the big Binondo food wok - Chinese New Year Edition

Finally, Jeff and I were able to join the Chinese New Year Edition of the Big Binondo Food WOK by Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks last Sunday. We missed it last year and so I was determined not to miss it the second time around. It was an enlightening and enjoyable tour, and a great experience to discover the culinary secrets of Binondo with the Chinese New Year celebration as a backdrop. Ivan Man Dy is the perfect guide!




I will not go into detail on what happened during the tour, so as not to dampen the excitement of those who plan to go on one. I will just leave you with these that made us go oooohh and aaahhh...

It's really more than just the food. We went home not only with our stomachs full, but also our mind and soul as well. It is definitely worth taking if you are adventurous enough to know what great culinary gems Binondo has to offer. It's a worthwhile afternoon spent walking, eating and learning. ; )

Supplier Ratings - Joaqui's 2nd Birthday Party

It has been customary for us n@wies (members of Newlyweds@Work) to post supplier ratings for events that we have had - baptisms or dedications and birthday parties. Supplier ratings from other n@wies have really helped me a lot in planning and choosing the right suppliers. I have also learned budget tips and DIY projects from the other members who have shared their experiences with regard to party planning. This is not to make biased opinions regarding any particular supplier, but just an honest review of their products and services during the event. Rates are 0 to 5, 5 being the highest score.



Venue, Invites, Food, Host, Entertainment: Jollibee Ever Ortigas
Rating: 5

We got their two function rooms as each could only accommodate 100 persons and with our expected number of guests, we decided to get both. They allow it only on weekdays and for a certain amount of food cost. Their function rooms were spacious and it already has cloth swags and some paper banderitas. The hosts during Joaqui's party were good and they had unique games for both children and adults. They also adhered to our specifications with regard to games and program flow. All 5 mascots were "well behaved" because I have attended some Jollibee parties where the mascots make inappropriate behaviors infront of the kids. The only negative point I think is that they should have added one or two more Smart crews for the number of guests we had. They were also supposed to give us gift checks from Toys R' Us worth P1,000 but up to now we have not received them.


Balloon Decorations: Jacque of Party Boosters
Rating: 5+

What can I say? Jacque is simply marvelous. I just specified our budget and we got more than what we expected. The place looked livelier and in a more "party" mood. She even added octopus balloons and these were a hit to our guests that some were taking out the balloons even before the party ended. At the end of the party, no balloons were left except for the two big balloon pillars. I even said to Jacque that it only shows that her balloon arrangements were pretty because everybody wanted to take them out.

Face Painter: c/o Party Boosters
Rate: 5+


We love the face painting! It was not just an ordinary face painting because she had glitter tattoos and body jewels added. The children loved their face painting especially the girls because of the intricate designs of the flowers. They worked nonstop during the duration of the party and there were some guests (including me) who had face painting even after the party (as in the crew were already cleaning up the area). They were also so nice and patient with the kids. Too bad Joaqui wasn't able to have his face painted.

Cake: Layers and Layers in Tiendesitas, Pasig City
Rating: 5+

I have never really tried their cakes, but a good friend of mine got her twins' baptismal cake and birthday cake from them so we've decided to order from them also. They were very easy to talk to and followed our specifications for the cake. It arrived on time and it tastes yummy too. The price is very reasonable. Cake was not allowed to be served at Jollibee and when we got home to cut it, the two-layered cake was really big.

Photographer: Guj Tungpalan of RedSheep Photography
Rating: 5

I heard of RedSheep from n@w and when I visited his web site, I really liked the pictures from the gallery and so I e-mailed him for inquiry, made the down payment and met him during the party. He was already at Jollibee when we arrived. The pictures came out really wonderful. He was able to capture important moments and although Joaqui does not readily smile in front of the camera, he was able to take a lot of shots of Joaqui smiling. His rates are affordable and the package for birthday parties comes with three 8R prints, a DVD copy of unlimited shots and an AVP.

Tarpaulin: IMSI in Cainta Greenland
Rate: 5

This was a last minute decision from us, so we were not able to make a layout of the tarpaulin. I only brought a copy of Joaqui's picture and chose from the available Sponge Bob layouts they have. All in all we were satisfied with the tarpaulin they made.

