Rainbow's Favorite Snack: Orell's Glazed Banana Thins!

        My little Rainbow takes after my husband nowadays. She's a picky eater. Well, I guess it's normal for the age of 4. She doesn't like rice so much. But she loves bread. She loves eggs. She doesn't really like meat. But she loves tempura. No rice. She loves noodles. But she doesn't like tomato sauce. She likes white sauces on her pasta. (Sounding more like the original Pickiest Eater Richie as the list goes on). But if there's one thing I'm thankful for is that she likes fruits. And bananas is one of her favorite.

        So what do you feed a little picky eater when she's craving for some chips? You lean over the healthier type of chip: Banana chips! And I will tell you now. Orell's Glazed Banana Thins so far is the best banana chips I've tried! Oh sorry... it's not banana chips. It's banana THINS!!!! And this is precisely what I love about this!

What To Do When Your iPhone 6 Plus Camera Becomes Blurry

        2 weeks ago, we were out of the house going about our day, when I decided to take a photo of our good friend Gerry of Dude4Food with Rain (because she was feeling extra lambing that day to everyone). When I raised my phone up to take a shot, it took me longer than usually because for some reason the photo looked blurred and was taking its sweet time focusing. I tapped the screen to focus it, but after a few gentle taps, end then a few frantic taps, it just would not respond! See the photo above. If you're looking at it from a far, you won't really notice. But see it up close and it's blurry. Look closely at Rain's face.

        Panicked, I showed my husband and he tried to restart the phone. Still negative. Then our good techie friend Chuckie (AllChuckedUp), who was my last ray of hope at that time, tried to check it and did a hard reset, hoping the problem is the software. Still, photos from the back camera, or what they call the iSight camera, remained blurred. Holy moley I realized I was in trouble. My phone camera was broken!

        So as soon as we got home I googled the night away looking for anyone or any article who experienced the same thing my phone was experiencing. And then I found this:

Beautiful and Delicious Authentic Japanese Dishes at Minami Saki by Astoria!

        Whenever someone asks me what my favorite cuisine is, aside from Filipino, often my top answer is Japanese. I just can't say no to a good tempura, or a katsudon! I love the mixture of sweet and salty that Japanese food usually has. And so a few weeks ago I was thrilled to have tried another good Japanese restaurant! So authentic that the Executive Chef creates these beautiful dishes unlike anything I've seen before. And the place is Minamisaki by Astoria. 

A Lindor Chocolate-Themed Buffet at NIU by Vikings! (Contest Winner Announced!)

        If by now you haven't decided yet where to spend your Valentines Day, may we suggest a place that offers unlimited food and drinks, but very classy and stylish. I went to their Valentine's Day menu tasting (unfortunately without Richie because he had some work due) and seriously really loved it! It's NIU by Vikings + Lindor chocolates! Yep! I'm sure we got your attention now! It's really A Sweet Valentine Affair at NIU this Love week! (And read on to see how you can win a Valentine's Day Dinner for 2!)

P25 Pancake Promotion for IHOP Philippines' 3rd Anniversary!

Photo grabbed from IHOP Facebook

        I can't believe it's already been 3 years since IHOP Philippines first opened. Time does fly by so fast. And as a Thank You to us Filipinos for our love for their delicious pancakes, they're holding an anniversary surprise: The P25 Pancake Promotion!

4 Reasons How Hot Wheels Makes It Epic!

        When I hear Hot Wheels, my mind immediately thinks of my 3 nephews who love collecting Hot Wheels. Every Christmas, that's basically all that's in their wish list. Not kidding! And I can't really blame them. They're tiny cars that look super cool and look almost real with its fine details and shiny car paint coating.

        Hot Wheels is a toy that's been around ever since I could remember. 40 years to be exact. And this time, Hot Wheels is making an exciting turn towards making Hot Wheels even more epic!

Move, Refuel and Recover with EDSA Shangri-La's Health Club

        I am not a gym rat or a health buff or anything like that. But because no one is getting any younger, I admit that once in a while I know I have to do some exercise not just to get fit but to stay healthy in general. I actually enjoy doing home exercises with my exercise videos, especially Hip-hop Abs. But most people, (and I don't blame them), get more motivated to work out when they join groups. And that's why I'm sharing this piece of good news that's will really excite gym goers! And this great news is coming from EDSA Shangri-La Manila!

