OUR AWESOME PLANET

Random Thoughts on Branding the Philippines

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Download BrandingthePhilippines.pdf (975.8K)

I just want to share with you an interesting article on Branding the Philippines by Junie del Mundo and Robert de Quelen. You can download the entire article here: Download BrandingthePhilippines.pdf (975.8K). I would like to share with you my insights based on that article...

1. A Core Ingredient of the Philippine Brand is the Filipino People.

We need to instill in the hearts of every Filipino the deep sense of pride in our country. We grew up programmed to think negative of our country because of the corruptions in the government and negative publicity about our country. We need to start to be proud of "Made in the Philippines" products and appreciate our country even more. This has been the 3 year crusade of Our Awesome Planet. Each year, the passion to showcase the Philippines grows inside of me and one day I will dedicate my life to it.

Some practical tips for the new generation of Filipinos:
-- We literally stopped watching TV already because media is a bad influence to our kids.
-- Align your family to the "good side" of the Philippines and stay away from the "dark side" by choosing carefully the people you interact with.
-- Every Juan should travel and see the beauty of the Philippines. Start with Boracay, then El Nido, Palawan, and then Batanes.
-- Every March, go to Manila Bay and watch one of the Awesome Sunsets in the world.
-- Live a life of passion and fear of the Lord.

2. Filipinos key characteristics: Caring, Colorful, Creative, and Collaborative.
We need to showcase the caring, colorful, creative and collaborative traits of the Filipinos. It does not matter if you are based in the Philippines or in US. What matters is, we touched the lives of the people we encounter each day. Share with them the beautiful traits of the Filipinos.

Some practical tips for the new generation of Filipinos:
-- Let's continue to export nurses, doctors, musicians, IT people, to showcase to the world what Filipinos are made of. -- Develop Filipino websites that showcase the colorful and creative talents of the Filipinos.
-- Attend the Sinulog -- one of the best fiesta in the Philippines and showcases the 4C's of the Filipinos.
-- Appreciate the Halo Halo which is a metaphor for what it means to be a Filipino.
-- Be creative and free!

3. Change our "alila" paradigm instilled by the Spaniards and the Americans.
I hate it that we have this mentality that the Spaniards and Americans are more superior than the Filipinos. We are brainwashed during our childhood and this cycle should stop in this generation.

Some practical tips for the new generation of Filipinos:
-- Stop watching TV to stop the hollywood brainwashing.
-- Listen to OPM music each morning.
-- Buy proudly "Made in the Philippines" products.
-- Blog in Filipino (One of these days I'll launch a Filipino blog)
-- Celebrate the world class achievements of Filipinos.

Any thoughts or reactions on how we can have strengthen the Philippine brand?

Ultimate Kapampangan Tour 2: Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

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We are overwhelmed with the response from the tour and we got 35 reservations to date for the day tour. We are waiting for the payment to confirm their reservation. Also, we are opening up the overnight option so that you can witness the night glow of the balloons. At most, we would only accept 30 people maximum (for both day tour and overnight) because we want to continue to have quality interactions among the people joining the tour.

Well, not quite Manila but STILL close….

Really, another way to pump up your boring weekend and get your spirits soaring as we conquer the high and mighty in Pampanga! Gawk at the giant hot-air balloons at 12th Annual Philippine Hot Air Balloon Fiesta while poking around Pampanga’s culinary secrets. Lounge away in a rustic, relaxing farm retreat while feasting over a sumptuous Kapampangan spread by one the country’s most artistic restaurateurs. A feast for the body, mind and soul!

Tour Experience:

12th Philippine Balloon Fiesta* VFW Outpost * Abe’s Farm* Nurture’s Spa*

*This tour leaves Makati at 3 a.m. (yes 3:00 AM!) and includes front-ticket seats to the 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, an authentic American Soldier’s breakfast at the VFW Outpost, an optional five-hour hike up Mt. Arayat and a soothing massage at Nurture’s Spa.

Date: February 10, 2008, Sunday

Time: 3:00 am - 4:00 pm (yes, 3:00 AM!) Times are approximate.

Tour Cost: P4,800.00/head (includes -transfers, meals, tour, massage and others)

SPLURGE!

Go the extra mile…start a step ahead, spend an overnight stay and catch the spectacular ‘Night Glow” (think GIANT light bulbs floating in the sky) . Dine at one of the most acclaimed Italian restaurants this side of the Pacific. And to top it off, a one-of-kind walking tour as we bare it all and take down one of the country’s most famous Red-Light districts!

Tour Experience

*Balloon Fiesta ‘Night Glow’* C Italian Dining* Clark Red and Light District* 12th Philippine Balloon Fiesta* VFW Outpost * Abe’s Farm* Nurture’s Spa Pampanga

Date: February 9-10, 2008, Sunday

Time: February 09 at 3:00pm - February 10 at 4:00 pm

Tour Cost: P8,888.00/head (includes -transfers, hotels, meals, tour, massage, the works!)