Loot bags: Divisoria Mall
Rating: 5++

Obviously this was a labor of love from us and Divisoria is still the best place to scout for loot bags and loot bag items. We only have a budget of P50 per loot bag and with that budget, we were able to buy a Sponge Bob lunch bag, Sponge Bob wallet, Sponge Bob sticker books, small Sponge Bob towel and a Sponge Bob blink pen. We bought 60 pieces of each, but just days before the party I had to add more. I had no strength to go back to Divisoria again, so we just went to St. Francis Square instead. We found similar items, but the price was 3 to 5 times higher. : ( The kids liked the loot bags and even some adults wanted to take it home as well. My sister-in-law who works for a Jollibee franchise just ordered Jollibee bag tags from their supplier. We had them put Joaqui's name and the date and place of the party at the back of the tag and we placed this on each bag.

Pabitin: Vente Store
Rating: 5

Again this is another spur of the moment for me. We were not supposed to have pabitin, but when I saw a Vente booth at Robinson's Cainta, I decided to have one anyway. There were lots of toys and craft items to choose from and we just bought 20 pieces for the pabitin. We also have some extra toys and game prizes from Joaqui's first birthday party and used them as well.

We could say that it was a successful 2nd birthday party after all. For us, what makes it successful is that we saw how everyone had fun during the party and even after the party, some of our neighborhood kids were still saying how they enjoyed celebrating Joaqui's birthday. I told my husband Jeff that I have decided that there would be no birthday party next year (sigh) for Joaqui, and we would just celebrate it as a family out of town or somewhere nice. The next birthday party would be when he is 7 years old. But then, that was what I said to him last year.; )

You can view pictures here and here.

ark of avilon zoo

After we went to Salcedo Saturday Market we headed off to Ark of Avilon Zoo in Tiendesitas. Joaqui got scared of the sheeps...but he enjoyed chasing after the chickens and looking at the fish tank. There were not a lot of people that day, to think it was Saturday and it was quite hot inside. Here are some pictures from Ark of Avilon.

salcedo saturday market

I have heard and read a lot about the Salcedo Saturday Market but never had a chance to visit until yesterday. It's a good thing Concon mentioned it to me last Friday and since we do not have plans this weekend, I dragged my husband to Makati and brought Joaqui along. I do not frequent the markets, but I am always intrigued by these kind of markets where there are fresh produce, homemade specialties and organic herbs and vegetables. The market is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and we arrived there at 11 a.m. Since it was already late and we plan on going to Avilon Zoo later that day, we just went around and bought cooked foods and had lunch in one of the tents there with chair and table setup.

There are native items, much like the ones sold under the Quiapo bridge.

This one sells siomai, siopao, cuapao, etc....looks yummy

There were lots of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even plants.

There are a lot of stalls selling barbecues and this one is from Dela Rosa's Deli.

What we also like about Salcedo Market is their nice playground. We let Joaqui and his yaya Jane play here while we went around. Joaqui had a grand time playing on the slide.

I have noticed that there were a lot of families who go there and have their little picnic in one of the tents, from the grand parents to their children and grandchildren. It was nice seeing families get together and Jeff and I thought it was a good idea to spend Saturday mornings there when the weather is good. I would also want to visit the Legaspi Sunday Market and compare it to Salcedo ; )

practical tips and more

As a work-at-home mom, my work entails me to sit infront of the computer and access the internet often. The internet has become my handy dictionary, map, almanac, recipe book, diary and what-have-you's and it always provides quick answers for questions that I have. It's a good thing that I always read practical tips and more. It is a very helpful website for moms like me who are not just looking for tips but sensible advices on a wide array of topics like food, shopping, money, health, etc. What is refreshing to know is that it is written by a mom like me (and a doctor too), so I know that we have the same concerns with regard to providing the best for our family.

What I like about this website is that it provides information and tips that actually work and sometimes makes me say...yeah, why didn't I think of that. It helps me a lot especially on the best ways to save money, tipid tips and online business and sidelines. So if you're looking for more than just tips, visit www.practicaltipsandmore.

ed's blogsary contest

It's fellow Pinay Blogger Eds Blogsary and she's giving away prizes. Check it out for a chance to win!

