Category Archives: ACTIVITIES

SM Advantage Card: Working On Your Advantage!

Posted by weng on

It’s nice to be writing a blog again after a few months of laziness.. Well, i just got so excited by the experiences i had from my SM Advantage Card. If you’re an SM customer, and you don’t have their Advantage Card, sorry to say that you’re not enjoying the privileges that it brings to its members.

For quite a long time, i thought that it’s just one of the “swipe cards” that you would bring once you purchase something from the store where you’re a member of. Getting some purchase “points” that will require a thousand for you to enjoy a certain “treat” from them. But then, after a long time of using my SM Advantage card, it’s now really working on my advantage. I remember last Christmas of 2010 when i was able to shop for my kids worth 2,500 pesos credited to my SM Advantage Card alone, without shelling out money from my pocket! The kids were so happy that they enjoyed having a lot of new toys and clothes on Christmas day! Aside from earning points, there are freebies and discounts from time to time during promos.

2 days ago, i received an email from SM Advantage informing me that my SM Advantage Card was upgraded to PRESTIGE. SM Prestigeis the elite membership program of SM Advantage. It is composed of SM Advantage members who have reached the required spending level at SM, or have been nominated by SM retail establishments. SM Prestige membership is free and valid for two years. It has more benefits and privileges that are over and above those enjoyed by regular SM Advantage members.

           • Free 2-year membership
• Concierge services, valet shopping and priority fitting rooms at SM Department Store
• Priority check-out lanes at SM Supermarket and SM Hypermarket
• Free access to the SM Prestige Lounge
• Free delivery (with minimum purchase) at SM Appliance Center, ACE Hardware & Makro
• Valet Shopping at Toy Kingdom & Kultura
• Free gift wrapping at SM Department Store
• Seasonal promos, exclusive to Prestige members, from SM Advantage retail partners
• Discounts and freebies from partner hotels, restaurants, resorts, spas, fitness centers,    recreation and automotive establishments

Upon claiming my Prestige card, i also signed up for an SM Advantage CHARTIS, a Personal Accident Insurance that covers up to 100,000 pesos. Your SM Advantage card will be deducted with only 20 points per year to cover the insurance. Also, your SM Advantage card must maintain 70 points to be qualified for the insurance. It is really not just a benefit but also a great help to its members specially to those who drive their own automobiles. It’s an Accident Insurance, per se!

So for those who have’nt got their SM Advantage card, avail your own now so you can also enjoy all the perks, benefits and privileges that it brings! You may check out the SM Advantage website for more details.. http://smadvantage.com.ph

 


BULLIES and the BULLIED

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I hate kids that bullies their classmates. I think they need medical attention. My daughter’s been a victim of those. Bullies should not go to regular schools. They must have a proper school where all of their kind undergo a different disciplinary approach.
I am not an “overprotective” mother. But as a parent, we want our kids to study in a school where they can learn the right values and proper behavior w/o bullies that distracts them from learning. Parents who have bully kids must know that they have a bigger responsibility to discipline their child.
It all boils down to the parents.. Bullies are kids “nurtured” by their parents who spoiled them extremely during their toddler years. They are unaware that they are teaching their kids on how to be arrogant and insecure at a very young age.
We all love our kids that’s why we want to give them almost everything that they wish to have when they were still small. But we have to know that, there are factors that might affect their attitude and behavior as they grow and becomes a school child. Parents who spoil their children and always giving them what they want means showing a perfect” world to their kids. Which is contrary to our reality.
Parents must be aware that kids should learn how to live in an “imperfect” world as all of us lives in. That there will be times, that what their kids want, they will not have even if we really can provide them. Toys are cool, but playing is more important. Anyone can play with a toy. But imagination will never exist without thinking.
Parents must encourage their children to play with other kids as they grow rather than playing with a lot of toys alone. With that, kids will develop how to deal with different characters of other kids that they play with. They will learn the value of giving, humility and friendship.
Everything that a child learn starts from home. Let’s give them a better one. Cheers to us, parents! :)

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, a review

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Rise of The Planet of The Apes is the prequel of the longest running movie franchise, Planet of The Apes. This movie was said to be the opening episode to create a new and different story to offer the audience.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a 2011 American science fiction film. The film is directed by Rupert Wyatt. It is a reboot of the Planet of the Apes series that will act as a foundation with an origin story for a new film series. Its premise is similar to the fourth film in the original series, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes in 1972, but it is not a direct remake in that it does not fit into that series’ continuity. 