This ADVENTURE tour is co-organized by:

Our Awesome Planet

Manila Boy

Ivan About Town

Old Manila Walks.

Hot Air Balloon Fiesta FAQs

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1. Do we really need to leave by 3am in the morning?
Yes you do. At the latest you should leave Manila by 3.30am. The Hot Air Balloons are inflated at around 5.30am and all of them fly out before 7am. If you arrive late, you will already experience the traffic going inside Clark and the parking queue would have build up by that time. I see people arriving in Clark at around 7am and they don't see the balloons anymore. I don't want that to happen to you.

2. Can we ride the Hot Air Balloon?
There are only 5 ways you can ride in the hot air balloon.
-- You can pay $150/ head for the ride
-- You win in the daily photo contest and win a ride in the balloons courtesy of SM
-- You are part of Media and you request to ride the balloon. You have higher chances to do this on Thursday but definitely not on the weekend.
-- You hosted the balloonist in Manila and they give you a free ride as a token of their appreciation.
-- You own a balloon or you have a relative that flies the balloon.

For the last two years I have been attending the festival, it continues to be a dream for me to ride a hot air balloon. I might just pay the $150  one of these days...

3. Can we get close to the Balloon?
The entrance fee to the festival is P100 and this will give you access to the general viewing area where you can see the balloon from a distance. Usually, they issue 100 special shooter's pass per day so that you can have a close encounter with the balloons. This year, the photo contest is sponsored by Epson and One Workshop. They sold the passes for P350 which includes, EPSON signature cap and a FREE entrance to attend the glamour fashion shoot and daily photo / digital retouching workshops. As of now, the passes are sold out and we manage to get the passes for our Ultimate Kapampangan Tour on Sunday Feb. 10.

4. Any recommendations on where to stay in Clark?
The most popular places are Clark Holiday Inn and Fontana. During our tour, we will have people stay in Oasis Hotel outside Clark.

5. What are the mechanics of the Photo Contest?

EPSON Photo Contest Mechanics

The EPSON Photo Contest Marathon is open to all visitors and guests of the 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.

Students, amateurs, hobbyists and professional photographer are welcome to use any digital SLR, digital point-and-shoot or cell phone camera to interpret the given theme for the day.

DAILY CONTEST THEMES

Day 1: Happiness and beauty:

e.g. nature, beautiful people, family, colors, camaraderie, hot air balloon formations etc

Day 2: Triumph, passion and love:

e.g human interest, event activities, decisive moments etc

Day 3: Majestic view:

e.g sunrise, sunset, landscape, cloud formations, nature etc

Day 4: Creative moment:

e.g Hot Air Balloons and Clark and Pampanga landscape in focus etc

Photos for all daily themes are allowed to show entire or partial logos, signage or references to the 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and/or EPSON.

Participants are allowed to submit multiple entries per daily theme.

Participants may win multiple daily prizes and compete for the Grand Prize.

6. What can you do in the festival?
The highlight of the festival is the take-off of the Hot Air Balloons in the morning. After all the balloons left, you can watch the micro light demonstrations, sky diving, small plane fly-bys, helicopter exhibitions and kite flying exhibitions. There is also a display of military tanks, planes and aerospace exhibits. Usually, we would go out after the balloons left and have a Pampanga food trip around the Angeles area. If time permits, we go back to see the night glow of the Hot Air Balloons. The only problem with the night glow is that everyone leaves after that and it creates a traffic jam going outside of Clark.

Do you have a question? Let me know so that I can answer them and share with you my experience regarding this festival.

Our Classic Confections

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GB5: Classic Confections

Nono’s Chocolate Oblivion (P145/ P895). Two light layers of chocolate filled with whipped chocolate cream and walnut praline bits.
Almond Crunch! Toffee candy ,made with whole roasted almonds and semi-sweet chocolate. Definitely, a crunch and a must try!

Our favorite dessert place in Greenbelt 5 is Classic Confections! We heard of them from the Pink Kitchen event and we are glad that they opened their first retail store in Greenbelt 5. I will let my wife Rache who is the blogger-of-the-week in Sanrio Town this week to share with you our experience:

GB5: Classic Confections by Mrs Awesome Planet

I'm proud that she is starting to be recognized as a blogger in her own right.

We love it so much that we decided to buy Aidan's Birthday Cake with a design of Lighting McQueen (P1,450) for his 3rd Birthday Celebration. We also bought Classic Confections' signature sugar coated cookies (P45/each) as a souvenir for the kids on Aidan's Birthday. Rache was disappointed with the size of the birthday cake (I did not intend to make it bigger in the photo above).

Classic Confections

2/F of Greenbelt 5

4/F 87 West Capitol Drive, Barrio Kapitolyo, Pasig City

+632.746.2773; +632.490.7896 (Kat) ; +632.729.9243; +63917.524.5892 (Baba)

The Tirta Spa Difference

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,m

What is the difference between a P250 Massage on the white sands beach of Bora and a P4,000 Massage in Tirta Spa in Boracay?