        In a great effort to promote fitness and wellness, EDSA Shangri-La Manila launches a unique Health Club concept. It's the “Move, Refuel and Recover” concept, wherein state-of-the-art fitness programs are merged with healthy food selections, and with the overall wellness expertise that CHI, The Spa, is known for.

La Buona Cucina Italiana at Seda Hotel BGC

        It was such excellent timing that I got the pleasure to try an amazing Italian Apericena buffet the other day just when I was badly craving for a risotto from watching Hell's Kitchen the night before. And I was extra lucky to be tasting regional dishes created by a multi-awarded Italian Chef, Chef Salvatore de Vincentis. And lucky for us all, he will be serving as an informal ambassador of the country’s cuisine during a two-month promotional series at Seda hotels throughout the country called La Buona Cucina Italiana.

Busy Moms and all Women Deserve #LUXNights! (And a GIVEAWAY!)

        Being a woman can be exhausting in so many ways. If you work in a office, the stress at work plus the every day commute can be daunting. At the same time, if you're a busy stay-at-home mom who manages the household, manages the kids, manages the kitchen, and pretty much everything else that falls in the family category, with no break or vacation, that can get really overwhelming too. Exhausting physically and emotionally. But I can safely say that it's hard to complain because if you're a working mom or a stay-at-home-mom, I know we do it all out of love.

        But this doesn't mean we do not need to unwind. And sometimes, a very nice relaxing and luxurious bath is all it takes! Imagine a refreshing and sensual bath accompanied with a pleasing fragrance by Perfume Experts from New York, London and Paris. All this is possible with LUX Perfumed Bar Soap and Body Wash Collection! With 4 pleasurable fragrances to choose from: Magical Spell, Soft Touch, White Impress and Love Forever. With these pleasing aromas, you can treat yourself every night with #LUXNights!

Staying Up Late Sucks

Puyat ng puyat... 

Tapos pag nag break out nanaman ang pimples, mag rereklamo. 

        This is me scolding myself at 1:13am as I type this quick post. Staying up late at night can be mentally exhausting because with the quiet setting (except for my husband's snore), all I seem to hear are my thoughts. Random thoughts about life. Like now, I'm again focusing on the fact that (and I've never really said this out loud before) that I don't know what I really want to do with my life. 

        When I was working, all I wanted to do was quit and stay at home and take care of the household and of course our daughter Rain. I'm living that dream now. And it's been great! But now that Rain started school, and that its been a bit easier to take care of her (because she already knows how not to bump her head accidentally or to only put food in her mouth), I'm starting to miss that feeling of sitting at my own office desk, and quite frankly I really also miss having a monthly salary. I want to have something I can call mine, and something I enjoy doing. I envy my husband sometimes because no matter how crazy his deadlines can be with his web series and the food blog, he seems to be fine with it because that's what he loves to do. 

        I took up Mass Communications in college because I've always enjoyed doing projects that involved videos. Back in high school, my cousins and I would shoot mini TV shows at home, like a low budget cooking show with a really crappy  dish, (and a kalamansi as garnish), or an overly dramatic telenovela with a pointless plot with a Spanish title just because Spanish telenovelas were a hit back then.  (disclaimer, we're not that crappy. We just really wanted it to be sarcastic and funny) Then I would add OBBs the hard way by using a PowerPoint, and shooting the computer monitor as I play the PowerPoint presentation with my video camera, while playing a dramatic music in the background. (talk about manual!) I have to find that tape again!

But anyway, after I graduated and experienced X number of years working in either production or events, I realized it was not for me. I got burnt out quickly what with all the overnight work and the fact that there are no room for mistakes because the show/event is live, until I got to the point that all I wanted an easy 9-5pm job instead. 

        Fast forward to today. My point is that life doesn't always turn out the way you planned it. And that the grass will always greener on the other side of the fence until I find something that I really enjoy doing. I mean I love being a hands-on mom, really. It's the hardest but most fulfilling job in the world. And I will keep doing it. But let's face it, Rain's not going to be a kid forever. And pretty soon I will need to search for work. When that time comes, what will I be doing? It has to be a job that I will enjoy doing regardless of how challenging it can become.

        I've been trying to figure out what it could be. Until now, I have no answer. 

        1:41 AM. Damn you insomnia for making me overthink! And for making me crave for food that's not accessible to me right now. Where the hell is Mr. Sandman? My mind is exhausted. So much for my "quick post".

Staying up late sucks.