Travel Memories and Inspirations for Future Destinations

I love traveling! Most of my travels are with friends and locally. I would love to travel solo one of these days and see how that feels.

I love traveling because I get to meet new people, experience local culture, local food (even if it sometimes leads me astray from eating healthy), and of course, fun and unique memories. A side benefit is you get to bond with your friends and companions.

Vegetarian Find: Grilled Vegetables Burrito @ Mexicali, The Block

When you're trying your darn best to eat healthy but you need to eat outside of your house a lot, finding a vegetarian version of your favorite food is cause for celebration. I felt like I wanted to celebrate when I found out that Mexicali offers a Grilled Vegetables Burrito.

But did it taste just as good as the meaty variety? I ordered one to find out.

Healthy Skin with Human Heart Nature's 100% Natural Healthy Lotion

Aside from trying to eat healthy to feel good, all-natural skincare products are also a good way to keep ourselves healthy on the outside. Human Heart Nature is one company that provides these kinds of products and as a fan of theirs, I have been trying out a lot of their products.

HHN 100% Natural Healthy Lotion in Powder Love scent (Php199.75 for 200ml)

A lotion that has become my favorite recently is their 100% Natural Healthy Lotion, not just for the health benefits but also for the addicting smell without the addicting chemicals, of course.

Going Japanese at Oki Oki Japanese Restaurant

After some (window) shopping with a friend, we decided to get something Japanese to treat our taste buds and tummies. But we also wanted something that wouldn't make our wallets cry out so we decided to check out one Japanese resto that we kept passing by near the ground floor entrance of Trinoma. It was the Oki Oki Japanese Restaurant.

We checked out their menu, and we decided that their prices were ok too! So in we went to satisfy our tummies.

Kimchi and Ice Cream Lunch

A mentally (or psychologically) stressful meeting can make one really hungry. Being the foodies that we were (we do love to eat), we also had to satisfy not just our stomachs but also our sense of sight and smell. For today, we not only had a filling lunch, we also enjoyed a delicious dessert.

Kimchi and Bulgogi Bibimbap (Php185.00)

We wanted to get ourselves something hearty and really filling for lunch and from prior experience, The Clubhouse at Robinson's Magnolia was the perfect place to enjoy that. The Clubhouse offers a lot of food choices from international cuisine and puts a Pinoy twist to them. I was on a Korean and Japanese food craving so their Kimchi and Bulgogi Bibimbap (Php185.00) caught my fancy.

How To Become The Next Big Food Entrepreneur This Holiday Season

Aside from being the country’s premier night food market destination, MercatoCentrale has helped give birth to some of the country’s newest and most innovative food concepts.  Popular chains like Manang’s Chicken, Merry Moo Ice Cream, Mochiko, Brasas Latin American Street Food, Spring by Ha-Yuan, Kristina’s Premium Inutak, Baked by Anita, and many more started off as food stalls in MercatoCentrale before they became successful food businesses.

But prior to their multi-million food ventures, many of these entrepreneurs started off as home-based food businesses or just passionate cooks and bakers who had a pioneering food concept, unique style of cooking, or a secret or heirloom recipe that they ‘incubated’ in the MercatoCentrale food market.

Purple Morning Smoothie

Word of the benefits of juicing fruits and veggies are all around the internet and I very much want to be part of the juicing community too. However, if like me, you can't afford a good juicer just yet, there is a cheaper alternative in the form of smoothies. For this one, you're blender becomes your best friend.

Here's a brightly colored and delicious smoothie to start your day!

The original recipe is actually for a juice but I made mine a smoothie. I saw it on my Facebook news feed but it came from this page where you can read more about the benefits of this juice.

Workout of the Month: Cardio Ballet Workout

We all want to feel good. Feeling good also usually means you like what you see in the mirror. That's why I've been experimenting with different exercise routines. I'll be trying out different ones every month.

Source: ClubFitnessLC

Since I'm liking the results of my experiments so far, I am sharing with you guys my favorite workout routines. Now, I'm no fitness expert but I am passionate about keeping myself healthy so hopefully my experiments also benefit you.

Facing the Day with the Right Make-up On

So long since my last post but here I am again because writing is my go-to outlet for recharging.

Source: Women's Health

I've been addicted to YouTube surfing recently since I discovered English subs of Korean shows. Sometimes though, you find some interesting and thought-provoking gems like this one.

Showcase of Men's Fashion at Style Origin, Trinoma

It was my first time to go to a fashion show, and a man's fashion show at that so I was quite excited to go. I had invited along 2 of my gal pals but I ended up going alone. Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself because I met new friends and enjoyed the show.

Style Origin is an annual Ayala Malls lifestyle project launched in Greenbelt last May and is currently making its way through 12 premier Ayala Malls destinations.

Be Free from Dandruff with "Flakes, Release Me" from De Boer Organiques

Ever since I started using natural and organic products, I have been rid of many beauty and health issues. One major issue that I had then was having thin and brittle hair. But with the use of organic shampoo, my hair started to grow stronger and longer at a faster rate. Plus, with the helpf of an organic scap treatment product, I was able to grow my hair even thicker.

However, one recurring issue that I have been trying for so long to get rid off was seasonal dandruff. Seasonal because this usually becomes a problem during the hot and cold months: summer when my scalp becomes too oily and the "ber" months when my scalp becomes too dry.