This debate went on and on in my mind. But the practical side of my brain is already losing the debate to the adventurous part who is yearning for a new spa experience in Boracay. Unfortunately, the debate happened when I was already in the main reception of Tirta Spa. At that time, all of my senses are now excited with the serenity and peacefulness of the place. Meeting the lovely owner, En Calvert, just fueled my desire to experience the unique spa packages that I have not seen even in Mandala Spa. It is the irrational side of me that won finally in the end because I can't resist how awesome this place is.

My Mandala Spa Experience

Let me share with you the Tirta Spa difference in Boracay...

"Tirta" is the Hindu word for "Holy Water".

The gates open to reveal a sacred paradise enveloping the spiritual healing powers of water and a private path that will take you on the road to relaxation, rejuvenation, restoration and renewal.

I've never seen such drama in any of the Spa in the Philippines. The Tirta Spa difference starts with its "contemporary old" gates guarded by two ugly guards. They are there not to scare you but to scare the evil spirits, evil thoughts, and evil intentions surrounding you. As you step past the yin yang and ascend into the gates, this entire scene reminded me of the time portal in Star Gate where it will transport you to a sacred paradise. Then you'll hear a gong to further remove the bad spirits clinging into your soul just like the scene in Spiderman 3 where the sound of the bells were used to drive away the evil Spiderman.

After the cleansing drama, 10 balinese guards holding a torch and an umbrella welcomes you to Tirta spa. I can just imagine how impressive this scene would be at night.

Tirta Spa is the manifestation of En Calvert's passion to bring the benefits of holistic spa experience to the Philippines.

"In 2001 I took the plunge and decided that I would commit the next stage of my life to becoming more holistic and helping to improve not only my own quality of life but also that of others and enrolled in college in Hong Kong. Thereafter followed four years of intensive study, graduating with diplomas in Physiology, Anatomy, Holistic Massage techniques, Aromatherapy and Spa Management, receiving certification from both ITEC (International Therapy Examination Council) and CIBTAC (Confederation of International Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology), the world's two most respected bodies in these fields.

"During that time, I also made several trips, with the aim of developing my holistic principles. Some of the more interesting experiences are worthy of mention. First was a retreat to Sedona, Arizona, organized by world-renowned aroma-therapist and psychotherapist Michael Scholes, where one was encouraged to delve into the deepest recesses of one's mind, problem-solving by focusing on root causes, rather than the conventional practice of treating only the symptoms. Another involved spending time with the doctors in Kerala, India, learning about the practices of Ayurvedic medicine. I have also visited Cape Town, South Africa, a recognized centre of holistic treatments where I studied crystal healing and Reiki and have spent time in Hawaii where I studied hot lava stone therapy." (About En Calvert)

I love meeting a Filipina who decided to establish her roots here in the Philippines and show the whole world how we can create the finest health and wellness spa in Asia.

I recognized these egyptian perfume oil bottles which contains the oils you can use for the massage. You have three options: Uplifting oil composed of rosemarie and grapefruit; Healing Oil composed of eucalyptus and lavender; and Exotic oil based from lemongrass. I chose the healing oil because of its pleasing smell on your skin.

The buddha centerpiece gives an overall peaceful aura to the garden with the hilltop view of the Sibuyan Sea.

Tirta Spa is a young spa with three royal suite villas designed for couple with thai or indian themes to choose from. Each villa has full amenities of a private bathroom, an outdoor bathtub, a vichy shower, and a Koi carp pond to complete the serene ambiance. There are two outdoor Thai pavilion seated on top of the Koi pond where you can enjoy your preferred massage amidst the surroundings.

You will appreciate the careful attention to details in the villa -- from the indian doors, to the intricate trellis surrounding the villas, the traveler's palm carving, and the skills of the masseuse. You'll never want to leave this place. Just see their official website: www.tirtaspa.com where I appreciated the attention to design, usability and completeness of information. Each of the villa houses the personal collection of En Calvert from her travels all around the world.

I chose the Herbal Compress massage where a special blend of herbs and spices wrapped in a muslin cloth are heated and the oil extract are massaged into your body. They create their own herbs used in their massage which includes the cinnamon scrub, cucurma, and galanga from the ginger family.

One of these days I would like to surprise and bring Rache here and enjoy this outdoor bathtub. If you are on a honeymoon in Boracay, I suggest you give Tirta Spa a try.

The massage begins with a foot massage and a healthy drink of ginger tea...

and this is the last scene I saw as I felt the herbal oils from the muslin cloth massaged on my back...

......

After the massage, I did not want to leave the place and I want to enjoy every minute. Unfortunately, we have to fly back that afternoon. The Tirta spa experience is not complete without Rache so I firmly resolve to go back with my lovely wife. I'll save up for Tirta Spa's 3 hours pampering treatments for us...

Welcome Happy Slip to Manila! Mabuhay!