The movie’s story was clearly presented all through out, but did not gave its audience to think more and get puzzled about, unlike the past episodes. It has a shocking yet interesting ending that implies a potential sequel that must be look forward to.

I give 4 STARS for this movie! :) :) :) :)

CAPTAIN AMERICA: The First Avenger, a review

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Captain America has been running in cinemas for over 2 weeks already. This was kinda late for us to watch it, when almost everybody have seen it. Well, as they say, “better late than never..” Part of our movie marathon itinerary, this is the first movie that we watched yesterday.

Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Stanley Tucci.

The film tells the story of Steve Rogers, a sickly man from Brooklyn who is transformed into super soldier Captain America to help the war effort. Captain America must also stop Red Skull, Adolf Hitler’s ruthless head of weaponry and leader of a terrorist organization, who intends to use a mysterious “tesseract” energy-source for world domination.

I just find it lacking of more action stunts and more awesome fight scenes. But, of course, the setting was during the World War I, so we shouldn’t atleast expect something big to happen. It was quite slow-paced. But still has entertained me specially on the last part of the movie.

Somebody from the Twitter world who has seen the movie during the US opening gave me a tip that I must not leave the movie house until all the credits have been displayed because there is a surprise spoiler/teaser on what’s going to happen next. So as I watched it, I remember that tip so we decided to stay to wait for that surprise.. And yes! I was surprised and got excited to what I learned about. That Captain America will be on the upcoming Marvel movie, The Avengers. He will be with other Marvel Heroes such as THOR, IRON MAN, and others to be mentored and trained by Samuel Jackson. The movie will be shown on May 2012, which made me really excited to look forward to!

I give 3.5 STARS for Captain America! :) :) :)

YELLOW CAB Pizza: Festival Mall

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Been to Yellow Cab many times, but this is my first time that we dine in their Festival Mall Alabang branch. We just had a movie break, and we came across the delicious smell of their pizza so we decided to have our snack there, somewhere near.

New York Finest Pizza

We ordered a 10 inch New York Finest Pizza, which is the house best seller, baked potato wedges and cream of squash soup to warm up our tummy! The pizza itself satisfied our cravings, loaded with our favorite pizza toppings: meatballs, ham, olives, cheese and a lot more! The crust is flavorful and loaded with topping to the edge!

Baked Potato Wedges

Cream of Squash Soup

They also have a promo, the “One Great Decade, One Great VESPARADE!”, wherein the lucky winner one of the ten exclusive limited edition vintage scooters from, none other than, VESPA!

The food really pleased our hungry tummy, and proceed to our next movie treat with a smile.. J

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: Part 2, a review

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Wow! Where should i begin.. I remember when we watched the first part of HP7 back in November of last year at IMAX. I have also wrote a short review about it that it’s not very exciting and a bit boring most of the time. But everything has been paid off after I’ve watched the part 2, and the most-awaited ending of Harry Potter’s adventures that ran for a decade.

I was able to watch it on its first schedule on the first regular screening day, hassle-free! Few people were on the cinema because it”s still a weekday and i had the luxury to enjoy it without falling in a long queue or having a hard time looking for a nice seat. It was just a perfect time for me to enjoy the movie!

It was just a 2-hour run, fully loaded with adventures, twists and revelations! Everyone in the cinema were so quiet, feeling  and understanding each scene that we don’t wanna miss a thing. I burst into tears on several scenes when everything was revealed and explained.

