Yesterday was quite the adventure for me cause I got to enjoy a seriously great experience with also great food to go with it.



Yep, I had the chance to get up close and personal with the Miss Earth 2014 candidates at Yoshinoya's biggest place that I got to visit- their branch at SM North EDSA :3





A bit of background on Yoshinoya(if you're not familiar with it):


Yoshinoya was born around 1899 by it's founder named Eikichi Matsuda, who was responsible for the delicious recipe of the Guydon or Beef Bowl. He named it after his birthplace of Yoshino-Cho Osaka, and fast forward to 100 years later, Yoshinoya has grown with over 1200 outlets in the world, in and around Japan, USA, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and 7 of those are here in the Philippines. :D


Introducing Ms. Philippines Earth Candidate :3

Let's face it. Year after year we have this tendency to do our Christmas shopping for our family at the last minute, thus ending up in buying a few generic stuff like picture frames, pencils and other generic gifts. I like to call it the Christmas Crash cause while doing said shopping for them, we end up crashing onto one another with the other people who are crunching their time to buy their loved ones that same generic gift. Then after, we crash onto the bed cause we're just so tired. Then we have to gift wrap said gifts which tends to make us crash onto the sofa too cause there are quite a lot of gifts that you have wrapped.

So this got me thinking... Why not wrap something remarkable? If our loved ones are that special, we'd think of giving them the stars—something they clearly deserve. I myself can't exactly give them that, but a close alternative is something akin to a great personal experience that may as well blow our mind. This can be made possible by The Mind Museum—along with other unique gifts that not only add a twist to your usual holiday flavor, they also inspire learning and further celebrate the season of giving.

1. The Scientific Date: How about a date in an artsy but science-themed gallery, or stargazing in cozy couches in a custom-made planetarium? Surprise your loved ones and the young ones with All Day Passes or gift certificates to The Mind Museum! With over 250 hands-on, minds-on exhibits and live experiment demonstrations that unveil the remarkable science behind living and non-living things, a date or two in The Mind Museum is definitely a unique and exciting way to spend time together this Yuletide season. (The Mind Museum tickets all day passes is sold for only Php750/php)



 

It was a nice cloudy morning when I deployed myself at around 5:30 am for the meeting place of our service for Nurture Wellness Village in Tagaytay, for #NurtureMeDay. PS: This has become more of a photo blog post, all because I wanna share with you guys what is the magic of the place about.



Now, there are really times that you and your body can't take the stress of life anymore and gets weak, one way or another. In my case, my body "restarts". In other cases, it gets migranes, colds and fever.

This is the body's way of communicating to us that we should slow down, be it if we are a parent, a young professional or even THE Executive of a well off company, but most of the time, we'd rather choose to pop a pill, or even try to drink or eat all the stress away. That's actually my coping mechanism to everything if I get too much stress on my hands, but after a well deserved break in Tagaytay, with thanks to Ms. Mae of Eats a Date, my mind is in a whirl of trying to choose for the better. Let me show you what happened at Nurture Wellness Village, which made me rethink my lifestyle.

Started out as an idea to create shirts for bookworms, The Dream Shirt has finally marked its 2.5K likers after a year of operating online. With more and more fangirls and fanboys finding out about the online shop, The Dream Shirt is planning to have its relaunch come 2015, which includes creating a line for locally published books, releasing more collections, and a collaboration giveaway with Fandom Trinkets PH.



The Dream Shirt is an online shop that offers made-to-order shirts, with prints that features quotes and designs based on different books. Each design is printed on a cotton shirt in vinyl or via heat transfer. As of today, most of their selections are based from Young Adult novels like John Green’s ‘Looking for Alaska’ and ‘Fault in our Stars’. They also print designs based on the popular dystopian novels such as the infamous Hunger Games trilogy and Divergent.




Although their current fan base is consisted of young people and fanatics of YA masterpieces, The Dream Shirt is planning to target a larger market, tapping in the bookworm crowd in general by providing designs that are based on the classics, fiction novels, and the like. The designs are slated to be released early next year, along with their official relaunch.


I personally am very excited to see other design from Harry Potter Series. That Hollows/Always Shirt is awesome in itself. :D

Philippine Ducati Weekend is based on the popular World Ducati Week, which is held at the Misano World Circuit in Italy. The Philippine Ducati Weekend was first launched at Clark International Speedway, Philippines, in 2012. From the first Philippine Ducati Weekend, it had achieved an outstanding level of success from the attendance because of its variety of events, activities and full immersion of pure Ducati Lifestyle. This event only happens every two years.

Ducati Philippines will make raves as we once again bring the most exciting Motorbike event in Manila and Clark….THE PHILIPPINE DUCATI WEEKEND!