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Official Website: Happy Slip.com

Related Posts: Aidan Meets Happy Slip!

MABUHAY to Christine "Happy Slip" Gambito to Manila! She arrived in Manila today and the entire Manila Blogging Community welcomes her! We are so excited to meet the most famous You Tube Internet Celebrity who is proudly a Filipina!

" Christine Gambito, better known to her audience as HappySlip, is an Internet celebrity and popular YouTube content provider. She maintains one of YouTube's most subscribed channels. In March 2007, Gambito's video Mixed Nuts was nominated for the 2006 YouTube Video Awards for Best Comedy,[2] resulting in the second place to Smosh.[3] In May of the same year, she became one of the first YouTube users accepted into YouTube's revenue sharing program.

" Gambito's performances typically include comedy sketches in which she impersonates members of her family. She also sings and plays the piano and guitar. As Gambito has stated repeatedly in her videos, she is notably one of the very few top users acting, filming, editing and producing her shorts completely on her own.

Gambito attributes her nickname "HappySlip" to her Filipino mother's mispronunciation of "half slip":

“ As a child, my Filipino mom would always remind me to wear a half-slip with skirts. However, the way she would pronounce the phrase was misleading: "Your hap e-slip! Be sure to wear your hap e-slip!" So I naturally went around calling the thing a 'happy slip,' until friends at school corrected me by asking if I had a 'sad slip' as well." (Happy Slip: Wikipedia)

She was invited by the Department of Tourism -- all expenses paid -- to explore the Philippines for 2 weeks. This is her first time to be back in Manila after the family migrated to the US. She is scheduled to visit Tagbilaran, Bohol, Cebu, Boracay, Tagaytay and Palawan. I am super excited because the entire world will see the beauty of the Philippines through the eyes of Happy Slip. This is part of DOT's Experience Philippines campaign for the OFWs.

I'm hoping to meet her with Rache and Aidan on Chinese New Year, Feb. 7 before she goes back to the US. They are planning a blogger's farewell party for Happy Slip on Chinese New Year. Let me know if some of you are interested to meet her, just post a comment. Maybe, Happy Slip can give a short seminar on video blogging to Pinoys.

MABUHAY Happy Slip, We Are So Proud of You!!

Related Posts:Tuned in to 'Happy Slip': Getting to Know Christine Gambito

Up, Up and Away!!! Huffing, Puffing and Pumping in Pampanga

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After our first successful Ultimate Kapampangan Tour, we decided to create another Pampanga Tour experience on Feb 10, 2008, Sunday. This is the day tour package and we are finalizing an extended package for people who wants to stay overnight in Angeles on February 9. Let us know if you want to stay overnight instead of leaving as early as 3am in Manila. We are only targeting to get a maximum of 15 participants which is about the right size for a coaster including the four of us.

Up, Up and a Away!!!
Huffing, Puffing and Pumping in Pampanga
Sunday, February 10, 2008 | 3:00 am - 4:00 pn| Tour cost P4,800 (all in plus surprises)

by Our Awesome Planet, Ivan About Town, Old Manila Walks and Manila Boy.

Tour Description:
Really, another way to pump up your boring weekend and get your spirits soaring as we conquer the high and mighty in Pampanga! Gawk at the giant hot-air balloons at 12^th annual Philippine Balloon Fiesta! Conquer and hike over the mystic and majestic Mount Arayat! Finally, we’ll rest our weary feet over a sumptuous Kapampangan feast by one the country’s most artistic restaurateurs, Larry J. Cruz of Cafe' Adriatico & Abe in Serendra, while soothing the afternoon away a rustic, relaxing retreat! A feast for the body, mind and soul.

Tour Experience:
11th Philippine Balloon Fiesta* VFW Outpost * Mount Arayat* Abe’s Farm* Nurture Spa Pampanga

Date: February 10, 2008, Sunday
Time: 3am - 4pm
Tour Cost: P4,800/ Person (All inclusive - transportation, meals, tour, massage, plus surprises)

For Reservations/ Payment details: Please email anton@diaz.ph.

Reedley International School

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We are at a stage in Aidan's life where we need to decide our education strategy. We want the best education for our kids but I believe that most traditional schools have outdated curriculum. Aidan belongs to the Generation Z and I believe that only progressive schools can meet their needs. We don't want to be close minded on this so we will be doing more research on the different schools in Metro Manila in the next few months. Suggestions are welcome.

Aidan's generation is different. As early as 2 years old, Aidan begun tinkering with our computer at home. He likes to visit the kiddie sites such as Starfall and Disney clubhouse on his own. We have stopped watching television(including us!) because of the negative impact of TV. When I was in Boracay, we were doing video calls via computer. Aidan's generation has NOT witnessed People Power 1&2, September 11 terrorist attacks, Glorietta bombings or the Tsunami in South East Asia. I believe that their generation would be more nationalistic, conscious about the environment and technologically connected in ways that we cannot imagine. Mandarin and English would still be the key to doing successful business in the future.