It’s great seeing Ron and Hermione always stick together to help and support Harry on his battles. I was astonished, astounded and overwhelmed on how everything was explained and every secrets unfolded. I had goosebumps a lot of times. The movie and the whole Harry Potter story was really one of the greatest work of art, as how J.K. Rowling ever thought about every episode of it.

It was a sad ending, that there are characters that must die to fight for Harry Potter’s success in killing Voldemort. It’s also sad that this is the end of Harry Potter movies, for all of us who witnessed how it all started. But everything must end. It’s just how it ended matters.

this guy played an important role in the movie.. i love him!

In overall, it’s a HAPPY ENDING!!! Albus Severus Potter is the cutest boy ever! Long live, Harry Potter! You will always be one of the BEST movie that has inspired many! And now, you’re a precious collector’s item.

Watch this, people! As a decade of wizardry ends now.. Overwhelming 5 STARS!!! Bravo! ;0 :) :) :) :) :)

MER-NEL’S CAKE HOUSE

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Cake is one of the “sweets” that people loves to eat. There have been a lot of successful businesses that are engaged in this industry. Red Ribbon, Goldilocks are some of the local brands that has many branches nationwide. But here in Laguna, there is a very famous cake maker that has been creating a big following for the past few years now. Even non Laguenos craves for their chocolate cake, because of the distinctive taste of the icings on their cakes.. It’s Mer-Nel’s Cake House!

I’ve been hearing a lot of great feedbacks about Mer-Nel’s cake. They say that they’ve never tasted a chocolate cake as delicious as that. So I got curious of it. A former colleague back then, brought us some at work. Yup! At first I didn’t notice any extraordinary taste to it, but as I eat continuously, the next thing I know there’s nothing left on my plate! Their main secret is in the “icing”. Some branded cakes, especially the chocolate flavored ones, has this “oily” feel that you would not appreciate to eat it all up. But Mer-Nel’s icing is different. Their icing doesn’t taste the “fatty” feel so you would end up eating everything up to the last bite. It doesn’t taste so sweet that you’d stop eating after a slice.

And not only that, their cakes are very cheap that a 10×12 chocolate cake would only costs around 500-600 bucks! I’m glad that they finally have a branch in SM Calamba, for which I know, their one and only remote branch. Their main branch is located in Los Banos , Laguna from where they all started. So from now on, I can have their delicious cake anytime I want without going so far! ;)

BANANA CUPCAKES!!!

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Last weekend, a former colleague and I had a meet-up to claim my ordered banana cupcakes from her. She bakes for a hobby, and when I learned about it, I asked her to bake one of her recipes for me! I have always liked banana cakes. It’s a simple yet nutritious type of bread/cake which has an aroma that you would crave for. So I gave it a try to order and have it delivered to me. I also want to inspire and support her to start her own cakes and pastries business.

I initially ordered for a banana loaf/cake, but she offered me to try the banana cup cake with chocolate chips. It sounds yummier to me, so I told her to push through with it. I ordered 3 boxes, a dozen per box so I could give the other one to my sister.

Everyone liked the taste of the slightly toasted banana cupcakes! The texture was soft and the chocolate chips added delicious taste to it. I just told her to make the sizes be in uniform shapes so it could be ready for commercial. When it comes to the tastes, it’s perfect! It even tasted better than the branded ones.

I look forward to taste more of her recipes! For inquiries and orders, you may contact her through her twitter account. http://twitter.com/kkkaattt

GOOGLE Plus: The New Era of Social Media

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Google+ has been creating a big buzz in the social networking site industry. It’s giving more curiosity to all especially to the “tech people” who has been reviewing every social networking sites’s features and uses.

Google+ is a social networking service, operated by Google Inc. that was launched last June 11, 2011 and still on its “invite-only” testing phase. The following day, existing members were allowed to invite friends through mail, which must be above 18 years of age, who can also create their own accounts. However, this was quickly suspended in a day after there was “insane demand” for accounts.

