SMP No More!

Have you heard about SMP? If you haven’t, well it’s an abbreviation for “Samahan ng Malalamig ang Pasko”. A term used for people who spend their Christmas alone. It just sucks when you wake up in the morning, get off from bed, check out the calendar, saw it's already December and the simbang-gabi-turned-into-a-date scene just flashes in your mind, and you realize that you, a gorgeous head-turner, the all time sexiest in the class (according to your mom!) just don't have any reasons to celebrate the cold season of Christmas and worse be an official member of the SMP club.

Fishes are found in the ocean, beasts are found on land, and the girls and the guys...? They're actually everywhere! If you're already desperate, or say, just "eager" to find Mr. & Ms. Right, or simply just wanna find a date this Christmas, here are some tips on how and where you can find the guy/girl of your dreams- QUICKLY!

1. GO ONLINE! - Come on, there's nothing quite more effective than broadcasting yourself to the world! There's a lot of "romantic sites" available and I personally view it as the easiest way to find a girl or a guy for yourself.

2. AT THE COFFEE SHOPS - The place is just so relaxing and the place is just so perfect for a nice talk. Here's how to build a rapport, if you spotted a guy or a girl, don't hesitate to approach him/her, ask him/her if he/she wants a cup of coffee and that's it! Plus, psychologists say that the aroma of coffee stimulates the brain and shifts a person's mood into romance.

3. AT THE CLUBS AND BARS - Alright, the place is wild, the crowd is wild. Everybody's drunk. That simple.

4. JOIN TEXT CLANS - It's just amazing how a hundred people will be instantly added to your phonebook. The bigger your network, the bigger chances of meeting people.

5. AT THE MALL - The mall offers a lot of department-salons, restaurants, arcade stations, cinemas,restrooms(LOL. Kiddin') and a lot more. A lot of people go to the mall specially during Christmas sale, so there's a big chance that you will spot a lot of potential sweetheart, too.

6. ASK A FRIEND - In Advertising, they say that the best way to sell is through recommendation. High five!

Alright, now that you already know some tips as to where to find a potential date/lover/sweetheart or whatever you call it, then what are you waiting for? Make a move and “carpe diem”!

Say Hello To Monbis Halo-halo!

Life served up with a scoop of acceptance, a topping of tolerance and sprinkles of hope is what we call "HAPPINESS".

Halo-halo has been one of my favorite desserts. It is my comfort food and it spells H-A-P-P-I-N-E-S-S to me. It has always been associated with the hot summer season of our country. However, this sweet refreshing dessert is just so hard to resist even during the cold rainy days. 

I am a sweet-toothed monster who is in search of the sweetest, mouth-watering and most delectable dessert and let me tell you about my first encounter with Monbis' Halo-halo.

I live in Labangon for quiet some time now and all I thought siomai and steamed rice are the only food I can devour in this place. We (cebuano) all know that Labangon is known for its famous "Siomai sa Tisa" and "Bradex Steamed Rice", but wait! They have something sweet to offer too. Monbis is a roadside food store located just right next to Bradex in  Tisa, Labangon. They offer sizzling meals, but their best seller is their ohh-so-yummy-and-ohh-so-refreshing layered and vibrant bowl of halo-halo.

Their halo-halo is deifferent from the usual halo-halo. We usually see halo-halo with overloading ingredients, but this one is a minimalist. Their only ingredients are: fresh banana, mango, buko strips, corn, crushed ice, wafer stick, leche flan, ice cream, sprinkled with corn cereals and Graham crackers, finish with a slush of chocolate syrup.

Their halo-halo is just so heavenly. Why? Because instead of  crushing ice, they crush ice candy. How cool and sweet is that? Plus they put a generous amount of cream and condensed milk (Yes, condensed milk not evaporated milk.) as sweeteners. HARDCORE! The magic trick is to mix all the ingredients and eat it slowly. Eventually, the shaved ice candy, condensed milk and cream will liquefy slightly and turn into a sweet treat. A slushie slash melted sundae into a bowl. A surprisingly toothsome liquid mess. As soon as you take your first scoop of your halo-halo, your tastebuds will definitely be confused whether it is a halo-halo or a fruit salad. I can compare it to Razon's, but I must say my vote goes to Monbis. With a price of 65.00php compared to 92.00php of  Razon's, this halo-halo is by far my new favorite among all the halo-halo I've tasted.