My preference would be the International Schools (like IS or Brent) but they are very expensive because you are paying for the Expat educators. Ateneo and La Salle, on the other hand, are more traditional in nature and I hear stories of 1 teacher: 40+ students ratio similar with our times. One consideration is Xavier School which already upgraded their curriculum and are very progressive. We are also interested with Reedley International School because of its core values and International School curriculum that they follow. We attended the orientation last December 2007 @ Reedley, and let me share with you what Reedley has to offer...

We are considering an international school program where the academic curriculum and knowledge is at PAR with the international schools outside the Philippines. They are required to learn another language which is Mandarin. Aidan will be expected to work with different nationalities and respect their customs and traditions at the same time valuing the Filipino traditions. The teaching style is more exchanging of ideas vs. the teacher downloading information and the student memorizing it.

I liked Reedley's core values which is aligned with our core values. I want Aidan's school to be truly a second home for him where he knows most of the students and teachers by first name. I like the positive culture of discipline they are fostering with focus on understanding the reason for discipline and its consequence versus the focus on punishment. Reedley boast dozens of case studies on turnaround cases where a happy-go-lucky student became enthusiastic about school and a bullied student and pressured by peers in the big schools transforms into being assertive, confident and knowing all about conflict resolution. Finally, I like the focus on finding the child's unique skills, gifts and talents and aligning the child towards his divine destiny.

I also like the very low student: teacher ratio where the teachers can really focus on the learning of the students. The maximum class size for lower school is 1teacher : 15 students.

We interviewed a Reesian and we only get great rave reviews from the kid. Have you looked into Reedley? Or are your kids enrolled in this school? Maybe you can share your experience with us.

Life Skills are also taught which includes teaching the 7 habits of highly effective teens, instilling virtues, learning conflict resolution skills, understanding emotional quotient, and reaching out to less fortunate brothers and sisters.

Mrs. Ong, founder of Reedley, shared her beliefs during the December orientation:

" I believe that with an international education, our kids are given lots of opportunities and seemingly more unique ways of learning, inside and outside of the classroom, less structured but more participatory discussions on: Global issues, economics and polities, 21st century technology, society's ills, and other relevant and worldly concerns. "

" I believe that a good school highly enables its students to have an excellent grasp of the English language in order to survive, to communicate well, and to promote Bi-lingualism."

" I believe that a both Parents and the School are responsible to help children discover ways to make good use of Life's Greatest Gift... the Gift of Learning."

" I believe that a good school is one where: RESPONSIBILITY and HARD WORK are deeply instilled; GOOD MORALS and DISCIPLINE become our children's way of life."

The tuition fee is twice that of a traditional school but a lot lower than the other International School in the country because they don't employ expats. Since they are an IS school, they don't have a focus on Christian formation which is one of the criteria I was looking for in a school. I grew up with Salesian brothers and priest in Don Bosco Makati and I was hoping Aidan to get the same Catholic formation which I won't get in Reedley International School.

We still have time to do research about other progressive schools before Aidan turns 6. Any suggestions on awesome progressive schools in Metro Manila?

For more information on Reedley: Reedley International School

Boracay 101: A Bora First Timer's Guide To Boracay's Best Restaurants, Must Try Food and Gimmick Places

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BORACAY 101: A Bora First Timer's Guide To Boracay's Best Restaurants, Must Try Food and Gimmick Places

I realized that there are still a lot of Filipinos who have never been to Boracay. I compiled this guide to help them based on what people are raving about and based on my personal experience. I've been going back to Boracay every year and I developed a sense of what is awesome based on what restaurants people are talking about. In this guide, I compiled the following lists:

• Top 10 Best Restaurants in Boracay,
• Top 10 Must-Try-Food-and-Drinks in Bora!,
• 8 Restaurants that did not make the Top 10 list but worth mentioning,
• Top 8 Gimmick Places in Boracay!

Boracay is one of those places that you should visit in the Philippines before you die. Feel free to share this information to everyone. For those who have been to Boracay, there have been a few changes in the restaurant and night life scene in Bora. This guide will keep you up-to-date and in-the-know versus your friends even before you visit Boracay. Enjoy and we do hope that you have a great time in Boracay!

Text and Photos Copyright 2008. Our Awesome Planet (Updated: January 15, 2008)
(Picture from top to bottom: Ati-Atihan de Boracay Parade in Station 1 | Pia of Seair Marketing with Norsan and Anne, Microtel Marketing Ladies | Melo of Lakbay Pilipinas and Gail of Kutitots enjoying the Puka Beach Waves)

Top 10 Best Restaurants in Boracay

1. Dos Mestizos is the Best Spanish Restaurant in the Island by Binggoy Remedios (only Ole restaurant can contest that title) . They went out of Asya resort to establish their own resto near the Station 3 Police Station. They serve strictly spanish food cooked slowly and with olive oil. Their specialties are the 16 ways of Tapa which includes Gambas al ajillo, Croquettas de quezo azul, and chorizo; and the 5 different styles of Paella: Valenciana, Marinara, Negra, de pollos, and de verduras which takes about half hour to prepare.

