Our Overnight Sofitel Experience

My sister from Canada is here on vacation and we decided to stay overnight in Sofitel Philippine Plaza since my Dad has membership and we can book their de luxe room cheaper and enjoy 50% discount. Membership is affordable and is worth it. We might apply for membership next year if my Dad will not renew his membership. We'll see. Anyway, I love it there. The buffet breakfast is just awesome. Too many choices for breakfast if you ask me. Their rooms are clean and the service is awesome. We will surely come back there this December. Anyway here are the pictures.

The De Luxe Bed

Love this Armoire

The Mini Bar

The room has a terrace

A view by the poolside

With my sister behind us is the famous Spiral restaurant

Visit their website here.

Securing the Future

There are two coins that I know have value, the silver and the gold coins. But I’m particularly interested in gold since I think they have more value. Gold has been recognized to give a status of wealth and power to whoever acquires much of it. In this day and age, gold has a deeper value than money, it also can secure your future as your investment. I know friends who invested on gold and are doing pretty well right now securing their family’s future. In United States Gold Bureau, they learned so much, bought and still buying precious metals from them to invest more. If I have the extra money in the future, for sure I will not have second thoughts in investing with US Gold Bureau.

Casa Manila Museum, Intramuros

From the Intramuros Admin Site:

Casa Manila, a "colonial lifestyle" museum, is only a section of Plaza San Luis Complex, a commercial-cultural complex. As with all new structures built within the walls of Intramuros, facades here are based on colonial period designs.

The facade of Casa Manila was copied from a house (c.1850) at Calle Jaboneros in San Nicolas, a district across the Pasig River. In that area, the first floor of houses were rented out to shopkeepers. In Casa Manila, you will find shops in the ground floor where you may buy antiques, art objects and souvenir items.

The walls of the ground floor are made of adobe stones. In the Spanish colonial period (late 16th century to late 19th century), "adobe" or volcanic tuff was quarried from Makati and Meycuayan, Bulacan for building material. The stones in Casa Manila were quarried from Bulacan. The uppermost floor, the living quarters, was made of wood. Since wood was lighter than stone, it was less hazardous during earthquakes. Notice that the uppermost floor extends outwards, helping to shade pedestrians during the day. Its real use though was for the stability of the living quarters during earthquakes. One will find the structure adjoining Casa Manila is stone on both floors. When the Spaniards first arrived, they built in this manner. This had to be revised though because it could not withstand earthquakes. Neither could inhabitants of such structures.

Open Daily except Mondays from 9:00am to 6:00pm

ENTRANCE FEES:
Adults Php 75.00
Children / Students / Teachers / Php 50.00
Senior Citizens / Disabled

(Students and teachers subject to presentation of school i.d. )
(Senior citizens subject to the presentation of senior citizen i.d.)

Eat Pray Love

I hope to watch this.


Plot:

Liz Gilbert (Roberts) had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having - a husband, a house, a successful career - yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali.

Gold for the Future

Are you a collector? Do you value stuff even if they are not that valuable? What if you are given a chance to collect something and it is very valuable, what will you do? I have a friend who got lucky when he decided to invest in gold coins, he used to just collect ordinary coins from way back and a colleague of him saw his enthusiasm in collecting and suggested why not invest with US Gold Bureau and earn from this enthusiasm. He hesitated a bit but when he got extra money, he seek help from the United States Gold Bureau and decided to take the plunge. Now he is earning more than he is earning in his corporate life.

Cats and Dogs 2010

My husband and I are planning to take our son to watch a movie again, I'm not sure if we will take him tonight but I see a 6:20pm showing today in a nearby theater. We'll see if we can see this movie this weekend.


Plot:

In the age-old battle between cats and dogs, one crazed feline has taken things a paw too far. Kitty Galore, formerly an agent for cat spy organization MEOWS, has gone rogue and hatched a diabolical plan to not only bring her canine enemies to heel, but take down her former kitty comrades and make the world her scratching post. Faced with this unprecedented threat, cats and dogs will be forced to join forces for the first time in history in an unlikely alliance to save themselves -- and their humans.

Palitaw

Palitaw is a small, flat, sweet rice cake eaten in the Philippines. They are made from malagkit (sticky rice) washed, soaked, and then ground. Scoops of the batter are dropped into boiling water where they float to the surface as flat discs - an indication that they're done. When served, the flat discs are dipped in grated coconut, and presented with a separate dip made of sugar and toasted sesame seeds.

And since this is the first on my list of favorite Pinoy desserts, I am including a recipe in this post.

Ingredients:

5 c. of rice flour
3-1/2 c. of water
1/3 c. of linga (sesame seeds)
1 c. of white sugar
3 c. of niyog (freshly grated coconut)

Cooking procedure:

1. Boil about 8 c. of water in a large saucepan or casserole. 2. Toast the linga(sesame seeds) in a small skillet, stirring often to avoid burning. Cool completely before mixing with the white sugar. Otherwise, the sugar will melt. 3. Mix the rice flour with the 3-1/2 c. of water until a soft dough forms. Take a teaspoonful of the dough and flatten it with your hands. Drop in the briskly boiling water. Cook a few pieces at a time. As soon as the dough rises to the surface, lift it out with a slotted spoon and roll in niyog(grated coconut). 4. Repeat until all the dough has been cooked. 5. Serve with the sugar and linga mixture.