It’s Eds Blogsary! Join her contest and have some moolah on your paypal!

My Precious Niche

Just Me… Eds

Eds Mommy Life

Contest will start on September 25, 2008 (12noon) till October 25, 2008 (12 midnight) Phil. time. I will announce the lucky winners on October 27, 2008 MONDAY!

abstracting and Chili Willy's.

There was a buzz among fellow n@wies just three weeks ago about home-based jobs and although I am already working home based as a medical transcriptionist, I am still open to other opportunities that I can do at home. Agnes posted something about being a home partner abstractor and this got me interested quite a bit. I have heard of this type of job and there were fellow MTs who were abstractors before, but I really have no idea of what they do. So I decided to try and emailed my information sheet and the required essays, and I was lucky enough to be included in the free training program yesterday. It was not as simple as I thought it would be. Abstracting is objective writing and an abstractor has to be direct to the point in writing the needed information from the articles. The training lasted for a day, and there was still a prequalifying examination. We will be informed on Thursday if we pass the prequalifying evaluation. I am ready to take this challenge if ever I would pass the exam as I know that as with all jobs, it would be difficult at first but practice makes perfect. Good luck to me!

After a day of information overload, I asked my hubby to have dinner at Chili Willy's at Robinson's Pioneer. I have read it here and since we are both suckers for Mexican food, we decided to try it out. It is located at The Forum Al Fresco and since we do not frequent this mall, we had to find our way there and somehow got lost...duh! We ordered Calamares with Green Chili Aioli Dip and Texican Combo Plates of Baby Back Ribs with Mexican Crab Cake and Grilled Pork Chop with Chicken and Chorizo Enchilada. My meal wouldn't be complete without dessert and we had Mexican "Mock Fried" Ice Cream Choco-Hazelnut. Their food was yummy! They also have a lot of food choices. I was raving about the Mexican crab cake because it was soft and tasty. Jeff liked the Enchilada and the "Mock Fried" ice cream. Chili Willy's is definitely worth checking out. While eating, we were already planning our next visit there and the food that we will order next...hahaha. Now writing this blog entry makes me hungry ; )

an incident at Italianni's

Last Saturday we decided to watch the pyro olympics at SM Mall of Asia and made reservations at Italianni's restaurant. I made the reservation at about 5 p.m. and was accommodated by one of the staff. I specifically inquired a table along the bridgeway to have a good view of the fireworks display. She led me to the tables and asked me to choose which table I want. I signed my name in their record book, gave my contact number and the time of our reservation. Buti na lang before I left, I asked for her name. At about 7 p.m. we came back at Italianni's and at their reservation table, I was surprised na they could not find my name in their list. I had a feeling na somebody made a mistake. Dito medyo naiinis na ko...The lady from the frontdesk asked me the name of the staff to whom I made my reservation. Hindi pa naman kami makapasok sa area nun restaurant because the security guard was asking for a reservation ticket. We saw that the manager was talking to the person responsible for my reservation. It seems na mag-add na lang sila ng table for us. Kainis! They talked to me and explained na they made a mistake. At first syempre uminit na ulo ko. I said I want the table that I reserved. I explained na they should have told me that I cannot be accommodated so I could have reserved in another restaurant. At this point, mataas na tono ng boses ko because they were giving me a table right infront of a post na malayo dun sa table na originally pina reserve ko. They were apologizing and saying it was their mistake, etc., etc. The pyro olympics was about to start and hindi pa kami nagdidinner so I asked for a different table along the bridgeway. Buti na lang may extra table pa and we had no choice but to take that table. At buti na rin lang mabait pa ko because after ko mahimasmasan, nagsorry din naman ako dun sa girl kasi nasigaw-sigawan ko sya pero kasi naman nakakainit talaga ng ulo noh. We had it all planned and were anticipating a good view of the fireworks display tapos ganun pala mangyayari. Eh okay lang sana kung ka presyo lang ng Jollibee yung food nila...ang mahal kaya! In fairness, we were supposed to have a set menu but since they made a mistake, they did let us order ala carte and we can order what we want at a price of their set menu. They also gave us a free dessert which was a New York cheesecake worth 400 pesos. Hindi naman kami nagsamantala, but our order was a little expensive...hehehe. I even told them na last time, we had a reservation at Tagaytay Highlands and this did not happen to us. Well this was a not so pleasant experience with them. Next time, I will be having second thoughts on making reservations at Italianni's or better yet, I will always re-confirm my reservations in any restaurant to make sure na they don't forget.