Dos Mestizos Spanish Restaurant
Sitio Manggayad, beside PNP Police Detachment Station 3
Tel (+63-36) 288-5786Opens Daily (12pm-2pm Lunch, 6pm Dinner, on Saturdays 6pm-10pm Eat-all-you-can Tapas)



2. Cyma's original restaurant in d'Mall continues to be the greek favorite in the island. It was a hit when it first opened which led to the consequent opening of the Shangrila and Greenbelt branches in Manila. It is hidden in one of the alleyway in d'Mall but you won't miss it because of the number of people patronizing the place. Try their light greek salad, saganaki (flaming cheese) with OOPA!, and the lamb chops/ crabs for your main dish.

Related Posts: Top 5 Bora Restos

Cyma Greek Restaurant
d'Mall, Station 2, Boracay Island


3. Prana Restaurant located in Mandala Spa is the best healthy restaurant in the island. "Prana" means "life force" in Sanskrit and it reflects the lifestyle philosophy of Karen Reina and Dieter Schrottmann. It serves vegetarian food, fruits and salads, and light food in general. You shouldn't miss their Pappa al pomodoro tomato soup and healthy breakfast servings.

Related Posts: Top 5 Bora Restos

Prana Restaurant at Mandala Spa
Station 3, Boracay Island
Tel (+63-36) 288 5856 to 59
E-mail: info@mandalaspa.com

4. Manana Boracay- nothing beats Manana when it comes to tacos, burritos and nachos in bora. Almost all of the people I've asked randomly, recommended Manana because of the big serving size and the food is served hot and fresh. It is a favorite hangout place because of its open air ambiance and beach front location.

Manana Mexican Restaurant
White Beach, near Boat Station 1 Boracay Island


5. Lemon iCafe - Ever since it opened, it created rave reviews because of its lemon desserts and lemon inspired interiors strategically located in the middle of d'Mall. They serve a variety of chocolate cakes, banana muffin and other desserts. They serve breakfast and light meals, so you won't go wrong in putting this in your food trip itinerary any time of the day.

Lemon iCafe
in the middle of d'Mall, Boracay Island


6. Real Coffee and Tea Cafe - Established since 1996 by Ms. Lee Rosaia. Its claim to fame in Bora is its Lemon cupcakes (P40 each) and its Nipa hut setting which is great for breakfast. They serve continental breakfast mostly omelettes and sandwiches. They are open as early as 7.30am. You can't see them from the main walking road in Station 1 because you have to go inside a bit to find it.

Real Coffee and Tea Cafe
near Boat Station 1, Boracay.


6. Zuzuni - There is room for two Greek restaurants in this Top 10 list but I still like Cyma overall. This is owned by Geni Psinakis of Mati Rockwell fame; Yorgos Psinakis; and Nikos Gitsis, a Seair partner who named it after the endearing term "little insect" in Greek. Their Greek cuisine are almost authentic but they have a killer dessert called Chocolate Sin that beats any dessert in the island.

Zuzuni Greek Restaurant
near Boat Station 1, BoracayTel (+63-36) 288.4477
Website: www.zuzuni.net


7. Aria Italian Restaurant - Filipinos love pizza and pasta and Aria is the best place to enjoy these. They use wood fire oven for their pizzas and bread. They are owned by the d'Mall owners and enjoys a very nice prominent spot at the entrance of d'Mall.

Aria Italian Restaurant d'Mall, Station 2, Boracay IslandTel (+63-36) 288-5573


8. Boracay Crab House @ Escondido - The Best Crab Place in Boracay. Their specialties are simply crabs in many ways that you could imagine and their prawn dishes. It would be a shame leaving Boracay without eating the best seafood you will only find in the province like Boracay.

Escondido's Boracay Crab HouseAt the back of the ChurchTel (+63-36) 376-4535, (+63-917) 527 4777Website: www.escondidoboracay.net


9. True Food Indian Food - The Best Indian Food in Boracay Island. It has huge pillows where you can seat and have a good time with friends.

True Food Restaurant
Boat Station 2, Boracay

10. Smoke Restaurant - The Best Filipino paluto restaurant in Boracay. If you are on a budget, why not buy your raw ingredients and ask Smoke to cook it for you. They also have ala carte Filipino food in the menu but nothing beats buying shrimps and asking them to cook it for you the way you like it.

Smoke Restaurant
at the back of d'Mall restaurant where the market is, Boracay


Top 10 Must-Try-Food-and-Drinks in Bora!

Jonas Milkshake is undoubtedly the best milkshake in the island!

Real Coffee's claim to fame is their Lemon Cupcake. You should try it.

Cafe del Sol's Cheesecake @ d'Mall is a good choice for dessert after your Aria meal.


Zuzuni's Chocolate Sin is to die for. Amen.