Google+ will be built as a layer that not only integrates different Google social services, such as Google Profiles and Google Buzz, but also introduces many new features including Circles, Hangouts, Sparks and Huddles. There are a lot of exciting networking features and services here that will enjoy and be benefited from by its users.

Google+ will also be available as a desktop application and as an application on Android and iOS operating systems. This is also the biggest attempt of Google to rival social networking site, Facebook which had over three quarters of a billion users in 2011.

I was fortunate to receive an invite from my sister, which i was able to sign-up immediately and flawlessly. I was so excited to have an account on Google+ and to be one of the few people to have the privelege to enjoy its cool features and applications. This is also the reason why Facebook launched their video chat, to counter part the “hangout” feature of Google+, their own video chatting service.

GOOGLE+ FEATURES

CIRCLES- enables users to organize contacts into groups for sharing, across various Google products and services. Although other users can view a list of people in a user’s collection of circles, they cannot view the names of those circles. The privacy settings also allows users to hide the users in their circles as well as who has them in their circle. Organization is done through a drag-and-drop interface. This system replaces the typical friends list function used by sites such as Facebook

HUDDLE- is a feature available to Android, iPhone, and SMS devices for communicating through instant messaging within circles.

HANGOUT- are places used to facilitate group video chat (with a maximum of 10 people participating in a single Hangout at any point of time). However, anyone on the web could potentially join the ‘Hangout’ if they happen to possess the unique URL of the Hangout

INSTANT UPLOAD- is specific to Android mobile devices; it stores photos or video in a private album for sharing later.

SPARKS- is a front-end to Google Search, enabling user to identify topics they might be interested in sharing with others; “featured interests” sparks are also available, based on topics others globally are finding interesting.

STREAMS- users see updates from those in their circles, updates similar to Facebook’s news feed. The input box allows users to enter a status update or use icons to upload and share photo and videos.

I think Google+ is a combination of Twitter and Facebook rolled into one, and even more! I even want to have an Android phone for this because the application is only available on Android powered phones for now, but soon to have an iOS app.

As an early Google+ user, i notice that the “streams” are all very informative, unlike in Facebook and Twitter that even the most nonsense things are being posted. Well, it can happen to Google+ later on, but what i like about it is that you can choose the “circles” that you would want to see your “streams” on theirs, and also the “streams” of the “cirles” that you would only want to see on yours! Very organized and discreet. Other members may follow you, but it’s your choice if you want to follow them too!

I am really really impressed with Google+! Things are getting so cool there. If Google+ comes into “full throttle”, it’s gonna be crazy! This is really a big threat to Facebook.

Google+ is a very promising social media service that gives its members the best of both worlds! I can’t wait to see everyone using it! :) :) :)

If you already have a G+ account, here’s my mine! http://gplus.to/wengblanquera check it out, and add me to your circles! :)

RIZAL @ 150

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In celebration of Rizal’s 150th birthday, i made this logo to become my blogsite’s background.

Jose Rizal was born June 19, 1861 from a rich family in Calamba, Laguna. Their ancestral house is until now preserved, which is one of the tourist spots in the Philippines. He became the greatest hero of our country because of his patriotic love for the Philippines.

In celebration of Rizal’s Sesquicentennial Birth Anniversary, the City Government of Calamba is erecting a 22 ft (6.7 m). bronze statue (the world’s tallest Rizal statue) in front of the 6.7 hectare Calamba City Hall complex. It will be unveiled on June 19, 2011 which is Rizal’s 150th birthday by His Excellency Benigno Aquino III, The Philippine President.

SHADES OF NAILS

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I really love having manicure and pedicure. Of course with the shades of nice colors that brightens my finger nails. I used to have foot spa with manicure and pedicure at F Salon for only 300 bucks.