To prolong the life of the cooked palitaw, freeze the palitaw (rolled in niyog but without sugar) in an air-tight container. Steam to refresh.

Coins to Invest On

Do you know that there are two popular coins that you can invest on? There is the gold coin and the silver coin. The gold coin is actually known to be the status symbol for wealth and power for hundreds of years. It has been the means of trade during ancient times. It's value never depreciates and it is always stable when it comes to it's value. The economy may have a downfall but the gold's value will stay the same. While the silver coin is now making it's way too. World demand for silver now exceeds annual production, and has every year since 1990. If you have enough money to invest on, I think this kind of investment aside from real estate of course, is a very wise investment which will secure your wealth and your family's as well.

Pampanga's Best

Pampanga's Best is known for their meat specialties like tocino and longganisa but I was surprised to receive a "pasalubong" from my husband when he came home tonight. A platic bag with Pampanga's Best Silvannas that taste so heavenly. Sinfully sugar overload for tonight but I don't care, as I type this post, I already had two and I have no plans of stopping. It's for me anyway so I can finish the whole box.

If you are interested to have a taste, I think these are only available at their Pampanga branches. Too bad my husband only bought a box. Oh well maybe next time.

Here is their site.

My Dad is from Quezon and though he is from that province I never witnessed the Pahiyas Festival. I want to take part of it next time and I wish to take my boys with me.

Pahiyas Festival is a colorful feast celebrated every 15th of May by the people of Lucban, Quezon in honor of San Isidro Labrador. It is the farmers' thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest with a grand display of colorful rice wafers, fruits, vegetables, and handicrafts adorning every house in the town.

Beauty in Wichita

There is a beauty school in Wichita, Kansas that specializes in teaching students of everything about beauty. Regency Beauty Institute has already expanded and has over 30 institutes all over the United States from the Minneapolis school that was founded more than 50 years ago. They have comprehensive programs for students who really want to learn beauty from A-Z. They train their students from their facilities that are patterned to be upscale salon like for the students to feel what it is like to be in the real world of beauty. They also let students participate and give services to real clients, which also teaches them how to interact with the customers. I wish we have beauty institute like Regency in our country, so stylists will have more chance to excel in their chosen field.

The Banaue Rice Terraces

The Banaue Rice Terraces (Tagalog: Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banawe) are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. It is said that if the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe.

The Banaue Terraces are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, ancient sprawling man-made structures from 2,000 to 6,000 years old. They are found in the provinces of Kalinga, Apayao, Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Puto Bungbong

Christmas is near once again and it also means that my favorite delicacy of the season will be everywhere. I don't have to go to Via Mare and spend money if I am craving for it, they priced it too much which is why I seldom go there even if I wanted to.

Puto bumbong is a dish made from purpled-colored ground rice cooked in bamboo tubes that are placed on a special steamer-cooker. Then, they are removed from the bamboo tubes, spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar and niyog (grated coconut). They are then wrapped in wilted banana leaves which will keep them warm and moist until ready to be eaten.

US Gold Bureau

A friend of mine has been raving about the United States Gold Bureau. He has been waiting for this type of investment for all these years and since he got the chance two years ago out of a blessing in disguise, he took the risk and is now earning so much. He recently visited the country two weeks ago and he told me about how lucky he was for buying gold from the company. He was guided so much and was helped by the company for all these years, he learned so much with the transactions of his investment. US Gold Bureau not only sells gold but builds up much needed information for the clients to know everything about the investment. With the complete coins and precious metals that US Gold Bureau sells, he got the chance of investing not only in gold but with other precious stuff that are very worthy today.

I wish we can get the chance to invest in such a very expensive but much earning investment. We've been convinced by a few friends who also have this kind of investment and with enough money, I know we can also make it.

Movie Feature: Inception

I saw the movie last Monday night and I was amazed of how the writer wrote the film. It was mind boggling and I literally had a little headache when the movie started, means my mind was really working to understand the film. It was a bit confusing at first but I highly recommend this movie.

Plot Summary:

Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

Pancit Habhab

My Dad grew up in Quezon and he loves Pansit Habhab. He told stories of how popular it is in their province. Might explain why he loves pansit so much. He practically grew up with festivities that always had pansit as the highlight of any banquet.

Lucban, Quezon is not only popular with the Pahiyas Festival, the Pancit Habhab has been synonymous with this province. Tourists are willing to travel to this place so they can partake of this wonderful, local specialty food.

Pancit Habhab is a local delicacy of sautéed noodles mixed with chopped pork, shrimps and vegetables. Mixed with just the right amount of onion and garlic, and you already have a complete and filling meal. What adds excitement to eating Pancit Habhab is the fact that it is eaten without using any utensils of any kind. To truly enjoy the noodles, it is placed on a rectangular banana leaf and you must eat using only your mouth. Hence you must be careful as not to spill some on your clothes. It is recommended that Pancit Habhab should be sprinkled with some vinegar to enhance its taste.