Summer Place Bucket of Long Island Ice Tea. This is a great bonding drink for the barkada.

Illusion Shaker of Cocomangas. Find out why it is called illusion shaker.

Chori Burger and Street Food. You're Bora experience is not complete without tasting these Chori Burger.

Sex Shooters of Summer Place. It is a combination of 6 alcoholic shots with sexy names and with different ingredients.

Still Standing after 15 is already an institution in the island. You will be given 15 alcoholic shots which you need to finish the entire night. If you are still standing after 15 shots, you'll get a shirt and they will put your name on the walls.

Gastoff Ribs @ d'Mall.


8 Restaurants that did not make the Top 10 list but worth mentioning


Puka beach food is perfect during lunch time after a boating trip.

Wahine Beach Bar is a good place to hangout for thin crust pizzas if you happen to pass by Diniwid beach where Nami and Microtel are located.


Yellow Cab invasion. It replaced my favorite restaurant Banza portuguese food.

If you are already wasted, Jammers is the place to hang out in the early morning. Good thing they are open 24 hours.


This is the original restaurant of Hawaiian Bar-B-Que in Bora. They opened their second branch in the Boutique of Tagaytay and another branch in San Miguel by the Bay.

You can try the unique halo halo sandwich @ Halowich d'Mall.

Bacolod Chicken, Chicken Inasal and Andoks have invaded Boracay and they are a favorite choice among budget travellers.


Portable crepes @ Crazy Crepes or Rock n Roll Crepes are the in thing in Bora.

Top 8 Gimmick Places in Boracay!


My favorite is the reggae live music @ Bom Bom's to start the night.


Then hoping on to Summer Place with friends enjoying their long island ice tea and challenging each one to take the sex shooters.


After a few drinks, invite your friends to hop over to listen to the funky DJ beat @ Plazoleta.


Before going to the Station 1 party place, chill out first @ Hey Jude.


As you head over to station 1, you will notice that Beachcomber now replaces Pier 1.


Club Paraw is still standing and we have LOTS of memories here.


Guilly's Island now replaces Cocomangas located near the beach front.


The Cocomangas shooters bar is still standing where you can enjoy their signature illusion shaker and where you can challenge your friends for the 15 shooters.

Text and Photos Copyright 2008. Our Awesome Planet

Boracay Escape with Pinoy Travel Bloggers

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Greetings from a rainy weekend in Boracay!
Most of the travel bloggers were invited by Microtel Hotel Boracay for a "familiarization tour" for bloggers. This so-called fam tour are just offered to travel agents or traditional media. We are so happy that travel bloggers are starting to be recognized as a key influencers online for travelers and tourist. The only thing is once bloggers are invited they will be honest and you cannot force them to just write the good things about the place. Also, the blogging community is careful about bastardizing the reputation of the bloggers and we don't want to go into the "dark side" of media.

If you are sitting in your office reading this, don't you want to just catch a plane to Boracay via Sea Air? In less than an hour, you'll be lying on the beach having a massage! Sarap... Let me share with you a photo essay of what happened on our day 1 in Bora...

We arrived 9.30am in Boracay via Sea Air. Fortunately, we rode the 35 seater Dornier 328 plane of Sea Air where the cabin is pressurized and the stewardess joins you in the plane :) There were a lot of stories about Sea Air's small 9 seater planes where the pilot can open the window of the plane and the flight attendant would say good bye and leave after the pre-boarding announcements.

There is a new single entry single exit policy enforced last year in Boracay where from the Caticlan port you need to dock in the Cagban port in Boracay Island. In Cagban, you need to ride a tri-cyle, multi-cab or air-conditioned vehicle going to your resort versus going down in the boat station 1, 2, or 3 along the main beach. Unfortunately for us, we rode a multi-cab and the smell of tricycle fumes greeted us. Microtel hotel is located in Diniwid Beach besides Nami resort - north of the main beach so we had to bear with the smoke and pollution throughout the ride to the resort.

After lunch, we walked along the main beach and took the opportunity to have a photo op with the famous Boracay sand castles.

Gail of Kutitots, enjoyed meeting the dogs walking along the beach.

The best asset of Microtel Hotel Resort in Boracay is their chiropractic beds where the beds are soft enough for you to bounce when you lie down but firm enough that you don't sink in. Microtel hotel's target market are families who wants to get away from the madness in the main beach, but close enough to be able to visit the different restaurants via walking along the beach or via riding a tricycle.

Norsan from Microtel hosted some fun games for the bloggers.

In the first game, each group would have to get wet sands and put it in the sack. The team who was able to get the most sand wins.

The second game is a limbo rock relay but before doing the limbo rock, you have to take one shot of vodka. Abe's team won both games.

The Microtel lobby has a Globe wi-fi so we decided to just blog last night as we hear the waves crashing the shores and the boracay winds encouraging us to blog.

I missed Aidan and I was happy to greet him Good Morning via the skype video call.

to be continued...