3rd world pyro olympics

The 3rd world pyro olympics concluded last May 31 with the fellowship of fire and the pyromusical exhibition by the team La Mancha from the Philippines, and this year's 3rd world pyro olympics winner is the team from Italy. We were not able to watch all teams, but we were able to see China and Germany on the first Saturday and the fellowship of fire and team La Mancha's exhibition on the final Saturday. The pyromusical show by the Philippines was spectacular. The sky on the Manila Bay area lit up with a wonderful display of colors dancing to the music.

I was glad that they scheduled this year's contest on all Saturdays of May, as this gave a chance for more people to watch all teams. We got a good view of the fireworks display from one of the veranda restaurants in SM Mall of Asia. We chose Tagaytay Highlands Steakhouse on the first Saturday where they charge 1,500/pax with their set menu specifically for the spectators of the pyro olympics. This included a soup, salad, main course and dessert. Drinks are not yet included. I do not think that this really had the best view of the fireworks, but the steak was delicious ; )

Last Saturday we watched the fireworks with Joaqui! It was his first time to watch fireworks display and even though it was really way past his bedtime, he really watched the show and was trying very hard to keep himself awake. This time we tried the view from Italianni's and for me it was much better than from Tagaytay Highlands, although my husband Jeff preferred otherwise. Their set menu was much cheaper at 1,000/pax with soup, salad, main course, dessert and a drink. We were not supposed to watch that Saturday, but at the last minute decided to and made reservations only that afternoon. I have been watching the pyro olympics since its first year and this year was a memorable one for us because we were able to watch it with Joaqui. Next year, if it will be held here in the Philippines, we are planning to watch it on a yacht cruise ; )

a visit to Manila Ocean Park

It was a slow Tuesday for us and since it was daddy's off from work, we went to Manila Ocean Park, which is the Philippines' first state-of-the-art oceanarium and open water marine habitat.

The journey through the oceanarium starts with Agos where there is an artificial waterfall, and water tanks displaying a variety of flora and fauna. There is also a touch pool where one can touch the creatures on display, except the small shark ; )

The Bahura showcases different coral life forms. Joaqui was fascinated with the different hues of the fishes he saw.

The four big distinct aquariums in Laot displays fish in all sizes.

At the Buhay na Karagatan, one can take the 25-meter walk along the underwater tunnel and see different kinds of sea creatures including stingray and whale shark.

The barracudas can be seen at Ang Kalaliman. There is also an overhang tank with a variety of rays swimming over. The different species of sharks can be viewed face-to-face in a separate tank.

It was a fun day for us at the Manila Ocean Park. Joaqui really enjoyed the experience, his first encounter with different sea creatures.

Morong Star Beach Resort

Me and my kulangot friends went to Bataan last weekend to go to the beach. I was browsing the internet for a nice resort and came across Morong Star Beach Resort. It is located in Panibatuhan Morong, Bataan and their website has some nice pictures of their hotel rooms, cottages and swimming pool. Their rates also were quite reasonable so we decided to check it out. It is quite big but it looked much nicer on their website. Their adult swimming pool is just okay, but their kiddie pool is wonderful with kiddie slides and waterfalls effect. Joaqui and Monique had a fun time swimming. Their open cottages were also okay (at a rate of 1200 for day swimming, good for 8-10 persons). Since we were not staying overnight, we did not checked their rooms at all.

The sand along their beachfront was not white sand but it was very fine. The beach water was clear and the floor beneath the water was not rough. You could actually go swimming barefoot. I think Joaqui enjoyed the beach more than the kiddie pool because the water was not cold and not too salty.

I was disappointed with their shower rooms and comfort rooms though. The faucets were not working well and there was poor lighting. There were no countertops to put your things or racks to hang your clothes. I have also noticed that on the way to the resort, there were not much signboards placed along the road, so we had to stop and ask for directions.

Overall it was a fun experience, especially for the kids. If you're on a budget and would like to relax and swim in Bataan, Morong Star is worth checking out.