Then i transferred to Nail-a-Holics, tried their very pampering nail services. Their regular manicure pedicure costs 500 bucks, so it’s kinda pricey.

with my friend Eurie, branch manager of Nail-a-Holics SM Calamba

But recently, i tried Ystilo Salon, which i liked a lot because their manicure lasts for a long time, without having any scratches or blisters in a week even if you always wash your hands or do some laundry stuff. Their regular manicure pedicure costs 400 bucks. This is my latest nail shade, bright pink whick i really love!

bright pink shade from Ystilo Salon

CLASSES STARTS!

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1st day of classes has always been exciting for me since i was still studying. But today, i get more excited for my eldest daughter who is now on her 2nd grade in elementary!

Here are some of her photo snaps on their 1st day of classes before going to school with her cousin, Emilio. They both go with the same school now.. ;)

We were’nt able to take some photos in their school because it was already late, and raining. But the two were very happy meeting new friends from their new school.. ;)

SUPER 8, a review

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I’ve watched this movie this weekend, and we were actually been waiting for this movie to be released locally. Super 8 is a science fiction film that tells the story of a group of children who are filming their own Super 8 movie when a train derails, releasing a dangerous presence into their town.
And that creature was an alien.

I just thought that this was an exciting movie. But most of the time, dull moments kills our excitement. There are a lot of slow moving scenes that kept us hanging but then later on, does’nt give any amusement at all.

I think the movie was overrated on their promotional advertisement before. But sadly, it was’nt something to be overwhelmed about.

I give 3 STARS for this movie, just for the kids effort. ;)

The Philippines Holds First “Spring Cleaning Day”

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Hello everyone! As part of my advocacy on a “Clean and Green Philippines”, and environmental obligation, i would like to share this event to everyone. Participate and be a part of it!

Five cities in Metro Manila will demonstrate how the country can save lives, time, and money, as they join the first-ever “Philippine Spring Cleaning Day (PSCD).”

In its goal to push for cleaning and sanitation as one of the most effective ways to lower the country’s disease burden, representatives from the Department of Health (DoH), UP-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP), Reckitt Benckiser, Lysol, and several local government units are calling for better sanitation through the institution of the first Philippine Spring Cleaning Day.

On May 11, there will be a simultaneous cleanup across five cities, namely Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Manila, and Pasay.

“We hope to educate as well as to encourage the habit of cleaning and disinfecting of Filipino homes through this annual event,” says Marichu Gozun, Senior Brand Manager of Lysol.

According to a joint study commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), at least 20 million Filipinos are exposed to poor sanitation. This means that one-fourth of the Philippine population has poor hygiene practices, do not have the benefit of an accessible and safe toilet, or do not dispose of human waste properly. The fact that less than half of Filipinos wash their hands after using the bathroom is a very telling statistic that speaks of the country’s unfortunate attitudes towards cleaning and sanitation.

Being one with the PSCD’s advocacy to educate Filipinos about the significance of cleaning and disinfecting, DoH Environmental Health Chief Dr. Rodolfo Albornoz says that families should be mindful of the harmful effects of poor sanitation not only on their health but also on other aspects of their lives.

For instance, poor sanitation affects productivity. “The rhinovirus–the virus responsible for approximately 50 percent of the cases of flu and the common cold in both adults and children–causes Filipinos to lose an average of eight school or work days a year,” shares Dr. Albornoz. Consequently, poor sanitation also results in increased economic losses.

The campaign’s concentration on household cleaning is highly significant because proponents of the PSCD believe that even the home, which is supposed to be every family’s place of refuge, can be unsafe. They note that bacteria dwell on everyday things in the home that are taken for granted. “What people do not know is that they are more likely to get sick from germs and viruses in their own homes than in any other place,” says PIDSP President Dr. Lester Deniega.

UP-NIH Executive Director Dr. Lulu Bravo agrees. “We invite everyone to take part in this initiative and join the fight against diseases,” ends Dr. Bravo.