8 Lessons I Learned from "Tuesdays with Morrie"

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Recommended to Watch! Tuesdays with Morrie

Bart Guingona played the starring role who definitely disappeared into the role of Mitch Albom.  Mitch is a busy and successful sportswriter who made it a point to visit his favorite old professor Morrie Schwatz after knowing that Morrie is dying from Lou Gehrig's disease. Mitch lost touch of Morrie for almost two decades to compensate for his absence.  Every Tuesday, Morrie would give Mitch lectures on life and love that eventually changes Mitch's outlook on life. Morrie is performed brilliantly by veteran theater actor Jose Mari Avellana who likewise disappears into the role of Morrie.

Could it be possible that Professor Morrie Schwatz still be able to touch the people's hearts who read the book and especially the people who would watch the play? Rache cried a lot during the show and she was surprised that I also cried. I would like to share with you the lessons I learned in watching this powerful play. Thanks to Repertory Philippines for staging this show which runs from Jan. 11 to 27, 2008 at the OnStage Greenbelt.

8 Lessons I learned from Morrie

1. Create Memories. Life is too short to waste on trivial things. Invest time with your family to create memories that you will cherish during your lifetime. My blog will be the witness to those memories.

2. Build Traditions. Like Morrie, Tuesdays became a symbolic day and bonding session between him and Mitch. I would like to build these kind of traditions with Aidan and Josh like watching Manila's awesome sunset together and make that a setting for our bonding session.

3. Embrace Life. and Life will embrace you back in ways that you will never imagine. This would take a leap of faith.

4. Cherish Friendships. We had close college friends who already migrated to the US and Canada and we seldom communicate. I was ashamed that I did not even greet them Merry Christmas. I will make sure never to take friendships for granted.

5. Attend Reunions. You live because of the people that you touched. It is never too late to touch someone especially for long lost friends.

6. Learn to Die. So that you can learn to live. The worst thing that can happen is living without knowing that you are already dying inside.

7. Love or Die. We must love one another or die. We should be making a difference in this world or else we die -- nobody will remember us.

8. Bring Tissue. Bring Tissue. You will never know when you will get the opportunity to dry somebody else's tear.

T-House Romance

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My Kind of T-House

T-House Romantic Suggestions

When we visited last Jan 5, there were a couple who were celebrating their anniversary. The guy surprise his wife with a massage and a romantic date at T-house. You can talk to the T-house manager to organize your candlelight romantic date complete with a flutist and a singer (who happens to be the manager).

If you plan to stay for a romantic night, I suggest that you reserve the water room with bath tub. We plan to book this next time we visit T-House.

Our favorite room in T-house is the Earth Room Garden Suite that has a balcony where you can request to setup a romantic dinner or breakfast.

T-House Tagaytay

The Definitive Guide to T-House, Tagaytay

T-House Dining's Fluffy Pancakes!

Telephone

(046) 483.0011, (046) 483.0012
(mobile) 0922-8THouse (0922-884-6873) | 0928-9409954

E-mail: Stay@THouseTagaytay.com

Address: 3195 Calamba Road, Tagaytay City, Philippines (View map)

Moon Garden Restaurant, Tagaytay

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Afternoon Snack at Moon Garden in Tagaytay

I was intrigued by the concept of Moon Garden Restaurant in Tagaytay. It is mysterious (bordering into the creepy side). One of the owners is fond of the moon so the motif of the entire place is balinese garden with moon accent. You would also see smiling moon hanging from the trees. The food is decent and they only serve breakfast from 7am to 2pm. You can call a day in advance if you want to try their salad experience for lunch/ dinner for P500+. I wouldn't rave about the food but it is a lot better than the fast food scene along the Tagaytay ridge. Rache has an interesting perspective about our Moon Garden experience: Afternoon Snack at Moon Garden in Tagaytay. I would agree with her that we love the fresh Guyabano juice and the yogurt with honey.

I want to go back here to experience their Moon Parties held during full moon. If you happen to go to Tagaytay during full moon, then moon garden restaurant is the place to be.

The garden has huge displays of flower paintings which gives it a unique twist versus the other garden restaurant places in Tagaytay. All the paintings are for sale.

I asked Aidan to pose beside his favorite painting and he chose the photo on the right side. I think he chose it because it has a lot of color Blue -- his favorite color. (Oh no!)

Daing na Bangus Filipino Style with omelette, pickles, and garlic fried rice (P265+)
Check out the resto of the Moon Garden Breakfast Menu

Lola Momsy and Syoti Josh in Moon Garden's main restaurant.

Paksiuw na Cochinillo Filipino Style with omelette, pickles, and garlic fried rice (P265+)

Crispy Paksiuw na Bilong Bilong Filipino Style with omelette, pickles, and garlic fried rice (P265+)

Moon Garden

SVD Road, Brgy San Jose, Tagaytay

Nieves +63.920.947.8960

Bibette +63.920.298.8097

www.moongardentagaytay.com