THE 3-DAY HOLIDAY RECOVERY DIET

I was lucky enough to stumble upon this diet at the Good Housekeeping magazine. With all the calories that we've all been gulping down, here's a back-on-track plan to help us rebound fast!

Day 1
Goal: Banish "Bad Food" Cravings
How:
1) Add two eggs to your morning!
A recent Louisiana State University study showed that women who ate two eggs every morning consumed 30 fewer calories a day and lost 65% more weight than those who ate a bagel. And if you're worried of increased heart risk, none of the egg-eating dieters had higher levels of cholesterol.
2) Pine for pine nuts!
Did you know that these little numbers can reduce appetite by a whopping 60%? To get the benefit, simply munch on a teaspoon's amount daily.

Day 2
Goal: Lose that Lethargy
How:
1) Seek out citrus!
Vitamin C-rich fruits have been proven to boost energy. Three servings of citrus are encouraged daily.
2) Get fishy!
Fish has been recognized to reduce sugar. Aim for two to three 3-ounce servings a week.

Day 3
Goal: Banish Bloat!
How:
1) Down more water!
For maximum results, aim for ten glasses daily. The amount helps the liver and kidney flush out all the toxins.
2) Savor every bite!
Chew at least 20 times per bite of food and consume 210 fewer calories.

Here's to good health for the coming year!

I WANT...

This is my last wish before I officially start my 365-day diet for 2009. A symphony of luxurious flavors - exquisitely smooth coffee and Kahlua cream in decadently moist chiffon, with walnuts, cocoa powder and dark chocolate bars, the Coffee Walnut Bavarian is the first ever creation in the Premium Selection by Red Ribbon. Droooooollll...

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CUP

On my last workday of the year, my son asked me to buy him an orange car. His requests for pasalubongs are very few and far between that my maver's heart gave in. And I guess I should be relieved that he is asking this of me as a preschooler and not as a teenager, because I wouldn't have the resources to buy him a real orange car, even if it came with cheap auto insurance quotes and all!

Since I was avoiding the malls like the plague, I was on a high when I stumbled upon this... This orange cutie can be yours for every purchase of at least three of KK's Reese donut varieties. What's more, you get a chance to win a trip for two (2) to watch a National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) Sprint Cup featuring UAW-Dodge 400 Race in Las Vegas on March 2009 and store tour at Krispy Kreme Las Vegas! Prize also includes 4 days & 3 nights accommodation, P50,000 pocket money & airfare.

Coolness!

Krispy Kreme Factory Stores:

Ayala Avenue
Ground Floor, Jaka Building, Makati City
Opens 6:00 am daily

Bonifacio High Street
Bonifacio, Global City, Taguig city
Opens 6:00 am daily

Gateway
Ground Floor of Gateway Mall, Cubao, Quezon City

Glorietta 4
Glorietta 4, Main entrance, Makati City

Greenhills Shopping Center
San Juan, Metro Manila, drive-thru store
Opens 5:30 am daily

Robinsons Galleria
Ortigas Ave, Quezon City

SM Mall of Asia
G/F, Entertainment Mall Pasay City

SM Megamall
Upper G/F, building B, Mandaluyong City
Opens 8:00 am daily

Trinoma
Cinema level, Trinoma, Quezon City

THE LAST HURRAH

Consider this your retail education online. Greet the new year with a bang with a doze of shopping therapy...

Ayala Malls Welcome 2009 Sale. Mallwide from January 2 to 18, 2009.

Glorietta: The Big Handover Sale (Glorietta 1 to Glorietta 5). Discounts and prizes up to December 31, 2008.

Araneta Center / Gateway Grand Clearance Sale. Up to 70% off on items up to January 18, 2009.

Mango Sale. Up to 50% off on selected items.

The Body Shop Year End Sale. Up to 50% off on selected items up to January 8, 2009.

Cinderella Year End Sale. Up to 60% off on items from Esprit, U2, British India, Clarks, NafNaf, Oshkosh B Gosh, Pierre Cardin, Seventeen, C Women, and Cinderella Kids up to February 1, 2009.

Celebrity Bazaar at Festival Supermall. Multi Exhibit Network, Second Level Mini Trade Hall up to December 31, 2008.

Happy shopping!