Indeed, intensified cleaning and disinfection will go a long way towards helping the country save time and money, reduce economic costs, and increase productivity as well as people’s overall health and productivity.

Be part of the first public and private initiative for cleaning and sanitation, and join the Department of Health, Lysol and partner organizations as they celebrate Philippine Spring Cleaning Day on May 11. For more details, log on to www.philippinespringcleaningday.com and like them on Facebook www.facebook.com/philippinespringcleaningday.


CLAWDADDY

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Typhoon Shelter Deep Fried Crab

For seafood lovers, what’s one the best tasting seafood creature to eat? CRABS! That’s what Clawdaddy is bringing to all the big eaters specially family lunches. Clawdaddy is one of the newest restaurant to crave for in Solenad, Nuvali. Clawdaddy is all and everything about what we feel like clawing when we eat out with friends and family: CRABS, LOBSTERS, OYSTERS and RIBS!

Eating crabs and other seafoods outside is a messy experience for all of us. But in Clawdaddy, you would be able to enjoy eating those without thinking about getting “messed-up” because they provide all the things that you will be needing to eat the crabs and others all by your hands. They have a large bib that you can tie up on your neck to cover and protect your front from getting messy. And of course, they have their crab cracker utensil to aide you in cracking the claws of the crab. They also have a big built-in bucket on the table to throw in cobs of corn and shells.

Corn on The Cob

my plate: a single crab claw and fried noodles with garlic

To start, we were first served of their complimentary food, three slices of corn on the cob. Well then of course, we ordered one of their crab dish: Typhoon Shelter Deep Fried Crab from their “Crabs galore” menu. It was a male 1.5 kg king crab deeply fried and garnished with a sea of crunchy garlic and fried noodles. The claw itself covered one fourth of my big plate. I like the taste of the fried garlic that compliments the high-cholesterol content of crabs.

Pitcher of Red Iced tea

For every 1 kg of crab and above, Clawdaddy offers a pitcher of Red Iced Tea for free. So we were able to drown ourselves with lots of it.

Oysters Rockefeller

The we also ordered from their “Shuck and Deliver” menu, A big plate of Oysters Rockefeller. Big oysters baked and topped with super creamy sauce and quickmelt cheese that i totally loved!

Definitely, we’ll go back there to try the other yummy crab dishes!  :)

THOR, a review

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After a long wait for its release, we have finally seen the Marvel Comics movie, THOR. It seems like people had been hungry for great hollywood movies after the Lenten season that has passed, that’s why in Festival Supermall Cinema in Alabang, Thor is shown in four cinemas to accommodate the viewing crowd.

This film stars, Anthony Hopkins ( Odin, King of Asgard ), Chris Hemsworth ( Thor, son of Odin ) and  Natalie Portman ( Jane Foster , a scientist ). The story tells about the great war of the Kingdom of Asgard against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim who wants to conquer the Nine Realms, starting with Earth. But King Odin, does’nt want it to happen and wants to maintain peace, so the Asgarian Warriors defeated the Frost Giants and seize the source of their power: The Casket of Ancient Winters.

As THOR prepares to ascend to the throne of Asgard as King, it was  interrupted when the Frost Giants attempt to retrieve the Casket from them. Thor went to Jotunheim to confront Laufey, the leader of Frost giants on why such a retrieval attempt without permission from his father and against the King’s order. Thor asked the help of his dear friends together with his brother Loki, who happens to be his father’s adopted son who came from the Frost Giants race without Loki’s knowledge as well as everybody else’s.

As they went to Jotunheim, a big battle began between the five of them against the numerous Frost Giants. King Odin came to the rescue to intervene and save their lives. The King was so upset for what Thor did, and for his arrogance, Thor was exiled to Earth together with his hammer. But he will only be able to get back his powers if he is already worthy to weild it.