So if you are craving for halo-halo or you just wanna give yourself a sweet treat, I highly recommend you try this halo-halo from Monbis. I am sure you will also have one hell of a halo-halotastic experience. BURP!

Who Saved the World from Boring Foods? - Its McCormick!

Have you heard the latest news?? YES! The rumor is true. Finally, the best ingredient for your food is now available in just 1 click away. The famous "Green Bottles" in everyone's kitchen, the McCormick products, is now finally taking its steps in the cyber world with their very innovative McCormick Online Store.

Last May 17 2014, I  had the privilege to attend McCormick's Online Store Launching held in one of Metro Cebu's finest Mexican Resto- MAYA, located in Crossroads Banilad, Cebu City. McCormick is finally bringing their store closer to its customer with their tagline

"BRINGING PASSION TO FLAVOR."

The program was divided into 3 parts.
-Education
-Inspiration
-Action

EDUCATION

Many people use the terms herbs and spices interchangeably to mean any product of plant origin used primarily for seasoning food, which I am guilty about.

McCormick invited a food stylist and a chef with over 20 years of experience in culinary, no other than "The" chef Gigi Angkaw to EDUCATE everyone about the basic of Herbs & spices and how to properly store them.

These are the few things I learned during the chef Gigi's talk. By definition “a spice is an aromatic seasoning obtained from the bark, buds, fruit, roots, seeds or stem of various plants and trees.” and "herb is the fragrant leaves of any of various annual or perennial plants that do not have woody stems.”

At first I only knew a couple of herbs & spices. Those are the ones that I usually see in our kitchen. The spices that I knew are pepper, Anise seeds, curry powder, chili powder, Cinnamon etc, while the herbs I knew are parsley, mint, oregano, rosemary, basil etc. Little that I know that there are a number of spices and herbs available in the market and McCormick Philippines definitely have a wide range of selection. (See products here) 

According to chef Gigi, Proper storage of both is really important. A trendy and beautiful spice rack may look fantastic on a kitchen counter but dried spices should NOT get stored on your kitchen counter. Dried spices should be stored in a cool, dark, dry environment, away from direct sunlight, in air tight containers. Inside a cupboard usually works well. Be sure that the cupboard is away from the heat of the oven/microwave.

INSPIRATION

Now to inspire everyone, McCormick also invited MAYA restaurant's Executive Chef, chef Wade Watsons, to talk about his journey in becoming a world class chef and his success story. According to him in order for you to survive in a food industry, you need to have the HEART for food and guess what?---- A THICK FACE! You need to have a passion for food and never limit yourself to try new things in cooking  and to always taste the food is an S.O.P. in the food world. 

ACTION

Kim Deunice R. Gillesania, McCormick's Product Manager for Food & Services, was also there to walk us through 0n their McCormick Online Store. She talked about the convenience their online store has to offer (Talk about saving time & money).

 Imagine yourself getting all the herbs and spices that you need for your recipe in just one click. Spare yourself from the hassle of walking and pushing your cart in a grocery store looking for the items that you need and end up not finding them. Spare yourself from long lines and the best part...SAVE money! (applause!). McCormick offers a cheaper price in their online store since they can give you their factory prices. You will also get 100php from your online orders upon successful registration.(YEY! Applause!). PLUS, for every 5,000php worth of products, you will get a FREE DELIVERY! (Bravo!)

The McCormick Online Store is very easy to navigate. The layout of their online store is simple yet is fully functional and useful. You wont have any problem navigating your way in their online store. If you have any question about product details, delivery, processing orders and the likes, you can check their FAQ's. If you like cooking or you're looking for a new recipe, feel free to browse on their "Chef's Corner".  

And Oh! By the way, before I forget... The event was hosted by the bubbly, witty, and oh-so-handsome Mark Suntay! 

To know more about the products, you can visit McCormick's website. For meal inspirations, you can follow them on Facebook and Pinterest or you can simply contact them at:

McCormick Phils. Inc.,
SYSU Center 145 Panay Ave.,
Quezon City
(+632)-310-6265
store@mccormick.com.ph


P.S.
Some photos credit to my dear friend, Fred Dimaro. You might also want to visit his site. Just click here.