FALLEN FOR FELY J's

The testament of being true blue Pinoy is the way one craves for comfort food even if he or she has been away from Pinas for a long time. And so it came as no surprise when my balikbayan Uncle Jamie (who's been one of my favorite food buddies this year) asked us to make a side trip to Fely J's during his recent hunt for furniture, fixtures and Kohler faucets for his brand new condo.

Fely J’s is a modern Filipino bistro located at the fresh Greenbelt 5. The restaurant is decorated to look like a privileged home, with memoirs of the late Fely J all around. The place fills up quickly on a daily basis, whether for lunch or dinner.

Ever the trooper (he is actually, a San Francisco trooper aka policeman, by the way! Hehehe!), Uncle Jamie agreed to try some out-of-the-ordinary Pinoy fare. And all of them, taste and presentation-wise, were EXTRAordinary! Check out what we ordered to accompany our Sinigang na Bangus Belly (vanished into thin air before I could even take a picture of it!):

Dilis Rice

Crispy SuaheAdobo with Roasted GarlicKangkong sa Gata

Fely J's prices are reasonable, whether for two diners or eight. You get good value for money, since the place is not pretentious and the comfort level is high. Highly recommended for family get togethers and for dates with balikbayan friends.

Fely J's Restaurant

2nd Level Greenbelt 5
Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila
+632.728.8858

PILIPINAS KONG MAHAL

Thanks to good friend A's lead, I was able to discover Rhett Eala's My Pilipinas line for Collezione. Cool huh?

Rhett Eala, a renowned fashion designer turned the Philippine map into an iconic fashion symbol through Collezione C2’s My Pilipinas the Series. This is indeed a reinvention of the 36-year old Collezione brand which has made a mark on the Philippine fashion scene by producing locally-made casuals with that ubiquitous key logo. This new line of clothing is part of Collezione C2’s effort to promote Filipino talent, artistry, and most of all--nationalism.

I got a few pieces of this for my father and his brothers who are all based in the States, thinking it would be a wonderful alternative to the usual Yuletide gift of New York Yankees tickets. Now, even though he is thousands of miles away, my Papa will literally and figuratively have us near his heart. :)

Collezione C2

Galleria
+632.6335069

Trinoma
+632.9151701

Market! Market!
+632.7582147

Ermita
+632.5237028

For questions or inquiries, please call 671.2770, or email info@collezione-c2.com

SOAKED AT THE SOUK

Featuring over 80 designers and entrepreneurs, with products far from the usual trinkets, housewares and office supplies, the Yuletide Souk was a worthy stopover for that last minute shopping frenzy. For just around P1,000.00, I was able to score these:

Hairbands at three for P100.00...
Glitter Pens at P100.00 each...A statement shirt for my nephew, A who lives with my Minipin, Hugo. A steal at P200.00...
A vintage necklace for my family monita named "Vogue" for P400.00...
A welcome bonus was this limited edition CD which I won at the bazaar raffle. I just learned too that this is not sold commercially.Happy.

SOUNDS FAMILY

Four Christmases is a good-natured Christmas dramedy is about San Francisco couple Brad (Vaughn) and Kate (Witherspoon) always dodge their Yuletide family reunions. Unfortunately, they finally run out of excuses when their vacation is cancelled. They now find themselves obliged to endure four celebrations with relatives young and old.

Their visits unearth not just laughs but also deep-rooted fears and secrets, causing them to take a good, hard look at their relationship with their families and with each other. Interestingly, it made me take a good look at my own family relations too! While not exactly original, this bit of festive froth is enough to make one smile.

Not up there, nor down there. Good to see if you've got time to kill. Otherwise, sit back and relax in your home theater seating and wait for the DVD. :)

SAY NO TO CRACK

Literally.

Tonight, while doing some last-minute Christmas wrapping (as always), I discovered that the glass top of our dining table had some cracks on it. Oh nose!!! No wonder the table has been feeling a bit wobbly lately!

This poses a huge problem especially since we've got a toddler in the household. Furthermore, this would surely place a dent on our already depleted Christmas fund. And it is not an expense that we could delay. Replacement of our tabletop is inevitable. Our dear dining table's job is done. The five years of family meals and great stories has now come to a close. I was particularly fond of our rectangular dining table, which I felt had the ideal size amongst the usual measurement of dining tables, for our family. A perfect mix of form and functionality indeed.