The special effects are awesome in this movie, and you will laugh once in a while on some humorous scenes of Thor when he landed down to Earth. It is a spontenous and exciting movie to watch for all the Marvel heroes advocate out there.

I give 4.5 STARS for this movie! :)

PANCAKE HOUSE

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It was late night last Easter Sunday when i had a short time to cook for dinner. We ended up eating at Pancake House, a newly-opened branch along Filinvest Avenue inside the Filinvest Corporate City. It was a subtle evening within the area and very few people were strolling around.

Blueberry Pancake

Apple Shake

We just wanted to have a light dinner, but since my youngest daughter wants chicken and rice, i just ordered it for her. We tried their mouth-watering Blueberry Pancake with Apple Shake. And also the Pan Chicken Special Set for me with a cup of rice as requested by my little one.

Almondigas Soup

To soften our tummy, we ordered the Today’s Soup and the Almondigas Soup. I just slurped the Almondigas soup, and did’nt eat the meat balls. ( i just dont like the taste!) But the soup was great!

Pan Chicken Special Set

The friend chicken on the Pan Chicken Special Set was oily, and doesnt taste special at all. But the tuna macaroni salad side dish tastes good.

Venice trying to shade on the coloring maze

What im grateful about their customer service is that they understand the little kids trip. So as we wait for our food to be served, they offered a coloring sheet of paper and a small jar of assorted crayons for my little one to enjoy while waiting. So, good job for that! I would love to try their other dishes some time. :)

BULAWAN FLOATING RESTAURANT

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Front Gate

It was Good Friday when our family decided to have a long road trip.. We wanted to have our lunch somewhere far in our place that will give us a different restaurant dining experience. We searched in the internet for a floating restaurant that caters Filipino dishes which we truly love. We drove along Rizal province, and found the resto that were looking for.. Bulawan Floating Restaurant. It is located in the long road of Manila East Road National Highway in Pililia, Rizal. It was a long drive but became worthwhile as we came there.

Cottages in a Pond

Bulawan is called as a “floating restaurant” because of its isolated cottages within a pond that has fishes where anyone can go fishing just for the fun of it. They serve Filipino dishes, especially seafood. This restaurant is perfect for big family dining, because most of its dining area are in big cottages.

Walkway

The only thing that dissappoints me when we we’re there was the customer service. I dont know if they are understaff at that time, or maybe because of the huge dining crowd that just wants to have lunch that made us have our lunch a bit late. The food that we ordered took over an hour to be serve, which was frustrating for hungry people like us.. huhu.. :(

view from our table

Fresh Young Buko Juice

But then, glad that they thave a nature themed dining area, that makes us feel more relaxed because of the fresh breeze of the wind. They first served the young fresh buko for our drinks.

Mixed Seafood Sinigang

Grilled Fresh Tilapia

Then of course, we craved for their mixed seafood siningang that truly relieved our hunger. It’s best served with the big grilled tilapia with soy sauce and kalamansi. It was just a simple home-style lunch that really made our day.

Halo-Halo

We also had a halo-halo for dessert, that tastes like ordinary halo-halo sold on streets. but then, it was a refreshing Good Friday lunch for us! We will try to go back there to try some other Filipino dishes that they have.

Venice enjoying the pond view

Missing CARAMOAN

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I was fortunate that i was able to visit this one of the BEST paradise in the Philippines, in CamSur.. The CARAMOAN Peninsula. It’s a combination of  powdery white sands of Boracay and beautiful rock formations of Palawan. I would definitely go back to this place. Beautiful BICOL!

There are several islands that anybody can visit using a speed boat. Every island has different kind of white sand texture. some are pure white and others have this light orange in color.

My favorite is the Cotivas island that is all white sand. During low tide, the shore becomes so shallow that you will enjoy more seeing the sand on a super clear water.

Starfishes are everywhere!

The beauty of this place is irresistable. We were only using a 5 MP camera phone that time. I know that an SLR camera would make the best shots in this paradise.