OUR AWESOME PLANET

Happy Thanksgiving and the Birth of the The ULTIMATE Kapampangan Show-off!

Happy Thanksgiving! To celebrate Thanksgiving, we ate turkey at Hizon's, Malate where they have institutionalized the Turkey meal in their menu every Thursday. You have an option of having potatoes or kamote as your side dish. They have perfected this for the Filipino taste.

Hizon's Cakes & Pastries is an institution in Malate and has been there since 1946! I loved their raisin bread :) Some people like their ensaymada and other treats.

Hizon's Cakes & Pastries Manila
1197 Jorge Bocobo corner Arquiza Sts, Ermita, Manila
Telephone: +632 524-8790, +632 536-3993

This is where we gave birth to The ULTIMATE Kapampangan Show-off! It is all set for Dec. 15, Saturday 7.30am to 12 midnight. Tour cost is P4,500. I will do a detailed post on this. This will be the best Pampanga tour ever by people who love Pampanga!

Special Cultural Tour!
The ULTIMATE Kapampangan Show-off!

"Journey to the Northern heartland as we immerse ourselves in things Kapampangan! From Baroque to Betute, its fun-filled day as we poke around and get intimate with the very best of Pampanga's cultural offerings. Gawk at the jewel-box of church in Betis while wading through the lahar-buried town of Bacolor. We'll stuff ourselves silly with the best Kapampangan fare by one of the country's best known Pampango chefs! To it cap-off, we'll have front-row view of the most dazzling display of Kapampangan artistry- the Ligligan Parul Festival of San Fernando! A tour with nothing but Kapampangan cool!"

The Tour Experience
* Betis Church* Town of Bacolor*Claude Tayag's Bale Dutung Restaurant* Pampanga Specilaty Shops* Ligligan Parul Festival in San Fernando
  
This tour is brought to you by Our Awesome Planet, Ivan About Town, Manila Boy and Old Manila Walks .

Snow World @ Star City

How much would you pay to see the World Ice Art Championships Ice Sculpture in Manila?
How much would you pay to enjoy the longest ice slide in Asia?
How much would you pay to experience real snow @ -15 degrees in the tropical paradise of Manila?

For P160/ person, you can experience the Snow World at Star City, CCP Complex. I had my doubts about entering the Snow World but it was the real thing -- real snow, real ice sculpture and real ice slide!

Snow World Manila features the Ice carvings of World Ice Sculpture Arts Champion Frankie Lee together with Jeffrey Ng at Theo Ghee of Singapore. (This was in the press release but I can't seem to find their names in the World Ice Art Championships' winners) "The World Ice Art Championships is an ice sculpting contest in Fairbanks, Alaska put on by Ice Alaska every May. The contest is the largest of its kind in the world and attended by more than 100 sculptors from 30 different countries every year." (wikipedia).

Winter Wonderland Entertainment partnered with Star City to bring the Snow World from Indonesia to Manila. They made it bigger and created a longer ice slide of about 68 meters long. The slide is not recommended for kids because they might be off balance and hit their head on the ice.

The entire place was -15 degrees celcius and water turns into snow with this temperature. In fact, I only lasted for 10 minutes inside Snow World and I was already freezing even my camera and tripod. I don't know if my SLR can withstand the negative cold temperature. After I exiting, the ice formed on the camera started to melt and I was constantly wiping the water off the SLR.

Related Posts:
Photographing Ice with Digital Camera
10 Reasons why Star City is the Place to be

Manila Ocean Park?

Since we are on the topic of M/V Doulos, and Manila Bay Cruise, I am super excited to see Manila Ocean Park. The Manila Ocean Park is the "Philippines’ first state-of-the-art Oceanarium, open water marine habitat, boutique mall, restaurant row and function facilities all located in one complex at the back of the Quirino Grandstand" (Official Website: Manila Ocean Park).

I can't wait to see if it lives up to its promise or would it be just another marketing hype. I just visited the location and it is nowhere near completion by Dec. 15 of this year. I do hope they open a part of it before Christmas.

Related Posts: Manila Ocean Park to open in December

MV Doulos is back!

Read: Doulos Bookstore: The Floating Bookstore in Manila
Official Website: Doulos. Bringing knowledge, help and hope.

It is now currently docked in Batangas and will go back to Manila on Nov 29th until Christmas (Dec. 26, 2007). During the visit to Batangas, the vessel is undergoing a routine period of maintenance that takes place annually. (see: Where's The Water Gone?) The best time to go is on the first day it is opened to the public. All of the best books would be gone by that time.