Lunch in the Middle of the Sea at Manlawi Sandbar, Caramoan

I had recently gone on a summer escapade with some friends to escape the summer heat and the general stress of our daily lives to have some fun, experience new things and hopefully, come back refreshed and energized to face our daily responsibilities.

Our first destination was Caramoan, the island-hopping paradise where we were sure to get lots of sea and sun and sky. Of course, we brought along lots of sunblock because we had no desire to end up looking like toast in the middle of this paradise. (We ended up darker than we anticipated anyway but no regrets!)

Experience New Zealand at Glorietta with Singapore Airlines

MANILA, Philippines – The New Zealand Embassy, has partnered with Singapore Airlines and Glorietta as they bring together this year’s ‘Experience New Zealand at Glorietta with Singapore Airlines’, a fair to be held at the Glorietta Activity Center, Palm Drive from June 20 to 22, 2014. The fair will give Filipino travelers a foretaste of the finest New Zealand has to offer, from a variety of delicious food and fresh produce, to the best travel deals to New Zealand’s picturesque cities.

In line with Ayala Malls’ commitment in providing innovative and rewarding experiences to shoppers, Glorietta shoppers will also be given the chance to experience New Zealand for themselves as Singapore Airlines and the New Zealand Embassy are giving away two ‘Experience New Zealand’ packages to Auckland, one for 6 days and 5 nights, and the other for 5 days and 4 nights, inclusive of round-trip economy class tickets via Singapore Airlines, accommodations and tours.

City Food Pics at the Magnolia Residences - Part 2

More delicious treats from the City Food Picks tour. Let's get to them right away.

HOUSE OF SILVANAS
This home-based business has come a long way since it was first established in 1995. They now have branches in different malls in Metro Manila.

City Food Picks at The Magnolia Residences - Part 1

The Universe does respond to requests. I've been checking out condo units just to get a feel for condo living and of course to find something that would be my inspiration for the future.

I had also been inactive in blogger events for awhile so it was truly a welcome surprise to be invited to The Magnolia Residences City Food Picks. I was sure there was going to be food involved but to get to see their condo units too meant that I was hitting 2 goals with this 1 event.

Lots of Fun in The SandBox at Alviera

Me and my cousins had a fun Saturday last week at the newest adventure park - The SandBox at Alviera. Instead of having to spend the time lounging at home, I was glad I got to experience some physicall challenges and even learned a new skill.

Alviera is "a 1,125-hectare township designed to seamlessly combine urban living with nature." We had nature surrounding us indeed as mountains and vast meadows greeted us everywhere we looked.

Ana Santos: On the Field, On Sex and Sensibilities

This is supposed to be the first post I should have written in this series for last year's 1st Health Bloggers Meet - Kapit-bisig para sa Kalusugan Pangkalahatan: Iulat, Ipahayag, at Isulong, a collaborative effort of The Philippine Health Bloggers Society, International Youth Council Pilipinas and HealthActivist.ph.

Unfortunately, I think I'm the type who can only write about stuff in the order that they are presented or experienced. I'm organized that way and that's generally how I'm able to translate my thoughts unto words or paper. It's like my memory works on a first-in, first-out system.

Guidelines on Eating for Health and Healing

Still from the things I learned in last year's 1st Health Bloggers Meet - Kapit-bisig para sa Kalusugan Pangkalahatan: Iulat, Ipahayag, at Isulong, a collaborative effort of The Philippine Health Bloggers Society, International Youth Council Pilipinas and HealthActivist.ph.

In my previous post, I shared what I learned about our health care system and what we can do to support efforts to make it better.

Vision for A Better Health Care System in Our Country

Posting something from an event last year again. I have lots to post other than this, but I cannot get over the things I learned during last year's 1st Health Bloggers Meet - Kapit-bisig para sa Kalusugan Pangkalahatan: Iulat, Ipahayag, at Isulong. This was a collaborative effort of The Philippine Health Bloggers Society, International Youth Council Pilipinas and HealthActivist.ph.

There were a lot of things to learn from the whole day event and I cannot get over them until I share them, or at least some of them because it was information overload really, so here goes.

Tri-mona Healthy Dining and The Goddess Workout

Last year, (on December 14, 2013) me and a friend attended the 1st Health Bloggers Meet - Kapit-bisig para sa Kalusugan Pangkalahatan: Iulat, Ipahayag, at Isulong. This was a collaborative effort of The Philippine Health Bloggers Society, International Youth Council Pilipinas and HealthActivist.ph.

Mustard greens as wrap for the delicious filling.

Unlike most events we go to, this was a whole day affair. We didn't regret it however because our time was worth it. We learned many things on how to improve our health and quality of life and we were also introduced to firsthand information on the current state and issues and concerns that need solutions to make our health care system more efficient and accessible to those who need it most.

New (Out)Look for the New Year

Happy new year everyone! I won't be posting any resolutions for this year but I do wish everyone to have success with theirs as I endeavor to reach my own goals.

To start the year, I decided to give this blog a little makeover to start off some of the changes I want to implement for the rest of the year. Perhaps a change of color scheme will keep this blog looking interesting and also keep me interested in writing and posting regularly.