But as they say, the only thing permanent is change. So maybe, it was time for us to explore the host of square dining tables or round dining tables over at lombok.co.uk, an interesting furniture site which I stumbled upon while scouting around for homewares for my sil and bil.

I am positive I will find a worthy replacement.

LATEST GRILL THRILL

From the geniuses behind Red Crab, Hula-Hula, Heaven and Eggs, Fish Out of Water and Claw Daddy comes another culinary masterpiece--Texas Smoke 'Em. And boy, is the restaurant hot--literally and figuratively!

If you’re fond of tex-mex dishes, especially ribs, then this place is definitely recommended. Texas Smoke 'Em is a casual shack serving smoked barbecue--be it be the usual baby back ribs, beef ribs and chicken, plus the welcome addition of lamb ribs and sausages. The menu also offers other dishes like Mexican wraps, tacos, burritos and enchiladas, as well as cold beer and margaritas.
The ribs are not your usual fall-off-the-bone kind, but tender and tasty (authentic smoked flavor), nonetheless. Servings are customizable--fit to feed a single diner, a hungry pair, or even a pack of four.

The kick-ass complement to the smoked dishes are not the ordinary sidings either--Ancho-chili corn, Texas chunky chili, chorizo rice, black bean rice, fried plantain cakes, fried chayote, and a whole lot more.

I've heard rave reviews of their stews, Fish and Chips, Chicken Mole and the Tres Leches dessert--all the more reason why I'd love to go back to TSE. Well maybe on my birthday :)

Texas Smoke 'Em
Greenbelt 3 (near the Red Box
3/F Greenbelt 3
Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. +632.7283056

SLOWLY BUT SURELY

The Haligi and I discovered that it is less stressful to go Christmas shopping if we hit the malls around 8pm onwards. Traffic is close to nil as most of the mall rats have already gone home. That leaves us with nearly empty mall spaces to explore.

Admittedly, we started Christmas shopping a bit late (as always). But we're glad that slowly but surely, we've ticked off a few more items off our shopping list. We've also scored more gifts during our mall visit tonight, and have already made notes on which stuff to buy for our other godchildren tomorrow (we've got tons of them!). Particular toughies are our godchildren who are in their tweens. Oh what to do?

I wish we had access to more funky apparel like those shown in the pictures I've come across while researching about online college courses. Oh if only...

B IS FOR BARGAIN

Look at what I scored during a recent visit to the NBC Tent after postponing, yet again, our replacement hunt for our tv stands...
I bought these for my neices and office buddies, with the initials and colors chosen carefully to match their names and personality. Bet you'd never guess how much I spent for these!

Tagged Personalized Shop
SM Megamall Bldg. B, 3/F
+63921.2977960
+63917.8987658
tagged2004@yahoo.com

THE TWILIGHT THANG

As a Yuletide treat for myself, I've been googling like crazy for the local Twilight merch for sale over the net. Luckily, I remembered to contact a formar bazaar partner specializing in statement shirts. The shirts we had made sold like pancakes at NBC since we first introduced them in 2006. And they're going places now, having a fixed "puwesto" at Shell Magallanes. Naks naman!

To complement my old Mrs. Scofield, Seriously and Team McDreamy statement shirts I was hoping I would score one bearing a photo of the Cullens with their baseball bats and gear. However, me thinks I will settle for this...
Are you one of us?

Fab Series Shirts
http://fabseries.multipy.com
+639175320017

PHONE HOME

Because home is where the heart is. In addtion to travel deals, here's something you could secure for your balkbayan loved ones...Smart’s Plug ‘N Talk is the first communication device in the Philippines that allows those outside the country to call and text from an Internet-connected PC to any Philippine mobile and landline number using their Smart SIM at close to Philippine local rates.

Filipinos abroad can now call any landline or mobile number in the Philippines using the Internet at a low price! Now how cool is that?

CRUNCH TIME

How is your Christmas shopping coming along. Mine is experiencing a major slowdown. Helppp!

With just a few days left till Santa makes his official appearance, here are some leads for those who are late into the shopping game.Since we don't have the luxury of those great Black Friday deals here in Pinas, let's just make the most of these retail opportunities.

Takbo, bilis, takbo!

BASTA PASTA

Hindi ko uurungan. And these new entrants into the pasta playing field seem to be interesting options. Must.try.soon.

