New Snack Out Now: Potato Chips Salt & Vinegar!

Have you tried the latest snack from Jack 'n Jill Potato Chips? Potato Chips Salt & Vinegar. It's honestly my new favorite - maybe because it's in a happy happy shade of yellow and I love the play of saltiness and tangy taste on potato chips. It's already out in selected groceries, so make sure to get a taste of this snack that's packed with crisp tangy goodness. I promise, it won't fall short of your expectations (all my biases aside). :)

Nine Works' RENT delights

525,600 minutes... almost everyone knows the song 'Seasons of Love' from the musical play Rent or maybe even the movie and almost everyone fell in love with the way it was sung, its melody and its lyrics. Last night, I fell in love again with this beautiful song and many others I didn’t bother to listen to that much before, while watching Nine Works’ staging of the timeless musical play by Jonathan Larson.

Though I already know the story and the songs by heart, I didn’t really know what to expect when it’s staged by a Filipino cast (since I didn’t get to watch the ones in PICC and Music Museum). Overall it was great and more than I expected, and I think the strongest aspect was the casting. The lead Pinoy actors were really perfect fits to the characters they played. Although the girl who played Mimi was good too, I was expecting someone with a higher pitched voice to play the young, spunky and sensual girl that is Mimi. Giancarlo Magdangal on the other hand, as Roger was a real revelation – his voice and acting gives justice to the serious and passionate character. I just thought he was mainstream so I didn’t think he could pull off the character of Roger with such gusto. But if you ask me, it was Albert Bautista, the guy who played Angel, who really stole the spotlight taking along with him, OJ Mariano as Tom Collins. Their characters were such a delight to watch - nakakaaliw talaga. They left me and the entire audience smiling and laughing despite all the taboos portrayed. Another highlight for me was Carla Guevarra who played Maureen, she was bratty, carefree, blunt, seductive and a good singer too - galing! 525,600 props to Nine Works and their pure talent and love for their craft!

The entire cast is really worthy of praise, but the ones above are the actors that I think stood out. Do yourselves a favor please– watch RENT and fall in love with the wonderful lyrics and melodies of Seasons of Love and La Vie Boheme and the pure humanity of this beloved play!

Viva La Vie Boheme indeed! =)

The latest in my sea of shoes

I was just window shopping while waiting for my dad to pick me up, when I spotted something pretty. It was a pair of penny loafers sans the band and with a twist – it was in pink faux snake skin. I went inside to have a closer look and within a heartbeat I knew I had to own a pair. *swoons* I asked for my size, but unfortunately they didn’t have mine in pink, so I tried on another color just to see how it feels. It was really comfy and the instep was very soft. I asked for the product code and the number of other SHOEBOX branches so I could look for the pretty pink loafers in my size.

The weekend after I saw the pair of shoes, I went on a frantic quest in Greenhills. Alas, they had the pretty pink penny loafers in my size. I tried it on and happiness followed suit. I was twice as delighted to find out that the shoes were very reasonably priced at Php 699.00 and thrice as delighted to learn that they were made in Marikina, also known as the Philippines’ shoe capital.

This now brings me to another thing I’m very passionate about. As Alex Lacson said in his book , ‘12 Little things every Filipino could do to help our country’, I firmly believe that we should ‘BUY LOCAL. BUY FILIPINO’. It’s a simple gesture that could go a long way. It’s a noble principle and a simple show of patriotism. So why don’t you go out and scour the malls and tiangges near you, you’d be surprised how some of the nicest things you’ll find are made in the Philippines by Filipinos.

Try checking out the other pretty footwear that’s truly Philippine made at Shoebox with branches in Cybermall Eastwood, Greenhills near Vmall and others that I may not know of. All in all, the day I bought my pink shoes was a good shopping day for me – beaming again with Pinoy pride because of the chic and comfy pink penny loafers looking flats I now call my own. :)

Finally! My very own Longchamp Le Pliage Eiffel

I've always loved bags, especially since I have a mother and a handful of aunts who love bags as well. Today, I can proudly say that I have earned my very own semi-luxury bag with the debut of my Longchamp Le Pliage Eiffel in Papier. Earned? Yep, it's my 'professional fee' for having worked as the coordinator for my brother's wedding last December 19. And it’s gonna be the start of something new. :)

Allow me to rave about Longchamp Le Pliage bags. Two years ago, these bags weren’t as popular as they are today here in the Philippines, but since then, it has had its loyal following of Filipinas toting this carry-all bag. The thing I like about Longchamp Pliage bags is its functionality. The ones I have are all in medium, and they can fit in a whole lot of stuff. Its genuine leather handles are sturdy enough to hold whatever it is that’s in your bag. The plain color Pliage bags look very chic and it can go from work to a nice stroll in the mall after office hours or even a dependable hand carry for going out of town or out of the country. Its name Pliage means to fold – you can fold it up and place it in your luggage so you have an extra shopping bag for your trips too! Plus, it’s rain proof and very easy to clean – a good thing for those girls on the go. :)

