Question of A Friend

A friend was asking me the other day if she should buy gold bars like her husband did. A lot of our friends in the US relied on United States Gold Bureau to invest on some precious metals because they also think that it's a trend on investments these days. What they didn't know is that gold has always been there to give a family the wealth they need if they manage it right. Thank goodness for dealers like the US Gold Bureau where you don't just have a dealer where you can buy your precious gold but they also help investors to acquire more knowledge in the investment they are venturing. She is still thinking about it but I think I know the answer to her question because she is very convinced that her husband did a great job on this new investment, in no time I believe she will be in it too.

The Social Network

A movie about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook.

Director: David Fincher
Writers: Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Ben Mezrich (book)
Release Date: 27 October 2010 (Philippines)

I'm darn curious about it. I hope to watch it with hubby soon.

Bibingka

Bebinca, also known as bibik, is a type of pudding and a traditional Goan dessert. The ingredients include plain flour, sugar, ghee (clarified butter) and coconut milk.
Goan bebinca in Lisbon, Portugal

The dessert is baked in a specially-made clay oven, with a layer of hot coals over it. It has to be baked in layers and traditionally has 16 layers. The dessert is very common in Goan cuisine.

In Portugal and Mozambique, it is also a common dessert in Goan restaurants.

This food is also popular in the Philippines, where it is known as Bibingka. In the Filipino method of preparation, rice flour is used (the baking process is similar to that of the bebinca). Before being served, butter or margarine is spread and sugar is sprinkled over the bibingka. It is typically served with grated coconut. It may also be topped with sliced salted eggs and cheese. This dish, along with puto bumbong is very popular among Filipinos during the 9-day Simbang Gabi novena masses before Christmas.

Investment of the Year

It is in the articles I read that investing in gold bullion coins is one of the smartest decision that you can make. It is a fact that these coins are for investment, because it will appreciate and their numeric value is not really important since the essence of these coins is in the gold itself. Though we cannot deny the fact that we are also concern of its value for the moment but if you invest in gold, you can be sure that you will be secured in the future because it's proven ability to diversify investments will protect your wealth and preserve your purchasing power. Many of my friends tried investing on gold and they only have the best to say about it plus teaming up with United States Gold Bureau, they found the most reliable dealer of these precious metals. Surely, I can say that this is the best investment for this year and by the articles I read, this will remain constant for years to come.

Chicken Adobo

In Filipino cuisine, adobo refers to a common cooking process indigenous to the Philippines. When the Spanish invaded the Philippines in the late 16th century through Mexico City, they found an indigenous cooking process that involved stewing with vinegar. They referred to this method as "adobo". Over time, dishes prepared in this manner came to be known by this name as well.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken, cut into serving pieces
3 pcs dried bay leaves
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1/4 cup cooking oil
salt and pepper

Cooking procedure:

1. In a large container, combine the soy sauce and garlic then marinade the chicken overnight

2. Place the cooking oil in a pan and apply heat

3. When the oil is hot enough, put-in the marinated chicken

4. Add water and bring to a boil

5. Add the dried bay leaves and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender

6. Add vinegar, salt, and pepper and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes

7. Serve hot. Share and Enjoy!

You are STILL in Philippines

Don't be confused, you are still looking at a place I can proudly say, OURS! This is from the Philippines, my beloved country! Contrary to all the bad publicity my country has, we can still be proud because aside from the warmth of my fellow countrymen that you can experience when you visit our country, we also have places like Amanpulo, which is located in Pamalican Island...

From Wikipedia:

is a small island of the Cuyo Islands in the Sulu Sea, between Palawan and Panay, in the north part of the Palawan Province of the Philippines. The island is set in the middle of a 7 square-kilometer coral reef. It has a length of 2.5 kilometers, and measures only 500 meters at its widest point.

The island was originally exploited as a struggling family-owned plantation. It was then purchased by Andres Soriano Jr., a successful businessman. His children then decided to build a resort on the island and leased the management responsibility to establish an exclusive resort. The island is private property and belongs in totality to 7 Seas Resort (owned by the Sorianos). It is part of the high-end resort group, Amanresorts, under the name Amanpulo.

The island is serviced by a Dornier 228-202K plane flying from Manila, which is used to ferry customers and to bring supplies to the resort. Each bungalow (casita) comes with a personal buggy for free circulation throughout the island. The atmosphere around the island is extremely tranquil and secluded.

