price. The vegetables were fresh and crunchy. Definitely a favorite that we'll be going back for again. The family portion is big enough for 5 people.


(the picture here is just my serving -- we had the family portion split to individual portions)

The Jamaican Jerk Pork costs P295 and was served with saffron rice, house salad, and pico de gallo. All the individual parts of this dish are tasteful (especially the saffron rice), except for the pork itself which was pretty bland.



For dessert, we ordered Banana-langka Crepe Samurai. It's Filipino favorite turon with a twist. It was served in a bowl with just the right amount of crepe -- filling without being overpowering -- and with just the right amount of the sugary sweet sauce. It's my favorite!




Service: 2/5.
We waited almost 2 hours for our food. Yup. 2 hours. And the bread that they served while waiting costs P50 a basket. If a restaurant makes you wait for 2 hours for your order, giving you free bread is the LEAST they can do. Fortunately, the waitress serving us was profusely apologetic and most of the waiters were very nice and proactive. There was apparently a problem in the ktichen and they couldn't handle the volume of people in the restaurant. For me though, this is no excuse as everyone was seated. They should've been prepared to serve everyone sitting on the seats they have, right?

Ambiance: 3/5.
Ambiance was better than most, although some age in the furnishings would help project that "old vine" feel. Everything just looked so inappropriately new. Nevertheless, it's still a good place for a nice intimate date with the waiters being attentive yet not obtrusive. The restrooms were clean and for a busy restaurant, that's saying something.

Value for Money: 4/5.
The dishes are priced very very reasonably. And with dishes like the ones served in Le Souffle, it's a bargain. But you do get what you pay for -- consistency is a big problem and a basic expectation from most restaurants.

Overall: 3.5/5.
I recommend this place for a delicious, reasonably priced, and comfortable dinner. Yeah, we'll go back. I just hope they get the duck right this time. If they don't, then it's no longer a problem with consistency but a decline in quality -- and that would be unforgiveable.


Details:
Ground Floor, Eastwood Mall (the new mall), Eastwood City, Libis, QC
Tel No. (63 2) 706-5573 to 74

View Larger Map

Angel's Kitchen

Comfort food with a unique spin!

I learned about this place through my friend, Mae, a relationship manager from where I work. She mentioned that this place had a to-die-for dish, which was pinakbet rice with lechon kawali and chocolate bagoong. Chocolate with bagoong??? I couldn't see how chocolate would work with such a salty ingredient.



The first time I tried it, I was with a group of RMs from the bank. I tried the dish my friend mentioned and true enough, it was pretty good!

We went there recently with my family and tried different dishes. We had the Crispy Steamed Dory at Php 378. I personally love this dish. It had asparagus, leeks and shitake mushrooms. Another favorite of mine is the Parmesan Dory at Php 378. This was served with with a glaze of ceasar sauce and crisp lettuce leaves. If you like fish, you will really love this melt-in-your-mouth dish. Their fish dishes were very creamy and fresh.



My sister's favorite is the Mandarin Chicken at Php 328. It was their take on the lemon chicken in Chinese restaurants. It had a tangy orange sauce and, for me, the sauce was just right and not overpowering. I suggest you also try this dish.



The dish that caught my eye in terms of presentation was the Baked Salmon in Aioli Potato Crust at Php 478. Check the photo out! It looked so yummy!



EJ, as usual ordered the Callos at Php 388. He says it tasted pretty okay but he scarfed it down in 5 minutes. (It has just the right amount of lean meat and beans -- not all fat like most callos dishes. -- ej) Haha! I also recommend the Longanisa Bolognese at Php 308, the Shitake Mushroom with Unagi at Php 338 and the Lamb Curry with Apple Raisin Chutney at Php 458.



Ambiance: 3.5/5. The place was quite cozy. It's a small restaurant that can accommodate around 40 people. Parking is a bit difficult though. It can only accommodate around 6 vehicles. The others will have to park across the street.

