Thursday, September 24, 2009

Lobby, Manila Peninsula



The Lobby of The Peninsula Manila turned 33 last Sept. 14, 2009 and the halo halo harana, pancit luglog and schueblig were highlights of its 33rd anniversary celebration. The "grande dame" of Makati offered the three dishes at their historical 1976 prices!!!


“The Lobby is known for its classics,” says the hotel food and beverage director, Laurent le Deu. “It’s what keeps our patrons coming back year after year. All three items are pure classics, they have been on our menu since day one.”


How much did the halo halo harana, pancit luglog and schueblig cost back in 1976? All three items were priced at P33 each in 1976. Last Sept. 14, 2009 the yummy trio was selling at The Lobby for only P33 each!!!


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

MAPSA: A surprisingly efficient releasing center

It was a monday afternoon when my wife and I decided last minute to pick up a few things in the grocery. We were at the junction of Pasong Tamo St. and Arnaiz Ave waiting for the stoplight and the next thing we knew, the Makati MAPSA officer walked up to my window and asked us very politely to surrender my license. The violation.. CODING! No excuses there.
The next day was a pleasant experience at the MAPSA releasing center along Malugay St. Makati City.
Altho most of the employees of the bureau working that day were also busy watching the Sen. Jinggoy Estrada's 'privilege speech' in the senate hearing.. It barely took more than 10 min. for me to go from window 2 to 4.. and finally get back my license. The fine, PHP 300.00

I went straight home.. and was able to catch this beautiful sunset from our balcony. All photos were taken using my Nokia 5000.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Buon Giorno! Cliff House, Tagayay

My wife and I really planned for this trip days in advance. from preparing expressed milk both ready to drink and frozen, to keeping track of weather and traffic on-line during the days leading to the target departure time. This was a restaurant that we wanted to experience as a family. Why?

Very good, down to earth 'traditional' italian cooking! This was the Canneloni Spanci. The method of cooking and ingredients used were so simple, you can easily figure out how to cook it at home. And yes, this is what good italian food is all about- simple, easy, basic ingredients.. full of flavor! No shortcuts or 'fusion' cooking here that's for sure...
Even our 2 month daughter agrees! She really enjoyed our seat outside. The wind was cool and we all shared just one large  sofa-seat. It was large enough that we were able to change her 'nappies' after we had lunch!
Again, the desert was fantastic! Pictured here is Buon Giorno's very own soft dark and warm chocolate pudding, topped with home made pastillas ice cream to die for! yummy indeed!
Finally! we have a picture of our baby amidst the famous taal lake view!
side note: all photos were taken using my wife's vintage nikkor lens.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Tapella, Greenbelt 5


Tapella Bistro & Bar was our first mid-afternoon 'tapas' date. I've read that 'tapas' is best experienced with a glass of your favorite 'soft' cocktail or easy white wine. The ambience of this part of Greenbelt 5 this particular late afternoon was cool and wet, so my wife and I chose to stay at the al-fresco portion near the bar just outside the restaurant. A bit pricey but the quality of food was good enough to keep you full and maybe resort to a very light dinner afterwards.
Where was our 7-week old daughter this time?... with my in-laws of course!
I can't wait for our next family foodie adventure! This time with Una Isabella.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Little Tokyo, Pasong Tamo Makati



Newly renovated! Little Tokyo really captures the look and feel of a typical downtown city in japan. Quaint food shops and noodle "soba" cafe are found here as customer traffic usually peaks right after work hours 'till early evening.
There is still space tho for a small but authentic "zen" garden right at the middle of the common grounds. Large heavy wooden chairs make for a cozy experience underneath the large traditional japanese lanterns.
'Hana' probably the smallest "homise" amongst the area was where I decided to take out the best 'takuyaki' (octopus balls).
Here, the japanese owner cooking right outside the cafe while the charcoal grill right beside him was being prepped up for some japanese grilled fish.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Tropical Palms, Makati

The love of Una Isabella's lola is just overwhelming. Somehow at such an early stage, she already knows when it is her beloved "Mamu" cradling her. Her frown here did not last more than just a few seconds. Focusing this photo was the hardest part for me... as i was still mastering the vintage nikkor lens of my wife.
here is my favorite "cradle" position, i call it the "supergirl" maneuver!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Canon EOS 7D now official, coming end of September for $1,899

Canon's gone official with what everyone has already seen and read about in detail, the EOS 7D. Nothing new from the 5D Mark II except for the 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with 8 frames per second continuous shooting. Same solid pro body and 1080p HD video at 30p (29.97 fps), 24p (23.976 fps) and 25pwith full manual control, a 3-inch LCD, 19-point AF system, and wireless flash control is standard. Canon's press release as of this month (august 2009) Price is $1,699 body-only or $1,899 with an EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens, and target launch is set for end of September.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Maite's Birthday lunch w/ the kids!

September 5, 2009 - Here is a slideshow of our two youngest kids 1st family pictorial together
It was also my 1st time to shoot using a vintage nikkor lens. Manual focus and exposure all the way! Let me know what you think!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Appying the Internet Marketing Strategies

cinematiconcepts.com

Cinematiconcepts.com

(No reviews yet)
5,743,351
Traffic Rank
0.9 min/day
Avg. Time on Site
Sites Linking In
No data
Online Since

WOW!!! Big improvement since I first tried to get our web site's ranking last month (july 25, 2009). from top 25.9 million in the world.. up now to top 5.7 Million in the world!!! As I have mentioned before, there were internet marketing strategies that Rommel and I have been applying and so far it has been very positive. Then again.. the saying goes " Being at the bottom is a good thing! there is only one way to go - up!"
Here are some of the TOP FILIPINO websites and their respective rankings:

cebupacificair.com

Cebu Pacific Air

About Cebu Pacific Air (cebupacificair.com): The Philippines’ leading domestic carrier and low fare leader. CEB has the youngest fleet in the Philippines at just one year. Online booking to domestic and Asian destinations.
(No reviews yet)
15,810
Traffic Rank
7.2 min/day
Avg. Time on Site
Sites Linking In
15-Jan-1999
Online Since

ourawesomeplanet.com

OUR AWESOME PLANET

(No reviews yet)
165,726
Traffic Rank
3.5 min/day
Avg. Time on Site
Sites Linking In
No data
Online Since

gmanews.tv

GMANews.TV

About GMANews.TV (gmanews.tv): Official news website of GMA-7 containing news and RSS feeds from GMA News and Public Affairs, and video from GMA News programs 24 Oras and Saksi.
(No reviews yet)
4,888
Traffic Rank
6.5 min/day
Avg. Time on Site
Sites Linking In
No data
Online Since
 
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