Diving activities are available, allowing for nice coral viewing and encounters with large turtles and rays. Several windsurf boards and sails are provided at the "Windsurf hut" on the north shore. The shallow protected lagoon there allows for easy windsurfing on a flat surface, and is especially favourable during the northern monsoon season (November to May), when the wind blows onshore.

About 40% of the employees are from the neighbouring Manamoc Island.

The resort has been nominated as one of the best island resorts in the world.

Visit their site here.

Hip Replacement Lawsuit

There are so many patients who had hip surgery and gone through the procedure of hip replacement surgery and it had come to a shock when the big name, DePuy Hip Implants has been included to a production recall due to some problems after the operation which includes, popping, clicking, swelling, loosening or dislocation of the implant, severe and constant pain, and hip fracture. DePuy Orthopedics Inc. had to announce a recall of 93,000 hip replacement systems because of the number of people who were affected. O'Hanlon, McCollum & Demerath are lawyers who understood that these types of injuries will never be the patient's fault so they specializes in these kinds of lawsuit hence there are so many patients who got their claims from their DePuy Hip Replacement lawsuit because a reliable law firm is always ready to serve them.

Pagsanjan Falls, Laguna

Pagsanjan is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 35,944 people in 7,274 households. It is situated about 92 kilometers south of Manila. The main tourist spot of Pagsanjan is the Pagsanjan Falls or (Magdapio Falls). A particular highlight is the boatride, which passes through 14 rapids maneuvered by boatmen between rocks and boulders, leading to the main falls.

Pagsanjan is the tourist capital of Laguna and the home of the Bankero Festival. The 'bangkeros' are tour guides, who steer the tourists' bancas. They are the boatmen who shoot the rapids all the way to the famous Pagsanjan Falls. The Bankero Festival is celebrated in the month of March.

Taters Eastwood Mall

We went to Eastwood Mall last week and we didn't know there was a pet blessing sponsored by Eastwood. The mall was packed with people with their pets in all forms and sizes. Goodness it was crazy will those barking and meowing, the restaurants were packed too and we instantly thought of going to McDonald's just to have light dinner but that too was packed so off we tried Taters. Usually you guy from Taters when you will go and watch a movie but since everything was crowded, we grabbed a table and just ordered turkey sandwiches, mine was turkey hotdog sandwich while my husband had turkey burgers with side orders of chips and we had iced tea but I had to order take out chicken nuggets for the boy at McDonald's which was just in front of Taters.

From Taters site:

Established its first outlet on 4 August 1994 at the Greenbelt Cinema Square, Makati, TATERS' surprise entry attracted the attention of many theater patrons. The introduction of TATERS provided the movie-going market with better quality snack alternatives as compared to the old-style popcorn concessionaires whose operation was almost identical to a neighborhood sari-sari store. TATERS initially offered three popular entertainment snack take-outs such as flavored popcorn, fries, and roasted peanuts. It instantly impressed the theater-goers of its American-themed, cooked-on-site, tasteful and wholesome food items vis-Ã -vis the usual unappetizing popcorn, over-priced pre-packed chips, day-old sandwiches, and a complex disarray of gums, nuts, candies, etc., offered by others.

The food wasn't gourmet but we satisfied our hungry tummies and then off we just went home because there were too many pets around.

Happy Friend

I was talking to a friend who experienced bankruptcy "almost" and was very happy yesterday, why? Her gold coins investment is now earning more than she expected. A few of our friends who have been in this business convinced her to go and take the risk despite of what is happening to her and she thanks all our friends for telling her that. You see gold, has been the trademark for wealth and investing on it will never fail you. The value of gold always appreciates and the more you invest on them, the more you will earn in the future. Now, after just a year of investing on gold, our friend is slowly moving her way out of bankruptcy. I am very glad she learned so much in the process, now she is beaming with positivity.

Starbucks in the Philippines

I don't think I already blogged about Starbucks, my favorite coffee chain. Well, there is CBTL but nothing beats the original who brought great coffee in the Philippines.

December 4, 1997, the Philippines had its first taste of the Starbucks Experience with its very first branch at the 6750 Ayala Building in Makati City. Starbucks has since won the hearts of the Filipinos.

The opening of the 6750 Ayala store marked an important milestone in our history – the Philippines became the third market to open outside North America.

The tradition of warm hospitality, constant need for connection, and love for coffee – these are the qualities that make Starbucks Coffee and the Filipino people a great culture fit.

From then on, Starbucks in the Philippines is truly history with people of all walks of life tried their coffee once in their lifetime.