Cleanliness: 5/5. The place was very clean. There were glass water bottles placed on the table so you won't have to keep on calling the waiters for water refills. The restroom was also very clean and quite spacious for a small restaurant.

Service: 4/5. The service was good. I love the bread and the liver pate that they serve while waiting for the food. They also kept refilling it until the food arrived.



Food: 4/5. I love how the dishes were so unique -- some had ingredients that surprisingly complimented each other. Others were presented beautifully! Still others were your typical day to day dishes with that little twist.

Overall rating: 4/5. If you want familiar food but unboring food in a relaxing unpretentious place, then go try out Angel's Kitchen!

Contact details:
57 Connecticut St., North East Greenhills, San Juan
Phone Number:(63 2) 744-1018, (63 2) 721-8822

Yoga Manila

Ashtanga at its Best

I've been praticing Yoga for almost a year now and I know that I have yet to discover my style of Yoga. I still consider myself a beginner, of course, but I know that I'm slowly learning and perfecting every pose. I started last December 2008 with Bikram Yoga Eastwood, then due to convenience, I transferred to Vinyasa Yoga Center since it was near work. I also did yoga in Gold's Gym Galeria, since it was also available there.

About 2 month ago, while I was surfing the net for other styles, I came across Yoga Manila's site. Glancing on each of the profile of the teachers, I was impressed by the training each one had undergone. I was also curious to find out more about the classes they were offering. The site mentioned that it was Ashtanga they were teaching. Hurray for me since I was looking for other styles of yoga!

So just some information:

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
"Ashtau" means eight and "anga" means limbs or stages; therefore, Ashtanga means "eight limbs". Vinyasa is a movement breathing system—breath movement synchronicity. I think I discussed that in my other post. Like dance, when it is taught to a dancer, it is taught in a series of counts that you have to learn before moving on to the next set of counts. Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is also taught in a sequence, which is repeated every practice. As Yoga Manila puts it, "the aim of the practice is to offer development and awareness of the self (“side effects” being a stronger, more flexible, toned, healthier body, are why most people are initially drawn to this practice)".

You will also hear these terms when you practice Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga:

Mysore
Mysore is a city in the south of India where Ashtanga yoga has been taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois since the 1930's. This traditional style of Mysore has students learn postures in a fixed order using a special movement-breathing technique called vinyasa. The vinyasa links the postures together in the dance of the breath. Beginners start with the first few poses and gradually, the teacher or guru adds postures to learn every class. The advanced students can go ahead and do the postures while the teacher supervises.

Led
In Led classes, everyone moves at the same time. The teacher is the one who dictates the counts and poses. It will be hard for beginners since they will have to know the poses for them to be able to follow.

My Experience

One Monday evening, around 6:00pm, I had the guts to go by myself to the 5th floor of Chi Spa, the Spa of Edsa Shangri-La. The ambiance was very nice (of course, it was a hotel's spa). When I got there, there were two more students waiting for the 6:30 pm class. One was a beginner like me and the other student practiced in Yoga Manila for almost a year now. I asked the latter on what were we supposed to do. She told me to talk to Jon Cagas (the teacher). He was inside the room doing a head stand, and I was hesitant to bother him. After a few minutes though, I guess he noticed us and he gave us a little paper with a chant, and a book to read. The book was by John Scott (I had no idea of who he was at that time), which I later on bought in National Bookstore for my own practice.

During the first session, Jon taught us two series of poses (Sun salutation a and b or Surya Namaskar a and b). We just kept on repeating it over and over again. Honestly, i got bored during the first session, but then I realized that this series had a lot of benefits. First of all, you should be able to perfect this series before you proceed to the other poses, which are harder. Also, it relaxes you and helps you meditate and focus on your breathing. Another thing is that it warms up your body so that you can avoid injuries.

I like doing Ashtanga Vinyasa. Although, sometimes, I hate memorizing. But if you do it regularly, the movements will become second nature already. I actually practice sometimes at home since the poses need to be practiced.