So why write about it? Because it’s functional and chic, yun lang? Like all other bags, you could say. But to me and many other girls my age, the Longchamp Le Pliage bags are starter bags for those who have a penchant for designer bags. It’s in the cheapest matrix of the glorious world of luxury bags, but it’s a good start and a good little investment I suppose. That’s how I see it. Next stop… PRADA and CHANEL and of course, HERMES… NOT. Hehe. Right now I shall just linger around and spread more Longchamp love. :)

Of prenup photos and weddings of the present

I'm a soon-to-be bride, have I told you that? And my fiance and I have recently had our prenup photos taken and I got to thinking how wedding preparations have evolved as the years progress. I don't recall having attended weddings back in 2000 with prenup photos and on-site videos, but today, the two are almost essentials in a wedding to-do list.

I am amazed at how prenup photos allow couples to be characters other than themselves and how creative people could get. Prenup themes could go from sporty, high fashion, boheme, vintage, masquerade to an endless list of other possibilities. I guess for the soon-to-wed couple, the prenup photo session is a unique bonding opportunity and a chance to challenge their tolerance for nonstop camera posing in preparation for their wedding day. Plus, it's pure fun. =)

Aside from the prenup photos, on-site videos and other stuff that are now part of the wedding repertoire of today, wedding preparations have surely climbed up a gazillion notches as brides-to-be and even grooms-to-be have become more assertive as ever, with bookings that start as early as two years before their chosen wedding date and preparations spanning longer than the usual. I guess its a nice thing since it gives couples more time to gear up and save up for their dream wedding day, but hopefully also more time to prepare for the more important aspect of all the hullabaloos - the marriage and their lifetime of marital bliss together. =)

My first Royce' experience

I've always loved eating potato chips. I even handle marketing of potato chips products for a living. So I didn't need a lot of convincing when a colleague of mine told me to try Royce Potato chip Chocolate. And the raves from so many people made me stop and take action.

I remember asking my brother to buy me 'THE' Royce' Potato Chip Chocolate when he was at Greenbelt with my family. Little did I know that I was in for a surprise. I went home looking forward to try the new snack, but my thrill was watered down when my brother asked me to reimburse Php540.00 for the box of Royce' he bought for me. I knew it was expensive, but Php540.00? Sheesh... Had I known, I could've just walked past the stall and asked for a sampler. Hehe. I was still in disbelief, so I didn't rush to eat it. I even told my mom I'd just put off eating it 'til Christmas (ang mahal eh...).

Seeing that the box won't last 'til Christmas, I opened it the following day. I was excited at the sight of the chocolate. Chew... chew... chew... Hmm... I waited for that something... after around 5 chips, it still didn't come. Nope, no wonderful burst of flavors here. I know the product has a lot of following, but my own opinion is this... The potato chips are good and the chocolate is good... but on its own... At some point, I felt the chocolate was too overpowering that the saltiness was a bit negligible. But maybe that's just me. It fell short of my expectations from all the hype Royce' Potato Chip Chocolate got.

Try it for yourself. It's different, but maybe not my kind of different.

Man-made breath-taker in Bohol

My fiancé and I went to Bohol recently and found ourselves in awe of this little island tucked away in the Visayas region. More than the infamous Chocolate Hills, white sand beaches of Panglao and the provinces’ resident Tarsiers, Bohol had so much more to offer. One of which is the point of my raving today.

We took this countryside tour that would bring us to the popular tourist sites of Bohol including one with less hype than the others, but of equal or maybe even more beauty (subject to the author’s own perception) - the Man-made Forest in Bilar. When we were passing through it, I felt like I was looking at some stored Microsoft Windows screen saver. It was such a pretty site. It had the charm of the countryside and the soothing feel of paradise.

To add to its charm, the forest is a site to behold and historic in its own right, with the thousands of Mahogany trees painstakingly planted by the Boholanos since the start of the 50s. I know, I know… What’s so special about just lots and lots of bundles of trees? Maybe it’s the breeze or the endless shade it offers… I really don’t know, but it has that something that merits it as a special place. Try seeing it for yourself when you visit Bohol and maybe you’ll feel the same way as I do. Of course, the photo can’t compare to the real thing. Maybe we could replicate something like the Man-made Forest of Bilar somewhere here in Manila… I’m pretty sure it would be another site to behold. =)