Hundreds of people are expected to witness this once in a lifetime “2-wheel” spectacular in the Philippines. Highlights of the Event will include a Ducati Diavel Drag Race, Motokhana, track-day for both Ducati owners and non-Ducati owners, Dunk Tank for a cause, Bikini Bike Wash and the much awaited viewing of the Ducati Scrambler. Superbike champion Carlos Checa will also be gracing the event. Aside from that, there would also be concessionaires for motoring, food, drink and games. The great thing is that there are different packages to choose from that will suit one’s preferred activities.

Anybody free with nothing to do? Here's an idea for you guys!

On November 21^st, The Philippines will bring forth a festival that will fuse its biggest talents in one massive celebration of sound – the Sandstorm Electronic Experience, produced as a collaboration between So Familiar Productions, The Wildfire Productions and Trance Till Dawn. The event aims to make a staple when it comes to the music festival in Southeast Asia as well as to make the Philippines, the next music destination.



 

The festival will be a 3 day event at 3 stages and over 50 of the country’s greatest performers from Metro Manila, Cebu, Bacolod and Davao are representing every group from the city’s forward-thinking best scene producers, the enigmatic underground techno enthusiasts, the soulful house music lovers, the iconic bass music elite, to every hard hitter of the country’s biggest clubs and more. It’s about time that the country will have a festival that pays homage to local electronic artists. A tribute to music and dominated by homegrown performers, in an absolutely breathtaking location by the sand and the water just south of the metro.

Earlier in the week I had this inkling to do a makeup look, specifically a Disney Princess. Or maybe it was because Aladdin was showing in the Disney Junior channel and my daughter and me were amazed by the beauty that is Jasmine and the Hot Guy that is Aladdin. :D



With Princess Jasmine, as Aladdin had put it, "She's got these eyes that just... And this hair, oh WOW... and her smile? ahhhhh..."



In girl terms, what he meant was that Jasmine had these almond catlike eyes with that alluring catliner to go with it, making her eyes just sparkle with independence and innocence with just a twinge of that fiesty aura, her hair full of volume and her smile so alluring. ;D

Feisty Filipinas Irish Ong, 20, and Jasmine Ng, 21, are among this year’s roster of finalists for SupermodelMe – The Original Asian Supermodel Series – which follows 12 aspiring models of Asian heritage competing in a once-in-a-lifetime chance to advance their career in the fashion industry. Ong and Ng are set to make an appearance in Manila’s Cav Wine Shop and Café, alongside fellow finalists, Brazilian-Japanese twins Rafaella and Gabriela Leonardo.





Being a model nowadays is not just about the norm look of blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin. Now, it's all about versatility to adapt your beauty in any situation and the wit, quirk and uniqueness that you own, which will make you stand out from everyone else. I know because I have tried once to break into the fashion scene and although it is a jungle out there, it was obvious to anyone who's auditioning for this and that, that what you really need to survive said jungle are the three qualities I mentioned above, plus determination and passion.



That is why SupermodelMe returns with its most daring, most explosive and most revealing season yet. Aptly dubbed as SupermodelMe Sirens, the latest season promises to break new ground as the search for the ultimate siren is set against an exotic background of a brand new location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Among the grueling, fashion-forward challenges faced by the finalists include crazy casting calls, photoshoots featuring exotic birds, catfights on moving vehicles, and many more!

Lots of happenings this coming 15th.. Well, there are a couple of bazaars that you should totally hit on, like the one in Rockwell, the Global Pinoy Bazaar where you'll find Linya Linya and Hodgepodge, or the Lifestyle Bazzar happening Metrotent, Metrowalk, Ortigas City, which will help you out with your Christmas shopping with all the discounts that you'll be getting from the bazaars. :D

Another happening that coincides with my birthday is...

Dona Elena Cusinera Club Holiday Special! This one will help you become the MasterChef of the Noche Buena by learning new Holiday recipes and watch a Live Cooking Demo by Chef Golda Liamzon, the favorite chef of moms!

Freeform Creative Solutions is a print advertising and design firm that started in 2008. The business was started by Luis Dangilan, Victor Cruz, and Jun Galvez, graduates of Ateneo de Manila John Gokongwei School of Management.



Jun Galvez and Juan Miguel Luis Dangilan with the Canon imagePRESS C1plus

The trio was planning to put up a business right after graduation with student needs in the Katipunan area in mind. “We saw the lack of professional printing services back then and as Communications Technology students, we had a lot of requirements that needed good quality printers. The people who served us simply did not understand what we wanted,” said Luis Dangilan, co-owner of Freeform.