For Yoga fanatics out there, do try Yoga Manila, and become hooked to it as I am. :)

Contact Details:

Yoga Manila:
SMS : +63917.522.YOGA(9642)
Landline : (02)216-6314
http://www.yogamanila.com/

Makati Studio
Greenbelt Mansion, Unit 506, Perea St, Legaspi Village, Makati City

Ortigas Studio
Chi Spa, EDSA Shangri-la, Manila, 01 Gardenway, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City

Alabang Studio
405 Bougainvilla corner Sanggumay, Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City

Oven Lovin' Fair Reminder

Small businesses keep our economy alive. Food keeps us alive. Win-win all around!

I've always loved these little fairs. It's a great place to shop for unique gifts (especially for people who have everything) and a great way to inject your own home parties with a little quirky twist.

As per the invite:
Featuring baked goods by AK Sugar Rush, Gigi's Custaroons, Dezato, Evert's Desserts, Gayuma, Let Them Eat Cake, Love at First Bite, Pan de Sam, Pastry Princess, Sweet Angels, Sweets Couture, Symphony of Flavors, Tartzmania!, The Bandana Baker, Yummy Temptations, Yviana's, etc.

* Few booths still available! E-mail ovenlovin09@ gmail.com or call/text 0922-2496869 or 0917-5873555

Check out this fair and tell us what you think! :)

Island Spa

Good massage, but no peace & quiet.

In order to prevent any nervous breakdown, what with the wedding just 2 months away and all our work projects coming in, we really have to consciously de-stress. And what better way to relax than by having strangers touch you in strange places!

Our latest meltdown-prevention experience: Island Spa.

Cleanliness: 3.5 out of 5. Not much difference cleanliness-wise from other spas. Our room itself had 2 big recliners with a cover of undetermined cleanliness (it was already there when we got there). The locker/wash rooms were pretty clean though.



Ambiance: 1.5 out of 5. The rooms are not soundproofed at all. You are at the mercy of the people next door or the people passing through the halls. The walls between the rooms are paper-thin. The hallway wall was open at ceiling and at the floor so you could hear the people shuffling through. The attendants were quiet enough but too many customers just barged through. Although the lighting and the set-up of the rooms were acceptable, we were too often disturbed by loud foot steps, people talking on cell phones, and noise coming from the TV's to really properly relax.

Amenities: 3 out of 5. 1 shared locker room per gender (dapat lang!). The locker rooms also had a small sauna and I saw a guy lined up, waiting for the guy in the sauna to finish. A small LCD TV was attached to the wall. This has always been a mystery to me as I've never thought of TV as having any sort of calming effect. We kept ours turned off but the adjacent rooms were just too fond of their shows -- THAT really bothered me.



Massage: 4 out of 5. The therapists did a good job. Just the right pressure at just the right places. They were also very nice and professional. Made me feel comfy enough to allow them to touch my butt. You therapists you.

Service: 3.5 out of 5. After our massage, the front desk asked us how our massage was. Nice change from the usual - "ok your bill is..." As I said, the therapists were courteous enough, but I do wish they were more proactive. Did I really have to complain about the next room's TV being too loud? Well I actually did but they didn't really do anything aside from knock on the room next door. Lot of good that did.

Value for Money: 4 out of 5. It was still pretty cheap, given the quality of the massage we got. I would've given it a perfect score if they removed the TVs and installed a cellphone jammer. :) Our 1.5 hour full body massage costs P775.




Reco: Yeah, go try Island Spa. But I recommend explicitly telling the therapists or the front desk to put you in a more secluded room and to do everything they can to give you some peace and quiet. I'd still come back. :)


Details:
ISLAND Foot & Body Wellness
2/f Jupiter Place, 136-138 Jupiter St, Bel Air, Makati.
Tel Nos. 899-1234 / 751-8296

Island Spa at Rustan's Heaven on the Fifth
5th Level, Rustan's Makati
Tel No. 710-8588