IT'S A TWILIGHT THING

As a Yuletide treat for myself, I've been googling like crazy for the local Twilight merch for sale over the net. Luckily, I remembered to contact a formar bazaar partner specializing in statement shirts. The shirts we had made sold like pancakes at NBC (and I bet they'd do well at those sales at campuses and online colleges too) since we first introduced them in 2006. And they're going places now, having a fixed "puwesto" at Shell Magallanes. Naks naman!

To complement my old Mrs. Scofield, Seriously and Team McDreamy statement shirts I was hoping I would score one bearing a photo of the Cullens with their baseball bats and gear. However, me thinks I will settle for this...
Are you one of us?

Fab Series Shirts
http://fabseries.multipy.com
+639175320017

CHILLIN' AT CHILI'S

The Haligi asked me to join him for a nightcap. I grabbed the opportunity since I wanted to discuss the recent term life insurance rates submited by our broker-aunt. What sealed that deal was that we were to eat at one of our favorite Tex-Mex hangouts--Chili's.

My mate knows me so well. He ordered most of our faves...

Or probably he just wanted to shut me up while he downed six beers. Haha.

Goodbye, diet. Goodbye. See you in 2009! Hehehe!

A-OK CPK

The CPK menu is rather eclectic. Boasting of over 20 variants on its pizza menu alone, CPK fare interestingly ranges from Italian, to American, to Asian, to European, to Mediterranean, and so on and so forth. Limitless possibilities indeed.While most people choose to dine at CPK because of their pizzas, what draws me back to this pizza haven is their refreshing choices of salads. The Barbecue Chopped Chicken Salad, a heaping plate of shredded lettuce, bite-sized barbecue chicken, white corn, sliced jicama, black beans, diced tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese, and tortilla strips, drizzled with herb ranch and barbecue dressing, is by far, my favorite salad of all time.
CPK pizzas boast of crisp wood-fired white crusts that are of medium thickness–just like your average hand-tossed pie. A CPK favorite of M and mine is the Grilled Garlic Shrimp pizza, which comes sans the tomato sauce, but is loaded with a generous serving of fresh prawns and mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, and lotsa garlic--definitely a dating no-no. Hehehe!We paired our pizza order with the Kung Pao Linguini which comes with tender chicken morsels, scallions, chilies and peanuts, all tossed in a semi-sweet and spicy hoisin cum peanut sauce. Another CPK favorite is the Broccoli and Sundried Tomato Fusilli. I made a mental note to order that next time.

To cap this perfect combination of pasta, pizza and chika, M and I had warmed chocolate souffle served ooohhh-lalA-MODE for dessert! Sighhh.
As always, my CPK experience never fails to put a smile on my face.

Happy. Happy. Happy.

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN

Alabang
2nd Level, Activity Center
Muntinlupa City
Telephone: (632) 850-5771
Fax: (632) 850-5782

Tomas Morato
243 Tomas Morato cor Fuentabella Street
Quezon City
Telephone: (632) 372-7371 to 72
Fax: (632) 372-7370

Glorietta
1st Level, Glorietta 3
Makati City
Telephone: (632) 893-9898, (632) 893-9999
Fax: (632) 867-2115

Shangri-La Mall
2nd Level, Mandaluyong City
Telephone: (63 2) 687-7841 to 42
Fax: (632) 687-7840

Power Plant Mall
2nd Level, Makati City
Telephone: (632) 895-3447, (632) 895-5250

Greenhills Promenade
Ground Level, San Juan
Telephone: (632) 725-7377

TriNoma Mall
Telephone: (632) 901-3881 to 82

THE KICK-OFF

Yesterday, the first day of December was a major milestone for me. It marked the official start of my Christmas shopping spree (more of sprint, as I am doing everything at the last minute, as always).

No biggie though. I just bought some pieces of these magnetic safari coloring sets as my son's Christmas gift for his classmates, for only $2.00 each!The trip to the mall was crazy, considering that it was just the first day of December. Just imagine how horrifying it could get, as Christmas draws near.

With that in mind, I am seriously considering online shopping as an option. I wish we had comprehensive online shopping sites like ebillme.com, which contains a wide array of Yuletide gift options. I found interesting alternatives for the Haligi, the Haligilet and even for myself. I'm also considering this as gift to the family...
Speaking of ebillme.com, bloggers out there may be interested to join the ebillme referral contest, which is giving away as much as $500.00 to netizens, just by blogging about it. More details here.

Happy shopping and happy blogging!