Being a start-up business, it is very crucial to invest capital in the right equipment that will be of value for money in the long run. As students, the owners of Freeform were exposed to different printers in Katipunan and Canon was one of them. “Back then, we were aware of the various brands of printers. For us, it was not only Canon cameras that were the top-of-mind products, we knew they also offer good quality printers that is why they are the first company we approached,” he said. The owners knew investing in a Canon machine would help develop their starting business and open Freeform to other business opportunities.



More than just a printing service provider to students with project requirements such as posters and magazines, Freeform has come a long way in terms of their line-up of products and services. The business has now ventured out to the retail and corporate market as well.

What's the best thing to do on a rainy and gloomy day like October 29? Eat up some steaming delicious and HOT(in more than one sense of the word) ramen.



I had the chance to try out Ryu Ramen and Curry, which has this quite interesting background.. RYU means "Dragon" in Japanese, and just like said fascinating creature, Ryu Ramen and Curry will leave you breathing a bit of fire through their delicious and flavorful masterpieces. Why they chose Ryu as a name is probably because of the fact that a couple of the owners are born in the year of the dragon.



The place screams Japanese and Classy, with earthy tones evident in the design and the chairs and tables, a weird yet beautiful dragon in one side of the wall, and a real big geisha statue at the entrance. Even the menu is adorned with a bit of that woodsy enchantment. It's perfect for dates, cause of the cozy atmosphere that the lights bring.



We were served a myriad of choices, most of which are dished out of their bestsellers, the Tantanmen Five menu. This probably also symbolizes the 5 part-owners namely: singer/ comedian Ogie Alcasid, Edwin Dazo, Neil Castillo, DJ Vergel de Dios and Quezon City Councilor Joseph Juico, but hey, that's just my opinion. Malay ko ba kung involved din sila sa Voltes5? hahaha

WARNING: Said dishes are so awesome, na hindi mo sila tatantanan. hehehe ;D

Classic Tantanmen





We were served the Classic Tantanmen first. It was said that you can ask to adjust the spicyness of said dish by the way from mild to extreme, depending of course on how you handle your heat. This tantanmen is made with a rich miso based broth along with chasu slices, soft boiled egg, tasty and firm noodles. To be honest, this reminded me of Laksa, but instead of the Mediterranean spices, it is evident that the spices used are Japanese. There's also this creamy milky taste that I can't put my finger on, but it makes the whole gastronomical experience more interesting. :D

Can anybody guess what was the holiday celebrated last October 25? Anybody?



The answer is... yep! It's INTERNATIONAL PASTA DAY that day. And what's more, October is also National Pasta Month! Who here loves pasta? (raises hand and shouts*Oh I DO! I DO!!) hehe...



Pasta dishes, be it with tomato based sauce, cream based sauce, a combination of the two, or oil based sauce is actually my favorite food of all time cause it's really easy to cook and easier to serve, alongside Cheesecakes, Pizza and Burgers. I actually got to know more about my favorite food through Dona Elena Al Dente Pasta's celebration of said holiday, celebrated in The BlackBoard at Podium.



There was a myriad of different pasta lovers who are also in attendance. For the first part, there was the opening remarks by Ms. MJ Cordova, then we were introduced to Dona Elena Al Dente pasta by Ms. Karen Saguiped, Ms. Rachelle Chang  and Nutritionist, Professor Luchie Callanta ...

(Ira Aclan, Violin Prodigy at age 8)

Giftedness in usually interchangeable with Talent, but to achieve a child’s full potential, it must not be so. As the two said words are distinct ideas, there are still differences that are needed to consider to better understand, realize and develop a child’s giftedness.

Oh, and if you’re thinking where the heck I got these ideas and such, it was actually from this really rad world renowned professor in terms of the field of gifted education, majoring in Phsycology, a retired professor of the same branch of education in the Universite du Quebec a Montereal, Professor Francoys Gagne. I was invited to attend Promil Preschool's A Tribute to Giftedness event last October. I also got to meet another Mommy Blogger, Michelle :D Anyways...



Prof. Gagne has devoted almost most of his life to the study of a child’s potential, giftedness and talent, thus he has founded the DGMT or the Differentiating Model of Giftedness and Talent, which was because of his very own story with his kid Victoria, who one day got bored of second grade elementary school and skipped to 3rd grade cause of, well, her potential.

DGMT is the theory that is identified and used by international educational authorities, and according to the said theory, (in simpler terms of course) Giftedness is actually the POTENTIAL, the natural aptitude placed among say, top 10% of their age group, and Talent is the ACHIEVEMENT, the exceptionally well developed giftedness or skill.

But enough about that, cause here are 4 things to consider to help you on the track to develop your child’s own giftedness.