Can anyone give our family a tour of M/V Doulos? Aidan would love to go around a big ship. It will be a surprise for him and syoti this coming December :)

Manila Bay Cruise by Metrostar Ferry @ Mall of Asia

Mall of Asia complex is already an integral part of Aidan's childhood memories. Every time we would go out, Aidan would say "go to SM" or "go to Mall of Asia". I don't want to sound like an endorser of SM but it is now part of our daily conversation with Aidan.

Another awesome addition in the MOA complex is the Metrostar Ferry Manila Bay Cruise. For P120, you can enjoy a one-hour round trip around Manila Bay. Aidan love boats too so having a one-hour ferry ride was awesome! Most of the Manila Bay cruises have disappeared already when the Manila Baywalk was cleaned up by Mayor Lim.

The Metro Ferry dock is located beside The Shrine of Jesus, The Way, The Truth and the Life (Church across Mall of Asia). I would recommend to take the sunset cruise (5.00pm) or the evening cruise (6.30pm) on Fri/Sat/Sun in time for the MOA fireworks. (I need to check the exact time again because the soft opening departure hours are different from the regular schedule. Please comment if you know the actual schedule.)

Food From The Heart - a Gourmet Charity Dinner by Executive Chef, Mike Figdor

Food From The Heart will benefit 250 residents at Golden Acres. This institution is open for males and females over the age of 60 who were abandoned, neglected and needy. The event hopes to raise enough money to provide residents with the following items:

• Healthy snacks
• Daily Vitamins
• Soap
• Shampoo
• Towels
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Clothing

Requested Items for the whole institution:

• Laundry Soap
• Janitorial Supplies
• Medical Dressing Set
• Minor Surgery Kits

A Christmas gathering on the 15th of December is also in line with these donations. Hearty food prepared by our chefs, a small program, games, gifts, possibly even ballroom dancing and karaoke for their enjoyment.

We have just visited the institution and have been deeply touched by our now extended lolo's and lola's. Their warm welcome to us despite being strangers was truly a heartwarming experience.

The team behind Essentiel Events is counting on your support. Thank you!

For more information: Food From the Heart by Essential Events

Ahiya Aidan meets Syoti Josh for the first time...

Rache recalls the first encounter of Aidan with syoti, Josh:

" The first time Aidan saw his brother, ang tanong sa akin, "Ma, sino
yan?" (i know, nakakatawa no?) then i told him, si syoti...naku,
ngumiti na at natuwa! hi syoti, ang sabi! Aidan kept on touching
syoti...marunong siya kasi dahan dahan nya hinimas si syoti. Game na
game makipagpicture with his syoti. Now that we're home, everytime he
hears Joshua cries, he would run and shout that Syoti is crying...and
sometimes would ask, why is syoti crying...he likes to touch
syoti...at halik halikan! Kaya kitang kita namin na mahal niya si
syoti. So far, di naman sya masyado nagpapakita ng selos. Today,
when he saw syoti nagmeme, he asked for it...it is one sign na siguro,
nagseselos...hopefully, di naman sya gaanong magselos kasi we still
spend time with him since tulog lang naman si syoti ng tulog. "

(Note: In Chinese, the oldest kuya is called Ahiya and
the younger brother is called Syoti and younger sister is called Siobe)

After Krispy Kreme, HOOTERS is opening in Manila!

Hooters in Manila? Yes/No. The Hooters Sports Bar & Restaurant that opened in Pasay City along Diosdado Macapagal was just trying to be funny. It tries to capitalize on the Hooters name until the real Hooters opens in the Fort by year 2008.

" HOOTERS, the American restaurant made famous by its buxomy beautiful babes, will be opening its first outlet in the Philippines at The Fort entertainment strip in Taguig City. This was confirmed by Kaz Endo, managing director and partner of Paradise Wings Llp., a Guam-based company which owns the Hooters franchise for Guam and Asia, including the Philippines...construction is ongoing at the restaurant, which will open its doors to the public by February 2008. " (Coming soon at The Fort: the Hooters By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo BusinessMirror)

Spanx, Manila Boy is very excited in his blog post: HOOTERS!!! which represent the sentiments of most Filipino men:

"The CHICKEN WINGS will make me very happy. I mean, really... just the wings!!! "

I'm not sure if Market Manila is equally excited to hear that the Hooter's Buffalo Chicken Wings will now be available in Manila! Manila's restaurant scene is getting hotter. I will bet that Hooters Manila will be a lot better than the Hooters Singapore version.

I am excited, are you?